Absolutely the BEST sushi in town! I've tried them all. The caribbean roll and the caterpillar roll are definitely a must try! Also the Mr. H, if you like raw fish. The service is great, atmosphere is welcoming and comfortable, and the food is amazing. The salmon and tuna sashimi at Taste are on point. I definitely recommend trying this place out to everyone! There's not one thing I've had that didn't exceed my expectations.
(5)
Crystal C.
Absolutely the BEST sushi in town! I've tried them all. The caribbean roll and the caterpillar roll are definitely a must try! Also the Mr. H, if you like raw fish. The service is great, atmosphere is welcoming and comfortable, and the food is amazing. The salmon and tuna sashimi at Taste are on point. I definitely recommend trying this place out to everyone! There's not one thing I've had that didn't exceed my expectations.
(5)
Peter F.
The Pho is very good. The service is a bit lack luster. It isn't that their service staff provides bad service, it appears to be lack of training or experience. There is a bit of a funny smell upon entering the restaurant (like a wet rag that's been sitting in a bucket for days), but nothing too offensive. Note to Management: Please bring back the Vietnamese coffee with the slow-drip method over condensed milk. The currently available coffee in a styrofoam cup is not cutting it.
(3)
Jeanne T.
Did not taste like Saigon!!!! However it sure did feel like Saigon! The air conditioning must have been broken because it was getting steamy in there. We got the pho and tempura shrimp/veg. The pho noodles were clumped together in a ball and the meat was tough. The tempura shrimp and veg dish had two shrimp! The tempura batter was very dense, not light and crispy. At least the service was great.
(2)
Alanna T.
Service was sub par and the pad thai taste like blended peanut butter.
(2)
Jennifer P.
The restaurant's overall feeling is very nice, the wood color brings a lot of home-like eating experience. I went there almost every weekend. The noodle soup is the best in the town!! I have tried few pho restaurants, but this place is definitely my favorite. The soup has very rich flavor and there are a variety of vege. My favorite soup noodle is #14 I think. I don't remember the name of it, but it has a bunch if tomato, eggs, and onion in it. Super good! A must try!! I love this place! But the only downside is that it is a little overpriced. But I still go because of the good flavoring.
(4)
Andrew H.
Authentic Vietnamese cuisine that "tastes" great. Don't be afraid to try one of the authentic Vietnamese noodle bowls, I recommend the beef. The broth is amazing and it its customary to slurp your noodles don't worry. I came back again and tried the Japanese sushi and it was also very good. Overall this restaurant has a great menu and I can't wait to go back again.
(4)
Kevin M.
Broken A/C (they serve sushi and soup - raw fish and hot soup should be matched with a cool environment for both the prevention of food-borne illness and comfort)...Must have been over 80 degrees in there. No hostess to greet you as you walk in. You have to seat yourself. Inattentive staff - waited for almost ten minutes and did not even receive a menu or drink. They were pretty empty - on a Saturday night BTW. Absolutely inexcusable. All of the aforementioned led us to walk out before even ordering. Service was an absolute joke. Won't be back. P.S. - to the flamboyant waiter (or waitress - not really sure...), you walked past my table three times, and failed to even acknowledge our existence. You should spend less time doing your hair and more time serving your customers.
(1)
Chad R.
Have been going to taste for the past year + for the Pho. It is easily the best soup in Gainesville but the facility needs some help. Had to stop dining in due to awful service (either sit around and wait for an open table and then seat yourself while hoping someone doesn't get to the table before you) even when not busy it can be slow and impersonal. Started only takeout, started out great but the last few orders have been a mess. Half the noodles, double the sprouts, and all packaged sabotaged like a Jenga stack making for a treacherous journey home. Never sure if you are going to get condiments or chopsticks. Whenever I see the, for lack of better description, rude eccentric dude that works there (if you have gone, you will recognize him)-- I know my order will be missing items, half full, and sloppy. With all that said, the food is exceptional and some of the front end employees are helpful. Overall I think a bit of quality control would excel this place.
(3)
Kenneth P.
This is as good as it gets as far as authentic Vietnamese food in Gainesville. I never tried the sushi, and that's because I always enjoyed the Vietnamese food. I'm a Denverite-- and in Denver, we strongly pride ourselves in our ability to discern good Pho along with other Vietnamese food. The Pho broth is authentic and really accurate to what Pho really should be (rare to find in Florida). The noodles were cooked well, not clumped, and not overcooked. They had almost all the right veggies that go into pho, and they gave a good amount. The Bun Bo Hue also is very good. The broth is spicy, as it should be. However, the Bun Bo Hue did not have the right noodles. They used the thick udon noodles as opposed to the thinner round rice noodles that traditionally goes in Bun Bo Hue. Also, they didn't have the pork hoof that I usually love. One thing, though, they do have cha (processed pork) that is delicious. I also had the Goi (Vietnamese chicken salad). This was delicious and pretty authentic too. Only thing missing was the shrimp chip. But I understand, because many restaurants don't bother with that. I'd highly recommend this place for Vietnamese food. However, just a simple correction I would like to make to their menu. They have something that they call the "summer roll" and the "spring roll." Which is their names for a spring roll and an egg roll. This is really weird to me, and I strongly disagree with this nomenclature. Spring roll is "goi cuon" which is elastic rice paper wrap with lettuce, vermicilli, and pork. Whereas an egg roll is a deep fried egg wrap with mix of pork and veggies. Please don't go around asking Vietnamese people for "summer rolls". That's not a real thing. That's all though! The food overall is delicious, and I was able to meet the chef herself-- who's this lovely Vietnamese lady who doesn't speak English, amongst a ton of non-Vietnamese workers. I would recommend you going there simply to support her. But she also happens to make amazing Viet food.
(5)
Bao P.
For a Vietnamese boy that left home to go to college in Gainesville this is the closest of reminding me of home. The food is good. Love, Bao Eat on my friends
(4)
Ellen K.
The Spicy Beef salad had soooo many onions and what they consider beef is roast beef lunch meat slices.. Would not order again!
(2)
k b.
My staple for years. Pho Sliced Beef soup, spring rolls and Pad Thai. Consistent, delicious, reasonable prices, large portions. The owner is always in the kitchen herself. I don't know how she still does it. Glad she does though. Lots of new places opening but I still love my old favorite.
(4)
Jay L.
Very good pho ! Definitely one of the best I have been to in Gainesville ! Bento box is so so though .
(4)
Megan G.
I really like taste, I use to work in the mall and would visit the kiosk almost ever day. The rolls are yummy and good quality.
(4)
Austin W.
My girlfriend and I ordered take-out from this place. When she went to pick it up, she happened to notice that the order was not complete when they were packaging the food. She then waited while they cooked the rest of the order. Upon arriving at home, we find out that they gave her the wrong meal, with pork instead of vegetarian. She called the restaurant to see about resolving the issue, and was treated very rudely and told it was her fault that they didn't understand what she said when ordering. She was very upset by this, so I called back to speak with a manager and was told there was no manager at the restaurant. No wonder they couldn't get an order right or treat customers with respect, there was nobody there to watch over the business. They took both of our phone numbers so a manager could call us the next day, but we never heard back about it. On top of all of this, the food was mediocre at best. The beef in the pho was overcooked and rubbery. We will not be going back to this restaurant, the staff is clueless and the food is not worth the hassle.
(1)
Ken K.
Omg. Funny story Once a year we make a road trip to n.j. from naples and on the way back we stop at the best western plus in hainesville. Nice hotel and good location. Last year we ate at an incredible Asian restaraunt near here. We wanted to go back but couldn't remember the name. We went om yelp and found this place very close to the hotel with a good rating. Growing up in the n.y. area good Asian food is commonplace. Not so in Naples so we eat wherever we think it's good. This place is so good its almost worth a 4 hour drive. The spicy beef salad is as good as anything in n.y. The crispy duck phone is to die for and the short ribs are as good as any Korean short ribs we ever had . 40.00 for dinner!!! I spend more than that at a Naples happy hour. On the way out we thanked the owner and begged him to come to naples. I guess we will have to wait till the next road trip. Kudos to this place. Pretty and service was good also. Music was a little loud but not imsurmountable. Ken k. Naples
(5)
Coty S.
I do not know if they have new owners now or what. But, this used to be a Vietnamese restaurant that had some sushi. Now, it is mostly a very bad sushi restaurant that has sub-par Vietnamese items on the menu. They are now called "Taste Cafe" or something of the sort and the service is terrible. There are scuff marks all over the walls, and a general creepy and unclean feeling. There are two sushi chefs, some cooks in the kitchen, and two servers. No drink preps, no runners, no hostess, and no bussers. So, the servers cannot keep with the demand and you will stand there at the door staring at empty tables, waiting for a server to seat you. Then, you will sit at your dirty table waiting almost 15 minutes for a menu. The food is now atrocious! It is strange for you to read my reviews here, I am sure- because they jump from 3 star, to 5 star, to 2 star. But, the service and food are just that unpredictable. I am never dining here again. I can now officially say that there is no decent Pho in Gainesville, FL!
(2)
Kay G.
We waited for 1 hour and 20 min before we got our food. That was ridiculous!! When I went to ask about our food, one waiter who took us to the table, asked me if I was waiting for a pick up. Is he stupid or what? We will never ever go back to that place again!!
(1)
Gary G.
Great Pho, great sushi, great appetizers. Very Clean and tidy. Best Pho in Gainesville, FL by far. They also offer a lot of other Asian cuisines. I can't speak for them personally, since I can't pull myself away from the Pho, but others I have dined with me rave over the place. Can't recommend enough.
(5)
John T.
I usually have one of the Pho dishes - it's usual because I enjoy them - but this evening I had claypot rice with chicken. I was very pleased with the flavors and the combination of rice, veggies, sauce, and well-handled meat. I'll have this again sometime, and my wife - who had a bite or two of mine - wants the sometime to be soon so she can have a serving of her own. The claypot is a generous portion of food that kept me busy after wife had finished her (not stingy) bento box.
(5)
Darren F.
This Asian restaurant is very cool and nice, the wood color brings a lot of home-like eating experience. On top of all of this, the food was mediocre at best especially the pho, its very good. Definitely one of the best I have been to in Gainesville. Super good! A must try!!
(4)
Christina P.
I'm still on a mission to find decent Vietnamese food in Gainesville and Taste is....well, just okay. I got the claypot fish and pork. This is essentially tilapia and pork (ca kho) braised in caramel and fish sauce and served with rice. Mine came out a bit salty, but nothing that a lot of rice couldn't fix. My mom ordered the pan fried noodles (mi xao don) which was actually very good. I would recommend this over any of the other vietnamese dishes. My dad ordered grilled pork with rice (com thit nuong) which was mediocre. The pork tasted overdone to me but at least the veggies were very fresh. Also, our food came out super slow even though there weren't many people in the restaurant.
(3)
Katie B.
Meh. If there were half stars, I would give this 2.5 - but there aren't, and this place isn't THAT meh, so three it is. I came here while visiting Gainesville for an evening. What I really wanted was Satchels, but they were closed, so we came here for some pho. The pho is good. Solid, even. Not my favorite pho in the country, but it certainly wasn't bad. I wasn't disappointed, but I wasn't impressed. The tofu summer rolls were better, but still not the best. The thai tea was TERRIBLE. Maybe whoever made it was in a rush and didn't really know what they were doing, or maybe this place just has really bad thai tea, but it was just off.
(3)
Stephanie R.
Food was pretty good but took a LONG time. Waited 20 mins to order and to top it off they forgot to bring out my miso soup. He definitely took it down when I ordered so I figured it would still be on the bill but to my surprise it wasn't. So wait; the waiter remembered he didn't bring out my soup, took it off the bill, and then didn't apologize for it? I would have been happy to remind him if he had come by to check on us while waiting for our food. Probably won't be back.
(2)
Lisa D.
Tried their walk-up shop in the mall and decided to try the store front venue. Very pleased! Much better than Momoyaki and I love Momo's.
(5)
Mike W.
My lady friend and I are, well, how should I put this? Pho snobs. We've had the pleasure of sampling pho all over the great state of Florida and Taste's is way up there... Maybe the best! The broth is sweet but not too sweet, the meat is plentiful and the fresh, the bean sprouts are long and crisp, and they provide you with cilantro to season to your liking (this is somewhat of a rarity nowadays). The tripe and tendon won't disappoint either if you choose to eat it the authentic way! Even the limes are huge and ripe!! Be sure to ask for thai basil, too :D If you're into giant spring rolls, like my lady friend is, be sure to try 'em here. They're huge and tasty! The sushi doesn't miss a beat either. 4/5 stars because the service has been sub par on more than one occasion. But hey, if the food is good, then I'm good! Guys, this place is awesome. Pho-real!
(4)
Gregg S.
Just tried Taste for the first time. I had the miso soup and pork katsu, both of which were very good! I will definitely go back for more!
(4)
Jonathan C.
I've known this place since when an acquaintance bought is half a decade ago. I have not been back since until today. When we first got o the restaurant, I was going to try their BOGO sushi but the party saw the Hotpot selection and ordered it. At first the staff had said they had ran out of gas for the burners, to our dismay, they later came back an brandished their last supply of butane can, eliciting sheer applause from us. The Hotpot was of a Vietnamese taste, not Chinese or Korean, but the broth did have some interesting favors that make it unique. Their sushi special selection was also very good, with combinations, which I've never seen before, dancing on my palate. Service was great.
(5)
Marianne W.
My husband and I went last night for dinner. Both was sick all night so I am pretty sure it was food poisoning. I won't go back! The place was nice but the service was deficient.
(1)
LC B.
My BFF and I came here for Valentines Day and everything was awesome! We arrived pretty early about 4:30pm so there were only a few tables occupied. We ordered a couple appetizers of Sunomono salad, fried softshell crab, fried eggrolls, and fried calamari (yes we love fried stuff!!) I had the Sashimi platter and my bestie got pho. As soon as 5 o'clock came, people started flowing in and they became busy. Our waiter was very helpful, friendly, and remained unfrazzled by the number of patrons he had to wait on. He apologized for the wait but nevertheless brought our orders as soon as it was done. -Sunomono Salad 5/5 -Softshell crab 5/5 -Fried Eggrolls 4/5 -Fried Calamari 5/5 but the tomatoey dipping sauce it came with we did not like -Pho: 5/5 Broth was very delish -Sashimi Platter 5/5 OMG buttery,soft, and fresh! Yumm! Can't wait for a 2nd visit!
(5)
Allen F.
The last five times were really good. Food is awesome.
(4)
Coleen D.
Food delicious - presentation exquisite - service fast and friendly - will definitely be back! The High Roller roll is a can't miss!! YUM!!
(5)
Quang N.
Defintely one of the most legit places to get vietnamese food in gainesville. This is coming from a person that knows how to cook his own pho and bun bo hue along with other tasty dishes. I would highly recommend the Bun bo hue here, it always fills my craving. The pho broth is very authentic which can be hard to come by in Gainesville. The cook is a vietnamese lady that is very very sweet. Recommend coming here if you're craving pho and need that hangover cure =)
(5)
Theodore D.
This place is awesome. The Thai coconut cream and lemongrass soup is amazeballs, and the sushi is fantastic. Get over the ambience and enjoy the food.
(4)
Peter F.
The Pho is very good. The service is a bit lack luster. It isn't that their service staff provides bad service, it appears to be lack of training or experience. There is a bit of a funny smell upon entering the restaurant (like a wet rag that's been sitting in a bucket for days), but nothing too offensive. Note to Management: Please bring back the Vietnamese coffee with the slow-drip method over condensed milk. The currently available coffee in a styrofoam cup is not cutting it.
(3)
Jeanne T.
Did not taste like Saigon!!!! However it sure did feel like Saigon! The air conditioning must have been broken because it was getting steamy in there. We got the pho and tempura shrimp/veg. The pho noodles were clumped together in a ball and the meat was tough. The tempura shrimp and veg dish had two shrimp! The tempura batter was very dense, not light and crispy. At least the service was great.
(2)
Justin F.
I was excited to try Pho for the first time and left terribly disappointed. I've been trying new restraurants arpund Gainesville for the past few months and this is the only one where the reviews did not match what was received. The soup was definitely overcooked or was prepared hours ahead of time just sitting in a warmer the entire day. I left the restraurant with a burnt taste in my mouth. The seafood inside the soup was virtually flavorless as if the burnt soup was going to save meat that wasn't spiced up a bit. Honestly would never consider going back.
(2)
Darshan P.
Good sushi! I got a sashimi bowl which was pretty similar to a Don from Bento Cafe and Sushi, just a little bit bigger. Nice location. I haven't tried the PHO yet but it seems like its the star of the menu. I will update this as soon as I do try it.
(4)
Elayne D.
Had a great dinner at Taste recently. We shared the crispy duck dinner (perfect for two) and also the Godzilla Roll. The duck was excellent, tender and crispy, lots of veggies and flavorful sauce on rice. Service was good too!
(5)
Batter H.
One hour break for lunch and they messed up with our simple orders. Spent totally 1hour there but waited 35mins for food. FYI, only 3tables at that time.
(1)
Shimmy G.
I've seriously eaten here 3 straight nights - and I don't even enjoy eating out. (That's what she said.) I just recently moved to the area and I haven't hit up the grocery in a few so sushi seemed like a better option for me than some of my other neighborhood choices. I've gotten take out all 3 nights but I keep coming back so they must be doing something right. I've been here when they've been fairly busy and during an idle time and in both cases, the service was efficient and friendly. I'm a fan of the crispy tofu and the Godzilla roll. I tried the tofu pad thai last night and I probably won't get it again. It was just ok. Open seating and lots of room at the bar. They do have a tv above the bar but it's never turned on when I come. (That's also what she said.) Which is totally fine because it's located right over the pick up station so it could be distracting trying to actually watch something. Great location and lots of parking. Taste is quickly becoming my Gainesville Go To!
(4)
Kristin R.
Best sushi in Gainesville period. I love this place. I've had several of there entree dishes and bowls but my go to is there sushi. My favorite is the Tampa and Buddha roll. The are always fresh and I love how the have fresh crispy asparagus in some rolls. They have a veggie large sushi roll so my husband can enjoy his spicy rolls and they also have lots of cooked and vegetarian roll options as well.
(5)
Justin F.
I was excited to try Pho for the first time and left terribly disappointed. I've been trying new restraurants arpund Gainesville for the past few months and this is the only one where the reviews did not match what was received. The soup was definitely overcooked or was prepared hours ahead of time just sitting in a warmer the entire day. I left the restraurant with a burnt taste in my mouth. The seafood inside the soup was virtually flavorless as if the burnt soup was going to save meat that wasn't spiced up a bit. Honestly would never consider going back.
(2)
Darshan P.
Good sushi! I got a sashimi bowl which was pretty similar to a Don from Bento Cafe and Sushi, just a little bit bigger. Nice location. I haven't tried the PHO yet but it seems like its the star of the menu. I will update this as soon as I do try it.
(4)
Elayne D.
Had a great dinner at Taste recently. We shared the crispy duck dinner (perfect for two) and also the Godzilla Roll. The duck was excellent, tender and crispy, lots of veggies and flavorful sauce on rice. Service was good too!
(5)
Batter H.
One hour break for lunch and they messed up with our simple orders. Spent totally 1hour there but waited 35mins for food. FYI, only 3tables at that time.
(1)
Shimmy G.
I've seriously eaten here 3 straight nights - and I don't even enjoy eating out. (That's what she said.) I just recently moved to the area and I haven't hit up the grocery in a few so sushi seemed like a better option for me than some of my other neighborhood choices. I've gotten take out all 3 nights but I keep coming back so they must be doing something right. I've been here when they've been fairly busy and during an idle time and in both cases, the service was efficient and friendly. I'm a fan of the crispy tofu and the Godzilla roll. I tried the tofu pad thai last night and I probably won't get it again. It was just ok. Open seating and lots of room at the bar. They do have a tv above the bar but it's never turned on when I come. (That's also what she said.) Which is totally fine because it's located right over the pick up station so it could be distracting trying to actually watch something. Great location and lots of parking. Taste is quickly becoming my Gainesville Go To!
(4)
Melissa A.
Boy is it hard to find good pho in Gainesville! Luckily I stumbled upon Taste! Love the broth, very clean tasting. Large portions, noodles aplenty. Just when you think you've run out of meat. ..you find another piece swimming in the broth! Comes with all the usual accompaniments (bean sprouts, onion, lime). Only thing is it comes with cilantro instead of mint. Last thing about the pho: the bowl is served on a plate. hidden on the side of the bowl, resting on the plate is the soup spoon! Tricky to find. Only other dishes I've had here are the chicken, pork, or spring roll bun. Not a fan of the actual noodles because they are thicker than I'd like them to be. But as usual, always a big portion and lots of meat. I actually wish they would put more vegetables in these! Vegetables are cold and refreshing. The dipping sauce has a nice chili pepper kick to it. Also the vietnamese iced coffee here is a little too sweet for my taste, but you could always ask for less condensed milk. Yes, it is expensive. But with such slim pickings for pho in Gainesville, might as well pay a lot and be satisfied than pay less for mediocre pho.
(5)
Felix C.
Went for a quick lunch. And it was the biggest mistake I made that day. I sat at the bar hoping for a quick serve and meal. When I went in, there was only one other table occupied. I ordered two rolls of sushi hoping that I will be served quickly. Nope! As I was waiting for my food, more people came and ordered stuff. They were served their appetizer (sushi appetizers) Before I was served my meal, even though I ordered first. Maybe they called beforehand and placed their order or maybe they forgot my order even though I was sitting right in front of the sushi chef. Anyways, I was late to my appointment later!
(2)
Shannon H.
The place was hit and miss for me. We walked in and it took a while before we were greeted. The sushi guy could have at least said hello. However, once we were greeted and seated, the staff was uber friendly. We ordered the Vietnamese summer roll appetizer. Pork was terrible, but the sauce was fabulous. Ordered the sliced beef and meatball pho for dinner. They were definitely generous with the beef and meatballs had a better flavor than others that I had before. Broth was a little weak, we had to ask for basil for the dish, and I had a huge wad of clumpy noodles in my soup. My husband's noodle proportion was fine. The waitress asked if we wanted the housemade chili sauce for our soup. That was awesome, but no joke on the heat level. You can buy the broth by the quart which after making pho at home, the broth can be the biggest headache so its a good idea. I can't say I will be back for the pho, but maybe I will try the sushi.
(3)
Jeff M.
Great sushi and yellow curry. I'm not crazy about the pad thai though
(4)
Eugene S.
Our 4 yrs in Lake City the only pho place we go frequently Very good selection of pho quite authentic although no match for place in NY Orlando Quite consistent Has never tried their pan asian menus
(4)
Claudia M.
Nice alternative when our fav is closed. Food is good, a bit much sauce on top that would have been better on the side. Mild inconsistency how the iced coffee is served. Some variability in server friendliness. Overall, we'll come back.
(4)
Crystal M.
So I dragged my boyfriend here for lunch as I was blown way by how good it was last time I went here (less than a week ago). We got a seat immediately and purused the menu. It is extensive. Too much to process in just a few minutes. Unfortunately, my boyfriend wasn't hungry and I was distracted by the duck on the menu, so instead of ordering interesting, new food, we split the order of half duck ($18) and an appetizer of fried crab wontons. The food came out quickly. I have never seen such a beautiful and fresh looking duck dish ever. I loved the flavor, and it was not a true half duck in that they gave you 2 bottom quarters (which is good, more meat is on that part anyways.) We ate 1/3 of it a piece. The wontons were okay. $5.50 for five of them, not worth it in my opinion. And not sweet, like the dragonfly ones. I wanted to get the sweet rice with taro and coconut dessert, but they were out (NOOO!!! so sad). I really want to just come here and try everything. Bringing my sister here when she attends school this Fall.
(4)
Brittany H.
Miso soup came out room temperature. Tables were dirty when we sat down and had to have them wiped down 2 times. Waters went empty and rarely filled. Not impressed.
(3)
Heather H.
I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this place. I've been here twice over the past two weeks; it's very good but I feel like it's... missing something. Great atmosphere, the place is very well kept and classy. Service was good, the waiters and waitresses were nice and very attentive both times I went. No complaints there! Their food is very good too, but at the same time I don't think there's anything about it that makes it really stand out. I had chicken teriyaki on my first trip and it was really good, definitely one of the better I've had but I still didn't feel too excited about it. This time I decided to try their pho, and although it was VERY good I don't think it was better than the pho at Pho Hanoi. The only thing I liked better about it was that the meat tasted a lot better and they give you more of it, but Pho Hanoi's had much better broth and noodles. Three stars because although it's an excellent place and worth checking out, something about it feels kind of lacking to me, otherwise it would get a four. Maybe I'll try their sushi next time I go and see how I feel about it then.
(3)
Stefanie E.
Just found this place after seeing it on TV. We've been twice. First the Sushi. Loved it, we got the Dragon Roll (a must), the Gator and eel. All excellent. The noodles dishes are HUGE and plenty to eat. The veggies were fresh and cooked perfectly. The stir fry had an excellent taste. We also got the ginger rice dish. The flavor was exceptional. Portion was small disappointed in that. We also got the beef soup (larger size). We visit China town in NYC often and love the giant soup bowls up there. These bowls were just as giant and full of goodness. Can't wait to try others. Food was averaging around $10 a meal (Average, give or take a few dollars) but we felt it was reasonably priced, especially with the cost of food lately. The service was crappy. Two servers may not be enough. They were not friendly at all. I wouldn't go for the service I'd go for the food. The kitchen was fast, which is a good thing. Place is a hole in the wall with some literal holes in the walls. it could use a paint job. But we weren't there for the decor. If you are looking for good Asian cuisine that isn't uppity this is your place. We will for sure be returning.
(4)
Beth G.
I've eaten here a few times now and I'm glad I waited before posting a review. My first experience was nothing exceptional, but the subsequent visits have really made the restaurant grow on me. The short ribs had a great flavor, but there was very little meat on them - less than I would expect normally. $8 seemed a little high for the amount of meat. The gyoza had a great ginger soy dipping sauce. I've tried the ginger chicken and the basil chicken rice dishes, as well as the grilled pork and egg roll bun. All of these had quality meat and tasted as they should. The thing that I really love Taste of Saigon for, though, is the fact that they have Chè Khoai Môn. It's my favorite thing on their menu - and it must be other people's favorite, too, because they sell out of it often! I guess I'm just a sucker for rice pudding in general, but the blend of the rice pudding with taro and coconut milk is just heaven.
(4)
Benjamin S.
We stopped here on our way back home from spring break vacation. I was kind of nervous about finding a decent restaurant in a college town, but I think my husband and kids were satisfied enough. We ordered the crispy duck noodles, a bowl of pho, pad thai, and a yellow curry. The crispy duck noodles, pho, and pad thai were really good. But, for some reason, the yellow curry had huge chunks of potato in it? I found that very strange because thai curries never have potato in it. Service was pretty bad here, we only had our water glasses filled ONCE, and the waiters were talking VERY loudly. Overall, we were pretty satisfied besides the mediocre service.
(4)
Heather S.
This is my new favorite restaurant in Gainesville. The food was fresh and full of flavor and there were a ton of delicious sounding specials and selections to choose from. I had the chicken and vegetables cooked in a clay pot and my husband ordered the vegetarian crepe. Both were cooked to perfection. I can't give the place a five star rating because the service was pretty bad. We were there for lunch, around 1pm, and it took more than 15 minutes to get seated despite the fact that there were tables open. They didn't carry the item on the menu I wanted most (shrimp cooked on sugar cane) even though it was still listed. It took a long time to get our food. Even still, it was all worth it because the food was just so good. I am going to try this place again and see if the service issue was just a fluke.
(4)
Jonathon F.
Good pho (at least for Gainesville), decent sushi, most of the other dishes are bland. Service is usually good. The only reason they didn't earn a 4-star rating is their cleanliness. Everything, especially the condiments, has a sticky feeling, and our utensils are often dirty.
(3)
Connie C.
Pretty good. The restaurant is very clean and has a little of a contemporary design. The food is authentic and tasty. I had the pork and shrimp spring rolls - the dipping sauce was very appetizing. And I also ordered one of the soups (meatball and sliced beef). I must say that the broth was very flavorful. And the bowl was so huge there is no way I was going to be able to eat it ALL!! The service was friendly and attentive. Overall very pleased.
(4)
carrie h.
in my opinion, this is the best sushi in gainesville currently. i've yet to have a roll there that i disliked. definitely try the neptune or coconut dessert roll. the staff is super friendly. i always enjoy siting at the sushi bar also, the sushi chefs make great recommendations and are very friendly.
(4)
Pam D.
Decor is really nice, very soothing atmosphere. Equally good for going on a date or hanging out with friends. First time there I ordered Pad Thai and Summer rolls. Both were just fair in my opinion. I hate to say that as I really expected them to be better going by the looks of the place. The Pad Thai wasn't bad in any way, shape or form, just not as good as when I've had it before, for instance at Liquid Ginger. I had shrimp pad thai and I have to say that the shrimp had a funny taste; how do I explain this? Dirty-ish, if that makes sense. Not spoiled, just idk, dirty. As though they'd been kept in water that was funny or something. The peanut sauce really lacked any peanut flavor at all. This surprised me. The summer rolls weren't bad, but they were jam packed with noodles and didn't have any cilantro. :-( I went back for lunch with a friend and my experience was much better. I had sushi and it was really good. The eel sauce was very good also. Silly question in an Asian restaurant, but I asked for coffee and the waiter gave me what he called was Korean coffee. It was served with a metal plate and cup that held the grounds that allowed hot water to drip down into a glass, kind of like an Italian coffee press. It was served with a glass of ice, which I didn't use as I preferred my coffee hot that day. What was really awesome and could be quite addicting was that the glass the coffee was dripping down into had a small layer of condensed milk. Wow ~ was that good! I'll try this at home. So, I hope the chef reads this and that they make the peanut sauce more flavorful and add cilantro and bean sprouts in the summer rolls. Ichiban has the best summer rolls so far. I mean all of what I say as a gentle and kind suggestion. The service was very good and the restaurant appeared very clean. I'd like to see them do well and stay around awhile.
(4)
Tracy R.
I can not say enough positive things about this resturant. I'm vegan and they actually care enough not to serve me something that I can't have, instead of just thinking I'm picky. The Sushi chef named Nester made me a customer roll that used cucumber as the wrap instead of seaweed, and was so nice. I'm able to get in and out quickly while taking a brief moment to enjoy dinner. The menu is extensive, probably a little too much so, but the service staff offers amazing recommendations. I hardly have to open the menu when I'm there. Resturant is always clean and pleasant. I go here at least once a week.
(5)
Drew L.
Hung runs a great restaurant. This is honestly one of my favorite restaurants in Gainesville. There is a surprisingly wide menu and many of the dishes are prepared by hand where others would use pre-prepared food. For example the wontons in the soups are hand made. They have the best pho soups I've had in a long time, and wonton soup as well. Well worth a visit to this place.
(5)
Mike W.
My boyfriend and I ate here tonight and it was quite good, though I would not say outstanding. I cook and eat a lot of Viet food and am therefore pretty critical of Vietnamese restaurants. The menu is pretty authentic but nonetheless limited: there is more of an emphasis here on vegetarian dishes and other Americanized approaches to Viet fare. The summer rolls were good enough and my pho ga was fairly good too, but not as savory as some pho I've had. We were, oddly, waited on by three different servers: all appeared to be waiters, too, so it's not like one was a runner or host, either. One appeared to be Viet, another (girl) was possibly Viet but not too engaging, and the third was an American (i.e., non-asian american) guy who was the most upbeat of the trio. I make mention of this because it seemed like we had odd and un-centered attention from the waitstaff: one dedicated waiter would have made more sense. There were no problems, per se, though they did forget to bring the garnish dish along with my pho and I had to request it and also the sauces. Because pho almost always comes with its standard garnish plate and sauces, this should have been a non-issue. The atmosphere is very nice, though I would not say as "hip" or "trendy" as other reviewers have claimed: still, it's nicer than many a Viet restaurant. Yet perhaps that brings us to an interesting point: I think Taste of Siagon is trying to be more than a Viet place, with sushi on the menu and a chicken or pork katsu on the night of our visit as a special, they're going pan-asian . . . either that, or they just were bought out by a Japanese chef. I can't fault them for what are probably smart business choices nor for their service or quality of food, and their location is very handy for where I live. However, I wish we had at least one REAL Viet place in town: a place that didn't cater that much to American tastes and really placed full emphasis on Viet cooking. They DO have things like clay pot catfish here, but I didn't see a number of other traditional dishes that I would like to try. And the pho ga was ok . . . but could have been better seasoned. Pho Hanoi is probably overall more authentic and the most authentic of Gainesville's Viet places. Still, the prices were very fair and it's a very pleasent place for lunch (which I've had here before) or dinner.
(4)
Josh B.
This restaurant is very hard to find. Maybe that's just a Gainesville thing, but it's stuck in a strip mall. After we eventually found it, I was a bit concerned not to see any Vietnamese staff. The waiters are obviously U of F students, a bit raw, but well meaning. My rice vermicelli was a bit soft and under seasoned, but the barbecued chicken and accompanying vegetables were fine, and after a long drive through the wasteland of I75, welcome indeed. I had to ask for hot sauce, and was provided with the standard array of Sriracha, Sambal, etc. My wife's crispy noodles were fine, nothing outstanding. I'd stop by again if I was passing by. Based on this meal, I wouldn't go out of my way.
(3)
Bettina T.
Cute restaurant. Great location and it's in a nice plaza. This vietnamese restaurant also serves sushi! The pork and rice platter was delicious and so were their soups. I also tried the sushi pizza which was very filling. I recommend eating here if you happen to be craving vietnamese food at UF.
(4)
Rachel E.
i've wanted to try this place for a while and it did not disappoint. it was not busy when we arrived so we got to seat ourselves, but almost every table was filled by the time we left. we had specifically gone for ~happy hour~ so we could get half priced appetizers. we started with the fried spring rolls and short ribs. the spring rolls (4) were better than i expected, and the menu notes they are one of the best sellers. the short ribs were good with a lot of flavor, but small and we only got 5. i would not purchase appetizers again unless they were half price. we ordered 4 sushi rolls and plum wine. the wine was buy one, get one half off. we had one cold roll with lettuce, tuna, and rice paper (the name of it escapes me) and three rolls with katsu shrimp. overall they were all quite good. the menu was a little overwhelming and that was proven once we got our rolls and realized we got two that only differed in one ingredient: eel. that was a little annoying once i noticed it. i have this weird idea that servers should be helpful with menu items, especially when a restaurant has an expansive menu. regardless, it was all quite good. we had the fried banana for dessert, a first for my girlfriend and i. it was amazing and delicious and i could eat 10 of them. overall, i would go back. we got 2 appetizers, 2 glasses of wine, 4 rolls, and dessert for $50. i regret nothing.
(4)
Richard S.
This is one of my favorite restaurants in Gainesville, a city I have lived in for most of my life. I really like the curries that come in clay pots (green is my favorite) but they have the best fried rice ever here! Mix in a little bit of their homemade chilli oil/paste and it's pretty much heaven. You must ask for this though. The sushi here is also very very good--my favorite rolls are the panko and orlando rolls. Fish is great and the rolls and presentation is beautiful. It is very reasonable here--we had dinner for 3 (with a soup or salad each) for $53 INCLUDING tip. It is most definitely worth the trip. Everyone else I have talked to have had great experiences here as well.
(5)
Emilia B.
Best sushi rolls in town. The sushi chef is da bomb. Gets 4.5 out of a perfect 5 because service is sometimes a little slow.
(4)
Samantha F.
I used to work here for two years while I was attending the University of Florida. I was addicted to the food the moment I began to work. Every shift I would order food. My roommates would always call me to bring them home food. This restaurant ruined all other sushi and vietnemese food for me because it is SO GOOD! NO OTHERS COMPARE! This restaurant is super clean and the chef Co Mai and the owner are from Vietnam so you are getting authentic, home-cooked style vietnemese food. My one regret with graduating is leaving this restaurant and the owner, Hung behind.
(5)
Tu-van L.
If you want a taste of good Vietnamese cuisine, this is your best bet in Gainesville. The ambiance is calm, modern and clean, the wait staff is attentive, and the menu has the best of everything your Average Joe can try. Though I am wary of trendy-looking modern-decor Asian restaurants, this restaurant is worth the trip.
(4)
Norman S.
nice people here. the food is decent. decent noodle soup and noodle dishes.
(3)
Crystal C.
Absolutely the BEST sushi in town! I've tried them all. The caribbean roll and the caterpillar roll are definitely a must try! Also the Mr. H, if you like raw fish. The service is great, atmosphere is welcoming and comfortable, and the food is amazing. The salmon and tuna sashimi at Taste are on point. I definitely recommend trying this place out to everyone! There's not one thing I've had that didn't exceed my expectations.
(5)
Peter F.
The Pho is very good. The service is a bit lack luster. It isn't that their service staff provides bad service, it appears to be lack of training or experience. There is a bit of a funny smell upon entering the restaurant (like a wet rag that's been sitting in a bucket for days), but nothing too offensive. Note to Management: Please bring back the Vietnamese coffee with the slow-drip method over condensed milk. The currently available coffee in a styrofoam cup is not cutting it.
(3)
Jeanne T.
Did not taste like Saigon!!!! However it sure did feel like Saigon! The air conditioning must have been broken because it was getting steamy in there. We got the pho and tempura shrimp/veg. The pho noodles were clumped together in a ball and the meat was tough. The tempura shrimp and veg dish had two shrimp! The tempura batter was very dense, not light and crispy. At least the service was great.
(2)
Justin F.
I was excited to try Pho for the first time and left terribly disappointed. I've been trying new restraurants arpund Gainesville for the past few months and this is the only one where the reviews did not match what was received. The soup was definitely overcooked or was prepared hours ahead of time just sitting in a warmer the entire day. I left the restraurant with a burnt taste in my mouth. The seafood inside the soup was virtually flavorless as if the burnt soup was going to save meat that wasn't spiced up a bit. Honestly would never consider going back.
(2)
Darshan P.
Good sushi! I got a sashimi bowl which was pretty similar to a Don from Bento Cafe and Sushi, just a little bit bigger. Nice location. I haven't tried the PHO yet but it seems like its the star of the menu. I will update this as soon as I do try it.
(4)
Elayne D.
Had a great dinner at Taste recently. We shared the crispy duck dinner (perfect for two) and also the Godzilla Roll. The duck was excellent, tender and crispy, lots of veggies and flavorful sauce on rice. Service was good too!
(5)
Batter H.
One hour break for lunch and they messed up with our simple orders. Spent totally 1hour there but waited 35mins for food. FYI, only 3tables at that time.
(1)
Shimmy G.
I've seriously eaten here 3 straight nights - and I don't even enjoy eating out. (That's what she said.) I just recently moved to the area and I haven't hit up the grocery in a few so sushi seemed like a better option for me than some of my other neighborhood choices. I've gotten take out all 3 nights but I keep coming back so they must be doing something right. I've been here when they've been fairly busy and during an idle time and in both cases, the service was efficient and friendly. I'm a fan of the crispy tofu and the Godzilla roll. I tried the tofu pad thai last night and I probably won't get it again. It was just ok. Open seating and lots of room at the bar. They do have a tv above the bar but it's never turned on when I come. (That's also what she said.) Which is totally fine because it's located right over the pick up station so it could be distracting trying to actually watch something. Great location and lots of parking. Taste is quickly becoming my Gainesville Go To!
(4)
Kristin R.
Best sushi in Gainesville period. I love this place. I've had several of there entree dishes and bowls but my go to is there sushi. My favorite is the Tampa and Buddha roll. The are always fresh and I love how the have fresh crispy asparagus in some rolls. They have a veggie large sushi roll so my husband can enjoy his spicy rolls and they also have lots of cooked and vegetarian roll options as well.
(5)
Alanna T.
Service was sub par and the pad thai taste like blended peanut butter.
(2)
Jennifer P.
The restaurant's overall feeling is very nice, the wood color brings a lot of home-like eating experience. I went there almost every weekend. The noodle soup is the best in the town!! I have tried few pho restaurants, but this place is definitely my favorite. The soup has very rich flavor and there are a variety of vege. My favorite soup noodle is #14 I think. I don't remember the name of it, but it has a bunch if tomato, eggs, and onion in it. Super good! A must try!! I love this place! But the only downside is that it is a little overpriced. But I still go because of the good flavoring.
(4)
Andrew H.
Authentic Vietnamese cuisine that "tastes" great. Don't be afraid to try one of the authentic Vietnamese noodle bowls, I recommend the beef. The broth is amazing and it its customary to slurp your noodles don't worry. I came back again and tried the Japanese sushi and it was also very good. Overall this restaurant has a great menu and I can't wait to go back again.
(4)
Kevin M.
Broken A/C (they serve sushi and soup - raw fish and hot soup should be matched with a cool environment for both the prevention of food-borne illness and comfort)...Must have been over 80 degrees in there. No hostess to greet you as you walk in. You have to seat yourself. Inattentive staff - waited for almost ten minutes and did not even receive a menu or drink. They were pretty empty - on a Saturday night BTW. Absolutely inexcusable. All of the aforementioned led us to walk out before even ordering. Service was an absolute joke. Won't be back. P.S. - to the flamboyant waiter (or waitress - not really sure...), you walked past my table three times, and failed to even acknowledge our existence. You should spend less time doing your hair and more time serving your customers.
(1)
Chad R.
Have been going to taste for the past year + for the Pho. It is easily the best soup in Gainesville but the facility needs some help. Had to stop dining in due to awful service (either sit around and wait for an open table and then seat yourself while hoping someone doesn't get to the table before you) even when not busy it can be slow and impersonal. Started only takeout, started out great but the last few orders have been a mess. Half the noodles, double the sprouts, and all packaged sabotaged like a Jenga stack making for a treacherous journey home. Never sure if you are going to get condiments or chopsticks. Whenever I see the, for lack of better description, rude eccentric dude that works there (if you have gone, you will recognize him)-- I know my order will be missing items, half full, and sloppy. With all that said, the food is exceptional and some of the front end employees are helpful. Overall I think a bit of quality control would excel this place.
(3)
Gary G.
Great Pho, great sushi, great appetizers. Very Clean and tidy. Best Pho in Gainesville, FL by far. They also offer a lot of other Asian cuisines. I can't speak for them personally, since I can't pull myself away from the Pho, but others I have dined with me rave over the place. Can't recommend enough.
(5)
John T.
I usually have one of the Pho dishes - it's usual because I enjoy them - but this evening I had claypot rice with chicken. I was very pleased with the flavors and the combination of rice, veggies, sauce, and well-handled meat. I'll have this again sometime, and my wife - who had a bite or two of mine - wants the sometime to be soon so she can have a serving of her own. The claypot is a generous portion of food that kept me busy after wife had finished her (not stingy) bento box.
(5)
Darren F.
This Asian restaurant is very cool and nice, the wood color brings a lot of home-like eating experience. On top of all of this, the food was mediocre at best especially the pho, its very good. Definitely one of the best I have been to in Gainesville. Super good! A must try!!
(4)
Kenneth P.
This is as good as it gets as far as authentic Vietnamese food in Gainesville. I never tried the sushi, and that's because I always enjoyed the Vietnamese food. I'm a Denverite-- and in Denver, we strongly pride ourselves in our ability to discern good Pho along with other Vietnamese food. The Pho broth is authentic and really accurate to what Pho really should be (rare to find in Florida). The noodles were cooked well, not clumped, and not overcooked. They had almost all the right veggies that go into pho, and they gave a good amount. The Bun Bo Hue also is very good. The broth is spicy, as it should be. However, the Bun Bo Hue did not have the right noodles. They used the thick udon noodles as opposed to the thinner round rice noodles that traditionally goes in Bun Bo Hue. Also, they didn't have the pork hoof that I usually love. One thing, though, they do have cha (processed pork) that is delicious. I also had the Goi (Vietnamese chicken salad). This was delicious and pretty authentic too. Only thing missing was the shrimp chip. But I understand, because many restaurants don't bother with that. I'd highly recommend this place for Vietnamese food. However, just a simple correction I would like to make to their menu. They have something that they call the "summer roll" and the "spring roll." Which is their names for a spring roll and an egg roll. This is really weird to me, and I strongly disagree with this nomenclature. Spring roll is "goi cuon" which is elastic rice paper wrap with lettuce, vermicilli, and pork. Whereas an egg roll is a deep fried egg wrap with mix of pork and veggies. Please don't go around asking Vietnamese people for "summer rolls". That's not a real thing. That's all though! The food overall is delicious, and I was able to meet the chef herself-- who's this lovely Vietnamese lady who doesn't speak English, amongst a ton of non-Vietnamese workers. I would recommend you going there simply to support her. But she also happens to make amazing Viet food.
(5)
Bao P.
For a Vietnamese boy that left home to go to college in Gainesville this is the closest of reminding me of home. The food is good. Love, Bao Eat on my friends
(4)
Ellen K.
The Spicy Beef salad had soooo many onions and what they consider beef is roast beef lunch meat slices.. Would not order again!
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Brunch, Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes
Crystal C.
Absolutely the BEST sushi in town! I've tried them all. The caribbean roll and the caterpillar roll are definitely a must try! Also the Mr. H, if you like raw fish. The service is great, atmosphere is welcoming and comfortable, and the food is amazing. The salmon and tuna sashimi at Taste are on point. I definitely recommend trying this place out to everyone! There's not one thing I've had that didn't exceed my expectations.
(5)Crystal C.
Absolutely the BEST sushi in town! I've tried them all. The caribbean roll and the caterpillar roll are definitely a must try! Also the Mr. H, if you like raw fish. The service is great, atmosphere is welcoming and comfortable, and the food is amazing. The salmon and tuna sashimi at Taste are on point. I definitely recommend trying this place out to everyone! There's not one thing I've had that didn't exceed my expectations.
(5)Peter F.
The Pho is very good. The service is a bit lack luster. It isn't that their service staff provides bad service, it appears to be lack of training or experience. There is a bit of a funny smell upon entering the restaurant (like a wet rag that's been sitting in a bucket for days), but nothing too offensive. Note to Management: Please bring back the Vietnamese coffee with the slow-drip method over condensed milk. The currently available coffee in a styrofoam cup is not cutting it.
(3)Jeanne T.
Did not taste like Saigon!!!! However it sure did feel like Saigon! The air conditioning must have been broken because it was getting steamy in there. We got the pho and tempura shrimp/veg. The pho noodles were clumped together in a ball and the meat was tough. The tempura shrimp and veg dish had two shrimp! The tempura batter was very dense, not light and crispy. At least the service was great.
(2)Alanna T.
Service was sub par and the pad thai taste like blended peanut butter.
(2)Jennifer P.
The restaurant's overall feeling is very nice, the wood color brings a lot of home-like eating experience. I went there almost every weekend. The noodle soup is the best in the town!! I have tried few pho restaurants, but this place is definitely my favorite. The soup has very rich flavor and there are a variety of vege. My favorite soup noodle is #14 I think. I don't remember the name of it, but it has a bunch if tomato, eggs, and onion in it. Super good! A must try!! I love this place! But the only downside is that it is a little overpriced. But I still go because of the good flavoring.
(4)Andrew H.
Authentic Vietnamese cuisine that "tastes" great. Don't be afraid to try one of the authentic Vietnamese noodle bowls, I recommend the beef. The broth is amazing and it its customary to slurp your noodles don't worry. I came back again and tried the Japanese sushi and it was also very good. Overall this restaurant has a great menu and I can't wait to go back again.
(4)Kevin M.
Broken A/C (they serve sushi and soup - raw fish and hot soup should be matched with a cool environment for both the prevention of food-borne illness and comfort)...Must have been over 80 degrees in there. No hostess to greet you as you walk in. You have to seat yourself. Inattentive staff - waited for almost ten minutes and did not even receive a menu or drink. They were pretty empty - on a Saturday night BTW. Absolutely inexcusable. All of the aforementioned led us to walk out before even ordering. Service was an absolute joke. Won't be back. P.S. - to the flamboyant waiter (or waitress - not really sure...), you walked past my table three times, and failed to even acknowledge our existence. You should spend less time doing your hair and more time serving your customers.
(1)Chad R.
Have been going to taste for the past year + for the Pho. It is easily the best soup in Gainesville but the facility needs some help. Had to stop dining in due to awful service (either sit around and wait for an open table and then seat yourself while hoping someone doesn't get to the table before you) even when not busy it can be slow and impersonal. Started only takeout, started out great but the last few orders have been a mess. Half the noodles, double the sprouts, and all packaged sabotaged like a Jenga stack making for a treacherous journey home. Never sure if you are going to get condiments or chopsticks. Whenever I see the, for lack of better description, rude eccentric dude that works there (if you have gone, you will recognize him)-- I know my order will be missing items, half full, and sloppy. With all that said, the food is exceptional and some of the front end employees are helpful. Overall I think a bit of quality control would excel this place.
(3)Kenneth P.
This is as good as it gets as far as authentic Vietnamese food in Gainesville. I never tried the sushi, and that's because I always enjoyed the Vietnamese food. I'm a Denverite-- and in Denver, we strongly pride ourselves in our ability to discern good Pho along with other Vietnamese food. The Pho broth is authentic and really accurate to what Pho really should be (rare to find in Florida). The noodles were cooked well, not clumped, and not overcooked. They had almost all the right veggies that go into pho, and they gave a good amount. The Bun Bo Hue also is very good. The broth is spicy, as it should be. However, the Bun Bo Hue did not have the right noodles. They used the thick udon noodles as opposed to the thinner round rice noodles that traditionally goes in Bun Bo Hue. Also, they didn't have the pork hoof that I usually love. One thing, though, they do have cha (processed pork) that is delicious. I also had the Goi (Vietnamese chicken salad). This was delicious and pretty authentic too. Only thing missing was the shrimp chip. But I understand, because many restaurants don't bother with that. I'd highly recommend this place for Vietnamese food. However, just a simple correction I would like to make to their menu. They have something that they call the "summer roll" and the "spring roll." Which is their names for a spring roll and an egg roll. This is really weird to me, and I strongly disagree with this nomenclature. Spring roll is "goi cuon" which is elastic rice paper wrap with lettuce, vermicilli, and pork. Whereas an egg roll is a deep fried egg wrap with mix of pork and veggies. Please don't go around asking Vietnamese people for "summer rolls". That's not a real thing. That's all though! The food overall is delicious, and I was able to meet the chef herself-- who's this lovely Vietnamese lady who doesn't speak English, amongst a ton of non-Vietnamese workers. I would recommend you going there simply to support her. But she also happens to make amazing Viet food.
(5)Bao P.
For a Vietnamese boy that left home to go to college in Gainesville this is the closest of reminding me of home. The food is good. Love, Bao Eat on my friends
(4)Ellen K.
The Spicy Beef salad had soooo many onions and what they consider beef is roast beef lunch meat slices.. Would not order again!
(2)k b.
My staple for years. Pho Sliced Beef soup, spring rolls and Pad Thai. Consistent, delicious, reasonable prices, large portions. The owner is always in the kitchen herself. I don't know how she still does it. Glad she does though. Lots of new places opening but I still love my old favorite.
(4)Jay L.
Very good pho ! Definitely one of the best I have been to in Gainesville ! Bento box is so so though .
(4)Megan G.
I really like taste, I use to work in the mall and would visit the kiosk almost ever day. The rolls are yummy and good quality.
(4)Austin W.
My girlfriend and I ordered take-out from this place. When she went to pick it up, she happened to notice that the order was not complete when they were packaging the food. She then waited while they cooked the rest of the order. Upon arriving at home, we find out that they gave her the wrong meal, with pork instead of vegetarian. She called the restaurant to see about resolving the issue, and was treated very rudely and told it was her fault that they didn't understand what she said when ordering. She was very upset by this, so I called back to speak with a manager and was told there was no manager at the restaurant. No wonder they couldn't get an order right or treat customers with respect, there was nobody there to watch over the business. They took both of our phone numbers so a manager could call us the next day, but we never heard back about it. On top of all of this, the food was mediocre at best. The beef in the pho was overcooked and rubbery. We will not be going back to this restaurant, the staff is clueless and the food is not worth the hassle.
(1)Ken K.
Omg. Funny story Once a year we make a road trip to n.j. from naples and on the way back we stop at the best western plus in hainesville. Nice hotel and good location. Last year we ate at an incredible Asian restaraunt near here. We wanted to go back but couldn't remember the name. We went om yelp and found this place very close to the hotel with a good rating. Growing up in the n.y. area good Asian food is commonplace. Not so in Naples so we eat wherever we think it's good. This place is so good its almost worth a 4 hour drive. The spicy beef salad is as good as anything in n.y. The crispy duck phone is to die for and the short ribs are as good as any Korean short ribs we ever had . 40.00 for dinner!!! I spend more than that at a Naples happy hour. On the way out we thanked the owner and begged him to come to naples. I guess we will have to wait till the next road trip. Kudos to this place. Pretty and service was good also. Music was a little loud but not imsurmountable. Ken k. Naples
(5)Coty S.
I do not know if they have new owners now or what. But, this used to be a Vietnamese restaurant that had some sushi. Now, it is mostly a very bad sushi restaurant that has sub-par Vietnamese items on the menu. They are now called "Taste Cafe" or something of the sort and the service is terrible. There are scuff marks all over the walls, and a general creepy and unclean feeling. There are two sushi chefs, some cooks in the kitchen, and two servers. No drink preps, no runners, no hostess, and no bussers. So, the servers cannot keep with the demand and you will stand there at the door staring at empty tables, waiting for a server to seat you. Then, you will sit at your dirty table waiting almost 15 minutes for a menu. The food is now atrocious! It is strange for you to read my reviews here, I am sure- because they jump from 3 star, to 5 star, to 2 star. But, the service and food are just that unpredictable. I am never dining here again. I can now officially say that there is no decent Pho in Gainesville, FL!
(2)Kay G.
We waited for 1 hour and 20 min before we got our food. That was ridiculous!! When I went to ask about our food, one waiter who took us to the table, asked me if I was waiting for a pick up. Is he stupid or what? We will never ever go back to that place again!!
(1)Gary G.
Great Pho, great sushi, great appetizers. Very Clean and tidy. Best Pho in Gainesville, FL by far. They also offer a lot of other Asian cuisines. I can't speak for them personally, since I can't pull myself away from the Pho, but others I have dined with me rave over the place. Can't recommend enough.
(5)John T.
I usually have one of the Pho dishes - it's usual because I enjoy them - but this evening I had claypot rice with chicken. I was very pleased with the flavors and the combination of rice, veggies, sauce, and well-handled meat. I'll have this again sometime, and my wife - who had a bite or two of mine - wants the sometime to be soon so she can have a serving of her own. The claypot is a generous portion of food that kept me busy after wife had finished her (not stingy) bento box.
(5)Darren F.
This Asian restaurant is very cool and nice, the wood color brings a lot of home-like eating experience. On top of all of this, the food was mediocre at best especially the pho, its very good. Definitely one of the best I have been to in Gainesville. Super good! A must try!!
(4)Christina P.
I'm still on a mission to find decent Vietnamese food in Gainesville and Taste is....well, just okay. I got the claypot fish and pork. This is essentially tilapia and pork (ca kho) braised in caramel and fish sauce and served with rice. Mine came out a bit salty, but nothing that a lot of rice couldn't fix. My mom ordered the pan fried noodles (mi xao don) which was actually very good. I would recommend this over any of the other vietnamese dishes. My dad ordered grilled pork with rice (com thit nuong) which was mediocre. The pork tasted overdone to me but at least the veggies were very fresh. Also, our food came out super slow even though there weren't many people in the restaurant.
(3)Katie B.
Meh. If there were half stars, I would give this 2.5 - but there aren't, and this place isn't THAT meh, so three it is. I came here while visiting Gainesville for an evening. What I really wanted was Satchels, but they were closed, so we came here for some pho. The pho is good. Solid, even. Not my favorite pho in the country, but it certainly wasn't bad. I wasn't disappointed, but I wasn't impressed. The tofu summer rolls were better, but still not the best. The thai tea was TERRIBLE. Maybe whoever made it was in a rush and didn't really know what they were doing, or maybe this place just has really bad thai tea, but it was just off.
(3)Stephanie R.
Food was pretty good but took a LONG time. Waited 20 mins to order and to top it off they forgot to bring out my miso soup. He definitely took it down when I ordered so I figured it would still be on the bill but to my surprise it wasn't. So wait; the waiter remembered he didn't bring out my soup, took it off the bill, and then didn't apologize for it? I would have been happy to remind him if he had come by to check on us while waiting for our food. Probably won't be back.
(2)Lisa D.
Tried their walk-up shop in the mall and decided to try the store front venue. Very pleased! Much better than Momoyaki and I love Momo's.
(5)Mike W.
My lady friend and I are, well, how should I put this? Pho snobs. We've had the pleasure of sampling pho all over the great state of Florida and Taste's is way up there... Maybe the best! The broth is sweet but not too sweet, the meat is plentiful and the fresh, the bean sprouts are long and crisp, and they provide you with cilantro to season to your liking (this is somewhat of a rarity nowadays). The tripe and tendon won't disappoint either if you choose to eat it the authentic way! Even the limes are huge and ripe!! Be sure to ask for thai basil, too :D If you're into giant spring rolls, like my lady friend is, be sure to try 'em here. They're huge and tasty! The sushi doesn't miss a beat either. 4/5 stars because the service has been sub par on more than one occasion. But hey, if the food is good, then I'm good! Guys, this place is awesome. Pho-real!
(4)Gregg S.
Just tried Taste for the first time. I had the miso soup and pork katsu, both of which were very good! I will definitely go back for more!
(4)Jonathan C.
I've known this place since when an acquaintance bought is half a decade ago. I have not been back since until today. When we first got o the restaurant, I was going to try their BOGO sushi but the party saw the Hotpot selection and ordered it. At first the staff had said they had ran out of gas for the burners, to our dismay, they later came back an brandished their last supply of butane can, eliciting sheer applause from us. The Hotpot was of a Vietnamese taste, not Chinese or Korean, but the broth did have some interesting favors that make it unique. Their sushi special selection was also very good, with combinations, which I've never seen before, dancing on my palate. Service was great.
(5)Marianne W.
My husband and I went last night for dinner. Both was sick all night so I am pretty sure it was food poisoning. I won't go back! The place was nice but the service was deficient.
(1)LC B.
My BFF and I came here for Valentines Day and everything was awesome! We arrived pretty early about 4:30pm so there were only a few tables occupied. We ordered a couple appetizers of Sunomono salad, fried softshell crab, fried eggrolls, and fried calamari (yes we love fried stuff!!) I had the Sashimi platter and my bestie got pho. As soon as 5 o'clock came, people started flowing in and they became busy. Our waiter was very helpful, friendly, and remained unfrazzled by the number of patrons he had to wait on. He apologized for the wait but nevertheless brought our orders as soon as it was done. -Sunomono Salad 5/5 -Softshell crab 5/5 -Fried Eggrolls 4/5 -Fried Calamari 5/5 but the tomatoey dipping sauce it came with we did not like -Pho: 5/5 Broth was very delish -Sashimi Platter 5/5 OMG buttery,soft, and fresh! Yumm! Can't wait for a 2nd visit!
(5)Allen F.
The last five times were really good. Food is awesome.
(4)Coleen D.
Food delicious - presentation exquisite - service fast and friendly - will definitely be back! The High Roller roll is a can't miss!! YUM!!
(5)Quang N.
Defintely one of the most legit places to get vietnamese food in gainesville. This is coming from a person that knows how to cook his own pho and bun bo hue along with other tasty dishes. I would highly recommend the Bun bo hue here, it always fills my craving. The pho broth is very authentic which can be hard to come by in Gainesville. The cook is a vietnamese lady that is very very sweet. Recommend coming here if you're craving pho and need that hangover cure =)
(5)Theodore D.
This place is awesome. The Thai coconut cream and lemongrass soup is amazeballs, and the sushi is fantastic. Get over the ambience and enjoy the food.
(4)Peter F.
The Pho is very good. The service is a bit lack luster. It isn't that their service staff provides bad service, it appears to be lack of training or experience. There is a bit of a funny smell upon entering the restaurant (like a wet rag that's been sitting in a bucket for days), but nothing too offensive. Note to Management: Please bring back the Vietnamese coffee with the slow-drip method over condensed milk. The currently available coffee in a styrofoam cup is not cutting it.
(3)Jeanne T.
Did not taste like Saigon!!!! However it sure did feel like Saigon! The air conditioning must have been broken because it was getting steamy in there. We got the pho and tempura shrimp/veg. The pho noodles were clumped together in a ball and the meat was tough. The tempura shrimp and veg dish had two shrimp! The tempura batter was very dense, not light and crispy. At least the service was great.
(2)Justin F.
I was excited to try Pho for the first time and left terribly disappointed. I've been trying new restraurants arpund Gainesville for the past few months and this is the only one where the reviews did not match what was received. The soup was definitely overcooked or was prepared hours ahead of time just sitting in a warmer the entire day. I left the restraurant with a burnt taste in my mouth. The seafood inside the soup was virtually flavorless as if the burnt soup was going to save meat that wasn't spiced up a bit. Honestly would never consider going back.
(2)Darshan P.
Good sushi! I got a sashimi bowl which was pretty similar to a Don from Bento Cafe and Sushi, just a little bit bigger. Nice location. I haven't tried the PHO yet but it seems like its the star of the menu. I will update this as soon as I do try it.
(4)Elayne D.
Had a great dinner at Taste recently. We shared the crispy duck dinner (perfect for two) and also the Godzilla Roll. The duck was excellent, tender and crispy, lots of veggies and flavorful sauce on rice. Service was good too!
(5)Batter H.
One hour break for lunch and they messed up with our simple orders. Spent totally 1hour there but waited 35mins for food. FYI, only 3tables at that time.
(1)Shimmy G.
I've seriously eaten here 3 straight nights - and I don't even enjoy eating out. (That's what she said.) I just recently moved to the area and I haven't hit up the grocery in a few so sushi seemed like a better option for me than some of my other neighborhood choices. I've gotten take out all 3 nights but I keep coming back so they must be doing something right. I've been here when they've been fairly busy and during an idle time and in both cases, the service was efficient and friendly. I'm a fan of the crispy tofu and the Godzilla roll. I tried the tofu pad thai last night and I probably won't get it again. It was just ok. Open seating and lots of room at the bar. They do have a tv above the bar but it's never turned on when I come. (That's also what she said.) Which is totally fine because it's located right over the pick up station so it could be distracting trying to actually watch something. Great location and lots of parking. Taste is quickly becoming my Gainesville Go To!
(4)Kristin R.
Best sushi in Gainesville period. I love this place. I've had several of there entree dishes and bowls but my go to is there sushi. My favorite is the Tampa and Buddha roll. The are always fresh and I love how the have fresh crispy asparagus in some rolls. They have a veggie large sushi roll so my husband can enjoy his spicy rolls and they also have lots of cooked and vegetarian roll options as well.
(5)Justin F.
I was excited to try Pho for the first time and left terribly disappointed. I've been trying new restraurants arpund Gainesville for the past few months and this is the only one where the reviews did not match what was received. The soup was definitely overcooked or was prepared hours ahead of time just sitting in a warmer the entire day. I left the restraurant with a burnt taste in my mouth. The seafood inside the soup was virtually flavorless as if the burnt soup was going to save meat that wasn't spiced up a bit. Honestly would never consider going back.
(2)Darshan P.
Good sushi! I got a sashimi bowl which was pretty similar to a Don from Bento Cafe and Sushi, just a little bit bigger. Nice location. I haven't tried the PHO yet but it seems like its the star of the menu. I will update this as soon as I do try it.
(4)Elayne D.
Had a great dinner at Taste recently. We shared the crispy duck dinner (perfect for two) and also the Godzilla Roll. The duck was excellent, tender and crispy, lots of veggies and flavorful sauce on rice. Service was good too!
(5)Batter H.
One hour break for lunch and they messed up with our simple orders. Spent totally 1hour there but waited 35mins for food. FYI, only 3tables at that time.
(1)Shimmy G.
I've seriously eaten here 3 straight nights - and I don't even enjoy eating out. (That's what she said.) I just recently moved to the area and I haven't hit up the grocery in a few so sushi seemed like a better option for me than some of my other neighborhood choices. I've gotten take out all 3 nights but I keep coming back so they must be doing something right. I've been here when they've been fairly busy and during an idle time and in both cases, the service was efficient and friendly. I'm a fan of the crispy tofu and the Godzilla roll. I tried the tofu pad thai last night and I probably won't get it again. It was just ok. Open seating and lots of room at the bar. They do have a tv above the bar but it's never turned on when I come. (That's also what she said.) Which is totally fine because it's located right over the pick up station so it could be distracting trying to actually watch something. Great location and lots of parking. Taste is quickly becoming my Gainesville Go To!
(4)Melissa A.
Boy is it hard to find good pho in Gainesville! Luckily I stumbled upon Taste! Love the broth, very clean tasting. Large portions, noodles aplenty. Just when you think you've run out of meat. ..you find another piece swimming in the broth! Comes with all the usual accompaniments (bean sprouts, onion, lime). Only thing is it comes with cilantro instead of mint. Last thing about the pho: the bowl is served on a plate. hidden on the side of the bowl, resting on the plate is the soup spoon! Tricky to find. Only other dishes I've had here are the chicken, pork, or spring roll bun. Not a fan of the actual noodles because they are thicker than I'd like them to be. But as usual, always a big portion and lots of meat. I actually wish they would put more vegetables in these! Vegetables are cold and refreshing. The dipping sauce has a nice chili pepper kick to it. Also the vietnamese iced coffee here is a little too sweet for my taste, but you could always ask for less condensed milk. Yes, it is expensive. But with such slim pickings for pho in Gainesville, might as well pay a lot and be satisfied than pay less for mediocre pho.
(5)Felix C.
Went for a quick lunch. And it was the biggest mistake I made that day. I sat at the bar hoping for a quick serve and meal. When I went in, there was only one other table occupied. I ordered two rolls of sushi hoping that I will be served quickly. Nope! As I was waiting for my food, more people came and ordered stuff. They were served their appetizer (sushi appetizers) Before I was served my meal, even though I ordered first. Maybe they called beforehand and placed their order or maybe they forgot my order even though I was sitting right in front of the sushi chef. Anyways, I was late to my appointment later!
(2)Shannon H.
The place was hit and miss for me. We walked in and it took a while before we were greeted. The sushi guy could have at least said hello. However, once we were greeted and seated, the staff was uber friendly. We ordered the Vietnamese summer roll appetizer. Pork was terrible, but the sauce was fabulous. Ordered the sliced beef and meatball pho for dinner. They were definitely generous with the beef and meatballs had a better flavor than others that I had before. Broth was a little weak, we had to ask for basil for the dish, and I had a huge wad of clumpy noodles in my soup. My husband's noodle proportion was fine. The waitress asked if we wanted the housemade chili sauce for our soup. That was awesome, but no joke on the heat level. You can buy the broth by the quart which after making pho at home, the broth can be the biggest headache so its a good idea. I can't say I will be back for the pho, but maybe I will try the sushi.
(3)Jeff M.
Great sushi and yellow curry. I'm not crazy about the pad thai though
(4)Eugene S.
Our 4 yrs in Lake City the only pho place we go frequently Very good selection of pho quite authentic although no match for place in NY Orlando Quite consistent Has never tried their pan asian menus
(4)Claudia M.
Nice alternative when our fav is closed. Food is good, a bit much sauce on top that would have been better on the side. Mild inconsistency how the iced coffee is served. Some variability in server friendliness. Overall, we'll come back.
(4)Crystal M.
So I dragged my boyfriend here for lunch as I was blown way by how good it was last time I went here (less than a week ago). We got a seat immediately and purused the menu. It is extensive. Too much to process in just a few minutes. Unfortunately, my boyfriend wasn't hungry and I was distracted by the duck on the menu, so instead of ordering interesting, new food, we split the order of half duck ($18) and an appetizer of fried crab wontons. The food came out quickly. I have never seen such a beautiful and fresh looking duck dish ever. I loved the flavor, and it was not a true half duck in that they gave you 2 bottom quarters (which is good, more meat is on that part anyways.) We ate 1/3 of it a piece. The wontons were okay. $5.50 for five of them, not worth it in my opinion. And not sweet, like the dragonfly ones. I wanted to get the sweet rice with taro and coconut dessert, but they were out (NOOO!!! so sad). I really want to just come here and try everything. Bringing my sister here when she attends school this Fall.
(4)Brittany H.
Miso soup came out room temperature. Tables were dirty when we sat down and had to have them wiped down 2 times. Waters went empty and rarely filled. Not impressed.
(3)Heather H.
I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this place. I've been here twice over the past two weeks; it's very good but I feel like it's... missing something. Great atmosphere, the place is very well kept and classy. Service was good, the waiters and waitresses were nice and very attentive both times I went. No complaints there! Their food is very good too, but at the same time I don't think there's anything about it that makes it really stand out. I had chicken teriyaki on my first trip and it was really good, definitely one of the better I've had but I still didn't feel too excited about it. This time I decided to try their pho, and although it was VERY good I don't think it was better than the pho at Pho Hanoi. The only thing I liked better about it was that the meat tasted a lot better and they give you more of it, but Pho Hanoi's had much better broth and noodles. Three stars because although it's an excellent place and worth checking out, something about it feels kind of lacking to me, otherwise it would get a four. Maybe I'll try their sushi next time I go and see how I feel about it then.
(3)Stefanie E.
Just found this place after seeing it on TV. We've been twice. First the Sushi. Loved it, we got the Dragon Roll (a must), the Gator and eel. All excellent. The noodles dishes are HUGE and plenty to eat. The veggies were fresh and cooked perfectly. The stir fry had an excellent taste. We also got the ginger rice dish. The flavor was exceptional. Portion was small disappointed in that. We also got the beef soup (larger size). We visit China town in NYC often and love the giant soup bowls up there. These bowls were just as giant and full of goodness. Can't wait to try others. Food was averaging around $10 a meal (Average, give or take a few dollars) but we felt it was reasonably priced, especially with the cost of food lately. The service was crappy. Two servers may not be enough. They were not friendly at all. I wouldn't go for the service I'd go for the food. The kitchen was fast, which is a good thing. Place is a hole in the wall with some literal holes in the walls. it could use a paint job. But we weren't there for the decor. If you are looking for good Asian cuisine that isn't uppity this is your place. We will for sure be returning.
(4)Beth G.
I've eaten here a few times now and I'm glad I waited before posting a review. My first experience was nothing exceptional, but the subsequent visits have really made the restaurant grow on me. The short ribs had a great flavor, but there was very little meat on them - less than I would expect normally. $8 seemed a little high for the amount of meat. The gyoza had a great ginger soy dipping sauce. I've tried the ginger chicken and the basil chicken rice dishes, as well as the grilled pork and egg roll bun. All of these had quality meat and tasted as they should. The thing that I really love Taste of Saigon for, though, is the fact that they have Chè Khoai Môn. It's my favorite thing on their menu - and it must be other people's favorite, too, because they sell out of it often! I guess I'm just a sucker for rice pudding in general, but the blend of the rice pudding with taro and coconut milk is just heaven.
(4)Benjamin S.
We stopped here on our way back home from spring break vacation. I was kind of nervous about finding a decent restaurant in a college town, but I think my husband and kids were satisfied enough. We ordered the crispy duck noodles, a bowl of pho, pad thai, and a yellow curry. The crispy duck noodles, pho, and pad thai were really good. But, for some reason, the yellow curry had huge chunks of potato in it? I found that very strange because thai curries never have potato in it. Service was pretty bad here, we only had our water glasses filled ONCE, and the waiters were talking VERY loudly. Overall, we were pretty satisfied besides the mediocre service.
(4)Heather S.
This is my new favorite restaurant in Gainesville. The food was fresh and full of flavor and there were a ton of delicious sounding specials and selections to choose from. I had the chicken and vegetables cooked in a clay pot and my husband ordered the vegetarian crepe. Both were cooked to perfection. I can't give the place a five star rating because the service was pretty bad. We were there for lunch, around 1pm, and it took more than 15 minutes to get seated despite the fact that there were tables open. They didn't carry the item on the menu I wanted most (shrimp cooked on sugar cane) even though it was still listed. It took a long time to get our food. Even still, it was all worth it because the food was just so good. I am going to try this place again and see if the service issue was just a fluke.
(4)Jonathon F.
Good pho (at least for Gainesville), decent sushi, most of the other dishes are bland. Service is usually good. The only reason they didn't earn a 4-star rating is their cleanliness. Everything, especially the condiments, has a sticky feeling, and our utensils are often dirty.
(3)Connie C.
Pretty good. The restaurant is very clean and has a little of a contemporary design. The food is authentic and tasty. I had the pork and shrimp spring rolls - the dipping sauce was very appetizing. And I also ordered one of the soups (meatball and sliced beef). I must say that the broth was very flavorful. And the bowl was so huge there is no way I was going to be able to eat it ALL!! The service was friendly and attentive. Overall very pleased.
(4)carrie h.
in my opinion, this is the best sushi in gainesville currently. i've yet to have a roll there that i disliked. definitely try the neptune or coconut dessert roll. the staff is super friendly. i always enjoy siting at the sushi bar also, the sushi chefs make great recommendations and are very friendly.
(4)Pam D.
Decor is really nice, very soothing atmosphere. Equally good for going on a date or hanging out with friends. First time there I ordered Pad Thai and Summer rolls. Both were just fair in my opinion. I hate to say that as I really expected them to be better going by the looks of the place. The Pad Thai wasn't bad in any way, shape or form, just not as good as when I've had it before, for instance at Liquid Ginger. I had shrimp pad thai and I have to say that the shrimp had a funny taste; how do I explain this? Dirty-ish, if that makes sense. Not spoiled, just idk, dirty. As though they'd been kept in water that was funny or something. The peanut sauce really lacked any peanut flavor at all. This surprised me. The summer rolls weren't bad, but they were jam packed with noodles and didn't have any cilantro. :-( I went back for lunch with a friend and my experience was much better. I had sushi and it was really good. The eel sauce was very good also. Silly question in an Asian restaurant, but I asked for coffee and the waiter gave me what he called was Korean coffee. It was served with a metal plate and cup that held the grounds that allowed hot water to drip down into a glass, kind of like an Italian coffee press. It was served with a glass of ice, which I didn't use as I preferred my coffee hot that day. What was really awesome and could be quite addicting was that the glass the coffee was dripping down into had a small layer of condensed milk. Wow ~ was that good! I'll try this at home. So, I hope the chef reads this and that they make the peanut sauce more flavorful and add cilantro and bean sprouts in the summer rolls. Ichiban has the best summer rolls so far. I mean all of what I say as a gentle and kind suggestion. The service was very good and the restaurant appeared very clean. I'd like to see them do well and stay around awhile.
(4)Tracy R.
I can not say enough positive things about this resturant. I'm vegan and they actually care enough not to serve me something that I can't have, instead of just thinking I'm picky. The Sushi chef named Nester made me a customer roll that used cucumber as the wrap instead of seaweed, and was so nice. I'm able to get in and out quickly while taking a brief moment to enjoy dinner. The menu is extensive, probably a little too much so, but the service staff offers amazing recommendations. I hardly have to open the menu when I'm there. Resturant is always clean and pleasant. I go here at least once a week.
(5)Drew L.
Hung runs a great restaurant. This is honestly one of my favorite restaurants in Gainesville. There is a surprisingly wide menu and many of the dishes are prepared by hand where others would use pre-prepared food. For example the wontons in the soups are hand made. They have the best pho soups I've had in a long time, and wonton soup as well. Well worth a visit to this place.
(5)Mike W.
My boyfriend and I ate here tonight and it was quite good, though I would not say outstanding. I cook and eat a lot of Viet food and am therefore pretty critical of Vietnamese restaurants. The menu is pretty authentic but nonetheless limited: there is more of an emphasis here on vegetarian dishes and other Americanized approaches to Viet fare. The summer rolls were good enough and my pho ga was fairly good too, but not as savory as some pho I've had. We were, oddly, waited on by three different servers: all appeared to be waiters, too, so it's not like one was a runner or host, either. One appeared to be Viet, another (girl) was possibly Viet but not too engaging, and the third was an American (i.e., non-asian american) guy who was the most upbeat of the trio. I make mention of this because it seemed like we had odd and un-centered attention from the waitstaff: one dedicated waiter would have made more sense. There were no problems, per se, though they did forget to bring the garnish dish along with my pho and I had to request it and also the sauces. Because pho almost always comes with its standard garnish plate and sauces, this should have been a non-issue. The atmosphere is very nice, though I would not say as "hip" or "trendy" as other reviewers have claimed: still, it's nicer than many a Viet restaurant. Yet perhaps that brings us to an interesting point: I think Taste of Siagon is trying to be more than a Viet place, with sushi on the menu and a chicken or pork katsu on the night of our visit as a special, they're going pan-asian . . . either that, or they just were bought out by a Japanese chef. I can't fault them for what are probably smart business choices nor for their service or quality of food, and their location is very handy for where I live. However, I wish we had at least one REAL Viet place in town: a place that didn't cater that much to American tastes and really placed full emphasis on Viet cooking. They DO have things like clay pot catfish here, but I didn't see a number of other traditional dishes that I would like to try. And the pho ga was ok . . . but could have been better seasoned. Pho Hanoi is probably overall more authentic and the most authentic of Gainesville's Viet places. Still, the prices were very fair and it's a very pleasent place for lunch (which I've had here before) or dinner.
(4)Josh B.
This restaurant is very hard to find. Maybe that's just a Gainesville thing, but it's stuck in a strip mall. After we eventually found it, I was a bit concerned not to see any Vietnamese staff. The waiters are obviously U of F students, a bit raw, but well meaning. My rice vermicelli was a bit soft and under seasoned, but the barbecued chicken and accompanying vegetables were fine, and after a long drive through the wasteland of I75, welcome indeed. I had to ask for hot sauce, and was provided with the standard array of Sriracha, Sambal, etc. My wife's crispy noodles were fine, nothing outstanding. I'd stop by again if I was passing by. Based on this meal, I wouldn't go out of my way.
(3)Bettina T.
Cute restaurant. Great location and it's in a nice plaza. This vietnamese restaurant also serves sushi! The pork and rice platter was delicious and so were their soups. I also tried the sushi pizza which was very filling. I recommend eating here if you happen to be craving vietnamese food at UF.
(4)Rachel E.
i've wanted to try this place for a while and it did not disappoint. it was not busy when we arrived so we got to seat ourselves, but almost every table was filled by the time we left. we had specifically gone for ~happy hour~ so we could get half priced appetizers. we started with the fried spring rolls and short ribs. the spring rolls (4) were better than i expected, and the menu notes they are one of the best sellers. the short ribs were good with a lot of flavor, but small and we only got 5. i would not purchase appetizers again unless they were half price. we ordered 4 sushi rolls and plum wine. the wine was buy one, get one half off. we had one cold roll with lettuce, tuna, and rice paper (the name of it escapes me) and three rolls with katsu shrimp. overall they were all quite good. the menu was a little overwhelming and that was proven once we got our rolls and realized we got two that only differed in one ingredient: eel. that was a little annoying once i noticed it. i have this weird idea that servers should be helpful with menu items, especially when a restaurant has an expansive menu. regardless, it was all quite good. we had the fried banana for dessert, a first for my girlfriend and i. it was amazing and delicious and i could eat 10 of them. overall, i would go back. we got 2 appetizers, 2 glasses of wine, 4 rolls, and dessert for $50. i regret nothing.
(4)Richard S.
This is one of my favorite restaurants in Gainesville, a city I have lived in for most of my life. I really like the curries that come in clay pots (green is my favorite) but they have the best fried rice ever here! Mix in a little bit of their homemade chilli oil/paste and it's pretty much heaven. You must ask for this though. The sushi here is also very very good--my favorite rolls are the panko and orlando rolls. Fish is great and the rolls and presentation is beautiful. It is very reasonable here--we had dinner for 3 (with a soup or salad each) for $53 INCLUDING tip. It is most definitely worth the trip. Everyone else I have talked to have had great experiences here as well.
(5)Emilia B.
Best sushi rolls in town. The sushi chef is da bomb. Gets 4.5 out of a perfect 5 because service is sometimes a little slow.
(4)Samantha F.
I used to work here for two years while I was attending the University of Florida. I was addicted to the food the moment I began to work. Every shift I would order food. My roommates would always call me to bring them home food. This restaurant ruined all other sushi and vietnemese food for me because it is SO GOOD! NO OTHERS COMPARE! This restaurant is super clean and the chef Co Mai and the owner are from Vietnam so you are getting authentic, home-cooked style vietnemese food. My one regret with graduating is leaving this restaurant and the owner, Hung behind.
(5)Tu-van L.
If you want a taste of good Vietnamese cuisine, this is your best bet in Gainesville. The ambiance is calm, modern and clean, the wait staff is attentive, and the menu has the best of everything your Average Joe can try. Though I am wary of trendy-looking modern-decor Asian restaurants, this restaurant is worth the trip.
(4)Norman S.
nice people here. the food is decent. decent noodle soup and noodle dishes.
(3)Crystal C.
Absolutely the BEST sushi in town! I've tried them all. The caribbean roll and the caterpillar roll are definitely a must try! Also the Mr. H, if you like raw fish. The service is great, atmosphere is welcoming and comfortable, and the food is amazing. The salmon and tuna sashimi at Taste are on point. I definitely recommend trying this place out to everyone! There's not one thing I've had that didn't exceed my expectations.
(5)Peter F.
The Pho is very good. The service is a bit lack luster. It isn't that their service staff provides bad service, it appears to be lack of training or experience. There is a bit of a funny smell upon entering the restaurant (like a wet rag that's been sitting in a bucket for days), but nothing too offensive. Note to Management: Please bring back the Vietnamese coffee with the slow-drip method over condensed milk. The currently available coffee in a styrofoam cup is not cutting it.
(3)Jeanne T.
Did not taste like Saigon!!!! However it sure did feel like Saigon! The air conditioning must have been broken because it was getting steamy in there. We got the pho and tempura shrimp/veg. The pho noodles were clumped together in a ball and the meat was tough. The tempura shrimp and veg dish had two shrimp! The tempura batter was very dense, not light and crispy. At least the service was great.
(2)Justin F.
I was excited to try Pho for the first time and left terribly disappointed. I've been trying new restraurants arpund Gainesville for the past few months and this is the only one where the reviews did not match what was received. The soup was definitely overcooked or was prepared hours ahead of time just sitting in a warmer the entire day. I left the restraurant with a burnt taste in my mouth. The seafood inside the soup was virtually flavorless as if the burnt soup was going to save meat that wasn't spiced up a bit. Honestly would never consider going back.
(2)Darshan P.
Good sushi! I got a sashimi bowl which was pretty similar to a Don from Bento Cafe and Sushi, just a little bit bigger. Nice location. I haven't tried the PHO yet but it seems like its the star of the menu. I will update this as soon as I do try it.
(4)Elayne D.
Had a great dinner at Taste recently. We shared the crispy duck dinner (perfect for two) and also the Godzilla Roll. The duck was excellent, tender and crispy, lots of veggies and flavorful sauce on rice. Service was good too!
(5)Batter H.
One hour break for lunch and they messed up with our simple orders. Spent totally 1hour there but waited 35mins for food. FYI, only 3tables at that time.
(1)Shimmy G.
I've seriously eaten here 3 straight nights - and I don't even enjoy eating out. (That's what she said.) I just recently moved to the area and I haven't hit up the grocery in a few so sushi seemed like a better option for me than some of my other neighborhood choices. I've gotten take out all 3 nights but I keep coming back so they must be doing something right. I've been here when they've been fairly busy and during an idle time and in both cases, the service was efficient and friendly. I'm a fan of the crispy tofu and the Godzilla roll. I tried the tofu pad thai last night and I probably won't get it again. It was just ok. Open seating and lots of room at the bar. They do have a tv above the bar but it's never turned on when I come. (That's also what she said.) Which is totally fine because it's located right over the pick up station so it could be distracting trying to actually watch something. Great location and lots of parking. Taste is quickly becoming my Gainesville Go To!
(4)Kristin R.
Best sushi in Gainesville period. I love this place. I've had several of there entree dishes and bowls but my go to is there sushi. My favorite is the Tampa and Buddha roll. The are always fresh and I love how the have fresh crispy asparagus in some rolls. They have a veggie large sushi roll so my husband can enjoy his spicy rolls and they also have lots of cooked and vegetarian roll options as well.
(5)Alanna T.
Service was sub par and the pad thai taste like blended peanut butter.
(2)Jennifer P.
The restaurant's overall feeling is very nice, the wood color brings a lot of home-like eating experience. I went there almost every weekend. The noodle soup is the best in the town!! I have tried few pho restaurants, but this place is definitely my favorite. The soup has very rich flavor and there are a variety of vege. My favorite soup noodle is #14 I think. I don't remember the name of it, but it has a bunch if tomato, eggs, and onion in it. Super good! A must try!! I love this place! But the only downside is that it is a little overpriced. But I still go because of the good flavoring.
(4)Andrew H.
Authentic Vietnamese cuisine that "tastes" great. Don't be afraid to try one of the authentic Vietnamese noodle bowls, I recommend the beef. The broth is amazing and it its customary to slurp your noodles don't worry. I came back again and tried the Japanese sushi and it was also very good. Overall this restaurant has a great menu and I can't wait to go back again.
(4)Kevin M.
Broken A/C (they serve sushi and soup - raw fish and hot soup should be matched with a cool environment for both the prevention of food-borne illness and comfort)...Must have been over 80 degrees in there. No hostess to greet you as you walk in. You have to seat yourself. Inattentive staff - waited for almost ten minutes and did not even receive a menu or drink. They were pretty empty - on a Saturday night BTW. Absolutely inexcusable. All of the aforementioned led us to walk out before even ordering. Service was an absolute joke. Won't be back. P.S. - to the flamboyant waiter (or waitress - not really sure...), you walked past my table three times, and failed to even acknowledge our existence. You should spend less time doing your hair and more time serving your customers.
(1)Chad R.
Have been going to taste for the past year + for the Pho. It is easily the best soup in Gainesville but the facility needs some help. Had to stop dining in due to awful service (either sit around and wait for an open table and then seat yourself while hoping someone doesn't get to the table before you) even when not busy it can be slow and impersonal. Started only takeout, started out great but the last few orders have been a mess. Half the noodles, double the sprouts, and all packaged sabotaged like a Jenga stack making for a treacherous journey home. Never sure if you are going to get condiments or chopsticks. Whenever I see the, for lack of better description, rude eccentric dude that works there (if you have gone, you will recognize him)-- I know my order will be missing items, half full, and sloppy. With all that said, the food is exceptional and some of the front end employees are helpful. Overall I think a bit of quality control would excel this place.
(3)Gary G.
Great Pho, great sushi, great appetizers. Very Clean and tidy. Best Pho in Gainesville, FL by far. They also offer a lot of other Asian cuisines. I can't speak for them personally, since I can't pull myself away from the Pho, but others I have dined with me rave over the place. Can't recommend enough.
(5)John T.
I usually have one of the Pho dishes - it's usual because I enjoy them - but this evening I had claypot rice with chicken. I was very pleased with the flavors and the combination of rice, veggies, sauce, and well-handled meat. I'll have this again sometime, and my wife - who had a bite or two of mine - wants the sometime to be soon so she can have a serving of her own. The claypot is a generous portion of food that kept me busy after wife had finished her (not stingy) bento box.
(5)Darren F.
This Asian restaurant is very cool and nice, the wood color brings a lot of home-like eating experience. On top of all of this, the food was mediocre at best especially the pho, its very good. Definitely one of the best I have been to in Gainesville. Super good! A must try!!
(4)Kenneth P.
This is as good as it gets as far as authentic Vietnamese food in Gainesville. I never tried the sushi, and that's because I always enjoyed the Vietnamese food. I'm a Denverite-- and in Denver, we strongly pride ourselves in our ability to discern good Pho along with other Vietnamese food. The Pho broth is authentic and really accurate to what Pho really should be (rare to find in Florida). The noodles were cooked well, not clumped, and not overcooked. They had almost all the right veggies that go into pho, and they gave a good amount. The Bun Bo Hue also is very good. The broth is spicy, as it should be. However, the Bun Bo Hue did not have the right noodles. They used the thick udon noodles as opposed to the thinner round rice noodles that traditionally goes in Bun Bo Hue. Also, they didn't have the pork hoof that I usually love. One thing, though, they do have cha (processed pork) that is delicious. I also had the Goi (Vietnamese chicken salad). This was delicious and pretty authentic too. Only thing missing was the shrimp chip. But I understand, because many restaurants don't bother with that. I'd highly recommend this place for Vietnamese food. However, just a simple correction I would like to make to their menu. They have something that they call the "summer roll" and the "spring roll." Which is their names for a spring roll and an egg roll. This is really weird to me, and I strongly disagree with this nomenclature. Spring roll is "goi cuon" which is elastic rice paper wrap with lettuce, vermicilli, and pork. Whereas an egg roll is a deep fried egg wrap with mix of pork and veggies. Please don't go around asking Vietnamese people for "summer rolls". That's not a real thing. That's all though! The food overall is delicious, and I was able to meet the chef herself-- who's this lovely Vietnamese lady who doesn't speak English, amongst a ton of non-Vietnamese workers. I would recommend you going there simply to support her. But she also happens to make amazing Viet food.
(5)Bao P.
For a Vietnamese boy that left home to go to college in Gainesville this is the closest of reminding me of home. The food is good. Love, Bao Eat on my friends
(4)Ellen K.
The Spicy Beef salad had soooo many onions and what they consider beef is roast beef lunch meat slices.. Would not order again!
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