Pho Viet Restaurant — Restaurant in Columbia

I adore a Vietnamese eatery where there is always a crowd of Vietnamese friends and families gathered, both local and visiting from home! The cheer and jovial conversation albeit predominantly Vietnamese language, is very inviting and pleasant! Pho Viet boasts a broth that's hearty, full bodied & very rich with a bold, meaty collagen content. Chock full of aromatic anise and garlic notes, the green onion and cinnamon presence gives a slightly sweet finish. The amount of their springy, perfectly prepared and served noodles is overly generous, I still haven't finished a serving yet, and this is my 4th visit! Consistency has been my returning variable for sure. But taste, ambiance, pleasant customer service, with a clean, well kept place to dine will keep me returning. Within their location are very funky, eclectic, bars, parks, and stores that are mostly aimed at college aged patrons. The people are very diverse, but everyone here has been sweet each visit. Parking is a task, but sometimes you'll get lucky and a vacant front parking is open on the street. You must be a savvy parallel parker, though! I live 53 miles away, and drive the 1 hour and 23 minutes for delightful service and their pho. The price is 8-10 depending on which protein you order, or don't. I'm used to paying $7 for a bowl of pho, but Colorado and many other states I've lived in have a large Vietnamese population as well as other restaurants that serve pho. Columbia has 2 so far, and the entire state has about 10 pho locations. If you come on the day the broth is made, you may need an extra lime wedge or some nuoc com to add in. Any other time, when the broth has had time to unite all ingredients, all you'll need is your spoon. I will say I recommend Pho Viet for...

My server was a Young male with glasses . He wasn't welcoming at all walking in honestly he made my family uncomfortable. We order 2 Pho then asked for Togo containers, he brings to 2 Togo cups at thT moment it was clear we was not his cup of tea .so I asked for the check and paid for the food I did order. As I'm walking out with my family I hear feet running towards when I turn around he said with a attitude so NO TIP? then smiled I was confused bc in my 12 years of being culinary industry have I never heard in training for foh it is practiced for servers to asked guest for tips,especially following them outside . So J told yea you don't get a tip and would you like to know why ?, he said yes so let him know how he effected our experience at the Pho restaurant also I mentioned to him ,I seen that they had LG Togo soup containers and why didn't he give us them.Then he put the blame on the kitchen by saying they get Mad at him for using them if they are not straight take out order ,then i told him with my soups being in cups with lids that are secure i can potentially drop and waste my food i just paid for which i know they was not going make me a new order which left me like 🤔 we are taking our food Togo what do you mean. So I told him hope you have a great day. This was Poor customer service Now I'm wondering who does he have to answer to bc he is a reflection of them and...

I am sure that the pho here is not as good or as authentic as what you would get in Vietnam. But it is still a DELICIOUS and flavorful experience. I'm never disappointed and the proof is in the empty bowl. I love the broth. April 2023 update: our family had hoped that the decline in the quality of dishes served was just a one-off or temporary situation. But I think our visit last night confirmed that Pho Viet is just not very good anymore. My daughter ordered the #10 pho bowl, which should have a combination of beef cuts in it. She was served a bowl of noodles with chicken. The server did replace it with the correct dish but with no apology. I had the shrimp fried rice. For $16, I got a very small portion of flavorless rice with five small shrimp. The only other ingredients were some obviously frozen peas and carrots. No garnish? No spring onions? No cilantro? It was the most bland dish I have encountered in an Asian restaurant. We have been going to Pho Viet for more than 5 years, but the food has dropped in quality and flavor significantly. They're charging mid-level prices for food that is not as good as you would get at a hole-in-the-wall fast lunch Chinese place. Check out my other reviews, I rarely post a negative review, and I used to like Pho Viet, but I can't give a good review for the product that they are currently serving. I hope that the management will...