Pho 18 Ave

I came here about four months (?) ago, and according to other reviewers the service has improved since then. But in my experience, the staff is very rude. There was one girl in particular, she stood at the front. She was on her phone the whole time I was there. She didn’t pay attention to her customers and gave an attitude to other customers. This all happened a couple of months ago so maybe they have improved.
I also ordered take out from this place, and the guy who picked up the phone was extremely friendly and nice. But his accent was so hard to understand! And he couldn’t understand me either. I am Chinese American and I speak like any other American does, but he couldn’t understand. He asked me to repeat my address about six times. I was saying «Sixty-​six street,» and he kept repeating «Fifty Fifth street?» Maybe it was loud in there? But at least he was friendly, unlike some other staff members. The delivery guy was also pretty nice.
Overall, I’m just really glad I don’t have to travel for Phở anymore. This is the only Vietnamese place around here.
UPDATE: I ordered on 1÷30÷16. I never got my delivery. They said they called me but I didn’t get a call. Then they said «no delivery bye,» and hung up on me. Never ordering from this place again.

My biggest problem with this place is their service. I came here with a few of my friends at around 8 and our server did not look like she wanted to be there. Took forever to give us the menu, water/​tea and eventually our meals. The phở itself wasn’t bad at all but the service was atrocious.

There were a couple of people waiting for takeouts when we walked in, so we went around them and after waiting for acknowledgement by staff proceeded to seat ourselves. WELL we were jumped on like «what to you want?» Mind you, we’re a couple of middle aged folks, so what do YOU think? Anyways we decided against my better judgement to give the place a try. One word… GROSS! Spring roll was not fried properly, don’t think oil was hot enough. Bland, soup for the phở, porkchops tasteless, service –basically what we had been greeted with… ATROCIOUS! TOO bad it was this awful. A Vietnamese rest. in this area would’ve been great. Guess have to go to 86 St or 8^th Ave for decent Vietnamese

This place was open yesterday (the day after the storm!)…4-star for being open in really bad wether!
I ordered #127: Bun Bo Lui and it was delicious and very filling! I forgot to stir the noodles, so the vegetables at the bottom kind of just sat there… ahhh. Next time I’ll remember to stir!
Fast service too!

Updated review 1÷1÷16:
Wanted to give it a second chance. YES. Things have improved! No more bratty girl at the counter.
The phở standard remains the same. Lightly salted. The bean sprouts come steam washed.
The beef sandwich is warm and crusty if you dine in. Good flavor.
Service improved. More older experienced folks.
The price is cheaper by 1 – 2 dollars compared to its competitors. But definitely very good for the price.
I am pleased. The other patrons seem to agree, since there has been a lot more business compared to the past. They all appear to be locals.
May the new year bring lots of fortune for them.

Come here once a week. It is honestly not the most authentic but it the best Vietnamese restaurant on the Avenue! Not expensive and generous portions.

Got phở and porkchop rice dish delivered in 20 mins, can’t get any better. Extremely cheap phở at 5.25 $, which is about $ 3 cheaper than their competitor over at the phở place on 86 street.
Delivery + cheap prices + good food… I will definitely be back for more!

The food is okay. but the sever is very good. The waitresd and waiters are so nice to us.
Will come back soon.

In summary, cheap and large portions but very poor food quality.
Food is not authentic Vietnamese. Ordered grilled pork chop with noodles. I asked for chicken broth vs beef broth. Waitress said it was possible. The broth was extremely bland. The pork chops were large but very fatty. I couldn’t eat 50% of the pork.
Friend ordered beef stew. Beef and broth were equally bad.
Let’s see how long this place can stay opened.

The soup base is very good. Pork chop is very tender and tasty. The waiters are very nice to us, the service is very good.

The food is actually not bad. They simply need to shape up the waiters or waitresses who are completely lost.

I decided to give this place a second chance. I ordered the beef cubes over rice and it is the blandest I have ever had. Absolutely no flavor! I won’t be going back.

I was super ecstatic to find out there was a new Vietnamese restaurant located on 18^th ave. I was thrilled to know I wouldn’t have to walk to Phở Tay Ho on 86^th street. Sadly, this place didn’t do any justice. What so ever. After trying this place yesterday, I learned to stay far far away.
Crispy spring roll: I took my first bite and wanted to spit it out immediately. I asked my friend to try a piece and we both concluded the meat was bad. It tasted extremely sour as if it were old and undercooked. We all know uncooked/​expired meat is detrimental to our health.
Phở: One word, BLAND. Their phở is just completely off. I drenched my phở is hot sauce but that didn’t help much either. The noodles itself were strange too.
One thing I did enjoy was their ice coffee. If you’re in the neighborhood and looking for a traditional Vietnamese restaurant this is NOT the place to go!

Give this place a break, It’s definitely not the worst Viet restaurant I been to
I been here twice, and both times I was:
–Quickly seated
–Dishes arrived within 20 minutes of ordering
–satisfied with my food
Pro Tip: Sit at the tables in the left side (towards the back) of the restaurant. We always sit there because our daughter needs a high chair but the chairs are standard restaurant chairs and I was comfortable enough to have sat on them for two hours (we kinda hang out there as we ordered too much food). You are also close enough to the kitchen that you should have no problem waving down the wait staff to place your order/​request the check.
Here’s what we ordered (combined from both visits):
Spring Rolls — standard fair, burns your tongue if you eat them right away but that’s why they are delicious
Beef Summer Rolls — Love this dish — the beef is so flavorful and tender enough that I won’t pull out a whole chunk of meat (and left with meatless roll). I need every Viet restaurant to add this to their menu.
Raw Beef salad — another dish I don’t see in other Viet restaurants, a Paleo-diet’s dream. The meat isn’t completely raw, just medium rare (like the ones on top of Phở). Squeeze that wedge of lemon for that tangy kick
Phở — just like the Spring Rolls, I had no problem with it. The noodles were cooked evenly and the broth is good but salty, just like every other Viet restaurant
Grill beef — Wasn’t burnt, good, on par with other restaurants
For those that complained about the cold service of this place, I think Phở Tay Ho on 86^th St is worse. For those that complained about the food, there was a Viet restaurant on 18^th ave (around 62^nd and 63^rd st) years ago that didn’t last a year because their food was truly horrible (Phở broth didn’t taste right, noodles overcooked and it was expensive). This place at worst is on par with Phở Tay Ho and I would say better because of the Beef Summer Rolls and the Raw Beef Salad. BTW, if you truly want to complain about bad Viet food, try any Viet restaurant in midtown. It is one small reason why I’m glad I live in Brooklyn.
P. S. — Agree with everyone that complained that they give you a wonderful menu of drinks but isn’t setup to serve them. I will dock them a star if they don’t have them by December (~6 months after the restaurant opened).

This place is a joke. A really BAD joke! There are no other Vietnamese restaurants in the area (walking distance) so when this finally opened up, I was jumping for joy! It was very short lived… :(Before I even get to the food part of this review, the chairs and tables in this restaurant are not comfortable or suitable for eating noodles. This was a hot pot restaurant before and they reused the old tables and chairs (booths) on the right side of the restaurant. The space between the table and the big booths are just TOO far apart (you can’t even move them)! The back tables and chairs to the left side of the restaurant are normal though, so if you do decide to come here and you’re not 6+ feet tall, opt for the back!
I’ve tried the phở, fried spring rolls, beef cubes, grilled chicken over rice, and seasonal veggies here. The phở broth was not too bad, but the noodles and the meat aren’t even average. I’m def not paying $ 7 to drink soup! There’s really no in between with the noodles. Sometimes its too hard, sometimes its too soft; making it taste almost dough-​like. DO NOT ORDER THE FRIED SPRING ROLLS! I’ve tried it on three occasions and it was ALWAYS BURNT (not golden brown, but dark, almost black/​brown)! I’ve actually seen people return their orders before. The beef cubes are also horrendous. You’re better off ordering skewers on a street cart and quite possibly making them on your own because you’re paying to eat cardboard. Skip the seasonal veggies too because at over $ 10, it tastes neither fresh nor seasoned. The only thing I will order from here is the grilled chicken over rice. It’s not the best, but beggars can’t be choosers.
Lastly, don’t ever ask for extra sauce here. I’ve never been to a Vietnamese restaurant that charges you for extra fish sauce. Their «to go» saucers are already SUPER small, so save your extra cash and buy your own fish sauce, hot sauce, whatever sauce!

Phở Tay Ho on 86^th Street was the closest Vietnamese restaurant. I was ecstatic that this place opened up since it was only a few blocks, but after my visit with my family there, I had to conclude that this restaurant is one of the worst vietnamese restaurant I’ve ever been to. Despite the comfy seating for the customers, everything feels cheap. Chopsticks were not the plastic ones, but the take-​out ones that can break easily. I don’t know why they implement this, despite being low cost. On top of that, service was horrible. There seem to be only one waiter, serving everybody’s orders and he didn’t even take our finished dishes back, just leaving the whole table dirty and cramped. Since it was our first time there, the waiter didn’t even bother to give us recommendations, leaving us clueless for an awkwardly long amount of time.
My family and I ordered the Phở Dac Bet ($ 5.75), Phở Tai-​Nam Gau Gan Sach, Hu Tieu Xao (Stir Fried Noodles w/​Seafood $ 12.50), and Grilled Pork-​Spring Roll with Rice Thread ($ 11.25). Both Phos’ were surprisingly decent priced and the portions were not bad. Besides the broth having the same tasty goodness like other restaurants, the noodles and meat tasted really bland. I know you have to put the sauces, but even after putting the sauces, both items tasted really doughy. In addition, don’t try the stir fried noodles with seafood. The vegetables and seafood tasted like if they were stored in the fridge for a long period of time. Not fresh at all. Had the same doughiness that the phở noodles and meat had. Avoid this dish at all cost. And finally, the rice thread with chopped spring rolls and meat, was the only dish that tasted really good overall. Wrapping the rice thread noodles, pork, sweet carrots, spring rolls, dipped with the sauce, was a great combination and satisfying.
Every restaurant’s mission is not only to gain revenues for the business, but also satisfy the customers. You have to distinguish your business from others and, Phở 18 Ave fails this. Definitely will not be coming back and not recommend this restaurant to others.
If you want tasty vietnamese food, choose Gia Lam @ 8^th Ave (this is the best in Brooklyn) or Phở Tay Ho @ 86^th Street.

I’m always excited to hear viet restaurants opening in the bensonhurst area because there never is any! After mekong closed down months ago, I was very glad to see this one pop up. Been here a few times and generally good phở broth. Phở is cheaper than any other viet places in brooklyn. I find that the flavor of grilled chicken and pork is a tad bit not as well balanced as other places. There is still lots to improve on the spring rolls — needs more of a crunch and the wrap they chose to make it with is denser. Overall, the food here is not amazing, but decent. Pro is that all the table space is so big and spacey. The space and feel of the restaurant is much more modern.
I would have given more stars if the hostess gave in more effort to do her job. As many other reviews mentioned, she did not look like she wanted to be there, definitely service lacking. Frequently though, I get served by a guy who was much more friendly and always seem willing to help!
3 ½ out of 5

This place is OK. They don’t put enough onions/​cilantro in the soup.
Service is meh.

THIS PLACE IS CASH ONLY!
Free wifi is also available.
Correct me if i’m wrong, but this is the first Vietnamese restaurant on 18^th ave. Walked by and decided to give them a try. Small cozy restaurant with about 6 booths that can fit up to 8 people and a few smaller tables on the side.
The portions are a lot smaller than most Viet restaurants that i’ve been to. Ordered the grilled pork chop over rice and the spring rolls. The pork chops were all bone and there was barely any meat. The spring rolls are also a lot smaller. Besides the size portions, it taste just like any other Viet restaurants.
The waitress that assisted me was really nice and attentive.
I would come back since it’s nearby where I live. I would recommend people to try this place out and give them a chance. It’s something new and different in the area. Hope they stay around for the long run!

Came here around a week ago, and let me tell you… we had to wait 35mins for our food to come out.
Uhm really? It shouldn’t take you guys to take that long to bring out the food.
When we first came in, they placed us in a seat where there was still rubbish left behind when the other customers left. We had to order in English because apparently she couldn’t speak Chinese so yeah…
They didn’t fill up our water&tea regularly.
So my sis got the pork chop fried rice and my mom got the rice noodle with pork chop.
I on the other hand got the spring roll vermecilli.
When we had to wait 35mins for our food to come out. They forgot to give us fish sauce so we had to tell them to give us our fish sauce… like really…
Overall the food portions are a little smaller than the other phở restaurants, but whatever.
My spring roll vermecilli didn’t have carrots and I was a bit dissapionted because, carrots are supposed to be with the dish. the spring rolls were a plus to me and the noodles where pretty tasty.
I would come here again but I hope that the workers there shouldn’t look so confused on what they are doing.
The price is okay for the 3 of us but I hope they train their workers better.