This article includes a paid advertisement but does not affect my experience or honest opinion
Bristol is one of the best cities in the UK for foodies. Full to the rafters with eclectic restaurants, cool bars and creative street food outlets, it’s the ideal city to visit if you want to “taste the world”. If you’re lucky enough to call the city home but have food allergies then it’s torture. Being gluten free and allergic to squid, I’ve been poisoned a fair few times. Despite living in such a diverse city, I usually don’t bother going to restaurants because it’s not worth the risk - that goes doubly for Asian restaurants which tend to have a whole host of ingredients that I can’t come into contact with. Having said that, the great reviews of Pho on Corn Street (particularly from those who suffer with allergies) tempted me to give it a go. If you also struggle with complex allergies, then I suggest you keep reading to find out if Pho live up to their reputation.
Booking a Table -
Before you head to Pho it’s important to understand about booking. When you head to the website you can book through a platform called Open Table. It’s widely used in Bristol and makes organising bookings really easy. I’ve used it a few times over the years- you’ll even find that some restaurants offer reward points if you book at quieter times. Most of the time Open Table is great, but like any platform it’s down to how the company uses it, which in the case of Pho is not the best. During the week you can book as normal and Open Table works perfectly, but during the weekend it shows as fully booked which put us off going as we didn’t want to be turned away. We decided to visit on a Sunday evening on the off chance that someone had cancelled, and we were shocked to arrive to a near-empty restaurant. One of the staff members explained that they don’t allow bookings on the weekend which makes sense, but marking the restaurant as “fully booked” likely puts a lot of people off of visiting. Just make sure that if you’re planning to visit on a weekend you’re prepared to potentially wait for a table at busy times!
Customer Service -
I know that going out for dinner should be a treat, but having such severe allergies I’m always nervous more than anything. The staff who looked after us made me feel instantly at ease. The care and attention they showed towards my complex allergies was absolutely mind-blowing, and nothing was too much trouble. I always tense up when I have to explain my allergies because I’m so used to being met with an eye roll and treated like an inconvenience - Pho was the complete opposite of this. I was asked if I had any allergies as they showed us to the table and the response was “not a problem” before I was handed the allergen book and told to ask if I needed any help.
When the waiter came over he took a note of my allergies and talked me through the menu. With my specific allergy I can’t have anything fried in the same oil as squid, and he was more than happy to walk me through the process of how specific dishes are cooked to ensure I would be able to have them. Most of the menu was either safe for me to have or could be adapted, and the waiter went back to the kitchen several times to check that everything was ok for me to have (without me asking). Once we’d gotten through all of my allergies he asked if we would like prawn crackers and, not thinking, we said yes. As soon as they arrived we realised that they probably weren’t safe, and the waiter removed them from our table (and the bill) and apologised for offering even though it was completely my mistake for saying yes!
The staff are incredibly well trained on how to handle allergies, which makes sense for a Coeliac UK accredited restaurant, and their knowledge put me at ease. It’s an especially good job that the staff are so attentive, because on our visit the allergen book was wrong. One of the dishes I ordered had fish sauce in it which is usually completely fine and the allergen book said the dish I’d chosen didn’t contain molluscs. Another member of staff then came out to discuss our order with us as the fish sauce that they were using during our visit contained molluscs. I said “the allergen book said it’s fine and I’ve never seen fish sauce contain molluscs before” so she went back to check and sure enough, the ingredients had been changed and the allergen book was no longer accurate. I was hugely grateful for the care that the chefs and the waiters showed, because if they hadn’t been paying such close attention to all of the ingredients our night would likely have ended very differently.
By the time our meals had arrived I think we’d changed our order at least three times. The staff members kept apologising, but it was absolutely not necessary. I always feel so guilty for inconveniencing people, so I was really appreciative of them being so accommodating and careful, so we were more than happy to change dish.
A Note on Allergens -
Pho is one of the few restaurants that will happily accommodate coeliacs; there are so many gluten free dishes that they actually label which dishes contain gluten, rather than the other way around. Pho is actually accredited by Coeliac UK, which means they’ve had to prove they can create gluten free meals without risk of cross contamination. Their expertise with avoiding cross contamination also makes them great at dealing with other allergies, as evidenced by me not having to explain that I can’t have anything fried in the same oil as squid, even if no one has ordered squid for several days (seriously, I end up having this conversation a lot). Pho is also one of the few restaurants that ask if you have any allergies before you even sit down, which is mind-blowing to someone that’s so used to being treated as an inconvenience.
The Food Itself -
I was already ready to rate Pho as a 10/10 just for the service alone, but lets talk about (if you have allergies) the second most important part - was the food actually good? In short, absolutely.
I can’t remember the last time I was able to go out for any kind of Asian food. In fact the closest we get to having Asian food is ordering from our local Chinese takeaway because they’re great with my allergies, and we all know that the local takeaway isn’t authentic.
Everything about Pho felt authentic, from the restaurant decor to the food itself. Everything we ordered was fresh and full of flavour. In fact, at the end of the meal I turned to Jack and said “this is one of the nicest meals I’ve had in a long time” and asked if we could come back next week before our scheduled theatre trip (we tried, but unfortunately the weather and traffic said no).
I feel like sending out Pho with a plate of fresh herbs is just asking for trouble. Coriander is one of those herbs where you just look at it and it wilts, yet it was like it had been picked from the plant while they were plating up.
We often try to make Asian-inspired food at home because it’s easier than risking a meal out, but we always mess it up, add too much flavour and it ends up losing the lightness which I so love from a restaurant Ramen or Pho broth. Pho’s broth was so light yet flavourful, making it the perfect warming dish for a wintery day without weighing you down.
Jack ordered the house pho (which they made according to my allergies so that we could share meals). I originally ordered the three roast rice bowl, but a staff member came to inform me that had been marinated in fish sauce that contained molluscs. They suggested the tofu and veggie rice bowl which isn’t normally my thing, but I panicked and said yes. To my surprise it was my favourite dish on the entire table - I was actually a little mad that Jack and I had agreed to share our meals, because mine was way too tasty to share and there was no hint of grease that I’ve experienced at other restaurants (the reason I don’t order tofu normally).
Finally, we ordered summer rolls. I’ve had summer rolls before at an event in London, so to be honest I only ordered them for Jack to try in the hopes that I’d be allowed to buy the ingredients to make them for a weekend lunch at home. You get one summer roll per order, and we ordered one chicken and one prawn, with one of each sauce (a satay inspired dip and one that was soy based with a ponzu sauce kind of flavour). The summer rolls were great. Served chilled, they were really fresh and strangely a great way to end the meal rather than having them as a starter as advertised. Our only regret was that we really didn’t need summer rolls AND pho, because I was way too full. Having said that, I might find myself sneaking in for a lunchtime summer roll next time I’m in the city centre.
Final Thoughts -
As someone with a lot of allergies I have a very small list of safe restaurants - some large chains, some smaller and some independent local places - and it’s a surprisingly short list. Not only did Pho absolutely nail my complex allergies, served with a smile instead of the standard eye-roll that I’ve become accustomed to in other restaurants, but the food was absolutely FLAWLESS. Pho is firmly on the list and is set to become a regular date night spot whenever we’re in the city of a weekend.
I often find that when I’m reviewing somewhere, people are very quick to accuse me of getting special treatment. With that in mind I wanted to quickly point out that we visited as part of a collaboration with Open Table, the booking platform, not Pho. We paid for our meal ourselves and Pho had no idea that we were anything other than normal paying customers, so you’re pretty much guaranteed to get the same great service and incredible food.
I’ll be honest, I have 0 faith in the allergen book but complete faith in the staff. As long as you take the time to explain your allergies to them, you’ll be sure of an outstanding meal without the risk of getting sick.
10/10 - highly recommend, and I’m already planning my next visit!
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