Lang Restaurant (Hong Thanh) — Restaurant in Reading

Very disappointed with this place and their management. I eat here often and normally love the food. I rave about this place to everyone I know. I love Asian cuisine and Beef Pho is my favorite.

I ordered food for myself and my mother and was quoted 20-25 minutes. She arrived 15 minutes early and the food was waiting at the front desk for her. I live across the street in the Berks Trust Building and I was finishing wfh. My mother got veg noodle soup for the first time and I got my normal beef pho. She couldn’t tell which broth was hers. One was clear and the other was light brown which was odd. Normally the beef broth is darker brown. She ate her soup w clear broth and mentioned it seems light in flavor. She never had it before so we just assumed that’s how it was. I went to heat up my pho and took a spoon of broth and noticed it tasted diluted and very mild in flavor which again is very odd. Normally I can heat it up on the stove and double the broth by adding water and it STILL is packed with flavor. I had another sip and was sure something was wrong. I called Lang and asked if something was wrong today because the pho does not taste like normal. They asked me to bring it back so they could check it out. I live across the street so no biggie.

I come over with the broth alone and my receipt. The host at the front desk says oh I know what’s wrong, you mixed up the broths, this is chicken broth. I said No sir, the other broth was clear. I explained I frequent Lang and normally the broth is much darker and flavorful. He realized he put his foot in his mouth because he already confirmed that the pho did not look like normal because even HE thought it was chicken broth. His coworker/server picked it up and also said yes this does not look right and agreed it was wrong and went to the back to correct it. When they came back out they brought an older woman who said nothing and the young man(server) held up two broths that looked very similar and they all stood there and stared at me. I’m looking at the broth like what are we doing here? They said, “Which one do you want? “ The host points to one and says this one’s darker right. I replied, “yes, but they both still look wrong.” They handed me the darker one. I asked for a spoon, I tasted it and it tasted exactly the same as the first one. I closed it and said it’s still not right. They said nothing, I shook my head and walked out.

I went home (across the street) and grabbed the rest of the items(garnishes, noodle, and beefx2). I came back and gave them everything and asked for a refund. The host said I have to get the manager. I said No problem. A few minutes later, the older woman comes out of the kitchen and the hosts tells me to tell her what’s wrong. I explain and she starts yelling at me. Telling me I ate the food and she saw it with her own two eyes. She started making a huge scene and there were people eating in the restaurant. I reminded her she had customers and explained that I don’t want any trouble I just wanted what I paid for which I did not get. She continues to yell at me and I said, “Can we just be honest here. I come here all the time. This is the best pho in the city and You both(her and the host) know that this is not the quality that you normally serve. Even he(the host) thought it was chicken broth.” She waved me off and yelled “Whatever, give her the money, and don’t you ever come back here.”

She doesn’t need to worry, I will never go back.

I am a former restaurant worker and a foodie. I treat everyone with respect and I was not given the respect I gave. I did not raise my voice or be rude to the people at Lang and after today I can see their quality is no longer what I raved about for so long, so I will not be back.

Beware. I hope no one else goes...

Their pho is amazing!! A super chill atmosphere with elegant dim lighting. I feel like a lot of ppl may skip on this place due to being in the city...but, I've never once had a problem finding parking (and I'm not the greatest parallel Parker 😬), there are garages close by as its very close to the Santander Center, and, it's steps off penn st which is very well lit at night. i have gone countless times alone at night to pick up take-out, several times actually having to park a block or 2 away due to so many snow mounds taking up parking spots, and never once have i felt the slightest bit uncomfortable in their neighborhood. &&& the staff -- they are the absolute most friendliest, kindest,...

My friend and I visited the restaurant at the new location for the 1st time, it was such a mistake!!!. I was sitting & waiting, all the servers were passing by us without even asking what I want to drink. Then another couples were seated right next to us, but the server came and take care of them immediately. At this point, I felt offended and quite upset but try to stay calm. Then we kept waiting again and nobody came to serve us. I finally decided to raise my hand and let one of the waitress know before she took our order. What a poor service!!! I am a business and restaurant owner myself, this is very unprofessional. The food was okay, not authentic. This was my first and last visit...