House of Pho — Restaurant in Schaumburg Township

EDIT: I have dropped my rating from 5 to 3 stars primarily because the service had become so slow we've stopped going. The food is still good but whether dining in or carrying out it always took an extremely long time to get food. Even when I would call in an order and they'd say "20 minutes", I'd arrive 20 minutes later and then wait 30 more minutes. So I can only go there when I have plenty of time to kill, which is rare.

My extended family has been eating here a lot since it opened, but I had not made it a point to join them thus far. I am not a huge fan of Pho, while it can be tasty I am usually not in the mood for soup as a meal. So when my family finally wanted to go there while I happened to be with them, I wasn't overjoyed but was happy to give it a shot. Luckily they do have a number of other dishes to choose from. There is a small selection of dishes from various Asian traditions, though none of my usual favorites happened to be on the list.

I decided on a Mongolian Beef lunch special, which included a choice of steamed or fried rice, egg drop soup, and an egg roll. The bowl of soup was delicious, the egg roll also good. The portion size for the entree was quite large for a $6 special, though comparable in size to other such specials.

What was not comparable to other restaurants was the quality and taste! This was, by far, one of the most perfect Asian dishes I've ever eaten, and I'm not usually a fan of Mongolian Beef. The meat was so incredibly tender and flavorful, and both kinds of onions were exploding with flavor (literally, I have never had a juicy onion like these). I normally save large portions like this for a second meal but I simply couldn't stop eating, it was so perfect and I did not want to let it go to waste being microwaved another day.

I'm excited to have a great new affordable restaurant to frequent. If I have one complaint it's that this dish is SO good I may never be able to bring myself to try...

I can't remember when I've enjoyed such healthy, flavorful, clean tasting pho broth. May I say yesterday morning 🌄 I woke up feeling extremely tired and unwell. September through November is my allergy season and a kind woman at my local coffee ☕ shop suggested I have chicken 🐔 broth so I chose this restaurant based on the high ratings.

This particular pho 🍜 restaurant serves some of the best and most generously portioned pho 🍜 I've ever tried in my many years here in the Chicagoland area. My mother's best friend was from Burma 🇲🇲 so trust me when I say this is extremely tasty pho. As a child I dined at many Asian restaurants and attended many parties where pho 🍜 was served as a main course so I know what I'm talking about.

They have wonderful combination platters here so you can upgrade any large bowl of the pho of your choice with a thai iced tea beverage and two yummy pieces of fried crab Rangoon 🦀 for just 6ish dollars and or come here for a lunchtime deal or Bahn mi sandwich 🥪 combination.

I enjoyed the extremely flavorful broth and my server brought me a chilli paste when I requested extra spicy broth so I could temper the spicy level to my liking. The service here was quick, polite attentive and I never had to wait too long for food or beverages to come to my table.

Atmosphere here is casual and low key vibes not fancy. Food here at least my pho 🍜 was outstanding. If you want an authentic pho meal with traditional broth, homemade noodles and the very best cuts of meats then I encourage you...

I miss the old staff and ownership. Prices went up and the service went down. None of the staff seems to speak English. They hand you the menu and you just point to what you want. Don’t even bother asking questions or making modifications unless you have photos for reference. The spring rolls are thinner than the previous owners made it. The pho bowls have less meat. I asked for raw meat one time for my pho because I was tired of it being so stiff - guess what? It was literally frozen meat in the middle. Literally frosted frost-bite meat (no wonder it’s so stiff when they bring it out already in the pho soup)

Oh and the fruit smoothies and viet iced coffee will get to you in the middle to end of your meal. Never fails. Only one guy knows how to make them and doesn’t matter who takes your order, they have to get that one guy to make the drink and by the time it gets to the table we’re just over it. (And again nobody speaks English so we can’t even complain)

Lol oh and if you don’t tip well they will come back to your table and talk to you and ask if you have cash because “they work on tips” 🤦‍♀️

Thankfully I found another spot that’s 30 mins away and also serves sushi so I’m finally able to leave a honest review. But seriously I’ve I been unhappy since they sold the place...