Wow Banh Mi N Pho — Restaurant in Norcross

TL;DR good service, food wasn't great.

I've tried a lot of Vietnamese restaurants, and I'm always looking for something new. This location just recently opened, I went there about 2 weeks ago. The service was good, but the food, not so much... We ordered a special Pho, a Hue spicy beef noodle soup (bun bo hue), and a combination/special sandwich (can't remember the name). First, the Pho's broth was very salty. There is a difference between flavourful and salty, and it was the latter. We called for a less salty broth, but what the waitress brought out was still a salty one, so I'm sure the whole thing was the same. The noodles and meat were alright but I couldn't enjoy them with that broth. Next is the Hue spicy noodle soup, the broth was, in a bad way, sweet. This was the first time I've tasted it this sweet. It's supposed to be savory, bold, and a bit salty.. And I've seen some restaurants replicate this well, but not this one. The meat was alright, they got the pork blood which was a plus. The noodles weren't the right type... No, we don't use big, thick noodles for this dish, we use small or normal size ones. Last is the sandwich.. again, I've tried many different places, and the sandwich from this one just isn't it. The bread texture wasn't good. It's hard to explain, but it wasn't chewy, it crumbled with every bite. The meat and everything inside were good, but the bread itself wasn't. So in the end, of the 3 dishes I tried, none of them was good enough. Maybe it was just a bad day for me, or maybe they just have different tastes... They still have a lot more dishes that I haven't tasted, so maybe those could be good... But for me, I won't be coming back there...

Stopped by Wow Banh Mi N Pho on a road trip because we were really craving a real meal—not rest stop fast food. Everything tasted so fresh and well-prepared. The jalapeño in my Wow Banh Mi was julienned and seeded (a mark of quality in my book!). We got a salted Vietnamese coffee and a regular Vietnamese coffee. Both were delicious but I prefer the standard one; it’s more potent and coffee-y. There were wet napkins and disposable flosses with my food and the take out containers were sturdy and well-packaged. It really felt like the restaurant had made a huge effort to make sure every aspect of the meal and service was as excellent as it could possibly be.

We were traveling with a dog so they even opened up their patio so that we could eat with her outside instead of eating in the car to keep the A/C on. They even apologized for not having the patio ready ahead of schedule (it was a HEAVY pollen season and no one else except us would possibly want to sit outside). The food was so good we ordered some broken rice and a chicken banh mi to eat for dinner!

In summary, Wow impressed me with their deliciousness and hospitality, and if I lived locally, I’d be there...

They just opened in May 2023 so all the reviews and photos before that time was from the previous restaurant that was in the same address.

They are in the same plaza with Hongkong Supermarket so there's plenty of parking. The shop is bright and clean. The staffs are very friendly, and the service is very fast. I had:

Vietnamese Sizzling Steak with Egg and Pâté, serving with a small side of vegetable (not a salad) and baguette. Shrimp and crab spring roll Egg drop soup: this is not the Chinese egg drop soup. It's soft-boiled egg, cooked with pho broth. Sugarcane fresh juice

I had a banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich) to-go. They have a very well-packaged to--go box for the banh mi sandwich. The to-go banh mi box also includes picked vegetables wrapped separately on the side, a wet napkin, and a floss toothpick.

Overall, the quality is good. The staff is very considerate. After knowing I don't eat green onion, she notes the kitchen to not put onion on all the dishes I ordered without me telling her about that. I will come back to try other items on the menu. Highly...