Pho Chef — Restaurant in Jalisco

I lived in Southern California where I ate pho at the many competitive Pho restaurants. I also make pho at home every 2 months or so. I have been traveling in Mexico for 4 months and thought I would try a bowl of pho to remind me of the taste of home. I ordered "Xe lua" (the works) large bowl. The presentation and vegetables were fine. The broth was salty, but didn't have the expected meaty umami taste. Ideally, the broth would be so flavorful, such that the patron would want to drink it all at the end. I'm not sure what spices were added, but I couldn't sense the anise, coriander seeds, cinnamon and peppercorn that is present in all pho broths. The noodles were slightly undercooked. The rare beef was fine, but the cooked beef had an aftertaste as if it had been in freezer for a while. There was quite a bit of fatty gristle. Fat is good in adding flavor, but the fat served was too gristly to be eaten. I wouldn't say it was a bad bowl of pho, but given that this restaurant has "pho" in its name, I'd expect it to be...

I was here last year and thought the pho was below average. However, I am finally back in Guadalajara again and giving this another try. Whoever made the broth for the pho has improved their skill a lot. The broth is very tasty and made with the right balance of ingredients, temperature, and time. They also improved their garnishes. You got your lime, basil, bean sprouts, and jalapeños chili. They even got the authentic rooster brand Sriracha sauce and hoisin sauce. I’ve eaten pho all over the world, and this place is 4th on the top places, behind Southern California, Vietnam, and Denmark in that order. Even they do not make pho this good in Paris, France. One of the more densely Vietnamese communities outside of Vietnam, and a hot bed for good food. The chef at Pho Chef aren’t even Vietnamese, but I could tell they put a lot of hard work and passion into bringing this lovely dish into Mexico. That is a very bold risk, but they...

I had a terrible experience with the manager, Ramón, on my second visit here. He didn’t take responsibility for the taste of the soup, which was very bad.

He also didn’t take responsibility for my friend swallowing something hard and sharp inside the spring roll. Ramón said that other customers didn’t complain that day, so the problem must be us!

I will not come here again. On my first visit, the food was very good. On my second visit, the food was so bad I didn’t finish my meal, and Ramón’s attitude is what really makes me want to stay away from such a...