Pho Ha Saigon Cottman — Restaurant in Philadelphia

This is the review I wrote!

Subject: Disappointing Experience at Pho Ha Saigon

I recently visited Pho Ha Saigon on Cottman in the mini mall where the Grocery store Giant is located adjacent too and unfortunately had a disappointing experience. The food simply didn’t appeal to my friend, and when she expressed this, the staff attempted to force her to pay for food she didn’t want.

As the situation escalated, the staff member began raising his voice and attempted to embarrass and shame us by looking around at other customers in the restaurant, seemingly seeking their agreement. Fortunately, they did not support his behavior, but it only added to the discomfort of the situation. When I asked why he was being so aggressive, he remained angry but seemed to lower his intensity slightly. Having worked in the industry for almost a decade, I know that if a customer doesn’t like their food and doesn’t eat it, it should be taken off the bill. Losing out on $10 or even $80 is a risk worth taking, especially when the alternative is creating a hostile environment that makes customers feel unsafe.

I want to clarify that I don’t want this to become a race issue, but as a Black woman, I felt the weight of stereotypes that often unfairly target individuals like me. Had I responded by meeting the manager at his level, I fear the police would have been called. The stereotypes associated with Black women—such as being aggressive, confrontational, or difficult—are not only damaging but also disheartening to experience, especially from a community that has faced stereotypes and racism in various forms. If I had acted out of character, it would have only reinforced those negative stereotypes. I’m proud of both myself and my friend for standing up for ourselves without resorting to behavior that would demean who we are.

On a positive note, I want to commend our server Jess J. She was wonderful and incredibly patient while we were ordering, especially since it was my friend's first time trying this cuisine. She loves to explore new dishes, and while the food wasn’t what she expected, Jess handled the situation with grace.

In conclusion, I recommend skipping this particular location and opting for the one at Adams instead. It’s not representative of the quality one can expect from the chain as a whole.

Thank you for taking the time to read my feedback.

What we ordered:

She got the pork, rice and spring roll for her beverage she got a French coffee with condensed milk and the one without she didn't like either of those either but she drank from them so she paid for those. I got the shrimp and veggie pho and added chicken and a Thai tea. They didn't have the milk pearl tea that she...

Not a great first time experience whatsoever me and my children decided to stop by because we were in the mood for some sushi and I know it’s pho but some places still offer it. The menu was very perplexing with both languages on it an we were just trying to figure out what was what? The server was not helpful either did he seemed like he was in a rush for us to order an was becoming upset with the question I had about the menu as if I hadn’t explained this was our first time visiting. I then just quickly decided to order a got the shrimp spring rolls, the roast chicken and rice a the shrimp pho soup. The shrimp roll came first and were ice cold a not tasteful at all and was paired with a peanut sauce absolutely not yuk !!! The grilled/ fried chicken arrived with a duck sauce the server never offered any additional sauces to try. The portion of chicken an rice was not bad however the chicken was tasteless and fried super hard , the soup came and it was a huge bowl of broth no salt, taste at all the vegetables inside were great but the shrimp was not cleaned properly. I also let the server know I was not pleased with the spring rolls an that I would not be paying for them an he informed me that yes you are paying we can’t take them off your bill. I said well i don’t want them and im not paying for something I don’t want. Bad customer experience!!! A few minutes go by an he then sends someone else over whom asked did I want to remove rolls I said yes and he said well my manager is not here and we can’t remove would you like something else I really wasn’t please already with the food so I was not looking to buy anything else or an alternative. I just said you can give us drinks since he was basically forcing me to choose another item. What if you received an online order an a customer paid for the wrong order would you still have them pay for something that they didn’t want ? And how would you have removed that or respond to the customer. The service was not pleasing at all and I will not be returning at all !!! I also spent $40 total i really felt like walking out that’s how nasty it was but my children and I did eat some of it because why would I...

A few minutes after I ordered, I was alerted that the menu is inaccurate for #76, Bun Dau Hu: Tofu & Lemongrass Vermicelli. There's no lemongrass. Ok. At least I was told in time to get something else. I swapped #76 for Pho Chin, Well Done Brisket Pho. I also ordered #2, Goi Cuon (2): Summer Rolls w. Shrimp & Chicken and #5, Nem Nuong Cuon (2): Grilled Ground Pork Rolls. I think I now understand why the items get only a brief description and there are no pictures on the menu.

The summer rolls each had a sliver of shrimp—not a whole shrimp or even a half. (These slivers weren't fully cleaned/deveined.) Each had a very tiny piece of chicken. At least 80% of the summer rolls was iceberg lettuce, with a few noodles, shrimp slivers, and a tiny piece of chicken. There were no other vegetables, e.g., carrots, that one would expect in a summer roll.

The Nem Nuong Cuon, grilled ground pork rolls, were likewise disappointing. If the pork was grilled, it wasn't apparent. Like the summer rolls, these grilled ground-pork rolls were nearly all lettuce, each with a small piece of some sort of ground meat. The included sauce containers were only half full. The beef pho broth was so thin that no one would guess it wasn't a well-strained chicken broth.

We’re not unfamiliar with Vietnamese food, and it’s always been great elsewhere. If I'd only ordered one item, I could imagine that there was a fluke. When nothing is good, it's...