Thanh Da

Always love the food and service here. Come here at least 2x a week. The noodles are so delicious and flavorful. Very authentic. Their pork broken rice is delicious too! I haven't try their pho here bc I can get that anywhere. This place stands out for me more than any Viet place on 8th Ave.

I've been coming to both locations for a while now, number one spicy is where it's at. Bahn MI needs Pate. Delicious.

The customer service is terrible. I grew up in Chinatown in Manhattan so I've had delicious pho before and I've never had a problem with take out from any restaurant. The point of take out is to call before you get there and be able to just go into the restaurant n leave immediately. I tried ordering on the phone 15 minutes before I got off the train. I told her my order and before I was done talking she tried to hang up on me saying there was another call. I told her wait I'm picking it up in fifteen minutes. I'm going underground soon. She told me fifteen minutes is too long call again in ten minutes. And I told her I can't I'm going underground. And she said I can't help you I'm not putting your order in. Regardless of whether the food is good, I will not be returning to the restaurant for dine in or take out.

I've definitely had better Vietnamese in Manhattan. The pho was standard and didn't have that flavorfuly soupy broth. The herbs didn't come through as well that usually does in a nice hot bowl of pho. The dry vermicelli and spring rolls dish was nice but didn't stand out. Spring rolls were crispy but the vinegar sauce could use more flavor.
Not a standout to me.

It BURNS.
Because it's "got the fire, and they're burning one hell of a somethin'," all right.

The infamous Bun Bo Hue. I love cheap eats, and I love trying new things, sometimes at the risk of being annihilated by that very thing. I don't usually eat spicy foods because I don't do so well with it. When I read about the Bun Bo Hue on yelp and in foursquare tips section, I had to go for it.

I wish I could turn back the hands of time. Words like Hot & spicy wouldn't even begin to describe this monstrosity.

Spicy dishes shouldn't be spicy for the sake of being so- flavor from the meats, vegetables, whatever else was used to construct the dish, should also be present. That's what makes a truly great spicy dish. However, the Bo Hue here is extremely dangerous. The chili oil sticks to the insides of your mouth and throat, and doesn't pass. It was so spicy that it took me 2 hours to eat it- it got so bad that I couldn't take two spoonfuls in a row.

The spring rolls are not what you may be used to; they are made with a different type of pork meat. The first time I had it, I thought it was decent. The second time I thought it lacked meat. The consistency was not there.

The next time I was in the neighborhood, I decided to give it another shot. Oh yes, I knew better than to order that bo hue madness again. I opted for another well-reviewed and received dish: the Bun Rieu, crab paste and tomato in a vermicelli soup.

It sounded delicious, but alas, it was very bland. The staff kept insisting that it was a favorite among its patrons. I kept wondering how that could be, considering the soup tasted like watered down tomato paste.

I didn't try the bahn mi that people seem to also be raving about. However, after two main noodle soups, I can ascertain that Thahn Da does not make good broth. That's incredibly disappointing for a Vietnamese restaurant, and one I will not be giving a 3rd chance to.