Kim's Kitchen & Noodle Bar (Pho & Hot Pot) — Restaurant in Albany

Long Post Alert

I went to Viet Pho for lunch today. There was hair in my food so I took pictures of it, then called the store... The cashier, a young black male, told me that I could bring it back. He asked me the time and I told him after 5 because of our training.

After work, I took the food back and the same young man I spoke to earlier, took the plate to the back. He returned after a few minutes to say that his manager said they could make the food again. I told him that I wanted a refund because at that point I did not want the food anymore.

Here's their display of Customer Service.

The manager who was there, Courtney, said that her boss (Timothy Kim) told her that they couldn't give me a refund. She was texting him on her phone, she never called him. She claims that he was messaging her via wifi on a plane because he was out of the country.

First, she says: "Well it wasn't much food left on the plate." Mind you, the vegetables were in the cup of broth that came with my meal... I told her that, then she said that her boss said the hair didn't belong to anyone who worked there. I pulled my hat off and I said: "Ma'am, my hair is red and it is not even that long." She tells me that her boss told her to call the police if I wouldn't leave. (I laughed.) I'm literally standing in my uniform. I was not going to run, but since she said she had to call the police... I said: "Call the police."

After time passed, APD shows up. She (Courtney) says: "My boss is tired of basically giving free food away because people stage things and ask for refunds all the time." It was not that serious, all they needed to do was give me my $13.99 back. I did not have time to go find hair and stage anything for a plate of noodles and vegetables... Instead, I received my first Trespass Warning because THEY made my food...

My heart breaks as I say this. I had to delete my previous review where I said this was my favorite restaurant in Albany. I said that 5 years ago when it was under previous ownership. This place has gone way downhill. I just want to say that I don't want to sound like I'm attacking the new owner, I'm just giving honest feedback.

I'm a huge Vietnamese cuisine lover. One of my favorite things is iced coffee. That was the worst iced coffee I've ever had in my life. It was still hot even with ice in it when they served it to me. I could tell by the color also it was going to be super weak and it was. I took a few sips and just threw it out, along with pretty much everything else I ordered. The banh mis here were really good recently, but then they started adding mayo or something to them and that is a no no for me. He spends

Vietnamese cuisine is super simple and hard to mess up. It seems to me maybe the focus isn't on the food quality here. Maybe the owner likes to play around in the kitchen with changing things. I'm personally not a fan and won't be back but I wish him well. I like to see small businesses succeed and I've been eating at this place since it opened roughly 10 years ago. I just can't call it my favorite anymore. Times are too hard with inflation to spend money on something you don't...

I had the chicken fried rice, and chicken pho. The rice was sticky and soft, amazing taste and you can tell it was made with love and authenticity. The pho was incredible, I’ve never had anything like it. It was my first time having pho and it definitely set the standard for me I will come back here for sure just for the pho. To add to the pho, you get a plate of assortments to add to your pho. The bean sprout added in - it made the pho so much more fresh and just light. The cilantro added a beautiful mint flavor and the jalapeños were very spicy and added a kick. I only added a couple of those lol. My husband got the grilled chicken vermicelli and the Banh Mi (Vietnamese Sandwhich) which looked amazing as well. I will definitely come back here, the atmosphere was very relaxing and the waitress was very knowledgeable on the menu items and recommendations. Not only that but she was very attentive and polite, easy to talk to. I gave compliments to the owner and told him it was my first time trying pho in general and it blew my mind. Must try...