Pho Tasty — Restaurant in Davis

This review is going to be based on two dine in visits. I was excited for a Vietnamese place to be in Davis because I do not like the other one that’s in town.

First time: it was around dinner hours. The inside decor was nice. There were a few tables already filled there. They didn’t seemed to be well staffed so it took them awhile for someone to pop out and be able to seat us. We got our menus and I looked at the selection. Interesting to see some Chinese dishes as well that I was curious about for another time. I was there to try the basics: spring rolls, banh mi and pho. My friend and I shared the shrimp and pork spring rolls- they were good and the peanut sauce was delicious. I wished there was more to dip. Next my banh mi came out. I ordered the special banh mi that had the egg, grilled pork and cha lua along with the typical fixings. It came as a “meal” with sweet potato fries and a drink. The banh mi bread itself felt fresh and nicely toasted. The filling was a bit skimpy but tasty enough. I love the fried egg as you don’t see many places do that around here. I was not pleased with the sweet potato fries as there were only a few on the plate and they were overdone. What’s the point of this? To sell it at a higher price point? They should scrap the fries/drink meal idea and just fill up the sandwich more. Last, came out the pho. I got the small filet mignon and beef balls. The beef balls were typical bo vien so I was content but the meat was thick, tender and delicious. I haven’t had beef in pho like that and it was worthy. There were a good portion of noodles. The broth was clear and tasted decent on its own. Overall, the meal was satisfying and I was looking forward to trying this place again. The service was decent but they do need to hire more people.

Second visit: this was around lunch hour. I was craving some spring rolls and pho, so I went back to see if the first time was a fluke. Unfortunately, this time the food was truly disappointing and killed my craving for Vietnamese food in Davis. I waited awhile for someone to pop out until I was seated. He was nice, but they do need more staff in general. I ordered the shrimp spring rolls and a small filet mignon pho since the meat was so tasty last time. My spring rolls came out and I was excited until I started eating. For some reason, there was a slight sour aftertaste. I think something went bad in the peanut sauce. I kept trying and tasting but that sour taste did not go away. I kept picking at it and taking it apart to pinpoint what was wrong. I was hoping the pho would redeem this already terrible meal. As I saw my bowl arrive and placed in front of me— I was confused because the meat did not look the same. It’s the thin slices of eye round that I would get at any pho place. There wasn’t much of the meat as I was hoping since I didn’t get the beef balls this time and there was barely any noodles. I was truly unimpressed. They’re still new, so maybe they have things to work out these inconsistencies. Maybe I’ll try this place again at later down the road but I definitely lost my...

I came here on 3 separate occasions, each time trying something different. I would say it is hit or miss.

First time I ordered a bun bo hue. It was very watery for a beef stew. I wish it had pigs blood like a traditional bun bo hue would have. The veggies on the side were very fresh though which is nice.

Second time I had a normal pho. Much better but I wouldn't say it was anything exceptional. Tasted like a store bought spice packet, something you can make yourself at home. I will say the price point of $15 is relatively expensive for pho. You would find way better for for less in Sacramento. Ultimately I was satisfied though.

The third experience was just yesterday (10/10/2024). This was probably the most disappointing of them all. I ordered a clay pot rice. Instead what I received was a bowl of pork and shrimp in sauce on the side, and a plate of rice. When I asked the waitress to confirm this was the clay pot rice she explained that they actually did not have any clay pots. According to her all of them are broken but part of me feels that the cook just did not want to go through the trouble of heating up a clay pot so instead served it in a normal bowl and plate.

To me that is just dishonest. If you cannot serve what the customer ordered from the menu, you should tell the customer and let them decide if they still want it or not. I did not pay $20 for a normal rice bowl with sauce on top of it. The point of the clay pot is so the pot continues to cook the rice on the sides and makes them crisp.

Ignoring the fact that I did not receive what I ordered, the sauce the shrimp and pork was in was fairly tasty. It had a decent amount of spice. My only suggestion is maybe they use less sugar in it.

As for the service, it was going to be a 3 at most because they always seem to be understaffed, but I knocked it down to a 2 because of the incident with the clay pot.

The atmosphere gets a 5. It is well ventilated and air conditioned. At lunch there doesn't seem to be too many people so it is nice enough to go with a friend and have a casual conversation without having to speak up.

In there end this place is decent and gets the job done. I probably would never crave anything from here, but if invited or if I just wanted a nice air conditioned restaurant to eat and do some work at, I would...

I recently went to a pho restaurant in Davis with two friends, and we left feeling completely ripped off and frustrated. The experience was disappointing from start to finish.

First, the prices were outrageous. $18 for a bowl of pho? That’s steep for what should be a comforting, affordable meal. We decided to try an appetizer as well—$16 for six pieces of tempura—but it was a total letdown. They didn’t even use the right breading; it was just some random fried batter, and honestly, it tasted gross.

The service was another problem. Our waitress seemed to be glaring at us the entire time, making the atmosphere uncomfortable. When we asked her what the difference was between the small and extra-large pho bowls, her response was bizarre and unhelpful—she said something about how small looked like a small jar about the size of a hand, which left us even more confused. I couldn’t tell if she was being sarcastic or just making something up on the spot.

When our pho finally came, they served us a plate of vegetables to go with it, but they hadn’t even bothered to cut them. We had to deal with large, unwieldy pieces that didn’t feel fresh or inviting. To top it off, the food was just bad. The broth lacked depth, the ingredients weren’t great, and we struggled to finish our meals.

When the bill came, we were shocked to see the total: $95 for three people. That’s insane, especially for a place in Davis. I handed the waitress a $100 bill, hoping she’d bring me my $5 change so I could leave a small tip out of principle, but instead, she just pocketed it without saying anything. At that point, we’d had enough.

This place was a complete waste of time and money. With overpriced, bad food and unfriendly service, I can confidently say we’ll never go back. Save your money and eat...