Pho Bac Noodle Palace — Restaurant in Modesto

No frills pho restaurant- looks like a run down diner from the outside, and there was a car wash business attached to the building- which had lots of cars and people hanging around in groups- you have to drive around the back and go around the car wash to park on the side of the restaurant- the car wash looked self service - people were in the spots using the self serve car wash facilities, and oddly there were lots of cars parked and more people gathering in groups, just standing around socializing- maybe it was a meet up spot?

We assumed both business were owned by the same people- as the people that were working in the restaurant seemed to also be going outback where the car wash was- the restaurant had probably never been updated in the probably 20 years of being open- looked like a hole in the wall- I would have turned around and walked out if the people on the inside were as Sus and the people in the neighborhood- but the tables were all full of families and couples- and I know that sometimes the place that’s not showing off is the hidden gem- I’m guessing there were more than a few repeat customers- it’s not somewhere I’d want to be taken on a romantic dinner date- but a good lunch, absolutely- service was not intrusive or overly conversational, but it was courteous and efficient- had fun watching all the families with kids eat pho-

neighborhood was not the best- but it’s Modesto, so don’t expect some upscale area- had lots of quietly loitering homeless druggie looking people sitting in groups, looking like they were waiting for a ride, because none of them were talking to one another- 6 of them just sat on the corner lawn of the entrance enjoying the sun looking off in different directions in silence-which was admittedly off-putting, because I had no freaking clue what in the tweaker twilight zone I was looking at. Zen tweakers taking in some Sunshine?

Go for the food and for the pho-not a huge fan of the pork spring rolls mostly because I didn’t expect a spring roll to taste unhealthy- it’s probably my expectations that threw it off for me- pork overpowered the traditional flavor of herbs- did ask for the combo of shrimp and pork spring rolls, but must not have heard me correctly, and were just served the pork- wasn’t worth mentioning, because there was already too much food.

The wings were crispy and flavorful- big portions-unless you can eat 5 pounds of noodles or plan to share with a 4 person family, order a small or medium- my mom and I ordered 2 small steak pho’s and had 3 days of leftovers- we took my husband a med to go he couldn’t...

The food is always awesome. I used to get pork blood in my chicken pho, but now I mostly get spring rolls and combination beef pho

The service is always weird. Sometimes you get someone that speaks a little bit of English, and sometimes you get someone that just points out, says one or two words. Tell them the number on the menu connected to the food words. Do not ask them questions. And do not send food back. You will give them a meltdown. I have seen it before. I've never done it, but I've seen other people do it before, like it's their first time in the world. And talking louder and slower doesn't help them understand anything you're saying. Again, I don't do it, but I've seen some people in our community doing it, and it makes me sad. But just to be clear, there also only advertising that they are hiring in Korean, so if you don't know Korean, they probably aren't going to hire you.

The atmosphere is always bare bones... Vibe: a soup kitchen in Korea.

The tables have been there since they opened, and you can tell by the way they are worn out that some of the employees have used the wrong chemicals LOL, but I have never gotten sick. This isn't a place to bring a first date unless you are really trying to see how Posh they are. This place is not fancy it is just for eating it is not for social media pictures, and it is not for food vlogging.

It is defined as one of the most popular car washes and chicken noodle soup...

Generally a big fan of their Pho but last 2 visits our orders were entirely messed up w/no apology. Usually flavorful broth, great noodle consistency, and XLg bowl availability. Its surprising that after so many visits and always the same order that we would be forced to try something new! 1st mess up my hsbd hardly complained and was willing to try the bowl filled w/tripe, fish balls, and other unknown objects. After the 2nd visit and no apology for the mistake we opted to walk out of what was once sadly a favorite spot for Pho. I could not stomach some of the objects floating around in my soup and were made to feel like we were a nuisance for complaining. We felt forced to walk out for fear of retaliation just asking for correct soup order. Originally one of our favorite Pho spots but w/others to choose from that include great food and respectable service we will no longer visit establishment. Additionally, older waiter conveys eerie vibe as he blatantly stares while you eat. Once, told us several times in the same visit that my hsbd and I should sit across from each other rather than side by side. Apparently this bothered him so much he made the excuse that we could see each other better while we talked. What?! Dictating now what we eat and how we sit is...