Pho Saigon Pearl — Restaurant in Irvine

This place has so much potential due to its location. Unfortunately, it lacks in the areas that truly count. For one the food is mediocre at best. There are much better places to get pho or banh mi. The broth was like water and the various ingredients seem low quality. The food itself is not the biggest problem however. The service is terrible. The last time I gave them my business and will remain the last is because of an incredibly rude individual working at this location. I came in to pick up an order already paid for. It was not busy. As I walk up to the entrance I saw Leo and asked him where I can pick up my order. He looked at me angrily and said, “Go there!” He came over as well. I thought maybe he’s just having a bad day… I stood at the counter for a good five minutes with my order visibly ready sitting on the counter and he just ignores me and is picking things up right in front of me. I’m a very patient person. So I said, “Oh, that looks like my order right there.” He responded with attitude, “Well do you have a receipt?!” And I told him yes and it was on my phone. He doesn’t even look. He walked away angry. And I was like, “Excuse me, I have it here.” He came back over with the same attitude and said “Let me see!” He grabbed my order and dropped it on the counter. I got mad at that point and just said, “Thanks jackass.” And walked out.

I know what it’s like to work in customer service. I did it for 14 years. I was polite up until the end. You may get a handful of rude clients (which definitely wasn’t me), but they are the source of your business and success. There was no reason for that unprofessional behavior. This location lost my business...

I usually don’t leave bad reviews, but because of the terrible service, I have to, so no one else goes through this. My lady and I decided to get pho at the Irvine Spectrum area because it was close by. As we were seated and asked to order, the server with glasses rolled his eyes and rushed us to order. I knew from his body language and demeanor that it’s been a long day for him and I tried to empathize with him because I’m also a server as well. However, he kept being rude. I also repeated my order so he wouldn’t forget the vegetable pho with the white noodles (for my lady) and to have the extra side of yellow egg noodles ON THE SIDE. and next thing you know, he puts the yellow egg noodles in the vegetable pho. I know it’s not a big deal but seeing my woman upset and how he was treating us, it made me a little disappointed. Also a little while after the food comes out, he places the bill on the table to indirectly tell us to hurry up and get going. Peak comedy. It wasn’t even close to closing yet and people were still coming in to get seated. One thing that made me chuckle was when I paying the bill, his whole demeanor changed. He was being very friendly and was looking for a tip. I was laughing, and wrote “$0.00” on the tip line. This is just to warn couples of my experience. The other waiters seemed much nicer and respectful, but for my experience, the server with glasses was very rude. I quickly cheered up my woman afterwards and she moved on. If you’re planning to eat here with your significant other, please don’t. you might get the same server as us and he’ll kill the entire vibe. I’m sure there’s restaurants with better customer service....

⭐☆☆☆☆ If you want to feel like an unwelcome stray dog, this is the place for you.

From the moment we asked for extra onions, we were treated with hand gestures instead of words — as if we didn’t deserve verbal communication. The older man (I hesitate to call him a “server,” as there was no actual serving involved) gestured at us to wait, never returned, and made us feel like we were begging for scraps.

When we tried to speak to him again, he ignored us completely and took a phone call instead. It was surreal — like watching someone perform a one-man show called “How to Dismiss Your Customers Without Saying a Word.”

The only redeeming person in this entire experience was the younger server, who looked visibly stressed and uncomfortable. I genuinely felt bad for them, having to work under someone who seems to have mistaken hostility for hospitality.

Not once did they check on us, not once did we feel welcomed, and even asking for a Coke felt like we were doing something wrong. Naturally, we didn’t leave a tip — and instead of self-reflecting, the older man scoffed that we “don’t think about the server” and waved us away like pests.

If that’s the kind of treatment this restaurant thinks is acceptable, maybe they should put a sign up front: “Customer service not included. Gratitude...