Pho Saigon — Restaurant in Pickering

The last time I was at this restaurant was probably around 2015 - 2016. At that time, it was delicious. I went back after many years and this year, in 2024, I would say that the taste of food has been severely compromised.

CONS:

BLAND FOOD, LOST VIETNAMESE AUTHENTICITY: I don't know what happened but I had the blandest pho broth soup that was not even piping hot. We got there as the first customer in upon opening and perhaps it was broth that was reheated but it was not hot and steaming. Worst of all : It lacked the authentic flavour let alone salt. It was very bland. It was missing the flavours of star anise, cinnamon, white pepper, salt, green onions and coriander underlying base to all pho broths. I am not even sure if beef bones were boiled for hours to have that special " oomph " in authentic pho broths. It was honestly watered down beef broth from a bouillon cube with very little salt. The restaurant also lacked the smell of " fish sauce " which is an essential authentic ingredient to Vietnamese cooking. I don't know what happened to this place but the food was SOOOOOO bland. I couldn't eat it bc along with the noodles, the blandness became more pronounced of course.

PROS:

NICEST, MOST COURTEOUS STAFF: I believe that the daughters or nieces are family members and they seem so nice. The server was very apologetic and suggested many other options. I declined and said that it's ok. She was very kind, friendly and understanding. The greeters and other staff are also very...

Bad customer service and rude host, have ordered here for years and have never encountered such a rude host. Will never be coming back here again.

I ordered by phone, and referred to the skip the dishes menu to order because that was the only menu which appeared in search results. When I picked up my order I noticed a discrepancy in the price. The host proceeded to be very rude to me saying I was referring to the wrong menu, and that I must scan the QR code in the restaurant for their correct menu. Excuse me? But I am not driving to the restaurant to scan a QR code for a pickup order. The point is, there should not be a discrepancy in “their” menu and the skip menu. However, the host proceeded to argue with me, being very rude and condescending as if I was wrong. The proof is in the damn menu. Sorry but if you are going to work with skip the dishes, please update your menu or consider hiring an SEO expert if you want your site visible in search results, because the skip menu is the first site that shows up. They need to take accountability and admit they are wrong, instead of blaming the customer. Please so a better job or you will lose more customers.

I have never experienced such rudeness from a host at a restaurant and bad customer service, and I have been coming here for over 10 years. One bad experience ruins it, I will not be coming back.

Negative...

I wish I could leave 0 stars if I could. My wife and I dropped by today for a quick bite to eat and have never been in this restaurant before. My wife did not have a particularly big appetite and wanted to share my soup with me. As per the waitress, unfortunately we cannot order 1 soup alone for sharing, we wanted to order the extra large size. The waitress suggested that we order an appetizer, “and than it is okay to share the soup. I’m sorry this is the rules of the restaurant.” After receiving this information, she also mentioned that it had to be an appetizer that was “at least 4 pieces.” Looking at the menu, it would have come to the same price as the size of their smallest bowl of soup which is a medium. The concept of not sharing food is foreign to me, I have been to many restaurants where it is discouraged to waste food. Nonetheless, we left shortly afterwards. They would rather lose the business of a lunch item for the fact that we cannot share the soup. After glancing around other families and dining tables, it was clear to us other people were “sharing.” It’s possible maybe because they bought more items but we were the only 2-person table. For a restaurant that states they are thanking people for supporting “small businesses,” this was disappointing. I will never come back to this...