Viet Quan - Vietnamese Street Food — Restaurant in Portsmouth

I was thinking quite a bit about: should I write this review or not and decided to write it, expecting that the issues I'll point on here, might be solved in future. This restaurant was long time in mine and my wife's list, as we really wanted to try a real Vietnamese Pho soup, being a massive fans of Asian soups overall. Finally yesterday was the day we came there and had our lunch, which leaves us with very controversial feelings (to say the least) about the place. I'll start from the good things, we found in this restaurant. I can honestly say that the service was really good: the stuff was really polite and helpful, which is not the very common thing (unfortunately), you may see in UK's F&B places. The place itself was clean, very good looking and have a paid parking just next to it. The location of the restaurant is also great. The main issue, what we've got there was...the food( We've ordered 4 different dishes and 2 drinks and unfortunately most of them was just a complete waste of money. As I said earlier, the main things we came for, to this restaurant, was Pho soup, so we ordered 2 types of Pho for me and my wife: beef Pho and spicy Pho. The bowl of soup was really massive, which is not really an issue, if it was a delicious, like most of the Asian cousine. Unfortunately both soups were absolutely plain and has no particular taste or blend of spices, what you're expecting from Asian food. I was massive confused, when I had a first spoon of my Spicy Pho, which taste just like boiled water with a tiiiny hint of flavour, what I wasn't able to identify. First I was thinking that probably all the spices were at the bottom and I need to give a soup a good stear, so the flavour of the spices will blend with the bullion. Unfortunately, no matter how hard I tried to mix the inside of my bowl, the flavor of the soup wasn't changing, staying absolutely plain. Then I noticed complimentary Shriracha sauce, which was brought together with a cutleries by waiter, so I was thinking maybe it supposed to go inside of the soup like a missing ingredient and after the whole bouquet will be completed and the Pho will shine with a delicious flavour. Unfortunately even after 2 rounds of Shriracha the taste of the Pho barely changed, as there was about a littre of water in it, which requires way more sauce/spices - to make some difference. When my wife tried my Spicy Pho (after 2 rounds of Shriracha), she said that my soup is actually better as it has some slight flavour and her's soup is completely plain...At the end each of us left about half of the bowl of Pho, as it was just too much to eat for one person and no point to finish it overall, because of how plain was it. I was even thinking: maybe this is how the real pho supposed to taste? Maybe it's just a super plain soup? But seriously I can't imagine it to be like that, becoming a signature dish of Vietnamese cousine. I've tried a lot of different Asian soups before and I like pretty much all of them, even if it was a relatively simple Tai Chicken noodle soup. This Pho was the worst Asian soup I've ever tried in my life. Not because it was disgusting or something - it was edible, but there was as much to enjoy it, as eating the boiling water with some noodles and meet in it. Also the bowl of Pho cost 16£, which is pretty much a standard price for any main course in the UK and if the amount of water iside of soup was to justify it's price - I personally didn't find it as a great idea. Another things we've tried in this restaurant were honey glazed chicken and rice, mango salad and Vietnamese pancake with beef and prawns. The best thing was definitely a mango salad, which was a great combination of green mango, carrots and nuts. It was really tasty and refreshing. The chicken was just average pan friend chicken with some sweet glazing. The pancake was also quite plain as is and a little better with complementary sweet sauce. Also it was a...

An Absolute Gem in Portsmouth – Viet Quan is a Must-Visit!

My wife and I have been visiting Viet Quan in Portsmouth regularly since it opened during the pandemic, and it's definitely become our go-to Vietnamese restaurant. We aim to visit at least twice a month, and we've noticed it just keeps getting better.

The atmosphere is always welcoming when you step inside. What really stands out about Viet Quan is the consistently high standard of both the food and the service.

The Vietnamese cuisine is superb. Every dish we've tried has been full of fresh, authentic flavours – you can really tell they're prepared with care. From the vibrant noodle dishes to the curries, everything tastes high quality. Personally, the curry is my favourite.

Beyond the great food, the service is always excellent. The staff are welcoming, attentive, and helpful, which makes every visit a really pleasant experience. You always feel well looked after.

And the owner's dedication is clear. Their passion for Viet Quan shines through in every detail, and it's obvious they put a lot of effort into ensuring customers have a great dining experience. Their commitment to improving the restaurant over the years is really noticeable.

If you're in Portsmouth and looking for authentic, delicious Vietnamese food served with genuine care, I'd certainly recommend Viet Quan.

For us, it's more than just a restaurant; we've made many good memories there, and we genuinely...

Absolutely stunning Vietnamese food. We ordered the summer rolls, pancake, and special pho. Everything we ate was authentic and delicious. I live in London and we have plenty of Vietnamese restaurants but I would choose this one every time if it were closer. We were completely full but still wanted to try their desserts, unfortunately they don’t do desserts but you can order a bubble tea as a dessert. My partner had the bubble tea and said the tapioca was too hard for her liking, but I didn’t try it so won’t factor that into my review. I instead had a refreshingly crisp import beer. We were surprised when the bill came as we felt we had ordered a lot for two people including drinks, and yet the total cost was very reasonable. I would definitely return next time I am in Portsmouth. The decor is modern and relaxing. Art on the wall...