Pho (St John St)

86 St John Street, London, EC1M 4EH - View on a map
Telephone: 020 7253 7624

Details
Overall 5.8
Food 6.7
Service 4.7
Atmosphere 6.0
Value 5.7
Based on 3 reviews

your comments review this restaurant and win a bottle of champagne

Really can’t go wrong here. Simple, but strong menu, of delicious Vietnamese noodles. I tend to have a (pho) noodle soup, but they have great lemongrass noodles with bits of salad and a spring roll too. Just pick what you fancy in them, and dive in.
Comment on this reader review

ben
Overall rating 10 stars
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, December 14, 2011

I used to come here a lot several years ago when it first opened and brought a lot of my friends and colleagues. Back then it was a bustling friendly place, the owner Steve and his wife would chat to you as they served dishes to customers (although the number of times we went there we never offered any free drinks etc as other restaurants do once they get to know you), the portions were great, food extremely tasty as cooked by the Vietnamese chef and easy on the wallet too. However since they have expanded to the West End and Westfield, everything has gone downhill to how it used to be. We tried the West End locations with friends and now we don't bother with Pho, we would rather spend our money at and take our friends to Cay Tre, Mien Tay or Song Que. It's a shame they were unable to maintain standards - now portions small (eg the summer rolls are about half the size now), service is brusque and impersonal, which is probably an unfortunate inevitability of expansion and complacency.
Comment on this reader review


Overall rating 3 stars
Food 3 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 3
Monday, March 28, 2011

Food is great. But service is getting worse. Don't know if it's the new staff or just being disorganised. Take away orders are often confused which result in slow service. When the place is crowded it gets even worse - staff is beginning to be rude to customers when our patience runs out after waiting more than 30mins for our food!
Comment on this reader review


Overall rating 4 stars
Food 7 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 4
Monday, February 28, 2011

Excellent value for money, good service, great food.
Comment on this reader review


Overall rating 8 stars
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, December 28, 2010

First time here last night, pho stock was too bland, spring rolls were greasy, fresh rice paper rolls were a bit hard. /guess we were unlucky, service was rude and grumpy. Sad.
Comment on this reader review

lana
Overall rating 1 stars
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Monday, August 02, 2010

Not that great. Don't recommend it.
Comment on this reader review

john
Overall rating 1 stars
Food 0 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Tuesday, June 22, 2010

I've eaten my way through the entire menu in the past few months... It really is that good. And I really can't pick a favourite meal, as I genuinely think it's all fantastic, which is why I keep going back. Brilliant.

Definitely, my favourite Clerkenwell spot for a quick tasty bite.
Comment on this reader review

Jonny
Overall rating 10 stars
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, June 07, 2010

Walked past, gave this place a try - wish we hadn't. Soggy oily spring rolls, pho soup was bland.
Comment on this reader review

joe
Overall rating 1 stars
Food 0 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Friday, April 23, 2010

Spring rolls tasted like ready made, prepacked types, sauce with it was very bland, had much better pho noodle soup elsewhere; felt totally deceived as we didn't have proper Vietnamese food here. The waiter was a bit rude, although they weren't so busy at the time we came in.
Comment on this reader review

Sarah/John
Overall rating 0 stars
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Thursday, April 15, 2010

Big insult to real authentic food! couldn't eat the food we ordered!
Comment on this reader review

Binh (Vietnamese).
Overall rating 1 stars
Food 0 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Friday, April 09, 2010


what the bloggers say

Gourmet Chick

Gourmet Chick - 6/10

Friday, May 08, 2009 - The ability to personalise your broth is a real plus at Pho and allows a feel of authenticity. However, this is clearly pho for Westernised palates and all the cuts of meat used are lean without any of the delicious fatty flavoursome bits that you find inside a bowl of pho in Vietnam. Of all the varieties on offer at Pho the standard Pho Chin containing beef brisket is the top pick. The meat could be more tender but it offers the crisp yet understated taste that is the hallmark of Vietnamese cuisine. The same can't be said for the Pho Bo Vien which contains dull meatballs which lack flavour…

You may also like these restaurants:
quick search
user tools
latest blog entry

Coming Soon

Be The First To Know About Restaurants Opening Soon
london tweeting

@52_North Ooh when's that?

save this page
special offers
best for...
special offers
cuisine
our sites
city eating