Van Loc

Doesn't Recommend

E M.

Joined 2 years ago

Run away. There are many better Vietnamese area restaurant. Went there Christmas eve, tired from shopping all day, and had the worst service that I ever experienced in any restaurant. To be fair, the food is average for Vietnamese restaurants in the area, but as most were closed, we chose to go there. My family ordered a flavorless fried rice that included warm previously cooked chicken. When I politely told the x?u xí waitress that it was poorly cooked and that we didn't want to pay for it. She told us that we shouldn't have eaten any of it, that this is how they make it, and then proceeded to tell me to shut up. I immediately asked for the manager, who was extremely nice and took it off the bill. But the x?u xí waitress mocked us, as if there was no way that x?u xí she would be reprimanded. In the end, all of the manager's niceties seemed hallow.

The problem with restaurants like this, is that if a meal is returned, they charge the wait staff for it. Unfortunately, that shouldn't be the customer's problem, but it is and as a result, no one wins. I won't be going back and will never recommend Van Loc and the x?u xí waitress probably had to pay for the meal. But her behavior was so poor, x?u xí she deserved to pay for it. Hopefully, x?u xí she ate it too as punishment.

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happy panda

Joined 3 years ago

Food is good, but not consistent. Food can be very good, especially the noodle dishes. However it is not consistent. I usually order the pan fried noodles but on occasion they come out watery and swimming in sauce (which is not what i ordered). Waiters are not as friendly as I would hope, but that is expected at any Asian restaurant. I stopped going for a few years because I found ANTS in my water!! How does that happen??

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J Raymond

Joined 3 years ago

Some of the best food in Houston. I'm from the midwest and I eat at Van Loc anytime I'm in Houston. They are always busy; maybe the service isn't the best but the food is so good, I'd go no matter what. My needs are met, food is service that's hot and delicious and my ice tea is refilled when I ask. You'll miss a big treat if you don't give this restaurant a try. My favorite is the rice noodle bowl with shrimp and egg roll.

Doesn't Recommend

megdc

Joined 4 years ago

Tip chasers. the food in this place is good but do not expect the service to be the same. our server is a bit inattentive which i didn't mind since it was lunch time and they were quite busy. when we were done and i had signed the check, the cashier handed the check back to me and said to put the tip on the check. i thought i heard wrong and heard her say please check the amount. i checked the bill to see if the total is correct and gave it back to her, then we left the restaurant. on the way to the car, the server caught up with us and asked me where her tip is because she didnt see any money on the table and there's no tip written on the check. i was flabbergasted and felt very offended by this. aren't tips supposed to be for good service and not obligations?? needless to say, i will not be back to this restaurant ever.

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swyzlstyx

Joined 5 years ago

Good food, excellent service.... I ordered one of my favorite/simple dishes, the vermecelli with pork and egg rolls. It was nothing extraordinary, but was good. Girlfriend ordered the coconut curry beef, which she loves. Service was very good as well. They have a huge menu, and the "restaurant" type of atmosphere is a nice alternative to the smaller cafe types places where I typically eat Vietnamese food. They've got a big parking lot, as well. I'm sure we'll be back soon!

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coog78

Joined 7 years ago

Good food, bad service. I almost feel like they are attempting to get a reputation for bad service. I have been coming here for a while and always thought I was the only one to notice. Make sure you order everything else when they bring your food; you'll be glad you did. The food is pretty good, would be considered way above par in a city like Dallas or town like austin. But this is Houston! Hello! There are a zillion Vietnamese restaurants with great food and great service. Do come here for good Vietnamese food but don't expect to get good service.

Doesn't Recommend

ht008

Joined 5 years ago

Gratuity automatically added. We usually frequent here a couple of times a year, but after tonight's rude service and greasy foods served, it will be our last. The service was non existent, as many of you have commonly experienced, and our waitress- a young girl was less than friendly, w/ an I don't give a %&$ attitude. Well no wonder, at the end of the night, a 15% automatic tip was added to our bill! When my husband asked why, it was explained that it was b/c we had a party of 4. (This was an absolute outrage, since we had 2 young children, who did not even eat. It's one thing to tip well when you get great service, but why should the restaurant be allowed to add gratuity to your bill; expecially if the service was poor, and it's less than a party of 6?!

Any ways, we paid the bill w/ the tip and all, but personally, anyone else would have agreed that the waitress did not deserve one at all, since we had to ask for any refills on the drinks, we had to get our own napkins and to go boxes at the bar counter, since the waitress came twice to take our order, and to drop off the food. There are much better restaurants in the same area that will appreciate your business and treat you much better than this place. I wouldn't eat here again if it was the last place on earth.

Doesn't Recommend

cluurr

Joined 6 years ago

There are better Vietnamese places .... I decided to go here for lunch because of their spacious parking lot. The food is alright, but the service is mediocre. Our waitress wasn't rude, but she was completely unattentive and came to our table twice: once to take our order and a second time to bring us our food.

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UHElle

Joined 6 years ago

Best Pho in town-without a doubt, almost always horrible service. I've been frequenting this place for years, and, despite the almost ALWAYS bad service, I can't stop! Their pho is unbeatable by any place else in town, and their eggrolls and springrolls are dee-lish, too. Aside from one kinid-faced lady whose schedule I can't seem to work out (if I could, I'd only come when she was working), all the servers are rude, don't fill your drinks, and pretty much ignore til the time comes to pay... at which point, they're more than happy to point out if you don't tip or don't tip well enough for their likings. Generally I only frequent restaurants with slightly below average+ service, and this place doesn't even come close to that (unless you get said lady), but, like I've said, you just can't beat the food, and the price is just right, too. I could LIVE on their pho ga. Anyway, overall, it's worth a try if you really do like Vietnamese, and you can deal with being treated poorly. Try coming up on it from Louisiana, since the parking is behind the restaurant. You can also come in the side door, which is nice. Give it a shot...maybe you'll be lucky and get the nice lady!

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Editorial Review. A downtown staple since 1966, this Vietnamese restaurant serves almost 200 dishes to Houston vegetarians, vegans and carnivores.