Pho Lucky Detroit - Midtown — Restaurant in Detroit

I went to Pho Lucky on my first trip to Detroit. I found the place on Google and decided to give it a try. The location was easy to find and had a parking lot behind the building.

The decor wasn’t a typical mom and pop pho restaurant. The atmosphere was more bar like with Asian and Vietnamese touches. There was even Vietnamese music playing over the speakers.

There were probably 4-5 tables with customers having lunch on a Tuesday afternoon. I was offered by the server to sit anywhere I wanted and sat at a table by the window. Another server came by with a water.

I looked over the menu and ordered my usual pho dac biet with no tripe. My piping hot pho came to my table around five minutes later. I also got a plate of fresh bean sprouts, basil, lime, and jalapeños aka the requisite pho accompaniments.

The broth was nice, clear, and flavorful with the aroma of pho spices and meaty beef bones. It was pretty good and I enjoyed the tasty depth of flavor.

The rice noodles were slightly overcooked and was like a wet nest in the broth. It was not as easy as it should be to eat the noodles with chopsticks. It wasn’t bad, just not the way I like my pho noodles to be.

In my bowl, the meats I got were two halves of a meatball, brisket slices, rare pieces of beef (I don’t remember the cut), and a piece I think was suppose to be tendon. The meat was overall okay. They were all sliced nicely and the quality was typical of any pho place.

There was also green onions, cilantro, and white onions, and black pepper in the bowl. Again, it was the usual pho accoutrements.

I’ve already gone way too long with this review, so I am ending it by saying that Pho Lucky’s pho is...

Canadian pho connoisseur that checked out Pho Lucky to satisfy a craving after visiting the Michigan Science Center. A very average experience overall. Lacking the attention to detail to be great.

Ordered large Pho Tai Gan (rare beef and tendon), a salad roll, and a fresh coconut. The soup was a touch on the sweet side - more so than normal. The rice noodles used were of the dry thin variety. Good portion size. Unfortunately no sawtooth cilantro, but the soup was garnished with regular cilantro and green onions, and black pepper (see photo). They don't have authentic Huy Fong sriracha - instead some Roland brand that I've never seen before and it was not up to par...Not sure if this is due to the shortage. The chili garlic sauce in the red bottle was tasty.

They don't have the sorbet advertised on the bottom right of the chalk board at the entrance anymore and should erase it so not to disappoint other customers. The service was unfortunately below average with the host handing us a stack of menus upon entry and advising to choose our own seats rather than showing us to a table. Another server promptly took our order and served us, but did not check on us. On the whole just basic minimal effort service. The restaurant could use a deep clean as there were old stains on the walls, and the clear plastic chairs weren't wiped down when tables were turned over. The hours posted on the door are contradictory and need to be updated and aligned.

There is ample street parking as well as a dedicated parking lot in the back...

I saw someone rate this place as one star then accuse them of being dirty, disgusting, etc. I am here to say that review is completely untrue.

Don’t get me wrong the area where this is located don’t exactly provide the best views out the window, but nothing about the restaurant was dirty or disgusting - I also visited the bathrooms. It was a very busy area though so it fun to watch everyone walking by the floor to ceiling windows.

The service was fine - not bad, just not overly friendly. Not unfriendly, but no chit chat - just very to the point. MAN were they QUICK. I was greeted within seconds of sitting - with a water. My beverage order was taken and delivered within 2 minutes of my arrival.

When I arrived it was right at noon so only a few tables/patrons. The longer I sat the busier it got, but the service seemed just as prompt. They seemed to have a team work environment as multiple people assisted me and picked up/dropped off items at my table.

My order was taken in less than 5 minutes. The summer rolls arrived less than 5 minutes later, with my main dish - Pho Tai - maybe 4 minutes after that.

Everything was excellent. I have zero complaints. Portions were large, everything g was hot and fresh. I do wish they had a sweet and sours sauce for the summer rolls as I don’t love peanut sauce, but theirs was very good. Also, ask for the chili oil if you like spicy IT WAS GREAT.

Anyone giving this place bad reviews is either lying or visited on a VERY VERY OFF DAY - as my experience...