Pho Dakao Smyrna Ga. — Restaurant in Smyrna

The interior is very nice. If the front door was more apparent as a front door, it would probably cause less confusion because it is very plain and didn't seem like it was a door you enter through. The food I ordered (EX Large pho special and egg rolls) was very average dipping towards below average. The pho soup needed more seasoning and the meat wasn't plentiful; I used salt because that was the I only thing readily available, but fish sauce on the table would've been a great idea. The egg rolls were definitely subpar. Usually restaurants that make shrimp egg rolls have the tails sticking out at the end to keep the shrimp in place while eatting it. This was not the case here and when I bit into the egg roll the tiny shrimp flopped out into my sauce I saw that the shrimp was only spread out to about 60% of the roll and the rest of was just the casing. They don't give you sweet fish sauce for dipping like most other restaurants but the Thai sweet chili sauce is the lesser offender of the egg roll experience. The thing that bothered me the most was that my bill was inaccurate and the server didn't offer to fix it after I pointed it out. His explanation for the mishap was that they used the prices from another location. I failed to see how that is my problem. So for sub par pho, egg rolls, and hot tea, I paid 20 bucks. Since the fact of the matter is that the server didn't notify me of the price difference at time of order, I took off the difference in menu price in his tips which at first was my standard 18% since telling me and knowing the menu was his job. Tl;dr don't come here unless you're desperate and can't make it...

The only thing that sets this place apart compared to other pho restaurant is the friendliness of its waitresses. They make you feel welcome the minute you step inside the restaurant. The interior decor is a bit strange. They got tv’s all over the place like a sports bar except that it isn’t one. There was a guitar on the wall and paintings of Vietnamese women in their traditional ‘áo dài’. I’m not sure what the theme is for the restaurant. A bit confusing looking at everything inside the restaurant. The kitchen looks clean and spacious from the outside. Their restroom is clean and uncluttered. Now comes the review of their pho. We ordered the special combo and to our surprise the meat balls aren’t included and come as side order. For a $12 bowl of pho you would expect the meat ball to be included. This isn’t the worst part. Despite of other reviews raving how best their pho taste. We find it very much mediocre. The pho tastes bland and unsavory. The meats are cut a bit thick and very chewy. They also skim a bit on the veggies. You will get a lot of bean sprouts and a couple of mint leaves. The chopsticks provided are throwaway wooden ones. Overall, not a typical Viet pho restaurant. It’s catered more towards the non...

I’ve been a loyal customer of Pho Dakao for a long time—getting delivery almost weekly. The food is usually delicious, and I’ve recommended it to friends and family. But this last experience was a complete letdown.

The pho I received tasted like someone had poured an entire container of salt into the broth. It was inedible. I called the restaurant to report the issue, hoping for a thoughtful response. Instead, the employee casually said, “That happens sometimes,” with zero apology or concern. They said they’d report it, but the tone made it clear they didn’t care.

I stopped by the restaurant to speak with the owner directly. The same employee—who identified as the host—said the owner wasn’t there and that their name was “private.” No manager was on duty either. When I pointed out that the owner’s name is public record, I was met with silence and still no apology.

To the owner of Pho Dakao: Your food has kept me coming back for years, but your customer service is actively driving customers away. The dismissive attitude of your staff and lack of accountability are unacceptable. If you care about your business, I strongly urge you to address this. One bad experience might be forgivable—but poor service and zero...