Pho 79 Pinecrest — Restaurant in Pinecrest

Was very excited to see Pho 79 in Pinecrest after having a great experience at the location near FIU. Though they seem to be under the same ownership, the experience is completely different.

1. I explained that my friend and I both have a shrimp allergy. The server abruptly said “I get it” and took our order. When I received my dish, it was a shrimp noodle dish with a chopped eggroll, though I clearly ordered a grilled chicken noodle dish with NO EGGROLL included. The server took the dish away and returned it to me without the shrimp. And it turned out to be bbq pork in the dish, not grilled chicken. Since I was unsure if they simply removed the shrimp, I decided not to eat it sent it back. Nobody ever apologised for the mistakes and I ended up only having a cup of ice water. My friend enjoyed his Pho dish.

2. We arrived around 2PM in the afternoon and the restaurant had not been completely set-up yet. Tables were missing condiments and soup spoons. The chop stick holders, that also hold soup spoons, were smudged with grime and food debris. One server was slowly wiping down tables and spraying cleaner in the air, even though there were people eating at adjacent tables.

3. We heard a large crash from the back area and then saw a ceiling panel had disintegrated and fallen on some dishes.

4. We were charged an extra $1.50 for the Pho Tai Bo Vien dish, even though the menu does not specify an extra charge. There are additional charges clearly posted on the menu for other dishes, but this one did not have it. When we pointed this out to another sever, she snapped back that the register does it automatically because there is extra meat in the dish. She begrudgingly removed the extra charge, but made another server bring us our check.

5. The restaurant forces you to sign and add tip to your check BEFORE they even charge your credit card, which seems to be an odd practise.

6. There were several TVs in the restaurant, most of which were displaying pictures of menu items. One TV was stuck on the Roku start screen.

Overall, this location needs some major improvements to be considered on the same level as the Pho 79 near FIU. For now avoid coming to Pinecrest and make the drive out to FIU...

First time trying. Nice clean and down to earth eatery. Our server kevin was very cordial and gave us good suggestions. He is amazing. We ordered spring rolls and papaya salad. The rolls we nice and meaty and with the fish sauce always a winner. The salad was ok needed more fish sauce but we had some from the rolls so it made up for it. We had it with pork and shrimp which was good but next time shrimp would be better in my opinion. We then ordered the banh mi number 2 combo (fries and a soda) bread was crispy and the filling ratio of meat and veggies was good but was on the smaller size but for the price is good. Only thing was needed some umami taste so i added a few drops of fish sauce and made it good. I may sound that i add fish sauce to everything but the salad and banh mi needed to be lifted a little. We also got the 34 pho noodles with everything..!! Noodles we soft and smooth the broth was clear and the meat was plentiful as we ordered the large and shared and was plenty so thumbs up. Only thing the broth i like it boiling hot but it came up not so but was good enough to cook the thin beef slices. As you add the bean sprouts and herbs they also take some of the heat but add lime made and made it perfect. Kevin added some hoisin sauce to the pho which was nice touch and mixed it around for us. If you go ask for him cool dude. And last but not least had vietnamese coffee and dessert was sesame bobba ( was not too sweet which was good). It was a quick late Saturday afternoon lunch/early dinner. Also ordered take out but will update as soon as i try the pork chop and beef rib rice dishes..!! I am sure they are good as i will...

This place is incredible. My server, Olivia, was wonderful. I called ahead to make sure they could accommodate my allergies, and they were so sweet on the phone. Which is helpful when you’re driving 45 minutes across town.

I had the pho with tendon. The tendon was magnificent. Perfectly tender and gelatinous, and they gave me a generous portion. Every vegetable was fresh and authentic. Real Thai basil, not mint. The bean sprouts were pristine, not even the slightest bit wilted or bruised. Plenty of lime.

I couldn’t detect any hint of msg or other additives; the broth tasted homemade. The flavor was perfect. Not strong, not bland, perfectly balanced, complex. Not too sour, salty, or sweet. I asked, and they don’t add fish sauce, they leave it on the table for people to add, so it’s great if you have an allergy to that as I do. The real green chiles are special to me because this is the only hot pepper I can eat without getting chemical burns. It’s been so long since I’ve been able to have slightly spicy soup.

I cannot remember the last time I had this many carbs and my head felt this clear. This is the real deal. I’ve been searching all over South Florida for this kind of pho. I honestly can’t remember the last time I had pho this good; it might actually be better than what I had in Seattle...