Pho Lover

"We will come back again. Stopped in when driving by. The food was delicious. The staff was really friendly. Service was quick. Appetizers were brought out by a really neat little robot with a cat face, kinda cool. I had a traditional pho soup. My girlfriend had the hibachi chicken. Our appetizer was the chicken spring rolls, freshly made."

"This is it! The best pork chop rice platter I had in my life! I’m a 35 yo Asian who has had his fair share of Vietnamese food across the country, and this one takes the top spot by far. this place was newly opened next to our house, was just hoping to get a quick bite but dayumn I didn’t expect this level of perfection. Kudos to the chef!"

"This place used to be To Pho, which was one of my favorite Vietnamese restaurants. The service at To Pho was not always the warmest, and the interior resembled an old diner, but the food was varied, plentiful, and delicious. Moreover, To Pho's Taiwanese chef brought some unique offerings, like bao, to the menu. "Pho Lover" is not just a new name. This is basically a brand new restaurant, with a new chef, new owners, and a different menu - and no more bao. :( However, life giveth and it taketh, for where bao has gone missing, there are some new additions to the menu that may make for interesting substitutes. One thing to notice right away is that the presentation game of the restaurant has gone WAY up. From the garden-like decor, to the stylish chopsticks, custom-branded dishware, and even scenic bubble tea plastic toppers, the aesthetic is on a whole other level. This really hyped us up for our food. We each ordered a combo meal - pho tai for each of us, along with a bubble tea. Hubby got a taro smoothie (one of the best I've tried in a long time!), while I got a Thai milk tea. Both were really good, with the texture of the tapioca pearls being a particular highlight. Also, a pretty good value - about $17 bucks for a large bowl of pho and big cup of bubble tea. All that said, nothing else matters as much as the quality of the pho. When it arrived at our table, I was feeling a bit cautious - I hadn't really read the online reviews yet, but at a glance, they seemed guarded. I took a thoughtful sip of the broth with the giant spoon they give you. My first impression was: this broth is AMAZING. Complex. Flavorful. Multi-dimensional, with discernible components. But it didn't stay that way. After a few bites, for some reason, those bold flavors disappeared and coalesced into only one flavor - really salty. I am not sure why or how that came to be. The 1975 "Pepsi Challenge" came to my mind: during a blind taste test, participants overwhelmingly preferred Pepsi to Coke, due to Pepsi's higher sugar content. However, while all that sugar makes for an impressive first sip, it overwhelms an entire glass. Thus, more people prefer Coke overall. I wonder if it was something like that - if the saltiness of the broth was there all along, and built up over time until it became overpowering. Or else, maybe as the beef, et al. simmered, it just changed the flavor of the bowl? Salty broth wasn't the only problem. Something about the texture of my noodles just wasn't right. It's like they were too limp. My husband did not have that complaint, so maybe there was some inconsistency in how our bowls were made. I also noticed his beef was a bit more rare, and mine a bit more well-done, so more evidence to that point. Speaking of the beef, it was different than the cuts I usually get in pho tai. These were thicker, rounder, and leaner-looking. That said, they were still tender and tasty, so not really a problem (though I do prefer mine a bit rarer). I am sticking with 4 stars for now, because our meal was mostly a good one. I feel like I can get a better bowl of pho somewhere else right now, but am hopeful that the flavor and consistency will improve over time as this restaurant gains experience."

"I recently dined at Pho Lover, a Vietnamese pho restaurant, and I can't say enough good things about it. The service was impeccable, with the staff being incredibly attentive and friendly. But what truly stole the show was the food. The pho was absolutely delicious, with a rich, flavorful broth and perfectly cooked noodles. The ingredients were fresh, and the portions were generous. If you're a pho lover, this place is a must-visit. I give it 5 stars without hesitation!"

"This was our go-to spot because it's very accessible and the food is delicious, although it has changed owners (I wish the old owners success in their next endeavors, whatever those may be). We ended up checking out the new ownership during their soft opening. The ambience inside is extremely cute! It's been redecorated to look like a cherry blossom grove, with a couple faux trees coming right up out of the floor, and vines decorating the lamps. Absolutely bonus points for atmosphere; my only caveat would be that the decor could potentially feel claustrophobic if you were sat directly next to one of the trees as they were pretty close to the tables. But, there is plenty of seating and that is a very minor critique. As for the menu, it is significantly smaller than it was, with the biggest complaint about the entire experience being the now lacking vegetarian options; one of the reasons we loved it so much before was that there were quite a few different options that sadly aren't present anymore. That said, the food was still delicious. I ordered the lemon pork noodle salad which came with a delightfully crispy egg roll. The pork was tender and flavorful, and the whole dish smelled delicious! I absolutely intend to come back to try the pho dishes; we were heading to a movie after so I didn't think I'd have time to enjoy soup. As an added bonus, because it was the soft opening, the team offered a complimentary appetizer of shrimp spring rolls. I'm not much of a seafood person, but the gesture was appreciated regardless and if you are more of a shrimp fiend, you would definitely like this dish. Overall, I'm sad to say goodbye to an old favorite but very excited about discovering a potential new one! I'm not sure where all of these 1 star reviews are coming from, but I do believe a good chunk were made in bad faith. Ultimately, I recommend checking them out and deciding for yourself if you want to come back. I know we will."