Pho Liverpool Castle Street — Restaurant in Liverpool

Me and my wife tried to go here for dinner on Saturday evening.

Admittedly, the restaurant was busy, however there was a few spare tables. We walked in and asked for a table for two and was immediately told no, and that the wait would be at least an hour. Fair enough - we stepped out, and another couple passed as we left.

My wife really wanted to try it, so I said I'll head back in and ask if there's a way to reserve a table in an hour. I was confused as the couple who entered had been seated immediately.

I stood waiting for around 5 minutes, and in this time a family of 3 entered and said they also were looking to be seated, I relayed the wait time and she mentioned that they were going to try to reserve too. Shortly before the original woman working there returned, a guy working there came over and reassured we'd be seated shortly.

When the original woman returned and I asked about reserving, she just flat out declined and asked "how should I know when people will finish eating"? She told me you can't reserve a table, which made me question how the couple ahead of me got seated right after she told us there was no room.

I didn't want to argue, so we left and stepped outside to search for similar places nearby. In that time we noticed the family of 3 got seated by the same woman instantly after?!

Important information to note is that my wife is Nigerian. Can't say for sure, but it felt a little bit racially motivated, because how can they decline us, then seat another (white) couple immediately after, then decline being able to reserve, but seat another table RIGHT AFTER in the same situation as us.

Long story short is we were turned away twice, but the other parties after us were accepted.

We went to Maggie Fu which was about 10 minutes away from here, which was excellent in service, portion size, taste, and speed of bringing out food, qualities that other reviews here seem to flag as issues at Pho, if you're looking for Asian cuisine, head...

Been here few times, but I think service is getting worse. Booked for 3:30 and arrived a bit earlier. We were given our table and first issue was to explain the waitress I wanted iced tea. She was repeating black coffee and I had to repeat tea! Worse thing was that I asked without condensed milk and specified since I hate the taste. Well obviously arrived with.. did not drink, but obviously paid for it! Starters arrived quite early, but we specified to bring everything together.. well, it did not happen. We were not asked if everything was OK, if we were ready for the mains, if we wanted other drinks.. checkback is essential. Worse thing.. there were at least 3 managers and 4/5 staff members and the restaurant was quite empty. Anyway we waited a loooooong time and received mains at 16:20. Only 1 table was served before us.. so 50 minutes to get 4 soups and a bowl of rice. Moreover we asked in three of those soups to have extra mushroom on the side. Not in the soup and the waitress told us she was gonna let us know. Obviously the extra mushroom were in the soup. Is it difficult to put it in another plate? Anyway. One of the kid hated it and ate only the noodles, avoiding the soup. There was a mistake as well for my bowl of rice, but I had no food for 24 hr. Was just to hungry to complain. Atmosphere 2 because the waiter and waitress were so loud while chatting. Understand it was quiet and they had to kill time, but we just wanted a relaxed day out with the family. Our day was a bit spoiled by all of that. Probably next time will try the other brunch, definetly...

Food Rating: 10/10 Customer Service Rating: 10/10 Atmosphere: Cosy and Casual Pricing: £20 - £30 per/ person Would I Come Again?: Yes

What I Ordered: Vegetable Spring Rolls, Noodle Curry with Chicken, Banana Fritters with Vanilla Ice Cream.

Comments: Very welcoming from the moment you enter the restaurant and served quickly even on a busy day. The quality is service is fantastic and small bouts of banter between plates has made me feel like a valued customer.

While presenting the plates, one of the waiters recommended certain ways of eating the dish to enhance flavours and it led to a rather interesting experience. Even without the recommendations, you'll find that the food itself is full of flavourful surprises that can only be enhanced with the small dishes of herbs and spices that are brought to your table with the meal.

The music wasn't too loud or quiet and the lighting created a cosy atmosphere that really helps you settle in. You can easily have a party of people within the space without being unable to hear what everyone is saying.

I personally find this place to be hitting the right places in terms of what their menu offers and the prices. You get the experience of being in a city like Manchester which has much more diverse asian cuisine. Its delightful to have more options for your night out and its a wonderful addition to Asian restaurants around Liverpool.

Compliments to the chefs and to the service workers. You've all made this a wonderful experience!...