PHỞ THÌN — Restaurant in Westminster

There was a sign by the register that said to check in on Yelp or Google to get a free drink. I didn’t see that until we walked out. Don’t forget to order a side of bagel twists to dip.

This is a well known restaurant in Hanoi. The menu is very simple with one page of 9 choices of pho , 7 sides and 7 drink options. The servers are very quick when they come to your table so study the menu ahead of time and know what to order when you sit down. This place was busy with a clip board outside to put your name.

What makes it different? For one, it’s simple and served with wide vermicelli noodles. The broth is beefy with tons of green onions as they’re garnish. For two, you add pickled garlic. They do give you a plate of basal and boiled bean sprouts even though that’s southern style. But honestly, combining the two with the pickled garlic, basil and lime was the best of both worlds.

My only complaint would be the small bowl and small portion for the same price that you would get at other pho restaurants. Literally, you finish in like 7 bites.

I got the #3 filet mignon which was nothing special. The cut was super thin sliced which is how it should be. My fiancé got the #4 which was stir-fry. They stir fry the meats and put it in the broth after versus putting rare meat in first and pouring the broth over.

Overall, it was just how I was first introduced to it at home by my...

We decided to try this new Pho place out after hearing about it on fb but don't let this new Pho's hype fool you.

We came at around 5pm during their soft opening and were lucky to get seated and our food right away because not soon after that there was a surplus of people coming in and the staff was struggling to service them. I noticed the table next to us waited a long time but no one came to take their orders. We even heard yelling and arguing in the kitchen when we started eating and the checkout/payment line grew increasingly long.

I understand this is only their soft opening and mistakes happen but it was almost as if they have not done their due diligence in preparing anything at all. Be aware that this is Hanoi's style and not your typical Southern style Pho so you won't find the usual veggies plate (lemon, rau, giá) on your table or a small sauce dish for your dipping sauce. It would be nice if this was clearly stated on their menu or somewhere in the restaurant since I'm sure there might be foreigners or American born Vietnamese who are not aware of the history behind Pho Thin. The Pho itself to me wasn't as great as I thought it would be. The broth isn't bad but not as rich and flavorful as other Pho places in Orange County that I'm used to.

Overall we were not impressed with the Pho or the service. I don't think I would visit again until they have their...

Firstly, the atmosphere. Overall clean and well designed. However, music was loud and I typically do not judge the type of music but man this music was ear piercing and highly repetitive. It was quite annoying.

Secondly, the service. Poor. Had to repeat my order 3 times as the waiter doesn’t understand english. Instead of asking politely if we wanted drinks, he pointed at the menu and insisted we buy something on the menu. Did not even offer water, had to ask. Normally one would give water for all guests but instead, they thought we only wanted one water. That was definitely a first and weird experience. Obviously the water was tap water. When food came, did not even ask which pho was which and instead just put all of the bowls near the front and had to sort it ourselves. Waiters/waitress never asked once how our meal was. Service people seemed annoyed and was constantly rushing throughout the restaurant.

For food. My goodness, was this the saddest looking pho I ever received. 70% of the bowl was all soup. Barely any noodles and vegetables. All my meat was clumped up. Luckily the food wasn’t barf engulfing so I’ll leave this at 2 stars.

Overall. This restaurant is not the worse experience I’ve had but it’s definitely below average and I will not be returning. Also did I mention the pho was around $15 a bowl? Not worth the...