Pho Bac — Restaurant in North Island

I've tasted a lot of pho. A lot. This one rates very highly and right up there. If you are planning to go, go around an hour after opening. The later you go, the more developed and pronounced the pho broth becomes.

There's a good balance of flavours with a strong lean towards authenticity. It's got heart and soul.

What most Wellington food has slowly lost is this aspect of authenticity. Flavours have slowly become tweaked and tailored to something that is adjusted too much as an attempt to cater for a lot of different people. It is becoming quite rare to find restaurants that hold dearly to their homegrown recipes without having to tailor and adjust to the masses. However, the fundamentals of this place has not lost its roots. It is created with balance and leave you wanting more.

Go for a spicy hue with spring rolls. I hit this place every Friday and the portions...

Ordered via doordash a strawberry smoothie, summer rolls and a beef noodle dish, specifically asking for no coriander due to it tasting like soap. Got an avocado smoothie (another flavour I can't stand) and the noodle dish covered in coriander. Called up to get it replaced, got told to ask the doordash people to bring it back (after it'd been opened) and then when we replied that they'd already left, got a "sorry, but can you just pick the coriander off the top?" Decided wasn't worth my time to keep pursuing it, but won't be ordering here again.

The smoothie and the summer rolls did taste good at least, according to my partner who enjoys avocado, but the lingering coriander flavour in the noodle dish literally left a bad taste...

The food was good but the service was terrible, i waited ages to be served and once the food was ready they left it on the bench behind the register and said nothing, didnt wave me over and never told me the meal was mine, and unfortunately the meal i was given was inna plastic take away container even though i asked for "have here". All in all the experience was very disappointing as my food was cold by the time they came out and actually spoke to me, they offered no apology and instead just said it had been sitting there for ages....