best thai food in gainesville! such a hidden gem, i love the thai basil fried rice and pad eggplant dish. such sweet service and super quick too! their pho is so delicious as well and fairly priced. read more

Red Rice Kitchen - Vietnamese Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

No chopsticks in bag, nor was I asked if I wanted utensils. For me, I always prefer the side of caution where more utensils are given (a fork and chopsticks) but neither were included. There was also no napkins given. In regards to the food, the portion size is incredibly generous. That's probably the main "pro" here. As far as quality, I'd say Bangkok Square and Tup Tim have better pad thai. I've cooked pad thai before, and I'd say the quality of what I made tasted comparable to what I received tonight. As far as the taste, the texture of the pad thai was "too moist". Some parts were dry, and some excessively moist or drenched in the sauce. I ordered it spicy, and it certainly had a "spicy kick". It had an odd sticky texture where many of the noodles were clumped together, and this was probably one of the main reasons I was dissatisfied with this meal. All in all, the 2 star rating here is due to the lack of offer for utensils as well as it being among the "lower quality" thai dishes I've tried in Gainesville. The restaurant didn't seem incredibly busy, there was one other customer doing pickup. When it comes to my reviews, I place a very high value on customer service, organization, and see these as being instrumental parts to the "overall dining experience". I might consider a 2.5 if giving half points were possible. In the restaurant's defense, it seems they specialize in Vietnamese food options and some of the pho reviews below look promising. After a poor or mediocre experience, however, I'm usually reluctant to give a restaurant another chance unless it is under new management or there's some type of enticing offer. read more

Red Rice Kitchen - Chicken Pad Thai - Vietnamese Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

We got the Vietnamese noodles, with tofu, it was very yummy, and flavorful. We also got the vegetable dumplings, I only wish that they were steamed instead of pan fried, but they were delicious nonetheless. Vegetarian friendly though their noodle soup is made from chicken broth so we did not get it, would have liked to see some more vegetarian options! We'll be back to get the Vietnamese noodles and tofu again! read more

Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes! And thank you for whoever you are behind the genius idea of pho in a hot pot. It is extra special in this time and era where there is labor shortage everywhere and a lot of places ditch their old way of doing it right to make it through until things get better with single use styrofoam or plastic bowls until they can get some good help. It is pure bravado and confidence to say we will serve pho in a hot pot!!! We will do extra work with less staff available because this is the way it should be for the best tasting pho!!!! Fried chicken is fried chicken, right? No sir, it ain't if you are eating the fried chicken here!!! The skin is so light and crisp and there is no coating of thick batter around the chicken. To make it really tasty with just chicken without thick batter or breading is on a whole different lever of "eat more chicken". The meat is so moist and flavorful boasting some serious marinade with Exotic spices that almost remind me of middle eastern or pho spices. I am sense maybe cardamom, coriander or star anise kind thing! Of course I have no Clue on exactly what it is! And the chicken is served with a big portion of garlicky fried rice ice that you can eat until you are full but still have a full portion left that it looks like you got a takeout for your family member. If you didn't tell your brother, sister; husband, wife, room mate that we are some of their food, they would NEVER know! Dip the chicken in the dipping sauce that comes with it if you want or not! It is good in both ways. Red rice chicken can satisfy every age group and even the picky eaters. It has the taste that is universally appealing and it is like KFC meets Chinese food and did it better without any thick batter around the chicken! Healthier and Tastier!!!! This restaurant definitely brings something unique and extraordinary to the scenes of Gainesville Asian food!!! I set out my day to try out Seoul Pocha today but I am glad to have taken the detour of this restaurant and I cannot wait to come back to try some other exotic dishes like Pad Eggplant or Lemongrass dishes!!! Oh, did I mention that the serving size is huge portions here that we can almost get three servings out of red rice special? ?!?!?! read more

Red Rice Kitchen is located off of Archer road in Gainesville, FL and serves traditional Thai food. FOOD (4/5): I have ordered several items here and prefer the noodle dishes. The Pad Kee Mao is my favorite here, the noodles are very food, but I found the amount of vegetables/chicken lacking. For the signature rice dishes, I would not recommend ordering the grilled beef. Both times, the beef was thinly sliced, dry, and pretty charred in flavor. The curry dishes were pretty good. Prices are slightly high compared to other restaurants in Gainesville but I believe the large portion sizes definitely make up for it. SERVICE (4.5/5): Most of the workers here are very kind and helpful. They will seat you as quickly as possible and attend to you regularly. AMBIANCE (4/5): Nothing fancy. Clean interior with limited seating. Overall I enjoyed my time at Red Rice Kitchen and will be returning. read more

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This is my favorite pho place in Gainesville, hands down. Not a bad price, and the taste is phenomenal. Stone pot adds to the experience. The setting is clean, nice and modern, with a great jazz reminiscent ambiance. Service is fast and professional. I'd definitely come back for more (as I have been). read more

Red Rice Kitchen - House Special Beef Noodle Soup in Hot Stone Pot - Vietnamese Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

Red Rice Signature. We always get the pho and pad thai, but this was amazing too. It will be a new staple for us read more

Red Rice Kitchen - Red Rice Signature. We always get the pho and pad thai, but this was amazing too. It will be a new staple for us - Vietnamese Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

Food was super authentic! The flavors were amazing and everything is made to order! Their service was top notch even for a take out order!! This spot seems to be family owned and everyone in the fam was A+.. it's a small space with cute ambiance and definitely worth stopping by. We ordered the garlic butter chicken (I don't eat meat it did look and smell amazing!!!) veggie garlic fried rice, veggie spicy Thai basil fried rice, dumplings, crispy fried lemongrass tofu and potstickers. Sorry no pics this time we were so hungry and the aromas and visual presentation didn't allow time to snap a photo ‍ but trust it was delightful read more

Great food and service! Their pho is definitely some of the best that I have had in Gainesville. I also really like their fried rice and grilled meat dishes. The portions are all well sized for their prices. Definitely a great spot if you're craving Asian food in Gainesville! read more

I must say when trying to do healthier options besides soup, I wasn't feeling super excited about trying this place. I came here with my colleagues for a colleagues birthday and I must say after getting my food I am SOLD on this place! It is a hidden gem off Archer Rd (in the plaza of Five Guys) and the bowl of vegetarian soup was super delicious! I mean the bowl was gigantic! Also, the guy who took our order was so nice to let me know(even though I'm not vegetarian) that the broth was made using chicken broth and not vegetarian broth! That's good to know for those who are vegetarian. I looked at the menu prior to and was thinking I guess I will get the 10.00 soup but OMG the amount of veggies and how big the bowl is(and it came with rice noodles) it's definitely worth 10.00! I definitely want to come back here again! My colleagues and all their dishes looked super yummy too! Staff was very friendly and nice and very appreciative of us coming in. I'm happy I got to try it because it probably would have not been a place I tried on my own. read more

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Unfortunately the food was very bland. I ordered a spicy rice (Thai spicy basil fried rice) and it was not only not spicy, but lacked flavor as well. The service however was quick and the Thai Tom Yum was good enough. read more

Not gonna lie, ate here three times in the past week. I got the Red Rice Signature, the red curry, and the Tom Yum. Straight up, the Tom Yum I got yesterday had two small FLIES in it. Tasted good until I found them. The red curry did not taste like typical red curry, and actually had an off-putting but taste that was very unappetizing. I would not recommend this dish to anyone. The Red Rice Signature was good at usual. Also, there is a new male server who is really kind and patient but there is a woman server with glasses who was very flustered the second time was there - she audibly groaned when someone asked her for chopsticks and a soup spoon which I'm pretty sure are supposed to come with the soup? She seemed very angry the entire time. read more

Red Rice Kitchen - Beef pho and grilled pork - Vietnamese Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

I ordered a takeout. The fried chicken and rice, and got something that neither looked, nor tasted anything like chicken. The meat was dry, hard and rubbery. I called and complained when I got home. They insisted it was what I ordered, and they refused to compensate me. They were very rude, and unprofessional. I don't recommend this establishment. read more

Red Rice is located in a very unassuming shopping plaza, nestled in between a battery/ light bulb shop and like a Chinese restaurant. This Thai place holds a special place I my heart for exactly one dish, their Drunken Noodles. They have the greatest drunken noodles I've ever had, perfectly smokey with a lot onion and cilantro to balance the taste. The portions, my goodness, are also something to behold, especially when getting the dish to-go. For sure try their beef drunken noodles, I can't hold a dish in higher regard! read more

Red Rice Kitchen - Drunken noodles! - Vietnamese Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

I've been here a few times now and it really is one of my favorite places to eat in town even though I've had small minor remarks about some of the food in the past, the flavor of the food is usually amazing. This time around I went for the wonton soup for an appetizer and the signature Shaken Beef which comes on a hot cast iron plate. Service was very fast and friendly. The Vietnamese iced coffee is one of my favorite drinks and theirs is very, very tasty indeed! On to the Wonton soup. The broth was so clear yet so much flavor! It was amazing! It had scallions, cilantro and I think I tasted a small amount of fried shallot in there, and two wontons. The wontons were a bit disappointing with a very small amount of filling and the filling seemed a bit hard and perhaps was overcooked but the flavor of the broth made up for it! On to the Shaken beef, the flavor of the sauce was so very delicious! The beef while very flavorful was a bit tough and chewy which I did not expect for $17.95 I think it was. But still the overall flavor again carried it across the finish line. Very minor gripes but damn that taste of their food is amazing! One thing I would like to see them do something with is the vegetables that are served with the steamed rice. Boring and tasteless. Supposed to be authentic food, where in Thailand or Vietnam would you get boiled or steamed cauliflower, broccoli and zucchini? And I'm not getting any spicy heat anywhere? Would they not serve food in those countries with something on the side like sauces or peppers or anything? This place is so close to being perfect. This is turning into my fav place to eat in Gainesville. I would love to meet the chef someday and which I could see some of the wok work and other cooking! I'm still so impressed I would like to try everything on the menu! read more

Red Rice Kitchen - Signature Vietnamese Shaken Beef (Bo Luc Lac) - Vietnamese Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

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I got the pad Thai through grub hub and it was possible the best pad Thai I've had in Gainesville. We ordered it on a Sunday during football season and the food took a while but that is expected everywhere during football season. read more

Great surprise! Freshly made delicious Vietnamese food. It's a small menu, and all your VN favorites will not be there, but what's listed is going to excite your taste buds! Crispy egg rolls are really tasty and the fresh rolls with grilled meat... so fresh/smoky and delicious!! read more

I am such a huge fan of Red Rice! It is my favorite place to get pad thai from in gainesville! While it looks busy, and there's only one server in the smaller dining area, the service was amazing! We were checked on a lot and they were able to substitute the appetizer sampler to one without pork due to dietary restrictions. The thai tom yum soup is refreshingly spicy, it was great!! The beef is of great quality and well cooked. The portions are huge and also just as big if you order to go. Come here!!!!!!! read more

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I was so excited to try red rice because I've heard such good things but unfortunately I was very disappointed. The place had some nice decor and calming jazz music. However, the menus need to be either cleaned of replaced because they had a very grimy feel, which is definitely not appetizing. Our waiter was very friendly, but did not seem to know what pad see ew or pad kee mao was and I was surprised that the restaurant did not have these very popular Thai dishes. I had the traditional pad Thai in chicken and it came out in a fancy fish shaped plate but it was so soggy that it almost seemed like the chef forgot to strain the noodles. I can't even see it as a one time mistake though because my friends also got the pad thai and all the noodles were soggy and just missing to the point where they were falling apart and missing so much flavor. The portions were large for the price ~$10 but I can't say I'll be back to try the pad Thai again. The pho looked a little more promising in the clay pot bowls. read more

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I'll be honest, I may have come in with higher expectations than necessary. Albeit not bad, I've definitely had better soup dishes from other establishments. The wonton soup was a bit on the saltier side and I could not help but taste the overwhelming garlic-y flavor. I will admit that my boyfriend's pho dish was pretty delicious. The beef was very flavorful and when you add some sriracha to the broth it really the hit spot perfectly. Not sure if I'd come again, but there were some dishes I would want to try out next time. Hopefully, if I do decide to come here again, I'll be a bit more wow-ed. read more

Red Rice Kitchen - Beef pho and shrimp & pork wonton soup - Vietnamese Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

I've heard both good and ok things about this place so I figured I would give it a try myself and review it myself. My conclusion is that while it's not a bad place and they do a lot of things well, there is always room for further improvement and refinement. So I will review both the good and highlight certain things that I think can be tweaked. Let's go for good first. Location. I don't think you can find a more central location. Located right off of Archer Blvd, you are pretty much right in the middle of everything that is happening in Gainesville. Decor. The interior is nice. It is a nice combination of good color schemes and modern but simple furniture. While there are times and places for over the top decorations, at a restaurant like this, I like the simplicity. Being overly dramatic would not have worked here. The food itself is not bad either. I got the roast pork with coconut rice. The pork was pretty tender with some solid grilled flavoring and the coconut sticky rice was pretty good with strips of coconut mixed in. Now for the places that could use some improvement. Hosting. Now, perhaps I came on a busy day/afternoon and I will give a slight pass for this, however, when my friend and I came, we were kinda just left at the door without directions as to whether we can seat ourselves or be seated by someone. On a normal day, this is passable. But if this happens when a restaurant is slammed with customers, everyone ends up being crowded at the doorway and it's just chaos. Not a good look. Service could use some slight improvement. The servers themselves were nice and attentive. However, I think so more structure and cohesion could be needed. When we were seated, one server took our drink orders but within 10 minutes, a different server came to take drink orders as well. I think some more communication is needed between the wait staff to help with the overall efficiency of service. Overall, this place is decent but has potential to be even better. The food was good but like many other reviews, portions were on the small side and it leaves you wanting for more. Pricing, when taking into account that this is a college town, is also on the steeper side. I would not mind coming back again. I just hope they keep implementing improvements to keep getting better. read more

Red Rice Kitchen - Coconut Sticky Rice with Grilled Pork - Vietnamese Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

Excellent Asian food from a widely varied Vietnamese and Thai oriented menu. Small place, closely arranged booth and table seating, not a place conducive to private conversations or business discussions, but the food seems quickly prepared after ordering, arrives promptly, steaming hot, sizzling cast iron skillet, etc. App size soups and rolls or dumpling satisfy lite meal (and budget) desires -- pho and entree soups and dishes can easily feed two hungry patrons. Crunchy chicken dishes unusual offering, accurately named. I've been 4 times in 2 week visit to G'ville, will come back whenever in town read more

Pricy and smaller servings than other places we go. Food is average at best. Not sure what else to say. Patio is nice in the spring and fall. read more

I always have to come to this place when I travel to Gainesville. Love their food. Never disappoints read more

Red Rice Kitchen - Vietnamese Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

I come here frequently. The owner recognizes me every time I come. They're all very hard working. Both of the owners seem to always be there whether I'm there for lunch or dinner. The pho is really the best in Gainesville. The broth is always very flavorful and not overly fish-saucy. I do wish they had more cuts of meat. They only do the thin beef and brisket. I want flank. They don't use tripe and meatballs. Today I had the clay pot salmon dish. I've had this a couple of times now. I really like it. It reminds me of my mom's cooking (but she used catfish). My other favorite is the spicy curry. I can't remember which one...but it had coconut base and peanuts. It's always good too. My kids love the Red Rice signature dish. The rice is great with a tomato flavor and the chicken is delicious and tender. I would recommend the avocado milkshake. read more

Red Rice Kitchen - Salmon Clay Pot - Vietnamese Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

There seems to be many mixed reviews of Red Rice Kitchen but my experience there was great. Granted I've only been once, however I am looking forward to my next visit. The restaurant is small and has limited seating. When I first arrived I thought I'd have to wait for a bit, however on the Friday night that my party of 4 visited, we were seated immediately. Service was polite, quick, and attentive. Three of us ordered the Red Rice Signature and my other friend ordered their pho. I loved the Red Rice Signature! Their menu says it's served with extremely crispy chicken, and they're not lying. For my fellow Filipinos that have ever eaten Max's Chicken, their chicken is very reminiscent of that! My friend enjoyed their pho and said the portion they serve was never ending. They did however run out of basil, but we were there around 8:30, an hour and a half before closing. At the end of our meal, the owner (or manager, I'm assuming) came up to our table and asked how we enjoyed everything. He mentioned that in upcoming visits, if there's ever anything wrong or something doesn't taste right with our dish, they'd be happy to re-make it. read more

First time getting take out from here. Had a drunken noodle meal with shrimp.... Uh yeah, I'll be back here again to try other menus items as well because if they are good as that drunken noodle, this will be one of my spots for a while read more

Update: came here again and this experience was much better. The service ya improved, their signature red rice dish was delicious. The chicken was perfectly fried and the sauce definitely complimented it well. This was my second time here, the first time since they were busy the service was subpar but this time the service was much better. In terms of food, I can tell that it's high quality and presented well but the portion sizes are definitely lacking. I got the pad Thai and Thai tea both of which I liked but was not full at all afterwards. They do have an extensive menu and will probably be back to try some other things. read more

Red Rice Kitchen - Vietnamese Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

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I greatly enjoyed their green curry! It was filled with delicious veggies, a generous portion of chicken, and lots of curry goodness. Great take out spot! read more

Happy to see Red Rice Kitchen in my neighborhood! You never know what you are going to get in Gville's many shopping centers, but Red Rice is cute and possibly hidden gem status. I'd had a less than great morning, but my lunch from Red Rice turned my day around for sure. The restaurant smells like real food is being cooked when you walk in. Outside of the restaurant there's a cute patio area that is sectioned off. There were a few people inside when I went in for lunch a little after noon. And the attendants at the door were speedy to greet me. I order my food to-go and in less than 10 minutes it was ready to go. I didn't know what to expect when I ordered the coconut curry rice with chicken. The chicken was super juicy and the rice had a wonderful flavor and aroma. I also ordered a order of spring rolls, it only came with two spring rolls, but the spring rolls were very crispy and the dipping sauce was very good. I found the portions not very large but filling. I thought the prices were comparable or even cheaper to similar places in the area. I can't wait to visit red rice again possibly with a friend so that I can dine-in. read more

Red Rice Kitchen - Spring rolls - Vietnamese Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

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Exceptional pho, and the crispy chicken is a must have, I get it every time. Everyone is kind and very quick to assist you.

Came back for more, this time the usual excellent Pad Kee Mao (drunken noodles) with tofu, a couple of orders of chicken wings, Pad Eggplant with seafood (shrimp and squid), and a side of coconut sticky rice. I personally found the house special chili garlic / fish sauce wings will take me some getting used to. Tasty, but very pungent; I'm used to fish sauce used in moderation for umami but this wing coating really popped, both quite fishy and with almost floral overtones. My wife enjoyed them more than I did but I imagine I might get to like it eventually. Along with that we got some hot chili buttery sauce wings which reminded me of Buffalo wings but with an Asian flavor. Recommend getting extra sauce for dipping, very tasty! My wife loves the drunken noodles and she reports they were excellent, no surprise there. I think the Pad Eggplant is my newest favorite dish of Red Rice's. Relatively simple but delicious. Also my wife is allergic to eggplant but the Asian style ones she can actually eat, and she did have some of mine with little issue. Red Rice took my order and card information over the phone which is fine by me. As usual they're taking COVID-19 precautions very seriously and this is greatly appreciated, especially now that it's winter and people are both traveling and huddling together in closer proximity thanks to our uniquely bone-chilling humid Florida winters. I look forward to reporting on my next dining adventure with them! read more

I went inside to place a to go order. The chicken pad thai I ordered was horrible.It was bland and absolutely flavorless. It looked like it was just thrown into the container. And to make matters worse the restaurant only had two other customers who were already eating and it took forever to get my food. I will not be back. read more

We've been wanting to try this place for awhile now. The food was good, but nothing great. We ordered the vegetable spring rolls and a chicken dish with vegetables along with Coconut rice. The springs rolls were average, ok but nothing great. The main dish was good, although it was a very small portion in my opinion. The coconut rice was good but really sticky and mushed together, you had to add some liquid from the main dish to make it not quite so sticky. The restaurant is small and in a strip mall. I;m glad we tried it but we probably won't try it again. read more

Red rice kitchen has become one of my favorite restaurants in Gainesville. And I am one of those people where if I have a current favorite restaurant...​I want to eat it... all..the..time..!! It usually drives my bf nuts, but he actually really enjoys what he orders at red rice too. I once came 4 times in a week... Seating: Be warned though, there is NOT a lot of seating available, especially if you have a big party. Honestly, you're more likely to get seated if you have 2 people because there are a few 2-seaters alongside the windows. However, there is outdoor seating & take-out as an option too. Staff: There isn't much to say on the workers there, they do their job well but nothing out of the ordinary. They're nice and responsive, take my order properly and bring the food when it's ready. However, there is one gentleman that is either the owner or manager, that I see there every time​ that I go, who goes above and beyond to make sure the customers are satisfied. He personally checks in with me and other tables to see how they enjoyed their food and seems very responsive to feedback. A+. Food: The best part. I truly believe the food is delicious and given with a great portion considering the price. Some of my favorite dishes are the pad thai, red rice signature, lemongrass chili clay pot with chicken or salmon, and the lemongrass pork or chicken rice platter. read more

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Super nice people. Pho served in a cool granite style bowl and is really tasty. Also I recommend the pineapple fried rice main course. You can't go wrong with any of the meals though. read more

The pad Thai was my favorite ever! The portion is HUGE so the money is worth and the flavors are very nice! The crunch from the peanuts, herb flavor from the cilantro, and fresh burst of flavor from the lime is amazing. The noodles come out hot and overall it's a very delicious dish. The drunken noodles are also quite delicious. You can taste the grill flavor and if your ok with less noodles and more veggies I would say go with this order. The pho was a bit of a let down. I wouldn't say it's bad but it doesn't taste like the usual pho flavor. I am loving the stone pot and thought it looked super cool in pics though! read more

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I'm a sucker for Thai food so had to give this place a try. Overall it was a nice experience. Place is pretty casual but a elegant vibe to it. They had only been open for a week the day I went so they are still getting their menu and things in order. Cost was pretty fair for the amount of food. Typical entree will run you like 10 bucks. Decent size portions too. The service was super nice. They really care about your experience which is nice. The food...again I loveee Thai food so might be a little harsh. For one they did not have spice levels. We asked for the food to be extra spicy but it wasn't at all. That's okay. They gave us a side of chili flakes that kinda help. The red curry was good ish. Regardless of spicy, the flavors were kinda there but a bit different then the usual red curry. Not as rich as I was hoping. The chili lemongrass chicken severed in a clay pot didn't really taste like anything. Meat was tender but the taste was like idk watered down teriyaki. Average at best. Soup was pretty good. Rolls were good. Overall this place was good but not great. Might be tough to come back here with Bangkok square down the road... read more

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New Vietnamese restaurant with modern vibe. Hanging lanterns made of carved wood are special. Appetizers were pork fried dumplings, very good. Shrimp wrapped in noodles were good. Spring rolls were very tasty. Pho was fine. Entree was garlic chicken fried rice, good flavor but prepared with chicken strips on side of rice, not mixed with veggies like I'm used to. Here on opening day so they will need to work on taking orders. Staff were very pleasant, especially the chef who came by and talked about food preparation. Lots on menu to try for next visit. Always nice to have another Asian restaurant to go to. read more

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Red Rice Kitchen has really gone down hill since when they first opened. I have called them a few times to order takeout and each time they have become more and more rude and disorganized on the phone when I call. A few months ago I called Red Rice and asked for a bowl of beef Pho and an order or fresh Spring Rolls. They told me that they do not sell Fresh Spring Rolls to takeout customers. That they only sell Spring Rolls to dine in customers. I just don't understand that. Then you should indicate that Spring Rolls are for dine in only on the menu. Last week I had a craving for Pho and ordered the Beef Pho. The broth was delicious and the serving size was great, but the meat tasted really bad. The meat had tasted as if it were spoiled. I had to toss all the meat away because it was not edible with the way it tasted. I called the store to complain and was given an "Oh Okay" response. They did not offer to do anything. I just told them to check their meat and make sure it is not spoiled before giving it to a customer. I am very sad about the direction Red Rice has taken. They used to be a go to for me and I would recommend their Pho and Spring Rolls to everyone. I am sad I can't do that anymore. read more