Hanoi Pho — Restaurant in London

Hanoi Pho serves quality fresh food cooked to a good standard. There are very few restaurants where you can get good vietnamese food in the area, so Hanoi Pho has little competition. It's a shame Vietnamese food is not more popular as we find their food to be super fresh, colourful and healthy.

We booked in advance and were told to just turn up. The restaurant was empty and the first thing we were told by the server was that we need to order quickly as the chef wants to go home! Not the best welcome in any restauarant!!

Service soon warmed up when the owner realised we were going to spend alot of money on food and wine and she started to change her tune.

Overall, the food was good. Portions were a little small and meat content of the Pho was not great. I asked for rare beef and beef, but they obviously did not have rare beef so added prawns instead, which I did not mind but should have been communicated before serving it to me.

The restaurant is on a busy main road just off A3. Traffic noise is quite loud, but it has air conditioning and a TV playing in the background (a bit like being in Vietnam). Our meal came to £100 for two of us with two glasses of wine which was a little on the expensive side, but it was nice to taste the flavours and fresh ingredients which made it worth the money!

Apart for the initial welcome, service was friendly and we left feeling we would probably return at some point when we need our next PHO...

My husband and I had an extremely poor experience from both the staff and the boss. Due to my dietary requirements, I checked with the staff for the chicken noodle soup from the menu before ordering and received a different dish (see photos). I queried it with the staff because, by looks, it wasn't what I ordered and the response I got was that they don't do the one in the menu, followed by the staff rolling her eyes at me and walking away mumbling about.

Disappointed but had no other choice, I was about to try the food, the boss stormed out from the kitchen and (unkindly) asked us what was the issue, so I thought it is ok to mention to him that the dish is not what is on the menu. To my surprise (or maybe not to my surprise) , he rudely said to me, huffing and puffing, that nobody ever complained about their food so why was I? And that the chicken meat is the best chicken breast there is.

Sorry, but why would a restaurant show a photo of a dish that is not what it looks like when cooked? False advertising? Hmm... I only visited because my friends said the food was decent, but unfortunately my food was bland and the service was...well, the worst I've ever...

Had such a wonderful experience at Hanoi Pho in Surbiton! The broth was absolutely lovely – rich, flavourful, and comforting. The noodles were cooked to perfect softness, and I enjoyed every moment of my bowl. It was actually my first time having lettuce with pho, and to my surprise, it was delicious and added a fresh touch.

The service was outstanding – our waiter was so accommodating, friendly, and genuinely talkative, which made the experience even more enjoyable. He guided us through the menu and helped us choose the perfect dishes.

The atmosphere was relaxed and not too busy on the weekday we visited, which made it even better. And a big chef’s kiss to the chef – truly excellent cooking!

We left full, happy, and already talking about when we’ll be coming back....