Pho Towda
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Had to try this place after hearing about the concept of a “stone bowl pho”! Came here recently for Saturday lunch—restaurant is fairly small but there were available tables, so no wait. STONE BOWL SIGNATURE PHO (Phở Thố Đá)—that’s what they are known for right, so had to try! The broth is served in a stone bowl and is still bubbling hot when it reaches you—a large plate of rare beef steak (tái) with noodles and veggies are served along with the bowl. The best part is that you can add everything at your own pace—the noodles don’t get soggy and the meat doesn’t overcook either, like in regular pho bowls, but beware the broth is piping hot for a while! The broth was flavorful but not enough, we still had to add in hoisin sauce and sriracha. Overall, the Stone Bowl Signature Bowl was good but the portion was unusually large for just one person and it’s a bit expensive—$22.95. I wasn’t able to finish all of it—they should offer a smaller portion so food doesn’t get wasted, and charge less. They have some other food items on the menu as well—tried the Summer Roll (gỏi cuốn), it was okay! Decent selection of drinks and some desserts, including chè (Vietnamese sweet dessert) that I didn’t see initially on the menu.
Vy H.Vy H.
10
3/5. Came here for Pho Towda's soft opening. Had some high expectations due to the popularity being shared around the community, bust was sadly disappointed. Understandable that this was their soft opening, but some things should've been better. The Food: Since the soft opening offered a 25% deal, a couple of friends and I had to get a few more than we would at a Pho restaurant. We started with the Pork TD Signature Roll, Crispy Eggrolls, Pork Dumplings and Shrimp & Chive Dumplings. The TD Signature Rolls were delicious and I'd highly recommend giving it a try. The eggrolls were a bit weird since one was significantly bigger than the other. Taste was average. The Pork Dumplings and juicy and had a nice filling. The Shrimp & Chive Dumplings were not good at all. No shrimp in the filling and just mushy chives. Now for the main entree, the Pho. I got the "Pho Ca Nhan" with Rare steak, Brisket and Flank steak. The broth was good, but a little on the bland side. And the meat quality was average, except for the flank steak, that was quite chewy. And, their bowl size options is limited to only one size, which looks like a regular size at any other pho restaurant. For $18, I'd say it isn't worth it. The Service: Service was quite awful unfortunately. Granted, I came during a soft opening, so they are getting their bearings together, but there was plenty of staff for service. Service was incredibly slow, even with limited food options due to some being sold out. Somehow, one Pho bowl came out before the appetizers and the other two bowls we ordered. Seemed that more people were waiting for their orders, than eating food. The Atmosphere: The restaurant was decorated very nicely! Very modern and minimal aesthetic. Very tastefully done. There isn't that much seating, and some placements of tables were awkward in my opinion. But, overall a very clean and nice looking restaurant. Overall, a 3/5. I'd like to give this place another chance when they officially have their grand opening, but from my experience, it may be a while before I return. Recommend some of the food options, but the price isn't justifiable.
AnthonyAnthony
40
Perhaps the most dreaded moment of publishing a review is the realization that it could have been an outlier experience. At least it warrants the motivation for a return trip and updated review ratings. The trigger that caused all undesired dine-in visit is that Pho Towda was slammed which perpectually put the staff in continuous and utter dissarray for the entire lunch service. We waited so long to order even after the waiter forgot to come back to our table; and we only got to order when we walked to the cashier - no big deal, but just a long ~10 minute wait just to order. Ordered garden rolls, two pho bowls, iced pandan egg coffee, and coffee flan. We asked for everything ordered to be sent to our table the moment it is ready. The spring rolls arrived first and were made well. The pho bowls were small for $17 per bowl and lacked variety of cuts, tendons, and/or tripe which we are so used to enjoying. The broth volume was low due to the relatively small bowl. Would have been great to get the quad pepper spice rack which we didn't know was available until after our meal. The coffee didn't come until we asked if it was being made and the coffee flan just never came so we asked for it to be removed when paying. And we were surprised a couple other tables seated after us got served their condiments and drinks before us. To add salt on the wound, 1x ($7) garden roll, 2x ($17) pho, 1x ($8) egg coffee totaling $56 including tax-tip just seemed steep for a classic simple pho noodle soup lunch. Unsure if the rent may be driving the prices up along with the typical citing of general inflation. $56 bill is just hard to swallow compared to other pho options in the area.
J CJ C
10
The pho bowls are very small and it's not the best tasting either. I ordered a jasmine tea and it came in a jar with ice in it. When I wanted it hot. Weird but that's fine. I receive my pho and just wanted a double order of tendon and rare steak. I only get steak. I ask the waiter and showed him that there was no tendon in the bowl. He said that it evaporates lmao He goes back to the kitchen to talk to his manager and just gives me the same response. I told him every other viet restaurant you can see the tendon. He just says sorry. I go to the front and pay. They asked me how the experience was. I told them I didn't want to be rude and just said it was bad because they had customers in the restaurant but he insisted so I told him everything wrong. He was very nice and accepted my feedback but if this place doesn't change soon they won't be here for long. Save your money and go somewhere else. I usually don't leave reviews but this place is pretty bad. Go to pho 75 I now have to get another lunch because I'm still hungry.
Mark BMark B
40
20231109 First time here. I was so excited to try the food here. My waiter was fairly new and he was very nice and attentive. The restaurant is new and clean. I got the Handmade Pork Dumplings, and they were so good. I might come back to just eat dumplings 😋. The Ginger Rare Beef Pho was good... broth is light, better with Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce. I really like the fresh ginger on the beef. I would have liked it better if the pho was separated in the broth. It was stuck in a ball. After separating it, the pho broke into smaller pieces, but it did make it easier to eat. With 22% tip, my bill was ~$33. 😱 I will come back for more dumplings 😋. They have unique coffee options that I have never seen before. I can't imagine what my bill would have been if I got a coffee and dessert. The items add up fast. Thanks to Biden. Inflation impacts the entire supply chain, business owners and us, the consumers. Please continue to support small businesses. They are closed on Tuesday for stocking.
Tilly LoTilly Lo
00
Non-existent service. Mediocre food at best. Pricier than other Viet restaurants. Kill your curiosity, definitely do not recommend this place. We came in at 1PM, we got seated immediately. Our order was not taken until maybe 10-15minutes later. We did not get water until later either. Utensils were not provided until an hour later. I received my appetizers maybe 20-25 mins after ordering. I got my combination pho at 1:50 and ate alone since the stonebowls came out at 2PM. I had to go up to their counter to refill my own water. We had to bring up our plates to make space on our table. Yet, 18% tip was enforced because we were a group of 6. Summary: This place is self-service but 18% tip is automatically added if you’re a group of 6 or more. The food are pricier than other Vietnamese restaurants around the area, but not as great. The only reason you would go here is so you can take “aesthetic photos” of their stownbowl pho. Otherwise this place is waste of time and money.
k bk b
50
Nearby Attractions Of Pho Towda
Fair Oaks Mall
Macy's
Regal Fairfax Towne Center
Fairfax Towne Center
Fair Lakes Promenade
DICK'S Sporting Goods
Yas & Co. Jewelers
Children's Science Center Lab
Homesense
Grand Jewelers
Fair Oaks Mall
4.4
(3.9K)Click for details
Macy's
4.1
(966)Click for details
Regal Fairfax Towne Center
4.3
(594)Click for details
Fairfax Towne Center
4.4
(490)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Pho Towda
Silver Diner
Dave & Buster's
Chutzpah Deli
Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar
The Cheesecake Factory
Ocean Paradise Restaurant & Bar
mezeh
The Capital Grille
Tea Mansion | Fair Oaks Mall | Fairfax
Corner Bakery
Silver Diner
4.5
(1.9K)Click for details
Dave & Buster's
4.0
(1K)$$
Click for details
Chutzpah Deli
4.2
(423)Click for details
Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar
4.6
(1.1K)Click for details
Learn more insights from Wanderboat AIBasic Info
Address
12152 Fairfax Towne Center, Fairfax, VA 22033
Map
Phone
(703) 424-0528
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Website
photowda.com
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Reviews
Overview
4.6
(120 reviews)
Ratings & Description
attractions: Fair Oaks Mall, Macy's, Regal Fairfax Towne Center, Fairfax Towne Center, Fair Lakes Promenade, DICK'S Sporting Goods, Yas & Co. Jewelers, Children's Science Center Lab, Homesense, Grand Jewelers, restaurants: Silver Diner, Dave & Buster's, Chutzpah Deli, Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar, The Cheesecake Factory, Ocean Paradise Restaurant & Bar, mezeh, The Capital Grille, Tea Mansion | Fair Oaks Mall | Fairfax, Corner Bakery
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