Mai's Cafe — Restaurant in Ventura

First of all, I must say this is the best Pho and phenomenal Banh Xeo aka Vietnamese crepe in Ventura!

I have been craving some pho since the weather these days have been a bit chilly and I just recently moved to Ventura. My friends and I decided to check this place out since it is newly renovated.

We came and it's a medium sized place restaurant that feels cozy inside and the place is clean and new

Worker greets you and seats you down and gives you the menu and take your drink.

I was looking at the menu and Banh Xeo stood out from the menu... I was so tempted and since it's a new place I decided to try it. I ordered the crepe that came with shrimp, meat, bean sprouts and house special sauce. The combination crispy crepe, turmeric and of fresh ingridients with the fish sauce was amazing that really warmed my heart and soul. I also got one of their milk tea drink which was sweet and tasty and even better than any boba houses out there

My friend ordered the special beef pho and it was amazing as one of the best Pho she has ever tried. Good amount of meat and flavorful soup combined with noodle and bean sprouts really hit the spot.

Definitely we will be back more to try out other dishes. I would give it a 6 stars...

So this is the worst place to go if you want pho. The pho itself is average, but they mess up the order frequently and don’t give you any Hoysin sauce even when you ask to make sure it’s in the bag when it’s a to go order. The most recent order I placed is what made my husband and I say NO we’d rather drive to Oxnard just for pho. I placed a to go order on the phone for my husband to pick up when he gets out of work. I asked for shrimp and chicken pho and paid over the phone. My husband gets out of his 12 hour shift at CMH just to see they haven’t even started the order yet when it’s been 20+ minutes of ordering, and it wasn’t even busy. So first they tell me they never got my paid phone order so I give them my card info again. My husband asks to make sure the correct sauces are included in the bag, they say yes. We get home, and it’s beef and shrimp pho both in CHICKEN BROTH. NO sauce was included, just a bunch of bean sprouts. Not to mention, every time I place a to go order they literally point at the tip line on the receipt asking for one. Tip for what? The worst customer service ever? I’ve had bad customer service experiences with them multiple times, but This was the worst. If I could rate 0 stars I would. Do...

Timing

Take out took exactly 40 minutes for 1 soup and 1 dish. Originally quoted 20 minutes. Restaurant had 8 people at the time and another to go order. I was not offered a water during my wait time. They did apologize twice for the wait and I appreciate the acknowledgment - that’s just the way it goes sometimes.

Food

I ordered the rib-eye Hawaiian plate and a small wonton soup. The soup was good, and the wontons had a great taste to them. I especially liked their pho broth, very tasty.

The Hawaiian plate was small portion. The steak was placed on lettuce which made the lettuce soggy and unappetizing. The rice was well cooked and I especially liked their version of mac salad.

Conclusion

Good price for the money. I am interested to try another plate dish from there. That said, the Hawaiian dishes seem to need a bit more attention in terms of...