Pho Tay Ho — Restaurant in Salt Lake City

(12/14/16) Girlfriend and I went to try the place before our Temple lights date. It was voted #1 Pho in SL area(can't remember what poll it was on), so we wanted to try it.

First impression: Quaint and small. Looks like it used to be a house turned into a small restaurant. Figured it was small we'd get good personal service, but we got minimal service. Its the norm and you'll get minimal service with most other Vietnamese restaurant anyways, so lack of service was not an issue with us. Menu selection is also limited. Price is good compared to downtown prices.

Second : We had our 1yr old baby, and asked for a high chair. They ran out of the two high chairs they had, so I asked for a booster. They had none of that also lol. Wasn't happy to hold a baby in my lap while eating, and grabbing hot bowl of soup in front of us. I went outside and grab my baby car seat.

Third : Ordered large bowls of Pho, and out they brought out looks to be small or medium. Asked them if this was large and they said "yes it's a large".

Fourth : The soup was water down and broth had no flavors. Noodles was minimal for a "Large".

I've tried all of Pho the places in SL county, and Utah county, and this has to be in my bottom of the list. Not trying to put them out of business, but How they got #1 is very surprising to say the least. Probably will not go back to Pho Tay Ho anytime soon.

Try these other places. Not in any particular order. 1.Pho99. Hole in wall, but the Pho, and bbq pork are the best!. Portions are large. Best price, flavor, and portions. 2.Pho Saigon. They get busy at times, but food is good, portion is also good for the price, and clean looking. 3.Gossip. Modern looking, foods good, service is good, and allot of selections. Try their bobba drinks while...

Haven't been here in a while and I appreciate the struggle that short staffing provides. We were seated and given water, then not acknowledged for a full hour while multiple other groups came in and had their orders taken. It would have been nice to just hear that the server would be with us as soon as they could and that would have been fine but it's clear that he forgot about us completely as he watched us leave without being served and didn't say anything. It must have not occurred to him at all that we were forgotten.

It is really disappointing because this is the best pho place we know of so we are really sad.

Edit: Thank you for the response and again, we totally get that short staffing makes things really difficult. We just weren't acknowledged in the slightest even to let us know that more time was needed and they'd be with us. That would have been completely fine as the additional wait isn't the problem, it's that we were completely forgotten about and ignored while everyone else got served and we were not at all. There was only water on our table and we were right by multiple others who got seated and attended to. Short staff or not, I still do not understand how we got completely forgotten about for that long.

I think we will be back later on and we are glad that maternity leave is offered and utilized. That always needs to be done for new mothers. However, it still doesn't address how we weren't served AT ALL. Slow service is fine and makes perfect sense, but no service is demoralizing and saddening. I hope to take this review down when we...

From the moment I caught wind of this place, I HAD to try it! For one, it’s managed by a hard working mother and her daughter; second, it’s operated out of a tiny house! What’s not to love?!

There’s a whole slew of things I really enjoyed about the restaurant! The spring rolls were artfully crafted: perfect size (not too long and not too short), contained basil (added another flavor dimension), contained fatty flank, and the peanut sauce had exciting crunchies (never experienced that before)! Easily beat what I get at my go-to pho spot. Everything was flawless! These ladies are absolute experts at making some mouthwatering pho! Again this restaurant beat my go-to spot. The broth tasted clean, flavorful, and had just the right amount of cilantro; I also enjoyed that they offered either fatty flank, for people who like their meat that way (me), or leaner choices. Though, the ultimate win was their bowl sizes. The small was perfect for just one person. Everyone on shift was kind and welcoming. Didn’t make me feel like a burden at all. Loved the simplicity of the menu. I knew exactly what I wanted and didn’t feel anxiety about what to order. Finally, I just love that it’s out of a house! So unique!

The story of this restaurant’s humble origins touched my heart. This is why I love little hole in the wall places! ❤️ Without a sliver of doubt, I will eat...