08/06/08

A different kind of Vietnamese food

by HoochiMinh

Remember folks, NEVER GO TO A TRADITIONAL VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT FOR ATMOSPHERE. "Service" is not part of Vietnamese restaurant culture. I think the attitude is, "here's the food. Eat it! You don't need me smiling & fawning at you to eat your food!"

On that note, I had the com suong nuoung bi cha and the cha was...REALLY WEIRD. Probably my fault for not eating the pho at a pho joint. No desire to try again, though.

03/20/08

Best Pho in town

by TellMeWhatsGood

I love their Pho tai. The broth is light and flavorful and they use enough cilantro/coriander for my taste. Each Vietnamese restaurant in the area seems to have its strengths. The Pho is deffinitely theirs. The summer rolls and spring rolls are quite good too. I can't say that I've ever had problems with the service.

• Pros: Pho Tai, price
• Cons: Atmosphere

01/25/08

Bad Customer Service

by ohgoshkim

The food is good and price is affordable. But if you're looking for good customer service, you need to seek elsewhere. I had dinner with my brother and ordered "Bo Tai Chanh" and they gave us four tiny slices of lime. My brother who loves extra lime juices asked for more, the asian-waiter stared at us and said "Why? Did you taste it?" I was polited to him when i ordered by saying "Uncle, can i order...." and said thank you also. I always eat there whenever i'm down in Chinatown, PA. Before I tolerate the attitude service, but I think i have had enough. I think there's a belief that asians give bad tip, but I think $5.00 is not that low for two dinners. I think tip shold be given due to merit or good customer service. If waiters continue to give us bad attitude, then it defeats the tipping purpose.

07/12/07

Poor service and food was not prepared properly.

by tandhase

The service was rude and the waiters were not helpful at all. When I asked about a certain dish, the waiter was curt and just pointed and said: "order off menu." When I finally did get my food, the dish was not made correctly.

• Pros: None
• Cons: Poor service, food leaves a lot to be desired.

04/05/07

Extensive Menu

by m_raven415

I have come here with friends and in large group (VSA at UPenn) and everytime I left satisfied. The best part about this restaurant is that whatever vietnamese dish you may want it is probably on the menu. Yes Pho is definitely on there but if you are adventurous and want to try something else too, this is the place. The food are great and for cheap too.

• Pros: Lots of Vietnamese dishes for cheap
• Cons: None

An express train to Southeast Asian delights.

by Contributor

In Short
Inside, a landscape mural dominates one wall, its green serenity a contrast to the bustling activity of diners sitting down to slurp pho or waiting in the crowded foyer bar area for plastic-bagged takeout orders. The cuisine, sprinkled with a few Thai dishes, is largely Vietnamese, with an emphasis on fresh seafood drawn straight from the restaurant's many saltwater tanks. Lemongrass pork comes with filament-thin vermicelli and cilantro and a stack of thin rice pancakes.

06/28/06

good food

by kquantum

Customer service was lacking but can't beat the food or prices. The night we went, there was a very loud party of 15+, hard to converse over dinner and host refused to seat us downstairs away from the noise even afer several requests.

05/20/05

Try other stuff

by dokbok

The Pho is great, but they offer an extensive menu and the thai food is pretty good. Actually, the thai food is better than that other Thai restaurant in Chinatown (forgot which). The tom young soup, however, was a bit too sour and it had too many bell peppers. Try the Banh Ho dishes--- where you basically build your own spring rolls. Yummy...

• Pros: Food, Price, Smoking

04/26/04

I am so PHO!

by zenorigin

I've probably been to this restaurant about five times this month. I don't know why people take me here all the time. It's just an OKAY restaurant to eat Vietnamese and Thai (HA!) food. If you want Thai food, for Pete's sake please go to an authentic Thai restaurant. Your stomach will thank you for not trying the Phad Thai. As for Pho, the prices are ridiculously cheap. You can get many choices of LARGE pho bowls for five dollars. The pho's alright. Not very memorable. They give you LARGE portions and I assume that is the reason it is insanely popular and busy (on the weekends, anyway). Pho often comes out from the kitchen within five minutes. Service is inconsistent and sometimes rude. The French coffee is pretty good. If you happen to be in Chinatown, stop by Pho Xe Lua Viet Thai (Pff!) Restaurant for some cheap pho.

• Pros: Prices, Portions, Drinks
• Cons: , Ambience

03/04/04

good food in chinatown

by mxtarantino

This place serve one of the best food in Chinatown. The padtai noodles are great, but their viet food are the best (ranging from Pho to the lemon grass dishes). It's a can't miss place; anything u order will be good. Make sure to wash your food down with a Jack Fruit, Pennyworth drink, or whatever terrific drink they have there.