Rice & Noodles Thai Cuisine — Restaurant in Ocala

I waited all day for this restaurant to open for dinner, only to be met with a highly disappointing experience. I do not recommend this establishment.

First, I attempted to place an order online, but the system failed. I then called to place the order over the phone and was assured it was confirmed. Upon arrival, I discovered that they had received both the failed online order and the phone order—preparing and expecting payment for both. When I explained the situation, the staff was not only unhelpful but also rude, insisting that I pay for both orders. This level of service is unacceptable.

Second, the food was far from authentic. The pho broth lacked depth, tasting like water with bouillon, while the beef was rubbery and inedible. The rice noodles were greasy. The mango with sticky rice was disappointing—it consisted of a microwaved rice patty, sliced mango, coconut milk, and a cherry, bearing no resemblance to the dish pictured on the menu and completely lacking in flavor. (See attached photos.)

Lastly, the vegetarian egg rolls had a distinct seafood aftertaste, suggesting they were fried in the same oil as seafood items—something that should never happen, especially for vegetarian dishes.

I rarely write reviews, but the poor quality of food, service, and overall experience at this restaurant compelled me to share my experience. I genuinely do not understand the 4.7-star rating unless it is from individuals unfamiliar with authentic Thai cuisine.

Based on this visit, I will not...

PHO review ONLY.

Having had Pho hundreds of times around North America, I was saddened to learn upon tasting they do not make Pho it the Vietnamese style. Vietnamese style is by the way the style that boasts, when done correctly, incredible flavor that people search long and hard for and debate over who has the best etc.

The server said they do their PHO in the THAI style, which I can assure you no one in the world is really searching for that. But that's what they do here and I drove some distance to eat so I'll review their Pho.

First, the broth is generic in opinion. It had a familiar almost bouillon or msg flavor to it like it started out as plain water and they added concentrate to it. I can't see how any bones were boiled to make this. I saw no fat in the broth either. So on that basis alone I wasn't impressed at all. Kinda offended to be frank.

The rest of the soup was good. The meat was plentiful and tender, the noodles were not mushy.

The bowl amount was below average in size compared to the market average.

So... I'll give the place 4 stars because I'm sure they do other things great, but do not come here for PHO if you expect...

I am in absolute awe of the HORRIBLE customer service at this place. My family and I have spent so much money here on takeout and have always supported this small business but after tonight I will never return. I ordered pad thai with MEDIUM spice level and when I got home to eat it it tasted like absolute FIRE. Like I was eating a dragon's breath pepper. I called them just to give them feedback so they'd be aware of it and the woman on the phone told me to come back for a replacement. I get there and they straight up tried to charge me for another pad thai entree!!!! I was speechless. Then they had the audacity to ask me if I brought the food back so they could see if anything was actually wrong with it. After multiple rounds of discussions and them doubting my honesty, I walked out. $30 and so much time wasted....