Viet Soul

I love coming here for some authentic not too expensive sizzling beef steak. Service is quick and friendly. The sizzling beef steak comes with a salad, with an amazing zesty flavor. It itself is tender, the eggs are sunshine for me and not overcooked, and it comes with a whole basket of french baguette and some butter and pâté!!!

I brought my parents by here recently since the menu offered dry phở. However, when we got there, half of their menu was no longer offered. They did not have any dry phở options nor their chicken phở, which was very disappointing. All of it was still on the menu and we arrived early, so they couldnt have ran out of the ingredients to make the foods.
They now had soup spoons, which is a plus, since it is lind of hard to eat Phở without Asian soup spoons.

Back again for Phở but its no Meat Friday for me. What to do… Spicy Shrimp Phở. Terrific!
Been there twice. Phở is not too bad but the meat especially flank steak is barely fit for human consumption and the quantity is skimpy. However, the broth is above average and the quantity of the noodles is pretty good.
Kimchi fries is terrible. Very little kimchi but a ton of low grade siracha and mayonnaise on the fries. Full disclosure, I am Korean so my question on those kim chi fries is «Where’s the kim chi!?»
The Vietnamese fried rolls taste great but very oily. The accompanying fish sauce is too watered down.
My wife thought the rice plate was ok, but again the quantity is a bit skimpy.
Last note for the owner and stagg, if I order an appetizer I expect it to be served BEFORE the entrée.
I will keep going back only because it’s a LONG drive into Bellaire for legit Asian grub!

The phở here is pretty decent. However the bo né was pretty sad. The pâté and butter were of very low grade. I am pretty sure they get their pâté from a tube. They drench the meat in the bo né in a teriyaki-​like sauce. That was okay but paired with the salad with thousand island sauce, it was a little overwhelming. Staff were okay. A little forgetful but very friendly.

I’d give 3 stars because I didn’t believe their food was spectacular, just edible. Due to the size of their fresh squeezed orange juice, I’m obligated to give them 4 stars because 3.5 stars isn’t an option. Most Vietnamese restaurants will cheatingly charge you an excessive amount for a small glass of fresh squeezed orange juice filled mostly with ice. Not Viet Soul! They gave me a tall mason jar full that I almost couldn’t finish.
My fiancé complained their meat portion was shy in his bowl of chicken phở. I can’t say I feel the same, but then again I hardly consume meat so my opinion doesn’t count.
I ordered a banh mi ga nuong (grilled chicken sandwich) to-​go so I could try later. I had to request pâté on the side because I was going to share half with my fiancé who dislikes pâté. Fiancé commented he liked the banh mi and that it had an interesting teriyaki flavor to it. In my opinion, the banh mi wasn’t bad. The pâté was creamy smooth and hence made my half of the banh mi delicious!

Heard about thqis place from a family member so I went to try it out. Before we get to the main review for this restaurant, I wanted to talk about the entry way. What frustrated me was that it was a bit confusing trying to even get into this building center. I missed the turn and literally had to drive an extra 2 miles just to do a uturn.
When I got in I was kindly greeted by the servers and was provided with a menu unlike any other menu I’m used to at other vietnamese noodle places. What sucks about this is that we are limited to the types of meat we want in our bowl of noodles. I say this because I’m one of those who like variety.
Let’s get down to the pros:
The ratio of noodles to meat is pretty good compared to other vietnamese noodle places. There’s plenty of meat for those who can not eat noodles without it.
Armosphere. Different in a good way. Black tables with brick walls set a darker moodier feel to the place. Good music sound quality.
Customer service was amazing. They come and check on you unlike MOST vietnamese noodle places.
And now for the cons:
Broth was design for those who prefer a simple light flavor. In my opinion, it lacks that full boldness of flavors.
Didn’t have an option to try all the type of meat in a single bowl.
Price played a part due to the fact that I ended up paying a dollar or 2 extra for something I didn’t really enjoy.
Overall this place is not for me, BUT it could a hidden treasure for another. It doesn’t hurt to give them a try as I did, but it is something I would not come back for.

Their portions are ridiculously small. Maybe they think people out here don’t know any better, but if they’re going to survive they need to improve portion size and quality of meat. I’ve had a lot of phở over the years and this isn’t good.

Went here Saturday after lunch with my husband.
It is new for us, opened recently. SUPER busy. We were lucky because we were the last to walk in and get a fresh table. After us, 4 families walked in (duration of our meal, maybe 40 min?) and had to wait at the provided waiting chairs at entrance.
Ordered:
Fried calamari to share
Pork vermicelli bowl (for me)
Beef vermicelli bowl (for husband)
Fried calamari was excellent! I’ve never had it with a tangy, honey sauce. It just went amazing together. Perfect sharing appetizer for us (smaller side).
Both vermicelli bowl were delicious and FRESH. The cucumber was crispy, the noodles were well cooked. My pork was yummy and good sauce.
Each vermicelli bowl came with a half egg roll (cut at an angle). I see a lot of reviewers complain about not having a full roll… I just want to mention that the full meal made us very full. I don’t think every restaurant has to cater to huge portion needs…
Waiter (young female) was rushing around to get everyone’s beverages filled. We had good service.
CON:
Only con we experienced. Waited to pay for 10 minutes. Put check on edge of table and waited. Finally we went up to register (not run by anyone at the time) and saw a big stack of other checks waiting. Someone approached us and was somewhat confused why we’re paying at front, we just said, we want to pay. He was fine with it.
Of course, parking shared with rest of strip mall businesses. We didn’t have a hard time parking so far.
WILL COME BACK!

Was in the area and decided to eat here because the Phở Tai was pretty good the first time I had it. Phở Tai was still a hit & the dining experience has improved. And they finally fixed the soup spoon problem!

Highly recommended phở! Banh mi just ok. Spring roll’s sauce really good. Grilled beef and chicken not impressed at all. Will try grilled pork next time. Like the drink being given in foam cups, don’t like wooden brown chopsticks at all.

Got takeout I think on a Thursday night. Friend of mine said they have good Phở and wanted to try it, even though some of the reviews had been the best.
Upon walking in was quickly greated and told them I was ordering togo. After a few questions about items on the menu I went with a small Phở and an order of Calamari (Calamari was like $ 3.75). Phở was good, but should have just stayed there to eat it, was as hot with heat by the time i got home. Calamari portion was small, they should charge more and give a normal portion. Did like the batter that they used. Would recommend giving them a try as they have other items that look and sound good. The kimchi fries looks real good and a large order from what I saw. Service was also very good and friendly.

First time here and not impressed.
They tried reducing menu space by making it a multi-​option menu like «dry or soup bowl with up to three meats» or «rice or dry noodle plate with up to two meats». I’m not saying it’s a bad thing but for some people it could be confusing or overwhelming.
They lacked a lot of drink items that were listed which could be due to the lack of preparation, just opened recently, or they sold out earlier. Disappointed we couldn’t try it.
One of the menu items is very vague about the ingredients and could be a problem for those with allergies to specific foods (i.e. Chewy filling).
We ordered «Big Fries» which consists of an assortment of fried food but we didn’t get everything that was listed on the menu. It lacked the «popcorn chicken» and tofu. They gave us two portions of fried fish tofu thinking it would trick people into thinking one was fish and the other was tofu just because they were different shapes.
The rice and vermicelli dishes come with ½ an egg roll and not a full egg roll. Why? Most places give you at least a full egg roll if they come with it. The menu didn’t state «half of an egg roll»
The portions are small so be prepared to be underwhelmed. It might be a great portion for small eaters but for the price you pay it is not reasonable. You can go to downtown and get a bigger portion for the same price or go to a different Vietnamese restaurant that’ll have better price to food ratio. I guess the location thinks that people around here are ignorant of what Vietnamese restaurants should charge and give.
The service was okay. They came and took our order pretty fast. Food came out fast. The wait staff needs a little bit more experience since they kept forgetting to bring us essential silverware/​chopsticks/​spoons.
I would not come back here for a second chance.

After reading the reviews I was very skeptical about trying this place, but since it’s close by and I pass by it all the time, I figured why not?
This place is great! The service was fantastic and our food came out quick. The lighting and ambience is very mellow and it wasn’t busy on a Thursday afternoon.
My wife got the Bahn mi and egg rolls and I got the Bo né platter with steak and eggs. I also saw they had wings on the menu and decided on those as well even though they said it would be a 20 – 30 min wait on those. I figured it wouldn’t be a problem since we’d be too preoccupied with the other food.
My wife thought the Bahn mi was pretty good but wouldn’t get it again.
We both LOVED the egg rolls and thought they were the best we’ve ever had!
My bo me platter was delicious. The steak was juicy and tender and the bread and side salad was a nice touch.
The wings came out right on time and were awesome! The sauce they used had a honey peanut savory quality to it and was perfectly cooked and not dry at all.
On top of that the customer service was top notch so overall I would highly recommend this place!

The service and food are very good! Also the location is great and clean!!! The kimchi fries are very good, Vietnamese egg rolls delicious

First off, I eat a lot of viet food (I’m dating a viet and surrounded by viet friends) and have eaten up and down in Bellaire. I can definitely judge accordingly.
Food:
With that being said, I have only tried the banh mi here, both the beef and bbq pork.
It was nothing amazing, the bread wasn’t warm or soft, the meat was cold, and the butter/​spread was non existent. Taste was bland overall.
I can’t judge for the other entrees just yet, but how much better can it be if you can’t even put out a decent banh mi?
Service:
They are a new restaurant and may not be used to the amount of people that were inside or might be short staffed. Excuses aside, I came in with a group of 6 and we all ordered to-​go. The manager informed us we would have to wait about 20 – 30 minutes for our food. Mind you, the small dining room wasn’t even filled. We wanted to try this place out, so we waited. Food came out about the right time quote he gave us.
For spending that amount of time in preparing our food to-​go, I would expect a better turnout on quality and taste. Also, my friend who ordered vermicelli that was supposed to come with an egg roll, didn’t. Hey now, that eggroll makes a difference lol !
Yes, they just opened but it doesn’t seem like a bright future.

The restaurant itself is new and clean, the décor is interesting too. The service was great and so was the food.
I had the bo né (think Vietnamese steak and eggs with bread and salad) while my wife got their phở. Their phở was good but their bo né was even better. Not too many Vietnamese places have bo né and even when they do, the beef may be too chewy. But the bo né at Viet Soul is pretty darn good. I also had their café sua da which was also good.
I am glad there is a new Vietnamese restaurant nearby with good bo né.

I knew this was going to be a «keeper» as soon as I walked in. The restaurant was busy, clean and smelled delicious.
I ordered phở with rib eye steak and it was perfect. The broth was the most delicious I’ve ever tasted and the steak was tender and cooked perfectly medium rare.
The service was great and prices were good. We’ll definitely be going back.
It’s unfortunate that they have poor reviews but if you read them you’ll notice they were posted very near their initial opening, which in my opinion is unfair since of course they are going to have kinks to work out. Give them a try… I thought it was delicious!

Amazing phở! Broth was so tasty I almost didn’t want to add sauces to it. Well done beef is a good pick. The small bowl is huge! Would be perfect for when you’re sick to clear out the sinuses.
Extensive menu of bahn mi, bowls and appetizers. I will be back!

Excellent food! One of the best phở broths I’ve ever had, with just the right amount of super tender, quality meats. The hubster’s sandwich was crunchy and flavorful. Great ice tea, too!
Those who left bad reviews obviously have never lived through the grand opening of a restaurant. It roasts my chestnuts to see one-​star reviews based on grand opening service or room temperature. Those are minor kinks to work out and I’m sure they will. The servers we met were bright, energetic and very attentive. And — let me repeat — the food is excellent. We will become regulars, for sure.
Note– they are not yet staffed for phone-​in takeout. The owner recommended we stop in, place an order, run a few errands then come back to pick up. Fair enough. I respect a place that knows it’s limitations.

To start out, I eat Phở at minimum once a week and some weeks twice. I also make my own homemade Phở which is quite tasty. I’ve been eating Phở for about 18 years, long before it was the cool thing it is today.
The general consensus from close neighbors is that Viet Soul was not good at all so I had to stop in to objectively review it for myself, keeping in mind they just opened and are still working out the kinks. I also spent 12+ years in the restaurant industry so I know what they’re going through. Below is my assessment, suggestions, and opinions.
The restaurant itself is new and fairly clean, it smells clean. There was a random towel on the floor near the front door and some crumbs on seats but overall it was acceptable. They have 14 tables I counted and can seat somewhere around 75 – 90 people at full capacity. The interior is designed to look somewhat industrial which isn’t really what I’d expect and it doesn’t resemble anything about the name of the restaurant.
Restaurant 101, you don’t accept applications during lunch rush or dinner rush. Two tables were taken up by aspiring future employees in the middle of the lunch rush, I offered my extra seats to incoming customers and so did another guy at a different table. Management should ask for applicants to come back during the rushes. Because of this I saw two sets of people walk out, I guess I looked scary to them.
The employees need shirts or similar uniforms, easy fix.
On to the food… I ordered the Vietnamese Fried Eggrolls and the Phở Tai small bowl. The eggrolls are indeed soggy, I’ve heard this from numerous other people. The reason is they are made with rice paper wrapping which doesn’t crisp up like eggrolls we’re all used to eating. The filling was good but could use a little more seasoning. The idea of rice paper wrapping is novel but it falls flat in my opinion, a fried egg roll should be crispy and it wasn’t. The Phở was sub par, the broth was not distinctly beef, I kept tasting chicken broth as well and the color was not the normal brown you expect to see with a beef Phở. The broth lacked salt, lemon grass, and fish oil… quite possibly the worst broth I’ve ever tasted. For that reason alone I could give one star on this review. The portion of beef in the bowl was very small, I’d guesstimate it to be about 2oz of meat. There was no cilantro in the bowl or on the side plate. To top it off there were no Phở spoons so I had to use a regular spoon, this just shows lack of readiness and attention to detail.
The service was pretty good given the situation, they did have about 6 – 7 employees in the front room and a few more in the kitchen. My suggestion is to have someone at the front door greeting the guests and helping them to a table, provide them with menus, and get drink orders. This will help out the servers a ton. The food came out in a reasonable amount of time for a lunch rush.
I want to see them succeed, obviously I have money to spend there every week if they can get it right. The service, uniforms, and spoons will come as they work out the kinks but the quality of the food, seasoning, and portions need to be addressed before I’ll ever become a regular. I’ll revisit the restaurant in mid January and hope that things have improved, at that time I’ll revise my review with any updates.