PhoNatic – Northcross

I actually almost turned around when I saw how clean and modern it was. That coupled with a nearly all white staff, and a 100% white cliental told me this was one of those «fusion places» I can’t stand. Before I could leave a guy I’m pretty sure spends the bulk of his free time in comic book stores came to explain the menu. OK, I will order something. I went with a lemon grass vermicelli bowl. I ordered a Vietnamese coffee. I tried an egg roll. The coffee came out in a paper cup, that put me off. I hesitantly took a sip. It tasted authentic. OK… on to the egg roll. That tasted good, and the bowl was pretty much authentic as well. Will I be back? I don’t know, they don’t have mung beans so I will probably continue my search. I am glad I didn’t leave though. Maybe fusion can work after all.

After coming here at least once a week for a year or so (it’s the closest place to my office), I have to say, while the food is still really good, this place gets worse and worse. My guess is it is horribly understaffed — if there are more than 10 people in the place, I’d give you a 1 in 3 chance you aren’t getting what you ordered. The ordering line takes forever. The registers/​internet are out 1 in 4 visits.
They instituted a loyalty program — great for regulars like me, right? Nope, whatever system they have to run the program is down more than not. Plus, they changed the program since inception, cutting the value of the points in half. Why bother? Feels more like punishment for regular customers.
Ordering over the phone is still impossible. Really, don’t bother. They put you on hold and/​or just hang up on you.
The staff is polite & friendly, but they are running around stressed out all the time. Get them some support, and infrastructure that works. Stop changing the menu for the worse.
The food is still much better than the phở place across the street, but the experience is so much poorer at phonatic, the gap is closing.

I eat here often, but only because it’s close to my apartment. I think this place is overpriced.
What restaurant do you have to pay extra for an eggroll when you order the grilled pork vermicelli bowl? This one. Lame. The broth is inconsistent — sometimes very flavorful, sometimes bland. I have ordered the Phnom Penh noodles, and I’ve never had a dish like this come with hoisin sauce already on the noodles.
I think we’re supposed to leave the bowls on the table. However, there’s never enough people staffing the joint to bus the tables, so you end up seeing a lot of dirty dishes on unoccupied tables.

bus your tables
staff your restaurant
do not walk away from customers at a register
why arent you bussing and cleaning your tables
its sometimes impossible to eat here because they have no clean open tables because they never bus their tables
staff your restaurant with enough people to take orders deliver the food and clean the restaurant
your food is delicious so why are you so terrible at basic restaurant things like
a clean!
dining room!

Clean resturant, friendly service, food comes out really fast, and their iced coffee is grand. I’m into it.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen! After numerous menu changes, this place just keeps getting worse. From the quality and quantity of the meats to the thinned broth, the food kept giving me an upset stomach so we’ve stopped coming here.

I am a phonatic!
Came in today, and ordered a $ 110 to-​go order for the entire family. Orders came out in less than 15 minutes (really fast), all labeled. Super friendly crew, very helpful cashier, and amazing manager (shaved head asian guy).
You will never go wrong with phonatic.

I tried this to-​go for dinner one night and was definitely not disappointed with the portions. I ordered the «403» and asked the girl up front if they could include some sort of spicy factor after she told me the soups don’t come that way (I always though phở was accompanied by chili paste and jalapenos?).
I loved the broth and the flavorings (even though they were little packets of hoisin sauce and spice that I added) and it was the perfect meal for my sore throat and plugged sinuses.
My only gripe was the egg noodles tasted odd, maybe that’s just way egg noodles taste but I didn’t dig them. The chicken was «meh» and the shrimp and pork dumplings had an odd texture.
I think I just need to pick different fillings next time because I really did enjoy the broth and veggies and the amount was more than plentiful. I’d definitely try it again, maybe the vegetarian option is the way for me.

Ahh, well, I still have a soft spot in my heart for PhoNatic, but my enthusiasm has waned a bit over the years since this place burst onto the scene. The quality of the phở and other menu items remains decent but the service and cleanliness of the facility can be hit or miss; perhaps the owner is no longer regularly on site? It looks & feels like a chain now, and I guess that’s because it is. The company has grown to 5 locations across town, so they must be doing something right.
What else has changed? The Maine Root sodas are no more, and the condiment bar is just a shadow of its original form. They also gave up on the iPad ordering system and the filet mignon beef option. No worries, there’s still enough to like here.
My 3^rd grader son (the pickiest of eaters) adores the PhoNatic beef phở broth, so we often stop in for weeknight dinners. He takes his mild noodle soup with plain broth and no green stuff, while I enjoy my rare eye round beef phở kicked up with all the usual accompaniments plus some garlic chili sauce and all of his veggies. Tom & Jerry usually plays on one of the flat screens, so he gets an education in vintage cartoon violence and I get a delicious supper at a reasonable price and no dishes to wash!

Arrived at 8 pm (close at 9) they were mopping the dining room floors with bleach by 8:30. Don’t know about other people, but bleach and dinner don’t mix. I left about ¾ the way through meal. They still had customers walking in.
Used to go twice a week. Always tip 20%. Today was my last visit.
Worked at a restaurant for 6 years during college. We could get fired for cleaning up in front of customers. Sad.

Located in a big plaza. Has plenty of parking since it shares a lot with Walmart and some other restaurants/​stores. Shouldn’t be an issue at all.
The interior design is pretty open. As you wait in line, there are lit up menus that are next to the door so you can see what you want. It’s a pay first sort of establishment and self-​served. They have tables that seat generally 2 – 4 people scattered around the restaurant. If you need more room, the tables should be able to merge.
The staff is pretty chill and friendly. No complaints here.
I’m not sure how good some of their other dishes are, but if you’re a staple phở kind of guy or gal, I would not recommend coming here. This place is overpriced and honestly the phở isn’t very good. Pretty disappointing. Probably not coming back here again.
Bonus: No need to tip cause its self-​serve.

5 stars for owner engagement. To be continued.

Overall, I was pretty disappointed. I ordered the pork spring roll and the 212 (phở). The portions of noodles and meat were quite small. The amount of garnish given is mediocre. And the flavor of the soup is pretty salty. The pork spring roll was passable since it had good flavor and size to it, but the peanut sauce was heavy with a flavor that doesn’t stem from peanuts.
Although the price was okay, the amount of food is paltry compared to the close by Tan My Restaurant who offers an incredible amount of tasty phở. I would definitely stick to Tan My in the future.

The broth is clear and it tastes like regular phở is beef diluted with chicken broth, and the egg noodle soup has chicken broth diluted with vegetable sauce. For a first experience I was not happy and not even remotely amused. You don’t enter a phở shop expecting pay $ 10 for a bowl of soup and pick out your own chopsticks and sauces. The menu was weird and chipotle-​meets arbys. But all in all, the phở was not authentic and the veg condiments were old and not fresh.
I guess when there’s a shortage of phở, there’s more room to be creative and charge above average for your novelty.

Like many folks I have jumped on a few bandwagons here and there admittedly. I recall my first knowledge of Phở was from a co-​worker who is an eatertarian. He’ll eat anything under the sun literally so be cautious if you see a guy with a abnormally large mustache salivating next to you in public.
At any rate he kept mentioning this «phở» and about how good it was. I have eaten a lot of cultural foods but I didn’t know what the Vietnamese soup was called. I mean hell I’m from the county we just went by #‘s. I first encountered PhoNatic back in December of 2012. I was needing something warm to eat. I started doing research and found this new place off Anderson lane.
I hopped in the ride and jetted over there as quick as traffic would let me. Now at this time the place had these huge menu boards when you walked in. It’s not really like that any more as they’ve paired down a lot of options. I have to tell you it was one of the best tastes I ever put in my mouth. I believe I used to buy the 806 when it was on the menu, it had crab, fish balls, chicken, veggies. etc.
I put my Wife on to them and she and I couldn’t get enough. I started meeting co-​workers there on a weekly basis if not bi-​monthly. The place just couldn’t be beat if you ask me, and the other people I brought with me. Since I first dined their they’ve opened up in South Park Meadows and Cedar Park too.
I like the phở and also the spring rolls as well. It’s hard to beat the meals they produce and in my opinion you get a lot for what you pay.
PhoNatic is plain good, warming and delightful food.

A lot of tasty goodness at this place! Man, that beef stew is mouth watering! Their Phở is great as well. Although it is not the most traditional Vietnamese restaurant in town, I assure you it will meet your palate’s needs.
The environment is casual. They have a couple of TV’s, a little bar with add on’s for your meal such as lime, jalapeños, cilantro, etc.
The menu is on display as soon as you walk in. Once you are ready, make your way to the counter to order. Grab your drink and chill. They will shortly bring your meal out to you. The portions are great and the price is right. Enjoy!

I can’t say enough good things about PhoNatic — but I’ll try in this review.
As Mark G. says, it may not be –the best– phở in town but it’s comes close. I’m phở-​king sure about it.
The broth is aromatic and herby with a rich meatiness.
When I get phở, the vermicelli is always tender without being overcooked. The broth has a good mouthfeel and is really very tasty. On a good day, PhoNatic might take the crown for best Phở in Austin.
When I get the «build your own grill», I get ONE OF THE BEST SALADS EVER because they have a salad option. Even my friends who hate salad love the salad option from PhoNatic.
They don’t skimp on the meat and they indulge me when I ask for Thai basil to add.
I’ve never had their bun (vermicelli bowls) but I imagine it to be just as good as everything else.
You owe it to yourself to go to PhoNatic for lunch and check it out yourself.

First time I’ve never tried Vietnamese noodles in this dinning style. You order at the counter and someone will bring out your items to the table. I ordered the regular beef noodles, which is the signature item in a Vietnamese restaurant.
The broth tasted good, better than I would expect from a cafeteria style restaurant. I bet there was no MSG added. The beef and the noodles were good also.
One good thing about this place is they have a bar, where you can get as much jalapeño. cilantro, green onions, regular onions, etc as you need. We love cilantro and green unions, so we got a bunch for our noodles.
We also ordered a Vietnamese coffee. It was quite aromatic. The brand they use is a popular coffee brand, which is Trung Nguyen. You can also buy a can of the coffee from them to make your own drink at home.

Hmmmm, this used to be a solid lunch choice but I’ve really seen the light lately. This place is not really traditional feeling, many of their items feel «freshened» with different ingredients; that part I could handle.
However, the menu has recently had an overhaul, which made things a touch more expensive. But the worst part is that it seems to be run by kids with very little oversight. Everyone there interacting with customers appears young (16 – 19) and somewhat unprofessional in awkward situations. Tables are often overflowing with dirty dishes and it can be difficult to find some place to sit, only due to the sheer amount of unclean tables. This is a 2.5 «meh» rounded to an 3 «OK-​if-​I-​must».

Phở is my comfort food, so I’m always in search of a good bowl. I didn’t have a lot of faith in finding one at a restaurant that seems so Anglicized, but this time, thankfully, I was wrong.
Phonatic’s menus are displayed on huge light boards when you walk in, so you can stand there and figure out what you want before you approach the register. They have three types of broth: beef, chicken, and vegetarian, and you pick your meats and vegetables from there.
FYI, the vegetarian phở includes American and Asian vegetables, and two types of Asian mushrooms. The vegetarian phở is a deal breaker for me, because I don’t eat chicken or beef. And as my friend found out recently, it’s also gluten-​free.
You pick up your own silverware, napkins, and additional condiments at the drink bar, and choose your own seating. The décor is clean and modern and they play great background music – most often classic or alternative rock. A bonus!
If you’re not in the mood for phở, their menu offers other dishes, like noodle bowls, desserts, and various Thai teas and coffees. They also serve bottled wine and beer. To be honest, I haven’t tried anything other than the phở, and friends and family have tried and approved the meat-​based phở as well. But it’s good enough to keep me coming back regularly, especially when it’s cold or I’m having a rough day. A good bowl of phở can fix just about anything.