Stone Pho — Restaurant in Blaine

This place was super fun, I ordered their Stone Pho and Bun Bo Hue. The stone pho is in a hot pot style which I feel like only need a few touch ups to make it super seamless. Firstly the broth doesn't stay hot long enough for this I think. I was eating kind of slowly because they said it was going to be hot for a bit and I was enjoying my time having fun eating the pho in a hotpot style. Secondly the broth is too hot for cooked noodles. Finally the meat was over seasoned. I think that they could have it come out on a hot pot dish. That way the heat is consistently hot for a longer period of time. Also I think that if they soak their noodles and have the table cook it during the process it would make for a better experience since rice noodles are so delicate. My pho noodles were disintegrating. Even though I waited for the broth to cool down. I feel like the pre-cooked meat was over seasoned. I am not sure on their process but it felt like they cooked it and then added seasoning afterwards. I believe the flavor of their pho would have carried the taste of the meat and adding just enough flavor to the meat. When I cooked the sliced beef in the hot broth it cooked very well and had the pho flavor. Whereas the pre-cooked meat had a heavy pepper flavor. Also the tendon was tough, maybe I should have put them in first to cook them longer. The beef rib was super tender and the awesome in the pho.

As for the Bun Bo Hue, I am no expert in this field whatsover. I don't eat Bun Bo Hue often but I know my grandmother loves it. She's from California and eats at one spot because she knows what kind she likes. She would not like this Bun Bo Hue.

The cream cheese wontons were pretty normal. A great snack.

Overall I had a great time and I really appreciate their attempt. I think this place can be an awesome spot for friends to hang out or even a hangover cure. It's always nice to have fun creative ideas flood the Minnesota market. Being from California we are spoiled with ethnic food selection and I took it for granted but now being in Minnesota I really appreciate a good bite and this place was a good bite. I will be back to eat here from...

I experienced racism here. My sister and I are both are African American and this was my third time coming here. When we came in the staff offered us a table in the back near the trash can and it was at least 7 flies flying around us. I asked if we can be moved to the open table in the front and he rudly told me no and that I had to sit at the bar. As I’m sitting at the bar an Asian woman and her husband came in and they immediately gave them the table. I then asked why I couldn’t get the table and the woman got up and stated she didn’t want it to be a problem. Then she went to the bar with her husband. While we both were sitting waiting to order a table became available and they gave it to her even though I was there before her. As we’re sitting an Asian woman came in with her Asian friend and we’re waiting to be seated. When the next table became available I asked if we could have it and they told me no because it was for her and again I was there before her. She told them she didn’t want the table and wanted to sit at the bar with her friend. I asked if we could have the table and they still refused to give me the table. After we were done eating I wanted to file a complaint because of the racial discrimination. They refused to get me a manager and even when I called asking for a manager they continued to hang up in my face and tell me manager wouldn’t be in for three days. I promoted their business online and recommended my friends try this restaurant but that will never happen again. They sat my by a garbage can and flies because they don’t like black people and will never get another...

We came here with a group of friends with high hopes and expectations, since we’ve heard some good reviews. I would never write a review unless it’s too good or too bad. Here’s a breakdown of our visit:

Customer service: terrible services. No one greeted us when we came in. We basically had to stand awkwardly until someone noticed us. The server never checked back on us or asked how we were doing. If we needed anything, we would have to wave a few times for him to come. We were sharing food and had to request a few times to have some small bowls. If you read other reviews, you could see the same theme at this place: customer service sucks.

Food: we came for the “Stone pho”, which is what people were raving about. Basically, they brought out a bowl of hot soup + 1 small rib bone in a bowl made of stone (hence stone pho), and all the toppings like noodles, meats, greens, and onions come in one plate. For $20, there’s nothing really special about this pho besides the concept. The broth is also very greasy with lots of oil on the top. As a Vietnamese who grew up in Vietnam, this pho comes around mediocre in terms of tasting. Overall, it’s expensive for no reason and not worth the hype.

Cleanliness: the place looks pretty new so I guess it was remodeled, but we see a lot of flies and fruit flies in the restaurant. I wouldn’t trust the cleanliness due to the flies we were seeing.

All in all, we wanted to try something new and support local places, but this is definitely not worth the hype and the price. We will not come back. Save your money and get better pho...