Pho Mai

Best phở in Middletown. Please reopen soon place across the street isn’t as good and more expensive

I agree with Ron S. I’m sorry to post only after it’s closed. I absolutely loved Phở Mai and the family that ran it. I’m sad to think i’ll never get to meet baby Vivian. The food was greater than any other vietnamese restaurant i’ve been to because of the extensive vegetarian options. I will greatly miss this place.

i never even got to write this review while they were open. so i guess it has been 10 years or so, and i finally went to Phở Mai a few months ago and it was really good phở and they had a lot of other decent Vietnamese vegetarian options on the menu.
Fast forward to yesterday, their last day open (at least at that spot, i have been told). new building owner probably wants more money so no more phở mai. Luckily that other Vietnamese place opened across the street, even though it is «fancy» and more expensive it is still pretty decent and worth checking out if you are in the mood for phở in middletown.
Hopefully they reopen soon, maybe here or somewhere else in Middletown.

Delicious, feel-​good phở here, people. Very casual environment. Cash only. Closing in the next week so we’re there like every other day. Do yourself a favor and get some while you can…

I went here with a colleague for lunch. Really enjoyed my phở tai which I ordered with the meat on the side. Authentic presentation and decent broth. Fantastic for CT, so I’ll give it a 5!

I stopped by here because Tibetan Kitchen next door was closed for lunch. What a good decision! I got a tofu/​veggie/​rice dish and it was so so so good. The price is a little high for a no-​frills takeout box (over $ 9 for a small vegetarian dish) but I’ll be back for that intoxicating sauce. Also, the don’t take credit card, so be prepared.

we both had phở myself beef which really only had brisket, hers was seafood phở but only had shrimp w/​o fish balls. also only standard noodles available, no glass noodles. broth was eh. fast service. no real other options in the area. satisfied the phở-​bug that night. cash only.

Decent enough phở and spring rolls were ok but not great. I make both of these items so I am a bit biased. My spring rolls have mint, cilantro and basil in them and not all those noodles that most restaurants add to save money on the shrimp etc. So I am not a fan of the ones loaded with noodles like these were. The peanut sauce was very good and the rolls were served warm which I enjoyed.
The phở was quite nice although a bit under-​flavored and didn’t have enough herbs to add in at the end. I am used to have cilantro, basil and mint to add to this main stay of the Vietnamese cuisine and this place only brings you basil and sprouts. I added quite a bit of soy sauce as it was not salty enough but I did enjoy it nevertheless.
The place has zero ambiance which is fine and cash only is simple since it is so inexpensive.

Driving down Main Street a week or so ago, I said to my daughter that I’d learned there was a phở restaurant in the neighborhood, and immediately caught a glimpse of Phở Mai. «Oh. And there it is,» said I.
So last night she urged that we try it, and so we did.
The main strength of Phở Mai: flavorful, filling, fortifying phở. We both chose the option with Vietnamese meatballs, which seem like they’ve got a close kinship to summer sausage, at least to me. The broth smells heavenly, tastes great, and of course it comes with the obligatory plateful of basil, chiles, lime, and bean sprouts. Other phở options are chicken, thinly sliced beef, and flank steak, plus some combinations thereof.
The small storefront is brightly lit and simply furnished. The proprietor was very careful to make sure that we knew what we were ordering — he was pretty concerned that we might be expecting American-​style meatballs — and I’m pretty sure he was preparing the soup in the tiny kitchen as well.
I was rather charmed by the serving bowls, which were a patterned blue and white china. After eating off so many plain white plates in recent years, it has a pleasantly old-​fashioned feel.
As others have noted, they don’t accept credit cards, so have cash on hand. You won’t need a lot of it, as the prices are very reasonable.
I am rounding up from 3.5 stars on this review; the storefront does lack something in ambience, so don’t go there for that. Go there to breathe in, and then take in, one of the world’s most amazing foods.

Looking for the best Phở in Connecticut and I am glad I went here. Service at this restaurant does not exist, but thats normal for a hole in a wall asian restaurant. Ordered the Rare Steak Phở and it was really good! Tastes like how they make it in Los Angeles! It really hits the spot when you dont want to be disappointed. Will be back again!

I ordered spring rolls (the ones with shrimps, not the fried ones) and meatball phở. The rolls were mediocre and the phở was average. The size was good and I could not finish. The place was not very well decorated and the service was alright.
Most likely will not go back.

Stopped in at Phở Mai on a whim… was in the area and phở sounded good… We were please we stopped here. We had some veggie rolls and I had a spicy shrimp phở. It comes in two sizes, medium and large. As it was lunch, I went with the medium. It was more than enough! Nice large bowl filled with golden chicken based broth, clear rice noodles, and various vegetables… and of course shrimp. It had a nice little bite to it. The place is not fancy so if that’s what you’re looking for, go somewhere else. But if you want some good Vietnamese food, try it. I’ll definitely go back again.

I’m rounding up from 3.5 stars. So the lighting is fluorescent, and the service is decidedly no-​frills. But the food is delicious and inexpensive, and the novelty of BYOB is worth at least half a star in my book. I ordered #40– a dish with shrimp, chicken, lemongrass and spices. It was excellent. My husband had a shrimp and chicken curry, which he also really enjoyed, and our friends ordered beef phở and another #40. Everyone was really happy with their meals, and I’d definitely visit again.
As others have noted, Phở Mai is cash only. Parking is on-​street, but we had no trouble finding spots this past Thursday night.

This is an excellent restaurant for Middletown! I’m a huge fan of «niche» restaurants, and this is the perfect choice for one thing – phở soup. The broth is delicious, the beef perfect (as long as you ask for it extra rare, it becomes well-​done in just a few seconds once it’s in the broth), and the condiments like basil leaves, limes, and bean sprouts are always fresh.
This is not a place for picky eaters (notice most of the negative reviews below are a result of special requests), but if you are willing to just go with the flow and enjoy Phở soup as the restaurant serves, you’ll be well rewarded.
Some fair warnings – it is cash only, you do need change for the parking meters if you go during lunch, and they are currently closed for a few weeks (as they do every summer), as the family is off on vacation.

eh… I’ve had better.
I ordered summer rolls and phở without cilantro and I remember the summer rolls being not so good and the phở was given to me with cilantro in it.
It’s very important to me that I don’t have cilantro in my food because it tastes like dishwashing soap… so it wasn’t the most pleasant experience.
Definitely worth the risk, especially in Middletown because it’s probably a while drive until you find another phở place nearby.

Small dive. 9 tables on the main strip.
Fresh roll. Warm. Shredded chipotle lettuce. Fish sauce is uninspired and canned. Had mint, but missing green onion
Kinda really slow for phở: «its just soup and raw meat. How long does that take?»
The broth was meh. Nothing special nothing bad. The noodles were soft and the meat was of good breeding.
I hate to rate a phở place on service but it was so very slow and unthoughtful.
We shared a soup and got one spoon. We were in a rush and asked for the check when we got our soup and it took 10 minutes. There was only one other table with people and they had all their stuff. He just had no interest. When i asked for the second spoon he gave me a dirty look and begrudgingly got one.
I rarely rate a viet place for its service. The only occasions that I do so is if I feel pissed off after the experience. Few things do that: 1) No meat on the side (these guys didn’t hit that nerve), 2) SLOW ass food at a phở joint. If all I’m ordering is soup it should be out faster than I coulda written this review. If they were busy, I could get it, but we were next to the only people there, and the guy definitely had no interest in the work… Not that he needs to have a ton of interest, but 10 minutes for a check, 25 minutes for a Phở Tai?
Go anywhere else… like maybe even manchu wok or home with instant ramen!
I feel like I was especially mean with this review… take it with a bit of tongue and cheek. The food itself was a 2.5 but the guy… just pissed me off…

How wonderful is it to find an authentic Phở restaurant in middletown CT!!! On a cold day this is the place to your warm soup fix and have it to your liking!
My food was super yummy and I could not ask for any more.

I’d been to Phở Mai a few times before, when I was in high school and during the beginning of college, and had very good memories of it. Stopped in for the first time in years this weekend, and it was as wonderful as I remembered.
Phở Mai makes a great phở. Totally authentic and satisfying. I got a medium bowl with the rare steak, well-​done brisket, and meatballs, which is exactly what we have in our phở at home, and it was almost just like home. For $ 7.50, and a helping that was more than I could finish, it was worth a quick stop instead of making it myself. My boyfriend got the large bowl, which was just a dollar more, and he finished the whole thing. The broth is a little thinner than other phở places, and instead of the little spicy chilis, we got sliced jalapenos, but those were my only complaints. I could always do takeout and eat my peppers at home, or sneak some in if I get desperate, I guess.
Note: Cash only. And bring some quarters for the parking meters outside.

This place is amazing. It is just this little hole in the wall type place on the Main Street of Middletown. It’s a small place but there are always people in there eating when I drive by. It is also BYOB.
The phở is amazing. We also got two orders of spring rolls as an appetizer too, which were delicious. The medium phở is a good size for a hungry person. The large is probably enough for two. The broth is amazing. I didn’t add any sauce to mine and it was just perfect to me. There is Sriracha and hoisin sauce on each table though if you want to fine tune it to your liking. The 5 of us ate for $ 50 and we were all stuffed! Fast and great food! I highly recommend. It really is fantastic.

I never knew that vegan phở could taste so good. The broth is so flavorful, I was in disbelief that it was truly vegetarian. WOW!!! The soup really warmed me to the bone, and it was delicious. Nothing fancy just cilantro, broth, rice noodles and tofu, and it blew my mind. I could really taste the anise in it. I threw some sriracha in there to spice it up. It was so awesome. Oh yeah, and $ 8.50 for a large bowl. I can’t wait to go again!
CASH ONLY!!!