Taste Pho and Noodle House

I know beggars can’t be choosers BUT
Taste promoted a big event on Facebook for free Boba Tea. In their post they said they would have lots of supply and lots of servers. They really hyped a lot of people up. The night was supposed to start at 9 and my friends and I got there at 8:45 to make sure we wouldn’t be there long. There was already a line and we were probably 20^th. At 9:10 they began serving the first people. That should have been our first sign to leave. People slowly trickled out of the establishment with half filled tea cups. By 9:45 (an hour after we had arrived!!!) there were still 10 people in front of us. The people who were coming out with tea told us they were already out of most flavors and out of tapioca pearls. At that point we left and went to their competitor across the street. This event could have had the potential to be a great marketing stunt and they messed it up. Lots of people left and were at the competitors stores. All I have learned from this experience is to not trust Taste. I just feel bad for the probable 100+ people in line who drove out and will probably never get tea.

My husband and I are phở enthusiasts and love trying out new places for it. We recently
Moved from out of state so we were anxious on trying some phở. First, it was difficult finding this place because it isn’t as noticeable from the street. The building is poorly lit and you really have to drive around the building closely to find a sign for it. It is located adjacent to the Earth Fare supermarket.
We arrived on a Monday during around 5pm and saw we were during «happy hour» which was buy one get one apps and certain drinks.
My rating is low based on initial impressions. It was empty when we walked in… We were the only people dining the entire time. That should have told me something there, seeing as all the phở places we’ve been too are usually quite busy. We ordered spring rolls and beef phở soup. The spring rolls came out and though we’re giant sized, as I took my first bite a long white/​blond hair came out in my mouth. I immediately had my husband go tell the manager on staff who apologized and told me they would make me another one and comp me. I didn’t want any after that so I waited for my soup.
Thankfully my soup was very flavorful and the highlight of the meal but sadly the plate of sprouts and basil were browned and seen better days. I couldn’t even use any because they were so browned. We won’t be returning to this phở.

This place has the shittiest service ever. Maybe because they are small and not able to handle being at full capacity. But it took 30 minutes for our dumplings to come out. Then another 20 to receive our entrees. It doesn’t seem like any of the staff wears gloves or even knew how to operate the computers. The tea was mixed badly on top of all that. If you want quick Asian food, steer clear of this place.

My new favorite restaurant on this side of town! The food is so fresh and tasty. I find myself craving Taste Phở at least once or twice a week. It’s a no-​brainer to pay $ 2 more for the larger (get twice as much) and you can easily get two (maybe three) meals out of it. And the Crab Wontons ($ 4) are amazing! Light, crispy, and not greasy. Pure heaven.

Love this place! Their juice tea with boba is so tasty! Suggestion: try the lychee and pomegranate juice tea with mango boba!
I come here for the pad thai and my husband for the fried rice with salmon! Our favorites!

What do you eat on a cold rainy day? Well a noodle bowl of course. Taste Phở on 34^th St. was recommended to me and it sounded ideal. My Unilocal friend Richard R. was on a 2 week quest of the perfect phở in central Florida and it had been on my mind. Funny but I always thought Taste Phở was out of business since it had always been dark with no parked cars and a «for lease» sign in front.
It’s a tiny business that’s only about ¼ the size of the actual building it is in. Not a proper restaurant but more a fast food or QSR without ordering or paying at the register (which is only a few feet away). The offerings consist of a nominal amount of typical items and I was surprised to see quail was not offered as an appetizer. I decided on Mi Thap Cam and it was served quickly. It appears management has taken notice of some of the Unilocal reviews (yay!) and has done away with the inefficient plastic bowls. Though the bowls they are now using are nontraditional, they’re still a proper soup bowl. It would be helpful though if they also used a soup plate or at least a rest for the ladle.
The taste of the broth was a bit sweeter than I am used to which is fine. But the broth vs. substance ratio was off. The small amount of unusual egg noodles were gone in a few slurps. I say they were unusual because they were the thinnest of noodles I have ever seen that were only about 4″-5″ long. Maybe this is why the server asked if I wanted udon noodles instead? Either way it could of been heartier considering the price was slightly more than I pay for authentic phở on Colonial. The lack of quail eggs, Thai basil & limes were also a turn off. I also was not a fan of the thick rubber table cloths. It was difficult to move any items and in fact my small plastic water cup stuck to it and fell over. Service was so-​so and I was the only customer in there.
In speaking with the manager on duty post meal it seems my server forgot to make me aware they have daily specials. When I mentioned my uncertainty that they were open she informed me the owner will be making building changes such as removing the window tint and adding a sign in the rear facing Earth Fare. I don’t understand though why an owner with already one business under his belt wouldn’t of done this and many other things prior to opening his 2^nd business. Even though it’s fast food the things I (and others) have mentioned in their reviews are small & standard for any eatery.
Take-​out menus are also standard. No customer wants to hear «you have to look our menu up on Facebook».

This gets four stars for friendly and helpful staff and a solid vegetarian phở. I’m a phở addict and this place had a nice vegetarian broth (you have to ask for it). I recommend taking extra hoisin to season and ordering an extra side of broth so you have enough soup. I went two days in a row (takeout) while in town for business. Don’t bother w the summer rolls. Bubble tea ok.

Great little takeout place with small dining area inside and outside. Phở was in a takeout container which is fair, but it’s a huge serving. They are working on the dine in aspect since that was more popular than expected. Part of that will be non disposable dining accessories. It’s still a new place so I’ll give them a bit of leeway on things like that. The service was good– friendly, fast and very welcoming. As far as other reviews, we all have bad days especially new places.
The food itself was delicious. Perfectly seasoned and quite large with plenty of noodles and meat. Huge pile of fresh bean sprouts, lime, basil, cilantro, etc on a separate dish. I will definitely be coming back here for lunch. They even have three kids menu items so I can bring the young ones.

I like Taste so I was excited they opened a location on this side of town! For years my only option in SW Gainesville was Phở Hanoi and I stopped going there years ago because the service was slow and the food was doused in sugar. The food at Taste is consistent and good. If you’re looking for a quick bite of Vietnamese food then this is the place to go. There’s plenty of parking and it’s convenient.

Description:
Taste resembles a bento-​like restaurant trying to cater to a wider audience by distancing themselves from the traditional look and feel of most Vietnamese restaurants. It’s not necessarily a bad thing but different from most of my phở experiences.
Food & Service:
I was greeted almost immediately by a friendly staff and seated rather quickly (keep in mind no one was there though). From my point of view, the menu was pretty standard although with less Vietnamese centered dishes and more Americanized selections.
I ordered the large phở with beef flank and sliced beef. It came in a large rectangular black plastic bowl, something I’ve never seen before (the waiter could tell because she quickly informed me that they were switching to regular hard bowls soon). The phở came out pretty quickly, nice and hot. The flavor of the broth was decent but not anything special (seems like they’ve improved though based on other reviews saying it lacks flavor completely). I was a little discouraged by the side garnishes. They were stingy with the thai basil and I’m pretty sure I got lemons instead of limes. On the plus side, there was ample meat, although they could have cooked the flank longer because it was pretty tough.
Final Thoughts:
With the amount of Vietnamese restaurants in Gainesville now, it’s a lot easier to compare the differences. Although Taste isn’t bad, there are just better alternatives like Faith Vietnamese. Parking at their SW 34^th location is ample and the outdoor seating seems nice to dine with a friend or even date. Price seemed reasonable but because of the container it was served in, it was hard to tell how much I was getting comparatively. Overall, it was okay. I’d come back if I was desperately craving phở and only wanted to drive less than 5 minutes for it.

Taste’s original location on 39^th ave is my favorite sushi place in town, so I was stoked to hear when they were expanding to the other side of Gainesville! Although this new location doesn’t have sushi, they have the best phở in town! Their menu has the popular items from the main restaurant, minus sushi. Vast variety of noodle soups and rice dishes. The pad thai is definitely a must try, especially for those who are unsure about trying Asian cuisine. Everything is very flavorful, and their boba milk tea, snow, milkshakes, and slushies are better than all of the other places in town. Staff is very friendly and the interior of the new location is modern and very fitting and attracting for the young college clientele. Outdoor seating is a great option, especially for when it’s cooler outside. Love this place! You definitely have to give it a try! Also try their other location on 39^th for the best sushi in town!

Taste opened up this restaurant in conjunction with the ones they already have: Taste sushi on 39^th & Taste to go in the oaks mall. As their name implies, the Taste noodle bar is exactly that– a place that has a more to-​go attitude to fast Asian noodle dishes.
Pros– lots of choices for noodles– hot or cold with a variety of meats and sauces. My favorite has a more Vietnamese inspired feel– rice noodles with lettuce, grilled pork, & veggies like sprouts and carrots topped with peanuts. Entrees range in price. The grilled short rib bowl was around $ 15 and it was delicious.
Cons– Entrees seem a little steep in price, especially the short ribs. I felt that my dish needed an extra oomph– mostly in the dressing which is usually made with chili paste. Also notably absent are the crunchy veggies like daikon. The noodles get soggy really fast and for the price, the bowls don’t have much lettuce or anything else. It’s mostly noodles.
Overall, promising but I feel the dishes have to be revised. Might go back in a few to find out.

I sadly have to update my review as I’ve been back to Taste Noodle House since my first visit and have noticed a few things that unfortunately makes me feel I have to offer a different rating and view on this restaurant in interest of fairness and accuracy. The restaurant is pleasant enough and the staff seem eager to help and for you to enjoy their food, just as I noted in my first review. That’s encouraging, to be sure. However, the phở I found less than remarkable. Indeed, I wasn’t really impressed with it at all and also it was served – even for dine-​in – in these cheap and thin black plastic bowls that are disposable and seem like they aren’t sturdy enough for a very hot liquid to be poured into them. I was seriously concerned about whether the heat of the soup might be melting the bowl or leeching out chemicals from its plastic. These bowls also come with a very small scoop-​like spoon that’s totally useless for actually eating phở. Beyond the cheap bowls and spoons, the phở just seemed to lack flavor. The first dish I had which was a lemongrass noodle stir-​fry was certainly better, but for the prices they’re asking their food doesn’t measure up. Faith Vietnamese downtown has around the same prices and their phở is by far better.
I eat a lot of Viet food and cook a lot of it at home. I won’t be nit-​picky that they play hip-​hop on their stereo instead of Phi Nhung or anything like that as I realize they are aiming to please mainly a college client base and not for super-​authenticity. However, I just don’t feel after a couple visits the food measures up and I feel they’re cutting corners on things like the plastic disposable bowls while expecting people to pay what many very good Viet restaurants in Orlando and elsewhere would ask for sit-​down service with waiters and real tableware. I was excited to see this restaurant open and hope they’ll improve, but after visiting again my original four-​star rating really wasn’t merited.

Pros: Great for a quick bowl of phở to go
Cons: Small location and no sushi menu
Bottom Line: Similar to Bento this Taste location offers quick Asian food and some above-​average phở.
In the past Taste has had some great phở, however, in order to get it you’ve had to visit the far reaches of North Gainesville away from most everything else. Now Taste has introduced a new location right off archer and 34^th where they are emphasizing their phở menu. Unfortunately for those of you who are craving sushi, Taste is not currently offering those options at this location because of how small this site is in comparison to its parent store, however it may be available in the future. This Taste is emphasizing quick to-​go meals as all meals are served in plastic containers and it has relatively quick service (5mins as opposed to Bagels and Noodles 10 – 15 min wait time).
Now for the phở. I’ve always liked Taste’s phở compared to Bagels and Noodles and Phở Hanoi because of its more cohesive flavor. It’s just all there and mellow and nothing stands out as strange or artificially added. Most importantly the mellow flavor makes me happy to drink all of the broth and doesn’t make me overwhelmingly thirst like its competitors; I can eat a lot of this phở! Unfortunately while the phở is pretty good overall it seems a little lower in quality than the parent location. The broth seemed a little cooler than it usually was (albeit still warm), however since it was raining and cold I really wanted something warmer. Additionally the amount of bean sprouts and veggie add-​ons to the phở was meager, though admittedly it’s only an inconvenience as you can always ask for more for free. At the moment this location is still a little understaffed and is in the process of working out its kinks, so I’ll definitely be visiting again in the future to see if it’s worked those out.