First Impression of Phnom Penh Pho
Posted on February 25, 2026 by Ching under Food and Drink.
My lunch buddy Chris and I went to check out Phnom Penh Pho a few weeks ago. The food was good but the overall experience – sad to say – was not great.
It’s the only Cambodian restaurant in town so we were eager to try it. They serve pho and rice dishes so it’s very similar to Vietnamese food. Here are pictures of our food and then I’ll give you all a run-down.
Anyway, when we first got there, we were directed to sit at a table toward the front. There was a weird odor which I couldn’t identify but, not being fond of fish sauce, sometimes unfamiliar sauces smell pungent to me. I just figured it was smell coming from a dish someone was eating at a table near us.
I am not sure if our server was new or what but she couldn’t figure out how to order food from the tablet and she didn’t know which tables were which. She had to ask another server for help at least a couple of times. First to find the dish I wanted in the tablet and then again to ask him for help because she ordered it twice. I overheard him saying, just start over.
Our spring rolls came out first and they were delicious. Then Chris’ dish came. It didn’t come out like he expected so he wasn’t even sure it was right but we didn’t really know what anything would look like so maybe it was correct. Then the male server comes and confirms again that I wanted pork as the meat on my dish so there wasn’t confusion in the kitchen. At this point, I’m pretty sure I’ve told them what I wanted at least half a dozen times.
Finally, our server brings out this cooker and a pot of soup and I’m thinking that I didn’t think what I ordered was soup but who knows? I am thinking she probably brought me someone else’s order because I had seen her almost deliver someone else’s food to table 12 not knowing which one was 12.
Anyway, I tried the broth and it was pretty tasty. Maybe this isn’t what I ordered but if I knew which this was on the menu I would probably order it. LOL. But then I dug in looking for meat and found fish. This was definitely not my food.
I tried to get someone’s attention but both servers were busy. It took quite a while before I could get someone to come over and I explained to them that I got someone else’s food.
They took all of it back — cooker, pot of soup, and bowl of rice. Our server mumbled something like “They told me to bring this here” as she was taking the stuff. But I am guessing they told her to bring it to table X but she hadn’t committed the table numbers to memory so she brought it to our table by mistake. Shortly after came back with my actual dish.
As I mentioned earlier, the food was very good. I think they just need better help.
Related Stories
Leave a Comment
« Social Tap – Greenwich « this post » Home Appraisal »
