Pho Time Bistro — Restaurant in Hillside

The Pho Times is second name of the restaurant. It is written in a posted placed on the front window. The restaurant appears by this name in food delivery as well. Upon entering the restaurant, I was not really elated by the interior. It seemed little bit old and messy but decent enough to dine-in.

The menu had all the popular dishes like banh mi, pho, vermicelli, broken rice dishes, and of course drinks like Thai iced tea. Of course I ordered the tea, it was pretty good, liked that it was on sweeter side. I ordered the lemongrass chicken on salad (57). I was absolutely blown away by how good the dish was. They gave two giant pieces of chicken, with perfectly grilled golden skin and moist soft meat in the middle. The salad, mix of cucumber, carrot, radish and tomato, was so good with the fish sauce.

Even though I was bummed out by the dining space, I loved the food so much, I could ignore those short comings. The service was fine, our orders were taken on time, and the dishes were served within few minutes. I’d totally order take out from this restaurant if I am nearby...

The food here is o.k. It's edible and marginally flavorful, but the wait staff is inattentive and often forgets to bring things you ask for (like water, or lime, etc.). We used to eat at Na Trang in Jersey City and the food there is SO flavorful! We moved and getting in and out of JC is a hassle, plus Na Trang is packed on weekends, so we've had to look for alternatives for Vietnamese food. Unfortunately, Binh Duong's flavors don't pop, nor do they have the wonderful contrast of sweet/sour flavors I particularl like about Vietnamese (and Thai) food. Their dishes are flat in comparison to Na Trang. I always leave Binh Duong feeling disappointed in my dining experience. The tables are VERY close together and it can be a challenge to walk between them to get to the bathroom or leave. The service tends to waver between slow, disinterested, forgetful or sometimes even surly. It's edible food, but...

My wife and I go here every couple of months.

It’s nice, mellow, and casual, the food is delicious, and the service is fast.

Bring your own liquor if you want. Not sure if there’s a corking fee but I assume there isn’t.

The fresh rolls are great and very large. I definitely recommend these over the fried rolls.

Phos are delicious. Their broths are bangin’ from the start, and if you add some on-the-table sauces — brown sweet sauce, sriracha, house sriracha (or whatever you call it 🤣), and soy sauce — you can really customize it to your spiciness, saltiness, or sweetness level.

I add the house sriracha to get some spice, then half way through the bowl add some sweet sauce to shake things up.

But remember: the broth is delicious from the start. Don’t overdo it!

Of course, the pho comes with fresh basil, limes, and the usual trimmings.

My wife orders the pork...