Phở Tran88

My sixty three year old mother (who may possibly the nicest person alive), and I went to this restaurant for lunch today and had an awful experience today. My mother ordered Pho Trans Kalamari, and found it to be too chewy. She almost didn’t say anything but decided we could trust the restaurant to understand she was dissatisfied with how chewy it was. My mother, basically whispered to the waitress how she didn’t care for it, that it was very chewy, even trying to make it her fault (my mothers fault) for expecting it not to be chewy. The waitress with the thinning hair came over to our table and LOUDLY, with many hand gestures calling attention to our table explained that she would take it off of our bill but that many other customers order it and love it; and that yes fine she’d take it off; but not first without a big demonstration villainizing my mother for having an opinion she politely and quietly shared. I was FLOORED. As paying customers, who paid almost $70 for mediocre food, no matter how many people come in and like it, if one person says they don’t, the right thing to do is to refund the order, or offer something else in its place. Between my mother and myself, we share 80+ years serving customers, and her behavior was wholly unacceptable and rude. After her interaction with my mother, she tried to avoid our table and treat us as if we didn’t exist sending a boy less than 18 to our table who simply did not speak English putting this poor guy in an already uncomfortable situation. I asked to speak with her myself to smooth over the interaction and explain how the interaction could have gone better, suggesting that the customer is any companies best asset. She continued to talk over me; make big demonstrations with her hands and suggest that, “Customers like to try food, and say they don’t like it, then we lose $16 worth of food!” Apparently; having an opinion in this restaurant, and losing $16 is worth losing good, well paying, and generally well tipping customers. Just one more thought for the manager/owners; would you rather lose $16 and provide a better product or $70 per meal? Her behavior ensures we will not be back.

Incredibly fresh, came out fast with great service, lovely shaded outdoor space out front. Best fish sauce I’ve ever had.

Some of these reviews are insane because people expect their feet to be kissed when they walk in apparently lol. Anyway this place is amazing. Food never disappoints, and we've ordered multiple different items. Me, a mixed (with BLACK) race woman, and my BLACK (emphasis based off another review) have been treated fantastically every time we go. The staff are always nice and may have a straight face but does not mean unfriendly. Prices are great, too, so the overpriced comment is wild. I live near multiple pho places but drive out of my way every time to come here because its worth it. :)

I took a chance and brought my parents and wife here and, WOW! So glad I did. This was the most amazing pho I have ever had in my life. The spring rolls were so fresh and made to order. We sat right by the kitchen and I watched all the food come out. All of it looked so amazing. As far as the customer service, it was great! Super nice family. Thank you for the most amazing Vietnamese food.

While I am not thin skinned, and often have a soft spot for service workers as I work in Customer service, the lady with the thinning hair who works there is completely unprofessional. When I went there, I was rudely told there were no options for substitutions and also told I could not order side dishes for an additional cost. She was curt when she took our orders and when we received our appetizer and complained about how not fresh the food was, we were told loudly in front of the whole restaurant; “That’s how this is made, the chef ate it and said that’s how it’s supposed to taste!” I do not expect everyone to have the same decorum I would in those situations but it only got worse when I politely tried to explain why we were bringing it to her attention. She became louder, defensive, and said other people in other restaurants or there like to go around trying to food and then saying they don’t like it and asking for a refund. We had order meals AND appetizers, and though none of it was worth writing home about, we only sent one thing back that was ACTUALLY inedible. The embarrassment, the yelling at customers and VERY average food made this a place to avoid. I’d be inclined to call the health department. That kind of defensiveness seems like more than just a food issue. It’s likely covering for a hygiene issue.

This is my favorite place for pho and Vietnamese food so far in the area. Parking was easy and plenty so you don’t have to walk too far. Easy to fine. When you walk in, you’re greeted and seated. I’ve been here numerous times now and the service has been consistently excellent. Food is also good. All the dishes are well balanced with flavor. I will continue going back.

Best Pho in San Marcos! Love this little hidden gem! We go to their second location more often but both places are real bangers in the pho department. Never had a meal that I didn't like here too. Only two downsides.. parking is hit or missing, sometimes can get a little warm inside when they're busy.

We stumbled upon this charming Vietnamese restaurant on LBJ Drive in San Marcos while en route to Austin. The moment we stepped inside, we were greeted with exceptional service. Samantha, our waitress, was incredibly friendly and assisted us in making our selections. The dishes arrived promptly, piping hot and bursting with freshness. The egg drop soup was a delightful blend of flavors, brimming with egg white and small vegetables. The General Tso chicken was perfectly crispy, yet moist, and accompanied by a thick and delectable sauce. The generous portion of chicken and vegetable Lomien was both satisfying and packed with flavor. Without a doubt, this little gem will be our go-to spot for the finest Vietnamese cuisine.

The Best Vietnamese Restaurant and our Fave . Dishes they offer are really delicious. You want a good meal , this is the place to go . Customer service is superb ! Sam is the best . She makes sure to take care of all their customers. She takes time to engage with customers to the point that she knows what are the favorite dishes they order. She values the customers that supports their restaurant.

Legit for San Marcos. Broth was hot, broth could have been beefier, fattier, but it was tasty. Noodles had a funky chew almost as if stuck together. Good amount of noodles and broth, nice ratio. Meat didn't meet this ratio. Only thing is lack of meat, quite skimpy. Bro we're in Texas, where's the beef? Amurika!!

Their food is always great! The service is always speedy! Their atmosphere is relaxing and comfortable.

My husband and I visited this pho place on the square, as we were interested in a pho place that was so close to us. I ordered a shrimp pho, and he ordered a seafood pho. The seafood and shrimp were so unappealing and disgusting that I lost my appetite for a week. Anytime I got hungry, I was reminded of the utter rot and fishy tasting squid that genuinely made me gag. I don't know where they source their food, but Pho NB in new braunfels is way better.

I knew I was in for a treat before I even walked into the restaurant. The smell of authentic pho spices hit me as I walked closer and closer to the restaurant. The gio cuon (spring rolls) were full of everything you expected and more. Most restaurants skim out of a lot of ingredients but Pho Tran gave healthy and balancing portions of veggies, noodles, and tofu (you can order it with meat). The pho (seafood bowl with chicken broth) was great and filling. Most restaurants have Americanized the dish but these was like home. My only complaint would be that there were not a lot of veggies (jalapeños, bean sprouts, Thai basil, and lime) offered. I noticed an extra charge for it on the menu so I did not request more. I'll return if I'm ever back in the area.

I live in San Antonio but always make the drive to come here because I constantly crave this place--there's nothing like it in San Antonio. The food is always fresh, hot, and served quickly, with generous portions that leave me with leftovers every time. The service is fast and friendly, though the space is a bit small, so you might have to wait for a table occasionally.

Ordered the goat curry pho! The brought was actually super light with just the right amount of spice. It was a chilly day so accompanied it with some jasmine tree. Friendly and attentive staff!

Been looking for a good pho place and Chinese food for a while and we've officially found it. Service is great every time. Very attentive. Clean restaurant. Reasonable prices. Never disappoints!

I can't remember what is was called since I ordered off the photos on yelp but I highly recommend this place !! I've gone to the one in San Marcos and new Braunfels and they don't ever disappoint

When we first walked in, we weren't even greeted--not a smile, not a "hello," nothing. I was with four other women, and we all immediately felt unwelcome. The atmosphere was cold, and unfortunately, it only went downhill from there. The woman who appeared to be in charge was incredibly rude and unapologetic. When we asked simple questions about the menu, she acted as if we were inconveniencing her. There was absolutely no warmth or professionalism in the service. As for the food--bland doesn't even begin to cover it. There was no flavor, no seasoning, no color. It looked unappetizing and tasted like it had been sitting out for hours. Everything we ordered was either overcooked or tasted old. It was honestly a struggle to get through the meal, and none of us finished our plates. We left feeling disappointed and frustrated. With so many great restaurants out there, there's no reason to waste your time or money here. I won't be coming back, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

The food was delicious! I had a gluten free dish and a Jasmine hot tea. Cozy place, every table taken and that's always a good sign! I will definitely be back! Service was not the friendliest ...no smiles and rushed. Almost seemed bothered when you asked for something. I even apologized for asking! Ugh! The food quality made up for it. It was fresh and homemade!

This place is amazing!! Very nice staff and friendly! Prices are great the food delicious and the ambience very relaxed !

One of the most consistently good places in San Marcos. My go to, even their vegan pho is bomb.

Look...Texas and Louisiana Vietnamese people DO NOT PLAY when it comes to food. You can be shortchanged everywhere else in the world, but they DO NOT half step here. Making pho is a serious business. Anyway, the pho broth here tasted like it was 1,000 years in the making. It made me proud. And that was just the VEGGIE broth for the VEGGIE pho, y'all. The spring rolls needed help. I tasted no herbs and these were very simple with very little filling and no creativity when I've tasted more flavorful and complex rolls spring rolls elsewhere, but the main dishes are full of thought, ingredients and flavor. A fun date spot. Go to dinner here.

I love Chicken Lo Mein and it's so good Chinese food that it's not bad at all for me!

The worst dining experience we've ever had. The waiter misunderstood two of our orders, when we attempted to let them know the wrong dishes were brought out, the manager came over and tried to make us take the incorrect dishes instead of making the correct ones. The waiters were extremely rude afterwards and took our plates without asking if we were done eating. Never will we come back.

TERRIBLE CUSTOMERRRRR SERVICE. The owner was so incredibly rude.I recently visited this restaurant, and I have to say it was a complete disaster. The service was excruciatingly slow; I felt like I was waiting for my food for an eternity. When the food finally arrived, it was cold and tasted like it had been sitting out for days. The staff seemed completely disinterested, and it was nearly impossible to get their attention for anything. The atmosphere was just as bad, with loud, obnoxious music that made it hard to even have a conversation. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. Save your money and go somewhere else!

The staff was fantastic and quick, they moved to fit a larger party for lunch. They had great suggestions on things to try and DAMN the food was good!

I just got my order. Walked in to pick up the order. I am not sure that she is the owner or sister of owner. She didn't even say Hi and just threw the receipt on my face for signature. I could tell they don't appreciate your visit. Food is good, but I am not gonna go back.

Great food and hospitality very clean and inviting Best Vietnamese food I've had in years, can't wait to go back

The pho is divine!!! Every time I'm craving pho, this is the place. Employees are always kind and considerate, and I always have leftovers. Affordable, delicious and large portions. I only ever get take out here, but the restaurant is cute inside.

This place has the best (and only?) pho in town. Went here and ran into like two people from high school which is lame but food was amaaaazing. Staff was very direct, but I was like okay they're not playing I know this is gonna be authentic and good asf

Affordable and tasty Pho place in San Marcos Coming from Vietnam, it's definitely not easy to find an authentic pho restaurant that suits my taste. But Photran88 is the only place so far that I feel is comparable to what you can find in VN My pho was a little shy on the beef but it was acceptable with the price. Great broth and good portion. The service is as good as an Asian restaurant can get. You're purpose is to come, eat the food and that's it. Don't expect to have a fabulous dining experience or anything *Free fortune cookie after

Let me say that I love Vietnamese Food, and I have a long term relationships with Pho Tai :) I am always in a search for Pho as it is your best friend anytime, and Pho Tran88 doesn't disappoint. This is a legit place that you get same quality of Pho as you were in San Jose, CA On the other hand, they do something better and it is their LO MEIN. You have to try SF10 Special LO MEIN and thank me later!

My friend and I needed a quick bite after tubing in the river yesterday. We had her dog with us so are unable to dine in at most restaurants. We figured getting spring rolls and eating it in the car would be the best option since she has a few dietary restrictions. My friend is allergic to soy so she requested fish sauce instead of peanut sauce (which uses soy sauce) and no bean sprouts. The owner was very reluctant to this request and gave us a bit of a hard time. She eventually said whatever and agreed. I thought it was pointless quarrel since they have plenty of fish sauce for their other entrees. I ordered spring rolls and Vietnamese egg rolls (6 count -- which I didn't get a photo of) but both appetizers were very good. The price was not bad either. I paid a total of $14 for both items. The rolls had plenty of shrimp and pork, the ratio of protein to noodles were good and price was great. The egg rolls were plump and juicy with perfect seasoning. Garnished with lettuce, cilantro, and cucumber. I would return based on their menu offerings when I'm in this area again. There is 2 hour parking on the street right in front of the restaurant.

Not sure why this place is rated 4.5 stars, it's hard to mess pho up but the broth is watered down and doesn't have much flavor. The customer service is horrible nobody greets you or has manners. Seems like the workers don't like their jobs or something. Nothing really special about this place just happens to be the only pho option in the area.

The service was horrible. Staff was SO RUDE. It's just appalling how you're making money off of TIPS and you act like that. Felt super unwelcomed. Manager lady at the desk was super rude, never had one smile on her face. Food was great, but service and staff here were so negative it ruined the experience. Please fix the attitude problems if yall are trying to get good tips. Our server that we had seemed to be silent.

Super cool spot in San Mo. it's BYOB & the are usually fast at getting the food to the table once it is ordered. They do not take reservations so be prepared to either wait a little bit or come at a time that isn't busy.

The go to place for delicious Pho in San Marcos! The Pho was exceptionally flavorful! We liked their fresh Shrimp Spring rolls! Their dip did taste different than the peanut butter based sauce I am used to. The service was fast and efficient! The ambience is very casual and cozy. Definitely a place to check out. Affordable in price too!

Great food and customer service. Love the beef flat rice noodles. Everything was fresh and fast.

I was surprised to find a vietnamese restaurant in san marcos. But it was really authentic, the chef here definitely knows what's they're doing. I got the tofu Spring Rolls. They're huge first of all - they were well made and the sauce was a perfect match to it. Left very satisfied!

My sister and I thought we would try this place because it had great reviews and it was the perfect weather for pho. We just moved here to attend Texas State, and wanted to get a feel for the places around here. Yeah, that was our mistake. The second we walked into the restaurant, we were rudely asked how many were in our party. Then the woman pointed toward a table, so we could seat ourselves. As we were walking toward our table, I saw the menus (which were out in the open and very easy to grab) so I just assumed I was allowed to grab one which was clearly my mistake because she snapped at me the second I touched it. I apologized to her and sat down at our table, but she didn't give us any time to look over the drinks before asking us what we wanted. I already felt uncomfortable, so my sister and I just ordered waters. While we were waiting, another group of people came in and started to sit at a table before the woman snapped at them, too, saying "No no no! here!" which the customers then apologized for. The food wasn't terrible, but we ended up taking it home because we didn't want to stay there. The woman who was being rude practically threw the check onto our table, and snatched it back up irritably when I put my card in the tray. I'm not really sure if we caught them on a bad day, but I've never had such a horrible experience at a restaurant before. My sister and I agreed we definitely wouldn't be coming back.

Great fresh food! Friendly and fast service. Comfortable restaurant. It's not very big so if you go during a busy meal hour, you may wait. Been here a few times and haven't had a bad experience yet.

Let me start by apologizing that I did not get a picture of our food, holy moly! The food was amazing, delicious, savory, I'm so happy we stumbled upon this place! We got the crab Rangoons, order number 2 in the noodle section, Thai tea and a egg drop soup. Came out to under 30 and so worth it, staff is very busy, quick, efficient and nice. Def recommend this place.

Best place for pho! Owner has always been very kind, come in at least once a week! Food never takes long, recommended to many friends and they love as well!

Great food, service, clean place. Need to try this place and come hungry. We were satisfied!!

I have eaten at this little restaurant located downtown San Marcos several times and never have I left disappointed. Parking is limited due to it being downtown so at times it just depends on what day or time it is but overall I haven't had any problems finding parking. This restaurant has only tables available and it is a little small. It is not intimate and can be a little crowded. But it gets like this because the food is good, location is convenient, and prices are reasonable. This place mainly serves Pho and it is really soothing and comforting. The menus are large and are numbered so when you order you can just give them the number or specify what and how you want your order. The portions are of decent amounts of food. There are common dishes available that you can order like General Tso's, Orange chicken, but please look at the menu, they do have a pretty good variety. The service is good and if a timely manner. The staff are kind and are swift with the orders. The quality of the food is great and you won't leave hungry. They provide you with plenty of ice for your drinks without having to ask. I like that. The soups taste great and I have ordered different bowls oh Pho and they all have tasted so delicious. If you are looking for great tasting Pho or other Asian dishes and you are in downtown San Marcos, make a stop here. They take cash, credit cards, and touch pay like Apple pay. Great place to come and eat.

Spoiled food. So disappointed. This is the first and last time ever visiting this place. We ordered 3 R4 and 1 V2. Both 3 R4 were served with spoiled steam egg meatloaf. We informed the lady (owner/manager). She tried to arguing that the food are still good. She said both 3 eggs meatloaf has just been cut but she didn't say how long they keep them. I didn't say anything else. Just paid full of bill and also nicely tip for ther server but will never ever comeback

Good portions. The orange chicken is delicious and you can really taste the orange. The broccoli wasn't soggy and was perfectly steamed. The rice was good as well. The crab Rangoon could use more crab, but overall crispy and satisfying. Spring rolls good with sauce. Will go back to try something new soon , thank you.

Had the V2 Bun and shrimp spring rolls. Food was delicious and the service was very good. First time here and will definitely go back. My rating is 4.6 stars out of 5.

The chicken was delicious! It was all good and add the fish oil/sauce . Definitely will eat it again. Come hungry

As stated in some of my other pho reviews, I am a pho snob. I search for pho on a daily basis and go have it more than once a week. I was rather disappointed in the selection of pho restaurants in San Antonio, being that they were either bland, too small a portion, or just downright a salt mine. You would never really expect a pho restaurant to be a hole in the wall, but in my experience, the hole in the wall places are often the best. But perhaps hole in the wall may be a little too harsh. This place is nice decorated, has a nice waterfall up front blocking view from the outside. For parties larger than 5, this place may be cramped, especially when it's busy. But how can an amazing pho place such as this not be busy? On to the pho: Being Vietnamese and making pho, we pride ourselves in making the cleanest, clearest, tastiest broth. My initial surprise was that I scooped up a spoon of soup and could see the bottom of my spoon! That is a broth to be proud of! Often times, a clearer broth could spell a flavorless, lifeless broth. This is NOT the case. The noodles were nicely cooked, with not too much flop and not too hard, right in the middle. The meat provided in the bowl was satisfying. Whenever I am in San Marco and craving a bowl of pho, you know I'll be here!

pho holds a special place in my heart so when i moved here for txst i needed to find a new spot ASAP! the pho is good and affordable and ive come here so often they know me and my friend orders...

Delicious and off the hook!!!! Great service! Great food!!! Great place!!!! Absolutely wonderful experience!!!

Best local Vietnamese restaurant in the area. Food was very tasty and definitely will be going back. My go to VN restaurant.

Got the bahn mi sandwich with pork. Super delicious, I loved it. New favorite place in San Marcos.

I love this place, the service and food are both amazing. The atmosphere is super cute, this is my go to!!!

Who whoever thought that San Marcos would have such a great hole in the wall Viet spot! Pho Tran88 has one of the best Bahn Mis I have ever had! I ordered the Pork Bahn Mi to share and the bread was crispy and soft, the pork was well-marinated and the distrubution of the ingredients was on point. The owner is a bit rude but I'd go back anyways. I also ordered the Pho Dac Biet and it was average compared to other phos ive had. It will satisfy your crave though

my friends and i were looking for a place to get pho and the second we walked in, we felt unwelcome. the woman at the register was really rude and we left pretty soon after that.