Location: 9107 S Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28273
Time and time again I realize it is difficult to find a decent meal in South Charlotte. I knew it may be challenging when attempting a group lunch last week in the area, but were able to settle on Vietnamese. After our first try failed (Pho Ngon), we decided on Pho Cali down the street. Doing my research, I read through many of the Google and YELP reviews, and my expectations were somewhat high for this small, South Tryon restaurant. Since moving to Charlotte I have gained a huge appreciation for Pho, along with other Vietnamese dishes. The idea of an undiscovered place in this area definitely peaked my interest. Unfortunately, the pretty good food doesn’t make up for the lack of service and other problems we encountered.
The Good: Although not everyone enjoyed their meal, I found the Pho to be pretty good. A colleague of mine also had the Pho and he agreed. It comes in two sizes small and large, they don’t look like they differ much in size, and there is only a dollar difference in price, so I’m not sure why they bother. The taste was as good as others many others in the area, but probably not the best in Charlotte. Admittedly, I feel like I would enjoy the meal better on a cold winter day, rather than a warm day in April.
The Bad: While I enjoyed the Pho, many at my table weren’t as impressed with their meals. The adjectives to describe the stir fry (shown above) and other dishes were “average”, “nothing special” and “unmemorable”. Given there is another Vietnamese place down the road I am more tempted to go there. That is if they decide they want to be open at lunch time on a weekday, but I digress. Another negative about the food was what wasn’t on the menu. I enjoy a Bahn Mi sandwich, but it was noticeably absent.
Probably the worst aspect of this eatery was the service. It was somewhat crowded, but not overly, yet you would have thought there were a 1000 people in the restaurant. First, it took forever for our order to even be taken. Seeing five people at lunch time in business clothes should prompt someone to act with a slight sense of urgency. Once we did get our food it came out piece meal, three of our party were almost done when the last two were served. This was the last of we saw of our server until we had to track her down for the check.
The Ugly: Upon walking in and looking around I was reminded of a child, with a Pirates of the Caribbean fetish, having a terrible birthday party. With fishing nets and tacky captain gear thrown throughout the restaurant it looked as if Poseidon threw up. I am not sure why there the owners chose such a tacky decor, but it definitely takes away from the experience.
The Verdict 5.0 out of 10: I may be being a bit generous with this verdict. I thought that my Pho was actually pretty tasty and this was the saving grace to the eatery. If someone were to beg me to go or if I, for some reason, needed a Pho on Thursday (when Pho Ngon is closed) I may find myself back here. All in all I am not dying to go back and have no plans to in the near future.