Pho 79

Recommends

gingernguyen

Joined 2 years ago

Good Pho!. This was my first time eating here and I would say it is very good. My ONLY problem was the fact that (like many others) the restroom was nasty.. it was almost a deal breaker. When I got back to my table my order was wrong, I ordered Pho with beef, pretty simple.. well, let's just say mine was a little different :) After finally getting my correct order, I found the food good (the broth was just ok) the portions ok and the people friendly. I am glad I went so I could check this place off my list.. overall, not bad.

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Hungry Polar Bear

Joined 3 years ago

Great food, bad service, and daggers eyes at this white boy:. My Vietnamese lady takes me to Pho 79 all the time. The staff ignores us, women at the counter hate Oliver Stone, and I always have to track down our server for the check. BUT, the food is GREAT. I mean NOM NOM GREAT! Our logic is that tasty food makes up for dodgy service, and they are probably annoyed by always being busy. Also, I think they take issue with interracial dating, I could be wrong, but when I share a laugh with my lovely, and I happen to glance at the hostesses, those dagger eyes stab me deep. Oh well, my lady loves big goofy white boys, and I fear the Vietnamese wrath, YIKES!!! Pho 79 rules!!!

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Southeast Asia's twist on fast food: quick, customized noodle dishes.. In Short
At peak times, the comfortable, homespun space bustles with contented soup slurpers. The Vietnamese menu is basically fast food without the frying: rice or egg noodles and individualized trimmings--thin beef slices, meatballs, shrimp, tripe--added raw to the hot, clear broth, which cooks them. Besides soups, the menu features charbroiled pork and beef dishes, as well as egg and spring rolls--from rice paper rolls filled with shrimp, veggies and pork to noodle-like "rice rolls."

Doesn't Recommend

lichee1123

Joined 5 years ago

Rudest waitstaff in Alhambra, arbitrary closing times. Used to go here frequently because it was the only good pho place in town, but couldn't stand the attitudes of the servers, who act like customers are a bother, especially the woman who is always too busy counting her dollar bills at the cash register to look up and greet anyone or acknowledge customers. They supposedly are open until 9:00pm but there have been many an occasion that I've come at 8:30pm and have been turned away, the rude waiter saying that the kitchen was closed already. They act like they don't need their customers, even though the customers are the ones they should be catering to. I had about had enough of their bad attitude, that I decided to boycott their restaurant, and was so glad to find Golden Deli, which is just down the street on Main Street, and the food is so much better than Pho 79, especially the golden eggrolls, and the owners are much more pleasant and the restaurant is much more cozy. I'll never go back to Pho 79 agian!!!

Doesn't Recommend

955df

Joined 6 years ago

Food is OK. Service is horrible. I agree with reviewer bay20. I noticed the tip of the waiter's thumb dip into the broth of the beef noddle soup. The question I have that upsets me the most is why they don't place hot bowls of soup on top of plates or saucers so the waiter doesn't have to dunk his thumb in the soup. Just hold the plates, instead of the bowls. Sinking your thumb into the soup is quite disgusting and barbaric.

There were about 3 times that I ordered some sandwitches to go, and I specifically told the waiter that I wanted the vegetables on the side, not inside the sandwiches because I want to freeze the sandwitches and I don't want the vegetables to be ruined. The waiter said "Yes!", then they didn't do it at all. Vegetables inside the sandwitches again, every time. The owner and staff don't seem to care about the customers at all. After they bring you the food, they just leave and never come back to check on you to see if you need anything. If you do need anything, good luck catching their attention. Sometimes they see you waving from the other corner of the room and just keep ignorning you. The only waitress in that place I find polite and helpful is a young woman working there on the late afternoon/evening shift. She's always nice and makes conversation with the customers sometimes, and brings them what they need. Other staff members seem like they hate their jobs so much.

Now you must wonder why I keep coming back while the service is that terrible? I must say I sometimes crave for Vietnamese food, and I really don't have a lot of choices around where I live (about 6 miles away from that restaurant.)

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bchk1031

Joined 7 years ago

Best Vietnamese Pho, Pho 79. I have been to this place for the past probably 6 years, it is the best one I have been to. The style has changed slightly since, but overall I like going there for lunch.

I think it's Soup based noodle bowls are ones that top the menu. The soup is the best out of many of the vietnamese pho's I have been to. The one thing you should notice is the aroma of the soup that is really strong even before you walk into the place. The other dish that I like is the mushroom and ground pork vermicelli rolls. They are something. The spring rolls are also good and come with some of the non-soup based bowls of Vermicelli Bowls.

The things to notice your clothes being the smell of the place, and it will probably not smell too good the next day. The service is to get your meal to your table and leave you in peace. If you want something you should raise your hand and maybe even gesticulate what you want. I love going here every now and then.

Doesn't Recommend

bay20

Joined 7 years ago

Disgusting Eating Experience. We spotted Pho 79 from the street and seeing that the restaurant was crowded, we decided to give it a try. There were four of us and we all ordered Pho with different meats in it. However, we were somewhat turned off by wait staff and soup that was way too oily. Our waiter delivered one of my friends order which came last with his thumb dunked inside the soup. And I must say that tip of his fingernails were black and hands looked very greasy. We were so shocked that we all stopped eating. We didnt know weather to notify the owner and make a big fuss out of it or just accept it and never come back. Had we chosen the former, who is it to say that he wont bring back the same defiled bowl of soup or new soup with malicious mischief. We chose the latter and just left, vowing never to come back. Besides, the soup was way too oily. Ive had so much better and much cleaner Pho here in LA and Orange County. This was by far the most disgusting and unfriendly experience Ive ever had.

Only good thing about this place is that prices are very good.

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zamboni071

Joined 11 years ago

Good Soup. I love going to this place for a big bowl of Vietnamese noodle soup place on rainy days.

It's as authentic as it gets and a great bargain. I recommend the sliced beef noodle soup (for you meat eaters). It is served raw but the broth is sooo piping hot that it cooks within a couple of minutes. Just make sure that you order everything you think you'll need at the time you place the order because you won't be seeing your waiter again. Service is not the best... but the place is clean and the soup is good enough to keep coming back for.

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intlfoods

Joined 9 years ago

Delicious!. Been coming here (dating back to the mid 80s) since they were originally on the corner of east Main/Garfield.

Pho? 79 was the original and they?ve came a long way. Their soups are phenomenal and the menu is extensive; ranging from a wide variety of appetizer rolls to BBQ rice dishes and porridges, and eventually to the Pho? ? oh, did I mention the desserts too?

The only two major things that I saw different over the years were:

1) price increase - new locale maybe?

2) servers tend to be puzzled and overlooked due to large influx of customers in rush hour.

The quality of food hardly changed despite a couple of (one or two) unprofessional staff. I used to rate this place highly. What's more; the usual "spaced out" women behind the counter which develops a habit of asking "what number is your table? when you go to pay?I have no frickin' idea lady! It's a great place to enjoy a great bowl of noodle soup, but don't expect any more than that. Unfortunately, you will get this in any Vietnamese restaurants and that's just the way it is and will always be.

Go for the food and nothing else!

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wildswede

Joined 10 years ago

Yum Yum Pho. I have been eating at Pho 79 for the past 3 years and have become addicted to the soup. I am not so interested in the tripe, but I always order the Pho with the rare beef. I also consistently order the Spring Rolls which are also delish. Be ready to flag down the servers as they rush past you, as this is not the type of place where they stop by your table to see how you are doing or if you need anything. If you are interested in trying Vietnamese food, Pho 79 is the way to go.