Pho Viet — Restaurant in Brandon

Never judge a book by its cover. Yes, this location was originally the old Brandon Pizza Hut restaurant. The exterior and parking lot don't match the food quality. It's also true that I initially wasn't impressed with the interior of the restaurant during a visit back in 2019. Yet it's still a very popular place because the food is good as well as the price.

My most recent visit when dining inside Pho Viet was actually a very good experience. We were seated right away at one of many booths. The table was clean, and the menu was extensive. It was my husband's first time. I can't remember the name of the waitress but she was awesome. She took our drink order right away as well as the appetizer. We thought about getting the pork sausage rolls (A5) but ended up getting the egg rolls (A3). These are truly the best Viet egg rolls in the Brandon/Valrico area. They're also very meaty. We both loved the egg rolls. The dipping sauce complimented the flavor of the rolls. The iced Viet coffee with condensed milk was also a winner for me. My husband ordered iced tea which I think was chrysanthemum because of the color. He said it was different which made me laugh. He was expecting a regular iced tea.

Anyway, he ended up getting the lemongrass stir fry (D6) with pork and I got the bò kho (H7). I'm not sure why, but I always seems to gravitate towards the Southern Vietnamese side of the menu. Well, our meals were fantastic! They both had so much flavor. So much so, that we ordered the same meals again for takeout so that we could have it again the next day. The beef in the stew was so tender. I think the only negative is that they don't serve bread with it. I would love to be able to dip bread into it.

The prices are also fantastic, and they also give a military discount on top of that. I see many families and couples of all nationalities dining there. It's a very diverse group of people. I'm not sure that it's the best pho place in the Tampa Bay area, but what I've had was pretty darn good. Service can be hit or miss. My most recent visit was a huge hit. It's great that my husband wants to go back and that we can both enjoy...

First time there. I had Maria as a server and she was great. Very attentive and had the answers to any question we had. My hubby and son had never done Vietnamese food before. Well for an appt. we had spring rolls w/shrimp and pork. The wrapper was chewy and strung out almost like cheese. They had very little meat and ALOT of lettuce and noodles. My son and husband were served and were done eating by the time my Pho Soup came out!! My 8 year old ordered fried rice w/beef. It was the best fried rice I've ever had! Moist, lots of egg and seasoned well. The hubby got "Broken Rice", Jasmine Rice, Beef, Salad and a bowl of Fish Sauce. The rice was ok but I've had better Jasmine rice. The beef tasted very good but was extremely overcooked. And the salad was dry. It came with no dressing and they offered none. Sooo.... When my Pho Soup finally did come out it was huge! It tasted really good. I could have ate most of it if, my husband and son weren't already done eating and waiting on me! The soup was very, very good except one thing. I ordered the Spicy Northern Pho w/ rare beef, well done Brisket, beef meatballs and well done Flank steak. The meatballs are questionable. They did not have a normal texture to them. The Lemongrass, Bean Sprouts, Lime wedges and 2 jalepeno slices came on the side. They all were really fresh. They only downside was the lemongrass tasted just like grass! Like fresh cut lawn grass. Not even a hint of lemon. And it is very strong flavored. So since I had to take mine to go, I got TO GO containers. I'm not sure how they expected me to pour this huge bowl into something about the circumference of an orange!! I started to make a mess so a waitress saw and came to help. She couldn't get it in the container either. It was everywhere, the table and floor. For the most part it was a pleasant experience. Maybe having a great server made me feel better somehow. Thank...

My first time there with my daughter and before I went in I wondered about the cleanliness for some reason, their back door was open, I peaked inside, it seemed okay and I noticed big bowls which got me excited for some reason even though I don't eat a lot 😕. I usually make my presence known, walked farther into the restaurant and when the waitress saw me she came over and said we could sit where we want, which was perfect for me. There was a lot of selections to choose from, so basically I didn't know what to choose. I ordered a shrimp appetizer and spicy noodle soup. I think I would like most of the appetizers and possibly fried rice. I got my favorite Thai drink, it was good and so was the fried shrimp appetizer. However, wish it seemed and smelled cleaner. The salt and pepper shakers are old with black mold dots on top and mines were almost empty, but the utensils and bowls were clean. I wanted to try soup, but you really need to know what you like. My bowl of soup was big (but not sure what size it came in to begin with) I got spicy beef (because I like spice) but it only had a little, it had no flavor and I added salt, lime, jalapeno, and soy sauce, but it still was no good to me. I also hate beef fat, which is just my thing but I couldn't enjoy it at all. I just took it home cause my dad will eat anything literally and I hate wasting food. The...