Phở Chú Hải - Pho N Grill in Illinois — Restaurant in Glendale Heights

Lacking in friendly service and cleanliness. Food was pretty good but way overpriced and unexpected for the somewhat small portions received. I liked the music which was piano. Even though there were a lot of open tables and some customers enjoying their meals, the atmosphere lacked a sense of warmth in a way.... Some of the decor was beautiful and interesting, but why have so much clutter and mess visible to customers? There was a spot near the kitchen on the way to the bathroom that seemed disorganized and messy. Food came fairly quickly and was hot. The jars already on the table were not labeled but appeared to be full of spicy chili sauces/oil/etc however appeared caked on and none of them were wiped clean with spoons stuck in them... who knows how fresh they were... A new chili oil/sauce was requested, but it didn't seem any fresher or in a cleaner ceramic pot than the ones on the table. The plate of Thai basil and bean sprouts for the pho was fresh but there appeared to be unrecognizable long green leaves on it. We were told it was indeed basil- but I've never seen basil ever look or taste like that before.....🧐 The coconut smoothie was fairly basic and seemed syrupy, melting quickly...

I love Vietnamese food. This is a new find for me. There are some odd things that show the owners do not know how to run a restaurant. When we ordered our food, the appetizers showed up, with no plates. They did not give us any individual plates. We had one napkin each with a fork and knife and nothing to put our food on in front of us. The waiter came by, and saw the situation and did not bring anything. I noticed that was the same at every other table. I think they are expecting us to make a mess on the table. But that is not normal. We both ordered a Pho. It was OK but nothing to write home about. I asked if they had a spicy broth, and the waitress, who I think is one of the owners, said no and gave me bottled hot sauce to put in it. In every other Vietnamese restaurant that I have been at, they can easily make the broth hot in the kitchen. I like to support local and small restaurants to flourish, but they have to bring something to the table. I hope they learn and...

I've lived within three miles of this place and only recently entered for a meal. It's located in a fairly large L-shaped strip mall, with Baskin Robbins on one end, an all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant on the other, and a big Valli super market in between. From the outside it looks like a hole-in-the-wall, but inside is a surprisingly spacious and nicely decorated Vietnamese restaurant serving delightful Vietnamese food. Lesson to be learned: don't judge from what you see in the parking lot. At the suggestion of a fellow guest at a neighboring table, I ordered the pho with beef and flank. It made for an excellent lunch. I lingered at the end over a mango/strawberry smoothy, which I had to savor slowly to avoid brain freeze. The gracious lady who served me suggested that I try a noodle dish the next time, and I look...