Pho Thaison Vietnamese - Austin

This place is a fantastic spot for a fusion of Thai, Japanese, and Chinese cuisine. The diner atmosphere features worn booths and tables, making it a cozy spot for both dining in and takeout. I love coming here on a chilly day, sipping hot tea and enjoying pho while I relax and gaze out at the parking lot. It's conveniently located next to Orange Theory and The Joint chiropractic office on the corner. The middle-aged lady who works there always remembers me, and the staff is consistently friendly and accommodating. It has a family-run vibe, and you can tell they genuinely care about their customers and want to ensure a great dining experience. It's the perfect spot for a reasonably priced lunch or early dinner.

When I saw the first half of the menu, I was pleasantly surprised to see the abundance of traditional Vietnamese dishes not typically offered at Vietnamese dining establishments (ie: Chicken Pho, Banh Xeo, Clay Pot Braised Fish, Braised Pork Belly). Pho Thai Son also offers sushi, but I stick to a firm dining rule, if the restaurant doesn't specialize in certain items they offer, do not order it. I ordered the Chicken Pho, as this was reminiscent of my childhood on Sundays after church. My partner stuck with the basics and ordered the Pho Tai (sliced beef). Between the two, the Chicken Pho had a better broth flavoring, but in reality, the Pho Tai should have been the star of the show. The way the broth is made in Pho Tai is truly a form of art. It uses the meat and bones of beef and seeped in the broth with exotic spices (ie: star of anise, cardamon pods, coriander seeds) for three hours. Chicken Pho's process is not as lengthy and not all spices are used. The Pho Tai was incredibly disappointing. It lacked flavor, depth, and most importantly, patience. The single staff on hand was incredible. She was fast and efficient, and knew what we needed before we had to even ask for it. I will return to satiate my curiosity on the other Vietnamese dishes, but with low expectations...

The food was generally good, with some dishes standing out more than others. The wings were both crunchy and juicy, while the pan-fried egg noodles had great flavor and texture. The crab rangoon was crispy and delightful. However, the Thai Son Delight was a bit of a letdown; while it's a simple dish, it lacked flavor. Despite this, I would still return to try other items on the menu. The service was quick and friendly, and we even shared some laughs with our server over an incident during our visit. Overall, it's a nice restaurant in the South Park Marios area.

The food here is quite good. My wife really enjoys it, and I found it pleasing as well. I rated it 3 stars because I don’t think I’ll be craving it often. I tried the egg noodle soup combo with poached seafood, and the seafood was tasty. The broth met my expectations, while the noodles were decent. If we decide to order again, I might opt for the seafood pho next time.

I've been with Pho Thai Son for a while. I've seen their ups and downs, but I've never been left with a bad note. I remember getting my first ever banh mi from a trip down to Guadalupe. It was spectacular. Nowadays, I'm still hugely into banh mi's because of that first trip. I've gone on to try other random dishes including their namesake pho and pad thai. The usual suspects. It's simply good food. I've seen higher rated places that gave me much less tasty dishes. When I got Extra Extra Spicy I actually got a dish with some spice to it (I consider myself as having high spice tolerance) so that's a huge plus to me. It wasn't nearly as spicy as other places, but it was enough for me to notice. It tastes like a dish you can replicate at home, but that's okay. It's comforting. Their pho has done me right, and their banh mi's haven't been the best for me lately, but whatever. I cannot vouch for their banh mi anymore. Everything else has always been good to me. I can safely recommend this as a nice location for pho and pad thai down in Deep South Austin.