Betty Noodles — Restaurant in Santa Cruz

I came to this restaurant with two other family members. We are all avid noodle and phõ fans, so we figured that we could try out Betty Noodles. One family member ordered the tofu and vegetable phõ, the other ordered the Sichuan beef noodle soup, and I ordered a beef phõ. Our server was quick in terms of service but came across as incredibly aloof and short. Her first language was most likely different from English due to her thick accent, (which is perfectly fine!); however, she didn't seem to understand many of our questions or specifications during the ordering process, and rather than ask for clarification, she would say "okay" despite being visibly confused. For example, I asked for my phõ to be made without onions and cilantro, but was served both of those ingredients regardless (which meant I spent a considerable amount of time picking them out since I didn't want to press the server about it further.) Additionally, the dishes themselves lacked quality, both in terms of authenticity as well as general flavor. For example, the cuts of meat were not the typical shank beef used in traditional phõ, as the meat used would likely be cheaper. The broth itself wasn't as flavorful as what would be expected, for both the phõ and the Sichuan soups. My beef phõ, specifically, did not have any beef flavor as with other phõ I've had; rather, the closest description I can give is that the broth tasted like heavily salted water, to the point where I felt somewhat nauseous after eating it. There were also hidden fees in some of the dishes; for example, the family member who ordered Sichuan soup asked for beef in her meal, as it came with the option to choose between various types of meats. After ordering, $2.00 was added to the receipt for her choice of beef, despite there being no indication of additional charge on the physical menu. There was also a menu on the front door of the establishment that was outdated, with the prices being much cheaper than they actually were in the updated menus. Throughout our meal, the server did not check on our party at all, even when it came to water refills. We had to call after our server multiple times in order to get the bill, and upon leaving, none of the staff spoke to or acknowledged us (e.g. by saying "have a nice day!" or "thank you!"). All in all, it felt like a very impersonal environment with below-average tasting food. (No hatred or rudeness intended! We just didn't have the best experience,...

It's not easy to write...but I believe this was one of the worst tasting meals I've had in a restaurant. There were 3 of us. I had the super veg noodle soup. It tasted like cheap vegetables boiled in water with some top ramen noodles. I asked the other two to taste the broth and they agreed. Water only, zero flavor. I asked the waitress if I could have some miso or something and she said just pointed to the hot sauce. I put some in and it helped...but it was still just water with hot sauce. My girlfriend got the curry soup. We all agreed, it tasted like it was the exact same soup as mine, but they poured a bunch of trader joes indian curry powder in, cooked for 3 minutes and served it. No coconut milk, no attempt at thickening or developing the flavor by cooking the vegis with any flavor. Just water, Indian curry powder and bam...soup. The woman at the table behind us asked the server for some help with her dish. I wasn't sure what it was but she said she had been there before and there was supposed to be a sauce. The waiter said sorry, I don't really know what comes with the dishes and handed her some plum sauce. Our waiter clearly didn't know the dishes either. I really don't like leaving bad reviews. But I am 53 and eaten in a lot of restaurants. This was in the top 4 worst ever. Maybe they have a new owner? Maybe the cook was out and a host was cooking??? I don't know...but friends, don't let...

The food I received was visibly moldy. There were green and white mold patches on the lemon slice, and it had a sour, rotten smell. The bean sprouts were also not fresh. I didn’t eat the food because it was clearly unsafe and inedible.

I was very disappointed and expected a full refund. However, Uber Eats did not provide a direct way to handle this issue, so I had to call the restaurant myself. They told me that I had to come in person to get a refund — which is very inconvenient, especially considering that I ordered online to save time.

When I visited the restaurant, the service was poor. One man raised his phone while the receptionist was handing me the refund. I asked if he was taking a photo of me, but they didn’t respond. They looked at each other and smiled. He left in the middle of the conversation, which made the situation even more uncomfortable.

In the end, I got my money back, but only after taking the time and risk to go there myself. They also told me over the phone that they are closed on Mondays and Thursdays, which meant if I didn’t come today, I would have had no way to reach them the next day.

Overall, the experience was frustrating, unprofessional, and inconvenient. I would not recommend...