Ha Noi Pho — Restaurant in South Lake Tahoe

On our trip to Tahoe we had gone here twice and the service and food was amazing. Came in ordered and took the food to go, but our third time. The man (French accent and fade) was very short and rude. Did not want to help and than kept saying my card was declining which isn’t the case. More of he didn’t load it correctly after three attempts and I had to use my physical card than it worked. The guy told us 45 minute wait, we said ok and thought it was odd as that hadn’t been the case prior. The cashier told me come back at 7 or 8pm I ordered at 6:50pm. We went and came back at 7:30pm and asked how much longer as it had been 45 minutes. The same guy said I said 8, I asked to clarify 8pm. He just stared at me and was very short. I felt very unwelcome and do not recommend dining if he is working. The other staff have been nothing but lovely and the food is great but not worth it for the disrespect. Additionally as you are paying 20 per person, I expect better service.

Re— the owner replied stated that we had argued. We had not, we were nothing but polite and wanted to share our experience. This is extremely disrespectful, my card was not declined. Firstly my card has worked at other establishments, instead of assuming I don’t have money. How about think that it’s your card reader or you didn’t accept the type of card I had. As I was able to pay. Instead of slandering costumers on the internet. Please read all these reviews of poor wait staff experiences and fix your staff before pushing away clients. Additionally on our ticket the order was placed at 6:45pm and was not ready till 8:15pm. Per my message above, the person said 7-8, we came in 7:30, to ask how much longer. Your response was rude and we just said ok and left. Your lack of accountability and not able to express wait times is concerning as a business owner. Clearly expressed in the way the reply was done, this business lacks professionalism. The reply is not conducive of the interactive and is confusing whether you understand what had occurred. As stated above, we requested to go and than waited an hour and a half for food. Despite being told 45 minute wait and we were more than ok with that as you were busy. I’m sorry you cannot take accountability and understand why this matter is so upsetting. Again, read the other reviews with similar issues. The food was good, but not...

05.01.24 Dinner at this Vietnamese Restaurant with Pad Thai as well as Chinese on the menu(?)...hmm.. Also just found out they OVERCHARGE so CHECK YOUR RECEIPTS PRIOR TO PAYING!

Pho was loaded with MSG, that coats your tongue and aftertaste of it isn't pleasant, which means they used too much of it. And yes, 2 of our family members who ate this food both have MSG Allergy and had a SEVERE MIGRAINE REACTION TO ALL OF THE MSG, so don't bother lying about not using MSG, that's just fraud! Broth was also too salty. Not enough vegetables (basil, beansprouts, jalapeno slices, lime) for pho and no cilantro at all. Meat & noodles were enough. The Sriracha brand wasn't the famous Brand's and didn't taste good.

Grilled Shrimp & Pork Bun (Vermicelli) was average, full of MSG in grilled meats too.

Hong Kong Style Chinese Chicken is basically the Americanized Orange Chicken made with a touch of spiciness so essentially just different sauce. This dish was overly sweet like candy, would've been nicer if they gave more steamed broccoli and less rice and/or chicken.

Waitress was lovely though she had a lot of tables to cater to.

It's geared towards unsuspecting Americanized/low quality palettes, and there are many more options in the area for Asian (drive south into town) so we advise avoiding this place. Also the owner lies too much, no MSG? 2 of us had SEVERE MSG Allergic Reaction :/

*ALSO BE AWARE THESE PEOPLE OVERCHARGE SO CHECK YOUR RECEIPTS, our order; -Rare Steak & Brisket Pho 15.95 -Grilled Pork & Shrimp Bun Vermicelli 14.99 -Spicy Hong Kong Style Chicken 14.95 -NO DRINKS JUST TAP WATER SUB should've been 45.89 TAX 8.75% 4.02 SUB inc TAX should've been 49.91 but they charged 51.78 (additional 1.87 = +4.08% to the bill)

So these people not only lie but then steal from customers as well,...

Ha Noi Pho wasn't bad, but it wasn't amazing either. I went for lunch on a weekday, and the place was buzzing, which is always a good sign. Finding parking was easy since it's located in a strip mall with a big lot.

The service was fast, a little too fast, actually. Different servers kept checking in to see if I was ready to order, at least 4-5 times in a short span (within 5 minutes after I got seated). It felt a bit intrusive.

The Vietnamese coffee was a highlight - strong coffee perfectly balanced with the condensed milk. I also enjoyed the pho itself. I got the rare beef and brisket - the broth was fragrant and flavorful, and the meat was cooked well. However, the veggie plate on the side was a bit skimpy, and they surprisingly didn't have Sriracha. They did have hoisin and chili sauce.

But the biggest issue for me, and for a large party next to me, was the surprise credit card fee. It's a 3.5% charge they tack on, but there's no mention of it on the menus! This huge party was understandably upset when they found out only after paying. Apparently, there are "signs" mentioning it, but they must be super obscure because everyone at the table, including myself, completely missed them. It seems like something they should put on the menus or have servers mention when presenting the bill. The staff was pretty unapologetic about it, too, which didn't help. Literally, after the incident, everyone got up to try and find these hidden signs, which just proves they're not clear enough.

Overall, the pho was decent, but the service was a bit too eager, and the hidden credit card fee left a bad taste in my mouth. ...