Pho & Spice — Restaurant in Buford

My daughter and I visited this location and was initially excited about the food due to the reviews before going in. The gentleman that takes orders greeted us immediately when we came in and made us feel welcome. We asked him a few questions relative to the menu and there was an obvious language barrier, but no issue, we chose a dish based on the description. The food came out very quick and it didn’t look the best nor was the smell pleasant. I thought, let’s just try it and see as I’ve had dishes before that didn’t appear the best but were delicious. Despite the smell, my daughter takes a sip of the broth and immediately nods in disagreement. She took a bite of what should have been beef/steak and it was rubbery. The shape of it was like that of an ear as I recall. No worries I thought, we will let the waiter know and we can get it replaced. I took a bite of the dish while waiting and didn’t like it either. Once the waiter came by we told him we’d like to change out the dish for the other one he said he’d go get the manager. He did. The manager came and immediately addressed my daughter and not me. Issue 1. So I pleasantly said hey we ordered this dish upon recommendation and description but it lacks flavor so my daughter would like to replace with another dish. With his arms folded and clear frustration he says “well what do you want me to do about it”. Though in total shock, I thought to myself, perhaps there’s a language barrier and he doesn’t really understand what we’re saying so I proceed to let him know why we wanted to exchange the dish. He repeats his first statement and also adds while standing closer to me and looking down at me in my seat with an elevated voice “am I supposed to just throw it away? I can’t do anything about this. This is the dish that you ordered. I’ll take it back but you will have to pay for it.” So I decided that after yet another rude comment to a friendly buying customer, I got up and asked him to change his tone, back up, and I proceeded to express my dislike for the dish and his unprofessionalism as a manager/owner. I also raised my voice to match his. He kept an elevated voice but continuing to shrug his shoulders and never tried to appease us or offer to fix the dish, etc. he only spoke on wasting ingredients etc. The waiter clearly in shock at his response too apologizes to me and my daughter profusely but that was not enough. I asked for my ticket to pay and we left. Before we left though, the short stature of a man, the manager that is, decided he would try to intimidate me and my daughter by standing at the edge of the counter/table and watched us with his arms folded and an angry face while I paid. In hindsight, I shouldn’t have paid for a dish I didn’t eat! I was just so disgusted this was happening and decided to leave but I tell you this, the food is disgusting, the service was even more disgusting and this place won’t be here long! God will not bless this business with a sorry excuse of a manager/owner like that and especially bc the food is just as nasty as the owner! DO NOT EAT HERE! Those other five star reviews….bologna! lol! There are much better Pho restaurants in the surrounding area so I encourage you to choose to spend your hard earned money somewhere else!...

I’m truly saddened to share this review, as I had quite an experience. I first received a flyer in the mail for 5% off a new Vietnamese & Thai restaurant in the area and was excited to support their business. My first visit was wonderful, so much so that I returned two days later and ordered the same dish—Shrimp Pad Thai. However, when I arrived for my second visit, my order had been mistakenly given to someone else, and the only remaining dish was a Pork Pad Thai. I was asked if I’d like to take the pork instead, and I explained that I don’t eat pork as I’m a pescatarian. They assured me they would recook my meal, so I took a seat and waited. Once I received my food, I left and began eating while heading toward Interstate 285. As I was enjoying my meal, I discovered what appeared to be uncooked pork. Concerned, I immediately called the restaurant, and they told me they would remake my order. However, I soon realized the issue was more than just a mistake—there was clear cross-contamination. It seemed as though they had simply removed the pork and added cooked shrimp rather than preparing a fresh dish. This resulted in a severe case of food poisoning, during which I vomited so violently that I burst a blood vessel in my eye. This experience was not only disappointing but also dangerous, and I feel compelled to share my story so others...

We were traveling from Boston and were looking for some thai food, that is when we came across Pho and Spice and it was the best thai food we had so far!!! We ordered Chicken pad thai, Penang curry, Tamarind Duck and Roti Canai. Everything was flavorful, delicious and authentic. The restaurant also has Vietnamese food and Ramen on menu. The owner (Sumon) also came to our table to check in and had a chat with us. He was such a nice gentleman and mentioned he had been working on restaurant for over 30 years and had opened previously opened restaurant in Boston and Connecticut. This family owned business made us feel so welcome. We even went and tried Pho and some more thai food before we headed back to Boston. I definitely recommend this place if you are looking for some thai and Vietnamese place. The place is cozy...