Red Top Kitchen Noodle House — Restaurant in Baldwin Park

*First Time Review I have been wanting to try this place out for years, because I work near by... and then last year our office moved further away, so dropping by for lunch is not possible for dine in. Today I had an appointment at Kaiser Baldwin Park & with Covid19, a pickup order was destiny... ok, too much?

No dine in but their patio with 3 tables of 4 are available, should you with to eat there. Ordering i had to follow the arrows on the front door to a window facing the street.

I waited, standing at the window for about 5-10 mins. While waiting u read a notice on the window explaining how due to Covid19 prices have increased. Um, ok... I was just about to walk away, when a man's voice said hello. Kinda gruff. Nothing extra by way of courtesy, hospitality or an extension of kindness. All business. I can appreciate the efficiency, but i was grateful that i was taking my order to-go.

Looking over all the Yelp reviews & photos, I decided I wanted to try the #1 Grilled Meat Vermicelli & the Popcorn Chicken. My order came out pretty fast (about 10-15 mins), but i would recommend calling ahead of time and then just picking up. There are plenty of photos of the menu, so i won't add another. I did take photos of my order( see attached)

#1 Grilled Meat Vermicelli Choice of grilled meat (pork, beef, chicken & for extra $, shrimp), 2 egg rolls, cucumber, bean sprouts, pickled radosh & carrots, cilantro, vermicelli & sauce. I chose the grilled pork. So delicious & tender.

Popcorn Chicken. Pieces of chicken battered & fried. What they didn't mention is that they fry it with basil leaves. I thought that was interesting. The chicken smelled SO good that i just had to try it once i got into my car! It came out hot, crispy & juicy! I'd order this again!!!

Results: Food: Pretty good. Portions are on the generous side.

Service: Although short & not at all charming, i got my order very quickly & was taking it to-go anyway.

Overall: I'd come back again for the food. I have fave places where I grin & bare the service because the food is amazing. I'm ok with this place because of that & I really don't want to dine-in right now because of Covid19. I'll update my review when I get a chance to dine-in & we will see what service is really like then. Food...

Pho is something nostalgic for me and being from Seattle I had the opportunity to taste some of the best both in restaurants and in the homes of friends growing up. In my travels, a good bowl with a rich broth has been few and far between which is why finding Red Top felt especially serendipitous. My wife and I were in town for a wedding and when I saw the broth in the photos I knew it was worth a try. When we arrived we were pleasantly greeted by Minh. He briefly went over the menu and was transparent about the recent increases in price (by the way even with the increase it was still an amazing value!). My mind was even more at ease when I saw an “Auntie” walk to the kitchen to prepare the order. My wife and I got the house special along with an order of egg rolls. The egg rolls were crispy and the dipping sauce was homemade and reminded me of home. Great start! Not too long after we were greeted with steaming bowls of beefy goodness. The beef was thinly sliced and the broth held the color of what could only be flavor. I like to have my first bites as the chef intended (no condiments yet) and was not disappointed. The broth was flavorful and was genuinely the best bowl of Pho I’ve had aside from home in Seattle. I legitimately had a ‘Ratatouille’ moment- drifting off into a memory from my childhood of enjoying a bowl of Pho with my family next to a donut shop on a rainy Seattle day. The restaurant is clean and cozy with the humility of a family owned restaurant. It was so good that we also ordered vermicelli (a cold noodle dish) to go and it was tasty as well. Highly recommend for the noodle soup craving and the foodie looking for a great cultural home style eat. Thanks Minh and family, we’ll be...

Food: D+ Venue: C Service:B-

Beware don't consume the Sriracha it was sour and ruined my meal!!

Went in around dinner time and my partner ordered a pho. I didn't order a pho because even the most basic pho Tai is around 13.50 before tax.

Prices aren't reasonable at all there are so many better options just 5 mins away.

The pho was smokey which was something new but not that positive as all the authentic phos I have tried have been savory. The beef seemed old and was not tender at all.

Service was okay except for the server taking about 5 mins after the pho was served to bring us waters. As well as an employee that served us the pho had a very unpleasant look on him when serving us.

Overview: My rating is based on the venue just feeling uncared for and dirty. The sauces not being refrigerated and probably expired as they turned sour. As well as the okay tasting pho with meh meat selections. And above all the deceiving pricing where it seems cheap on the menu but in the corner of the menu there is a sticker saying pricing is up $4 dollars. I believe these factors probably contributed to a restaurant being empty during...