L L.
Yelp
This review is for people that know authentic Vietnamese cuisine with knowledge of standard expectations. I'm sure a lot of people in Miami love this place because they didn't grow up eating Vietnamese food but I'm native from LA and OC so I can review based on my qualified opinion and I also make the bombest pho at home.
I was told it won a neighborhood award so I was excited due to having pho deprivation this past week.
Again, please note that this review is for people who know pho and have expectations for real Vietnamese food so I'm not knocking anyone who likes it.
Ambiance - A TOTAL MISS. It was a retro theme not conducive with anything Vietnam. Chairs and shop seemed visually dirty and also musty smelling. The vibe was more like an old disco diner vibe. Fruit flies kept bugging me while I was eating. AC wasn't cold enough inside so I'm sure the bacteria was growing everywhere which contributes to that musty smell I noticed when I walked in. (Updated info- they had 13 health code violations in January 2024!! Disgusting!)
Pho broth quality - No aroma of the seasonings like star anise or charred onion. No hot steam radiating from the bowl.
Meat - brisket was sliced so thick instead of thin making me feel as if they didn't view food as the perfect art expression, but meatballs were firm and bouncy.
Temperature of broth- This was the BIGGEST FAIL! Served BARELY warm! I felt really duped given the owner is Vietnamese and has a mini family album propped on the table which shows his Vietnamese heritage with authentic family pictures, only to discover that it was simply a marketing ploy that focused solely on getting reviews or attention rather than delivering authentic and EASY pho standards. That alone killed any experience.
Bowl shape - the wrong shape used which was a really low and flat bowl that looked like pasta should be served in it, not soup that's supposed to be piping hot. Hot soup would spill right over so they chose to use American style bowls instead of a real Vietnamese style bowl. Again, he chose marketing or cost over quality.
Condiments/garnishings - ZERO offered on the table. Where's the fresh bean sprouts, basil, jalapeños, chili oil, and pickled chilis?! That's the equivalent of going to a fast food and they don't provide ketchup or sauce. Extra request for bean sprouts were soggy and room temperature which means it wasn't prepared fresh.
Eggrolls - came out room temperature because it didn't seem like they deep fried them fresh otherwise, it would be sizzling and really hot in the middle. The fish sauce dip had barely any flavor and watered down. No sweet, sour, or pungent kick, nor did they offer sambal chili to mix with it. The pickled carrots on the side had zero flavor and barely even sour. The only good thing about this was the lettuce which was fresh, but that was bought and not made. Sad.
Utensils - they put the mouth part of the chopsticks inside a dirty cup instead of positioning it where dirt won't touch the chopsticks. I had to wipe it before using given I was already so leery of the cleanliness. Felt really dirty to eat here. The soup spoons and chopsticks were so worn out they didn't have anymore gloss to them, had dents, and some were mismatched colors.
Small condiment dish for sauce - it's usually a flat small dish that we can add hoisin and Sriracha to but what they gave us was a sauce cup, which is the same that they use for ketchup and french fries.
Price - tourist prices! Double the price with barely 1/5 the quality. My mom was about to book flight to Miami from OC just to make me some authentic pho after I showed her the prices and pictures.
$29 - Special combo pho
$24 regular brisket and meatball
$18 - 3 small eggrolls that weren't fresh and half the size of normal eggrolls
I don't mind paying way more for authentic Vietnamese around Miami since it's so scarce but at least deliver quality that is simple and standard.
Service slow and the owner kept talking so loudly to the person right next to us that I had to wait for him to stop so we can have our own conversation.
Waitress didn't have any knowledge of pho food at all.
A question I always ask myself is "will I come back here if I'm desperate for Asian food?" Unfortunately, in this case it's a hard NO.
The one pet peeve I'll always have with restaurants is when owners who have no business cooking, decide to open a pho restaurant and charge way more for subpar food, which is bit insulting to our people - their customers.
Pho is a very important part of our culture and should be protected and held to high standards because it IS the predominant essence of the Vietnamese people.
Providing delicious food to others is a love language in and of itself due to the time, love and attention you put into preparing it, but here at Tran Am, I felt unvalued due to the poor quality and crazy high prices. I would expect that from a non-Vietnamese owner but not a real Vietnamese owner.