Chopsticks Pho & Grill — Restaurant in Newark

This is a review based on their BBH only.

I've been fiending for Bun Bo Hue. So much so that my cousin, whom I wanted to lunch with since he just spent a half day helping me learn how to bleed the brake fluid for my car, takes me to this place which he believes is a decent Pho restaurant and I, having never been here, decide to go for BBH before I even try the Pho. That's... wrong. Sort of. House special should go first, but you gotta feed that craving!

This will be a quick one.

I ordered the BBH and my cousin did the same. Before the waitress walked away, I asked her to make it spicy. When the bowls were delivered, along with the standard condiments we dug in. It was too hot for my cousin who does not have the heat tolerance I had and he powers through, sweating it out like the trooper he is and I realize, the waitress may have spiced up both our bowls. For me, I could taste the heat but it was mild and had little effect on me outwardly.

Now the soup. For BBH, it was on the weak side of flavor and character. Maybe a 2 or 3 out of 10 by my taste buds. In some ways, this may not be fair so I caution you about taking this as a complete blast to this place. I grew up on mom's, like most of us do, and use that as a measuring stick. This one just didn't measure up. I even advised my cousin to add all the shrimp paste they provide on the side if he wants more kick, but that made little difference.

It was not bad, but it was less than notable. I may have to come back and try the Pho some time as I understand it is supposed to be decent. The 2 star is just for the BBH, The rest of the menu could be better but I will revise as needed if I come back and try other things. Don't discount this place just because my rating is not better.

And... I guess the review was not as fast as I thought...

Not a good business model due to ownerships lack of respect towards customers. My family went out to eat and my sister waited 40 minutes while everyone else was almost done eating. When approached about this they were defensive instead of accommodating and said that the dish she chose takes longer and continued to serve food to other people who were there later. If this is the case, the owner should warn people about ordering this so called long dish to make. It was obvious the waiter forgot to put in my sisters dish. After 40 minutes, they rudely bring out the dish. Who wants to eat after that? A good business owner would handle this differently and de escalate the situation. We received hostility and immatureness from the owner. We are locals in the area and had been going here for a while even though customer service has never been their forte. I will now let others know to...

Came here for the 1st time about 3 weeks ago and have been coming back regularly ever since. Great pho from what my boys tell me and they are picky when it comes to pho. I usually get some protien over rice, and I must, it was very authentic Vietnamese. The grilled chicken I got was a bit oily, but the broken jasmine rice was great. Definitely making it one of our favorite spots.

Pros: Free parking, clean and bright restaurant, consistent on flavor and taste, friendly servers - seems like all family, quick and attentive, and you can use your credit cards

Cons: Coffee is pre-made but still very good, (I'm old school and love the fresh drip) It would be nice if they put a bit of lemon in the water they serve, when you first get seated, it could be improved.

Overall, a great little gem, and...