Pacific T.
Yelp
This review started at one Pho restaurant and ended at Pho Saigon Star....
I felt a strong hankering for Pho, so I popped-in to Pho on 6th. The place was practically empty...two peeps at the bar and two tables occupied...total of six occupants. The atmosphere felt more like an Irish pub than a pho house. Anyway, no one greeted me at the door to seat me. I stood there, sorta looking around like a prairie dog, for what felt like an awkward period of time before a long-haired white dude with a beard strolled out and finally asked, "Can I help you?". He asked with a tone that sounded like I had just walked into his private living room rather than a restaurant. I requested a table for one and then followed him in. Upon seeing the table I asked for a different location by a window instead of the large table in the middle of the dark, silent, empty dining area. The guy seemed put-off that I wanted to sit an extra 12 feet away from the kitchen. I suppose it interfered with his plan of exerting minimal effort for the rest of the day. But I sat down to check my emails while I waited for a menu.
I kinda got lost in my phone for a bit before realizing that 15-20 minutes had passed and no one had acknowledged me, brought water and a menu, or even expressed even the slightest amount of give-a-fu€k that a paying customer had entered.
At that moment I just got up and walked out without a word. It seemed sensible to refrain from wasting my valuable oxygen on a complaint. No one even noticed that I left.
Now I'm sitting at Pho Saigon Star on University eating a fresh spring roll and awaiting my pho with shrimp & rare beef. It took less time to drive here and get served by the owner than I spent waiting for nothing at Pho on 6th.
If I owned Pho on 6th, I'd hire a new crew. Cuz you just lost my business (and my business is leading a popular weekly restaurant & bar cruise on Meetup & Instagram). We only visit the hottest & most authentic spots in Denver...and Pho on 6th was ice cold. Frankly, I kinda wonder if Pho on 6th is just a front for a money-laundering operation.
ANYHOOZ...
Go to Pho Saigon Star, instead of Pho on 6th, and support a family-owned business that values its customers. The atmosphere at Saigon Star is about what you'd expect from a family-owned dive....not immaculate, not hip....kinda like eating at your Vietnamese in-law's place. And the vibe depends upon the mood of the server on that particular day. But that actually has its own kind of charm. No frills, unpretentious, good food, fast service. Take it for what it is.
The peanut sauce I'm dipping in right now is fantastic! My only complaint about the spring rolls here is that they'd be better with a little mint or Thai basil and shredded carrot wrapped along with the shrimp. Other than that, everything is fresh and delicious...my spicy central pho arrived just as I'm finishing this paragraph! It smells great!
I'll come back to Pho Saigon Star. Pho on 6th can suck it.