Bun Belly — Restaurant in Austin

Hygiene Concerns During my visit, I witnessed a staff member—possibly the owner—repeatedly coughing into the chopsticks while wrapping them in napkins. This practice is extremely unsanitary and poses a significant health risk, especially in a food service environment. Proper food safety protocols require all staff to avoid direct contact with utensils after coughing or sneezing and to wash hands thoroughly before handling any items that will touch food or enter customers’ mouths. Observing this behavior multiple times was alarming and unacceptable by any professional kitchen standard.

2 days after my visit, I tested positive for COVID-19. While I cannot definitively attribute my illness to this restaurant, the lack of basic hygiene raises serious concerns about their commitment to customer safety. Regardless of the source, coughing directly onto utensils is a clear violation of food safety guidelines and should never occur in any reputable establishment.

Service Experience Wait Time: The service was notably slow, despite the restaurant being nearly empty. Efficient service is a basic expectation, especially when there are few customers present.

Food Quality As a chef specializing in Vietnamese cuisine, I hold pho to a high standard. Unfortunately, the pho served here was poorly executed:

Noodle Texture: The noodles arrived as a clumped, bunched-up mass, indicating they were either overcooked, not properly rinsed, or left to sit too long before serving. Authentic pho should feature noodles that are silky, separated, and cooked just until tender.

Broth and Presentation: The essence of pho lies in its clear, aromatic broth and fresh garnishes. The dish I received lacked these qualities, further diminishing the experience.

Recommendations Hygiene: Immediate staff retraining on food safety and hygiene is essential. Employees must use gloves or sanitized utensils when handling anything that will touch food, and must never cough or sneeze near utensils or food-preparation areas.

Service: Improve efficiency and attentiveness, even during slow periods.

Culinary Standards: Invest time in mastering the fundamentals of pho preparation—proper noodle handling, broth clarity, and fresh garnishes are non-negotiable for a Vietnamese restaurant.

Final Thoughts This visit left me concerned not only for my own health but for the well-being of other patrons. Until significant improvements are made in both hygiene and culinary execution, I cannot recommend...

Never coming here again.

We came here for lunch and the place was fairly empty. There was one lady who seems to be the only one attending tables. She got us seated and being our first time here, I ask about the difference between Bun Belly and Heo Eatery, and if the items are the same. Her response felt rude to me which I dismiss thinking it might just be me overthinking her attitude.

We had two little ones with us. My preschooler was playing with the chopsticks on the table and without a word of warning, she grabbed the chopsticks off his hands and said she didn’t want him to poke his eyes with them. My husband and I were shocked by this and quickly redirect my son to something else so he doesn’t start to cry.

We also did ask for a high chair for my younger toddler and it never came throughout our meal. We did see a table using two high chairs but the server never updated us about the high chair we requested.

After waiting for what seemed to be about 20 mins (for two banh mi), we saw our food ready on the counter. The server was chatting with someone at a table behind me for a really long time, and we waited and subsequently saw other plates being served on the counter, and she was blatantly ignoring her work as a server. My husband has to stare at her long enough before she stopped chatting and served us our food.

As for the food, I was very unimpressed. Other than the side tots that were well fried, the baguette is really lacking in flavor. All I could taste and see is hoisin sauce smeared over my pork belly baguette and few sad pieces of pickled vegetables. The ratio of bread to ingredients is really lacking.

We also never had our water refilled even though our water container was long empty but never bothered to ask, seeing the lady clearly prefer to do other stuff than to actually serve her customers.

I had also ordered take-out from Heo Eatery (their online ordering business) and no one was there to give me my food when we left. I literally went to the counter and picked up my own takeout. And the online checkout process has the audacity to ask for tips twice! (Once when you place the order and after you have paid, the website asked again if you would like to leave a tip.).

The only thing 5-star about this place is the ambience but all the ambience in the world is not enough to cover up for the severe lack in...

**THIS REVIEW IS MAINLY ABOUT THE BEHAVIOR OF THE OWNER-- Let me start by saying I did not eat here. I wanted to, but never got the chance. I arrived shortly after they opened at 11. There was someone already there waiting for a delivery order (she had arrived at 11:07). The restaurant was not ready for business- floor still wet, manager on the phone, chairs not down, and I was told they would be ready in 5 minutes. Waiting is fine-I know things happen, but there was a lack of concern to actually make anything happen, including making the restaurant ready for customers. I got to talking to the woman picking up the order- she had to deliver the food by 11:30 or it would be late. Yes, she did arrive early, but her order pickup time was 11:20. That time came and nothing happened. Absolutely no one talked to us at this point and by now there is another customer waiting. The restaurant is still not ready. I asked the delivery person if I she minded if I said something and she said 'no.' The conversation between me, her, and the manager (?), who said 11:20 is the 'approximate' time for pickup, escalated quite quickly due to the arrival of the owner ( who was preparing the food in the back). The owner was aggressive, unbelievably rude, obnoxious, and tried to cancel the order. He yelled at the driver for being early and said it was her fault- Order cancelled! By now it is 11:25 and they are just now packing up the order. Look, the driver was early and she knew that, but she really had no idea if anyone was preparing her order, etc. as no one was communicating with her (or me as a waiting customer). It was all very confusing, but could have ended differently with just a little bit of communication and the reaction of the owner was completely unacceptable. FYI- do not put a sign out that you are open for business if you are clearly not. That is false advertising and inconsiderate to your paying customers. ** I found out (later that day) the owner told the delivery company that their driver yelled, cussed, and swore at him. That is a complete and utter lie. Absolutely false and 100% untrue. She was completely professional, calm, and polite. When the owner reads this, and I hope he will, rest assured your lies were proven false when I spoke to the driver's...