TRAN AN — Restaurant in Miami

My husband, friend, son, and I came in today in the afternoon to have a late lunch and catch up with each other. To be fair, I’m not the biggest fan of Pho since I’m vegan and most meatless pho tends to be bland, so I’m going to remain neutral about the food. The service from a very specific employee was horrific. We came in today for the first time, and we were quite excited to try what they had to offer. Upon entrance of the very small but beautiful restaurant, this particular staff member yelled at us for standing (there were no signs stating to seat yourself, so as newcomers we were unaware) and rudely told us to “just sit wherever you want and we’ll get to you”. Now I’ve been to plenty of self seating restaurants before but the other staff never yelled at us condescendingly like here. Seeing that most of the tables were occupied except for one that fit all 4 of us, we felt pressured to sit somewhere so we went there. The table needed to be cleaned up, so we patiently waited for a staff member to clean it while we sat. Upon being seated, this same staff member who yelled at us previously proceeded to condescendingly and loudly tell us “Can you please NOT SIT where the table is dirty? Cmon it’s a dirty table, please wait for it to be cleaned”- as if we were disgusting people, and as if there were plenty of tables to choose from. Then my husband kindly proceeded to ask if there was a booster seat for our baby- that same staff member said “no sorry”. The only reason why we didn’t just leave right then and there is because we had already made plans for afterwards and was on limited time, so we dealt with it. A different staff member ended up being the one to take care of us and he was kind. That female staff member however, seriously needs to do some self reflection, and if she doesn’t have patience for people, then she should leave the service industry. Mind you, all 3 of us had worked in the service industry for a long time previously and we were mortified at the audacity of the employee the entire time.

Food was mid, the actual decor/style of the restaurant was gorgeous, but that staff member completely killed the vibe. Wouldn’t come back again. Also, the atmosphere rating loses a star because of the lack of booster seats...

I was here last week and had a really good meal. Got the beef pho, fresh rolls and extra condiments. The soup was hot and palatable, and it was generally very good. I understand the smaller portions due to it being Miami East if 95, but I do think the broth to noodle ratio is a little off. Just my opinion. Flavor is king when leaving a review.

After last week and how much I enjoyed it.. I decided to go in today around 4pm.. big mistake. I don’t know what changed in a week, but the food quality was subpar. The shrimp toast was drenched in oil, it’s fried sure, but last weeks shrimp toast was crispy, and taking a bite didn’t cause oil to drip and stream everywhere. When I turned it over it was completely saturated with cooking oil. It indicates the oil was not hot enough.. I sent it back. Waitress promptly offered a different appetizer.. so I went safe with fresh rolls and they were good. She stated that the recipe for the toast had changed recently and that it always came that way.. I don’t think that a Vietnamese person or the family owned restaurants family would agree.

Today I also ordered the red wine beef noodles instead of the typical beef pho. Honestly, it was my first time and both my friend and sister raved about it. Not only was the beef cold, but the soup itself was lukewarm.. ok ok I just looked beyond it. Then when I slurped the broth it was like watered down pho broth with red wine added to it.. like alcoholic tasting. Not stewed simmering, slow cooked broth as the description indicates… sad to say but like pond water literally. I had to add multiple condiments which are intended for a clear broth like the pho, to mask what should have been a rich broth. The pho regular broth wound have been 100 better poured over that dish and not a tannic soup with raw alcohol in it.

My verdict is, if the owner isn’t there don’t go. The food quality and service is lacking when management is not present. I work in the food industry. It shouldn’t be like this for a $22 bowl of noodles with around 4oz of meat in it. Broth should be consistent, shrimp toast should be consistent, temperature consistent.. etc. we were the only cover. It was not busy. Do...

So, Tran An is in my neighborhood, maybe 10 mins walk. This place was also recently recommended by a friend. As we entered, there was a couple already seated/dining. We were promptly seated and provided menus and a cold bottle of water. Really good start. We noticed the staff was a cook, manager and 1 server/hostess.

The Imperial Spring Rolls showed up first. They were delicious, hot and fresh on the plate. Then the BBQ Pork/Sausage Noodles arrived. The Grandma's broth was bland and not very hot, more like lukewarm. Edible, but awesome. Then the Beef Bahn Mi was presented. The manager brought it to the table and apologized for the delay, as it was sitting on the counter for a while (as the server played on her phone). I'd say maybe 1/3 of the beef on the sandwich was inedible due to poor quality, gristle, etc. Also, the bahn mi had paté on it. Too much in fact, especially when we picked off the inedible beef pieces. It was basically a "cat food" sandwich.

The server was mostly inattentive, playing on her phone and generally slacking off instead of attending our table. Noticed her hovering around watching the mgr work the register, instead of attending tables. After we finished eating, we sat there chatting waiting for the table to be cleared and the check. After a few minutes, we moved the dishes to the edge of the table, dropping a hint. Nothing. After 10 or so minutes later, I got up and walked over to the server (who was again on her phone) and asked for the check/payment device.

The bill was $68. I tipped $5, which was very generous considering the entire experience.

The Spring Rolls, Iced Coffee and Passion Fruit Lemonade were the only redeeming qualities of the experience. The food was meh, the service was dirt poor and the price made the disparity (cost/value) even that much greater.

Would not...