Pho Tau Bay

Ordered 2 non-alcoholic beverages, 2 pho. We were planning to order calamari and asked where it was on the menu. Then we decided not to order that. Both my partner and I said no calamari, don’t worry about the calamari, just the phos, MULTIPLE TIMES to the waiter who took our order.

After nearly 30 mins waiting, the calamari arrived on the table. We clarified we didn’t order that. So that same waiter took the calamari away and came back straight afterwards to confirm if we ordered the phos. It was all okay so far.

We waited for about another 20 mins for our pho to arrive. There were only a couple of proper slices of beef, the rest of the meat were just bits and pieces, nearly in mince form. The broth has a sour and bitter after taste. We were pretty hungry by that point, so we had it.

When I went to pay, the manager or owner lady said to me in a really bitter tone, “Oh, minus the calamari, it’s xx dollars! ”

I don’t know what’s happening with their communication. But I don’t know what I didn’t as a customer having a simple workday dinner to deserve this experience.

Give this place a miss and visit one of the other viet place down the road.

The spring rolls were scantly filled with prawn, and were unfortunately the highlight of the experience.
The crispy noodle we ordered were not only soggy, but the seafood was not at all fresh. The prawns were dry and had a texture of cardboard, as if they had been left open in a deep freezer for months. The rest of the seafood tasted like it had been defrosted and refrozen multiple times.
We didn’t even try our pho and wonton soup as by the 45 minute wait mark we decided to throw the towel in and pay for what we were able to eat. A ridiculous wait for a dish that normally comes out in minutes.

Not sure if it’s a once off, as they have numerous positive reviews. All I can say was my experience was absolutely awful. Other patrons were the same and left after waiting.

This is the best place for Vietnamese food. The food is yummy, fresh, the meat and all food is great quality. The staff are super friendly and welcoming. Definitely worth coming here

The Vegetable rice included Tofu and Egg so my nephew didn't eat it. So we got charged for another Vegetable rice. My chicken was more skin than meat. Very disappointing!

We ordered two vermicelli one with grilled pork and another with spring rolls, and an avocado smoothis.although the pork and spring rolls were delicious, the vermicelli was completely overcooked and very unpleasant to eat.also i could barely taste any avocado flavour in the smoothie.won't go back again

Pho Tau Bay has been our all time favourite restaurant for the 5 years we've lived in Preston. Now that I'm moving away this place is literally the biggest thing I'll miss aside from friends and family. If you're considering coming here, stop considering and just do it. The owners are the most beautiful, friendly people and they really care about their customers. The atmosphere is lovely and modern, yet still feels like you're going home for the best home cooked meal ever. Highly recommend the beef pho. Would rate 6 stars if I could.

Got the Chicken Laksa here a few weeks ago, absolutely terrific. Soup was light, yet packed with flavour. The noodles were also pretty good. However, the best part of the dish, by far, is the freshness of ingredients. Additionally, for the price, you get a pretty sizeable portion of broth, noodle, chicken, and vegetables.
Great quality and quantity. Definitely coming back sometime

Friendly staff but their Singapore noodles is too dry and spring rolls is cold in the middle - probably rushed because it’s half hour before they close - not keen to order again

Staff were excellent. Helped us with our orders and made sure we knew what we were getting and checked for any allergies. Was so full after rice paper rolls and pho

Lovely restaurant. I go here every week with my son and we both really love the food. Everything is always fresh and the serving size is extremely generous. Definitely the best vegetarian pho that I have ever tried. Tien, the owner, is so friendly, which always makes our experience very enjoyable.

Absolutely Awesome. Been coming here for years. A must to try it. Thanks to all of the staff who are friendly and helpful. I'll be eating here many more times to come.

Absolutely LOVE the Pho here. Fresh, full of flavour. Take away just as good as dine in. Service is wonderful. Always my go to.

I'm originally from Sydney and i rarely ever write reviews but after eating at this place i just had to give them one. The pho i had here definitely hit the spot and satisfied my monthly pho cravings. I must say, the service here takes the spotlight though as you can definitely tell that the owner and staff genuinely care about their customers and go out of their way to make sure you are enjoying your dining experience here. Would definitely recommend anyone to come here - you won't regret it!

So far this is my favourite to go to pho place for a great vegetarian pho. Not only great pho but service as well from both husband and wife owner of the restaurant.

The lady (owner I think) who served me was soooo friendly, hospitable and accommodating. I asked for the Pad Thai but spicy, and she made it happen, not only that I received chilli flakes, chilli oil and chilli sauce on the side. I love service like this. And the food was DELICIOUS!

We ordered vermicelli with spring rolls which's best! Just like we expected from a vietnamese restaurant. The laksa is not bad, just not great if you love laksa. We love laksa and we think Malaysia/Singapore laksa tastes better. Overall, good restaurant, lovely owner, accommodating request and friendly.

Vegan options are amazing - although minimal in choices - all are cooked to perfection and with consistency. The Vegan Pho, Laksa, Tom Yum and Salt n Pepper Tofu are the best on High St.

Service is wholesome.
Prices fair.
Car Park nearby or on Tram route.

Plenty of options for Omni friends, would like to see in future another page of vegan options. But at current quality>quantity has worked in their favour.

It's good with a lot of food choices. It could be better with slight music playing in the background.

Service was good but food was not. Salt and msg to compensate for flavour in the pho stock and Hokkien noodle looked like they were boiled not fried. Not good enough in an area with so many other choices.

Pho Tau Bay is one of several Vietnamese restaurants in Preston. There is arguably less foot traffic here because it is located a bit further away than the hubbub of High Street. Ample parking can be found in the Preston Market area.

The decor is very modern and the restaurant is spacious. Traditional Vietnamese artworks can be found on the walls. Large glass windows provided plenty of natural sunlight and a view of the streets. We were greeted very warmly by the manager upon entry. She was a kind senior lady that radiated friendliness. I really enjoyed her pleasant demeanor.

I ordered the Vietnamese Broken Rice, while my friend ordered the Crispy Seafood Egg Noodles.

For those that eat with your eyes, this place will definitely please you. My Broken Rice was, quite frankly, the prettiest layout of Broken Rice that I had ever seen. Everything was stacked neatly and had its own place. My friend's Crispy Seafood Egg Noodles was also a treat for the eyes. Seafood and vegetables stacked neatly on a bed of crispy egg noodles. The presentation of the food was fantastic.

I enjoyed my dish thoroughly. The pork floss, egg and pickled vegetables were all delicious. However, I was slightly peeved at how small the portion of pork was. I felt that is was scantily thin and just a poor portion size. It was undoubtedly tasty though. Just.lacking volume. If it was bigger, this restaurant would have scored a 5 from me.

My friend enjoyed his Crispy Seafood Egg Noodles. The sauce was delightful and the ingredients tasted fresh. Our little gripe was that the egg noodles were perhaps TOO crispy - normally once the sauce coats the noodles, the whole dish turns into a delightful softness. However, this time around the noodles were slightly too overcooked to properly absorb the sauce. Nevertheless, it was still a tasty dish.

While we were eating, I saw the manager once again greet two new patrons zestfully. She was familiar enough with them to offer them 'the regular'. They exchanged short and banter and I could see these were repeat customers because they felt valued at this restaurant. I was positively pleased at her friendly service and feel like she should be commended on her customer service.

After we finished, the manager cleared up our plates and continued her friendly mannerisms towards us. Upon paying the bill and exiting, she beamed and encouraged us to come again. I definitely felt valued as a customer in the restaurant and wish to praise the manager for her supreme friendliness.