Pho Hoang Long — Restaurant in Smyrna

Review: Disappointed and Disrespected – Will Not Return

I had a very disappointing and uncomfortable experience at this pho restaurant. From the moment we walked in, the server was snippy and dismissive. My friend tried to order Pad Thai, and he abruptly told us they weren’t doing stir fry because that cook was out. That was fine, but when I later asked about a Thai basil chicken dish, he repeated that they weren’t doing stir fry. I mentioned I didn’t think the dish was stir fry, and instead of clarifying or helping, he responded sarcastically, “I would imagine,” while acting confused and rude, saying, “What is that? I don’t know what that is.” His entire tone was dismissive and unprofessional.

His attitude was completely unnecessary. What made it worse was watching him treat other customers—who were not Black—with noticeable kindness and patience. As Black patrons, we felt ignored, disrespected, and clearly unwelcome. When I was undecided on what to order, he did not take time to let me ask questions. He said, “While you are thinking, I’ll be back,” and rushed off to help another table. He never returned with any sort of warmth or care. My friend also tried to engage him politely, and he completely stonewalled her as well.

When I asked why he was the only person serving the entire restaurant, he simply replied, “It’s always one person.” If that’s the case, then the restaurant seriously needs more staff—especially if being understaffed is contributing to poor, unprofessional, and biased customer service.

We ended up leaving because his attitude was so nasty, and the experience made us feel invisible and unwelcome. I never write reviews like this, but I can’t ignore how we were treated. I hope this feedback is taken seriously, because no one deserves to feel less than simply for walking into...

By far the best experience and Pho that I’ve ever had. This was my 2nd time coming here and I haven’t been disappointed. My first experience was last month with my boyfriend. We were both visiting from NY and we needed a new Pho spot here. He had just gotten back from visiting Vietnam and to this day he still says “That was the best Pho I’ve ever had and I was in Vietnam!!” Customer service was perfect and I was treated so well. I wasn’t feeling well and the food came out in about 5-10min and I felt superb after my first sip. Everything you need aside from water is at the table for you; It’s super helpful so you spend less time bugging the server and enjoying your Pho goodness. I love how it’s super family oriented and the brothers are the cutest/sweetest. It makes me happy to see authentic family run restaurants; I get annoyed going into certain cultured establishments and it’s ran by people who know nothing about the food they’re providing or culture they’re appropriating. As for the guy below, who gave a piss poor review, I was in the restaurant that day and saw everything too. Dude, the sign literally says “Please do not touch the tank” - In ALL CAPS. Lol reading is fundamental my friend. Your kid doesn’t get a pass for knocking on the tank because he’s cute. Have you not seen Finding Nemo? Your kid was the little girl with the braces. I do remember one of the brothers politely asking you to please not touch it or hit it and you repeated it back to him like it was a shocker. It’s glass filled with water - do the math of Safety 101. But anyways, overall great...

I love foods from all over the world, and Vietnamese is no exception. What sets this place apart, however, is the regional stuff. Pho, rice dishes, and vermicelli can be found almost everywhere that serves southeast Asian food. But I haven't found anywhere else that does the "city soups" found here; Hue, Danang, and Saigon are all represented here. And they are all so delicious.

The only (admittedly petty) gripe I have about this place is that I absolutely detest scanning QR codes for menus. I want to read and feel a real, paper menu, so I can savor the moment without being buried in my phone for a few moments. However, as it is a small business I understand; printing new menus is prohibitively expensive sometimes and it's easier these days to adapt to technology. Still....paper beats phone.

I would strongly suggest trying Pho Hoang Long and really exploring their menu. I've been coming here for years and I've never had a bad experience or a bad dish. This is my favorite Vietnamese restaurant, of all the many I've tried. It's a very low key, unassuming hole in the wall joint, that you would totally drive straight past, that serves excellent food in a casual environment.

Lastly, as I've been asked by a friend to include teviews for date ideas....

Gentlemen: this is not a place I would take a date to show off with glitz and glamor or to sppear like some sort of uptown high roller; this is a place I'd take her to introduce her to absolutely amazing food in a quiet, easy setting. This is a place you take her to because you are beyond flash and first...