PHO EVER | Pho Restaurant | Bubble Tea | Poke

What a gem, so pity its hidden. Took me a while to find it. But once U get inside. Has been greeted by very nice gentlemen. I’ve put an order and got my food within few minutes delivered to table. I had Pho soup and it was amazing experience. So many different flavours, amazing meat that falls apart but still juicy and full of taste, great broth. Just a masterpiece. Definitely worth every penny.

We were looking forward to the fried noodles with vegetables listed on the website menu. However, when we arrived, we found out they weren’t available at all. We then decided to order spring rolls – but were told they couldn’t serve them because they had no salad. In the end, we chose to build our own poke bowl (rice, salmon, avocado, cucumber – which turned out to be sour, although it was supposed to be fresh salad cucumber – plus egg, tomato, bell pepper, peanuts, and honey mustard dressing). Unfortunately, the whole dish seemed like it had been prepared long in advance. The egg looked unappetizing and didn’t seem fresh, so we didn’t even eat it. The dish had an unpleasant sour smell and taste – even the honey mustard dressing, which should have had a sweet and tangy flavor, was overwhelmingly sour and didn’t go well with the rest. The final touch was the use of plastic cutlery – which nowadays feels more like a last resort than a standard. It’s a shame, but the overall experience didn’t match the expectations or the way the restaurant presents itself online. From a place with such a high rating, I expected much more – quality, freshness, and attention to detail. Unfortunately, all of that was lacking.

Who could resist a resist such a catchy name? After I read the reviews I had to check it out. The Beef Pho and iced Vietnamese coffee were both delicious. You choose your spice level from the cleverly named choices. I avoided Alien’ and went with ‘It burns’ lol. The service was also excellent. The whimsical tropical decor was inviting and I very much appreciate them shedding a light on the Taiwanese black bear. I went early to avoid the lunch rush. Another bonus - the founder is a woman who owns five restaurants in Vietnam and Bali.

When a place has such a catchy name and overwhelmingly positive reviews, anyone would be tempted to go. On the first page of the menu you learn the story behind the place, the technique of cooking and a little bit about the owner. This place does look great, especially on photos. And despite a nicely organised terrace, you feel like a tomato in the greenhouse. Quite hot and not enough air to breathe. One ventilator in the far corner only helps someone sitting next to it. Each dish contains 4 levels of spiciness. We thought to try level 2 and 3, and if they satisfy our taste, we’d try level 4 as well. It was disappointing when 3rd level, presumably “asian level” wasn’t as spicy as expected. That led is to believe that level 4 isn’t worth the additional 5 pln. The meat here is delicious, perhaps one of top places I’ve tried meat at. However, if you try pho, the broth is quite disappointing, especially after so much text about how it is prepared. It sort of lacks depth and isn’t as rich in taste as you’d expect. What we also loved is bubble tea. Combining tapioka with a herb/black flavoured tea isn’t something other places do, especially in Krakow. The only things that did disappoint were the broth, the spiciness level, and low level of oxygen. Other than that, the place wasn’t too bad and is worth visiting at least once.

MIND-BLOWING. They have an appetizer which is something pierogi like that was incredibly delicious. Lots of flavour in your mouth at once. And they were able to accommodate my wife's allergy to peanuts so they made a special sauce for us. I ordered also a poke with chicken and salmon and my wife some soup with beef. Both things were really good although I have to say my poke was better :). Service was great and super fast. I really recommend this place. (Sorry I took the picture of the perogies when they were almost gone 😅. They were too good)