Mama Pho

They have a small menu featuring a phở, salad, banh mi sandwiches. There is a vegetarian option and that is tofu and mushroom. The only reason this place got a 4 star instead of 5 is because tofu and mushroom add on in phở is super super greasy. It makes the phở noodle soup filled with yellow grease in the broth and if you add the oyster sauce it just becomes salt in a bowl.
Other than that, the servers are really nice. It is more a take out place but dine in options are available.

Viet food is a scarcity in Williamsburg, so there are not a lot of options to begin with. Mama Phở is good for those days you are cold/​hungover/​not in the mood for Chinese food. The prices per dish are about $ 1-​$ 2 more than what you would find in Sunset Park or Chinatown, which isn’t too bad, given the premium real estate costs here. The phở is fairly good, appetizers are a good add-​on but not essential, and grilled chicken bun tastes ok but a tad on the dry side and can use a boost in portion size. All in all, an A-​OK place for a casual but not hole-​in-​the-​wall meal.

Since my last visit, this place has made some good changes 1^st off the customer service has truly changed. The young lady that took our order was super friendly and checked on us frequently. When the young lady was busy a gentleman took are dishes and asked us if we needed anything else. We had the shrimp dumplings which I have to say were incredible. I also ordered the chicken Bann mi which I can report happily that the flavor was good. I will need to visit this place one more time before I can give it 5 stars so far I see a big change.

This place was good before I found out about the service. Extremely rude and the order took well over two hours. They even forgot my address and went to the wrong apt. I’ve never waited this long for a wrong order and the owners didn’t even try to make it right.

I love this place every time I go. All of the items are generally tasty and portions are good. This is my first review on Unilocal and Mama Phở is well worth a trip.
The bahn mis have plenty of delicious stuff inside, the phở is served in nice sized bowls piping hot. The cherry on top are the sauces that are on every table. I put the garlic chili and hoisin sauce on all of their dishes.

PHO is disgusting and so is the service. Th guy with the glasses is very rude and gave me attitude for just asking a simple question? He knows nothing about service like who gives water in a dirty glass and gets a attitude about it? Also i heard the guy talk crap in CHINESE not VIETNAMESE about the couple with the little kid in front of me to someone i think is the head cook that smelled like liquour by the way and also say something rude about me that i wish to not repeat out of disgust. The worst miserable rude server and counter person i have yet to encounter in my life. Why you yelling at your customers like they are beneath you? Don’t blame your customers because your life is miserable? I also peaked into the back out of curiosity and benefit of the doubt that they were clean but it was soooo dirty back there like they never clean or something, I saw some indian guy pour a very very large bucket of what i know is MSG into the PHO stock which is outrageous and cheap which explains the taste!!! The meat tastes a week old and microwaved and freezer burnt. If i was the owner i would fire the guy in the front cause he is hurting your business and losing your customers. Yes i told the couple what you said also you racist ass!!! Overall I would go back to give it a second try but i will not be going back there because of the ass in the front. Maybe if hes not there ill try it again since who can be worse than him, right? If my boyfriend sees the guy with glasses outside he will have a little talk about his manners on how to treat women and children!!! I hope the and the owners read this cause the place has some potential to be a low key summer roll spot which was the only thing that was decent.

Ordered the crispy catfish which was very tasty but as you can see there are barely any catfish pieces. I’m quite disappointed at the serving size

Plus points: It’s the only phở place in this neighbourhood. Great tea.
Minus points: (I’ve only gotten delivery.) The broth is inconsistent ranging from awesome to just ok. The portion of meat is sub-​par. Barely any brisket and you’re lucky if you get a quarter of a beef ball.
Overall, it’s not worth the $ 9 but if you are craving Phở and want to play Phở Russian roulette, it’s a fix.

Came here today for phở, cause I am fighting a cold. Wow this was EXACTLY what I needed. The phở was delicious!!!

Wow… Really great food at a super price! Mama’s is definitely no frills. You order at the back register and the food is brought to your table.
The space is small but gives a more spacious feeling. It has a counter & chairs on one side. The other side consists of wooden tables with one bench spanning the length of the wall. The acoustics are phenomenal. There is no noise pollution or loud music to spoil the food experience.
The menu is awesome. There is a choice not jut for everyone, but also for every season. My kids wanted Phở for my Grandson who had a cough & stuffy nose. But the weather was a little warm for me to order soup, regardless of how tasty.
It’s wasn’t easy to narrow down the menu choices to one. I settled for the Classic sandwich, which included a number of different pork sampling along with a generous amount of sweet shredded carrots & cucumbers. The roll was really good but would have been better with a less thick crust around the sides. The ingredients should be the main focus.
It was my first experience with Thai iced tea, which is amazing. I am sipping «to go» seconds even as I type.
There was one problem. The restaurant had absolutely no knives. That’s a problem with a 2 ½ year old who wants to eat his own Phở. Mom must pre-​cut the noodles.
The restaurant was clean, well lit & staffed for efficiency. The clientele was classic Williamsburg.

Great spot. Good food and very inexpensive for the neighborhood.
Just an FYI– catching the guy at the register in a bad mood will result in a statement like this–
Me: Two Bubble tea please.
Him: No Bubble Tea.
Me: Ran out?
Him: No, I just don’t want to make it.
Me: wtf?!

Went here late night last week. There was a line and there was a wait. I could tell that they had a lot of take out orders also. My sister, her boyfriend and I all ordered the classic Bahn Mi while my other sister and her husband ordered the ribeye Phở. The food was yummy. No complaints. A-​OK.

I have ordered here a few times. I really like the phở banh mi which is tangy and spicy and everything delicious.
Their service sometimes isn’t that great though. The guy tonight was super courteous to other patrons but wasn’t very nice to me just because I asked how long my order would take.
Come here for the food, which is 4 star good (worthy of repeats), but let’s take off a star for the ‘tude.

I’m not really a picky eater when it comes to most foods so when I tried this place (and I really have been looking for a phở place for a while, I don’t live near any) I was pretty satisfied. The phở was good and not too too salty either. The price was fair but the portion could have been just a LITTTLE bit bigger.
The space is cute and the table seating is kinda like a communal table type thing. You can seat up to 4 at a table, but if it’s only two people you will most likely have to share the other side with another pair of folks.
Service was fast and this place is popping so I will probably come back.

The food was awesome! Laid back environment, order at the front and take a seat and they serve it to you after. Very nice people. Could’ve used more items on the menu, like deep fried spring rolls, but what the had tasted good! Boyfriend got the Ribeye Phở and I got the Classic Banh Mi.
The Phở had a great need broth as others had said, but missing the option of adding tendon and tripe like other Phở places have as their «special». Noodles have a great texture to them. Boyfriend even ate the meatballs and he usually doesn’t. Didn’t even leave me a bite! Would also be nice if they had a larger size available.
The Banh Mi was sooooo good. The baguette had such a nice crisp to it, and the carrot slaw was a great balance to the variety pork on the sandwich. Even though it looked small, it was totally filling. Loved every bite.

Our Sacred Quest™ for the perfect bowl of phở in Gotham brought my wife and me to Mama Phở on Grand St. The menu here is limited — just rolls, salads, banh mi, and phở. Since we were on a holy mission (the aforementioned Quest), we ordered the obvious signature items — the Classic Banh Mi and Ribeye Phở.
Sadly, the Banh Mi was forgettable. While the bread was quite good, the pickled veggies had very little of that fresh vinegary/​sweet bite you expect in a good banh mi, and the meats just lacked… punch. It was an ominous beginning to our meal. Thankfully, Mama Phở’s phở was a step up.
You can tell the owners take their phở seriously. A sign posted on the register unapologetically explains that every bowl of phở, regardless of protein choice, uses a beef broth base. This is authentic Vietnamese soup — not some lash-​up tailored to every palate. They also make their own beef broth — no stock from a can here — which you can tell with every spoonful. The meat and noodles are good with a generous helping of both and as much hoisin and sriracha as you can handle. All in all, this is a solid bowl of phở and I’d recommend it.

Yaaaaaaaaas Mama Phở yaaaaas
Have only ordered delivery from them and have loved the food. The minimum for delivery is a bit high, so I find myself forced to order more than I want. In the process I’ve discovered that the chicken salad is delicious and makes for great leftovers.
The ribeye phở, however, the the main attraction. It comes in separate containers, with meat, noodles and veggies in a styrofoam box and the broth in a plastic cylinder. I get to play with my food and customize it before slurping up all the delicious phở. I brought the leftovers to work the next day and the heavenly scent wafted through the hallways, leading to a plethora of «Where’d you get that“s. The broth has some healing properties, I swear.
Whenever I’m near NYU campus and a friend suggests Saigon Shack, I get a little bummed out, cause like why bother? It’s not Mama Phở.

Mama Phở has a mix of traditional and Americanized Vietnamese phở/​sandwiches which makes this place a good find in a growing neighborhood.
They have decent seating areas and a friendly staff. The menu is a bit overpriced, but it’s the only viet place around so it’s worth if a try if you’re around.

Went on a Sunday around ~4:45 PM. It was half full & we found a spot at a large table easily. Ordered two chicken phở and an order of summer rolls.
The phở came after about ten minutes. The broth is good– very flavorful– and I liked that the chicken was comprised of dark meat. It came with basil and lemon trimmings; we were surprised that there were no bean sprouts but discovered that they were already in the broth, which we found odd, but whatever.
The summer rolls were fat and well-​wrapped; the peanut sauce was unusual but clearly homemade, so kudos there.
Great portions, good service. When you’re craving phở this will do in a pinch. Will come back!

**2.5 Stars**
We decided to grab lunch here because of its close proximity as we were short on time.
You place an order at the counter then they bring the food to you. After your meal you come back to the counter for payment.
We both ordered the rib-​eye phở which consisted of rib-​eye, brisket, and meatballs. Our order took awhile to come out which I found unusual because there were only a few other customers (who were already eating) and all we ordered was phở. Most phở restaurants, the broth is already made piping-​hot so they would just need to add in the fresh ingredients: noodles, veggies/​toppings, and the meat and it’s good to go.
When our food finally came, we were happy because we were famished! The broth was OK it was herbal, but at the same time a tad bit watery. The meat was too fatty for my taste and they were very stingy with the meatballs, which happens to be my favorite item… They had cut them up really small– probably 1 or 2 whole meatballs in there, if even. Overall it was a hefty bowl of mainly broth and noodles.
My experience here was just short of average. The service was OK– reiterating the food delay plus I had asked for extra lime which they forgot about. Their menu only contains a limited selection of phở, banh mi, and some vermicelli dishes and the prices are higher than usual. But it’s the only phở restaurant in their ‘hood.
On the plus-​side, my boyfriend informed me the second Vietnamese iced coffee was free of charge (they had brought out two though my BF ordered only one). Initially, I myself didn’t want to order it because in a previous experience ordering their coffee, it had been made a bit watery. But that was a nice little suprise! :P