Just Pho...and more

My fiancé and I have been wanting to try this place for a while and our experience was amazing! We’re mad we did not come here sooner. This is the best pho we’ve had in Athens. Their Banh Mi & Coffee was so tasty as well. We will definitely be returning as much as we can. I would highly recommend this place to any and everyone! The service was also fantastic!

My go to place for Pho whenever i’m sick! The prices are super decent for the amount of food you get and there aren’t a ton of Vietnamese cuisine around town. The shaking beef rice was also REALLY good and of course you have to get a Bahn Mi with pho. The restaurant was empty when we were there but tons of people came in & out for takeout or delivery. Maybe that’s why there weren’t as many servers but we had to sit around for 30+ mins waiting for a check & to go boxes. Not really a big problem but heads up if you’re looking to grab a quick bite.

At first glance, the indoor and outdoor space looks very utilitarian, meaning there is nothing cozy or unique. A nice touch, although a bit out of place, is the number of plants around and a fresh ride on every table. More Chinese looking than Vietnamese, in my opinion, as far as decor. Egg roll order was very tasty, a bit greasy, but fresh and handmade. I had a nice piece of pork belly in one. I would suggest 4 whole pieces for the size and price. Two for $6 is too much. Save your money. The Bánh Mì sandwiches were good. Bread was crispy on the outside and chewy inside. I have only Vietnamese food in Pensacola, FL and Albuquerque, NM to compare, but these were the smallest I've had. The price is good for what you get, but I'd rather pay more to have more ingredients. The ones I've had were in the other two cities were stuffed full. I'd rather pay a little more to have more ingredients. Even though the menu says they are made with paté, they are not, which makes the bánh mì unique. Too bad. I saw another table with phó and the large bowls were huge. I think I'll see how that is next time. I will be back when in Athens to try other items. Worth a trip.

I usually love supporting small, local businesses, but the service here was a huge letdown. We asked to sit at the tables right outside the door, and the staff refused, saying it was 'too cold.' It was 60 degrees. They only had one other customer, so it felt more like they just didn't want to deal with us. Even though the place was empty except for one other person, the staff was dismissive and lacked any sense of hospitality. They let us walk out rather than let us sit outside.

Fantastic food, best pho and banh mi I’ve had yet, broth for the pho was incredibly rich, everything perfectly and generously portioned, great prices, more and better tasting food better priced than several other Athens spots, the coffee was amazing, I’m a sucker for a good coffee and it was so much better than I even expected, service was great and seemed genuinely happy to be there, great experience, fully recommend

The noodles were perfectly cooked—soft yet chewy, just the way I like them. Every bite felt fresh and full of flavor, and the portions were really generous. On top of that, the staff was super friendly and welcoming, which made the whole experience even better. Honestly, this spot is a hidden gem!

With a chill in the air I headed to JUST PHO for a delicious steaming bowl of Pho. I have eaten here for years and the Pho is always consistently flavorable! I learned there is new ownership and Lilly is warm and welcoming! I will return frequently.

This place deserves much better reviews the food is amazing! I got the grilled pork bahn mi and tofu pho. Both were some of the best ive had and we’ve been to many vietnamese restaurants throughout the country

Best Bahn MI in Athens.Theyre under new ownership and getting off the ground was a bit rocky. It looks to be a family run business and they definitely have a very welcoming atmosphere.The place has been cleaned up repainted and service has improved greatly. Amazingly prices are still unchanged. Definitely worth a try if you crave Vietnamese food. I'm not a big fan of Pho and haven't tried it so the new owners took over so can't comment on that

Horrible food and service. Ordered LEAN BRISKET and this is what we received. I talked to the employee about it and she argued with me. She said "next time just don't order that one then". Continued to try to charge us for a large when it was a medium. Extremely unprofessional and disgusting. The workers were also peeking through the kitchen door/curtain and staring at us and the grandma sitting at the table was also pointing and seemed to be talking about us.

There's nothing better than a bowl of delicious Pho on a chilly evening. I got beef and chicken pho and both were good. Generous portions and quick service.

The spring rolls were huge - way too big to fit in your mouth. And the pho broth was tasteless and bland.

Awesome Pho!! Great portions and they do not skip you out on the noodles. Could've been a little more meat in a regular serving but besides that it's delicious. The broth is very yummy !! Service is good, attentive and not annoying.

Was surprised to learn JUST PHO is under new ownership. Lilly was so welcoming and a real delight! I had the Pho Chay and the recipe is still the same, which I always loved. The food was quickly served and very delicious. I'll continue to be a regular.

I have been to this restaurant numerous times over the last year and I love it. I always leave with a full belly and a smile on my face. The pho here is really just that good. It's flavorful, well-seasoned, and with your preferred amount of sriracha and hoisin sauce, just as spicy as you want it to be. Their smoothies and slushees are also quite good! They even have a jackfruit smoothie that I enjoyed! But their green tea smoothie definitely steals the show! It's a very small restaurant with a very small staff, so sometimes you have to wait a bit for your food to come out, but it's worth it. You do pay for your food in advance & walk to retrieve your tray mostly to reduce the burden on them since it is such a small restaurant with few staff & due to COVID. Some reviews here are unnecessarily tough on this restaurant. I heartily disagree with those reviews. Coming here is like entering someone's home for a great meal, you should come hungry, be respectful, and know the team is working hard to make sure you have a great time. Last but not least, if you want the best Vietnamese food in Athens, make sure to check this restaurant out! You won't be disappointed!

Went to Just Pho tonight hoping for a nice dine-in experience, but was incredibly disappointed. Despite arriving well before closing time (8:15, and they close at 9), we were told they were only doing takeout. No explanation--just a simple "we only do to-go until close." Why even advertise your hours until 9 if you stop serving customers 45 minutes early? Felt rushed and unwelcome, which really put a damper on our evening. If you're looking for a reliable sit-down meal, you might want to go elsewhere.

horrible service. expects customer to order online. there is no employee around when you have a question about the menu

Disappointed with the pho here. It was just alright and lacked flavor. Not the best for sure but decent if you need a pho fix.

Pho is a unique alternative available in Athens. Food : 2/5. All the expected ingredients but not heavy on flavor. Plentiful portions. Boba -excellent and several flavors. See photos and menu for variety of rice bowls and pho. Service 5/5 attentive and pleasant Location: 4/5 located in a small strip mall on a busy street. Near athens down town and on the bus line; adequate parking Facility 3/5 not fancy, table service

Probably off the rotation. We've been twice. Bahn mi Sammies are small. Vegan pho is lack luster. Shrimp pho was OK not stellar. Ginger Chicken was meh .... Good flavor but dry. Spring roll (tofu) was bland. No basil just lettuce. The only saving grace was the peanut sauce. And we had to tear the one napkin the waiter brought with the appetizer rolls. Host/waiter was completely disinterested in us. We were putting him out by being there.

Where do I start? The service was odd and awkward. I noticed there was not one Vietnamese person working and as someone who is Asian, it's not a good sign. The food was so bad. I mean I didn't have one consistent bite of my lemongrass ribs. It was either fatty, salty, or too much lemon. My boyfriends order tasted horrible. He got a bbq pork rice plate and It was salty and had this off taste to it. The restaurant has a small business feel so I was excited but thoroughly disappointed.

Just came to see if this place was closed after all those years. Never went back after my first review of this place. Based on all the reviews made the last few years, it looks like this place has gotten even worse. How is this place still open? What because it's the one of the only Vietnamese places in Athens? If y'all live in Athens, please stop going here. Y'all just helping them stay alive. The food is crap and the service is worse. I bet they still don't let their waiters/waitresses keep their tip. (Yeah, don't tip them cause management keeps everything). But I guess that doesn't matter now cause I've been reading you gotta go get the food yourself and basically serve yourself. Non Asian people: please ask your Asian friends about this place. I doubt they'll recommend this place to you. I promise there are way way way better Vietnamese places. I'm seeing some of these reviews and they're saying it's one of the best lunches or best Vietnamese foods they've had when I know that's 100% not the case. If you're paying $15-$18 for pho or noodles here, you're getting ripped off.

This is the worst place I've ever been to. It is way too expensive for what they're serving to you. Save your money and time and go somewhere else. If you still want to come to this place, you might as well go in the back and wash the dishes you ate off of since you're basically already serving yourself.

I've never been so insulted by the prices and service than I have here. What do you mean you're charging $6 for cha gio? FYI, the menu prices on the pictures are not updated at ALL, and it's $18 for bun (vermicelli noodles). What? WHAT? Not only the prices are a complete disgrace for the underwhelming food, the service was NOTHING. You're basically serving yourself. You'd get more service at a McDonalds than here. Not to mention, you have to pay BEFORE you get the food? I thought this was a restaurant? TL;DR -- you'd be more satisfied buying taquitos and hotdogs from a local QuikTrip than you'd ever be from here.

I'm not sure what others are complaining about. The pho is delicious. The flavor is awesome to me. I tried this place out while me and my wife were at st.marys hospital waiting on the arrival of our second child. This place is only 200 yards from the hospital. I had the rare beef pho, the brisket pho and both were delicious and had plenty of flavor. If your in Athens don't hesitate to stop in and eat! There's plenty of parking and they have a few outside seats as well to eat at. As long as this place has been in business it must be doing something rite. Give it a try and you won't be disappointed.

It was pretty good first time there. The staff could have made more suggestions as it was our first time there. But the server appeared like she was newer.

So my ex says the ban mi was great and the pho is def better than the other places in town. The service is pretty slow but ya overall it's good

Service was kinda poor and there was only one person working the register, it was take out only. The food was personally not good, I order the number 36,33 and they were both not good in the slightest. Meat didn't cook properly AT ALL and the noodles weren't good. Wouldn't go again

When walking into an establishment a pleasant hostess/host can make or break an experience. The hostess at this place was HORRIBLE. Right when we set foot into the restaurant her first words were "we require masks to order", no hello and no other friendly greeting after that. My husband and toddler receded to a patio table while I put on a mask and continued to order. After ordering, she gave me a buzzer and I joined my family to wait. Little did I know that I should NEVER have left her a tip because we would be waiting on ourselves. When the food was ready I was required to carry three trays, each with a medium sized bowl of pho, a plate of fixings, and a cup of water from the back of the establishment, through the front door (which I had to open by myself). I did this three times with no assist from our nasty hostess. In addition from the poor service, the food wasn't even appetizing. The egg rolls looked awful and tasted even worse. We had two orders, I took one bite and my son wouldn't even touch them. The actual broth to our pho tasted off and wasn't hot either. It seemed as though it was warmed up in a microwave. Lastly, we saw another customer come in, place an order, and go in the back to use the restroom. He was allowed to do this with no requirement to wear a mask. This place is not good, especially if it is your first pho experience.

The service was poor. The food was good. not great but good. They played bad bunny the entire time really loud.

This place is what dreams are made of. So many different options for pho. Quality ingredients and taste unparalleled.

The noodles here are opaque white, which is weird to me since it's usually clear noodles in pho. Broth was kind of watery and had no flavor. This place is pretty understaffed I feel like, since there seemed to be only two people working the floor to cover the counter, ordering, bringing out food, cleaning etc. Overall, the food was ok and the waitress was very nice (slow service was not her fault, just understaffed). Not bad if you are craving pho and have nowhere else to go.

The broth for the Pho was good, but the cilantro & limes on the side were skimpy. The egg rolls were tasty, although a bit mushy, but I think they were the world's thinnest egg rolls. Not worth the $5 for two. The service is highly lacking. You place your order at the register & pay before eating. You're given a buzzer & then you pick up your own tray of food when the buzzer goes off. Kind of funny since other restaurants are serving food normally. We asked the register girl for waters to go with our meal & she never brought it so we asked someone else. Finally got it about 15 minutes after that. I think there were only 2 workers in the whole place. They obviously needed more help. Between the service & the price, we won't be back.

I was in the area and wanted something light for lunch. So I figured Pho would do it. I turned to yelp and found this place. The restaurant is in a little plaza, parking is good. So I had the standard combination pho. The broth was a ok, the noodles kind broke easily. I wasn't expecting anything more anyways. So overall, it's a ok place if you crave Pho and you're in the area.

Best pho in Athens. The owner is so sweet and you can tell she and her husband put so much love in their food. I love sitting outside with all of their plants!

$10 for a bowl of pho with a strand of hair?! $5 for a smoothie with bits of plastic in it?! Unfortunately I didn't find the hair until towards the end of my meal and I didn't find the bits of plastic until I was driving back home and drinking my smoothie. Never ever coming back here again.

This is the second time we have ordered extra shrimp bun tom nuong and got a bunch of chicken instead of shrimp. This time there were literally 4 shrimp. Check your order before you leave!

Just to preface this review, I don't have a lot of experience with pho or Vietnamese food in general, but I am a big fan of ramen, and I know what tastes good, so there's that. My experience at Just Pho was very disappointing. The atmosphere is cute enough, but the service and especially the food were lacking. I ordered the chicken pho, which had very little flavor (I had to dump sriracha, hoisin, and salt to get it to taste like anything) and it was so full of cilantro that was all I could taste - it might as well have been cilantro soup. My server was slow just getting me a water (the restaurant was NOT crowded) and when she was cleaning off tables, she sprayed sanitizer on a table literally connected with mine, so I got splattered with sanitizer. I honestly would've rather stayed home and made my own noodle dish.

This place use to be great! It has went down hill fast over the past year. The last time we came here my husband and I didn't like it very much but I thought I'd give them another go. Everyone deserve a 2nd chance. However the service and the food were very poor today just as it was last time. I don't think we will ever return again. I really hope they bring back the way it use to be or I fear the doors will close for good.

Food: Portions are bigger than Mother Pho (especially spring rolls) so that's a plus! I usually get a small bowl because I'm a small human but this time around, my bowl was particularly small (pics attached) Usually food comes out quickly but this time, my spring rolls and pho came out at the same time ¿? Service: Employees seem disinterested but they do the job.

Tried ordering pick up for my father in law today who I'm visiting from Atlanta. The website was down for about 30 mins. Then once it was back up and I put in my order it would not accept any of my credit or debit cards. I called and they were only able to take orders on the website. I understand that I could have placed an order in the establishment, but due to serious time constraints I could not wait the 35 minutes I was told it would take yo make my food once I arrived and my order was placed. I've heard such great things about the food so I'm very disappointed in the inadequacies of their website/technology.

Average flavor and very little service, no refills or even asked if the food was ok- you basically are you own waiter

I had questions after reading reviews, but a friend wanted to go to lunch here. First thing upon entering was that the floor was so slick, I had to grab a table to stand up. I am still recovering from a fall injury, so this was not a good start. Prices seemed high me, also. I ordered a rice platter with carmelized chicken with jasmine rice. It was very average. After lunch, within an hour I had severe stomach cramps and had intestinal distress for over 24 hours. Diarrhea and vomiting both. I had eaten nothing since the night before. I saw that they had received an 85 rating from the health department. I'd say lower. Give this place a large miss.

Pho was ok. Not the best I've had but edible. I had put too much sriracha in mine and my nose was running really bad, so I asked the manager for another napkin ... and when he brought it to the table, he picked up my already used napkin that I had already blown my nose in multiple times, opened it up in front of me and goes "it's big!" ... All I wanted was another napkin. Cheap basterds.

I used to frequent this restaurant for pho. It's the only place I had ever had it before and it was decent. But since, I have had pho at other places that was amazing. So the pho here is actually super bland and mediocre. Service is usually mediocre as well. But I have heard from 2 people that have been severs there that the owner keeps all of the tips. So I don't blame them for the mediocre service, I wouldn't go above and beyond to make customers happy if my boss was keeping my hard-earned tips. Was told by a previous employee that they re-use food items between customers (like the plate of sprouts, limes, cilantro, etc, that comes with the pho). That's just disgusting and definitely against the food code (and may even be a food safety issue). Have also heard that the owner is a jerk and is mean to and belittles the staff. This is not behavior that I want to support. The bubble tea is ok. I haven't been back to this establishment in a while and I probably won't ever return.

This was some incredible and tasty. A nice lady came out and described how she made the broth with clean and fresh ingredients. It definitely tasted homemade and delicious. I definitely had a good bowl of pho and it clapped my cheeks. Would slurp again ;)

Just Pho is taking some heat here on Yelp for not being as good as what's available over in Hotlanta. Those critics are correct: Just Pho's namesake product doesn't measure up to the best of what you can get in Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston, San Fran, et al. But it's certainly far from the worst I've had. The broth has been both beefier and more complex than what I've had in some pho joints here and there. The portion of meat was generous enough, although the "rare" beef flank was already cooked through when the bowl got to the table. The goi cuon was a little disappointing, though. No herbs to speak of--just lettuce--and the pork was sliced so paper-thin that you could barely taste it. I like the modest feel of this place and appreciate that it's literally a mom-and-pop joint with very personable service. The weird music on the sound system is kind of a plus, strangely enough. While we were there this last time, we heard an acoustic instrumental version of "Hey Soul Sister" (definitely an improvement over the intolerable original) and disco-fied Vivaldi and some other out-of-left-field instrumental/Muzak-y stuff. Not stuff I'd ever listen to by my own choice, but certainly less annoying than the Top 40 dribble you hear at too many restaurants. Just Pho may not serve the best Vietnamese food, but it's certainly worthy enough that it constitutes an asset to Athens. P.S. I'm not sure the owners realize it, but the restaurant's full name, "Just Pho . . . And More," is an oxymoron. (Or maybe it's an inside joke, and the joke is on me.) UPDATE (3/2012): Went back here for a bowl of pho this week, and found that the kitchen had improved its signature product quite a bit, with a much bolder broth. If they could keep this up, I'd recommend Just Pho without reservations. UPDATE (1/2017): Returned for the first time in a few years over the Christmas break. Prices are starting to get unreasonable for this kind of fare (like $12 for a chicken vermicelli bowl (bun), which is absurd), but the food is still pretty good. And the pho had more beef than you almost ever see. Still.... Call it 3.5, rounded up.

Came here hoping to like the authenticity of the food. Nothing authentic about this. A mom and pop restaurant should be better. I ordered a bo luc lac and everything about the taste was off. The garlic was burnt and had that bitter taste, as burnt garlic taste. The price for the portions are absurd. I understand we're in Athens and people will pay for this, but i wouldnt. Just because the food at best was less than mediocre. The taste of the food should make up for price, but it didnt. I wouldnt come back here. Theres a better pho spot in Winder everyone should check out!

It's no BuHi quality pho but what other choice do we have? Just Pho is the only restaurant in Athens that serves this delicious dish and that being said, it's not bad. The broth definitely lacks the warmth, depth and savory flavors of the better pho restaurants in Atlanta but it's good as it gets for a Vietnamese restaurant in this college town. Real homey atmosphere with paintings by locals, a piano and a friendly owner. Prices are reasonable although it's a little more expensive than Atlanta and the portions are smaller. One thing that really caught my attention was the durian smoothie. I absolutely love the fruit and the smoothie had a good durian flavor. The atrocious stench doesn't permeate through the room but it still leaves that stinky trademark breath after you drink it. Definitely not for dates or group outings afterward. They have a small assortment of pastries from a bakery in Marietta, GA and they also serve wine/beer. Skip that disgusting $5 hot and ready pizza next door and give Just Pho a try next time you're around Baxter Street.

*****updated review. 2018 - NEVER TIP UNLESS YOU PUT IT IN THE SERVER'S HAND So... my wife and I used to go to this restaurant quite often; however, over the years it has simply spiraled into a bit of a mess. We always knew the owners (particularly the husband) were not so friendly or even decent small business owners, but the most recent revelations completely changed what I ignore and/or accept. This restaurant goes through staff on a monthly to quarterly basis and it is definitely apparent that it's due to him and his ways. Good business owners first of all do NOT accept tips, they value the food/products at appropriate prices to account for overhead, wages, and ingredients... that is not the case here, they never say anything unless you ask but that tip at the end doesn't go to the staff or servers, it goes straight to his greasy little "forking" pockets. Don't fall for it if you must go. Food, as said in my previous reviews, it is hit or miss (bahn MI and pho tai are the goto but can be disappointing). If you are looking to have good pho or Vietnamese go to Buford Hwy and enjoy the spoils of consistent, authentic food.

UPDATE: here's a picture of the vegetables they served me today. Absolutely unacceptable. They didn't even give me extra limes as asked and I had to ask again. I asked for 7 hoisin for my friend and I eating because their broth is literally tasteless and the server saw that I had the 7 sauces and she had the audacity to tell me that there is a (2) limit on the sauces when she saw that they were already at my table. I asked the girl by the kitchen for the sauces and she gave me the 7 I asked for and didn't say anything about any limit. Terrible service but I understand it's not the servers fault bc they don't get treated right by the owners but still the sauces had already been served to me so like what is she going to do about it? Take them back??

Literally the best Pho in Athens. People are mad because the owners respect the time and effort they put into their broth. The owners have pride in the product they put out. Respect them and they'll respect you. This isn't McDonalds.

Went there with hubby and kids, really was looking for a good pho restaurant close to the house. Food was ok, I will not be returning back here for sure. We started with pork fried roll and they tasted awful. I had steak and brisket pho and it was ok, not a lot of flavor. My husband had the pork sandwich which lacked flavor. I ordered a rice entry for the kids and that was cold, not sure if that what it was supposed to be. We left after spending over $60 in food and went to CAVA the kids and hubby was hungry since they didn't eat any of the food. Please do not waist your money or time, even my little one that eats almost everything gave it 1 star. I truly have gotten better pho at the mall for a much cheaper price.

The pho here was OK. A bit overpriced, and the side veggies aren't as ample and of poor variety. My biggest issue with this place was service. I will never come back due to the service. I was here on a date. I finished all my noodles but couldn't finish all the soup. The owner chewed me out for leaving some soup behind. While I know that pho is all about the broth, I simply couldn't finish all the soup - I was beyond stuffed. To chew me out like that in front of my date (first date) just really wasn't acceptable.

I would come here for the specialty drinks and banh mi sandwiches, nothing more. If I have a desperate pho craving, I'll go a few miles away to Maba Grill instead since I enjoy their broth flavor much better. But if I want banh mi sandwiches, Just Pho and More is the place for that. If you're new to pho, this is a good starting point but certainly better pho out towards Atlanta (cheaper too!). A medium in Athens is a small out in Atlanta and a large in Athens is a medium in Atlanta--you get the point! People who eat pho regularly, this isn't the place for you, although it beats driving a hour away to get the good stuff in Atlanta.. The drinks are a hit or miss depending on whose mixing in the back. I actually used to be in charge of the specialty beverages at a Vietnamese restaurant where I used to work so I'm a little picky about my drinks. I hate tasting the powder if it hasn't been mixed properly or finding ice chunks un-blended. But I usually get more Hits than Misses here for the drinks. The family that owns this place is nice and will remember you if you become a regular. lol Atmosphere depends on the crowd that's eating. Since the restaurant is so small and open, if no one's talking, it gets REALLY awkward. lol And you feel like you sit in close proximity of each table..

This is the Best Lunch I've Had In A Long Time! Seriously. It was that good. We couldn't decide between the chicken pho (#33 --Pho Ga) or the BBQ pork sandwich. "Which to get?" we asked the waiter. "Both," he replied. "Split the two" -- which is just what my husband and I did. (duh) By adding herbs, chili sauce and sprouts, one can concoct a soup with tang. And the sandwich -- perfect as is! Good food, fair prices -- no wonder this place is a hit with the UGA crowd..

I have a lot of experience eating Vietnamese food. It's one of my favourite cuisines. I've eaten at probably over 10 different restaurants and with family friends so believe me when I say, this place is really lacking. First off, I was required to pay for my meal before I even received it and noticed that everything was overpriced. Even the Cha Gio was overpriced! But that's their decision. We were given buzzers when we went outside and then I realised that I was expected to be my own server when the restaurant was completely empty aside from me and my friend I was dining with. We had to carry trays of food from the back of the restaurant and figure out how to get it through the front door to the outdoor seating with no help from any staff. When we sat down is when I realized that my meal which was close to $6 over price was also portioned extremely small. Maybe this is why I was asked to pay before even laying eyes on or tasting the meal. It's safe to say that I will not be returning.