Phở Sonoma | Vietnamese Cuisine — Restaurant in Petaluma

I don't even know where to start with this review, I had just vouched to my boyfriend that this restaurant was reputable, and the manager that replaced the owner after we ordered had one thing on her mind: money, and her phone.

The owner just recommended a dish before he left, the waiter came out and did not mention it was a 'dipping' sauce (referred as by the manager). I put it all on my dish to savor what the owner had recommended, and it came out WAY TOO SALTY. recalling how much salt had been at the bottom of the 'dipping sauce' was roughly 2 tablespoons, rendering my dish completely inedible. When I tried to bring it up to the manager at the time they ignored my naivete when it came to eating Vietnamese dishes and blamed me for dumping all of the 'dipping sauce' on the plate. I really didn't know how to respond so I forked over the 45 dollars for the me and my boyfriend's order. As we were leaving and only interacted with the manager lady for a short 30seconds we glanced to see that the other waiters were busy addressing prep work, while she had ear buds in and was on her phone at the same table she was sitting at when I asked if anything could be done about the dish.

One last thing I would like to address as this should be an example of how to not run a business. 7 dollars for thai ice tea, in a plastic cup is disgusting. There is already enough plastic waste in the world, and exporting your dishwashing costs to imported plastic cups your throw away is a modern tragedy. I hope this review is a wake up call, not only for the owner's perception on his employed staff, but other people's perspectives on this restaurant.

TL;DR •over salted dish •poor management •served plastic cups while sitting at a...

After wrapping up our night at the cinema, my friend and I found ourselves hungry, and happened upon Pho Sonoma. Because she has a sensitive stomach, we always like to look at the menu before committing somewhere. Seeing an abundance of options, we walked in and asked if it was possible to try a sample of their broth. This is where we were met with just the beginning of our unbelievably kind, DELICIOUS, and unforgettable experience. Chef Jenny herself came out to greet us, along with her husband and co-owner, Huey. They not only explained to us what goes into the broth, but also delivered a VERY generous sample of the two kinds they offer. Throughout our time there we enjoyed several options from their menu, and each item was 11/10. Many thanks as well to our waiter, Daniel, who was an absolute gem. This restaurant checks all of the boxes and then some! Atmosphere fun fact: The artwork they have featured on their wall was painted by one of their favorite artists in Vietnam. The artist painted the piece as requested, rolled it up, and shipped it over! It’s a remarkable sight on its own, but hearing the history behind it was the cherry on top of our evening. This restaurant clearly values and understands the connection to the multi-sensory dining experience we all yearn for. It was the best night to kick off the fall season, and we’re already looking forward to...

We were there once and ordered the special of the day vietnamese taco and bird nest. They looked fresh enough but tasted bland. The waitress was nice and pleasant, with smile and eye contact, mind you. However, she did not offer any recommendations about what we should try on the huge menu though. You look at the menu, you order on your own. Fair warning: the menu is a book, pretty intimidating and looks very busy, personally, that's a turn off. The setting is nothing special, just like average asian restaurant, adequately clean, tables with chairs and booths, big glass windows, which allow light to brighten up the place. We never find it busy though. So, it does make you wonder, if the Pho and etc are decent, why aren't there crowd at lunch time as you will normally find at Simmer on N. McDowell? They have been open for business for sometime now, and the location seem ideal for good amount of exposure. Still, we will give it another go and try the infamous Pho this time. I do hope there's serious flavor in the broth, since it is the key to its success. I have been wearied of so many broth gone watery and lack of flavor and/or overcooked noodle and at times sad looking bean sprout. Yes, the low price can be good but not for bland food. The truth is if the food is fresh and flavorful, undoubtedly, the people will come and they will pay for...