99999 Restaurant - Phở Út Nô — Restaurant in Garden Grove

Been here couple years ago very late at night and we remembered how good it was. The place was hopping near midnight. I am about to give it 5 stars but it’s really 4.5 or almost 5 and the only hesitancy is a couple of things and not even sure it’s their fault. The area is sketchy lol especially if you come late night. Don’t come alone if you are a girl. We came as a family late night 2 yrs ago and parking in the lot felt dangerous. There were questionable people loitering out there. We kept our eye ok the car the whole time from inside best we can and ate fast and left. We had all our luggage in the rental lol This time we came for lunch. No one was here lol. BUT again there was someone just sitting out there staring at us but the garbage bin eyeing our car. Again we had luggage in there lol

But somehow we felt safer in the daylight. And we parked where we can keep an eye on the car. Again it was so empty inside.

The owner lady so so nice. She alone wants me to give this place a 5 star. Very kind and helpful. All of us got the combo pho and last minute my husband changed his to the beef rib special. It was only $14.99! And it was delicious. All our pho were. But maybe looking back at our pics they are skimping on the meat 2 years later? Prices increased a bit only but less meat. BUT it was still very good. The broth is one of the best. Clean, pure. Very good. My son got the bun bo hue and he said it was the best he has had.

Couple years ago I got the beef stew with rice noodles. It was very good but very heavy and rich. We didn’t want any issues boarding the plane.

Ok here is why maybe I will knock off half a star besides the area. The water tasted funny even though we think it’s lemon water. Something was floating in my son’s cup and I had stomach issues right after. He did as well. But again no one else was affected and we all enjoyed our meal. So all good lol I was completely fine after. Will we come back? Most likely lol but maybe won’t get the water :) it’s...

So to clarify, this seems like a partying type of atmosphere of a restaurant, which is perfectly fine, but I didn’t expect to have loud karaoke music and yelling blasted in my ear as I tried to enjoy a late night dinner. It’s fine if you are okay with occasional loud party restaurant atmospheres. I’m not sure how often they have loud parties.

Now here’s the thing, I asked for the waiter’s recommendation and they recommended their Banh Mi Chao. It came out and looked and smelled good. The initial taste was fine but it got very heavy and it was quite salty. There was not enough vegetables to counteract the heavy saltiness, as there were only white onions. The beef cubes were not cooked well, the meat was very tough and chewy, not what I look for in a delicious dish centered around the meat.

At this point, I couldn’t stomach this extremely salty meal with cubes of chewy, gummy meat, so I asked for a to-go box. As you can see from the picture, I received a very dirty small to-go box. Which made me feel like I did not want to put my food in the box. So I ended up leaving without finishing the food.

Service is alright though, the people are friendly enough.

For the price, it’s alright for 20$ but bring your money else where if you actually want a good tasting Banh Mi Chao. Hopefully one that isn’t so salty and with meat...

Waiter was patient and nice. The dry noodle was mediocre. Spring rolls lacked sufficient meat and vermicelli. For the price, the establishment is embarrassingly a cheapskate.

I would not recommend this restaurant to anybody. They have good waiters because they smile and have good attitude. Food is below ordinary. But the worst experience came from the cashier's or the owner's behavior. We reminded the waiter that we were still waiting for our change (food and experience was not worth 20% tip). Mind you, the place was not busy. We waited and noticed that they were not even going to give us back the change.

There is no excuse for this. We waited for a while. As a fellow business owner from a faraway town who sells Vietnamese food to mainly white Americans, I was honestly embarrassed and hoped they do not behave this way to other people. Because how you act and what you say is reflective of your upbringing from the care of your parents. People see you as a mirror of your culture and your family.

I hope only my family and I experienced this. If pay with cash, pay closer to the actual amount. Or, just stare at them and come up to the register. I always tip regardless of food quality and service (though, amount is affected), but I just feel that there needs to be courtesy, honesty, and respectfulness in this...