Pho Bay Restaurant

Phở Bay — Authentic Vietnamese Restaurant ???
More like Faux Bay!!! (wow, the common mispronunciation of phở actually came in handy)
This is NOT a Vietnamese Restaurant despite being labeled so. It was quite disappointing to drive out of our way only to find this out. The restaurant is clearly Korean influenced. The only Vietnamese word on the menu was the word «Phở» on the front of the menu.
The restaurant was bright and clean. There were a few customers in the restaurant. Phở Bay sits at the end of a strip of mostly Korean businesses.
Service was quick and friendly. At times we didn’t think the server understood what we were asking, but that’s not a big deal. We did ask him if there was phở on the menu. It took a couple tries, but he finally pointed to the «beef noodle soup» section.
The phở tasted like it was from a box. Not a surprise since phở didn’t seem to be the highlight of a massive menu. Never order phở unless unless you’re in a phở restaurant! The sliced beef was overly processed and probably frozen at some point. The phở did come accompanied by a generous portion of the usual garnishing (bean sprouts, lime)…and also a small bowl of clear broth and pickled cabbage that was similar to kim chi! Bad phở can always be doctored with hoisin sauce, which was on the table. However, the hoisin sauce was watered down with vinegar and something else… which actually makes it a dipping sauce and not hoisin. I gave up on the phở at that point.
The other dishes ordered were ok. They weren’t Vietnamese, which probably made them safer options. Sorry, I can’t remember them at this time.
Overall, Phở Bay is good enough if you want cheap quick ethnic food. Just don’t expect Vietnamese food.
Lesson learned: don’t chase down a restaurant just because it’s in the Entertainment Book!