PHO MdR | Noodle Culture — Restaurant in Los Angeles

I really wanted to like this new local restaurant. My family spent roughly $150 to try a few things here tonight. Expensive is fine if the food is good (rent is high around here, I get it), but the Banh Mi was perhaps the worst I’ve ever had. I’ve spent two weeks in Vietnam and while I’m no specific expert I’ve had 100+ Banh Mi in my life and I can confirm this was the worst one I’ve had. Bad bread selection, bad meat selection. Nothing can save it from there. Banh Mi lives or dies on bread selection, I could have gotten better at Ralphs and Lee’s well Lee’s $2 banh mi is 3 Michelin star compared to this. We ordered many things. All were the worst versions I’ve had except the Pho. The Pho is the only thing edible here, the rest we threw away. I’d give the Pho a 2 star on its own, the broth was interesting and strong profile but inauthentic and perhaps trying too hard despite missing the key flavor staples of pho. Everything else I tried to eat was a zero star and literally thrown away. My family agreed. Mediocre food wouldn’t justify writing a review, charging premium prices for the worst Vietnamese I’ve had does just because I’m super disappointed this place didn’t bring their A game when opening in a foodie city. My mom was here from out of town and said the spots where she lives in Tucson were better. Made me feel sad for Venice/MDR since we usually have restaurants that are way better than Tucson!

I hope this shop gets it together, I root for small businesses and I support all our local restaurants here in Venice/MDR but this meal was borderline offensive to even sell because most people who know Vietnamese food wouldn’t serve this to their own friends or family let alone charge this much for it. I realize it is a new restaurant so I hope it was just an off day for them but either way I’m bummed out that they let this level of food go out the door to any customer. I want you guys to succeed. Please try harder and don’t get brainwashed by yes men with the other reviews. We need great Vietnamese food here, please step it...

STOP DINING HERE. The service is extremely slow, the food is average, and they automatically add an 18% tip. I’ve been here multiple times only because of its convenient location, and every time I have to mentally prepare for a horrible experience. I’m finally done trying.

The service is painfully slow beyond reason (even for LA), and don’t think picking up an order—that’s supposed to be ready for pickup—will save you either… it’ll be over 10 minutes of awkwardly waiting in the restaurant’s small space until you’re out the door with your food. Speaking of the space, it’s a shame that it is super cozy and has great vibes because there are literally no other good qualities.

The food: mid. You can get better pho with bigger portions and better flavor (for the same price) at Pho Show in Culver City 10 minutes away. And they’re QUICK. They also have cozy outdoor seating. Shoutout to Pho Show. Down with Pho MDR.

Now, let’s talk about this whole automatic service charge. We can all guess that they do it because maannnyyy people have probably left without tipping due to seriously bad service. And here’s the thing, I don’t blame the waiters at Pho MDR. Every table is always filled and there are only two waiters/waitresses managing every table and every pickup order.

However, as today was decidedly my last time dining here, I was not going to tip. But wait! I forgot they automatically add the 18%. As bad as I felt, I asked them to remove it. THEN I noticed after I paid, she ran another charge for the 18% (only $2) tip and swiped HER OWN card. Ya’ll… whoever is managing/running this business does not deserve to be supported. They need to a) hire more staff to help out and b) not be shady enough to make their own staff pay for the tips they lost because they won’t hire more people. Shame on the business owner—they’re the reason for this long...

Really want to give this place 4 or 5 stars based on many of the reviews, but have to be a little honest here.

The restaurant itself is great vibes, but food was pretty mediocre.

We ordered the egg rolls and the rare steak pho. They only have the veggie egg rolls as an option. I understand this place is probably trying to cater to the vegetarian/vegan market especially being on the west side, which I think is great considering a lot of pho places don't truly have that option. However, think they should still have the traditional egg roll (cha gio) with pork, shrimp, or chicken as an option for those that do eat meat. Overall, the egg rolls weren't bad though, but not amazing either.

Regarding the pho, it was also okay. I would eat it again if I had to, but probably more for convenience. They served it in a very large bowl with tons of broth, but hardly any onions and cilantro. They also didn't provide a lot of meat. They charge for any extra toppings, when typically it comes with the bowl. The pho has flavor, I just wouldn't say it's 100% authentic.

With that being said, I do think this place has tons of potential, and it's clearly catering to a neighborhood that doesn't have much Asian/Vietnamese/Thai cuisine.

As someone who is Vietnamese, I would recommend to the kitchen to make the pho a bit more authentic, they're close to...