Terri E.
Yelp
Pho Bar Vietnamese Kitchen is hands down, my favorite Vietnamese spot in town. We are regulars at the Davie and Pembroke location. I'm a huge fan of their food, the vibe at both locations is great and the service is always wonderful.
As soon as we arrived, a young gentleman greeted us and sat us outside. Weather was beautiful and breezy so we opted to sit outdoors. He handed us menus and said our server would be right with us. Then a few minutes later, he came right back and said he would actually be our server. Lol. His name was Anh. I'm happy we had Anh because he was incredibly personable and friendly. Very engaging. We were talking about the new changes to this location and he let us know they will be adding a bar for full bar service soon and renovations are coming soon. Cool. I also noticed on their website they will be opening up a brand new location in Orlando in the heart of Asia town off Mills Avenue. So excited for Orlando to get a Pho Bar! Woot woot.
On this particular visit, I noticed they updated a lot of things. They took out the high tops and all the tables are now low tops. Less empty space, more seating availability. Smart. Effective immediately, there is also a new automatic 18% gratuity added to all checks. Anh confirmed the menu is also a bit different, they took out the full snapper main dish and Che options. They added Banh Beo, shrimp pho, shrimp & noodles or rice. Guests wanted more seafood option so they made it happen.
I immediately noticed they added Banh Beo aka Steamed Rice Cakes to the menu. This is one of my favorite Vietnamese dishes, but it's a rare find at any Vietnamese restaurant. I was super excited to order this as our appetizer. For dinner, I was undecided because I was starving and wanted everything. I ended up ordering the Bun Thit Nuong. Always a good idea. The kids got the kids pho and kids grilled pork and rice.
Pho Bar gave the Banh Beo their own twist and added a few different toppings you don't normally see on this dish: minced pork belly and shrimp, fried shallots, scallion oil and crispy pork skin. I was super excited for this dish but to be honest, the execution could have been better. The spoon they served with the Banh Beo was cheap and thin, no joke as it literally hurt my hands because of the low quality. I loved the toppings and it had so much flavor. Unfortunately, the Banh Beo itself did not meet my expectations. The dish came out cold, it was thick and also dense. Listen, the flavors were still there but this didn't wow me like the majority of Pho Bar's menu items. I've had fresh Banh Beo many times in LA every time I visit. It always comes out piping hot and it's soft and thin. You can definitely taste the difference in freshness. Like they literally pour the fresh batter into the Banh Beo dishes and make it fresh to order. My mom makes this dish too so I know what to expect. As much as I love Banh Beo, I don't think I would order this again. Or maybe I would consider giving it another chance and hopefully next time it will be better.
I like the kids menu as they are perfect sized portions for kids at almost half the cost. The kids pho was $11 and the kids grill pork & rice was also $11. Fair price for the amount of food they get. Love when restaurants have a kids menu option, especially when it's not just Mac & cheese or chicken tenders. Lol. Way to keep it Viet friendly Pho Bar!
Had a wonderful experience but what made it more enjoyable really came down to our amazing service with Anh. I can't say enough nice things about him. He is just incredibly personable and attentive. Made our dinner that much better. Appreciate the stellar service Anh. We'll be back.