Money Cat Vietnamese American — Restaurant in New York

I always wanted to like this place, I really did. 1st time i went i had the Pho. Unremarkable with none of the extreme contrast between deep meaty flavors and bright sunny ones I have come to expect from a superior bowl of the stuff. Suspiciously close to water for the $15 it cost. Being there without a date or friend to eat with with made my 1st experience there a bit lonely. No romanticism about eating alone in some noir fantasy here, no. Too hip, to many people on dates. You would think the red lights would serve this function well, but the interior is too clean, the windows are too big, there is no comfortable corner to have your back to. I tried the Pho for a second time as takeout. I must say, this was a mistake, partially because the best thing this place has going for it is the cool atmosphere, decorations and the perennially hip and attractive young person who is the face of the place on any given night. Anyhow, the Pho was equally mediocre for the takeout experience, i don't remember much, but as i do recall they at least gave me enough basil and lime. No amount of this stuff could substitute for more depth of flavor which i have found the broth to lack. My third go round was just tonight. I am recovering from COVID and i tried calling to avoid the damn fees from the supposedly revolutionary delivery services that have stepped between restaurant workers and eaters like a health insurance company between a diabetic and his insulin. But they would not answer the phone. I let it ring a looooong time, then i checked the website (rather than google) for the number, confirmed it to call again and called. No answer. Rather inconvenient as i didn't want to have to wait around in front of the place OR order in person. Even with mask on i could be a hazard to others in my first foray outside in days. They had a "square" pickup option that somehow still managed to rack up 7 dollars in fees, so i cursed uber, doordash and their ilk under my breaths between coughs and headed out the door. I walked in, the inside was thankfully sparsely populated by what i assumed were couples, fortunately there was no-one very close for me to infect. I ordered quickly and paid by card. I advised the young, hip-looking guy that i would wait outside. I assume he got the picture that i was not well, (what with the double mask and the weak voice as if i was a frail southern belle who had to walk home in the heat after my carriage train was raided by the union), i was brought my Bahn Mi in a small white bag that i foolishly didn't check carefully. When i arrived home i was pleased with the size of the bread it was on at first sight. A mite bit longer than some of the Bahn Mi sandwiches i had received. No utensils, napkins not a smidge of a sauce could be found in the white bag, just the container with the sandwich. I opened the sandwich container to discover, like so many disappointed groupies, that length and girth were not always correlated. But i was hungry so i started to eat and noticed immediately the awful taste of mayonnaise. I should have read the menu more carefully, all of their Bahn Mi seem to come with mayonnaise. Now normally i am used to requesting no mayo at a deli, as i am white, and anyone from a country that uses spice seems to think that white people only like a liquid spice that shares our hue. I was not expecting it here, as i have never had a Bahn Mi come with mayo, not by default. A chipotle mayo, or some mayo with spice imbued i might've tolerated better, but this was clearly that squeezy white mayo that really doesn't even have enough tang to qualify as flavor and so much creaminess as to barely remind you you aren't eating turned yogurt. And somehow, they managed to do the thing that even my brothers and sisters at any deli in new york would not do to me: They covered BOTH sides of bread in the stuff and a lot of it. I tried desperately to find sriracha in my house before resigning myself to my grim, grim fate. i choked down what i could, the tofu itself was good, but...

Good food, good service and reasonably priced.

What was supposed to just be one visit to the area to try out this place has now become a place I frequent on multiple occasions, and I do not live nearby. This has become my destination spot. I wanted to see what all the hype was about and let me tell this place did not disappoint.

I LOVE this place and truly don’t understand why there is negative review. Can’t please everyone, I guess. The food here is consistent and the portions are great. Its family owned and at times you can even see their adorable little daughter welcoming you with a smile and cheerful wave.

In my experience the service has always been good here. The interior is very comfortable and modern with a twist on originality. The ambiance and lighting set the tone for a night out with friends or even a romantic date. They have a wonderful dinner items and accommodating to those with dietary restrictions. My only complaint would be they aren’t open for lunch just yet, but that’s the selfish side of me.

They do not skimp on the spice and flavors with the Pho. Large portions of veggies, herbs, and noodles. Everything I’ve ordered here has been delicious. It’s one of my favorite spots here in BK. I would suggest trying the spring rolls, they come with lettuce, mint and served with a side of fish sauce. I was encouraged by the staff to wrap the lettuce around the mint and spring roll creating a form of a actual wrap and then dip into the sauce. The flavor profile was light, refreshing, and tasty.

Money Cat thanks for the consistency and we appreciate you sticking it out through...

I want to like this place. I really do.

I have eaten here twice. The first time was 2021. We ordered Vermicelli and Banh Mi. My partner and I couldn’t swallow our dishes. The flavoring was off. And I’m not a picky eater. We had it packed to go. I microwaved them the next day and forced myself to finish as I don’t like to waste food. Each gulp was torture.

I believe in second chance so I decided to to give it another try, this time with my mom in 2023. We ordered different dishes to see if it would change my mind. I warned her it’s bad. She was curious how bad it is.

She also had a hard time swallowing. The flavor was off. Something about the flavor just didn’t work cohesively. They used a lot of mushrooms but the mushrooms don’t go together with the dishes. The Pho base tasted very weird. It tasted disgusting in fact. It was really bad food. I’m so disappointed as I’m a huge fan of Vietnamese food.

It’s a shame cause there are not many dining options in this part of Bushwick and this restaurant has the best decor, the most beautiful in the neighborhood. I refuse to recommend this place to my Airbnb guests. I got a lot of visitors and I always tell them to avoid this place.

The glowing reviews perplexed me. As I said I really want to like this place so I’ll bite the bullet and will give it a third try. Stay tuned...