Bamboo House of Noodle Soups

Really a 2.5-star, but due to lack of competitors in the area, I rounded it up.
Since «Noodle Soups» translate back to Phở, we had mostly Phở here. Along with some other items. Going through the list everything is at most average:
Spring Rolls — 4 stars. Nothing to write home about, but at consistently decent.
Summer Rolls — 4 stars. Same reason above.
Phở (s) — 3 stars. My default is the Bamboo Phở. Which comes with all kinds of beef (tendon, tripe, flank, meatball, eye round). I’ve also had the Seafood Phở and Tofu Phở (both streamed and fried). They all have the same problems. The broth is on the weak side. The noodles are clearly not fresh because half of the time they stick together and it’s work to pull them apart. I would also expect more meat in the beef and seafood phos for the prices they charge.
Papaya salad — 3 stars. They could really put more beef jerky and shred the papaya a little thiner. The flavor would’ve been much better.
The biggest problem I have is their 1-​star service. I get it that they’re packed during lunch time, but we’ve experienced 6 people waiting for 10 minutes without anyone come over to greet us or bring us water. The waitresses’ faces are so unhappy sometimes that I want to tell them «Honey, it doesn’t hurt to smile a little»!
Oh and they’re closed between 2−5pm during weekdays so I have no choice but taking the «I’m stuck here serving you» faces.

Always good for standard Vietnamese. The phở is ok, not great… but hey this is not a phở restaurant. Service is attentive, and the prices are fair.

The service was excellent, but the broth was only okay. It could use some work. Maybe the sister store will be better. Definitely needs a little more flavor it wasn’t as beefy as it could be.

Horrible service! The waitress displayed clear unhappiness about we only wanted two bowls of soup and no drinks or appetizer. She took our spicy sauces AWAY while we are still eating! I’ve been there many times. But today I brought a coworker and was completely embarrassed by the LOUSY service!!! Plus the soup was just warm and our bean sprouts have no chance of being cooked!

I’ve been eating here since they took over the restaurant from Linh. I’ve never had a bad meal, and hosted many family meals here. It’s my favorite local Vietnamese restaurant. And I would disagree with many of the hypercritical people who did not enjoy this cuisine. I eat in Chinatown frequently, and would say that this food compares favorably with any of the Vietnamese restaurants there.

Went for the first time, for lunch, at the recommendation of friends. Big menu. Went with chicken fried rice. Sounds basic, but definitely didn’t taste that way! I really enjoyed it, and look forward to returning to try some more meals.
Service was a little slow, but it was at the peak of lunch time. Prices seemed a big higher than I’m used to. However, the excellent meal I got, along with the nice atmosphere, will bring me back soon.

This is my local go-​to for beef phở. Their phở is always consistently delicious, I’m happy I live so close to them. Like other reviewers have stated, it rivals what you find on Adams Ave in Philly. Highly recommend.

The phở and spring rolls were so-​so, but the presentation and tidiness would have deserved more stars.
But, the second I sat down at 9:15, I was reminded repeatedly that they close @10. The waitress was so rude that while I still had food in my mouth, she asked whether I would be done in 10 mins.
I looked around, there were still 4 – 5 tables working on their meals.
If they really need to enforce the 10:00 closing time, perhaps they should not seat anyone after 9.
I, myself worked in restaurant industry for many years and dislike late customers. But, is it necessary to remind the customer non-​stop while they are eating?
Entire meal was rushed and phở was served without chopsticks…
Owner, you do have a decent place, but that short waitress’s gotta go!!!

First time here, the server was very helpful. Got the bamboo phở and summer rolls. Fantastic!

Food was okay a bit pricey for Phở. Service wasn’t the friendliest but they were fast.

I never make Unilocal reviews but this place warranted one.
Went here for takeout. The woman at the counter was the most rude woman I have ever encountered at a restaurant. When we asked her questions she gave us attitude and laughed at us… we’re the ones giving you our money, so you probably should be a little more polite.
Portions were RIDICULOUSLY small. I was in shock! Especially for how much we paid. For 3 basic items we paid $ 40, and the amount we got was worth $ 20 at most. I am not a picky person about food, but I was truly in shock at how bad this whole experience was.
I will NEVER be back here again, and I would never recommend this to anyone. Pricey, rude, worst portions I’ve encountered EVER, average food. Wouldn’t even give it one star.

Went here on a Friday night in a group of 10 people — and everyone enjoyed their meals, from Phở to Short Ribs.

Totally fine place. They have a nice, harmoniously decorated interior and keep the music easy-​listening. The staff is friendly, but can end up rushed at times. The food is good: salty, large bowls of phở and other soups/​stews. It’s also BYOB, which is nice. However, I consider this more of a «lunch» location rather than a proper dinner venue, as everything is quickly paced.

It was quite an adventure trying to find this place. I’m not familiar with the area around my work but I Unilocaled this place and came here for lunch with my coworker. This restaurant is on the corner of a shopping plaza closer to Giant (supermarket), but google map definitely has it wrong location wise.
We both ordered phở and as always, phở came out in a matter of seconds after we ordered it. The broth was flavorful and we both had the rib eye beef (it was cut too thick in my opinion) but still tasted good. You can tell this place cater towards americans. I say that because I’m use to the phở restaurants in philly where all the silverware and plates/​bowls are not so fancy looking. We also ordered the vietnamese coffee which was very good (just the right amount of condense milk with the coffee).
There are some other dishes on the menu that I would like to try and would definitely come back again.
As for the service, can’t speak much about it because we were pretty much in and out in a matter of 30 minutes.

I travel to this area for work quite often and I now make sure to book a room with a kitchen because I’d usually rather cook than scrounge for anything interesting or adventurous on the nearby menus. However, I’m incredibly glad I discovered this place. I dragged some co-​workers in to try it one night and we ordered like 2 of every appetizer. Not all of them were huge hits, but no one disliked anything! Since then I’ve ordered takeout every visit and (understandably) it hasn’t been quite as good, but still solid and much better than the usual burger/​club sandwich/​cheesesteak offerings at most places in the area.

Their takeout soups came in pieces that needed to be put together like a puzzle. The Shrimp Noodle Soup came with the broth in one container, sprouts in another, and noodles in yet another. However, when all of these puzzle pieces came together, the dish was surely delightful. I would’ve given this 5 stars if it were a tad more spicy.

We have been coming here for years. The food is consistently fresh, healthy and tasty. #31 is our favorite hot soup especially on a cold day.

American version of Vietnamese food. Even their items have name changes.
I like the atmosphere and décor of the place.
It’s pretty full during the lunch time that I stopped by here but we were quickly seated and served.
Chicken Noodle Soup $ 8.50 … Chicken Phở … but when it came out, it looked bland and empty. Other places have a lot more meat and veggies in this. I don’t remember seeing any veggie in this.
Rock ‘n Roll Beef $ 16 is their version of Bo Luc Lac. I kind of guessed it from the name and description but asked to make sure anyways. They make it with lemon grass here and put it on lettuce. You also have the option of white or brown rice — first time I had brown rice with this but it was pretty good. The beef was also very juicy.

I’ll state this pretty basic and clear.
Prices here are consistently $ 2 to $ 3 higher per dish, or more, compared to other local Vietnamese places.
The fried sticky rice had a good flavor, but I wasn’t wowed.
The wonton noodle soup with roasted pork, again decent flavor, but it should have more meat for $ 10 a bowl when competitors charge $ 7.95 for similar soup.
It’s good. But I think you’re paying their rent more than you’re paying for their food.

I found out about this place through Clare H. — a fellow Unilocaler and friend. She loves it here — I thought it was 3 or 4 stars for food and the décor is certainly not bad — but not terrific either. Service was great.
OK — maybe I will cave and give them 5 stars?
I enjoyed my $ 14 lunch special of shortribs with brown rice — but the 3 grape tomatoes (and cucumbers) that came as a garnish were rotten inside. Blargh!
Meanwhile the summer rolls & noodle soups here are far better than the place in Paoli that I frequent. (Er — used to frequent?) So I will be pleased to come out here again.
Next time I gotta get some noodles!