The Pho Vietnamese Kitchen — Restaurant in Houston

Hands down the WORST restaurant I have been to in years. The third time was NOT a charm. First time I ordered take out - my entire order was someone else's and when I called the restaurant back they stated "sorry no refunds." I ate part of what I received and because the food was decent, I decided to give them another try. I went back a second time and was extremely disappointed: my appetizer spring rolls were brought out after the meal was finished, service was extremely slow, and the food was absolutely disgusting. Not to mention 1 order of shrimp spring rolls, a thai tea, and a small bowl of veggie pho cost $29.

When my boss asked me to pick up her order for lunch today, I decided I would give this place 1 more chance because the first time the food was decent and I was already there..

WORST EXPERIENCE EVER.... I arrived at 10:45 am to beat the lunch crowd. Only 4 other customers were there at the time, all with pick up orders. 11 minutes later the servers that had been standing around chatting, finally asked for my drink order. I went ahead and ordered 1 thai tea, 1 order of spring rolls, and 1 small shrimp pho. 20 minutes later the pho with three basil leaves and 2 limes slices was served but no spring rolls, no thai tea, no silverware, no napkins. I asked the wait staff for assistance and they said "sorry we don't understand, we are all new." 6 minutes later I received a spoon, napkin, and tea. After eating my pho quickly, as now I am late coming back from my lunch break - I continued to check out. They tried to charge for the spring rolls and I disputed. I got my total for the small pho and thai tea $19.46, plus they manually added $5 for tip. When I asked to remove the tip, they stated it was mandatory on all charges.

While the food is decent, the service is absolutely ridiculous. I will NEVER go back to this over-priced, poorly...

I like that the portions are large but the pho lacked flavor and was not really hot. The steak slices were nice and without fat which I like. My daughter said the shrimp pho was tasty. She has nothing to compare it to but I’ll take her word on it. I’ve had pho at several places and wanted to try this one because it’s near me. It wasn’t the worst nor the best. It would make a nice back up place if your favorite place is closed or too busy. Would not be my first choice. The wait staff was nice and came to check on us twice. The server apologized for the wait. I didn’t understand why there was a wait because we were the only table. The size of the place is big and they have a nice layout. There is adequate parking and handicapped accessible. I give this place a three.

UPDATE — I always like to try again just to be fair because we are all human and have off moments. I must say I’ve been back three additional times and I have not been disappointed. Ordering the same meals and the pho was very hot and flavorful. One night I came in literally within a few minutes shy of closing. The service and quality of the food did not lack. They didn’t rush me out and allowed me to take my time and enjoy my dinner while I waited for my daughter to finish her workout nearby. The third time I ordered via Uber Eats so I could see what it was like and the packaging was nice everything was hot and fresh and came in separate containers. Based on this I have updated my score to a five.

UPDATE ON THE UPDATE Last picture is my most recent visit 😜😍 yes I’m a regular now!!! They are amazing. It’s still very quiet and chill when I go, which I enjoy. But it’s the customer service and kindness for me. I’m all about that, they...

It pains me to have to review this place, as this was my family’s favorite local pho place to go to for the past decade. We have seen it change its name twice, but with each new management, the food was consistently still delicious so when we saw that it had a new name it didn’t deter us. Well, sadly this time that was not the case. The remodel is beautiful- new tables/chairs, lots of lighting, and cheerful decor. The pho menu options have been slashed considerably. The broth is bland- lacking any depth or tastiness. The noodles were very much clumped together and hard to break apart. The meat to noodle portion was drastically non-existent compared to before. Just a few thoughtful pieces of brisket- I want to say 20% is meat, 25% is broth water, and the rest is clumpy noodles. The most offensive thing about the whole experience of trying to eat this was this super weird noodle/fatty string of meat stuff that has a rubbery texture and was very off putting to eat. Pic will be attached. The spring rolls, while bigger than before are super basic and unappetizing-I can’t put my finger on what is different apart from the peanut sauce being watered down. This place used to be a solid 8-8.5/10. I feel that currently it’s a 4.5/10. The service was fine though, it’s not their fault that the broth recipe sucks. I will only go back if it goes under new management or new change in future as I find it hard to believe it will have longevity with the current offerings. Then again with everything being so bland, it might find its new target audience. If you want good noodles/soup, my best alternative to offer is Tamashi Ramen in 43rd/Ella. At least over there you will get deliciousness at a lower price point then...