Pho Kauai — Restaurant in Kauai

You CANNOT hold a pho place in Kauai, or I don't know, Alaska, for that matter, to the same standard as a pho place in Vietnam proper or in Orange County, California. They have nowhere near the raw ingredients (esp herbs) access. With what they have, Pho Kauai is reasonably "authentic" (though even as a Vietnamese who grew up in Vietnam, I'm starting to get sick of that word), plenty flavorful, and very reasonably priced. My broth tasted good, certainly did not use those "seasoning cubes" (as the only pho place on a small island, no one should fault them for using those btw), and had the basic herbs available. When I came in the cashier guy was still preparing some additional herbs (basil etc) so depending on when you come, your experience may differ. My husband had a rice plate with pork chops. The pork chops were questionably seasoned (likely soy sauce vs the typical Viet fish sauce profile) but the meat tasted pretty good. No complaint there.

Servers were friendly and efficient. Saw my son and offered him a high chair, something most restaurants (esp Asian) do not offer us right off the bat unless we ask.

Would I come here if it was competing against the best pho places in Saigon? Probably not. But when I'm in Kauai? Will certainly come back. It...

The food came in solid portions with really good prices for Kauai. However the service was pretty damn bad.

I have a severe peanut/nut allergy so eating out I have to be careful about what I order. I told the server about my allergy, but when he brought my plate I quickly found out my allergy was not taken into consideration.

The noodles were sprinkled with garlic flakes sauteed in peanut oil. Not knowing but suspicious, I hesitantly tasted a small fleck of garlic which immediately promoted a moderate reaction (throat swelling, hives, etc). I left the restaurant to get Benadryl and my epi pen (just in case), and ended up buying food at Costco.

If I hadn't been careful I could have died

My friend stayed to finish her food and said she was hurried out as soon as she had finished, she also said the staff avoided eye contact with her.

The shrimp also smelled strongly of peanut, as if literally no thought was given towards the issue.

Besides all that, When we walked in the server looked at us with annoyance and gestured towards a table. Once we sat down he handed us menus and within 30 seconds asked us for our order.

If you have a relevant allergy or value service whatsoever I'd skip this spot. Calorie to cost is pretty efficient for the...

Sadly this place has terrible customer service. First of all when we arrived, they have a sign that says “wait to be seated” so we wait and we were told we can sit anywhere (then take down the sign). Then, the waitress is unfriendly throughout the entire time. She doesn’t greet or anything. She just tells us she would come back and take our order, but leaves us waiting- we had to get up from our table and go to her at the counter. They have a few different beverage options in the menu- I asked for one and she looks at me puzzled and tells me I they don’t have that (but it’s in the menu) ok I ask for something else and they don’t have that either- so then I ask what do you have. The rest of the time we are there they don’t check up on us at all. Btw the table we sat in is dirty from previous customers and I’m sure waitress noticed from the beginning when we sat and didn’t clean it. The food is great, but customer service is everything anywhere you go. I understand people have days, but to work in a restaurant and treat customers like this- that’s not acceptable. Unfortunately, we don’t feel comfortable to go...