Pho Far East — Restaurant in Raleigh

| Overview

Our #1 rated pho in the Triangle NC Authentic & fresh Vietnamese food Excellent & fast customer service Summer rolls tasted fresh Bread of Banh Mi was hard Vietnamese coffee was small for $5 Space can be very limited during busy hours

| Full Review

Out of all the phos we've tried in the Southeast USA (or even in the world), Pho Far East's $17 Pho Dac Biet (combination pho with steak, brisket, tripe & meatball) is the best.

My parents recommended this small Vietnamese restaurant in Capital Blvd., Raleigh about 5 years ago, and since then, my girl & I have been here in multiple times. One night, I even drove for 45 min. through the storm just to eat their special pho.

The broth was just right: not too salty and not bland. Of course, just like with any pho, we usually add some hoisin sauce & siracha to enhance its flavor. The vermicelli noodles were well-cooked, and not soggy. A plate of sprouts and mint leaves were served on the side, and we added them all to the pho.

The authentic flavor of the soup was served hot with a good amount of beef & noodles. Many other Vietnamese restaurants omit the tripe but Pho Far East's special pho puts a fine amount. Every spoonful of pho tasted delicious & healthy fresh.

We usually get a bowl each of Pho Dac Biet with 1 order of Summer Rolls (2 pieces) that comes with peanut sauce for dipping, but this time, we only ordered 1 bowl, 1 order of Summer Rolls (20. Goi Cuon in the menu), 1 Bhan Mi Thit Nuong (pork Banh Mi), and 1 Vietnamese iced coffee. We shared all of them. The bowl of the pho was big enough for 2 to share but this is the kind that's worth ordering for just 1 person.

The $7 Summer rolls (My girl's favorite Vietnamese appetizer) were medium-sized; we've seen larger & smaller ones in other restaurants. The cold ingredients (pork, shrimp, cucumber, basil & vermicelli wrapped in rice paper) tasted so fresh, and the amount of peanut sauce is just right for 2 pieces.

The pork Banh Mi was our least favorite part of our latest order. While the grilled pork, daikon, cilantro, jalapeno, lemongrass & carrot tasted fresh, the French bread of this Vietnamese sandwich was too hard to chew.

The $5 Vietnamese coffee was also not satisfying because of its small size. We'd rather make some at home. In my opinion, it lacked the creaminess we crave in a Vietnamese coffee.

Our server's name was Daniel - he was friendly and provided excellent customer service. All the items in our order arrived surprisingly fast (less than 5 minutes) . Our latest visit was Sunday afternoon, and although this Pho Far East can get crowded sometimes, it wasn't super busy this time. Despite the restaurant's small size, it looked well-managed with clean dining areas and bathrooms.

Pho Far East also serves Vietnamese rice dishes, but we've only tried one of them once before. If we wanted a good Vietnamese vermicelli plate, we rather go to Taste of Vietnamese in Morrisville. Pho Far East specializes in pho so that's the main reason we come here.

| Overall...

] From my entrance, I was made to feel very welcome. I was told “pick any seat that I like.” I then began the process of navigating the menu, and at first - I felt a slight panic of “What is this - because all the dishes were in Vietnamese Language. However, I noticed english translation towards the lower body of the discerption. [ ] I was drawn to selected Rare Roast beef, and my desire for something hot and spicy came up a level so I went with A spicy beef and thicker noodle dish, and this seemed to best way to go. [ ] So far, we’re on a road towards success here at Pho Far East. The dish has arrived, and looks absolutely spectacular! Bursting with color, great aroma, and actually tingling my sinuses of my nose. I’m about to make the addition of the bean sprouts, basil + hot chili oil, and see what the taste is like. [ ] My observations are as follows… The noodles appear to be spaghetti noodles, which there’s nothing wrong with them, but… I’d expect rice noodles to be present. The taste is mid, and could use a bit of salt, and I’m about to add the sides - in find hopes this will take things up a notch. [ ] Second wave, after scraping the sides of the bowl - now the real taste is presenting itself. I’m getting to the real essence now, and the fresh basil is kicking in - totally! About to bit into the jalapeño peppers - FIRE! [ ] So… This is what we have here - the test is far more accurate at this establishment, the another visited last night in Durham, NC. Okay… Wait! Got a baby crying - deduction in points - atmosphere just diminished. I definitely score hard on noisy babies or children, as one impatient or uneasy infant can terminate a great evening. [ ] I go on to say in detail, the own was ever compassionate to both the child, and the suffering parents of the poor meltdown kid. The father was forced to take the child outside to cold down, but… All efforts failed, and upon my exit the father hand signaled the mother - wrap it up, and come on out. Both parents looked bewildered from the upheaval of their offspring aka. hell spawn. [showing humor In conclusion, this is the end of my review, and no details were spared. I did manage to order a set of fried shrimp, which were delicious. Besides the hell spawn unpleasantness… This is an alright restaurant. I didn’t spend over $30.00 bucks, and the food was fine, I would say. Traffic is high, as I observed groups flocking in whilst finishing this review. I hope I’ve been informative; entertaining; truthful; and able to grasp your interest, and definitely deliver an overall sense of what it’s like to dine in the local establishment in Raleigh, NC. More exciting reviews coming soon. Support me by following my work, reading my reviews, and suggesting platforms and places you’d like me to both visit, and...

I have been fairness and regular customer here at the Far East. However, recently I have stopped by for my dinner night. I was hoping for a good meal along with excellent services. But, It did not happen that way. I do not know what the reason is for these careless and lousy manners from all waitress at the restaurant. I have come first before the other lovely couple about 5 minutes, and I also had sat there for more than 10 minutes before I was served with water when the cute couple has their drink after 2 minutes, the couple also have their foods out around 10 minutes. While, I keep on waiting for another 15 minutes until I have to raise my hand to catch the male waitress attention. The waitress has been ignoring my eye contact. They just kept on doing their thing with knowing that I am not being served or ask for orders at all, because of I still the menu with me, the water isn’t out yet... that enough to understand that I have not been asking for orders yet. The other couple has their water and orders taken care of right after they got in. I patiently watch to see how low and lousy service this is. So, I have finally got my first dish after 30 minutes waiting ... when the couple only take about 10 with all foods, order and drink. Then I attempt to order the second time for “To go” and it takes about 10 minutes to get a hold on them. They clearly saw my hand upon the air, and my eye was looking for them for “ orders," but they ignore and kept on going, not only the male waitress but female waitress, manager at the shop as well. Then, I asked for one soup to eat at the Restaurant and one to go. The male waitress was careless enough to even trying to differentiate what is here to eat and what is for to go, he doesn’t even look at me when I am talking, he carelessly answers “okay,” and he carelessly swings around and take up the menu and also while handing it to me. His face was having a lot of attitude and very bad gesture. It had been a very disappointed for me to experience that sort of discrimination here at one of my regular restaurant. I am also a Vietnamese and consistent at the Restaurant for three years. I see how busy at the restaurant, but they were able to pull out a good manner to another customer, then I sincerely ask the same thing for myself as being human more than...