$21 for Hot Buttdoosie Water in a Bowl? Pho-get About It.
I dined in at Pho 79 and ordered the Pho Tái, Nạm, Gầu, Gân, Sách—aka, round steak, flank, brisket, tendon, and tripe. What I received was a bowl of disappointment dressed as tradition. The rice noodles were overcooked, mushy, and falling apart like they’d had a long week. I’ve worked in restaurants—I know pre-bagged pasta when I taste it. It was painfully obvious they blanch the noodles ahead of time, toss them in the fridge, and then just reheat them with broth that looked and tasted like dirty dishwater.
Speaking of broth: it had a grayish tint, was completely devoid of real flavor, and was heavily spiced with clove, almost like they were trying to hide the fact that it was old. Authentic pho broth should be rich, fragrant, and soulful. This was not that. This was broth that made me question my life choices.
Let’s talk condiments. The amount of sriracha, hoisin, and chili paste they offer is laughably stingy—like I needed to fill out a W-2 to get more than a drip. The meat portions were sad, hidden under a mountain of noodles that clearly tried to bulk up the meal and mask how little care went into it. The bean sprouts were slimy and brown, clearly rinsed to look fresh, and the “lime” was a pathetic micro-slice that barely qualified as citrus.
Pho used to be a sacred bowl of affordable healing—$5.95 at most. Now they’re charging $21.25 for hot buttdoosie water and a bowl of shame. I swear, their ancestors probably want to come back and slap the pho out of them for dishonoring the roots and soul of this dish.
As for the Gỏi Cuốn ($8.45)—I ordered them without shrimp, and they still charged full price. What I got were hard, dry spring rolls clearly pulled from a cold fridge, with pork so dry it was practically jerky. The peanut sauce tried to do CPR on the dish, but the rice paper wrap was DOA. If you’re removing protein, lower the price. Anything else is a scam.
If you’re going to charge fine-dining prices, put fine-dining effort behind the food. Pho 79 is all markup and no soul.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
John Bouma
Very clean, a great menu, and excellent service. Very highly recommended
Recommended dishes: Pho, Tofu Spring Rolls
Melissa Rossy
Beef vermicelli bowl is my go meal!!! I love it. Wish they brought back the lunch special though…
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kelly Rosado
The food is great but I gotta shout out the service here! The waitress and hostess were all smiles and so sweet.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Reggie Louis
The time I visited, service was fast, pleasant and the staff was courteous Not too mentioned that the food was on point and the price even better. My new Pho’s spot
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pho
Shon Pickett
Food was not as good as it used to be but decent. Service was ok.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Zander Alberto
Prime example of price gouging, the food is super low quality and has poor flavors. Check was handed pretty early despite only 3 parties being there?
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Jacqueline Meneses
Attentive and friendly staff who were knowledgeable about the menu. I ordered Hoanh Thanh Chien (Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Fried Wontons), Bánh Mì Heo Nướng (Vietnamese Grilled Pork Sandwich) and Pho Tai Nam Gau (Vietnamese Noodle Soup with round steak, well done flank and brisket). All were yummy. I can't wait to return and try more dishes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kailee McCall
My go to spot for pho, when it’s chilly outside it’s just the perfect thing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pho
Tally Copper
We have always enjoyed the great food at this place but today had the worst customer service ever. My boyfriend asked for help finding the vegetarian pho meal and the person who served us was rude, insisted that there was only beef or chicken broth, then that the vegetable broth would cost more (it doesn’t on the menu). My boyfriend agreed to pay more and was told that they would have to make the broth separately. He agreed to wait. Then she gave him beef broth anyway- he is vegan. Never again.
Been coming here as much as I can and I’m from Texas. It’s amazing how after 3 or 4 visits the owner even remembers your name. Even when it takes me months to go back. Super positive atmosphere. Totally recommend this place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jamie Jaskowiak
Me and my daughter eat here frequently. Staff is super friendly and give excellent service. We love their noodle bowls, spring wraps and crab rangoons. The food is delicious and we usually have plenty to take home.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brittany Hoggard
It's the best. They are the best ! Always so friendly and reliably delicious
Kid-friendliness: Kid friendly
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pho
Marlene Guillory
We been coming to Pho 79 for over 16 years at Sam’s Square. Today it’s our first encounter with loud Waitress does not know how to talk inner voice that you can hear all the way to the bathroom
Service: 1
Taylor O'Dell
P4 Pho was excellent! A very team effort, we had several servers during our time.
Place could use some general tidying up (putting storage boxes away, a good sweep) but not too far what I expected for this type of place.
Kid-friendliness: Very few “classic” kid friendly options. Most of them are smaller versions of adult dishes.
$21 for Hot Buttdoosie Water in a Bowl? Pho-get About It.
I dined in at Pho 79 and ordered the Pho Tái, Nạm, Gầu, Gân, Sách—aka, round steak, flank, brisket, tendon, and tripe. What I received was a bowl of disappointment dressed as tradition. The rice noodles were overcooked, mushy, and falling apart like they’d had a long week. I’ve worked in restaurants—I know pre-bagged pasta when I taste it. It was painfully obvious they blanch the noodles ahead of time, toss them in the fridge, and then just reheat them with broth that looked and tasted like dirty dishwater.
Speaking of broth: it had a grayish tint, was completely devoid of real flavor, and was heavily spiced with clove, almost like they were trying to hide the fact that it was old. Authentic pho broth should be rich, fragrant, and soulful. This was not that. This was broth that made me question my life choices.
Let’s talk condiments. The amount of sriracha, hoisin, and chili paste they offer is laughably stingy—like I needed to fill out a W-2 to get more than a drip. The meat portions were sad, hidden under a mountain of noodles that clearly tried to bulk up the meal and mask how little care went into it. The bean sprouts were slimy and brown, clearly rinsed to look fresh, and the “lime” was a pathetic micro-slice that barely qualified as citrus.
Pho used to be a sacred bowl of affordable healing—$5.95 at most. Now they’re charging $21.25 for hot buttdoosie water and a bowl of shame. I swear, their ancestors probably want to come back and slap the pho out of them for dishonoring the roots and soul of this dish.
As for the Gỏi Cuốn ($8.45)—I ordered them without shrimp, and they still charged full price. What I got were hard, dry spring rolls clearly pulled from a cold fridge, with pork so dry it was practically jerky. The peanut sauce tried to do CPR on the dish, but the rice paper wrap was DOA. If you’re removing protein, lower the price. Anything else is a scam.
If you’re going to charge fine-dining prices, put fine-dining effort behind the food. Pho 79 is all markup and no soul.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Very clean, a great menu, and excellent service. Very highly recommended
Recommended dishes: Pho, Tofu Spring Rolls
Beef vermicelli bowl is my go meal!!! I love it. Wish they brought back the lunch special though…
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food is great but I gotta shout out the service here! The waitress and hostess were all smiles and so sweet.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The time I visited, service was fast, pleasant and the staff was courteous
Not too mentioned that the food was on point and the price even better.
My new Pho’s spot
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pho
Food was not as good as it used to be but decent. Service was ok.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Prime example of price gouging, the food is super low quality and has poor flavors. Check was handed pretty early despite only 3 parties being there?
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Attentive and friendly staff who were knowledgeable about the menu. I ordered Hoanh Thanh Chien (Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Fried Wontons), Bánh Mì Heo Nướng (Vietnamese Grilled Pork Sandwich) and Pho Tai Nam Gau (Vietnamese Noodle Soup with round steak, well done flank and brisket). All were yummy. I can't wait to return and try more dishes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My go to spot for pho, when it’s chilly outside it’s just the perfect thing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pho
We have always enjoyed the great food at this place but today had the worst customer service ever. My boyfriend asked for help finding the vegetarian pho meal and the person who served us was rude, insisted that there was only beef or chicken broth, then that the vegetable broth would cost more (it doesn’t on the menu). My boyfriend agreed to pay more and was told that they would have to make the broth separately. He agreed to wait. Then she gave him beef broth anyway- he is vegan. Never again.
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
Been coming here as much as I can and I’m from Texas. It’s amazing how after 3 or 4 visits the owner even remembers your name. Even when it takes me months to go back. Super positive atmosphere. Totally recommend this place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Me and my daughter eat here frequently. Staff is super friendly and give excellent service. We love their noodle bowls, spring wraps and crab rangoons. The food is delicious and we usually have plenty to take home.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It's the best. They are the best ! Always so friendly and reliably delicious
Kid-friendliness: Kid friendly
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pho
We been coming to Pho 79 for over 16 years at Sam’s Square. Today it’s our first encounter with loud Waitress does not know how to talk inner voice that you can hear all the way to the bathroom
Service: 1
P4 Pho was excellent! A very team effort, we had several servers during our time.
Place could use some general tidying up (putting storage boxes away, a good sweep) but not too far what I expected for this type of place.
Kid-friendliness: Very few “classic” kid friendly options. Most of them are smaller versions of adult dishes.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pho
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