Pho 97 Oriental Restaurant

TL;DR: Pho has overpowering clove flavor and low-quality meat. High points: The banh mi was insanely good. Absolutely one of the best I’ve had in Pinellas. Fried egg rolls were also decent. Low points: Pretty much everything else. They were mopping with a very powerful-smelling chemical when we came in around 6, and that was off putting. We would have left but had already been to two other restaurants that evening with poor results. So we dealt with it. Spring Rolls were whatever, but not great. The worst was the pho itself. Noodles were old and broke easily. Meat (chicken and beef combination) was super low quality even for a pho. And the broth was overloaded with cloves to the point that it made our lips tingly. If you’ve ever smoked a clove cigarette you know exactly what I’m talking about. After we discovered some tiny bones in the chicken we gave up and called it a night. Overall, that banh mi was so good it’s very disappointing that nothing even came close and some was just not good. Wouldn’t recommend overall but would suggest you stop by and pick up a banh mi with, as they said, the “real pork.”

I was here many years ago and I wasn't impressed as inside was outdated. This time, looks like it got remodeled and it is comparable to others in the area. The menu is simple, but the price is significantly lower than their competitions. Overall, the food quality is good except for the rainbow ice, that is way below par, blend, cheap on ingredients, the ice is not even crushed. Also, this is the only place in the area offers beef stew. I saw the hours is opened at 7 am for breakfast, I probably will try it one day as I wonder what is Vietnamese breakfast. Update - The second visit wasn't as good. Took away two stars. This time, the ingredients are very little also not much Pho (noodle) in the bowl. The portion is small even for a small eater. Update - This time gain another star back as the food has decent portion. I was here for breakfast and little that I know, same menu as lunch and dinner.....however, my congee is decent. Update - Gain another star as the pho and stew are very good. Update - Back to four stars.

Old school looking vibe. Service can be slow, but they are nice. Food is surprisingly better than anticipated as many FB locals have not recommended it as of yet. The pho broth can be a tad oily, but the flavor is right. The fried spring rolls are also flavored really well and fried fresh and crispy. They are also a tad cheaper overall than most of the local viet spots.

Service: good turn around time after ordering; waitresses were without smiles or cheer; No follow up if we needed anything else or if everything was fine; Presentation: looked fairly clean; spring rolls not pretty with wraps not very soft, 1 of the 2 busted wide open; Menu prices were not completely available with several items covered with tape; Food: Pho broth was mediocre tasting at the 1230 hour and noodles slightly hard not al dente; Iced coffee with condensed milk was pre made/mixed in a to-go cup tasting very very bitter than usual and tasted like they forgot to add condensed milk;