Pho Nam Restaurant — Restaurant in Derwood

HORRIFIC!!! Don't go!!! My family and I went 4-5 times to eat there because it was the closest Pho place to us and the pho tasted a little better than the other ones in Rockville. Due to cultural differences, we kind of expect subpar customer service but this was absolutely the worst we've ever had.

The biggest issue is how they treat customers at closing time. Because of work, the earliest we could get there was 7:30 pm. However, we were shocked that, even though the Open sign was on, they told us as soon as we came in that they were closing soon. Can you imagine a restaurant that said they stopped serving lunch at 12:30? This place closes in the middle of dinner rush and they have no qualms with waving their arms and turning customers away who are coming in after 7:45. I saw many customers leaving in a huff because of that and yet I continued to go back. For me, the final straw was when the waiter came at 7:55 and asked if we could pay to "help them close up." Excuse me, but I don't like to be rushed when I'm eating. And it's not my problem if they want to wrap things up early. I still had five minutes. And how many restaurants do you know actually kick people out right at closing??? (We were the last ones in the restaurant so not only did I take my sweet time but I made sure to tell off the entire staff while they waited.)

The next biggest issue is their cleanliness. Not only are the tables dirty, the waiters are too. They look like they just roll out of bed. When they leave the food at your table, their grimy, baggy shirt is all over your food, and their fingers touching the food as well. It didn't surprise me to learn they have been shut down in the past year for health and sanitation reasons.

Unpleasantness. They slam their menus down and walk off. And if you don't order right or if you're not ready or ready too soon, they get impatient with you and make snide remarks.

MSG. I was wondering why we felt the need to drink so much water when we were eating their pho. I later learned from other Yelp reviews that the reason we were always so thirsty is because they load it up with MSG; they go crazy with it.

Not the biggest issue but their menu is very limited. There are no vegetarian options; all of their has appetizers have shrimp or pork.

Bathrooms are filthy. The paper towels literally roll down exactly above the urinal.

The place is dingy.

The wait staff never smile, they look like they want you to just leave.

In fact, they seem to not care if customers ever come back. And so we don't plan to. I can't imagine how a business such as this expects to stay afloat with the number of customers they...

I’m only giving this place three stars because of the price gouging with no explanation whatsoever. I have frequent this restaurant for quite some time I’ve noticed over the past few weeks. The price went up three times and I didn’t realize until the end when I ask the owner “hey… Did the price go up?” He said “yes” when I asked “hey… do you mind if I ask you why the prices are going up?! after I was just here two days ago?!” he didn’t have an explanation for me, at this point it is not about the money… money isn’t the issue it is more so about the respect of the customers and the people that frequent the restaurant. I would like to think that I’m a regular here, but where you spend your money is very important. And it’s a shame because the pho is actually good here, but you don’t leave happy when the prices go up, two whole dollars and some change and then when I also asked him “hey…. I ordered pho to go. My husband also ordered pho to go a day before that.” And I asked him “what happen with the additional cost?!” He told me “if you order to go it’s an extra $.50 or so!” when I asked “what’s the difference with eating in and taking it out?! and why the extra $.50?!” again the owner had no explanation, so sad to say I will not be coming back to this location or place I would rather spend my money where my money is valued. Price gouging just because…. it’s just unnecessary in my opinion. The owner can also improve on customer service as well. You are better off going to “PHO Nom Nom” in Gaithersburg. I rather take the nine minutes of driving, then going down the street from my home. Which...

This restaurant demonstrates pure utility in terms of getting in and out with the least hassle and most efficiency. I appreciate that they are not following the trend of using single use plastic spoons and bowls. I had the large Tai Nam pho and iced Vietnamese coffee. The Tai Nam presented well with the typical basil, sprouts and lime. I sampled it before adding the Sriracha and Hoison sauce, but found it bland, and watered down tasting. There was very little of the richness of stock and barely a hint of the star anise that I'm used to tasting. The meat portions were decent which is worth noting since I've noticed some Pho shops are cutting back. The Vietnamese coffee was served pre-mixed in a plastic cup. This is a trend I'm seeing in most Vietnamese pho restaurants. It's a no from me. They used to serve the Vietnamese coffee in the drip pot over a demitasse cup with the evaporated milk in it. Then you would pour it into a cup with ice. It was a simple tradition that made the coffee experience a little bit more authentic, with a simple nod to Vietnam's French influence. All in all the restaurant is clean and the service is friendly. The prices are reasonable. There's really no reason not to go back, it's just a little subpar on the flavor side of things when compared to some of the other...