Pho Bar Express — Restaurant in Boston

The owner is responsive to reviews, this establishment no longer charges a mandatory 18% fee that was the source of a lot of 1 star reviews. Keep that in mind when tipping since it is no longer automatically included

I think you’ll find very polarized opinions on the food here. I want to say first I think there were reviews about the fresh noodles complaining how they’re a bit mushy, they’re not, the noodles are technically correct, they aren’t mushy, they aren’t stuck together, but it’s also the first time I’ve had pho with fresh noodles and I’m not sure I like the texture which tends to be a little wider and have less bite than equivalent dry noodles (the standard in other American pho places)

Similarly the broth is very anise forward which if you like it you’ll love this but if not you’ll probably not like the pho here, which also tends a bit to the sweeter side

That’s to say the food here is idiosyncratic but if your taste lines up with the chef I’m sure you’ll find the food here very enjoyable. I do see a lot of local Vietnamese here and this was recommended me to one so it’s probably fairly authentic but I can’t judge on that. It is the only place that’s ever given me rice paddy herb though, and that’s a plus in my book

The almond dessert is amazing though; I always love a good almond tofu.

I’d say this place is at...

I typically don’t leave reviews but I was reading all of the negative comments and disagreed with a lot of them! I did not experience the automatic 18 percent tip or any drastic wait. That being said my bf and I came here on a Friday afternoon. When we came in we were sat immediately. We got the spring rolls, short rib pho, and house special. Noodles were so good! When they came out and I realized they were home made I was so impressed. The broth was very good as well! Not too sweet or salty. The short rib that came out was massive and we both could barely finish our bowls of pho. For the spring rolls, the portion was much larger than expected as well and we ended up having to take them home. Service is just how you expect in a Vietnamese restaurant! We like to be left alone to eat, but I guess to some people that may be considered “slow service”.

Overall, as someone who works in the restaurant industry I do not believe this place deserves some of the one stars I was seeing. Is there room for improvement? Of course! But nevertheless, give this...

As pho lovers, we enjoyed our experience at Pho Bar Express. We ordered a large Pho Dac Biet and Pho Gia Lai. What captured our attention first was the open kitchen concept. We could watch how our pho bowls were prepared and served. About the pho bowl itself, I was impressed with the amount of spring onions in my bowl. I love spring onions, so that was a plus. If you’re not a fan of the onions, then make sure you let the staff know. The broth was hot (temperature-wise), but I’d prefer it to be hotter. The restaurant might want to consider changing to a thicker ceramic bowl so the broth’s temperature can stay hot during wintertime. Pho Gia Lai was tasty. We liked that it came with a side bowl of broth as well. We didn’t order any drink.The servers were nice and helpful. Our table could’ve been cleaned better before they sat us down. Overall we enjoyed our food and will be back to try other...