Pho Van — Restaurant in Woodlawn

I really wish I did not have to write this review as the experience and food at the time of service was amazing. However, my son and I ate at this location last Tuesday around noon. While at the restaurant the staff were amazing and fast! This place seemed clean (however I didn’t use the bathroom or see the kitchen) I ordered the #11 Pho; and my 1 year old was given a small amount of broth as well by the extremely nice lady. Again, at the restaurant everything seemed fine and the pho tasted DELICIOUS, definitely top tasting Pho around… however approx 12 hours later my son and I both were violently ill. This was not regular one day food poisoning, we were both sick for 4 days and the sickness has spread through our home (I’m thinking it was the norovirus). I’ve taken time to retrace my steps and the only food we ate before getting ill was here. I wish the outcome was different but I felt we needed to...

The pho was delicious which means the broth is good. However, for its size, it is pricier than the other nearby pho places. I also ordered the bun ga. It was solid but I nothing special and the seasoned fish sauce was on the bland side. The fact that it's a cash only place is both charming (as it evokes those classic hole in the wall discoveries) and annoying. I don't carry a lot of cash on me. Most people I know don't. If you are not in the vicinity of an ATM of your bank, then withdrawing money will incur a fee. Now it's both inconvenient and costs more to eat at this place. When I was there, patrons were sparse. With stiff competition nearby, it's simply a bad business decision to stay cash-only. Which is too bad because this is one of the few Vietnamese places which still offer authentic Vietnamese desserts and drinks and not some jump on the bandwagon boba, reason enough for me to want it to stay...

The food is not prepared by Vietnamese people that actually know how to prepare the food properly. The owner wants to argue her point of the service you receive here even after you explain to her I didn’t ask for soft tendon in my Pho. She tells you well next time and I replied there will be no next time. The Pho broth is acceptable only the veggies that come with the Pho are almost no good to even consume. What this Vietnamese owner doesn’t know is I lived in Vietnam at one time in my life and I am also married to a Vietnamese lady. I know the quality of...