Ginger And Spice Noodle & Grill — Restaurant in Pasadena

Was visiting Pasadena yesterday. Got really cold and hungry when I arrived, and needed some hot soupy food fast. When I first saw this restaurant, I thought it looked too small and shabby; not the type of place I would normally eat at. But, hunger got the best of me, so I walked in.

The second I walked in, I was bombarded by a bunch of different food: sandwiches, salad, pasta, vermicelli, kalbi.... What? It has at least one of every culture's dishes in here! I couldn't decide what would be authentic here, I couldn't choose. So I went asking Yelp for help. According to Yelp, the Bun Bo Hue was there #1 dish, so I went for it.

I'm not sure what the difference is between Bun Bo Hue and pho, but I'm very happy with what I got. Not only was it filling, but it was so hot (temp wise) that I was sweating and sniffling through the whole meal.

Next time I'm craving for pho, I know...

Good food, good service, decent pricing. This place is pretty busy around lunchtime (at least when I went), but food still came out rather quickly.

I ordered the spicy beef noodle soup, which was pretty yummy. I would've wanted another wedge of lime but I didn't bother asking, so no complaints there. Veggies were clean and fresh. Beef was thinly sliced, tender, not too fatty. Soup was perfect, not too salty but still flavorful

The only reason I took off a star is because the iced caramel macchiato had grainy caramel syrup sedimented at the bottom of the cup, but enough had mixed in with the coffee to still have good flavor. Can't really fault them for this though, as they're not a coffee shop or cafe. I just needed some caffeine haha.

Overall, good place to lunch for an affordable price, considering the...

I knew it would be good from the first step into the building and could smell the pho broth. cue happy dance

Everything about the meal was made with quality ingredients. From the espresso in the iced coffee, to the broth and fresh veggies.

I branched out from my usual Vietnamese order and got the bun bo hue (spicy lemongrass broth with beef.) It was perfect. A little bit of tang, moderate amount of heat, and hearty flavor. Good meat portion, wish they had meatballs too.

The goi cuon (summer rolls) are larger and cheaper than I am used to at home and the pork was tender and flavorful. Peanut sauce perfection.

Overall, I will come back next time in town.

Ps. An employee realized they forgot the veggies for the soup and literally ran down the sidewalk after me!

Quality service and...