I rarely leave reviews, but this pho place was such a disappointment I feel I need to warn others. The service was absolutely terrible, tables that came in after us got their food first, while we sat waiting for a good 30mins. When our food finally arrived, it was a complete letdown. The pho tasted bland and off, nowhere near authentic or flavorful. The garlic noodles were undercooked, and to make matters worse, they actually charged me an extra $5 for them which is ridiculous considering the poor quality. For the price they charge, I expected something decent, but instead it was one of the worst meals I've had in a long time. Between the poor service, the overpriced and horrible food, I will never come back here. Save your money and go somewhere else for pho you'll thank yourself later. read more

My wife and I had dinner there last night and the Food was so good! They were busy when we got there but the Staff was very accommodating while we waited for our table. We ordered the Shrimp Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce, Fried Tofu, Chicken Wings with the Fish Sauce & the Veggie Pho. The Peanut Sauce and Fish Sauce were out of this world and the Food was delightful! Atmosphere was comfortable and cozy. Can't wait to come back! read more

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The restaurant wasn't busy so we thought we would order and our food would come quick. That was not the case. The table next to us had already ordered and waited just as long as we did for our food. I assume the broth is made the day before or even the morning of so it would just have to be assembled. Well it felt like maybe 15 mins went by before our food arrived. Other wise, the pho was great! read more

Rude service. Waited 25 minutes for one ice coffee and one matcha. Waiter never apologized for the wait. He served three tables that came after us their full meals before we got two to-go drinks. He made excuses instead of taking responsibility for forgetting the drinks. Very unprofessional. Lots of other places to go than this place. read more

Food was amazing and the service too. I ordered the garlic noodles and pho and it tasted incredible read more

2h for food that all i gotta say. Food is decent but 2h wait you get to decide. It just too much time wasted

It's great to have a real phở place downtown, but I have mixed feelings...or maybe just reservations? Got a bún entree which was very high quality, but I think just a little too small, especially for the price. The cooks in the back definitely know what they're doing. I was really impressed by the subtle smokiness infused into the cooked meats. My other nits were not-so-perfect service and very tiny dishes of nước mắm pha. This condiment is essential for bún and is usually served in small soup bowls. Despite the annoying name of the establishment, this really does seem to be the real thing, probably more "authentic" and better quality food than you're gonna get at any other Viet place in Monterey County. I'll be back to see if they improve. Can't wait to try the egg coffee and tempting beef dishes. read more

Very good food & the service was super. I'd recommend to anyone looking for authentic dishes.

Super enjoyable experience. Fresh food, friendly staff and clean! We ordered the Rib Pho, and the pork and rice.

From the moment we walked into this Vietnamese restaurant, we were welcomed like family. The service is truly exceptional--warm, attentive, and genuinely thoughtful without ever being overbearing. Every staff member seemed to take pride in making our experience special, and it showed. Now, the food--wow. The pho is the kind you dream about: rich, aromatic broth with just the right balance of spices, served piping hot with tender slices of beef and fresh herbs. It's comfort in a bowl and then some. But the real star of the show? The shaken beef. Perfectly cooked, unbelievably tender, and bursting with savory, garlicky goodness. It melts in your mouth and leaves you wondering how they manage to get it that perfect. We rounded out our meal with their teas and smoothies, which were as refreshing as they were beautiful. You can tell they use fresh ingredients--the flavors are vibrant and never too sweet. Whether you're a pho fanatic, a shaken beef devotee, or just someone who appreciates stellar hospitality and great food, this place is a must-visit. I almost didn't want to leave a review just to keep it my little secret... but they deserve all the praise! read more

Finally an authentic Vietnamese restaurant in Monterey!!! The beef rib pho is an absolute must. We haven't been able to find any place closer than San Jose for the amazing aromatic and deeply complicated flavors of an authentic bowl of pho. Shrimp mango salad was a little spicy but that's because they use fresh cut chili just like your aunties use & the Che bắp (corn pudding with coconut milk) was just the cherry on top! read more

The service was terrible the waitress never returned to ask about water or drink refills.The pho was blamd.It have the same flavoring as a can of soup.VERY VERY DISAPPOINTED. read more

The food is wonderful, the prices are good, and the service is personal and friendly. The server was positively evangelical about the egg coffee (I asked about it, because how could I not?), and it was unexpectedly fabulous. Go here and order whatever strikes you. You'll leave happy. Bonus points for the people who run the place, who make you feel like you're visiting them in their living room. I hope they make a zillion dollars. read more

The Pho was amazing. I had the bone in and the broth was perfect. Beef sandwich well made. Portion size is very good. Service was quick. Wish they had more seats. The dining presence was average nothing special. But who's going here for ambiance? Great little hole in the wall Pho restraunt. Definitely a must try if you enjoy noodles. read more

Since moving to Carmel several years ago from the Bay Area I desperately missed delicious Vietnamese food that was easy to get to. And Rice & Roots delivers!! Located right in the heart of downtown Monterey, their food is made with love and is FULL of flavor. We tried the fresh spring rolls, combo pork vermicelli, roti chicken, garlic noodles, fresh fruit tea and a smoothie. Everything was delicious! The owner was walking around asking the customers about their experience and you can tell this is a labor of love for she and her husband. Highly recommend and wish this casual dining business tremendous success for bringing such beautiful cuisine to the area. read more

Very much enjoyed our dinner here. We enjoyed the grilled pork vermicelli and Bánh Mì. What I will write is that the service was good and the food was just delicious. It sometimes feels rare to find restaurants where the taste is remarkable. This was one. read more

10/10, Calamari, Wings, Garlic Noodles with Beef, and Pho, all super delicious. Service was great, a great downtown gem! read more

Say like what's not available at the beginning and please add some more noodles. The actual taste is actually really good.

The highlight of the meal was the boba tea. It is unlikely that this place will last. The flavors are muted, and servers disorganized. Lemongrass chicken was too salty and tasted like more like curry than lemongrass. The spring roll peanut sauce needs to be better. I hope they figure it out but do not have hopes for improvement. Not worth it. read more

Great food and service. The pho soup was very tasty. Cozy place that just opened. Was mildly surprised how tasty their food was. Will be back to order a different item next time! read more

Amazing authentic flavors! Everything tastes so good and the service was amazing!! We ordered the pho short rib and the vermicelli Both are a must try. I'm definitely going to be back to try more dishes. read more

Very good place to eat. Service was awesome and the food was delicious. I had the garlic noodles and my family and I split the fried egg roll appetizer(ridiculously good). read more

Great service can't save a restaurant with unappetizing food and frustrating parking. Wouldn't return unless changes are made.

This place was a great find! Ambience was great, music nice volume and great tracks, very clean tables chairs and surroundings. Food unreal, pho was amazing my wife's lemongrass shrimp was unreal flavor too notch! Staff very friendly and attentive, it was a great spot. read more

This place offers authentic and flavorful Vietnamese food. There was a bit of a wait on Christmas Eve, but it was worth it. The banh mi is one of the best I've ever had, and the spring rolls were light & refreshing. Totally come check this out on a cold day in Monterey! read more

TERRIBLE SERVICE! I've had some pretty bad dining experiences before, but this one takes the cake. If I could give it zero stars, I would. The service was so bad that it felt like we were inconveniencing the staff by simply showing up. We had to ask for utensils, napkins and even water. When asked the server for water she brushed us off and said "one moment" and continued being on her phone. The food was minimal and bland. The food we ordered was missing ingredients while others have ingredients that were asked to be left out. The portions are small. We have never been to a restaurant where we just wanted the check and leave. We left the restaurant still hungry and dumbfounded on how terrible the service was. I would NEVER recommend anyone to go there. read more

We went there for their banh mi sandwiches and they were very good. The waitress was great and told us if we were unhappy , they would be on the house. Service was very good. This is a great addition to the Monterey Peninsula. We will be back to try other dishes!! read more

The food was amazing! The service even better! As you can see from my profile, I rarely, if ever write any reviews, it has to be compelling enough. For Rice and Roots, the owner and team were very accomadating, they treated us not as $$$, but customers they warmly welcomed and wanted to invite back to their dinner table. The food was amazing, in the woods of my 8 year old son, it was 9.10 out of 10. My twin boys actually ate and tried everything, despite being picky eaters. They are all of their rate beef pho, tried the butter garlic chicken wings, and lived the shaking beef garlic noodles. The strawberry mango smoothie went down with enthusiasm. This has been a complete success and we plan to come back. If you have a chance make sure to order the 3 colored dessert. All made in house and authentic to the taste. read more

I was looking forward to trying the Vietnamese food at this restaurant after reading some of the positive reviews here on Yelp. Unfortunately, after making the drive here this evening, we never had a chance to experience it. My husband and I arrived for dinner and the restaurant was full. No problem. This was a good sign. An employee wearing glasses wrote down our name and phone number on a notepad. I confirmed that we were first on the list. A family of 4 showed up after us and the employee also put their name on the list. The restaurant is small so we all waited outside of the restaurant for a table to open. After a few minutes, the employee took the family of 4 to a table and they sat down. I walked inside and asked why they were seated before us since we were first on the list. She said she gave the table to them because it was a table for 4 people. This did not make sense because there were multiple tables in the restaurant that could have accommodated 4 people, but only had 2 people sitting at them. Another employee intervened and told me that a customer that was seated at a 2-person table was getting ready to leave and we could sit there after he left. At that time, we decided to leave. We ended up at a delicious Mexican restaurant across the street. Recommendation to the owner of this restaurant: Please educate your employees on proper wait list etiquette. If a party is next on the list, please offer a table to them. If that cannot happen, please communicate with that party. In this case, IF we had been asked to give up that table for 4 because a table for 2 would be opening up soon, I would have happily agreed to. Everyone would have been enjoying your food and restaurant experience. Instead, now, I am giving everyone a heads up on what they might experience if they are placed on a wait list. I'm sure your food is really good. We'll never know. read more

The food is delicious and creative. The owner is engaging and kind. The restaurant is always full of people but you can hold a conversation no problem. Support this wonderful locally owned restaurant. read more

Best Vietnamese food in town! The pho broth was hearty and delicious. Their banh mi baguette was crunchy and the meat inside was seasoned very well. All the veggies and meats tasted very fresh. read more

Wow this was a really disappointing meal- tasted like grocery store pre cut, pre bagged everything tossed in a bowl. Dried up chicken slices in the Vermicelli, flavorless sauce, no fresh veggies. Garlic beef noodles had rubbery beef and garlic salt flavored noodles- how about fresh garlic? For anyone who has had authentic Vietnamese, this is not your place. Sorry- really wanted to like this place. The owner apparently was not there when I let them know what a sad meal this was. read more

Excellent Vietnamese food is now available in Monterey! Ordered the mango shrimp salad. The shrimp were not overcooked. Salad was delicious. Also ordered the combo pho (soup). It was also great. So many things to try. Will be back soon. If you are not familiar with Vietnamese food but like Thai give this a try. Owner Niki will give you all the advice you need and want. read more

I usually don't do reviews. But I just want to share this experience with others. My partner and I dropped by for the drinks. We wanted to get some drinks for the road since we were visiting and about to head back home. We got two drinks, a Vietnamese coffee and a matcha coconut. There was one server and the restaurant was not busy. We waited 20 minutes for TWO drinks. There were three tables that were seated after we ordered and even they got their foods already. My partner then went up to ask the server about the TWO drinks and the server went back to ask the lady who made our drinks. The lady told the server that it was already made and in the fridge which meant that the drinks were just sitting in the fridge for that whole time. My partner said to the server that it's ridiculous it took over 20 minutes to get two drinks and after serving three tables who came after us. Instead of apologizing, the server said well I'm the only one here, with an attitude. He got everyone's food out except our drinks. He was unapologetic and rude. When we got our drinks, the Vietnamese coffee was too sweet and the Matcha coconut just tastes of coconut. Will I come here again? No, but I recommend calling in advance before picking up your order. read more

Authentic Vietnamese Cuisine! Delicious Pho, Bahn Mi Sandwiches. Try the shaken filet mignon with garlic noodles! Family owned. Excellent Service. Rice & Roots is a much needed addition to Monterey! read more

Great food. Has the vermicelli with pork and the phò. Great atmosphere. Lovely casual family-friendly. Great place. Will come again and again! read more

Had the best food here. Pho, Shortribs and so much more. I love this place. I will be back again and again. read more

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I've eaten here 5x this week. The pho, bahn mi, boba, and garlic fries are the best in the county. Trust me.

I work around the corner so I grab food a few times a week. I judge Vietnamese restaurants by 4 main things. Pho broth, nuoc mam, peanut sauce and Vietnamese coffee. All four are very good so I'm here a lot. Nikki and her family are very sweet and awesome human beings. Btw they also have a whipped egg coffee which you will not find anywhere in the area which is mad good. read more

Best pho in town!!!! Literally the best! Definitely coming back and will recommend to everyone