Pho Anh Dao Bistro

3.5 stars
I can definitely taste the difference between MSG and no MSG. I am proud to say that I like MSG better. I like the flavorful rich beef broth. This one was a little diluted and had a taste of ginger. Something I am really not used to.
Service was superb. Menu was presented to us promptly after we were seated. They did one round of «is everything OK?», which was enough.
The food did take a little long to come out though. Noodles were a little overcooked and was already cooked because they all stuck together when it got to the table… kind of like when you order take out phở and bring it home. Meat was scarce.
Kudos to healthier eating but it just isn’t for me.

I’m giving them 2 stars because they had excellent service for being small and being friendly during the lunch hour. I didn’t order phở, but had their gi cun chay and bánh bt chiên trng (veggy spring roll and Pan fried flour cake with egg). They’re both simple items to make hence why I ordered. Both items were poorly seasoned and presented, thus lacking in stars.
I think the owner can tell I was unhappy (almost shocked) with my food, so she was nice enough to send me off with a dessert flan on the house which I thanked her for. I came here because I looked for the nearest open restaurant to where I was since I was on foot and starving. This will probably be my last visit unless they step up their «seasoning game.»

Do not go to this place please avoid.
So one we found out that all the reviews are done from the employees and none of the reviews are actually real.
They serve raw food including pork. The food portions are not what u expect. The quality is horrible.
We will never return to this place. So many more friendly and way more authentic than this places.
And when we complained about the raw food and the bad quality the manager argued with us and told us we are wrong and we dont know Vietnamese food.
But we do because we go to those types of restaurants all the time.
Please avoid this place. U will get sick and we are also contacting the health department.
Avoid this place.

4 stars because my son said. Otherwise, it would have been a 3 stars. First of all for the pice of $ 8.95 grilled pork with broken rice, I would expect a decent amount of food. I am not a big eater. This is the first time I still feel hungry after eating at a restaurant. Seriously. The broken rice is too smooshy. The portion of the pork is just took small and a bit too salty. The phở that my son had is decent as he said bu I notice there is hardly any meat in it. He did not complain but for the price, not thrilled. I would go somewhere else next time.

+1 star for being the only phở restaurant open on Chinese New Year Eve!
That being the case, it was about the only thing this place got going for it.
Pros:
— No MSG added
— Noticeably healthier tasting
Cons:
— Noticeably healthier tasting
I got a typical large rare steak and brisket phở. The sad thing about this is, I’m sure places like Phở Hoa gives more meat in their regular bowl than they did in their large. I was fishing trying to find little piece of meat in there, and for around $ 9, you would expect there to be more. The flavor of the broth was very bland, which made it borderline actual phở for me. The noodles were cooked well done so they started to be mushy rather than the chewy noodles you normally experience.
If you have some huge cravings for phở during Chinese New Year’s though, this place is open!

3.5
This is conveniently located next to one of my fave coffee shops. The idea of No MSG in Vietnamese food is very appealing. We were hesitant at first, but the thought of healthier food choices is good enough to try.
The fried egg roll was delicious. I didn’t need to dip it in the fish sauce.
I got number 1, large. The broth was okay, but then again I’ve been drowned in MSG so many times that my pallet is not used to this concept. It was good enough that I didn’t crave too much water, which I normally do when I eat phở. Good sign?
The only thing is that I didn’t get enough meat. For being a large, I felt like it was missing that bulk.
My fiancé ordered a rice plate. We substituted it with a fried rice, which was good. His meat plate came with an egg roll, pork, and chicken.
As for the service, we were greeted and checked on many times. We came around 7pm. The place is clean. It’s small with an ally seating towards the back.
Menu consists of vegetarian selections, too. It also looks like they have some good looking desserts.
This is worth a try if you want to venture outside of the MSG doused phở.

I decided to come her for the first time ever in 4 years of living in the area. The place is nice. The table is clean. Things are clean.
Cons:
Order egg rolls and phở extra meat. The broth tasted so watered down that I had to drench it in hoisin and siracha. The egg rolls tasted frozen. As in cooked than recooked.
Overall just because of the food I gave it a 1 star. Service was good. But the food is the breaker for and more stars. They really need a new cook.
Keep in mind I’m rating the food I ordered. They have more dishes that could be much better.

Honestly, I’m kind of shocked reading the recent reviews because in my opinion I thought my experience at this Vietnamese restaurant was superb!
Service:
I came in with a group of friends when the restaurant had just opened on a Friday morning. When we entered, we were greeted and seated right away. Most Asian restaurants I have been to have rude service, but that was not the case for this restaurant. The staff was attentive, friendly, and patient. I received my food within a reasonable amount of time showcasing that the food was prepared fresh.
Food:
I’ll admit, I don’t know a whole lot about Vietnamese food, but I can definitely distinguish between excellent quality Vietnamese food and subpar Vietnamese food. I ordered the Hanoi Chicken Vermicelli Soup (Bun Thang) for $ 9.95. My friends got the Rare Steak Rice Noodle Soup (Phở Tai) for $ 7.95. The amount of noodles and chicken was just perfect. Just by looking at the broth I could tell that no MSG was used. (it even says so on the sign posted in front of the restaurant) Normally I wouldn’t drink the broth because of the MSG, but since there was no MSG, I consumed every last drop. It was so delicious and definitely hit the spot on that chilly morning.
Price:
The fact that their menu items contain no MSG explains why the prices may be a bit more pricier than other Vietnamese restaurants. It’s basically paying a little extra to receive a healthier and equally as delicious bowl of phở. It’s similar to buying a salad, as opposed to a hamburger. The healthier option is always more expensive. I would personally choose the healthier option for a higher price. And honestly, the price isn’t even that much more compared to other Vietnamese restaurants that contain MSG in their menu items.
Environment:
When I entered the restaurant with my friends, I noticed that the tables were extremely clean and the décor was festive for the holiday spirit! I was super impressed with the restroom because it was spotless.
I’d definitely come back here again!

TERRIBLE.
Phở Anh Dao Bistro advertises that they do not put MSG in their food, but wow. Perhaps they should entertain the idea to start using MSG unless they want to go out of business.
I basically had a bowl of hot water and noodles for lunch. There was barely any meat, so when I did manage to find a piece, it was like finding water in the desert.
The worst part is that each bowl comes out to $ 9. Nine dollars for the worst phở in the world… that is illegal.
I’d rather eat at Phở Minh twice a day for a week than ever come back here.

Highly disappointing experience. I ordered the beef stew, rare steak phở and spring rolls, all to go. I originally wanted to get the kids phở to go but for some reason, that was not available to go.
After I paid, I noticed the 75 cent per item surcharge on to go items. Crap.
I still held out high hopes, the pictures of the food looked good. I prepared the phở for the kids and they dug in.
The beef stew was another story. It tasted sour. And I couldn’t find the meat! When I finally found a miniscule piece, it had these weird mushy texture.
Ok, I thought, the beef stew sucks. Maybe the spring roll will be good. Nope. The ends were left open and it just looked an uncircumcised piece of male anatomy. There was one lone shrimp, sliced in half, one on each end. The pork looked gray and drab. But I dipped it in the peanut sauce anyway, hoping to be proven wrong. I tasted blandness. There was nothing there, no flavor!
I didnt try the phở as I was so disappointed by my dinner. I ended up throwing it all away.

I had high hopes that a restaurant that was wise enough to blatantly advertise «no msg» would carry that enlightenment through the rest of their menu with good ingredients, good portions and fair price.
Dead wrong
I got the «beef stew». There were four ½″ cubes (literally) of beef, two more of pure fat. The broth was tasteless, the noodles were relatively ok. I had to quit eating after one of the cubes of beef tasted very «off» and killed my appetite… I hope I don’t pay a gastrointestinal price for taking a bite of questionable meat.
Also had the spring roll. The lettuce was crisp, but that’s almost all there was and flavor was flat.
I know the taste difference that msg makes, and it is readily compensated with a little attention to good ingredients and seasoning.
Oh, and there was a 75 cents PER ITEM surcharge for take out… bad idea.
Overall, it’s a massive fail.
Sorry, I really really hoped to have a new phở shop, but I will NOT be back to this incarnation.

Took a chance in eating here considering it’s not a very well liked business on Unilocal.A hungry belly takes no prisoners. So we went in!
It’s a very clean place. Nice warm décor. Easy parking. Next door to Bed Bath and Beyond.
I ordered for myself the Grilled Pork with Broken Rice. I lucked out. It was very good! Adam and Vu liked theirs as well with a few paranoid observations. Lol!
The problem is very evident why this is a three star review instead of four! The young server was behaving like she didn’t give a hoot about her job, us or anything else!
I was young once and I wasn’t rude, angry or dead inside. This attitude made me and my company swear off this place.
I’d rather eat peanuts from Safeway than eat here again.
#rudegirl#dontyouneed#money#foryourmakeup?

I came here with my family. The chicken phở I order tasted great… The noodle texture was perfect, and the broth didn’t make me thirsty, which tells me no msg was added. The egg roll and chicken satay were ok. But I really came here for the phở with no msg and I came out a happy customer.
And the price was good… $ 8 for small and $ 9 for large phở.

I came here a couple of days ago for a desperate food stop (I hadn’t eaten that day and it was nearing 3pm — I was as getting hangry). The interior/​exterior isn’t something so fancy but just typical Vietnamese restaurant style.
The food was actually pretty decent. I got the pad Thai, a standard dish, and thought it was alright. They have peanuts to the side; adding them made the food better :) add some lime and sriracha and it it was much better. I appreciate the No MSG policy and I think they stick by it. I didn’t get sleepy or tired at all after eating it.
But anyways lowered reviews are for:
1) PRICE — it was $ 15 for PadThai which I deem expensive for the amount and quality they give (I mean you could’ve given me a little more chicken…);
2) SERVICE — the servers were nice and food came out fast but so did the check… I don’t like being rushed when I’m eating nor do I like being bothered every 5mins when there are only 4 people in the restaurant. Let me eat my food in peace.

Went in for a quick bite to eat.
Oh my goodness. This is the most expensive phở place for such average taste.
It was at least $ 9-​$ 10 for a bowl of phở. I had the pork rice dish… It was just enough but I paid $ 11 dollars for a small cup of rice and mediocre pieces of meat…
The bathrooms were janky and grimy and the lady looked so mad to see CUSTOMERS coming in… Really?

Yes, it’s expensive by phở standards, and the menu offerings are skimpy. Also, the service is overly attentive: why have every mouthful interrupted by yet another staff family member coming by to ask if everything is OK? It’s not like they’d have been hard to find if there’d been a problem.
But the broth is extremely tasty, the noodles and add-​ins really good and well-​flavored, and the tendon, which I had in my phở, is raw-​cut and in small pieces, which is the best. Not unsatisfied here.

Oh my god. My dad had a craving for Phở and decided that we HAD to get Phở tonight. He decided to try Phở Anh Dao since we’ve never been here before. I decided to Unilocal this place when we pulled into the parking lot and thought Oh man, two and a half? Well okay, let’s give it a shot anyway. I held back from reading the reviews because I wanted to see for myself.
When our bowls of phở arrived I realized why. I almost started laughing. We were basically paying $ 8-​$ 10 for rice noodles in broth. If you’re going to charge this much for a bowl of phở, it better be worth that amount. Unfortunately, it was not. Not even close. There was barely any meat at all. Maybe a few skimpy pieces of rare steak which was NOT even good. Not to mention the slices which were cut into horrendous and ugly shaped rectangles (I don’t normally comment on presentation of food but this was so unpleasing to look at I just had to talk about it). There were also a few cubes of tendon which were okay but come on, who CUBES tendon? My aunt got the seafood phở and this bowl in particular was really a joke. I don’t think 2 fish balls, 3 pieces of imitation crab, and 1 measly shrimp counts as seafood… Avoid at all costs.
The reason why I decided not to give this place one star is that yes, they do not add MSG to the broth. While eating my bowl, I didn’t feel overly thirsty and after returning home for about two hours, I haven’t felt the need to chug down a bottle of water. So this is a nice plus. That being said, the broth itself is nothing special and the fact that it didn’t have MSG can’t cover for everything else that the phở was lacking.

Tried out Phở Anh Dao Bistro for dinner the other day. It’s next to Bed, Bath, Beyond.
We got a few things:
Fresh spring rolls — tasted ok, nothing special. Wrapper a bit dry, but rest was fine. Peanut sauce was average.
grilled porkchop w/​broken rice — just a few thin slices of pork chop, tasted a bit sweet, rice was ok, nothing special. Fish sauce given separately was fine.
crispy noodle w/​chicken — B. got this dish & said the sauce was too sweet, he ate most of it though.
We ate our food, but have no plans to return.

Some co-​workers and I stopped by here the other day on a whim after our «Plan A» fell through. We did Unilocal it ahead of time and we noticed there were very mixed reviews of the place, but we’re an adventurous lot and decided to give it a go. We all ordered the Phở and, after much discussion, all had pretty much the same experience. I believe that would qualify this as a «Super Review» as you’ll be getting 3 opinions in one stellar review; one of which is a 100%-authentic Vietnamese dude! Here is our combined report on the Phở:
Condiments– They have a pretty nice selection of condiments at your table for adding into your Phở; including low-​sodium Soy Sauce. I feel a nice selection of condiments is essential to enjoying your Phở. 3.5*
Broth– I think we all agreed that this was one of the best tasting broths that any of us have ever tried and that’s saying something because we’ve all eaten a lot of Phở over the years. Our working theory is because they use no MSG they have to use more actual beef to flavor the broth and that creates a more natural and tasty soup. 5*
Noodles– I didn’t get any because I’m doing the whole Paleo-​diet thing, but my two cohorts agreed that they were pretty standard; nothing great, but nothing terrible either. 3*
Meat– I think Clara Peeler said it best when she stated: «Where’s the beef?» No, seriously. Where the %#@!% is it? Considering that they’re charging a premium ($ 9 for a regular & $ 10 for a large) for their Phở I would’ve expected a copious serving of bovine in my soup. I also paid an extra $ 1.50 for some beef balls and I swear it seems like they took one beef ball and cut it up into 8 different pieces. It reminds me of the old Roach Coaches when they’d fold up one slice of bacon 8 times to make it appear like there was more than one slice. We all felt totally gypped on the beef. 1*
Service– I don’t usually mention service unless it’s really great or particularly bad. Unfortunately, this is a case of the latter. The server was bored, disengaged and not very friendly. I don’t know if she was having a bad day, or what. She paid us exactly two visit: one to take our order and one to drop off the food. Minimal effort on her part resulted in a minimal effort on my part to reach into my wallet and leave her a tip. 1*
Price– Like I stated before they charge a premium price for their Phở and while the broth is superior everything else is not. The value factor for this place is way low. 2*
I don’t think any of us will ever visit this place again. There are way too many other Phở spots not too far away that I’d much rather frequent. I would normally never review a place after one visit, but there’s no way I’m coming back.

I was Browsing at Harbor Freight Tools and I wanted some Phở. So I rolled to Phở Anh Dao. They Claim to not use any MSG in their Phở. As I am not a Fan of MSG this was a Positive for me.
I was Greeted and Seated. I perused the Menu and Ordered a Large Bowl of Phở with Thin Flank Steak, Tendons, Tripe, Shrimp and Pork Meat Balls.
The Place was pretty Clean a tastefully Decorated .
My Phở arrived 10 minutes later. It was indeed a big Bowl of Phở. I added a little Plum sauce and it was good to go.
They have a frequent Phở Card for regular visitors. After so many visits you get a free Bowl of Phở.
I paid by Discover card and rolled out.