Viet Nam Restaurant

STAY AWAY!!! Although we dine out often, this is my first restaurant review. Stay away from this place — very dishonest owners. We were in San Antonio for Spring Break last week and were craving Vietnamese food after a long day at the nearby Children’s Museum. We ordered 2 dishes (seafood fried rice and catfish in clay pot… review of the food later). The total came out to $ 24.xx after tax. The cashier swiped my credit card for the amount of $ 28.xx. I wrote in a tip amount and before totaling the bill and signing the receipt, I noticed that the total was too high. I always do quick mental math before paying so I knew the bill should be in the low $ 20s. I asked the cashier about the amount and she looked a bit nervous as she looked at the total on the cash register and then replied to me in Vietnamese, «Oh, I’m sorry. I entered the wrong amount. It should be $ 24.xx. I can give you back $ 4 in cash.» I figured it was an honest mistake so I told her to not worry about it. I’ll just use the $ 4 overage as tip. I proceeded to cross out the original tip amount, left the total as $ 28.xx, and signed the receipt.
I checked my cc statement today and the total charged amount shows $ 32.74!!! The restaurant is closed today (Sunday) so I will call them tomorrow. The credit card fraud department just closed about an hour ago so I am unable to ask them what the original swiped amount was and what the adjusted amount for tip was.
Maybe just pure speculation but this can’t be the first time they’ve cheated their customers by either (1) charging the wrong amount and hoping the customer doesn’t catch it when signing the receipt or (2) adjusting the bill to a higher tip amount.
Now for the food review. We are Vietnamese and although this place seemed like the «hole in the wall» type place that should have good authentic Vietnamese food, that was far from what we ate. Maybe it was just the food we ordered. The seafood fried rice had a very strong fish sauce smell and the taste was pretty bland. The dish also arrived very cold. Props for actually using real crab meat instead of the imitation kind though. The catfish in clay pot was NOTHING like how it (ca kho to) should be. Instead of using whole catfish cut into steaks, they used the frozen catfish filets. The biggest problem was that the sauce was more like the sauces you find in fish cooked in ginger soy sauce. Ca Kho To sauce should be a lightly sweet caramelized sauce with sugar and fish sauce as the main ingredients. The sauce should be thick and clinging to the fish pieces. Instead, we got catfish filets drowned in a liquidy soy sauce stock in a clay pot. Finally, the white steamed rice that came with the fish was not fresh at all. They clearly took old rice that had somewhat dried out, added water, and reheated. I know because we do this at home sometimes. Oh… and the cashier initially charged us for the bowl of rice until I mentioned to her that shouldn’t the fish come with the rice. She replied in Vietnamese, «Oh. Yes. It should. I forgot because the waitress wrote it on the order slip.» I guess the waitress wasn’t suppose to put the rice on the order slip. Speaking of the waitress… she didn’t seem to know her menu at all. Her service was slow and very awkward.

I had the lunch special Curry. I have to tell you. The Curry was the best I’ve had in a long time. It was creamy, buttery and had a great flavor. Next time in on Broadway and am looking for a yummy Curry with a very friendly Staff, I know where I’m stopping.

On Sat evening food was cold? Their excuse was Fan was broke had open window. I wouldn’t recommend this place gone down hill

They need a cashier who handles only payouts and togo. They have her also doing other things. This makes service Very slow.

We stopped here for dinner when we went to the zoo. The beef phở was excellent. It was a bit salty but was very yummy. My sister had the Pad Thai, but it wasn’t the traditional with just chicken, it has tofu, chicken, shrimp in it and it was ok, not anything spectacular, but good size portion. My husband had the beef with vermicelli and the flavor was good but portion was very very small. Prices were fair and the restaurant was clean. The service was also not great, very slow. Overall a decent experience.

phở was good. would have been 5 stars but due to poor service, i will not be returning.

The food is delicious! You must try the spring rolls. The service at this place used to be really bad but it has improved drastically within the last year. So, now I enjoy eating there.

First time here and will definitely be the last time as well. Ordered chicken lemongrass and waa absolutely disappointed. chicken pieces had no color. They waa pale looking.
Had no lemongrass flavor even though rhey were covered with lemongrass and tasted salty as if they were soaked in fish sauce for hours. Never in my life had such salty pieces of chicken before and would consider a health hazard for me. I didn’t try other items on the menu so couldn’t give a saying on that. Btw, I ended up discarding it since i couldn’t dare to swallow more.

This was the best Vietnamese food I’ve had in years. Spring rolls were delicious, spicy chicken salad was good, could use a little bit more spice. The pancakes were out of this world.

Ok, so I moved into Manic Park (Mahncke Park’s the official name), and if you knew some of my new neighbors you would understand that my preferred name for the area works, God Bless their souls! So, I have been driving by Snow’s Vietnam Kitchen for some time now. I use to eat here religiously back in the 1980’s, it was probably one of the only things I did religiously back then other than attend St. Mary’s Street nightly. Kids, what you heard about San Antonio in the 80’s, well, it not true, it was a helleva lot worst! We were all just so bad, we sanitize the past so we can seem more respectable today!
Getting back to this restaurant, I have not wanted to go in because the outside of the restaurant looks exactly the way I remember it in the 1980s, and as I recall, I really wasn’t a fan of the interior of the place back then. I was thinking, I am hoping a remodeled occurred somewhere between the 80s and now, but I am not feeling it on the outside!
Well, I went in for lunch today, and I am please to say, that this restaurant, why not remodeled, is pleasantly clean and tidy. I got over my biggest hurdle right there. I grabbed a familiar table, where I use to sit, and grabbed a San Antonio Current. To be reading newsprint, much less the Current in this old restaurant seem so familiar, only thing I was missing was an Interview magazine!
I ordered the lunch special. I swear this place has the same servers, I am sure they are all family. I ordered the Bun special which featured beef, noodles, cucumbers, carrots, bean sprouts, and white onions and a Coca-​Cola. I am not sure I ever drank a Coke here before, but some bad habits just have to die like lunch time drinking!
The food and the service was exceptional. The food was hot and fresh when served. The servers demonstrated a reserved Asian kindness that I cannot forget, especially, when I think about my last snotty-​nose-​do-​nothing server at the Stoneleigh in the Pearl. The owner was at the cash registered working hard to keep all of the To-​Go orders in order, as well as, being cashier. I love to provide patronage to places like this one. Seeing a family work together, demonstrate pride of ownership, and be successful all at the same makes me realize that the American Dream is still alive and well. Will be coming back!

Great authentic Vietnamese food in SA. Price is reasonable. Plenty of parking. Fairly updated décor and furnishings – a rarity for Vietnamese venues. Definitely try out their spring rolls. Half portion comes with two huge spring rolls. Phở is decent. I can’t say that it is the best Vietnamese food but for this area pretty good overall. I give it 3 ½ stars overall. Service is great here as well. Very convenient off Broadway and minutes from The Pearl District. Definitely worth a repeat visit for me.

Absolutely love coming here, spring rolls are phenomenal! I can come here at just get an order of spring rolls and be happily satisfied. The chicken lemongrass is my go to can’t go wrong order. I recommend this place to everyone, once you try you’ll keep coming back for more.

Best dang spring rolls I have ever eaten. Great food and fair service. Only problem was the wait staff. I wanted a refill on my tea and I found my waiter asleep at a table. Besides that this is my new favorite spot.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE their Chicken Lemongrass! The flavor is amazing, that I just want to lick the plate! The spring rolls are a great addition to any meal. Just add fish sauce or hot sauce, which ever your preference. The meals are a tad steep, but definitely worth it. DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT go during lunch time!!! The staff are very friendly, but unfortunately very understaffed. If you are going during your lunch break, this may not be the place to go. Go anytime after 1 p.m. Otherwise, I HIGHLY recommend this place!

Best spring roll ever! The chicken Phở was good too. I plan to return in the near future.

I’m going to have to stop taking recommendations from the SA Current «Best of San Antonio». This place claimed the top spot for Vietnamese food in San Antonio. Other than location, this place doesn’t have much to offer.
If I factored the service into my score, this place would only get star. It took 10 minutes for the server to take our drink order. I also had to get up and get menus for the table. Personally, I’m not a stickler for service so I let this slide.
As bad as the service was, the food was probably the most disappointing part of my meal. I ordered the Phở as I usually do. They only offer 1 type of the traditional phở, no meat combinations for you to choose from. While it wasn’t horrible, it was a bit on the bland side. Nothing special about it. The lack of variety make this even more frustrating.
My Wife ordered the lemon grass chicken which is one of their specialties. It was reminiscent of boring American Chinese buffet food. Thinly sliced chicken in a sauce with little to offer. The plating was also a bit of disappointment as it was just chicken and rice on a beige plate. It looked like something that would be served at an old folks home. When I think of Vietnamese food i think fresh vegetables and colorful dishes. This place was just disappointing on all fronts.
If you are in the area and absolutely must get your phở fix, this place will do I suppose. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.

This is a sad day for me. This used to be one of my favorite lunch spots, but since it was sold, food quality has dropped significantly.

When I began Unilocaling, this was one of the first places I heard of, and wanted to check. I rarely get to Broadway for lunch/​dinner — so I have been waiting to eat here and review the experience. So here it goes:
Atmosphere/​comfort: It’s the kind of place at which you park («I hope we can get out of here» ~the hubby), and walk into, and suspect everyone is there for the food only.
Service/​friendliness: Everyone greets with a smile, and they continue to smile… even when you ask for a sauce that’s on the table. Like «it’s right there… duh.» However, my hubby had the Pad Thai and requested no shrimp, and I ordered the Bun Bowl with chicken. Hubby got EXTRA shrimp, and I got beef. DUH. When checking out, they ignored us for 20 minutes, and served every other person before finally allowing for us to leave. Hubby was not pleased.
Food: Pretty good. Not the best (see Singh’s and Spicy Ginger for my faves). My daughter did love her Phở, and the little one wolfed down the Spring rolls.
Recap: Set your expectations a little lower, and stop in if you’re on Broadway, but not in lieu of your normal fave Vietnamese faire.
TIP: Park out back, just off Broadway (hehehehe…sorry, that made me giggle)

After many, many trips to Snow’s (yes, it is now Snow’s Vietnam), I finally had the honor to meet Madame Snow herself! A petite elder, but just as sharp as anything!
Had dinner with friends. As always, the OUTSTANDING spring rolls ROCK!
Just one little thing… I have noticed a cutback in their menu, and if you get there too late, they may be out of certain menu items. I hope that this does not mean that things are beginning to look negative for Snow’s. After my curse closed Little Hipps and a couple of other restaurants, I hope that Snow’s is not on the verge of closing their doors.
And just WHAT is it with Van’s next door? They absolutely hate and despise Snow’s. They have a sign facing Snow’s about «Want noodle soup? Van’s». I was told about the sale of part of Vietnam’s property out of friendliness to the owners of Van’s, and Van’s has become absolutely hostile toward Snow’s. Can anyone verify this? If Van’s is that kind of business, if (God forbid) Snow’s should ever close, I’ll NEVER set foot in Van’s.
Anyway, PLEASE stay, Madame Snow!
Oh…one more… new close hour is 9PM, not 10PM. There was a group who came in about 9:30 (we were already seated and eating) and were told that Snow’s had already closed. The group made mention of the sign outside which still says 10PM close. But Snow’s now closes at 9PM.

This review is a tough one. I’ve been coming here since I was a wee child. I’ve seen it go through some hard times.
I absolutely love their food. The food is so darn flavorful and unique. Some people don’t like their chicken fried rice coming in a cute little container exposing orangish rice and huge chunks of chicken with carrots and peas, but I do. Also, their shrimp Phở is drool worthy. Something in that broth is made from the heavens. Their ice tea is almost like jasmine orange tea, but they pretend it’s just «regular». Some people don’t like that, but I do. I really, really enjoy the food here.
BUT… And it’s a BIG BUT. Their service is THE PITS! The pits I say! I don’t know how a restaurant can improve their décor as greatly as Viet Nam has and have such awful service. I see this sweet Vietnamese lady walking around trying to help as much as she can, but that place is just overwhelmed with crappy staff.
Someone do something!!! You are ruining one of the best restaurants on Broadway!
Also, it’s funny, when you post a review you’re asked additional tips on the business. I wish there was a comment line next to each one…
«Parking?» –Why isn’t «tight» an option? Do not have a large truck and be very careful with the poles and building, TIGHT and AWFUL!
«Waiter service?» –Why isn’t «hardly» an option? Yes, but No. I mean, yes, but they hardly serve you.