Phở Phú Thịnh — Restaurant in Coquitlam

I'm not one to give five stars. I believe that nothing is perfect, but this restaurant.. is amazing. My favourite food is Pho, I'm always on the hunt for good, authentic Pho and I have tried many places with my dad. Lets start with the broth, it is hearty, fresh with a nice sweet kick. The broth is also not too salty. I have tried making Pho at home various times but their broth is always better. Next the noodles. They have never, ever been undercooked, nor overcooked. Always a perfect mouth-melting texture that slightly soaks up the flavour of the broth. Lastly, the additions. My favourite order is the No. 8 House-Special Pho without tendon. The meat is uncooked, as it should, and cooks perfectly in the broth. The greens are fresh, slightly crunchy and add a nice look to the bowl. The bean sprouts are never old, the tripe has a perfect texture, the limes are ripe, the beef balls are tasty and the jalapenos are spicy.

Another dish is the prawn salad rolls. They are smooth, tender and a little crunchy. The peanut sauce that comes with it adds a nice flavour.

The chicken wings are also amazing. The service is fast, prices are relatively low compared to other Pho places, the owner is friendly and the food is real. I highly recommend this place.

Also, a lot of these reviews are false. One review is very low saying that the large size only has more broth, but the same amount of noodles and additions. This is false, they are very generous with their sizes large has more soup than small, broth and noodles. Also, another review says that there was plastic in the soup, and another says the chicken wasn't cooked. I don't have any evidence, but I have been here dozens of times, ever since I was 7, (now I'm 15), and nothing like this has ever happened.

I feel I owe them this review, and I happily...

While certainly not a bad choice for Pho. Not a particular standout for me, either. There are better choices in the Tri Cities.

Service was fairly indifferent and not particularly friendly. The owners (managers?) there seemed to be more friendly. But perhaps the young lady serving us was having a bad day... The restaurant was clean and tidy though it wasn't particularly busy when we visited. Still, it's always a good sign when the eating area and washrooms are kept clean.

We were given only one small lemon chunk for the two of us. But more was promptly brought out when we asked for some. No basil or even cilantro on top of the sprouts. Sprouts were however, fresh. Cilantro was included on top of the Pho when they brought it out but it was not a substantial amount. Using bits of fresh basil and cilantro in your Pho really adds to the flavor profile and would have been a nice touch if either would have been included on top of the sprouts like it is in most Pho restaurants .

The broth, which is the main thing I consider when reviewing a Pho location, was decent. It wasn't overly salty and had pretty decent flavor. The main flavor profile was meat, with everything else playing second fiddle. I feel it could have used a bit more acidity and lemongrass in the flavoring. I prefer a more balanced taste with more depth.

The meat portion (meatballs and raw flank steak) in my Large size Pho was quite small I would say. One of the smaller portions of meat I have ever gotten in a larger size Pho. The soup bowl itself seemed on the smaller side.

So overall not bad but not great either. As I already mentioned, some better choices for Pho in the Tri-Cities for sure and I wouldn't go out of my way...

We visit restaurants primarily for the culinary experience, so I'll begin by addressing the food. The pho broth, unfortunately, lacked the distinctive flavor we were expecting, and it seemed more akin to plain water. Additionally, the portion size didn't quite match the price point.

Moving on to the service, we had an interaction that was somewhat unsettling. A waiter approached us and attempted to engage in friendly conversation by inquiring about our relationship, asking if we were father and son. While we understand the intent might have been to create a friendly atmosphere, such personal questions can feel intrusive during a dining experience. After noticing our discomfort with the question, he continued to press the issue, which further added to our discomfort. We believe that if a staff member is not fully comfortable with conversational English, it might be best to focus on providing excellent service without unnecessary conversation. This would allow customers to fully enjoy their...