Viet-Thai Paradise Restaurant

I should have just gone to Carlson’s.
I wanted to like this place because it’s much easier to get to from where I live, but there’s no chance I’m making this mistake twice.
There were four tables occupied in the restaurant on a Sunday afternoon, and it took upwards of 50 minutes before even an appetizer came out. No «sorry for forgetting about you» or even a «folks, let me go check on your food.» It’s as if total neglect of customers was business as usual, which, looking at some of these other reviews, appears to be the case. We were forgotten about again when the bill came. After another 10 minutes of trying to let him redeem himself, I walked it up to him. Again… business as usual– didn’t seem to think anything was the matter. I generally try not to project the failings of one waiter onto the entire institution, but after having read some of these other reviews, it seems that that’s how this restaurant operates all the time.
Oh yeah— the food was okay. Slightly better than expected from a place that features the cuisine of two countries that don’t even have a common border (French-​Danish cuisine anyone?)

I’m viet and I understand this is a viet/​Thai place but they need to try harder. I came here with my family since they had a living social deal.
When we sat down there were about two other tables that looked like they were finished eating. My point is that for practically nobody being there, the time it took for the food to come out was exceptionally long. It seemed that there was only one server on the floor. When our food came out the large bowl we ordered came out as a small. They did bring out a large size and only charged us for the small size. The furnishing needs to be renovated. Our table was unstable even the table next to us.
We ordered the ha noi phở, Saigon special soup, fried tofu in curry coconut sauce, and red curry with pork. Both curries were ok but on the sweet side. The soup though we’re below subpar. As I said before we’re viet and we’ve ate many phos.
Go to other viet places and even Thai that will provide more flavor for the same price.

Come for the Phở, stay for the… well, there’s not much to stay for.
My biggest complaint about this restaurant is that they just weren’t ready for business when I visited. Only two folks working in the front, and based on the glacial pace that dishes came out of the kitchen, I have to assume that the back of the house was also severely undermanned.
As such, service was slow and inattentive. It took us a while to even get seated because the two people waiting/​busing tables were too busy to even notice us. Water wasn’t refilled, etc.
On to the food. The phở was actually very good. Delicious, full-​flavored broth. I ate it with gusto. Everything else was mediocre. The Pad Thai was way too sweet, and the Panama curry lacked any real bite. The beef stir fry was flavorful, but the sauce was a bit thick and corn starch-​y.
Bottom line:
Service: 1 star
Food (excluding Pad Thai): 2 stars
Pad Thai: 4 stars

I have no idea how to rate there food. I showed up at 11:15 (they opened at 11:00) and the cook didn’t show up for work so they have no food. They were still open, yet turned me away???
Updating my review from last month:
Finally was able to stop by for phở.
I was very unimpressed. At least I was able to order.
The service was fine, they were quick and nice.
But they were out of basil, which is one of the main add-​in ingredients. The broth was not good.
I’m sticking w VN Noodle House in Crofton. They have fantastic phở.

The food was okay, not very flavorful or spicy. We got red curry and drunken noodles. I would give it 2 – 3 stars, but there was half of a rather large bug (that had been cut in half) in my curry. I didn’t really like it in the first place. It was very thick and was obviously canned curry paste just mixed with coconut milk, but the bug upset me a lot. After that we did not touch any more of our food.

Nontraditional, in a bad way. Whem going to a new Thai restaurant for the first time, I always order the same two appetizers, which are my gauge for the quality of the restaurant. In this case, both failed. The summer roll was adequate but lacking sprouts, cilantro, or Thai basil, so it was just a bland roll up with some shrimp and vermicelli. The larb gai, on the other hand, was an unmitigated disaster. I’ll give them points for the size of the portion — it was huge, for an appetizer. But that’s where the praise ends. The dish included a pile of red and green peppers, white onions, and tomatoes, wirh an odd red seasoning; the meat was cubed instead of ground, as I’ve always seem it prepared (including in Thailand). I found it inedible. The waitress was sweet, and noticed my obvious distaste for the dish. I was prepared to pay for it, since I had ordered it, but she took that item off my bill, which I appreciated. The person who described the music as seventies elevator music hit the nail on the head. Nothing about my experience would inspire my return.

Food was good, not great. The service was terrible, my husband ordered one thing and got a completely different thing. Then when he told them they made a mistake he got another completely different thing. I ordered a spring roll and got a veggie egg roll. It was extremely frustrating. These people need to learn their menu. Living in California a large phở never cost 11.99 it cost about 9 $ they are overpriced for mediocre Vietnamese food.

are you kidding me? this restaurant can even call itself an eatery? I ordered a No. 1 phở. a big bowl coming out with about a few strings of noodles, not even the size of a 3-​mo baby’s fist. five thin slices of beef and that’s it. this piece of skunk costed me $ 12. I came from boston — a way pricey area than annapolis, MD. for this kind of price in the bean town, I could get a full bowl of noodles, beef enough to cover the whole bowl and some more, and all sorts of beefy delicacies. honestly, I don’t know how the nice people of this beautiful city can even tolerate such a place to call itself a restaurant. I have been travelling to all different cities in the states, this bowl of phở is by far the most ridiculously charged plate I have ever ordered.

The décor isn’t bad. The staff is quick and courteous. Oddly, the background music is an odd mix of 70s elevator songs. I even heard the theme song from an old Clint Eastwood western. Should I have worn a six gun? The food was a letdown though. Kind of generic strip mall chicken pad Thai. The Thai iced tea did not show separate tea and cream so may have been pre-​made. Overall, it is an adequate lunch, if I worked in the area. Otherwise, Lemongrass is a hundred times better.

This rating is for my first visit. I’ll set the scene. Early afternoon Saturday, clear beautiful day — Slow time for restaurants in general and this was no exception. I ordered the Larb Gai and spring rolls off the appetizer menu for my girlfriend and I. I didn’t get a chance to eat the rolls as she loved them but didn’t notice because the Larb was amazing. The right spice (hot) balance with perfect flavor. I grew up eating Thai and am usually disappointed but this visit is warranting many more. We ordered phở (that was our original reading for stopping as I usually steer clear of Asian fusions especially Thai-​Vietnamese). It was equally as good. I give them 5 stars because that what a restaurant deserves when the service is great and the food makes you excited to return.

My boyfriends mother is from Thailand and my best friends mother is from Vietnam. I have grown up on authentic Asian food. I’m not sure why this place is rated the way it is. The staff was beyond attentive and the owner was a gem. He was extremely knowledgable on not only on his menu but also on the culture. This place exceeded my expectations and I will definitely be back!!! The flavor of the food was impeccable! Thank you for such a great visit! :)

Sorry guys… this place has to figure out their dishes or you’re just being fooled into thinking it’s Viet/​Thai food.
The larb (Thai dish) was made with Lucus seasoning, interesting but not larb.
The chicken phở had two size small ($ 8) and large ($ 12) Small = kid size Large = normal phở bowl.
Bottom line: Save yourself the drive and place needs to fix the gouging price points.

Wow, what happened! The Small PHO was larger for the price and the large PHO is pushing $ 12. It is Broth people. Having 6 pieces of beef does not make it a lunch serving. UPDATE: Double wow! i made a remark to the waitress and the manager came out to apologize. They were looking at differenr presentations… Have not seen such courtesy in a looong time (On the house). Ill be back. It is awesone PHO, once the sizing settles… Did leave a Good tip… Thank you…

I need to read these reviews more carefully. What a poor experience. I went here on a work day around 2:30 pm. When I walked in, I wasn’t greeted or offered a table. There were 4 other customers. I sat myself. I ordered the duck/​chicken dumplings and grilled shrimp with noodles from the lunch menu. Both were mediocre. The shrimp was good but way to many noodles. The price was reasonable but I would not return here.

Had Phở Ga (chicken). The broth was on the weak side’ not rich with chicken or seasons. Standard sides, basil was brown on tips, bean sprouts were fresh and of course the jalapeños were hot!
All in all, above average Phở, service was good. I appreciate the salad prior to meal but the dressing was diluted.6 out of 10. Thank god for Siracha! The waitress was cute!

I ordered their summer roll. The menu says it’s wrapped in soaked rice paper, with vermicelli noodles, shrimp and pork, leafy greens, mint, cucumber and chives… Well all I got was noodles shrimp and lettuce! Don’t waste your money! Go somewhere else! This restaurant has to be a front for something else!

I’ve been here a number of times but never took the time to review until now. I bought a deal for 10 for 20 worth of food and popped in here on a cold Saturday night. The place was not busy and we got booth in the corner. I’ve only tried two things here… the Pad Thai and the Phở. so I apologize if this isn’t a thourough review.
The Pad Thai is great, very fresh — I like Lemongrass or Carlson’s better, however this one is spicier and very tasty.
We ordered a sampler appetizer. It had the Chicken Satay, the Beef on a stick (that is so not the name), and some coconut shrimp, and spring rolls. I’m glad we got this so I could extend my palate a bit!
All were good, especially the beef! The chicken was tasty too. Moist (ew) and flavorful. I think the spring rolls need to be bigger. Beware if you order this as an appetizer. They are teeny tiny,
The phở, is great. It is so tasty, the broth is wonderful and it is not over salted which I like. There are two sizes. I got the small but I wish I had gone for the large, as I have in the past.
For a cheap-​thai place, this place is nice inside they were nicely decorated for Christmas, the servers are dressed very nicely and the service is great! They have some interesting cocktails but I Normally go with tea! I’ll be back again I’m sure in the near future. Winter = phở time.

Yes new owner — friendly professional woman who appears to care about quality of food and service
Fresh vegetables, fish — all went well. A bit too much sauce for my liking but informed ask for less in next order. I hope they add brown rice rather than bland white
A must return for thai-​viet food!

Obvious change in Management, once a Vietnamese run, very good Asian dining has now been replaced by poor and under staffed service. Our dinner was served but they didn’t give us any plates or utensils. We had to get our own utensils because there is only one server for the entire restaurant on a Sunday night. My Vietnamese ice coffee was weak and the Tai iced tea was watered down. The sizzling beef was too chewy and the caramelized pork serving was appetizer size. Avoid this place at all costs.
If you want good Vietnamese food go to VN Noodle in Crofton. Better Huong Viet Falls Church. Best Minhs in Arlington.

Oh the woes of finding halfway decent Asian food in Annapolis…
Stopped by for a weekday lunch here and ordered for starters CURRIED CALAMARI and THAI PEANUT CHICKEN SATE. The calamari had no hint of curry taste and was heavily breaded. The chicken was nicely grilled and then sauced with a sticky sweet, spicy sauce! Not too bad for Round One.
Round Two consisted of the GRILLED SHRIMP VERMICELLI NOODLE BOWL and the PHO TAI. The phở broth was not fresh at all… probably something they had left over from yesterday’s service. Shrimp was nicely grilled but the composition of rice noodles and bean sprouts was nothing you would want to come back for.
Service is attentive and great but the food is subpar. If they seat you at a booth, do yourself a favor and do not look at the mini-​blinds.
Do try the FRESH LEMONADE. It’s definitely legit with the smooth cube-​shaped Vietnamese style ice cubes and the tartness of freshly squeezed limes and a healthy amount of sugar to round it out.