Viet Taste — Restaurant in Norwood Park Township

I got off of work and had some time before my meeting at 6. I was in the area of Viet Taste. I have drove past this establishment many times and said to myself that I would stop in one day to try their pho and Banh mi sandwich. Today was the day to stop in. When I go out to a place that serves pho I try to see if they also have Bành mi sandwich. This way I can try each establishments version of the sandwich. Decor of the restaurant was nice. Open seating area and table are close together. It's smaller size restaurant, but the ceiling is very tall so gives a feeling as not to crammed. I was there after 2pm so the dining area was open and not crowded at all. It was pretty clean when I stopped in. Service was very quick for the pho, when I was in it was less than 5mins before I received my order of pho and side vegetables. Everything looked fresh. Staff was masked and polite. Quality of the food was very good. As I stated before the vegetables were fresh looking and tasted fresh once I added and taste the pho. I like to taste the broth before I added any additional ingredients. The broth was very good, you could taste the spices that is in a typical pho and very tasteful. I always get the same pho that has tendon,tripe, meatballs, thin sliced steak. The proportions were generous. Tripe was cut nice and thin enough to manage( some places cut too thick and you can tell over cooked by time eat). Tendon was cooked perfect too, soft and melted in mouth and filled with the flavors from everything I added and the original broth. I was a filling bowl of pho. I was doubtful that it would fill my up because of the size of the bowl, but with all the noodles and meats, It was very filling. The Banh Mi sandwich looked very good too. Presentation of the sandwich was very well done. I was so full from the pho that I had to take it to go. I did have it after my meeting. It was cold so I can't rate it as best as I would like. I definitely would have liked it better warm also, but gotta rate it as if it was warm. I had the bbq pork. Have very nice thick cut of the pork. It taste good, but better if was warm. Only thing is that this sandwich was more sweet for my own taste. So if you like sweeter bbg pork then this is perfect for you. The pickled carrots and radish was more on the sweet side for me also. I prefer more sour versio.

Would I recommend this place? Yes I would recommend anyone to give it a try if in the area. The pho when I had it was very good! Banh Mi like said not my style, but I still recommend give if a try. My only concern is that this place is located near the shopping center and in a strip mall so parking could get tight. Also lucky for me I had cash on me or else I may have run into some issues. Note this place is a cash only establishment so that is the only downfall or negative thing I have to say about place. I most likely will return if...

Visited on 7/22 and had a bad experience. The service was really bad. We ordered an appetizer platter for 3, 2 banh mis, a kids chicken and rice, a diet coke, and a pho. We received the plates for the appetizers and someone else's order of spring rolls. Luckily, we didn't touch it because a minute later, our waitress came, grabbed the plate and said this isn't yours, and took the plate to who it belonged to. The appetizers came out and those were good. About 5 minutes later, one banh mi and the kids plate came out. A couple more minutes passed and we had to remind someone about the coke. Another 2 or 3 minutes pass and the pho comes. We waited another 15 to 20 minutes for the other banh mi and nothing ever came. We actually had to ask about it and the waitress says, "oh we're out of bread, didn't someone tell you?" No! You're our waitress, why would someone else tell us? She asks if we want something else and it's like no. At this point, everyone is almost done eating, what's the point? She walks away and comes back with the toppings for the pho. Mind you, my daughter was already almost done eating the pho. We let whoever the manager was know the situation. He had gone back to the kitchen and I guess told the waitress and she came back to our table asking what the situation was. I'm sorry, but do you not know that there's an issue?

All in all, this was a...

Sad to Say Goodbye — But It’s the Service

I’ve been a regular here for a long time because the pho is truly PHOnomenal. But unfortunately, poor service has made this my final visit.

Yesterday was the last straw. My son and I requested to sit in the cooler back area. After being seated, we were left unacknowledged while our server cleaned a nearby empty table. Not a greeting, not a “be right with you.” Moments later, we were asked to move—for another family—despite several open tables nearby. We were moved to an identical table, just a few feet away, which made absolutely no sense. At that point, I simply took my son and left. The absurdity of the request was enough.

And to the one European server girl who asked us to move—you know who you are. Your request was ridiculous.

Sadly, this experience reflects an ongoing pattern: lack of warmth, rushed service (checks hitting the table, even before you’re finished), and poor manners. Thank-yous go unreturned, smiles are rare, and on one occasion I was told to “get the to-go box myself,” only to be told not to the next time.

To be fair, the cooks in the back are always kind and welcoming, and one server—energetic, respectful, and consistently excellent—stands out and deserves recognition.

I hope this place continues to thrive because the food is top-tier. I just wish the...