Viet Taste — Restaurant in Albuquerque

Went in as a party of three during lunch on a Friday. House was well packed which made us have a reasonable short wait.

Once seated at a freshly cleaned table there were just two place settings and a singular menu waiting for us. We were never given two additional menus by anyone. My daughter ended up retrieving them herself. In addition, we had to ask for the additional napkin and silverware.

Ordering, receiving beverages and appetizers was fine with the one exception. When given the option via the menu of having either fish or shrimp in my entree, I was quickly informed I couldn’t have the fish; that they offered just shrimp. Therefore, I settled on that.

Again, the establishment was busy. However, it took well into 30 minutes to receive our main orders. That seemed rather odd to me considering a great deal of the food served is rather simple soup type dishes.

I have absolutely no complaints about the food. What we ate was outstanding! Very tasty and large portions.

Having received the bill folio while I was still eating, I didn’t look it over right away. As I stated, I was still eating. Yet our server opens the folio twice to see if I paid.

Once finished I then looked over the charges. The prices for the beverages, appetizers, and entrees were fine. However, there were a couple of things on the bill that really annoyed me.

First, there were three tiers of suggested gratuities printed on the bill beginning at 18%. This bothered me because at an establishment like Viet Taste it is rather strange to see that sort of proposal. On the menu it stares that an automatic gratuity of 15% would be added for parties of six or more. Yet, my party consisted of three and the suggested tip begins at 18!

Second, at the bottom of the bill was a notice stating that an additional 3% fee would be added if paid via debit/credit card. There are two posted notices of this but in rather small print. One by the POS and by the front door. However, I didn’t notice either and had to be shown. The policy is embedded in a couple of wordy paragraphs, again in small print. I have never seen nor heard of any eating establishment doing this.

My final take on Viet Taste is the following:

Food fantastic! Service very sub-par Expectations of higher than average gratuities Extra charges added for use of credit cards...

Worst experience I've had in Albuquerque. On Friday 5-17-19 myself and my two boys(6 & 5) came in for what I thought was dinner. We arrived approximately at 615pm. We were greeted and sat almost immediately. We then sat and waited for 10 minutes before our waitress, who supposedly is a co-owner, took our order. She didnt even greet us ot anything. She just came to the table and stood there. I asked if they had root beer, she gave me a dirty look and said no. I ordered 2 sprites and a Dr. Pepper and two entrees for my family. We sat patiently awaiting our drinks. In a 15 minute span, 4 tables of were sat after us, 3 in our direct vicinity. All had their drinks and orders taken virtually immediately while we sat and waited. The final straw for me was when a table of 4 sat in our waitress section. They were elderly white people. She greeted them with a smile and immediately brought their drinks. I had it. We have been in the restaurant for about 30 minutes with no drinks. I asked another waitress to speak to a manager. A young lady with tattoos on her arm came to speak with me. I advised her of my displeasure, disappointment, and dissatisfaction with the service. I told her that I feel like we were racially profiled. All the young lady could say was, "No, I dont think so. I know her. That's my mom. And that's just her thinking face. We're actually co-owners. We are all family here." She continued, " I can assure you I will tell my waitstaff to be more attentive to you." I told her that is great but that doesnt do anything for me. I requested her name and the name of the owner's so I may file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. She laughed and said I've been her before and I have the right to refuse service, so service refused. She literally did not offer anything to make the situation better. All she kept giving me were excuses. I even mentioned if our waitress was a co-owner I would expect better service. She had no answer. Before I left I was handed a business card with the restaurant info. I will make my formal complaint and NEVER give Viet Taste my business and make sure I spread the word to the...

We visited 4/1/2023 because some friends raved about this place. My husband and I were not impressed and found the food to be lacking in full-bodied flavor. Little did I realize they also have issues with cockroaches and unsanitary kitchen practices. Blegh! So grossed out. We will not be back.

Viet Taste, 5721 Menaul NE (May 3) Result: Immediate closure Observed person in charge was not knowledgeable or responsible due to multiple priority violations such as: hand-washing sinks stocked and available, food protected stored six inches above the floor, sanitizer availability, cleanliness, date marking, etc. Observed containers of noodles being stored in walk-in cooler with no cover to protect it from any contaminations, observed ware washing machine with no sanitizer solution, observed large gaps on both back doors entering the facility, observed phone on shelf above beverage station, observed improper water bottle (no lid or straw) drink stored on the prep table, observed several locations in the facility with substantial food buildup (reach-in cooler gaskets, dry storage shelves, under cold hold make stations, near and around fryers), observed no test strips in the facility, observed no sanitizer was made, observed two live cockroaches and three dead on prep table under toaster oven near service window, observed several dead cockroaches throughout the facility under dry storage shelves, under reach-in coolers on north wall of kitchen and under ice machine near walk-in cooler, observed several food containers being stored in...