4. Restaurants

Wayside Noodles

828 J St, Sacramento, CA, 95814
  • (916) 441-4110
  • Store is closed

Wayside Noodles Menu

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  • James H.

    I agree with Jacqueline W. - wait a month or two. It took us quite a while to get seated (ten minutes), despite there being several tables available. We finally grabbed menus and half-seated ourselves. The sevice was ok, but the kitchen couldn't get the dishes for our party of four out together...each one came individually over the course of about five minutes. Two of our dishes were combo chicked & shrimp...each came with a single shrimp. The food had good flavor and the prices were decent. They need to hire another bus person for the lunch rush, get a better host (or he needs to learn how to multi-task), and their kitchen needs to get more coordinated. These should be realtively easy kinks to work out...afterwards, this place should be an excellent new lunch spot!

    (2)

  • Riz and Jane E.

    What haters! We had a good experience. Maybe we were just lucky since it was our first time. My mom and Riz went here after doing wedding errands during lunch time. We were seated immediately... got our waters immediately... our order was taken in a timely manner. I got the spring roll and the grilled pork sandwich.... it was really good for the price. Or maybe I was just really starving? Riz got the Pho... "normal Pho" as he simply put it. They are open until 3am for all you late-night snackers. Wish they had one in Roseville/Rocklin.

    (4)

  • Andrew M.

    The odd thing about this place is that it retains a lot of the design of the Fuzio that used to be at this location. I even want to say that some of the bowls were from the old Fuzio. As for location, the place seems pretty clean which is a plus. The service is kind of like the service you would find at any Asian place where they're trying to get you out like a factory line (asking us for our orders two minutes after we sit down, the check is placed on our table half-way through our meal, etc...). The food here has been actually pretty good. So far I've had the Pho and the Bún ch. I thought the Pho was actually pretty comforting; however, I always seem to be complaining about the noodle to broth ratio (too much noodles). Also, for both dishes, the noodles was off. For the Bún ch, the noodles were way overdone so it's kind of mushy. For the Pho, the noodles were underdone which I'm assuming the thought process is to make it like that so it finishes cooking in the soup - but they never made it to perfect tenderness until like the last bite of the meal. Anyway, I think the place is just going through some growing pains since its new. I'm just glad that were finally bringing more quality affordable ethnic places to downtown Sacramento.

    (3)

  • Sammy J.

    I went here with a group of 5 at 11:45 a.m. on a Tuesday. We got there in the nick of time as it was filling up fast ,and we got the last big table. There are a lot of two tops but not a lot of larger group tables, so keep that in mind. The Japanese girl I was with commented on how many Asians were in the place. We all got water which tasted very heavily chlorinated. I ordered the small tai pho (rare steak) and an order of the way special roll. Everyone else in the group also got phos, some ga (chicken) and others shrimp. Food came within 5-10 minutes, even with a full house. The roll was a rice paper wrap with grilled pork sausage, lettuce, carrotsand some crisp bits. It came with a dipping sauce that appeared to be mostly satay and sweet pepper jelly and was decent. The pho broth was passable, maybe a little heavy on the Chinese Five Spice/cardamon/something, but flavorful. Not as good as some I have had and not as good as Kim's down the street. However, the beef was tender and plentiful, in fact, very good. the noodles were also good. However, broth is a key component of pho and while decent, it just didn't really shine. Waters were refilled, though no one asked how the meal was or if we needed anything. We had to ask for the check. The phone at the place was ringing continuously as I guess they do a booming take-out business. At any rate, everyone in our group was satisfied with their meal, and this is a welcome addition to the downtown culinary scene and long overdue. If I came again (and I will), I'd try some of the other noodle dishes, like their House Noodle Soup or stir fried noodles.

    (3)

  • A S.

    Not vegan friendly. Everything on the menu has a sauce made with fish or oyster and they didn't offer to make anything special for me. I ordered the spring rolls and fried tofu for lunch. Neither was tasty or inspiring. I won't be coming back.

    (1)

  • Helen L.

    I was visiting from out of town and Wayside Noodles was one of the few places open in the area. So this place calls itself "Vietnamese" food, but it's really just a bunch of crap!!! It is DISGUSTING. First time I got the drunken noodles, and it was BLAND. It tasted like NOTHING. It had wide noodles and veggies but there was ZERO taste. Drunken noodles are also suppose to be spicy. And then I got the kung pao noodles and it was THE SALTIEST THING I HAVE EVER HAD. It was complete drastic opposite of the first thing I got. It was SO SALTY that I literally felt sick and had to stop. Oh, also, I should add that Drunken Noodles is Thai, not Vietnamese. The staff was really nice and the price is decent, but the food is gross. I did get the mango boba, which was delicious. So that's something. But don't go there if you want real food of any sort. Prices were about $10 for an entree.

    (2)

  • Jackie D.

    I was stuck in the downtown for jury duty so I wondered around looking for a spot for lunch. I walked passed wayside noodles and seen that they were open at 11 so I decided to give this place a try. I was promptly greeted and seated. The waitress that was helping me was very friendly. I'm a fan of the grill pork vermicelli dish so I gave their bun wayside all the way a try. The meat was so flavorful and moist. Something that most Vietnamese restaurants lack on their grilled meat. This dish was on point. I was surprise of all the bad ratings but I seen how busy they got right after they open so cut them some slack people! I will definitely be back on the next visit to downtown.

    (4)

  • noc f.

    Suddenly they're all over Sacramento...Went to the one in Natomas and the Downtown location. I gotta say...a clean vietnamese restaurant is a refreshing sight! Not as authentic tasting as the old school Vietnamese restaurants We're accustomed to, but I'm not complaining!

    (2)

  • Miki S.

    Unimpressed...

    (2)

  • Lina K.

    I ate here for lunch today and had the grilled pork Vietnamese sandwich and the pepper salted calamari. The sandwich wasn't bad (but the best and REAL banh mi is in NYC) but DONT order the calamari! It was so salty and not crispy! I was expecting battered fried squid with salt and pepper and the menu indicated spicy so I thought they'd put jalapeños in it like other asian restaurants I've had fried calamari at..Wrong! Real chili peppers, hella salty and not crispy, so no bueno! Nice looking establishment but I think if they wanna stick out they gotta step their game up. My coworkers said they aren't very generous with their portions of meat and shrimp for the vermicelli dish. Id probably just go back to Kims down the street if I wanted banh mi. At least there it cost less and taste the same.

    (3)

  • Arbel D.

    Didn't know there was a downtown location. Bigger than the Natomas location . The ice coffee came prepared instead of the usual small cup with filter, plus side it was in a taller glass. Kids love the grilled chicken, like how they gave us extra rice when we asked for no veggies. Wife liked the shaken beef. The beef pho is still my favorite. There were 2 parties (ours included) with 1 waitress. Good job in being attentive to our needs (water refills before I can ask for one and providing us with extra napkins and plate). Food came quickly. Overall, it was an enjoyable meal after hanging out at the Scrapbook Convention that day. Kids were satisfied which was a plus. I hope they pick up business. Hate to see them go out of business.

    (4)

  • Lynn G.

    Seems like some people have been unnecessarily harsh on the service at this place during lunch rush. For one, its lunch rush. Most places can't run flawlessly, so don't expect it. That said, I was able to order quickly, the correct food came fast, and it was pretty tasty. Expectations met. We weren't in a rush so I didn't care that we had to ask for the check, but if I were in a rush I would just ask for the check when the food came out. Nice, inexpensive option close to the office. All good with me.

    (3)

  • John R.

    I discovered this place when exploring Sacramento on a cold Saturday night. I walked in and it was warm and cozy. I had the chicken Pho (noodle soup) and it was just like the Pho that I loved in Fresno (Pho 99 on Mckinley near 1st). I've had informal business dinners here. If you visit the men's bathroom here, and if you didn't know, the wash basin looks like two flat, horizontal slabs of marble. You could play a practical joke on friends, perhaps, because it's likely after visiting the bathroom and say, under their breath..."this place doesn't have a sink". Beware of the crazy homeless people. I tied my two little dogs outside I found a homeless guy terrorizing them. I came to their rescue but the damage had been done. My little crack baby PTSD SPCA ministry dog, after two years of therapy, reverted back to her nervous, "cower and pee whenever I hear a noise" self. After reasoning with the 30 something homeless guy with something like " these are dogs, they have the mentality of a 3 year old, you are scaring them, is that cool? ""no." Would you taunt and terroize a 3 year old child?" "well,no", he said. I continued... "These little dogs live in their own [explitive] happy world and they don't understand blood diamonds, misery and suffering in Darfur, the meltdown of the Eruo, Tent Cities or the [explitive], [explitive], [explitive] 30% unemployment rate among construction workers in Sacramento!!!. Does this make sesne to you?. He looked at me puzzled. I reasoned with him again that he should move on his way and ask God for forgiveness for the evil he laid on these innocent -and 10 minutes ealrier- happy as clams creatures. At that point he looked at me as if I was crazier than him and picked up his cheetos, mini donuts and sleeping bag and moved on. Bottom line is if you want quick, cheap, fresh and nutritious food (and maybe a little crazy homeless guy drama), Wayside Noodles is a good bet.

    (4)

  • Rebecca D.

    I don't live in Sac anymore, but visited a friend who suggested Wayside Noodles. I thought it was delicious. I had a garlic tofu sandwich that was pure yum!

    (5)

  • Andy P.

    OK, first of all, know this about me: my star rating reflects almost entirely the FOOD. This is mostly what I want to know when I am scanning star ratings of restaurants. Wayside gets four stars because they do the food right. Go here if you're hungry for good vietnamese/noodles/etc. They won't disappoint. Begin rant: I am TIRED of haters bringing down the rating of a restaurant with good food because a waiter looked at them wrong one time, or the person had to wait a few extra minutes, or an order was wrong one time, or they used styrofoam containers--SHEESH, people! Good food is hard to come by! If the food is good, temper your star rating a little bit, please. End rant. I am only a sometime Pho eater, but Wayside's stuff is the goods. Authentic, very tasty, fresh ingredients, well cooked. Service was a little awkward, but still very pleasant and prompt. I had the straight-up chicken Pho and I wanted to jump into the bowl and swim around, it was so good.

    (4)

  • Ian L.

    As a Pho lover, I was very excited to try out this new location @ Truxel Rd...What a dissapointment!!! There's nothing worse in a business, especially restaurants when it fails to be CONSISTENT, I went there five to six times since they opened and always ordered the same noodle soup, but they failed every time, whether there wasn't enough beef in one order (4 pieces), then the broth was tasteless the following visit, and then the noodles were getting smaller by the visit, and the lime, 1 lousy tiny piece, I mean, c'mon....It's like they cut a lime into 16 freaking pieces, cheap bastards...It seems they are working real hard to lose customers. If u know a different Pho restaurant, please let me know, thanks...

    (1)

  • Christopher W.

    i live in 800j and i do not like this place. a friend and i sat down for dinner and eventually ordered dinner being the only ones in the place. typical bento type boxes with meat and rice and lettuce/salad. we also ordered an appetizer of some sort of fried dumpling which was disgusting. not edible, and i sent it back. the woman almost argued with me about it, and, i'm sorry, in my experience when something is not even CLOSE to your liking or taste in a restaurant you have the right to send it back, but the waitress acted as if the appetizer was money out of her pocket- and when we got the bill, the appetizer was still on there. i was like ooooh no and when i said "excuse me, could i see a manager" in a completely polite and jovial tone, the woman walked up and took the reciept out of my hand and said "there's no reason to have a problem sir i can take it off" a problem? the only problem is that this place isn't even as good as sakura was and it'll be gone in a year. it'd be great if i had a place to get good takeout from in my building, but i don't.

    (2)

  • Carly Velez H.

    I keep it simple when I go to Wayside because let's face it, I'm no Anthony Bourdain. FA... FOE... whatever the hell you want to call it.... It's good stuff! Wayside Noodles doesn't have the best Vietnamese soup in town but it certainly is tasty and fresh. Make sure you get lots of lime and fresh jalapenos on the side to balance the outburst of flavors that will explode in your mouth. The service is good and fast. Wayside is a great choice for an affordable group, one on one, or lonely lunch. You won't be disappointed.

    (4)

  • Mazz A.

    All you folks giving bad reviews are nuts! This place has great food at an amazing price. I go at least twice a month and have never had bad food or service.

    (5)

  • Christina A.

    I have been looking for a good vietnamese spot for a while and I finally found it! The Wor Wonton Soup is delicious. It especially hits the spot when I have a cold. I also love the pho. The spring rolls are a great appetizer. Definitely a good lunch or casual dinner place. The full bar in the back is also a plus! : )

    (4)

  • Shannon S.

    I work right down the street from this Wayside location and when I saw the signs advertising it before the opening I was so excited. I mean who doesn't love a steaming bowl of Pho! At first they did everything they promised. The food was good, the staff was friendly, and the price was right. As time has gone on all of these things (besides the price) has just gone downhill. Since their opening I've had a couple of not so great experiences but nothing that made me want to write a bad review until this week. On Tuesday this week my husband and I had a lunch date here for his birthday. We got there fairly early since this location gets packed at lunchtime and were seated right away. We sat for maybe 45 seconds when the waitress came to take our order. We asked for a couple more minutes to look over the menu to which she just turned and walked away without a word. We quickly decided what we wanted and waited for her to come back. 15 minutes later, after many attempts to get her attention, I finally had to get up and go ask her if we could order to which she rolled her eyes. We ordered a chef roll and 2 noodle dishes. We never even got water until I had to ask another waitress for them since our waitress was obviously too busy to even bother to get us water. When we got the chef roll it was delivered by the only male waiter who 5 minutes earlier was chatting on his cell phone while walking on the floor of the restaurant completely oblivious to the customers who were trying to place orders or get his attention. We asked for some plates to eat our chef roll and he stomped off grabbed 2 plates and basically threw them at us. Not even 30 seconds later our noodle bowls were delivered and were also basically thrown at us without a word or a second look. The noodle bowls were bland, tasteless, and the meat (chicken for me, pork for my husband) tasted old. By this time my husband and I were so annoyed and irritated that we barely ate our noodle bowls. When we were finally ready to leave we tried to get our bill several times but the waitresses there do an excellent job of just ignoring you so we finally got up and went to the counter to pay. The ONLY reason that I even gave them a tip was because the waitress sat there and watched what I wrote. This is not the first time I've had a bad experience here but I kept giving them another chance because I thought those were isolated events. Nope!! Awful service, old food, and just a horrible experience. When I got back to work I was venting to a co-worker who had a similar bad experience himself. Obviously Wayside has just gone downhill since they opened. We will NEVER go here again and I will not recommend Wayside to anyone.

    (1)

  • Tuyen L.

    I've been here a few times maybe a few years ago. Back then it was mediocre and now it has just fallen by the "way side." (No pun intended) I came back because I really wanted won ton soup. I made a mistake to come here on my lunch break instead of waiting to go elsewhere when I got off. My coworker and I ordered won ton soup with egg noodles, shrimp spring rolls, and the Wayside special rolls. The soup came out first. I hate when appetizers come out last. The soup came out and no one gave us spoons. My coworker and I dug into the soup. Only to find 4 won tons! Only 4! Out of the whole soup! It seems like they use the same broth for all their soups. It tasted like it came from those pre-made broths in a can. We ordered both shrimp and the Wayside special rolls because the menu said the special rolls come with a different sauce. Nope, same sauce as the shrimp spring rolls, and nothing special about the Wayside special rolls. Disappointing. Service. I do not think they care about anything here. I wanted to scream so bad. It seemed like they picked waitresses across from Ceaser Chavez Park. They do not know what the hell is going on. I had to wave someone down to take my order. Then when I was just trying to talk to my coworker another waitress came up and interrupted us and ask if we got our bill yet. Then when she brought the bill and asked if it was correct. Like really? They only charged me for the spring rolls and not the soup. I wanted to just say yes, but my conscious told me to tell them to add the soup onto the bill. I told her that the bill was not right, and she asked what I ordered. Uhm, I just told you what I ordered. Argh! Then she brought the corrected bill. My coworker and I paid cash and just finished our conversation. The waitress came back in less than 5 seconds to ask if our bill was good to go. Like she couldn't wait. We left, no one said bye, no said thank you. I will not come back ever!

    (1)

  • Tiffany C.

    I work downtown and tried this place countless times, but I just don't care for it. It's always busy at noon, no seating, the service is slow,the food is half-assed and the ingredients are not fresh. I give up on this place.

    (1)

  • Brook Y.

    I was a little afraid to try it after reading all the bad reviews, but I was in the mood for cheap noodles and Golden Rice Bowl was closed since it was after 3. There were no other customers and I was seated and served very promptly. I got the drunken noodles which came with a generous topping of chicken, shrimp, bell pepper and carrot and they left the mushrooms out as I requested. The sauce was probably a little too sweet and lacking depth of flavor, but I wasn't expecting gourmet cuisine. The portion size was just right. Service was fast and attentive. The dish wasn't greasy or heavy and the vegetables were fresh and not overcooked. I will come back and sample their banh mi or curry.

    (3)

  • Julia P.

    Came here for late night drunken munchies and it was surprisingly empty for a Saturday night. The wayside spring rolls are a must try. I really like the crispy wontons inside of it. Also, the medium size bowl of pho was huge! Enough to feed 2 very hungry people. Overall, great service and exceptional flavor!

    (5)

  • Ranjith K.

    The food was ok but the staff was not friendly at all here you go eat and go that's there attitude ..... they're like if I was to owed them some money and came to eat for free.

    (1)

  • Amy M.

    Wow! Has this place gone downhill! I used to love this place but over time, the food became just ok. Today's food and service took it to a completely new level. They were quite busy but we were promptly seated. Our waitress came after about 5 minutes and the four of us could not decide what to order so she said she'd come back with water. A good fifteen minutes later, we waved her down and let her know we were ready to order. Three of us had the Wayside all the Way and the fourth had the Seafood XO. About 20 minutes later we were served one Wayside all the Way and the Seafood XO. The menu clearly states that the Seafood XO is made with thick egg noodles. My friend specifically asked and made sure the waitress wrote down thick egg noodles. It came with thin linguini like noodles. The other friend said her meat and egg roll was cold. The two of us without food waited at least 15 minutes if not longer for our food. A new waitress showed up and we let her know we had been waiting; one plate was cold and the other was the wrong order. She profusely apologized and said she was going to talk to the chef and never came back! The two Wayside all the Way finally showed up. They took the Seafood XO back. Three of us finished our lunch (didn't eat the egg roll, the pork was just ok given that it was cold) and the fourth was still waiting for the Seafood XO. Finally got the Seafood XO then waited and waited for our check (the restaurant had cleared out substantially as it was 1:30). Finally got the bill. Nothing was taken off, no discount given, a manager never came by, the waitress who said she would come by didn't. I am sorry. There are way too many restaurants in town that will appreciate and respect me and my money.

    (1)

  • Savanna Y.

    HORRIBLE SERVICE!! Waited 5 minutes to be seated. The server comes out and tells us to sit wherever we please. She was clueless on the the dishes coming out . Also had no clue on what they were out of so she went to yell across the kitchen asking. Just to get everything situated, took us about 25 minutes. And the whole 25 minutes, there was a lady waiting on a shake.. She was rumbling and confused the whole time. I work at a restaurant myself which isn't full service but I feel the service there is a lot better. Didn't bother to try the food, was about to close in 30 minutes, didn't want to feel the rush.

    (1)

  • Lani U.

    Not much of a service place... You have to wave down your server to get their attention. Food is edible when you're hungry... I just don't trust young servers with full of make up making an authentic pho. Texture? Watery broth and blend taste! I must say the way side or way special roll is good and I'd come back for it - make it Togo please! Didn't want to leave any tips because 1. Our initial server went missing and some other chick dropped off our food with a fucking attitude! 2. The attitude chick doesn't deserve any tips because her service is no service at all 2. Food? Ehh... Oh well $3 bucks tips for nothing... At lease I understand courtesy.

    (2)

  • Garrett F.

    Wayside Noodles has quick service and good-sized portions! Food: I ordered the large size pho because I was super hungry, and wow, it was large. The order size was enormous and the food was tasty. Side Notes Ambiance: There's plenty of seating, even during peak times. Service: The service is very quick and friendly. Overall: During the cold, winter months, eating pho at this place will be awesome!

    (3)

  • Slackerov S.

    We arrived and were seated promptly. It took awhile for the waitress to come over and take our order. I asked what kind of meat was in the honey sausage. The waitress said it's honey sausage. I again asked what kind of meat was in the sausage. She said its sausage. I then said what kind of meat is the sausage made out of. She again said it's sausage. So I said that sausages can be pork, chicken, beef etc. Do you know what this one is? She then said, I think it's pork. I ended up ordering the beef banh mi and an iced Vietnamese coffee. The banh mi had hardly any beef and was mainly fat. I ended up getting the iced coffee to go as the brought the bill before it arrived. It was ok. Our waitress ignored us the rest of the time we were there.

    (1)

  • Marney K.

    Two words to describe this place: FOOD POISONING! I should've KNOWN something was wrong when the broth on the pho soup came out WAY TOO PINK and was overly sweet! The broth should be mostly clear and not sweet at all. I understand with the combination of veggies, beef, seafood and pork, it's likely to have SOME coloration, but not that much! I started feeling sick about one to two hours after dining there and was violently ill ALL NIGHT LONG! I've had food poisoning in the past, so I know exactly what it's like. Will never, ever eat there again!

    (1)

  • M.K. F.

    Bland food. Unorganized staff. I came in for lunch and placed an order to-go. Staff could use some training - maybe everyone was new? There was one server who looked like he was on top of everything but the other 3 appeared clueless. The bun was bland. I poured all the sauce onto it and it still just tasted like plain noodles mixed with veggies. No flavor! My friend who tried the pho said that the broth tasted like the kind you buy in a can.

    (2)

  • Eloise B.

    I originally reviewed Wayside Noodles when they first opened in 2010. Since then, I've tried many of their other dishes and this has since then become a favorite lunch spot for me. My go-to lunch is the Vermicelli (Bun) with Chicken and Shrimp. The charbroiled chicken is the highlight of this dish. They give you a generous portion, it is seasoned perfectly and it has just the right about of char on the outside while still being moist on the inside. All the veggies they serve with the bun are super fresh and crunchy. I also love the location, the ambiance and the fact that every table has a full bottle of Sriracha on it! Call ahead if you are getting it to go and they'll have it ready for you in about 10 minutes.

    (4)

  • Lucero C.

    I had the Curry Up with shrimp and my friend had the drunken noodle with beef. Both plates were great! Everything tasted fresh, like it just came out of the pot/skillet and it all seemed pretty healthy. I would definitely want to go back and try some of the other dishes. I had a green tea and my friend had a Thai ice tea, pretty regular. The service was friendly but pretty slow even though there weren't many people there while we were there. One of the few places in downtown Sacramento that is open after 5pm!

    (4)

  • Hy H.

    Their Pho broth was alright, nothing special about it. I had better Pho before. The price reasonable and not crowd around 8pm. Good time to come in and eat.

    (3)

  • Adonis V.

    This will be your only option for Pho or Vietnamese downtown at night. There's a better Pho restaurant a block away during lunch and if you eat meat. When I have a craving for that salty savory stuff, I come here and fulfill that desire. I was not as agreeable on my previous review, and the opinion stays the same...for the meat based Pho that is. Since I've gone Pescetarian, I only order their seafood Pho. I have to say, as generic as this place seems to be, they have awesome seafood Pho. Wayside Noodles isn't anywhere near as authentic or as good as the Vietnamese restaurant in Little Saigon, but damn their seafood Pho will Little Saigon a run for their money. The broth is savory, the hearty portions of sea creatures thrown in is just right. The veggies combine for a wholesome camaraderie of ingredients that seem to just work right. Best of all, they use real fish fillet and the the fish ball used at other restaurants. Who want's balls anyways?!? I don't want fishy balls in my mouth.

    (4)

  • Scotty E.

    I gave Wayside yet another chance. What a horrible mistake. We tried to grab lunch during the holidays. The place was crowded but we were seated quickly. Good sign, right? No. The table was wet from a rag. Ok, that can be rectified. They dried it off for us and gave us menus and we never interacted with a staffer again. We waited. And waited. Others around us that were seated before us waited too. They had one staffer working the front of house that day. ONE staffer working. He was seating guests, taking orders, delivering food, and ringing up customers. Yep, one person working the front for the lunch rush-- they were at capacity, maybe 100 people and one waiter/cashier/host. This happens every time! This place CLEARLY does not understand restaurant staffing. We got up and left after waiting 20 minutes. NEVER GO TO WAYSIDE if you want a normal experience. If you want to experience the "kings of suck," go ahead and give them a try. I'm telling all my coworkers to avoid this place from now on.

    (1)

  • Teresa F.

    Horrible service! Took waiter 1/2 hour to take our orders and 45 minutes to get our food.

    (1)

  • Xay Y.

    This place is a good place! Pho is good and they have fast service for those of us that has a short lunch like me.. I would recommend this place if your looking for fast service with good pho.

    (5)

  • Aurey L.

    Terribly understaffed. There seems to be a miscommunication between the serving staff and the kitchen staff. They still haven't learned how to stay afloat during the lunch rush. Don't come here if you have a limited time for hour. If you want to pick up, call your order in advance - you will save SO much time. If I had to come here, I'd order the BBQ Chicken vermicelli (though they put way too many noodles compared to other Vietnamese places) and the spring rolls.

    (2)

  • Wilhelm Y.

    Having read quite a number of 3 star reviews I visited Wayside Noodles' downtown location mainly out of convenience because it was a short walk from my hotel. Each night I walked past this restaurant, and each night I witnessed very few patrons inside. There had to be a reason why this was so, and I was willing to investigate. Their menu is quite large, and I did happen to study it on their website prior to my visit so I already had in mind what I wanted to order. Greeted by the waitress I was asked to take a seat wherever I liked. A menu, utensils and an icy tumbler filled with water were brought immediately. I had eaten a very small lunch that day so I knew I wanted an appetizer, and I was prepared to run in a half marathon on the next morning so I definitely wanted noodles. I decided to try something familiar and something not so familiar. The deep fried Egg Rolls are available in pork or tofu, and I went with the pork. For my main noodle dish I elected to try the Sauteed Lemongrass Noodles with Chicken. Both items arrived very quickly with the appetizer served first followed almost immediately by the main dish. I'll review the Sauteed Lemongrass Noodles with Chicken ( yelp.com/biz_photos/ways… ) first as it in itself would have gotten a 4 star rating from me. Skinless, flavorful pieces of lemongrass chicken breast along with crunchy blanched broccoli florets, whole straw mushrooms and red bell pepper strips were served on top of a bed of wide egg noodles. The noodles in this dish were cooked a perfect al dente. While the noodle lover in me would probably have eaten overcooked noodles anyway having perfectly cooked ones served simply heightened the experience. The noodles were tossed in a garlic butter sauce that, surprisingly, wasn't as salty as I had feared when I ordered it. The minced garlic was quite prominent yet not overpowering. A dusting of red chili pepper flakes gave the dish a nice subtle kick to it. The Egg Rolls ( yelp.com/biz_photos/ways… ), however, suffered from not being in the hot oil long enough. The rolls were actually much lighter in color than my mediocre cell phone photo depicts, and although these were quite crunchy and definitely tasty I saw something inside my fourth (of five) egg roll that I did not want to see, and it immediately prompted me to spit out what was in my mouth and push the dish aside. The pork in that egg roll was still raw, and I was not about to risk an episode of Food Poisoning 101. Too bad too as that put an immediate end to this meal for suddenly I wasn't too hungry anymore, and despite the excellent service from the waitress and the delicious main dish I just wanted to get out of there. Luckily what little raw pork I did consume did not leave any ill effects in the hours that followed.

    (2)

  • April C.

    The food is okay, don't call in your order, it will most likely be messed up resulting in a 30 minute additional wait...just easier to go and order. The manager is a HUGE jerk! He yells and talks to his staff like garbage...last week I overheard him yelling at his hostess where he proceeded to shake a phone order in her face and continued to ask her if she was stupid or just couldn't read or write English...I won't be returning.

    (2)

  • Teresa F.

    The best place to get Vietnamese food is at any number of places on Stockton Blvd. But it's not convenient to go there when the office is downtown and Wayside does offer a change of pace from the usual lunch choices downtown. I've tried the noodle salad and the drunken noodles. Both are competitively priced for the downtown lunch scene and a little more than what you can get on Stockton Blvd. My drunken noodles tasted fine, but the noodles were all stuck together. That tells me that the noodles were sautéed awhile ago and sat long enough to stick together before being tossed with the toppings. Again it tasted fine, but a noodle dish shouldn't stick together. The noodle salad was very good. Hard to go wrong with grilled meat yumminess with a light tasting salad. As we regularly head to Little Saigon on the weekends, I won't be trying the Wayside pho. We already have our favorite place nailed down and experience says that we need not mess with it. Wayside adds to the mix of lunch choices downtown. But for authentic Vietnamese, the places on Stockton Blvd. are the standard.

    (2)

  • Amanda S.

    I came in with my bestfriend on a Friday around 2:45. I place was DEAD. We sat down and this waitress, who honestly didn't look a day over 15, came and took our drink order. Easy enough. So then as we're about to order she asks "give me a second while I go grab my pen and notepad" ok, no problem. I've worked In the restaurant biz so I understand being organized. She proceeds to take our order and as she's putting it into the computer, she must have asked us to repeat our order at least 5 times. I ordered the roasted duck noodle soup and my bestfriend ordered a basic beef pho. So, at this point you wouldn't expect there to be any mistakes, WRONG!!! First off, I got the roast duck RICE PLATE and well my bestfriend didn't get anything because somehow in the midst of our waitress asking us for our order 15 times, she managed to not even put in my bestfriends order. WTF?!?!??! I nearly lost my mind and was in completely disbelief. Thank god the only server who looked like he actually knew what he was doing, was able to help us out. When her pho arrived, she didn't get the usual side of bean sprouts, cilantro, lemon grass and jalepeños so of course we had to wait for that. Now, in all this time, our little waitress is nowhere to be found and when she finally appears, she avoids our table like the plague. Which was probably a good thing considering I was pretty heated at that point. I left her no tip and the waiter to helped us got a generous one. For the area, I would expect more. Guess not. NEVER GOING AGAIN and they should definitely re-consider some of their staff.

    (1)

  • Jesika J.

    I love my some Pho. I find that they are normally pretty slow so it is easy to go in and get my pho fix fast. The first time I went I got the rare beef and brisket but it was a lot of fat on the brisket. I learned to just stick with the rare steak. The broth has good flavor, they are pretty fast at getting the food out and well the one waitress may sometimes be hard to catch but if you can get her you can get a water refill! The spring rolls were ok.. they almost keep them too cold where the lettuce starts to frost so that was a little strange. Overall I enjoy coming here for Pho and from what I hear I have to try the chicken wings next time.

    (3)

  • Lauren O.

    Most of the nearby parking is 1hr, and I had to wait 38 minutes for my food. This was the middle of the afternoon, and the place was nearly empty - only four tables, and two of them had already been served. The waitress was a bit glum, she didn't bring me any water, and it was really hard to get her attention. The chairs were uncomfortable and the atmosphere lackluster. The drunken noodles were ok but not really good - the flavor was mild, the bell peppers barely cooked, and the mushrooms rubbery. The chicken and shrimp were well-cooked and yummy. But, overall, I was disappointed and wouldn't go back.

    (2)

  • Latda V.

    Meh, this place was not very good. I ordered the sushi and it was bland, had this weird taste to it. The fried tofu was burnt and had no flavor. The egg roll was way small, too greasy and there wasn't enough meat in it! Tsk Tsk! If you've read my other reviews you'll know I am a chicken wing fanatic....so I ordered the chicken wing hoping to score one thumb up for this place....SUPER FAIL! The wings came out sauce-less. It was dry and I felt like I needed to dip it in something because it was tasteless. How can you mess up fried chicken wings? Very disappointed! My friend ordered a shake and asked if he could order a shot of run to blend in with the shake. The waitress said of course. After like 15 minutes, we found out that they had to make a run to the grocery store because they didn't have rum - or they were out of rum. WTH? You have full bar and you ran out of rum?! Did you run out of ice too?? The smoothie probably took a good 30 minutes or so to make. With that said, I will not be returning and will definitely not recommend this place. Sad face! I don't like giving out one star but if it's bad, it's bad! I'm just being honest. Happy face!

    (1)

  • Alex T.

    I go here because my friend likes it. This place is super slow. Avoid it. Take out is never ready on time either make sure to give them 30 mins at least for a coconut juice order. Spring rolls are greasy, noodles are flavorless, coconut juice is good, if it doesn't take 30 minutes to make. Customer service is horrible. Waiting at the front for 30 minutes just for someone to acknowledge you when the place is almost empty, is unacceptable.

    (1)

  • Jason T.

    Just finished dinner at Wayside Noodle on J St. What a suckfest. Two waitstaff: one, a fake-titted bimbo who acted annoyed the whole time, and the other a dim-witted child that spilled my soup. Drinks came out as if they were different courses, the last at the end of the meal. Beth's drink never came at all. We go to pay, and the card system is down, so she tries to make an imprint reciept by laying the paper over my card and scratching on it with a ballpoint pen. Of course, this doesn't work, so I have to walk out and find an ATM. When I get back, another couple is trying to pay and having the same problems, and our meter is about to run out, so I throw the cash on the counter, which included the tip which they didn't deserve, and said, "See ya". Suck sucko.

    (1)

  • B C.

    I'm changing my rating for this restaurant.... Went here yesterday because I asked my two staff where they want for lunch and they said the noodle place around the corner....so we went (was hoping they would select something else, but that's what they wanted, so we go). Got to the entry and walked in. Stood in front and 3 restaurant staff saw us and did or said nothing. The 2 that actually walked by us didn't say a word. They pretty much ignored us. I expect them to at least acknowledge us, like "sorry, but i'l be with you in a bit", anything....nope. We were finally seated and the guy apologize - which is great and all, but this is pretty crappy service already. We got our menus and it did take them a while to come back to take our orders. I ordered a pho with rare meat and meatballs. My staff ordered a chicken rice plate and another bowl of noodles with chicken. When they brought out the two dishes for my staff, they would then finally tell me that they had no more meatballs. Why didn't they tell me this earlier? Now my two staff already received their dish. The saga continues...service sucks here. We sat and talked and ate and talked and realized...wait..we are missing our appetizer. I'm pretty sure that appetizer dishes usually comes first. We called upon another gal (which seemed like was a supervisor or maybe the daughter of owner). She checked and realized the order was placed but they never made it, so she said she'll get it for us and not charge us (which they didn't -thank goodness). The appetizer was one of those soft spring rolls that they creatively transformed into something like sushi rolls with unique flavors and dressings. The idea is great, but the execution was not thought out. First of all, they should be bite size. Being that this was made of rice paper, when you take 1 bite, everything falls apart. Secondly, it didn't taste good. It was bland, although it had a peanut sauce. It was free and it was not even worth eating it. Disappointing. Back to the dish..the pho as I stated in my last review was not impressive. It's really not good. The restaurant looks like it is owned by Vietnamese people, which is great because you would think the food would be authentically flavored and spiced, but it's not. This is one of my main issues. I'm pure Viet and i know good viet food. I grew up with it. I also visited Vietnam (the actual country, not the various towns across the US) and there are really damn good vietnamese food out there. I hate it when restaurants are "catering" their food to NON-VIETNAMESE people, which means they are cutting back the real spice and ingredients that make our dishes awesomely delicious. Maybe if I went to this owner's house and they cooked me a homemade meal, it would probably be astounding, but in these type of establishments, it's just disappointing. SO PLEASE - STOP CATERING YOUR FOOD TO PEOPLE AND MAKING IT TASTE LIKE CRAP. ITS GOOD WHEN ITS FULLY AUTHENTIC, NOT WASHED DOWN. JEEEEZE!

    (1)

  • Mylynn P.

    Eek! Methinks not, is so right. I typically do not go out of my way to slam a restaurant but this is totally warranted. Downtown Wayside has been a regular on our lunch menu but NOT anymore. In the past, we have enjoyed the food and the service but both have gone extremely downhill, especially the service and cleanliness of the restaurant (might as well throw that in too ). The last three visits to the downtown Wayside have been plagued with extremely poor service. The first time we thought it was because they were really busy, the second time we thought it was due to the new waitress (who looks like a deer caught in the headlights so sad & she makes no apologies for her blunders and/or poor service... I mean when a server asked if she should get a pad to take your order because she cannot remember, well.... Need a say anymore) but the third and might I add FINAL visit we realized it was the entire wait and kitchen staff and all the patrons to the restaurant were having the same exact experience... it was written all over their faces! Patrons getting up to get menus, their water, their order, their silverware, their credit card & bill so they can get the heck out of there. Today we waited awhile just to be seated and there were not that many people in the restaurant (lots of dirty tables, lots), we were finally seated without menus and/or water. We had to ask for menus repeatedly (as deer in the headlights girl scrambled and never came back with menus) one of the other servers finally took notice and brought us menus. That should have been our first clue of what was coming.... We finally got our order taken but had to go up about 15-20 minutes later to ask for our beverages. The server that took our order got stuck for about 30-minutes or so at the register ringing everyone out, when she was finally done (45-minutes later) she realized our order never went into kitchen and retook our order, what the hell... OK, now we have food but my friend's food was cold (he ate it anyway cause of course we were both starving - it's now almost 2pm), he asked for extra pork (at $1.50 more) and did not get extra but they made sure they charged for it. My food was eatable but that's about it (I was starving too)! Okay, now its 2:15 and they finally come over to ask if we'd like more to drink and if the food was okay.... We said "no", they brought the bill over (can't believe they even had the nerve to do so, I wouldn't) and proudly said they took 10% off the bill like they were doing us a favor or something, as if! Don't know what happen to Wayside Downtown but it a waste of time & money. Stay clear if you want to actually enjoy your lunch. And by the looks of the other patrons that were there at the restaurant, I am sure they would all second this opinion. Total bummer.... but make the drive and go to the Natomas location, great food & service! UPDATE ON REVIEW: 10/24/2014 My co-workers and I were strolling to Sushi Paradiso (FABULOUS SUSHI) and we happen to notice that the wait staff at Wayside is all new and the restaurant was full again... which peeked our curiosity. Darn it, we should have kept on moving and left it with the "three strikes you're out rule" but what can we say, "We love PHO", and we were hopeful! Everyone appeared to be happy & enjoying their meals, our mistake for assuming, WHAT A HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT! Not only is the service still awful but now they've messed up the food too! Everyone's food was cold - we got one dish at a time for a 4 person table - with huge waits between plates coming out. They had to ask us what we ordered - guess they forgot and that's why we had to wait so long. My dish had to be remade (they did not even know their own recipes - wrong noodles were used twice in a row). When the table pointed out the quality of the food, the server said she was going to talk to cook/manager, who knows, NO ONE EVER CAME BACK TO THE TABLE TO CHECK ON US, APOLOGIZE, NOTHING! BUT THEY HAD NO ISSUE DROPPING OFF THE BILL (AFTER WE ASKED FOR IT) AT FULL PRICE, NOT EVEN A DISCOUNT AND/OR APOLOGY WAS GIVEN. SAVE YOURSELVES A HORRIBLE LUNCH HOUR (and yes we were definitely there for more than our hour lunch) & YOUR MONEY - JUST SAY NO TO WAYSIDE NOODLES DOWNTOWN FOREVER!

    (1)

  • David N.

    Ok so my rating is based on the only time I tried this place almost 2 years ago. Sure, things may have changed since then so this review may not be the most accurate. However, the pho I had here tasted so disgusting that I still vividly remembered how bad it was and felt compelled to write this review 2 years later. I mean, I've had bad pho plenty of times before at other places but at least it tasted like they actually tried. I swear the pho here tasted like they just poured boiling hot water in a bowl of noodles and meat. I forced myself to eat it but i didn't get far even with it drenched in hoisin and sriracha. To be fair, it could have been an off day since it was a bit slow during that cold overcast day. Or who knows, maybe their other items may be decent or even good. I just won't take my chances after that experience. The service may have been bad too but that just might be the bad taste still in my mouth from 2 years ago talking.

    (1)

  • Mary N.

    Ordered two sandwiches: grilled pork and garlic tofu. The bread was stale and there was too much "sauce" on each sandwich. It was around $5.50 per sandwich. You can get Vietnamese sandwiches that are twice as good and half the price anywhere in Little Saigon.

    (1)

  • Leena N.

    I've been to the one in truxel, and after 3 disappointments, I was a little reluctant to try this restaurant. The outcome was quite pleasant. I came here today during lunch. It's located at a busy intersection, so it's always busy during lunch hours. I came after rush hour. It wasn't as busy, but the service way pretty slow. The restaurant is roomy and the decor is kept pretty simple and clean. However, as soon as we sat down, the server gave us our waters and took our orders. I ordered the pho and banh mi. The pho came our within 2 minutes. The banh mi took about 5 minutes since the cook had to grill the pork. Everything came out pretty fresh and I was pleased with my orders. The only thing that's bad at this busy intersection- parking. :P There are 2 wayside noodles. I prefer this place over the one in truxel.

    (4)

  • N H.

    I LOVE WAYSIDE NOODLE! Large menue and very friendly staff, indecisive? then just ask your server. Im so glad we went with every dish she recommended (chicken salad, shrimp tempura spring rolls ,and wonton soup). I also asked about the alcohol reading it on yelp and she said that it was just TEMPORARILY out (yess!!!!).Will definitely be back when im in the area.

    (5)

  • Thuong N.

    If you're looking for some Vietnamese food in downtown Sacramento, Wayside Noodles is a decent option. There was only one waiter on the floor which made service slow. Aside from that, the food was alright. The pho portions are huge. I recommend ordering a medium bowl unless you're very hungry. The broth was pretty tasty, the dish lacked meat however. But overall, it was a good experience.

    (3)

  • Next M.

    I would have given this place a fat zero star if I could. If you want a good pho do not go here. I made the mistake of trying this place several times in an effort to give it a fair chance of being decent. I live in Natomas area and this is the only restaurant serving Vietnamese food. I wanted this place to be good so I don't have to drive out to stockton blvd and risk being shot. Lets see, I've pretty much tried almost everything on their menu. Their rice plates are a joke. The taste is decent but the portion is right for a kids menu. I'm on the smaller eater and I left the place hungry. Don't even get me started on their BBQ beef sandwich. They use the toughest beef I've ever sunk my teeth in. I could not chew through the "beef". Now to my main point. Their pho is ridiculous. I've been eating Pho for over 20 yrs so I think I know a little about how it should taste. The broth is light yet salty. Imagine hot salt water and you get my drift. The vegetable us always wilted and brown. Oh and don't ever ask for extra veggies because the owner lady will almost cuss you out. Too bad because I really wanted to like this place but it failed me too many times.

    (1)

  • Liz M.

    the downtown location is great, although the other locations are questionable.

    (3)

  • Annie L.

    I have had really bad vietnamese food before. My family is Chinese but from Vietnam, so I know what is real and good Vietnamese food. I grew up on it and I grew up in the Bay Area. For Sacramento, it's not too shabby. I only had their beef pho and it tasted decent. I had it on a cold stormy rainy day so the hot soup made it better. They do give you a crap load of noodles. I ordered to go and took it back to my office. Wish I had a big soup bowl, but I didn't so I worked with what I had. I don't recommend getting noodle soup for take out anywhere. Just saying. Back to the food, I also tried their shrimp spring rolls. Peanut sauce was good, but the spring roll wasn't so. They put the crunchy egg roll wrap in it and their was practically no noodle in the spring roll. I work in downtown, so I guess if I was really craving Vietnamese food, I would go there again.

    (3)

  • Meme b.

    good food...cute lil peenoy boy was a flirt...but....he did hook it up though!!!... i loved the noodle garlic shrimp was really good the first time, the second...not so much...im gunna accredit that to taking it to go.. , I must say though...it was very fast service early in the afternoon!

    (4)

  • The Critic 1.

    I loved the Wayside Noodles in Roseville so we decided to give this one a shot since it's much closer to where I live. The place is huge and they have a bar and they play good music. However, I cannot give it 5 stars - their sexy mama roll and chef's roll was dry - they didn't soak the wrap long enough. Also their sauce for the rolls was way off, not like the one in Roseville. The one in Roseville -their sauce had a kick to it and it was addictive. Their soup was very tasty and good except the meatballs were slimy. I think because it rubbed off the rice noodles, they didn't rinse the noodles. It took a little while to get the order and we were the only ones eating there at 6 pm. So the service is slow... Probably not a good place for lunch if you only have 1 hr, definitely not if you only have 30 mins. The waitress was nice and they were able to make a small bowl for my little son just like the one in Roseville. When it was time to go,she did package up my son's leftovers without me asking. They need to catch up with their sister restaurant. Please learn from them! We will be back though someday because it's not that far from our house. But improvement is a must - it's a perfect location for a pho restaurant but pho restaurants are supposed to be quick! In and out! Good luck.

    (3)

  • Milad D.

    Been to this place twice for lunch, and both times the service was awesome, and the food was very fresh and the portions big. And the prices are great, specially for the location.

    (4)

  • Robert L.

    food is okay (for outside of stockton blvd) but service is clusterfuck.

    (3)

  • Jon M.

    Went in to eat some pho and try out the new place everyone has been talking about. 2 pm and only 2 other tables are occupied. Waitresses are cleaning tables and refilling sauce jars, Ordered my large bowl of rice noodles and steak. Cook finished it and rang the bell. Waitresses (2 of them) acted like they expected each other to serve it. finally one notices I havent been served yet, so it gets delivered. noodles are stuck together in a clump. They break apart into small gooey pieces when I try and eat them. Had to use a fork. Never had that happen at any other Pho place. Decor is like a bar, loud rock music and big LCD tvs to watch. I am not sure if I will return when I can get better prepared food elsewhere. Maybe one more chance....

    (3)

  • RL L.

    the people complaining about service, well fine for you..it can be slow to get some service..in this economy they are running low staff but hey the food rocks! every dish we had, was great. super yummy and i was with an asian dude ! cheap happy hour too for great prices. so have some patience and enjoy your company while you wait for your food to arrive..slow down folks..

    (5)

  • Lu N.

    I was hesitant to try this place after reading the reviews but my coworkers persuaded me to go for lunch. The place is very busy like every restaurants in downtown during lunch time. However, my group of 4 were seated very quickly and water was served all around. The pricing is great compare to many restaurants around the area (under $7). I ordered the Shrimp spring roll and it was delicious because it is not stuff with a lot of noodle and vegetables and had a fried egg wrap in between giving a crunchy texture. I also ordered the combination pho. The broth was tasteful. My co-workers ordered chicken pho and rice plates and all of them agreed these items tasted great. We also ordered strawberry and avocado shakes and it tasted wonderful. Overall, we were satisfied of the service and how quickly our food came. I definitely recommend this place for its variety of food, speediness, and pricing for downtown.

    (4)

  • Si K.

    The soup was way too salty. The services were terrible! The waitresses just dropped off the food and pretended you did not exist.

    (1)

  • Cat T.

    bleh, I think I would skip this establishment considering all the other wonderful restaurants there are available on J st. Service was not very friendly considering how slow they were during an evening, there were maybe 4 people dining there at the moment. The only positive thing was the service was relatively quick. The grilled meat I ate tasted like it was drenched in corn oil and the taste was just bland. I tried my best not too cringe with each bite. If you want real Vietnamese food please go to another place other than this, otherwise it will just be a huge regret.

    (2)

  • SBA S.

    Great new Vietnamese place downtown. Will be back when in town.

    (4)

  • Christiana G.

    So, first review on yelp because it was that bad. I have gone to wayside noodles quite a few times. 2-3 times at the Natomas location (which was always good), and about 3-4 times to the downtown location. I really enjoyed the first couple of times I went here and got Pho, however I went last night with the BF and roomies and had the worst dining experience of my life. When we arrived there were only 2 other tables there. We got seated quickly enough, however we then waited at least 10 minutes for the server to come acknowledge us again. During this time the other 2 tables cleared out. Finally she came and got our orders and dropped off water. I wasn't in the mood for Pho so ordered the lemongrass chicken on vermicelli. There was only one cook and he cooked one thing at a time. Dishes came out with about a five minute pause between each one, which is fine with appetizers, but not with entree's. Also the server came out between app and entree courses and said that they were all out of vermicelli and would I like wide egg noodles or wide rice noodles. Picked wide egg noodles. Dishes came out one, by one, by one with my dish coming out at least 10 minutes after first entree being set down. Started eating and noticed a distinct AMMONIA odor coming from the noodles. Chicken was fine and tasted ok, not great but the ammonia odor from the noodles was unmistakable. Alerted the server and she smelled it, said it was fine and that they marinate the noodles in butter and MSG! That's what I must be smelling. I said NO, that is ammonia and I am not eating that anymore. She took it off the bill and offered me something on the house, but I won't be eating anything from that restaurant anymore. Went home and looked up spoiled noodles on the internet and was informed that an ammonia odor was common in old noodles. Gross.

    (2)

  • Scott J.

    I try to make it here once a week, great place for lunch and much better than the bulk of the dumps on J & K, etc. If you are in the Capitol area, definitely consider it as an option.

    (4)

  • Mona M.

    I am NEVER coming back here again. Here is how my lunch experience went down. A group of 3 friends got to Wayside at 12:15 for lunch. They were waiting on a table for 5 because me and another friend were en route. They got seated at 12.25. Me and my friend got there at 12.30 and joined them. We didn't get acknowledged by the servers, and didn't even get a glass of water for 15-20 minutes. It was ABSURD. We all ordered various things but I asked for the tofu kung pao noodles. I noticed the menu said that they come with small noodles so I specifically asked for WIDE noodles. I also ordered a thai milk tea with boba. It took them 15 minutes to bring our drinks out. By the time I had gotten to the bottom of my drink I noticed there was a HAIR in my straw. Yes. A freaking hair. I still get nauseous every time I think about it. I waited to say something until our food got there...mind you it took them another 45 minutes to bring our food out. The BEST was the response from the server, "eww, that's gross." Really? Thanks. I already knew that. Thanks for the apology that I never recieved. So the food is okay, except they of course didn't give me the wide noodles I asked for, but at that point I had already been at lunch for an hour and a half and didn't want to wait longer for my food. The food is not good enough to warrant another awful experience here. The management really needs to step up their game and show the servers how to actually deal with customers. And I don't know, maybe they should start wearing freakin hair nets. I was going to post a picture of the hair in the straw but I figured I didn't want to gross people out THAT much.

    (1)

  • Ellen M.

    Its good food. I just think the service can be a little bit slow. Its actually hit or miss but sometimes I wait so long for my check that I think "I'm never coming back."

    (3)

  • Reina M.

    good lunchtime spot that will appeal to the masses. very large menu ranging from banh mi and pho to drunken noodles and mongolian beef. not the most traditional vietnamese menu (more like a viet menu base with sprinkles of thai and chinese), but it'll do. they just opened up so they still have a lot of kinks to work out (waitresses' knowledge of the menu, service, etc.) but nothing too major. i will still go to kim's for a more traditional pho but wayside is a good addition to the lunch rotation.

    (3)

  • Sam T.

    I gave this place a thumbs up last time I went there. My wife and I were heading to the farmers market at cesar chavez park to have some of that bomb indian food one of the vendor's has. Realized it was the wrong day so we decided to cross the street to wayside. There were not that many people in there considering it was a lunch hour. This is great because the food should arrive quickly. The waitress sat us at a table and a few minutes later a waitress took our order. I ordered the pho noodle soup large and the wife ordered the spring roll. The white ladies next to us were offered chopsticks. They were rejecting them however the waitress insisted on them trying it out. Normally, when you order pho noodle soup they give you some thai basil, bean sprouts, jalapeno pepper to go with the soup. I was given NONE. I was not even offered chopsticks. about 15 minutes later my wife's spring roll was delivered. I'm still waiting on the noodle soup. This is 30 minutes later. The spring rolls were drizzled with some sauce like it was some sushi roll. This should be eaten with chopsticks not a fork. We're asian so, we're expecting chopsticks. None were offered- ........... At this point, I ask the waitress to take it to go. She looks at us and asks did we order something else. I let her know I've been waiting half an hour. My wife said let's jet because of lack of service. this place is full of FAIL. i will not be heading back to this place. i wasted my lunch hour here not getting any food then had to go back to work on a empty stomache.

    (1)

  • Jeronimo L.

    Been there twice and have not had a bad experience. Went during the lunch rush and only had to wait about 15 minutes for a table on my second trip. The service wasn't extremely swift, but the restaurant was busy so I wasn't too surprised. The first time I ordered the Hoanh Thanh Combo (Wor Won Ton Soup) and it was delicious. The second time I had the pork sandwich. The sandwich was OK, no big deal (I actually like the banh mi at Kim's Vietnamese better), but it was a pretty good deal as it came with a small won ton soup that was pretty tasty. This place is clean and the waitstaff was friendly. The menu is very extensive and offers the largest variety of Vietnamese food in the Capitol downtown area. I will definitely return to try other menu items.

    (3)

  • Esmeralda H.

    Great lunches at a reasonable price. Sometimes it's hard to get the attention of the wait staff to get the check at the end of the meal. Asian friends tell me the food isn't absolutely authentic, but I really don't care as long as it's good.

    (3)

  • Julie G.

    Pho is AMAZING here! If you are looking for yummy tasting pho, this is the place! The pho portions are really big, compared to the sizes served at other Vietnamese restaurants. I had a medium size pho and it turned out to be huge--no complaints here because I had left overs! In addition to pho, i I had the happy hour pork egg rolls, and those were very delicious too! I paired the two with their Vietnamese beer...my meal and drink was absolute perfection!

    (5)

  • T'sters M.

    My heart breaks every time a friend wants to go here. I've been here several times and every dish has been underwhelming. Wayside skimps on the meat in their pho and bun noodles, so you end up with a ton of noodles and not much to go with it. The pho broth is bland. Service is hit or miss, though it leans more on the "miss" end of the spectrum.

    (1)

  • California G.

    This spot is close to my building. And few of my friends love this spot from CALPERS and BOE. I tried their chicken pho. I think in the pho, they put oil because it gave a little different taste. Besides that the pho was okay. My co-worker ordered some beef pho and they ended up giving her completely different pho with the beef tenderloins. They messed up the order big time. Which was a bummer. And I overheard the waitress telling the customers, she's leaving and come to the other store. That was cool way of advertising.

    (3)

  • Brianna T.

    I have tried this place twice for pho Togo. Both times were prepared quickly and received service as soon as I walked in. Very welcome decor and they have a bar in the back! Very cheap with large portions. The first was medium chicken. It was a large potion so you get more bang for your buck. The second time was the rare steak small. I still had some left over. The food isn't anything extraordinary which I reserve for 5 stars, but better than your usual poor quality cheap pho.

    (4)

  • Myra Y.

    This is one of those restaurants that cannot handle lunch rush hours...called in my order at 12:19 pm. Was told my order will be ready in 15 minutes. Got to the restaurant at 12:40 pm. Waited 5 minutes just to pay, because...they have this awkward system where everyone takes their bills to the front entrance to pay (the line to pay extends directly in front of the entrance-- an obvious fire hazard...). The inside of the restaurant itself looks like a battlefield-- tables were piled with dishes and bowls because the waitresses could not clean up quick enough. So, I paid, sat at the waiting area as directed...sitting...sitting...still sitting... And it's now 12:50 pm... What the actual f***? I looked over to their kitchen area and I see one take out order, the same one that I saw when I stepped in the restaurant to pay... That was my order and it has been ready since I got here, but for some reason...they decide it is not convenient to keep take out orders near the place where people normally "pick up" pickup orders... I know some people have no regard for their 1-hour lunch time, but I am not those people...I do not have all day to wait for a takeout... Do not come here for lunch if you are in a rush to get back to work...

    (1)

  • Na Da L.

    I live next door so I hopped in. This is my second visit. The first time I ordered pho and was pleasantly surprised it wasn't awful considering the reviews. But that's probably the only thing I'd order if I come back. My friend ordered a meat plate and he meat looked so dry like it had been cooked and left out for a while. It did not look appetizing in the least bit. This round, I ordered a vermicelli bowl with chicken shrimp and egg roll. I couldn't believe at how fast it came out but it was obvious as soon as the bowl was put down, the meat wasn't cooked fresh and had a bad smell. My family used to kill live stock and that's what the smell reminded me of. The egg roll was cold. The chicken was tender but not fresh. The shrimp was barely edible as it held no flavor. The sauce pretty much tasted like watered down sweet chili and fish sauce. It's a shame, there's incredibly good Vietnamese restaurants in Sacramento and the one I live beside is so disappointing. I'm charged downtown prices for less than mediocre food.

    (2)

  • Davina C.

    Food was just ok but services was terrible. There wss only 3 people, including me in here. It was 2 p.m. . I can't imagine what it looks like at lunch time around here. The food is not fantastic enough for me to put up with slow and strange service. The bathroom is pretty though. Hence the one star

    (1)

  • Shannen C.

    This place does not have the best of pho. At night, this place is completely dead. I'm not sure why they stay open. I come here because I live near by and its walkable if I don't want to drive. But would recommend going somewhere else.

    (2)

  • Judi M.

    It's sad when people's perceptions are blurred by the lens of poor service. But it's not called the service industry for nothing. Wayside has good food with Downtown pricing, but the overall experience is greatly diminished by poor service. First time I came in was noon on a Friday and this place was hopping. When you enter, the cashier is to your right and there are seats to your left. I noticed that there were people waiting for their to go orders but no where to go to get seated. There was no easily identifiable host stand or sign that said, "Wait to be seated". Wanting to be polite, I got in line to the cashier and after a while got to the front only to be told, "This is for paying". At that point, I debated walking out or be rude and insist on being seated. I was hungry and now only had 45 minutes left of lunch and no knowledge of the area. So I stood off to the side trying to get a staff member's attention to be seated since the cashier seemed hell bent on ignoring me. After several staff members went, all avoiding direct eye contact with me, I was fed up and sat my ass down on the closest table. I waylaid a passing staff member and ordered spring rolls and a banh mi with no jalapenos. I reiterated no jalapenos because my wussy taste buds can't do heat. My spring rolls quickly arrived and no matter how much peanut sauce I put on them, they were really dry, as if they'd been made way before serving. I got my banh mi shortly after and the first bite almost made up for everything that happened.... until I bit into a jalapeno. UGH! Even though I was able to take them all out, there was still residual spiciness. The second time I came, I did so before the lunch crowd hit and was able to score a table right away. They took my drink and food order as soon as I was seated. However, it still took almost 15 minutes for my food to come out. Luckily I had a good book. My grilled pork over vermicelli was well seasoned and perfect for a hot summer day. When I paid, I pulled up my Yelp app for the check in discount and the cashier asked me if I would write a review. I told her that my review would probably not be a positive one and then told her of my issues with my first visit and slow service at this visit. While she seemed apologetic, she told me that there was conflict between the owners and management which made it hard to change the current logistics. Hearing this as a customer, did not give me more confidence in the business and unless I'm really jonesing for vietnamese food (which I was today), I doubt I will be back. Sadly, she mentioned that they were thinking of moving which is a bummer. For an area with a high density of office workers, the food offerings in the neighborhood are not plentiful or varied.

    (2)

  • Yvonne C.

    Well Hellooooo Wayside Noodles. After my Brother picked me up from the gym about 11am he said he wanted Ramen. I'm like sure I'm down, he takes me to Wayside Noodles downtown. Ummm Brother this is Pho and its Vietnamese, Ramen is Japanese. He's so cute. The joint was empty but the music was blaring and the staff was happy and buzzing with energy with the anticipation of the lunch time rush. We grabbed a seat at the bar and I just ordered my usual without looking at a menu. medium rare steak Pho, shrimp spring rolls and Jasmine tea. The broth was flavorful and I asked for extra veggies which the server obliged The Medium was HUGE and only $6.75, I'm used to paying a lot more than that in San Diego. The Springrolls were perfect and $4.? bursting with fresh veggies. I rather dip 'em in chili sauce than the peanut sauce though. I'm going back before I go home, that's for sure.

    (4)

  • Schoko L.

    I'm personally a big fan of the rolls - chef's roll being my favorite. Around lunchtime, things get intense and busy, and with only 1 register and 4 waiters, things seem to overwhelm them. Back in the day they uses to have 5-6 waiters, so I guess they're understaffed. Youre not going to find much Vietnamese food in downtown on this level, but south Sacramento definitely beats it. Regardless, its Vietnamese food is aimed for Americans so it still satisfies and is tasty, but lacks that authenticity San Jose has spoiled me with. Front manager is great with service and really knows how to look sharp. Given the fact this place is slowly losing staff and also equipment (there used to be more computers for them, but now only two?) They're doing the best they can to keep up - but their best isn't enough if they want to stay afloat. The food is tasty, looks great, and has large portions, so you get your bang for your buck.

    (4)

  • Megan V.

    After eating here a bunch more times in the last couple of years, I have to update. Even if I time my visit to avoid the lunch rush, it takes an hour. You could be the only person in there and it would still take an hour. The employees are nice enough but they're always walking around with no discernible division of labor. The result is a highly disorganized, messy environment in which you sit forEVer waiting for noodles.

    (1)

  • Jim M.

    Who puts hot beef and sauce on top of a green salad. Do not order unless you like warm wilted lettuce and tomato. It's no way to make a salad !

    (1)

  • Regina W.

    Against my better judgment, I recommended to my co-workers that we go here for my birthday lunch. I had ordered the spring rolls w/ tofu and cucumber rolls to-go off of the Rice Paper Rolls section of the menu a few months ago, but this was my first time eating inside of the restaurant. I really should of known better since I don't remember the rolls that I ordered back then being any better than average. Fast forward to earlier today... My co-worker had made a reservation for us and when we arrived there was a designated table available with water already at the table. While this appeared to be off to a good start, soon after a stream of disorganization from the staff started to happen. They seemed to have run out of menus and so some of us had to share menus or use paper to-go menus. We also didn't appear to have a waiter/waitress and waited for 15 minutes until we finally asked the host to find someone to take our order. At that point, our host took our order (for five people) without writing anything down. We were surprised when our food actually came out without any errors, but the dishes didn't come out all at once and instead came out one at a time. I ended up ordering the Drunken Noodle w/ tofu, which tasted average and was not something that I would recommend. My co-workers weren't impressed with their food either and I felt bad because this was one person's first introduction to Vietnamese food. It then takes forever for us to get our checks and the waitress who eventually brought them to us looked genuinely confused about what check should go to who (not surprising since nothing was written down by the staff). The only reason that I'm not giving one star is that nobody was overtly rude to us even though my experience here disappointed me regarding both the food and service. I definitely will not be back and will be telling others to avoid this place as well.

    (2)

  • Staja A.

    I come here because it is close to my job. DECOR: For the most part it is clean but I think it could be cleaner. FOOD: I typically order pho with no meat. It is always pretty good flavor wise. I have had the fried shrimp rolls and they are really good. My fiance always gets this kung pao noodle dish that is really good. the food is very comforting and has a great combo of flavors. I love pho on a day when I am not feeling too well. SERVICE: Almost every time I visit this place the service is TERRIBLE. They forget about us, take forever to bring out our food and the servers dressy slouchy with their hair messy. They have brought me cold food before, which is especially annoying when you come there specifically to get HOT soup. Almost every time I have been here I have had to complain about something. Overall, I really wanted to give this place one star but I love the food and it is close to my job. So they get three stars. I really hope the owner reads this because they have great food and they are in a good location. This place could really be a downtown favorite if they get their act together.

    (3)

  • Pat K.

    Still great grub, but slow in service. But I think I may have found a niche in getting quicker service: -Check the menu online before arriving (if you don't know what you want). -While being seated, tell them want you want right then & there. -When done, don't even wait for a ticket...just go up to the counter to pay. Worked like a charm today. In & out in no time.

    (4)

  • Tran N.

    The service was ok, but the Pho is not very good. Way too much MSG!!! Very fatty as well. The broth does not smell good and the meat has too much fat. I am one of the people who is very critical about Pho. You can try other dishes and tell people about your experience, but I would not recommend Pho here. A bit disappointed after eating because I still suffered with the headache from MSG

    (2)

  • Krystle R.

    This place has been good in the past for a go to "pho" kind of a day in the winter or when you need a quick fix, BUT today was a very disappointing experience! A few coworkers and I decided on this for lunch ( 2 1st timer's with me) and we were Not greeted with a simple "hello" or even a half ass smile..... The girl who finally acknowledged us dropped our menu's off at the table , turned around and gave us 3 waters with NO ICE! I mean, I know we are in drought and all, but if you are going to be cheap and not offer or turn on your A/C for your customers - at least offer them ice in their waters! ( Rant over....) After being sat down for about 30 seconds, we were asked twice to place our order. We asked kindly for more time ( remember, 2 1st timers with me) and we actually got it, thanks- I think!?!? We ordered our food, which came out pretty quick and tasted just "ok" - and I would've given them a better review if it weren't for the crappy service at the end of the day, they need customer service training at this establishment, STAT! Thanks for the "Mediocre Vietnamese" Food, see you never again! P.S. My boss ordered a Boba Thai Iced Tea and got a skinny, dinky, little straw... #commonsense #fail

    (1)

  • Adam G.

    Okay so it was lunchtime, I was in a pinch, and needed some drunken noodles to help me with my hangover. Found this place through the app and thought i'd give it a try since it was within walking distance from my work. I know drunken noodles are cliche but you know they do the trick when your stomach needs something hearty and greasy to kick that crappy feeling. The noodles were fine and the plate itself was a fairly large portion for the price. Only problem was that the sauce that was used for the dish was pretty bland. I was hoping for some of that subtle spice/kick from the peppers but nothing sparked my taste buds. I did however get a clump of black pepper which woke me up pretty quick but not the spice/herb I was looking for in particular. Might give this place another go around with a different dish to see if it was me or the food.

    (3)

  • Christine W.

    Great downtown location. Love their chicken Ga soup. Great place for lunch. Get there early lunchtime it fills up fast.

    (5)

  • Etta C.

    The noodle soup place sucks . The vegatables are frozen and grow in soup like the water is hot so they grow. The meat is not quality in the soup . I have had way better ...The place is nice itself but no smoothies or milkshakes ....

    (2)

  • Marie N.

    So a chicken salad with napa and red cabbage, crispy wontons, peanuts, carrots, and crispy rice noodles with a cilantro lime dressing sounds pretty flavorful, right? The ONLY things with flavor on this salad were the peanut sauce and red onion, which was so brutally overpowering that the peanut sauce was nil. I added avocado and got 5 tasteless slices. I paid almost $11 for this, and I feel like the fool because I know I can make a tasty salad using the same ingredients for less. Whatever process was used to make this the blandest of bland dishes, it's working.

    (2)

  • Katy L.

    I've literally only felt compelled to write a review once before and it was for their other location. Currently I'm sitting next door at the sushi restaurant because the staff was so rude that my boyfriend and I decided to leave without ordering. We stood at the payment counter upon entering and the woman standing there rudely told us to seat ourselves so that she could deal with other customers. We then attempted to find a table when a waitress took it upon herself to scold us for seating ourselves. Then when we attempted to explain that we had been asked to seat ourselves she rudely explained that the older woman at the counter often asks customers to seat themselves so that she doesn't have to. She then pointed to her apron and said "we're obviously wearing these" and told us it was the waitresses job to seat customers. To sum it up, they were extremely rude from beginning to end. Won't be back

    (1)

  • Adam P.

    The service here is unbelievably rude. That is all that can really be said, got up and left without ordering. Also, their Natomas location needs a health inspector stat. The bean sprouts and lime that came with the pho were rotten, and my gf found hair in her food. All in all, "Wayside" is the perfect name for this place.

    (1)

  • Kali D.

    Wayside has made its way to my heart! I felt an update was due. Since I have changed employment locations, I am much closer to Wayside. I decided to put my "ringing" thoughts behind (see my last review) and try them again. I think I have been back almost weekly for pho or bun (basically when I need my carb/Asian fix). Lunch rush is crazy busy so here are the rules: * Arrive before Noon; 11:45 am is good. * Have your order ready. * Be prepared the restaurant gets pretty nosy with state and courthouse workers. * If you are dining alone or with only one person, request a seat at the bar or in the back (less noise). * LOL eat fast, they are moving people in and out! Now that I have the rules of Wayside down, I enjoy my downtown Pho! Cheers!

    (4)

  • Jessica L.

    Decided to give them another try. And it was a horrible idea. I got thai tea with boba and ordered a small pho for lunch. My drink came, but my order never came. Somehow it was lost in the kitchen. I sat there for 15 mins wondering and no one bothered to come tell me. So I just left. On top of that. My boba wasn't cooked all the way. So I had hard boba. What a waste of my time and money.

    (1)

  • Toby P.

    I went here on a Thursday evening and although the restaurant was slow, our service and food was lackluster. We ordered an appetizer (egg rolls) and two noodle bowls and actually received the appetizer five minutes after getting our main entrees. Everything tasted "meh" too. Also, during checkout, I started to sign the wrong credit card slip and got slighted by the waitress who rang us up. Not cool. I do not recommend this place and personally will not be coming back.

    (2)

  • John L.

    Overall: Their food is good despite their slow service. I'll be honest and say that I've experienced better service dining in at other restaurants, but I've also paid more per entree at those restaurants. At Wayside, their portions remain huge while their prices remain the same, so if you're looking for a satisfying and filling meal while keeping the bulk of your wallet in place, this is the place to go. I've been a regular at this restaurant for about 6-7 months, dining here probably once or twice a month when my flight schedule allows it. I've noticed that the majority of their staff are new, which made me eerie upon ordering my last couple of visits because I like to customize my order, but their wait staff was more than able to accommodate my picky eating. It's also nice to be remembered by name despite my number of limited visits.

    (4)

  • Shannon Y.

    People are so quick to write about their bad experiences over their good. I had the best service there, and seriously the best food. You can tell that they are trying to get it together, and you can see the workers that care and are really trying. The food was seriously so good, I had a tofu sandwich, that is like, the most underrated thing on the menu, I've seriously gone back 3 times in one week for it. They make spring rolls special for me because I have a food allergy, and you seriously can't beat the price. They are always so nice. It may not seem like they are listening, but I think that they are just fast paced people. And I can understand that. They've never messed up my order, have always catered to my special orders, and that tofu sandwich! So good! Plus the front of house manager is pretty hot.

    (5)

  • Alex T.

    i came here on a saturday afternoon. i was tired from all the walking and was hungry. i usually don't come here for pho because i know its not authentic and more americanized. i still came in here and give it a try since my friend said it was good. we ordered the mango beef with steam rice and salad. the mango beef arrived shortly around 5 minutes. the mango beef was stir fry in a dark sauce. on my first bite i can taste the blasting flavor of hoi sin sauce because it was so strong. the dish had a lot of bell pepper red color ones but did not have enough mango. i can hardly taste the mango. the salad was good and rice was good as well. overall this dish was 3.5 out of 5. this dish was about 8.50 close to 9 bucks. the service was ok. they asked if everything was ok. the place was slow on a weekend and i think they close earlier too during weekends. the location of this place is great because its near the office area which is convenient for state workers or people on the go.

    (3)

  • K N.

    My son and I went to this place for lunch today and had the worse service and food wasn't up to par. I've been to this place several times in the past but having been back in about a year due to work location change. But today, we were in the area and since in the past it was good we wanted to be at a place that had good food however we were wrong. It took them 10 minutes to come and take our order and another 25 minutes for us to get our food. We order spring rolls as our appetizer and didn't get it till after we had gotten our meal. We asked for the check immediately after our meal arrive and didn't even get it at all after another 20 minutes of waiting. We then had to figure out our cost and leave the money on the table because the line to pay was out the door and people were still waiting for their check in line. My son and I both ordered the won-ton soup (won-tons were under cooked) instead of using fresh veggies, they used cans. So if you very an hour for your lunch break, don't do to this place because you won't get in out under an hour and half even if you ask for your check immediately.

    (1)

  • Jelica A.

    Awful slowly agonizing service. I ordered the vermacelli pork and shrimp bowl...all I got was a bowl of rice, 2 shrimp, and tiny slivers of meat...less than an ounce. Asked for more meat and never got the order. Im not stupid...I know meat is expensive but fulfill my order . If I wanted a pile of noodles I would have a opened a bag of vermacelli noodles at home. Staff are running around, disorganized. This business won't make it if they don't have better service and don't skimp on their food orders . Cutting corners won't save you money...you'll lose customers

    (1)

  • Andrea H.

    The only reason I gave two stars is because their Pho is good. I have tried a few of their other dishes and were not impressed. I give 0 stars to their service! Whether you dine in or take-out be prepared to spend all of your lunch break here. (If you work nearby). I work right across the street and learned quite quickly to order ahead. When they say it'll be ready in "10 minutes", double that time. I DO NOT recommend dining in. They are incredibly slow and the one or two servers they have working are not very attentive or friendly.

    (2)

  • Stephanie L.

    Not bad, but I've had better. Food - 3 stars. Service - 1 star. My co-workers and I came here for lunch one day. At around 11:30am, the restaurant was pretty empty, but service was inattentive and lacking. No one bothered to come by our table to take our order until we had to flag someone down. We weren't even in a hurry, but I'm not about to sit down and stare at my menu for almost 10 minutes during my lunch hour.The food came out fairly quickly. I ordered the Drunked Noodles, extra spicy (since the dish isn't spicy to begin with). The portions were decent and the flavor was good. But again, I've had better. Not a bad lunch spot to grab "Vietnamese" food that I deem more of a Thai dish. Howevever, if you're in a hurry during your lunch break, I'd suggest ordering to-go because you don't know how long you'll have to sit around before your order is taken or the check comes.

    (2)

  • Chris G.

    I started with the spring rolls and had them with grilled pork. The pork was only ok. It looked like it had been cooked earlier in the day. I had the pho tai and it was the largest bowl I have ever had. Pretty good broth but the noodles broke easily. I would go back and give it another try. The waitstaff was very nice and attentive.

    (3)

  • Allison M.

    This used to be my favorite pho place around. I went there tonight and picked up dinner for myself to-go, which I was very excited about as I haven't had it in a while. After I paid I realize my bill seemed too high; I looked on their site and confirmed the price for what I ordered was much too high. When I asked the waitress she gave a lame response of "oh yeah they raised the prices a while ago and I keep telling them to update the website." You'd think they would tell people who call in orders that their website isn't accurate. Because I can guarantee most people that call in orders look at their site. I said that is very deceiving and she laughed it off. I wasn't offered anything to make up for it, I would have been happy accepting a drink, which probably costs pennies for them. I just finished eating and the food was not as great as it was before. I don't know if they have new owners/chefs, but something has definitely changed. Needless to say I'll be finding a new pho spot.

    (1)

  • Gia A.

    Terrible terrible service. Went with coworkers on our lunch hour and waited for our food the whole time. When we asked the staff about our order, we didn't get the customer service one would expect when things are taking too long. The staff didn't seem to care nor want to make up for it. By the time we received our food, we had to get it to go and still were late in getting back to work. To make things worse, my food wasn't as described and the chicken was dry like cardboard. We should have checked yelp before coming to this place. Two thumbs down......

    (1)

  • Chris O.

    I just left after sitting for an hour and a half while I watched a table of three, first get my food, then have my food taken back from them, then have my food returned to them the entire time the table was saying it was meant for me. After that my girlfriend finally got her food but it was the wrong order. The restaurant was not busy so I am not sure why they could not handle a simple two person table but for whatever reason, they could not. The restaurant as a whole wasn't bad looking, but there is no direction to the staff, and when asked about my food our server just said he didn't know where it was or when it would be ready. I won't be going back to wayside, sorry.

    (1)

  • Christina W.

    My co-worker and I come here for special occasions because we like the food, but EVERY SINGLE TIME the service is terrible. The last time we went we told the server that we wanted to be seated somewhere that we would have an actual server helping us. He said, "Don't worry, I will take care of you"--NOT! The food can take forever to come out and you probably won't receive a refill if you get a soda. I asked if they had any comment cards and the guy at the register says, "Don't we have great service?" and I said no. They don't have comment cards and they don't have contact information on their website. Guess I'll have to write a letter!

    (3)

  • Bobby N.

    Food is pretty good (I think they use too much MSG in their soup because you can feel it on your tongue after). It's kinda pricey but it is in downtown. The service is not great. It's kinda slow. Could be because they're understaffed. Would I go back? Yes (It's the only Pho place within walking distance from my work). Would I go out of my way to come here? No (there's better and cheaper along Stockton blvd).

    (3)

  • Joe D.

    First red flag, prime real estate 10 & Jst, but not 1 soul in the place. 2nd Red Flag, I order a beer on menu but waitress says "No liquor license." 3rd red flag: my wife got her dinner 20 minutes before me (were still the only ones there). 4th Red Flag, my wife complains that her soup taste God awful,(I still am waiting to eat). My meal comes......drum roll please....its absolute garbage on top of noodles. Their only accomplishment is remaining open, for that I am absolutely impressed.

    (1)

  • Umair H.

    Wayside totally dropped the ball. I had had reasonably good experiences with them until one weekday for lunch, they did not have two items on the menu that I wanted. So I ordered two other items. After 30 minutes, yes 30 minutes, I asked how much longer it would take, they said 15 minutes. I told them that was ridiculous to which they said they would make my order at the top of the queue. I told them I needed to recharge the parking meter where my car was parked just 20 meters away, right in front of the restaurant and in plain sight. When I returned, my table had been cleared and my water had been taken away. So much for customer service! My recommendation: *never* go there during lunch rush!

    (1)

  • Alex H.

    I came here for lunch last week with my wife - a rare luxury, because although we don't work that far from each other, one of us is usually too busy to take the time. We were seated quickly enough and brought water, but waited at least 10 minutes for our orders to be taken - despite the big sign out front that claims "no wait" at lunchtime. It's a good thing I wasn't trying to get in and out in 30 minutes, because it never would have happened. I ordered the Pho with rare steak, well-done flank, fat brisket, tendon and tripe, and my wife had a pork banh mi. The large Pho is an ENORMOUS bowl of soup; the sandwich in comparison, for almost the same price, didn't seem like much of a meal. Again, the wait wasn't that long, but definitely longer than I would ever be willing to wait on my normal half hour lunch break. As at most noodle joints I've been to outside of Little Saigon, the "fixins" were skimpy. One lonely piece of basil sitting on a pile of mung bean sprouts, jalapenos in place of bird's eyes, and a wedge of lime. Oh well; I wasn't really expecting better. I usually avoid offal but I felt like trying new things. The tendon had a nice texture; soft, a little bit gummy, not what I was expecting. The tripe wasn't particularly noticeable and the rest of the beef was pretty much indistinguishable, the rare pieces having cooked to well done almost immediately after being served. The broth was flavorful but generic. I'm no Pho connoisseur; judging purely by past experience, it was neither the best nor the worst bowl I've had. Then I sat for the longest time waiting for the check. My wife left, having to get back. This restaurant is not counter service, so I don't know why I had to wait so long. When I finally flagged down the waitress, she asked, can I get you anything? Uh, yes. I had been done for 20 minutes at that point. She brought the check and did not take my card so to save time I brought it to the register. Maybe this is SOP at Wayside? I really couldn't tell, but it seemed like plain and simple poor service. One final observation, the poor girl busing tables had way too much to handle on her own. Hopefully this isn't how they staff the place normally. In addition to rushing around doing her own job, she had to cover for the waitress who was also ignoring another table near me, and less mellow about it. Kudos to you, bus girl. The promise of a fast lunch unfulfilled, I don't see much else to recommend this place.

    (2)

  • Miranda M.

    Food was good. Service was slow. They would not accept my check in 10 percent off. She said I needed a coupon. I'm pregnant and was craving pho with an egg dropped in. Even though they have eggs and I was willing to pay more, they refused to do it.

    (3)

  • michelle c.

    I seriously don't understand the bad reviews. Every time i come to Sac I get the duck pho here. I've tried other things too. All of it is delicious. I grew up w a Vietnamese aunt and so I know bomb Vietnamese food when I taste it. The broth is always amazing. The food is fresh and plentiful and consistently delicious. Give this place a try. They make a delicious soup. Stop hating y'all.

    (5)

  • Maggi L.

    Didn't check out yelp before coming here and I regret it. The hostess is also the cashier so I has to wait for her to finish a long line of bill payers in order for her to seat me. I got sat at the bar because there were no more one person tables which is fine with me. My waiter took my order pretty fast which was nice and the food didn't take too long to get here either. When my food got here, I didn't have a table setting so the person who gave me my food just have me a fork without a napkin which I had to ask my waiter for later. I ordered the lemongrass chicken rice plate. The plate is pretty big with a side salad. The side salad had a peanut dressing. It was a typical cheap salad with ice berg lettuce, sliced carrots, onions and two wedges of tomato. I wasn't too fond. The lemongrass chicken didn't taste like much, just spicy. I think they precooked the chicken by cooking it in the fryer. Then they just added sauce and the veggies and called it a day. The veggies were not cooked at all and I could barely taste the lemongrass. I will definitely not come here again. Also, the guy sitting next to me never got his food even though he has been sitting there for 30 minutes. He is now waiting to leave since it is getting late.

    (1)

  • Steve W.

    Service here is awful! We went for a lunch and it took over 1 hr! Food came out for one of our party then it took 20 minutes for the remainder to come. Only one waitress and took 15 minutes to get the check! They gave us 20% off for the loooong wait... Went back to let them try and "save face", well same story. long wait and then the food came at different times AGAIN.. 20 minutes after first dish served the next arrived. I guess this how they do lunch downtown??? how, what?... Never will we go back and too boot the food is just so-so...

    (1)

  • Joe M.

    First time here. Jury duty so I'm scoping the scene for lunch, originally wanted Thai but this was closer. Like most Vietnamese places, the host/servers aren't smiling or very friendly, but living in south Sacramento, im used to it. Very nice floor plan, restaurant looks great. Food is descent. Host sits me at the bar and an older lady takes my order. Egg rolls and fried Tofu was for lunch. Only problem was it came in a to-go box, bag and all. Kinda sucks to dine in from a to-go box. Felt like the servers here are new or very inexperienced. A little pricy also for Vietnamese food.

    (3)

  • Vicky B.

    Their pho is hit or miss, but the grilled pork noodle dish is always satisfying! I also liked the grilled pork sandwich too. Not a fan of the curry noodles. The place is clean and spacious. The bathroom is pretty clean and fancy too. A Lifehouse song is on! Yay! Service has seemed to improve with some staff changes, and it's always just easier to go up to the register and pay if you are in a rush.

    (4)

  • Michel H.

    Mm mm mm, I'm so phoking addicted to this place. I've been frequenting this joint since I started working at City Hall a year ago and I love it. I love the food, I love the staff and I love the space. I know this spot can get pretty busy during the lunch hour but hey, it's in downtown -- what do you expect? The staff are all pretty young so you KNOW they're working pretty fast to keep up. Prices are always reasonable. I can get a pot of tea, a medium sized bowl of rare steak pho and come out of there only spending $10 (and super full!) I will often times pass up lunch dates just to come back to Wayside -- yes, I think it's that good. If you want to get super quick service (I'm talking 20 minutes total or less in the restaurant) I suggest getting there at 11:30 or about 1:15 in the afternoon. The size of the crowd is drastically smaller at that time. Thanks for the stellar experience Wayside team! See y'all soon.

    (5)

  • Marisa V.

    Mmm! I came here for just a snack but I saw another costumer order a number 1 pho bowl and had to get...mmm I was very well pleased! I will definitely be coming back! Oh, and the new manager was so sweet with great service.

    (5)

  • sheri d.

    Bahn mi sandwich was great, shrimp spring rolls great. Added a salad and it was huge chunks of lettuce and tomato with no knife. Had to ask for straws for our drinks. Seated quickly and food came out quickly but I never saw our waitress again! No drink refills, no bill. We finally tracked someone down, got the bill and it wasn't for our table. Sadly this place had potential to get a better star rating but you can't ignore, well, being ignored! I also like when attention to detail is valued and it doesn't seem like it is. If you work downtown and only have an hour, don't stop here! Jury duty folks on those extended lunches may appreciate!

    (3)

  • Jess L.

    When you ask for vegetables in your pho instead of meat or tofu they literally chop up lettuce and a few carrots and call it vegetable soup. I once asked for broccoli and such (what constitutes most Vietnamese vegetable soup) and even tho it was in replacement of tofu they charged extra. Which vegetable soup? With no vegetables? Lettuce? Extra for actual veggies? Come on. Over priced for what it is too. The pho broth is bland and tasteless. The only thing I would go here for is the chicken spring rolls. That's about it.

    (1)

  • Fabi P.

    They must have changed ownership or cook because it SUCKS now :( I was craving their chicken spring rolls only to taste over cooked/burnt chicken and spicy(also new) peanut sauce...their pho also taste different. Yuck.

    (1)

  • Monica P.

    I love pho! This is so close to my work that I can walk over. The service is fast and the portions are huge!

    (4)

  • Erica C.

    I swore off Wayside Noodles a few years ago because of how horrible the food and service was. Unfortunately, I was in some desperate need of a quick pho fix since I wasn't feeling well last week. So I made the mistake of giving it another try. I came during my lunch break and ordered pho for myself and my coworker to go. All I wanted was the broth and noodles. They literally only gave me plain broth and rice noodles. They didn't give me any basil, peppers or bean sprouts on the side, nor was there any green onions in my broth! To top it off, it took 12 mins for them to get the order ready. Really though? I'm sure the broth is already heated up and shimmering in the pot! All you have to do is pour it into a to go container and pack the damn noodles. It shouldn't have taken more than 5 mins!! The pho was probably still one of the worst I've ever had...nothing has changed in the last few years.

    (1)

  • Sean W.

    I love a good bowl of soup. Some days just scream for a steaming hot bowl of pho bò and last night was no different. We just got off a flight from LA and there was no food in the fridge. Well, at least nothing edible. So we walked over to Wayside and had a couple of nice bowls of hot pho just before they closed. I ordered mine with wontons, which was a first for me. They were so good that my girlfriend ordered a side of wontons to throw in her soup. This was such a nice refreshing way to end a long trip of eating heavy, fatty foods for far too long. I have yet to try any of the plates here but I have had their spicy chicken wings. Those are really tasty too! Check out their happy hour as they usually have some cheap well drinks going on and the place gets even more fun after a few drinks!

    (4)

  • Aracely N.

    The veggies were fresh and great portions! The noodles were ok but the meat was great!

    (3)

  • Kelly G.

    The first time I went to Wayside Noodles for my lunch break the service was so bad I had to take my lunch to go and eat it at my desk. Because of this it has been several months since I've been back -- that is until yesterday. So I found myself there again for my lunch break. I purposely go to lunch at 1 PM to miss the Noon lunch crowd. This seems to work out great for all the other restaurants in the area. But Wayside Noodles left me sitting around waiting and waiting my lunch away once again. I knew I should have have walked out when it took almost 20 minutes just to get a menu. But I stuck it out. 40 minutes after we arrived, lunch was served. I ordered Bun Wayside All The Way. They forgot my egg roll. My lunch partner ordered the Mango Beef but we have no idea what she was really served. What they served her had no mango in it whatsoever. But she ate it anyway as time was of the essence. The noodles for my bun dish were a bit thick and bloated. The taste of the food was fresh and pretty good, but where was my egg roll damnit? I asked about the whereabouts of said egg roll but it was never found. I also asked for extra napkins which also were never found. The waitress asked me if I wanted a refill of my iced tea. I did, but that never happened either. If I ever eat here again it will be strictly on a take out basis. I can't trust the service at this place to get me back to the office in time.

    (2)

  • Thuy B.

    Let's try the low carb option! Vietnamese food craving for downtown area...The low carb noodle is not all that bad. taste like clear vermincilli noodle. I enjoyed it even more knowing that i didn't consumed any calories for the noodles:)

    (3)

  • Clay W.

    I have to update my review to four stars because they have redeemed themselves. The little shit bus boy is gone so all the staff are cool, and I must say that their Bún Thit Nuong (#3 vermicelli noodle bowl with grilled pork) is pretty damn good. I still don't care for their Pho but I guess it works for the majority of their customers who don't know the difference.

    (4)

  • Kunal B.

    Not bad if you're craving a fix for fresh Asian food. But nothing outrageously noteworthy. We came here for a later lunch, wasn't too populated so were expecting efficient and great service at least. Ordered their yellow chicken curry with rice. Fresh, flavorful, and quite glad they had sriracha to go with it. However their portion sizes felt like they were on the smaller end. The other two people I went with ordered the pho. The broth was alright as per their opinion but they shared a common complaint on how there were more noddles and less meat, and overall it wasn't as flavorful as they would've liked it. Not a bad place but probably not something I'll be ready to visit again.

    (3)

  • Kyle S.

    I've work across the street from Wayside Noodles and have been to this place on many occasions. Food: 2/5 Pho here is nothing special. Large bowls with large portions. Not better nor worse than any other pho places I've been to. I tend to get non-pho dishes since I've always felt that's what makes or breaks a viet restaurant. I've enjoyed the sauteed kung pao and the wayside all the way with pork was typically good. But on one occasion, I found a curly hair in the eggroll that came with my meal. I complained to the waitress and she replaced my eggroll. Yeah, that was it. Service: 4/5 Service was typically good and attentive. During busy lunch hours they will sometimes forget stuff, but a simple nice reminder will usually get it fixed. TLDL; Food is nothing special; Service is good. Check your eggrolls for curly hair

    (3)

  • Tiffany S.

    Exceeded my expectations in taste, portion, and price! The wonton soup was slightly spicy, very flavorful and piping hot. The bowl was massive! The honey dew bubble tea was more like a thick shake than a tea boba. They had only 1 waitress working the entire dining area, but she was friendly. I would go back to this place anytime.

    (4)

  • Lee S.

    Came here with my friends on New Years day! We were promptly seated but had to wait a long time for our drinks. However, some of my buds had never had Vietnamese food before and so I convinced them to come in here. We all ordered and daMn the food was good! The spring rolls were fresh and tasty, the peanut sauce was amazing, as was my grilled chicken over rice. I would go here again!

    (4)

  • Jennifer Z.

    Food sucks. SO BAD. I'm speechless. .... Waste of money. OMG.

    (1)

  • David C.

    Sometimes you just want a quick pho, nothing but just you, the noodles, and the soup. Wayside was unable to deliver (I believe they have a sign outside asking me if i "want a quick pho?". From the outside this place looks promising. It has a great location, a clean and trendy interior, and always seems to be packed around lunch time. When I came here for the pho, the soup was bland. It didn't have that meaty boiled for hours flavor that you would find at the dirtier hole in the wall pho places. The noodles were a little stiff and under cooked, even after I left them sit for a while in the soup. I also split a bahn mi sandwich with my coworker. The sandwich was actually really good, but worth 5+ dollars? I don't think so. The meat was very flavorful, but I would rather walk down to Kims and get one of their filling 4 dollar bahn mi. In terms of portions, Wayside falls behind in every category. In flavor, their noodle soups perform poorly and get their bronze medal, however their bahn mi gets a gold (sorry I have been watching the Olympics). I really wanted this place to succeed, but it just supports my theory that the flavor of the pho is inversely proportional to how clean the restaurant is. I hope someday they can prove me wrong, but that will have to be a day when Kim's is closed.

    (2)

  • Angel M.

    I've been here on multiple occasions, and they have all been good and that's why I'm giving them 3 stars. However, they just changed owners, and the full bar the restaurant use to have is now gone. Their menus though still show that they serve beer and other drinks! So when we thought maybe they don't have the bar, but we can still order what was on the menu, we were wrong! They don't serve anything, they don't have their liquor license. I can do without it, but please don't have it on your menus, and not serve it. Their soups are AMAZING though.

    (3)

  • Stephanie L.

    Ok, after seeing some of my friends reviews, I think to myself," Was I just really high or what?"! I loved my food. Like, LOVED it! It was the first place I have been to in a looong time that made me say" Oh my effing goodness!" when I took my first bite. Maybe i just haven't had drunken noodles in that long. I admit, I went here because of a "buy one, get one free" deal I got in a coupon book I purchased form a kid doing a fundraiser. It was one of the only places in the whole book that was in the midtown area. So, off I went, with my buddy Matteo. He had the Kung Pao noodles. Skinny egg noodles, tossed with KP sauce and chicken, and loaded with peanuts. I had the drunken noodles(as mentioned but I repeated that if you weren't paying attention). Delightful big chow fun noodles, smothered in drunk sauce with chicken and shrimp. The green bell peps were a bit strange tasting, which is one reason for the 4 stars not 5.They tasted almost liek they shpould have been thrown out the day before. There were also onions involved and that made me happy. Really happy. It doesn't take much. I am excited to come back and try this place again, hopefully on Friday. I will update if it turns out to suck, ans this experience was a one- time nice one.

    (4)

  • Mary T.

    Its makes me sad to write bad reviews on a restaurants. But it here it goes, only reason why I feel I needed to write this is because everytime I have come to here the service was super slow. Even when I order for pick up. I think they dont make the order until you tell them your there for a pick up. Because i'm always stuck waiting 15-20 mins on a TOGO order. The last time I came here was really the last time. I mean we got seated then waited about 10 mins before the waitress came to check on us. Plus, while waiting we didnt get a glass of water. So when she finally came we order right away in far of it taking even longer. After we put the order in we waited there for another 30-40mins. We saw people that got in after us already eating their food! And they order the same dishes we order. We never got our food. I just got up and left the place. I told the waitress I was no longer interested in eating.

    (1)

  • Mary B.

    Good food , nice waitress but they are totally understaffed with not enough people cooking. Had to wait for 45 mins for our food. Three other tables in the restaurant but they had to deal with the call in orders so the people dining in had their food delayed. Annoying enough to where I won't be back. It won't be long before they are out of business with this level of service.

    (2)

  • Sarah G.

    Why does happy hour end so early at most places? We were walking around trying to find a happy hour place at 6:30 one day, and what did we find???? Wayside noodles. One of the few who don't end their happy hour by 6pm! That's worth a few stars right there! Okay, so it isn't a fun hang out at type of bar since it is really a restaurant, but you get well mixed drinks for $2.95 each and those bad boys are strong! You definitely get all of your dollars worth here. And in addition to cheap mixed drinks you can get whole bottles of wine for hardly any money too. Nuts, I say. Especially for someone who lives in Boston now where happy hour is illegal!!!! Yup. Illegal. Go figure, they don't like fun. They have a mini happy hour food menu too with a bunch of appetizers and rolls that are all only a few dollars and made pretty fresh. One of our rolls was really good and refreshing, but the spring rolls we got were just bland. Of course we ate them since we needed something to go with our strong $3 mixed drinks, but I would stick to the rolls here or I eyed some other people's noodle bowls (not on happy hour price though) which also looked pretty good!

    (3)

  • Meme L.

    I am not sure what happened to this store. I went there twice recently, the pho were very salty and tasted very different than What I had in July. How sad.

    (2)

  • David M.

    I had low expectations going in because it's not that impressive from the outside and there were only two other couples on a Friday at 5:30. I was pleasantly surprised with friendly, quick service and very tasty food. The portions seemed small at first, but by the time my wife and I were done, we were both overly full. Neither of us wanted to stop eating though because it was so good! The only downside is that the bathrooms aren't that clean and the faucet in the men's room is being held up by zip-ties. The food was slightly on the greasy side too, but not to the point of creating a bad experience. We both commented that if we lived in Sacramento we'd eat there more often.

    (4)

  • michael l.

    I ate at this place last year, I would then give it a 4 stars. 1. Brooth was tasteful. 2. Portion was at just the right amount. 3. Customer service is better than most other pho restaurants. I have to change this to only 2 stars. Here's why. I came to this place on Monday morning 9/15/14, mainly due to it being close to work. I would not choose this place again to eat. The beef noodle soup (Pho) was subpar. 1. The brooth was very bland and watered down. 2. I came in at 11am and they're out of certain items on their typical pho menu. How can you be out of a certain item on a Monday morning before lunch rush? If you're running low, you order more. Obviously they don't have a person checking on their inventory. 3. Since the combination pho was missing an item, they substitute it for meat balls. At first, I'd say alright since they're substituting it for another item. But wait, they gave me two pieces of 1/4 of a meat ball. Then when I went looking for the beef, they had little tiny little shreds of meat only. It's like the whole kitchen was running out of everything and no one bothered to restock their supplies. 4. My colleague and I ordered Pho so typically you would get a large plate of condiments (bean sprouts, greens, etc.). We end up getting a tiny little plate of condiments which by no means is barely enough for one person. I asked for a second plate and the waiter looked at me all confused. What are you confused about? This should be common sense. Here's why I give this place a two star. 1. The waiter and waitress are helpful and attentive to our needs. Normal pho restaurants isn't normally like that so you get one star. 2. The restaurant is cleaner than other restaurants. The menu also has a great selection of food, appetizers, and desserts. Maybe if I get really desperate for pho, I would go here in a couple years. But for now, I wouldn't be recommending this place to anyone until they make some changes.

    (2)

  • Ricky N.

    This restaurant is a more American and convenient choice compared to more authentic Vietnamese restaurants we're accustomed to. Sure, a very clean and appealing restaurant is a big plus. The interior decor, lighting, seating, and bar was very nice. Service was decent, nothing too special. I ordered a small bowl of Pho Ga (Chicken Soup with noodles) and at most Vietnamese restaurants a small is a nice big sized bowl for one. For $7 they brought me the most disappointed small bowl I've ever seen at a Vietnamese restaurant. It looked like one of the "KIDS MEAL" bowls. I just wasn't used to it... on top of that, it was very bland, again... NOTHING SPECIAL The convenience of the late night hours and location to walk here after a long night out, may be the only reason I would come back here.

    (2)

  • Patrick O.

    This was our 3rd time visiting Wayside. 1st time when they opened the service was really slow so we chalked it up to being new. We waited several months and went back. Same slow service. Food was average so definitely not worth the wait. After about a year and a half we decided to try one more time because of the coupon. Placed our order that included an appetizer we waited for 45 minutes and nothing. Everyone around us got their food. We asked and waiter said he would check who then proceeded to the bar to do other stuff. About 5 minutes later he says he asked the cooks to finish our order asap. At that point were were done and told him to cancel our order. Didn't even get an apology. Could we be unlucky 3 times, maybe but we will never return. If you're gonna go make sure its not busy so they dont have to multitask.

    (1)

  • Naida E.

    I have recently eaten the Banh Mi and the Bun. Both edible, but too sweet. Not enough fresh flavors; cilantro was wilty, meat too sweet and needed something more. Very inexpensive option for downtown eating. Great if you are broke and I have yet to try the huge bowls of soup, which look good.

    (2)

  • Chris N.

    This could have been a 3 star lunch experience, but the service was really slow. I was one of maybe 3 tables in the place around 2 pm, so I figured I would be able to get a quick lunch and get on my way. But none of the waitresses seemed to want to take my order. Once I finally got it in, about 20 minutes after I arrived, the food came out pretty quickly, but then they never came back with the bill. I finally just had to walk up to the register, where the waitresses were counting their tips, and ask to pay. Still they made me wait until after they finished counting. The tofu noodle bowl I got was fine... I'm not really a huge fan of this food, so I'm probably not the best judge, but it was good enough. It really was just the service that's going to keep me from returning. This place would work a lot better if it was just an order-at-the-counter type place where you can get your food and go.

    (2)

  • Leo L.

    So far, I ate here five times. I normally go when it's not busy. I know most downtown restaurants gets super busy around 11am-1pm so I always try to avoid the rush. Pros: Pho is good, the portion is great. The Menu is awesome and it has so many options. Service is good, the servers are normally Asian girls. But overall, all of them are very nice. Setting is not too exciting but its nice and clean. Price is reasonable and affordable. Not expensive like the sushi restuarants, and other restaurants around downtwon.. Cons: Sometimes, the meat in the pho taste a little too chewy. I haven't had any bad experience so far but wow, the people who gave this place one or two stars must have not liked their food or the service might have not been there, but do not let that stop you from eating here! Its worth the buck!

    (5)

  • Kristin F.

    Had a great dinner here with my boyfriend en route to Tahoe from SF. Lana (or Lena?) our waitress was working a solo shift (probably a bit slow given the holiday weekend) and was covering the entire restaurant herself! But she was friendly, fast and helpful. I had the chicken pho, which was yummy (pretty much standard fare) and the bf ordered com thit nuong which he says was delicious and well complimented by the sweet fish sauce. The restaurant was clean and the house wine was totally adequate. All in all a great passing-through-town dinner. The highlight here was the service. Excellent experience for a good price.

    (5)

  • Wyatt S.

    Took about 15 minutes for the first dish to hit the table, which belongs to my guest, (appetizer still not out) and the food is OK at BEST. 5 more minutes to by until the "appetizer" finally arrives. It would be another 10 before I would get my rolls, which were completely wrong. I had to get up and get somebody's attention to let them know. There are plenty of other overpriced PHO places in town to spend your money, and I can guarantee the food and service would be better at every one of them. I won't be back.

    (2)

  • Rich L.

    The good, my grilled pork sandwich was awesome. The bad: * 35 minutes for a table, ok they were busy * 10 minutes for order to be taken * Manager wouldn't honor coupon from Coupon Clipper * 50 minutes for food * Dish that was ordered not spicy came SO spicy * Forgot the shrimp on the other dish, they did bring them (2) out later * It took 50 minutes for food from the time we were seated. ARE YOU SERIOUS! I will try them again BUT a different location. Only because they didn't screw up my food, just the 2 ladies I was with.

    (1)

  • Diana C.

    I've been here four times in the last month and a half and have had good food and service. One thing I'd suggest is to stick with pho. I request the rare steak on the side and boy do they give you a good portion of meat for the noodle soup! Besides the meat, the broth is light yet flavorful, and the complimentary veggies are fresh. I've had their spring rolls and didn't find them amazing since there wasn't a huge amount of goodies in them. The wings were straight from the fryer, but all of the flavoring was on the skin. The meat was almost tasteless. Being that they seat you quickly and serve you quickly, if you pay at the register when you're done, you'll seriously be in and out in no time. That's what downtown weekday dining should be all about.

    (4)

  • Gabe R.

    It was my first time in Sacramento and was a bit taken a back by the lack of night life in that city, coming from the bay area. It wasn't that late and I was getting really hungry after a long day of convention activities. As I was walking around all of downtown, I could not find any good places that were open for a late night dinner until I walked into this place. I got the pad thai which was good but before that I had ordered a sandwich. Then they told me they had run out of bread. I was really looking forward to a sandwich but had to go with something else. The service was okay, the waiter was helpful in helping me get something that they had not run out of. The food was just average and I guess I'm glad its there considering that there really isn't much else available in the area for late dinner.

    (3)

  • Scott B.

    Fresh Vietnamese food that won't weigh you down. Service is uneven and rushed, but it's an open, cool and clean atmosphere. You can get better pho for cheaper down the street, but the vermicelli dishes and appetizers are excellent, and they have many options for customizing your pho.

    (4)

  • Van L.

    I came here during Sacramento's Dishcrawl, and I was a little nervous from seeing their low rating. But I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. We were given half of a pork Vietnamese sandwich and one fried shrimp with sweet and sour sauce. I'm Vietnamese, so I'd say I'm a pretty tough critic since I have been eating these sandwiches all my life, but this sandwich wasn't bad. Actually, their pork was really delicious! The only thing that I didn't like about it is that I usually like the traditional yellow mayo made with only oil and eggs, but they used white mayo, which does not taste the same. Towards the end, they gave everyone free vodka shooters! Free alcohol?? I'll take it! The restaurant itself is pretty nice in my opinion. Its very spacious, has TV, and a separate bar. What more can you ask for? I probably wouldn't go out of my way to come here, but if I was in the area, I would try it again.

    (3)

  • JJ b.

    Blah food, lots of MSG (headache came too fast), long wait. dirty tables. funky service Trying to figure out what the big hoopla was about. I rather patronize the smaller mom and pops places on Broadway. oh and expensive too. no thanx.

    (1)

  • Jesse D.

    Me love you long time Wayside Noodles. I'm a big fan of Vietnamese food and usually don't like dealing with the griminess that accompanies most Vietnamese restaurants. This place is not your typical hole-in-the-wall establishment. The restaurant is very clean and has a nice vibe to it. The food is very tasty at extremely affordable prices. The only downside would be the crowds from Noon-1PM, but you can't blame them for that. If you like to get down with a little pho (Pronounced "Fuh" in case you are a Vietnamese rookie), then this place is for you. I also recommend launching a Tet Offensive on their variety of well-priced sandwiches.

    (4)

  • Roland S.

    I was staying at the Citizen down the block and missed last call for the Grange kitchen by a mere few minutes. The host could see the frustration flash across my face and kindly pointed me in the right direction. "There's a great noodle place on the corner that's still open," he said, and my mind immediately filled with thoughts of pho. "Thanks," I replied and headed out the door, hopeful but uncertain. Wayside was deserted at 11:05 on a Saturday night - not a great sign, I thought, but I liked the look of the place - clean, elegant, modern. The one guy working the front of the house set aside his broom and came to the front to take my order: pho with beef filet and flank steak and an order of crispy shrimp rolls to go. He was very nice, seemed legitimately happy to see me (which surprised me given that he seemed to be preparing to close the place), and even complimented my choices (which seemed sincere, though I suspect that was just good customer service, I doubt I discovered the hidden gems of their menu.) Ten or so minutes of searching Yelp to see what else was good in the area, I left with a sizeable bag of food. Once back at the hotel, I unpacked my Vietnamese picnic basket. The generous bowl of broth was still super-hot, which was good because nearly all the ingredients, including the raw beef and cooked rice noodles, were packed in a separate box. Make your own pho! Awesome. Cooking the beef as you go makes for fantastic texture not always possible with boiled meats. The broth was perhaps a little less complex and less spiced than say Kim's Vietnamese down the street. But overall, this was maybe actually better. It was so delicious and more than I could eat (and I eat a lot!). Everything was very fresh and somehow the broth stayed hot enough to cook the ingredients but cool enough for me to eat. (Magic pho?) The crispy shrimp wraps, medium-sized fried shrimp wrapped in a thin veggie roll wrapper with a sweet chili sauce on the side, were very tasty. I would have liked a couple more just to finish off the chili sauce. My experience here was entirely positive.

    (4)

  • Deborah R.

    With great apprehension I am forced to write a review of a restaurant I was once in love with and know our relationship is filled with disdain and spite. Wayside Noodle on 9th and J Street in Sacramento opened as nice ethnic option to an otherwise desert of downtown Sacramento food choices . When they opened the doors a few months back the food was superb and the staff was attentive. I particularly enjoyed the Vit Quay with clear noodle. My dining companion typically ordered the Steak Salad with Avocado. In the beginning the steak was sliced and the avocado was abundant. This place quickly became a lunch time favorite. Jump forward a few months and this place have fallen off the cliff of attentiveness and quality control. Before getting into the quality of the food, the staff was slow and inattentive even though both owners were present on this trip. It was after the lunch time crowd had left so the place was empty. The order was simple; first item ordered was Pepper Salted Calamari, an appetizer, then the steak salad, pepper salted tofu and Cajun spices. After what seemed like an eternity the steak salad and pepper salted tofu were presented to the table. The diner with the tofu dish enjoyed it, however the once abundant steak salad with avocado has become the victim of the downturn of this once enjoyable establishment. The steak was cubed, which is something odd in the world of steak salad and the avocado which was present represented such a small portion of the avocado that if you multiplied the portions by the cost of the upgrade the avocado would have a street value of $50.00. After another 10 minutes the Cajun spices appeared at the table. This dish worked perfect with the original egg noodle but a recent overhaul of the menu has modified this dish to include a bed of clear noodle. Unfortunately the modification did not work. The dish suffered terribly. By now you should be asking what happened to the appetizer? Nowhere in sight. After another 10 or so minutes and the most part of the meal was consumed the appetizer appeared at the table. I do not believe that this place understands the meaning of the term. This was unacceptable at best. Needless to say the appetizer was not consumed and was left of the table. This place was great in the beginning and could still be great, unfortunately they have lost sight of their purpose which is provide great food and service to its patrons. I wish them well and hope they fix the problems before it is too late like so many other great places that have come and gone in the Sacramento restaurant market.

    (1)

  • Ashley N.

    I have been here a couple more times since my first review and have gotten the same thing each time. However, each time it comes out a bit different. Haven't had one I didn't like yet though! Note to self- do not reheat clear noodles.

    (4)

  • freckles a.

    Here is why rated 4 stars: 1. I had eaten at Thai place earlier in the week that was eh...okay 2. I had eaten at a Mexican place earlier in the week and was disappointed 3. I had just finished running a half-marathon and Pho is my post-run meal 4. The other Pho places in the downtown area were closed on the weekend 5. I was restricted to downtown SAC area because I had no car (I was staying at a hotel downtown). Having said the above, I would say the Pho was pretty good and I got egg rolls and both these items were piping hot and came out quickly. I would say that compared to Pho in Seattle, this place would get 3-stars but considering all the above points, I would consider going back (of course I'd like to try Kim's Pho but they are not open on weekends or dinner).

    (4)

  • Blaine W.

    After driving/walking by for months, finally ventured into Wayside Noodles today to grab lunch with my lady. While it doesn't look like much from the outside, the inside is surprisingly nice - casual, stylish interior, very roomy with high ceilings, cool vibe to the place. Great menu - I opted for the Kung Pao House Special (which adds seafood to the chicken for a $2 upcharge) and my lady ordered the Drunken Noodles. Both dishes were very tasty - big portions with lots of flavor. Admittedly, the chicken was your standard very (very) cooked and somewhat-dry variety that is all-too-typical at many Vietnamese joints, and while I paid $2 extra for the seafood in my dish, I counted 2 shrimp + 3 or 4 small pieces of squid. $2 more isn't that big a deal, but for 20% more of the total cost of the dish, I expected more seafood for my money. Still - nice place, fast service, yummy food. I'll be back. Just not upgrading to add any seafood.

    (4)

  • Ben W.

    I have had the way special rolls and they were not too bad. I honestly just get them for the sauce you dip them in, that stuff is really good. I always order from work and have it picked up and have had some of our orders get messed up and they sometimes seem reluctant to give you and extra sauces or extra season packets. Other than that they seem pretty consistent.

    (3)

  • Milena C.

    Bit of a favourite haunt at the office. Yes, it will take forever if you come at lunch time, in particular on Fridays. Had the lemongrass vermicelli. The noodles are a bit too soft for my tastes and I'm not into fish sauce. I'm also not an authority on Vietnamese cooking, so maybe they are supposed to be soft? Since then, I've become stuck on the chicken banh mi. So good; cucumber, a (usually) thin layer of mayonnaise, shredded carrot, cilantro, and chunks of chicken on fairly crunchy bread. A few times I've been unlucky and had to scrape the excess mayonnaise off. The drinks are strong, although super full so you'll spill a bit. The servers do disappear for a bit, but I've never been there when the room wasn't at capacity.

    (4)

  • Ben T.

    I had a craving for Pho, and being the newbie in the Sacramento area, relied on my friend to show me around. My dining mates suggested this noodle place, and being a balmy afternoon, I decided to try it out. Interior decor belies the prices on the menu: very upscale and trendy. And they have a full bar (which I sadly did not order from). The soup was a bit salty, but otherwise it was good. I had the Pho with all the fixings. What bothered me was that meatballs would be an additional charge. I would definitely come back soon - close to my workplace and plenty of parking.

    (4)

  • Paul B.

    I just relocated my massage practice to downtown Sacramento from San Francisco and have been starting to explore lunch options near my office at K and 7th. I'm a huge fan of Vietnamese food, and having lived in the Bay Area for the past 14 years has sharpened that love. So I was so hopeful for Wayside Noodles. I stood outside and read the giant-sized menu mounted on the windows near the door, looking for seafood or vegetarian options. (I know, right?) And decided to try the shrimp Spring Rolls and seafood noodle soup, with a Vietnamese Iced Coffee. A pretty basic order for lunch. The place only 1/4 full when I arrived at 12:30, so I expected to be able to be seated right away - it took three minutes before the hostess noticed that I was standing right in front of her only 6 feet away. She wasn't doing anything that warranted three minutes - just standing at the lectern. So, that loses a star right there. She seated me, gave me a menu, and I told her that I already knew what I wanted. A waitress came over and took my order. She seemed to have a hard time understanding what I was saying, and I had to repeat myself twice to be understood. I don't mumble or have any particular speech impediment, and it wasn't very loud in the restaurant. The restaurant is clean, with an open floor plan, and you can see the kitchen, which is nice. Also nice are the floor to ceiling glass windows that face the streets, so there's a lovely urban view if you like that sort of thing. I had just washed my hands at my office, so I didn't check out the bathroom. Five minutes after taking my order, the waitress came by and said that they didn't have any coffee made and would have to brew some. Iced coffee is a pretty common drink order for a Vietnamese restaurant, so that's a star off. The coffee was fresh and flavorful when it arrived five minutes later (ten minutes after I ordered it), though, so I wasn't too bothered. Ten minutes later, they brought out my appetizer (twenty minutes after I ordered). And it was the wrong item. They brought out shrimp wrapped in wonton and deep fried instead of the fresh spring rolls I ordered. I asked the waitress to change my soup to a to-go order, since most of the time I allotted for lunch was already taken up. Another star off. I decided that since they were shrimp that I would eat them. The sweet chili dipping sauce was very delicious, and the six shrimp were crispy and delightful. So even though it was the wrong dish, I enjoyed it very much. Five minutes later, the waitress came out with my soup. Two big Styrofoam packages? Since I had to get back to my office for my next massage client, I didn't ask, but it turns out that the soup ingredients were in the to-go box and the broth was in the cylinder. But Styrofoam in this day and age? Take off another star. I didn't get to eat my soup until later in the day, and didn't want to eat the shrimp and scallops, but the broth was tasty. So let's summarize: slow service, (slow) tasty coffee, incorrect appetizer, styrofoam containers. I really do want to like this place; I really do: it's clean, lovely, and stylish. What food I did eat was delicious, but the scatter-brained, slow service, incorrect order taking, lack of napkins on the table all points to a restaurant that was just sad. What's worse is that they have other locations around town, so you'd think they'd know how to run a restaurant, right? C'mon, Wayside Noodles, surely you can do better than that?

    (1)

  • Kelly S.

    Came here for lunch while in Sacramento on business. There was a huge line which is a good sign but luckily, it moved pretty quickly. It looked like everybody was getting there food pretty fast so even though we were limited on time, we went for it. I'm only giving it four stars because the food was great. We got seated after about 10 minutes even though they said it would take 5. Not the end of the world, right? We planned ahead by looking at menus so we could order right away but nobody came to our table for another 5+ minutes. Once we placed our order, another 5 minutes went by before we got water. Then, we waited 10+ minutes for our food to finally show up. Two guys in our group of four had to take their food to go because we had been waiting that long. With all that said, the food was awesome. We ordered the Wayside rolls and the Sesame Mama rolls and both tasted fresh, light and flavorful. I ordered the catfish, asked for it to be made spicy and they delivered. The fish was tender, cooked just right, freshly cooked and served hot, full of sweet and savory and just overall, a well done meal. I don't eat a lot of Vietnamese food but based on this experience, I'm now going to be on the lookout. If you're not in a huge hurry, give this place a shot.

    (4)

  • Esperanza N.

    I tried Wayside Noodles for the first time last week. I was at the downtown location and it was very busy, however I was seated promptly and received fantastic, friendly service throughout my time there. I can't remember the name of the dish I ordered, but it was prawns and rice in a yellow curry sauce, and quite tasty. It came with a salad, and I didn't like the dressing - too sweet for me. The iced tea wasn't very good, but I'd definitely come back, and I'll try something else next time.

    (4)

  • Dan C.

    If you have major craving for pho, this isn't the place to go. I ordered thin egg noodle soup with chicken. The taste wasn't bad, but it's far from what you would get from Stockton Blvd. The egg noodle was different in taste and in texture, but it wasn't bad tasting. They certainly are catering to downtown clientele. My co-worker said that Wayside is more known for their rice dishes with bbq chicken or pork. I'll defintely get that next time. My co-worker also gave me a bean drink/dessert that was good. It was a tad too sweet, but adding ice fixed it.

    (3)

  • Christopher S.

    So I decided to go there a second time and was like what they hey! So I enjoyed the beef pho with thin rare flank in it. Service was amazingly better. The male waiter made sure me and my friend were as happy as possible. He helped my friend who has never had pho or any Vietnamese food before choose the right things. This gentlemen is a much appreciated improvement.

    (4)

  • Linda L.

    I've done a bit of self-reflection on my experiences here. The first time I ordered lunch here, I blamed myself. I told myself that it was my own fault that I didn't enjoy it, that I had just ordered badly. I would give it another chance, if I just allowed it to get in its element, it would shine. But I have now realized that I was treating my lunch spot like an abusive husband or a bad date, I can only go as far as to take responsibility for going there, it is not my fault that it was bad. I tried a number of the vegetarian dishes and they were barely edible and barely distinguishable from one another. All were characterized by huge pieces of flavorless tofu that comprised a majority of the dishes, and if I was lucky, large dried red chiles that failed to add much needed flavor. AVOID!

    (1)

  • Tootsie Rue O.

    nice and roomy overall good broth in the soups. if u say you don't want a certain ingredient in your dish, make sure they do it! Bathroom pretty clean, smells like orange-glo with a touch less Zen like sink. Hipster type music is played while the plasma TV is on ESPN. You walk in and sit yourself. I recommend the wall to the left has cushion seats. Full bar and beers available as well, Boba Teas, Soda. The menu consist of Pho, Wonton Soups/Noodle Soups four noodle type, regular, wide, rice and clear. Rice plates also avail, appetizers spring/egg rolls etc. They are open until 4AM on FRIDAY&SATURDAY!

    (3)

  • mura c.

    Awesome pho place in downtown! The full bar was a plus. Ambience is great. Service was fast. Oh btw, I'm not gay but the servers are hot!!! jk..... I'm gay

    (5)

  • Johnny T.

    5 stars forsho because like any other restaurant, there are only a few items that anyone should order. The spring rolls are solid, the duck noodle soup is excellent, but how do you judge a Vietnamese noodle spot? By its pho, and I ordered the small beef #1 (the works) with extra meatballs and a pot of hot tea. I ordered this three times before and I thought it was average. Not today, however, I thought that it was excellent today. I do have to keep in mind that I am a little hungover so my rating is a bit skewed and eating noodle from a boiling pot of feet water would still taste good, but that's just not the case. One word: it's legit, ok, I can't count, but at least I am good looking, that always makes me happy...

    (5)

  • PAUL C.

    Went there for lunch today. Had lunch there before but haven't been there inawhile. Less than impress last time but I was downtown so I fugure why not. Table was dirty and it took about 10 minutes before our order was take. No water, no silverware. Just gave our order. 40 minutes later, no food. Asked the server where our food was and she said she would check but never came back. Busy lunchtime crowd so you would think they would properly staff the place but you can clearly see that there's 2 guys cooking. Dirty tables were not bussed and people coming in just waited and waited. My friend and I ended up walking out.

    (1)

  • Chris F.

    So when I saw this place was coming into the old fuzio location I was pumped because it should be a location that can thrive and help create more vibrance in our central city. I also like Vietnamese food and I am a sucker for those pork/chicken sandwiches with jalapenos. I think I went on the 2nd day they were open, so I will cut them some slack on still figuring out the service. That being said, if you are a downtown lunch spot, it is important that you ensure your customers can get in and out in a timely manner. The lunch took a full hour, so they were flirting with trouble, and the place wasn't even too packed! the first thing I noticed was that the prices on the menu were definitely higher than there online electric menu on their website. This was clearly disappointing and misleading! Still the portions were pretty hearty and the prices aren't that unreasonable, i was just led to believe something different. The food was definitely good and I think I will keep an open*mind and will return. Hopefully they can do better than fuzio. There is the bar in the back that was un-open when I went, so I wonder what they have in plan for it. Perhaps this could be a good happy hour destination.

    (3)

  • Taren M.

    Really friendly service. Yummy yummy. Veggies are cut just right for a perfect bite every spoonful! Mine was a tiny bit too salty but probably just cause I put too much hoisin sauce in it before tasting it. As long as it's possible to park close by, it's my new go to spot.

    (5)

  • Jason G.

    We came here on a saturday night and had a great meal! The service was good, and the restaurant was clean and well decorated! However, we were the only ones there!

    (4)

  • M O.

    Expensive for what you get. Flavorful, but the bun that I ordered was a little off from what I normally expect. Considering I was the only person in the shop at the time it is not like they were in a rush.

    (2)

  • D L.

    We couldn't decide where to go to lunch today, so we just wandered. I think we wandered to the wrong place. It seemed pretty busy, so I was hoping that was a good sign. Nope. Not at all. It was really your typical wannabe-Asian place that serves just average Asian food which Caucasian people eat, because they don't know any better. We were promptly seated by one of the waitresses. Their menu is very typical of a Vietnamese restaurant. I'm glad they had pictures so my co-workers knew what they were ordering. We ordered the egg roll appetizer: 5 pieces. Nice crunch. I actually didn't like the pork meat (nem) they put in there. Not your typical meat, so it was strange to me. I ordered the Grilled Shrimp & Pork over Vermicelli noodles. It came with a side of fish sauce. After I mixed everything, I took my first bite and the noodles were soggy. Overcooked noodles. Big no-no. The shrimp had no flavor and were clearly not marinated. Their chicken was marinated pretty well, but the portion size they gave wasn't that great. My co-workers didn't really seem to enjoy their dishes either and what they ordered was really not memorable. +1 for decent service. Drinks were constantly refilled and once our order was taken, the food came out quick. +1 for the girls. I thought they were ok and cute, but my co-workers were drooling after one or two of the waitresses. It's no where near the best lunch option in downtown, but I guess if you're looking for Vietnamese food and don't have time to drive down to South Sac, this may (and I stress MAY) be something to try out.

    (2)

  • Dan J.

    Great food at a great price try the lemon grass tofu--It's great. I really wish they would stop using styrofoam. I am not sure i can frequent a place that uses styrofoam.

    (4)

  • Priscilla n.

    I'm having mixed feelings about this place. I went in here because 1) I've been craving pho for a month and 2) its one of the few places in and around the downtown area that I haven't developed ill feelings for. I ordered the #2 pho. When it came, I immediately recognized a long, curly, hair (root attached) floating on top. Usually, hair doesn't faze me. But when it resembles too closely to something that's puke-worthy, I have to return it. And returned it, I did. The waitress was really nice about it and was quick to tell me that it would be taken off the bill. The second attempt at an untainted bowl was more successful. No hairs here. It tasted okay initially. But soon after, I realized it was greasy and required the help of sriracha and hoisin sauce. Also, I could tell there was a lot of MSG, because it only took me a few minutes to feel numb and swollen. After eating the whole medium-size bowl, I felt sick... So my mixed feelings comes because the service (good) and food (bad) create a yin-yang emotion. Honestly, the waitress was the saving grace for this place (for me). I'll eventually give it a second chance... but not for a while.

    (3)

  • Reeny W.

    Although their Pho is okay, I find most of their dishes to be very bland - like everything has been watered down to be close to tasteless.

    (2)

  • christopher c.

    The shakes are good, the taro milk tea is really good, the roll I tried was alright. Not the best, and it took a really long time both of the times I went here. They have boba drinks, which makes me happy. I will definitely call my order in before heading there next time...

    (2)

  • Andrew B.

    I'm only giving Wayside Noodles an average rating this time because there were some things about the experience that annoyed me, though the service and the main food item I ordered were good. I walked in the restaurant about an hour ago, shortly before 5 p.m. on a Sunday, and I was the only customer in the place. The first thing I noticed was how loud the music was, but I decided to stay and try it. Several months ago when it first opened a group of us from my Capitol office tried to get in for lunch on a Tuesday and it was impossible. I was not in the mood for soup on a warm day so I decided to order a sandwich, which for $4.50 are quite reasonably priced. I settled on the grilled tofu sandwich. For an extra $1.50 you can get a small soup or a salad - I went for the salad. The salad was disappointing. First, it was made with iceberg lettuce. Bland. I didn't touch the tomatoes because they had a green tinge. But I rarely eat tomatoes out of season anyway because they don't taste like tomatoes. But the most irritating thing about this salad is that it was swimming in water. The lettuce was not drained. I ate about half of it. I wish I would have ordered the side soup. The sandwich was good. This sandwich was served warm on a toasted french roll with a peanut sauce that was spicy but not too hot and with shredded carrots and other produce. It was not large, but big enough to satisfy a 220-lb man. And it was 100 percent vegan, I believe. I am becoming a fan of tofu sandwiches and would like to make a mission to find all the places that serve tofu sandwiches in downtown/midtown Sac and rate them. They make a great alternative to meat sandwiches because they are filling and healthy and full of protein and they don't make you want to take a nap after eating. Wayside Noodles would have been a peaceful dining experience if not for the volume of the music. It was so irritating I wolfed down the sandwich because I just wanted to get out of there.

    (3)

  • Claire R.

    Meh. Decent food for a work lunch. Would like it if they put more vegetables in there and cut some of the fat from the chicken. Go early or late for lunch since there are still lines out the door at noon.

    (3)

  • Emily G.

    Service has gotten a bit better, but food is just not my favorite. It's great in a pinch.

    (3)

  • Maytee R.

    So...I like the grilled pork sandwich. It would be nice if it came with more vegies. I like the daikon carrot mix, just wish there was more of it. Not a bad place to stop for lunch.

    (3)

  • DeAnna H.

    Oh man .. Where do I begin!? Im at jury duty and didn't feel like a sandwich so I opted for Wayside. I love Vietnamese so I was excited when I found this place. I was seated in about 10 mins and the place was packed. I ordered quick.. Iced tea, grilled pork rice plate with a side of crispy shrimp egg rolls. Waited about 15 mins for the food. Pork was very fatty so I basically only got to eat half of the small portion. The rice was crunchy! Crunchy! Really! It's pretty hard to mess up rice. Salad was lettuce w peanut sauce. I thought the peanut sauce was awesome but there was only about a half of tsp on the mound of lettuce. I flagged down the waitress n ask for extra and I get an irritating look. She never brought it to me. I wait 10mins n ask another waitress ... She was super nice... I think she was the only nice one in there. No one ever came by to see if I wanted a refill.. If I needed anything.. Nada. To be honest I didn't see them check on any tables. I was gagging on my hard rice but no one seem to care. Lame! As I was eating I hear one waitress tell some people in line to write their own names down on the waiting list because she was too busy cleaning tables! What??!! Did I get my check? Ummm nope.. Had to go up and pay $15 for a horrible meal n no service. I think I have only stiffed on a tip once before but this was the 2nd. What would I be tipping for anyways? Huge FAIL!

    (1)

  • Pang M.

    bland food (ordered "bun, pho, & fried tofu") NO FLAVOR!! dusty countertop (disheartening to see) they seem to enjoy hanging out in the back more often than coming to check up on their guests. spicy food was not spicy.

    (2)

  • Blitz A.

    Grabbed lunch to-go from this restaurant. Ordered a grilled steak salad and some fried wonton appetizer. The salad was just average. A bit smaller than I expected. They pre tossed the greens in dressing. I'm not sure if they prepared it ahead of the fried wontons, but it was watery and a bit wilted by the time I got to my desk. It was filling anyhow. The fried wontons had a sausage-like filling. They looked overfried but tasted fine. Tasted ok especially with the chili sauce. Overall, good enough experience to try again. A co-worker had their pho and liked it. I guess I'll try the noodle dishes next time.

    (3)

  • Lynnay A.

    Always an excellent meal. Very simple, very fresh ingredients. As other reviewers have noted, service can be nightmarishly slow, but otherwise a solid, relatively healthy choice. Gotta love the Wayside All The Way with vermicelli.

    (4)

  • Mike S.

    I have to agree with pretty much everyone. The food was good. I had better though, but it wasn't bad. The first time there, we had PHO, it was good! The portion was kind of small I thought. Every one with me liked it. The second time, I ordered beef stew PHO. It was bland and I got three piceces of meat! Overall, the food so far is okay. Not the best but not the worst either. They have pretty much everything at other Vietnamese restuarants. The service was typical. Better than other Asian restuarants where they never returned after serving you. The price is reasonable, food portions small, service is okay, overall feel for the place....nice decor, clean. Tip: don't go during rushing hours. I try to go at 11 - 11:30 because of the lunch rush hour. You beat the crowd this way.

    (3)

  • Adria J.

    I just left this place and the service is terrible!!!! We were seated right away, however, we had to wait 25 minutes before our food came. We ordered the Chill-out Seafood Salad w/tofu which came with NO SEAFOOD. Dau Hu Rau Cai with shrimp with came with NO SHRIMP. The soup was luke warm when it got to the talbe and the salad was soggy which tells me our less than wonderful server KIM PHAM must have forgotten about us because I watched everyone around me get served!!! So to top it off when I got my bill it still has a charge for SHRIMP OMG....it takes another 10 mins to get it removed from the bill......then I asked for a bag from the leftovers and I couldnt get any assistance with package up the leftovers....I was in there for 1 hour and 10 mins...I'm so pissed!!!! My last time ever going there....

    (2)

  • Jacqueline W.

    They got it together, service-wise, and are now functioning like a real downtown lunch spot. Yay! Good pho, good noodle dishes, and they are now fast and attentive. Prices are still reasonable, too! It ain't South Sac, but if you work downtown, put this in your lunch spot rotation.

    (4)

  • Eyn E.

    I'm picky with my 5 stars. This place is great. The food is always stellar and the atmosphere is fun and clean. Priscilla is the nicest server she's great. Check it out you won't be disappointed.

    (5)

  • Curtis W.

    Came in with some friends on Saturday. Not that authentic Vietnamese, but the food made me forget about that. Being a somewhat cheap person(HEY! I'm in College), I was dreading how much it was gonna cost me and the fact that I was able to get a good, filling meal for under 10 bucks gets thumbs up from. Had the Sautéed Kung Pao w/ Chicken, highly recommended.

    (4)

  • Ellen L.

    I tried the banhmi pork sandiwch and it was pretty delicious but the shrimp egg roll was a little too fishy for my liking. The shop space was fine, nothing too fancy but nothing horrible either. I was actually very amused by the bathroom sink because it's so modern! The ladies that were working there were very friendly and welcoming and even let us create our own drink concoction: vodka, sprite and pineapple juice! Yum! The service was a 4.5 and food was 3, which is a good review for me. It wasn't a bad experience, but I wasn't blown away either.

    (3)

  • Charla A.

    Just thinking about this place makes me so hungry! Their egg rolls with the shrimp in it are so good. Try that, and the spring rolls! Pho was OKAY. Boba wasn't that good either. But i do like it enough to come back here just for spring rolls :).

    (4)

  • John L.

    I have been here three times and have tried their Pho, Spring rolls, and Boba milk tea. Similar to other reviews, I can confirm that their food is only mediocre. Nothing special about their Pho, and their Spring rolls don't use the freshest ingredients. Two out of the three times I tried their Spring rolls (special and shrimp), the ingredients tasted stale. In my most recent visit, I tried their Taro Milk Tea with Boba, and it was one of the worst that I have had in the area. The Boba was bunched together, extremely hard, and had a very doughy flavor. The Taro tea itself was okay. I would not recommend eating here unless you are just in the area and really want Vietnamese food. Even then, there is a Vietnamese restaurant further down the street that is much better.

    (2)

  • Sunny L.

    While being a prospective Juror today, i was delighted to try something in downtown (oh i miss working in downtown ). My sister noted that there was a new place that just opened and i was ecstatic about giving pleasure to my tongue.. I enjoy good food.. my palates were waiting to exhale.. :P Anyways, upon entering this place, i was astonished to see all the seats filled to the brim of each table... Sad :(... on a good note, we waited for a mere 15 minutes. While browsing the menu, i noticed that this place was elegantly decorated and the colors were nice. The menu was fantasically easy to read. I ordered some lemon grass vermicelli and my sister orders the wayside vermicelli... The food takes about ... 30 minutes to come out... i was hungry up to my ying yangs... goshies.... But i hardly noticed because i was chatting away. The food was ehHhh... i was actually disappointed.. I expected it to be cooked with love and flavored with essence of an Vietnamese angel.. The food didn't look appetizing; moreover, it was actually bland.. I normally finish my food but this time, i didn't even finish half. :( The service was not up to par with any restaurants ive been to lately; they need a lot of work or a better method of giving service... I would wait to try this place if you wanted to try it.. They have a lot, LOT, of kinks to dull out before it can gain my nod in being a good restaurant. Pros: Decor/Price to Quantity Cons: Service, Food, Wait time for food Stars: 2.25 **Note: This restaurant is catered to the American audience.

    (2)

  • Alireza A.

    Great food both pho and sea food a little busy during launch time but nice waitress go early if you are going for launch

    (4)

  • Eric L.

    First time I tried this place and thought I'd have a nice lunch with my parents. Going during the lunch rush, it'd be understandable that there'd be some wait as the place was fairly packed. Fortunately, keeping in mind my 1 hour parking, my parents had arrived early and had already gotten a seat. The server was friendly and did his job. It didn't seem like he was exactly new but he did have to think a few things over before making such questions like "would you like anything to drink" or "are you ready to order". Whatever, not a big deal to me. My dad ordered the number 3 Pho, mom ordered the #4 lemongrass noodles, and I had to partake in the "Ultimate" Banh Mi sandwich which was just a regular banh mi sandwich with an egg and avocado inside. We also ordered an appetizer of Fried Tofu, hoping to tide us over till the food arrived. The server brought the "fixings" portion of the pho promptly and my dad's pho arrived not too soon after. I was a little disappointed because we were expecting the appetizer to arrive but I understand, pho is easy to make (just throw a bunch of pre-cut raw materials into a broth and you're good to go) so seeing it come out first isn't that off based. My dad being my dad didn't hesitate and started digging in. Thanks dad. About half way through his meal, he started to slow down. My dad isn't a quick eater but he definitely felt something was off. I mean, besides the obvious of him being the only one at the table eating. After about a solid 15 minutes after his pho arrived, (me constantly checking the time while keeping that meter in the back of my mind) he makes the comment that our food hadn't arrived yet. I'm patient and I understand. It's lunch rush, it's busy. But the pho did make it on to the table. I can understand noodles having to be cooked take a while but set aside my concerns for how long a sandwich should take. Another waitress seemed to have notice this too and made the cordial response of asking if we had received our food yet. After apologizing (something of a reoccurring theme here) she made a bee-line to the kitchen to check on our food. After another 5 minutes, my sandwich finally arrives to the table and a few minutes later, another noodle dish came. I would love to say that was that, but I noticed something was a little off with my sandwich. The remnants of avocados were seen on the sandwich itself, but none of the sweet fruit were to be placed. Also missing was that sunny side egg, making this just a regular, not so ultimate, banh mi. Not even that, the lady brought the wrong noodle dish to my mom. A little after that, the Fried Tofu arrived, the appetizer to follow the meal I suppose? Not sure if they got the wrong noodles in place but after flagging a waitress down, they brought it back to the kitchen with my request of that sweet avocado and egg. A third waitress had come by to finally bring my "sides", and the ultimate banh mi sandwich was to be devoured. 10 minutes later another dish was on hand. Unfortunately, this too was the wrong noodle dish. I mean, pretty obvious when the dish she requested had mushrooms and broccoli and none were to be seen. After finally flagging down another waitress (our fourth server), she initially made the comment that my avocado and egg was on it's way, though we already received it. At this point, it was obvious she was getting flustered and that our table which seemed to be making a lot of requests was becoming just a tad bit annoying. Well, from their perspective at least. From ours, our short hour lunch which was close to minute 40 was upon us and I finally received my sandwich in complete form, while my dad had already devoured the pho and my mom still not eating anything except the Fried Tofu in front of her. After another apology (seemed we heard more "sorry's" that day than staff available), my mom made the request to just put the noodles to go, as she had no time to send it back and have them make the correct one. The lady, relenting to offer her a free entree, packed it up and brought it back. While at the table, she express her sympathy by stating how the noodle dish she initially ordered was just "okay" and this one was way better. Great, good to know some of your food is mediocre, not that we would have been able to taste it. After all this, we were rearing minute 50 and requested a bill. I knew when we flagged down our first waiter, this would also lead to the wrong total as I'm sure he wouldn't know about the comp initially offered. So unfortunate because the food was decent enough. A scrambled kitchen, mixed up staff, and messed up orders all lead to this poor review. After seeing the check (thinking maybe we ordered wrong or it was punched incorrectly) our items all showed up properly. Perfect. So fair warning, go here if you want quick pho with inexcusably poor service and a messy kitchen, but avoid all costs if you value your time, patience, and sanity. This place "pho"k'd up.

    (1)

  • Andrew L.

    Just came back from lunch here. Like others have described, the menu is a mishmash of mostly Vietnamese cuisines (e.g. pho, banh mi, spring rolls, etc.) and some Thai or Chinese dishes. I was a bit hungry, so I ordered the Ultimate Pho King Pho, which comes with just about every topping they could throw into an oversized bowl. Actually... I ordered it because I wanted to tell the waitress I wanted a "Pho King Pho." The corner of her lips creeped up in a "I've heard that a million times before" kind of way, but who cares. Anyway, we sat on some of the raised tables next to the full bar and ordered a few beers while we waited for our food. They've got one 32" tv in the corner of the bar so we were able to catch a few of the March Madness games while shooting the bull. As far as convenience goes, this place is pretty good. It's a 5 block walk from my office, has a full bar, and a tv showing sports. As far as the food goes... the pho was... pho. Not the best, nor the worst, but I must admit the dumplings in the pho were pretty damn tasty. The rest of my coworkers enjoyed the meal, so I'm more than happy to give them 3 stars. My ultimate pho king pho and my 22 oz. Bud Light cost me a total of $16 with tax & tip.

    (3)

  • Helen C.

    Not the most authentic Vietnamese cuisine in town but food isn't too bad. I find their Pho noodle soup to be a little on the salty side. It almost made me want to add water into my bowl to dilute the broth a little. Every time we have Pho there, the broth is always the main complaint...too salty! They do give you a lot of meat with your Pho though, which is an added bonus. I also tried their rice plate and I didn't like it as much as the Pho noodle. The meat was a little on the dry side and rice was also dry. My pork was a little too charred, too much carcinogens for my liking! My favorite is their avocado shake. For $4 you give a big glass of avocado shake made with real avocado. They didn't make it super sweet which helps bring out the natural flavor of the avocado. Our waitress was very sweet and attended to us every now and then. Customer service was definitely not an issue.

    (2)

  • Isabella B.

    It's a very open and large restaurant. We were hoping to get Vietnamese food, which we did...but maybe we were hoping for more traditional Vietnamese food. This place made me think it was an Americanized version of Vietnamese food. Yes, it tasted fresh and was okay but it didn't quite hit the spot. I got a noodle bowl with grilled pork and egg roll. The grilled pork tasted fantastic. We had to ask for chopsticks. Yes, we had forks, but that's what gave me more of the impression it was an American-friendly eatery. All in all, it's okay. Great for people who want an introduction to "Vietnamese" food.

    (3)

  • Erin J.

    We have visited this place twice, due to some Living Social coupons. Each time we have been, on the weekend, the place is pretty empty. The staff is friendly and quick. The food is fresh and delicious. Ive tried the yellow curry, the bahn mi sammich, and some of the appetizers. I finish everything and I don"t end up with that overly full feeling. I will be back.

    (3)

  • Camille M.

    According to my coworker this place caters well for those not entirely familiar with Vietnamese cuisine. It occupies the space that was formerly Fuzios and I think it looks pretty much the same inside. I have to say that the service here was really bad. They need a better host (better yet a host who isn't also serving as the cashier), more experienced waitresses that can communicate with the kitchen, and possibly more kitchen staff at least to deal with the lunch rush in downtown. I mean they have another location already it shouldn't be that hard!! So yea the service was bad but what I was most upset about were my noodles. I ordered my usual when I eat Vietnamese food which is the vermicelli noodles with BBQed pork and an eggroll. I'm not sure what kind of noodles they gave me exactly, but they sure weren't vermicelli noodles. And yea I don't expect my noodles to be warm, but these noodles were ice cold. The wait was so long and they seemed to be having so much trouble seating people that I decided to give them some slack and not return the plate. The pork was good and so was my eggroll so I hope they get their stuff together so I can come back here, but I was definitely turned off this time around. In the end the waitress lost our check and couldn't remember what we ordered. Wait shouldn't our lunch be free then?

    (2)

  • Kristin T.

    I have been waiting months for the weather to cool down to try the Pho (because who wants to eat hot soup in 100 degree weather?). I finally decided to try to Pho at Wayside Noodles w/some co-workers this week since we literally work across the street. I highly recommend this restaurant because it is not like the usual run down (no offense, but usually pushing unsanitary conditions of) traditional Pho locations. It is super clean & modern because this was a previous Fuzio Bistro & they have a full bar. They are quick for take out or dine-in & they are open late (past midnight) in the summer.

    (4)

  • Jeanie M.

    I hate giving Wayside 2 stars. The server was so darn sweet, I wanted to give this restaurant a 5, but I couldn't do it for reasons we will discuss soon enough. Let's start on a positive note. The server was one of the best I have ever had. She was competent, attentive, funny, and sincere. We really liked her! The restaurant was clean. The food was just okay, though. I tried the Chef's Roll. It had fried shrimp, chilled shrimp, vermicelli noodles, veggies and peanut sauce. The veggies were fresh. The peanut sauce was subpar. Such a shame. Great peanut sauce could be the star of just about any meal, as far as I'm concerned, however this time it was not to be. I had the Grilled Shrimp Salad. The shrimp were pretty good. The veggies were very fresh. The sweet vinaigrette that it came with was...eh... I didn't try it, but Wayside has Boba!!!

    (2)

  • Rainy D.

    I sent my meal back and got a refund. The pork was fat with a streak or two of meat and it was black and gritty from the grill fat flare up. The waitressargued with me. The rice paper rolls were sloppy and loose with slimy shrimp. Yumm. The cook was outside by Temple, smoking. I watched as he came back in and went directly back to cooking without stopping to wash his hands. Lovely place.

    (1)

  • Ananda Z.

    Meh. Its food that vaguely resembles tasty Vietnamese food. But lacking a little punch. Should have read the yelp reviews first.

    (3)

  • Davis T.

    If you are looking for Vietnamese in downtown, think this is the closest you can get. I personally had better Vietnamese food on Stockton boulevard (coming from a Vietnamese background). I wasn't in the mood for pho so I ordered the vermicelli noodles with grilled pork. The fish sauce tasted watered down, the pork a bit more charred than grilled, and the egg roll more soggy than crispy, but the portion was enough to fill you up. Service was spotty for only a few people in the restaurant. The happy hour is pretty decent on prices although didn't try the food. If you are desperate for Vietnamese in downtown then go here, otherwise there is Hoa Viet on Broadway.

    (2)

  • John M.

    Slow service. Decent food.

    (2)

  • E C.

    The food was really delicious! I love Vietnamese food and I'm so glad I found this place. I had a pork sandwich and the meat was fresh off of the grill. The sandwich could have used some more daikon, but the delicious meat almost made up for it. I also purchased some broth just so I could have some yummy soup the next day. I tasted it when I got home and it was pretty yummy. I'm excited to go back and try their other dishes!

    (4)

  • Jen L.

    A buddy and I decided to check-out Wayside Noodle on J Street for lunchtime. It was a weekday at 1 PM - AFTER the State Worker lunch hour. Service - TWO STARS Food - TWO STARS Location - THREE STARS Price - TWO STARS I ordered the rare steak and flank steak pho and my friend ordered the spicy shrimp roll. According to my friend, the roll was "ok". But the biggest problem was the SERVICE. Why did it take over 25 minutes for our foods to arrive? It wasn't even THAT busy for downtown Sacramento weekday lunchtime standards. Moreover, the timing was terrible - there was almost a 5 minute time difference between the rolls and pho arriving to our table. The broth for the pho was TOO SALTY. Yes, I concede that it wasn't authentic . . . .but how can you screw up a simple, basic beef broth? Unless you are desperate, save your money and go elsewhere for pho and noodles.

    (2)

  • Smelly C.

    On the corner of 9th and J. Metered parking in front. Their menu is a nice array of Vietnamese Cuisine.. sandwiches, rolls, soups, salads, even boba.. The restaurant has an open kitchen and plenty of seating. I always feel a bit disappointed to go into a restaurant and find it looks just like the previous tenant. Their pho comes in three sizes-- decently priced for the area and I was surprised to find red onion in their broth-- it gave it a bit of a sweetness to it and not that I would prefer it from now on but, it was good. The vermicelli was bunched and not overcooked. Garnish was fresh.. Overall, I liked it but I definitely prefer white onions. I also tried Chef's Roll ($5.50).. I thought it was very ambitious in the way it was like a spring roll integrated with a sushi roll. I didn't really care for it but Nick thought it was fantastic. The Iced Vietnamese Coffee ($2.75+$0.50 for boba)-- I didn't like at all. It was mostly packed with ice than anything.. which was okay because I didn't even like the drink. Aside from all of this, I found a lot of things that I wanted to try and will definitely return. I was in and out in no time and service was decent.

    (3)

  • M. G.

    The wait here can be long during lunch, so I highly recommend takeout - the food is delicious, reasonably priced, and they do not skimp on portion size. I especially enjoy their spring rolls - super fresh and tasty!

    (4)

  • Ana marie C.

    Wayside was my first experience with Vietnamese food...I kinda wish it was better. I was attending a conference at the Convention Center and needed a quick bite that was close enough, filling enough, and didn't empty the wallet. This is conveniently located off of J Street. Unfortunately, I didn't try the Pho. My friends both tried it and said it was ok and it appeared to be a hearty serving size. Surprisingly, the meal wasn't expensive, given all the Pho they got. I think the only positive thing I can say is that the meal wasn't expensive. I ordered the sampler roll plate and it had a good combination of rolls. Was it delicious? Eh...it was mediocre. Some of the rolls seemed kinda blah and didn't really "WOW" me in terms of flavor. It took a little long for us to receive our food, even though the restaurant wasn't packed. The restaurant appeared clean enough and the waitress was decent. Would I go again? Probably not. I'm thinking of trying another place next time...

    (2)

  • Steve L.

    Pan-Asian food with a Vietnamese emphasis in a new, modern space on a hot corner downtown, walking distance for lunchers from the county courthouse. Many customers are on jury duty and in town for just one day. As I, too, was spending the day at the courthouse, I gave it a shot. It was a testament to mediocrity. I naively ordered the number five, only to find that there are several pages of number fives. That could be a problem. Too much menu. The number five I wanted, called "Curry Up," had a pepper symbol alongside to indicate spiciness. I also ordered a small bowl of wonton soup and a Vietnamese iced coffee. Ten minutes passed - no coffee, no soup for me. Finally, the soup arrived, and it was pretty good - a light, clean-flavored broth with chunks of chicken breast, several wontons, and generous servings of bok choy and carrots. As I was just starting to savor it, my curry arrived. I hate that. Hold the damn order until I'm finished, please. Still sans coffee, I eventually tucked into the curry dish, which was a large portion with chicken and fresh vegetables on top and thick noodles underneath - but it was disappointing. There was no sign of curry or spiciness, and the small amount of sauce hiding under the noodles was almost flavorless, except for, ironically, a hint of coffee. As I was ending my meal, shoving the half-consumed bowl forward so it could be cleared, the waitress arrived with the bill and my coffee, which resembled an an iced mocha from McDonald's in appearance and packaging. Not quite what I expected. When I asked why it wasn't served with my lunch, she said, "I forgot."

    (2)

  • Exploring Sacramento C.

    The service was fine but the pho was unimpressive. Didn't taste super fresh and they were out of a bunch of the sides. Maybe the rest of their food is ok. The thai iced coffee was good. Wont be coming back for pho, will head down the street to Kim's.

    (2)

  • Michelle C.

    I have high patience for food service in general and even food service blunders (having worked many a year in the biz) But three strikes and you are out, Wayside. My third awful visit occurred today. Waaayyy understaffed it appeared. We were sat and forgotten and have to flag down a server. When we asked if she was our server, she indicated that seemingly systematically they do not assign sections, so she 'could' be our server... What a horrible way to ensure prompt service and actual delivery of food. We ordered and waited about 30 minutes for my dish to arrive. My co-workers dish came about 30 minutes later... after again flagging down staff. The prices are good, but the business model is ridiculous. I try to give businesses the benefit of the doubt when things go wrong (hence there could even be a visit #3) , but it appears as if Wayside has fatal flaws. Don't go. Go down Broadway or over to Kim's instead.

    (1)

  • Mali T.

    Okay after giving Natomas Wayside a 1- I would like to rate this one a 3.8! Service was great, the Pho was not bad at all and they have a full restaurant with wait service. They also have other dishes there that are pretty good and flavorful, but then again it's a bit Americanized. I'm use to the Authentic Pho restaurant! One thing good as well they do open late, great for clubbers that have the urge for some grubs! Other then that I probably won't go here for food or Pho, unless I'm wasted and need something to eat or if someone treats? Hahaha! Pros: Late night, Good staff, other dishes offered besides Pho, Nice restaurant/decor/clean, and good proportions on food!

    (3)

  • Dr. L.

    This rating is for service- not for food. The pho here is decent. However, there have been multiple times when we have come in up to an hour before closing and been told that the place is either closing early or that we can only order take out because "the chef wants to leave early." Talk about the epitome of lazy! If you want to close early then don't advertise that you are open until 9pm if you really start closing down around 8pm.

    (1)

  • Nikki J.

    the food is delicious, but the service could be better. i understand there might be a wait during the lunch rush, but when the place is half empty we shouldn't have to wait forever for our food. For lunch, be prepared to wait to be seated, wait to have your order taken, and the food to come out at different times. it sucks sitting there watching your friend eat while you wait ten more minutes for your food.

    (3)

  • Jeanice S.

    I only came here since I was in the downtown area for jury duty. To my disappointment, the food wasn't all that great. I ordered the Mongolian beef with rice and it came with a side of salad. The flavor of the beef was okay, but I hated that that was a weird crunch to it. Then the rice was moist... It was getting hard on the outside later since they flipped the rice over from a small bowl to make it look round. The salad was literally just lettuce with three spritz of the sauce. The waitor was really nice. Although, I won't be back here again.

    (2)

  • Merisa M.

    Okay, so I think I'm hitting my limit on how many yelp reviews I can write in one sitting, so I'm going to make this short and to the point. N-A-S-T-Y! I've eaten here twice, due to work luncheons, and have had bad experiences both times. Their Vietnamese Sandwiches are a disappointment and their Noodle dishes are so thickly coated with oil, it almost looks like an Oil Noodle Soup, I absolutely detest this restaurant and its food and NEVER EVER eat here by choice! Bleh, so gross!

    (1)

  • Frank C.

    Best pho downtown

    (4)

  • Fuh Q.

    I didn't understand why many reviews here say the food is great, yet give this place low ratings...that is until I had the pleasure of visiting Wayside on J street myself. No need for me to elaborate, since others have already made similar observations: - Lunchtime/understaffed (check) - Super long wait for a table even though empty tables are just waiting to be sat at (check) - Complete confusion among the service there (dudes...you've been open long enough to have worked out the kinks by now....check) - Lunch companions getting food at different times...some had to ask for it to go since the lunch hour was up and the food had not arrived (check) - Order came out wrong and had to be sent back (check) - Food delicious (check) - Vow to never return (check)

    (1)

  • Steve F.

    Was excited to try the Pho and ordered a chicken,shrimp combo. The soup was scalding and took another 5 minutes to cool down after sitting in front of me. There was no flavor in this meal whatsoever unless you like too much salt. The shrimp was flavorless as was the chicken. The noodles were over cooked also. They use frozen food here to prepare the meals so the freshness was lacking.

    (1)

  • Phanessa C.

    ...and this is probably because I work around here and I tend to go there during the rush lunch hour. Anyway, staff is nice but sometimes the wait can be long. The Pho is okay but rather a small portion (maybe I'm a pig?). The dry noodles (Vermicelli) are way too thick but the sweet fish sauce is okay too. There aren't too many Vietnamese restaurants around here so I'd go if I was craving for Vietnamese food.

    (2)

  • Dorothy H.

    Went back again last week, this time for take out. We ordered onsite and it was promptly prepared in the time frame they gave us (5-10 minutes). Best of all, they very thoughtfully package the to-go soup, keeping all the element separate so nothing got soggy or overcooked (or too spicy with those jalapenos...yowza!)

    (5)

  • Nicole V.

    Yes, the food took forever during lunch rush and came out at different times. This is difficult when you have a steaming bowl of duck pho in front of you, a growling lion in your stomach and equally hungry friends with no food yet. They have Boba, glorious Boba. (although slightly overpriced) Once all the food arrives it makes up for any waiting or awkward attempts to slurp broth when no one's looking. Sooo yummy! Wayside Noodles made a gloomy rainy day ten times better in three bites. I'll tolerate a disorganized kitchen as long as they keep putting out crack-addicting food. Oh....and the bathroom sink is unbelievable.

    (4)

  • Dat L.

    Wayside is awesome if you work in the grid and are hungry for Vietnamese food. If you're not aware there aren't that many options downtown to have a bowl of pho or a com plate. For a relatively new place their food decent and the wait time isn't too bad if you come in during lunch time. Over all a must visit at least once every two weeks for me. The only thing I don't like about this place is when I ask for extra beef balls, please give me my balls.

    (4)

  • Jacqueline P.

    The food here is actually quite good. The service, however, is astoundingly bad! It's like Lord of the Flies. I'm pretty sure the busboy might be running the joint, or at least, trying to. He was the only even remotely helpful person, out of the four staff members that...well..."waited on" is too strong a term. I'll say, "paused briefly at or near our table." There were five of us today - all regulars, and most of us have worked in food service, so we have more than reasonable expectations. Wayside always has something weird going on, but it's close and convenient, and we normally just laugh it off. It was pretty busy today when we first walked in, but we were pleasantly surprised to be led to a table within just a few minutes. Well, the pleasantries ended there, abruptly. There we sat at our table, for about 10 minutes or so, until we flagged down a staff member to ask her whose section we were in, did she know if our server would be coming by soon, and maybe if she got a chance, we could get some waters? She frowned, said "Well, I'm new," and walked away. I guess they hadn't taught her how to pour water yet? By the way, did I mention we're regulars? We know she's not new. Meanwhile, the place is emptying out. We're going on about 20 minutes. Three waters show up (there are five of us). Another few minutes go by. No server in sight. "New" girl walks by again, and she's the only staff member who has ventured anywhere near our table, so we very politely flag her down again, and ask her if she knows if our server is coming. We add (nicely) that a couple more waters might be nice, too, if she or someone could bring them. She smirks and says, "Yeah, that would be nice, wouldn't it?" and walks away, again! Finally, the busboy comes to our rescue. We're pretty sure he got in trouble for taking our order, but he really did come to our rescue. Somehow he twisted someone's arm and two more waters showed up, and "New" Girl even brought straws. She was apparently rationing them, but we finally got our waters and even a couple of straws. After another long, dramatic lull, about half of our food showed up. Several minutes later, helpful busboy comes to check on us, realizes half the order is missing, and goes back to crack some heads or something, because the rest of our food showed up soon. We were hurting for utensils, though - we had two forks between the five of us. I asked a different server who was trying to sneak by "for some utensils - a couple more forks, some chopsticks, and some spoons for the soup". She brought us two forks, a huge stack of napkins, and one set of chopsticks. Sigh. Busboy brought the spoons, though - he saved the day yet again! The adventure wasn't over yet, though - paying was, and apparently will continue to be, a harrowing experience. I ended up paying for some other table's lunch, and two other transactions were "probably" voided, but "keep this receipt, just in case." Umm, ok? Yay, now we get to obsessively keep an eye on our credit card purchase histories for the next week or so, "just in case." We were able to laugh about the whole thing, but I think it's safe to say none of the five of us will be regular customers of Wayside Noodles anymore, if any of us even go back.

    (2)

  • Gia M.

    The food wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. It was just OK. The group I was with ordered different items, and we all felt the same way. The service was pretty bad. It took a really long time after we were seated for someone to bring us water, even longer for our drinks to come, and even longer than that for someone to take our order. The restaurant wasn't that full and we were there for an hour and a half. I probably won't go back to this place, which is unfortunate because they are so close to my work.

    (2)

  • Jenna B.

    How sad that this place has such a low star rating! I went here with a friend. We stumbled upon this place when the Pho restaurant we were originally going to was closed. I was so in the mood for a big bowl of Pho soup! When we found out our original restaurant was closed, we walked around talking until by surprise we found this place... it was like destiny! I would love to give this place more stars, so I will try to make a repeat visit and order something different. I ordered the Beef Pho, the most basic, one. The beef was thinly sliced top round... perfection. It hadn't been marinating in the soup too long because the texture was perfect. If you put beef into the broth and let it sit too long, not only would it overcook it becomes rubbery and hard to chew. However, the staff was *very* prompt and polite, the lighting was lovely, the restaurant was clean, quiet, they had a full bar. The soup was delicious, and I believe my friend felt the same about his. All the ingredients were fresh. I suppose I felt that as a person who makes soup so frequently as a favorite meal, I was totally not dissapointed. The menu was really extensive, and the view of the city streets out the big windows is an added bonus.

    (3)

  • LuvFood S.

    I think retards work here. I placed my order with the young lady at the cash register. I asked for the COM Wayside All The Way. COM meaning rice plate. I even pointed to the item on the menu, in the COM/RICE section. She asked "chicken or pork?". I say pork. She says "rice, right?". I say yes. I wait 10 minutes. She says my order is ready then says "it was chicken, right?". No, it was pork. "Oh, I wrote chicken.". I told her not to worry about it since I had to get back to work. She said she "hopes you like the chicken then." In the elevator at work, I see noodles not rice. WTF? What a dumbass! The fish sauce is so weak here. It is the palest fish sauce I've ever seen and blandest tasting ever. Obviously they are catering to the non-Asian crowd or they are super cheap bastards. The fried egg rolls are weird. There's reddish pork in it. That's not a real Vietnamese egg roll. I didn't have high hopes for this place to start with, so I guess they didn't fall too far from the ladder.

    (1)

  • Maggie I.

    Went here randomly one day when I got to the library before it opened and decided to get some lunch. The prices were right and the staff was very atentive, and the portions were good. the thing that disappointed me was the food was so-so. I ordered the yellow curry rice dish with tofu and on the menu it said it was spicey, it was not and was to my taste a little bland. I think if I went there on lunch from the office it would be great fast and easy.

    (2)

  • Kellie P.

    We came in here a few weeks ago, after a visit with our lovely Wedding clothing Designer... My friend Jasmin asked "Is there anything on the menu with out MSG"? (How could I have NEVER thought to ask this question before?!) The waitress got all glossy eyed and replied "Let me ask the Kitchen." UM, UGH!! Seriously?? Big Huge waving Red Flag. Let just make some notes as I think it would be easier then going into detail about the whole horrendous experience... 1. Under cooked Rice, ew. 2. Brought all the dishes out at different times (A huge pet peeve of mine, isn't that the point of going out to eat together?) 3. My future mother in law asked them to keep the spices really mild, and they didn't, she had to send it back. 4. 2 out of 4 orders somehow didn't get put in? 5. The waitress pretty much ignored us as much as she could after we asked her about the msg.... The Cucumber rolls were good. But really, that was about it. I very rarely give a one star review. I don't even like to write them, but save your money for a meal not containing attitude filled msg.

    (1)

  • Cap G.

    Came here today with a friend for lunch The place was teaming with hungry patrons. Good thing; we didn't have to wait too long. We got seated rather quickly. The two of us both ordered the large combination Pho (#1). It was a fairly good size bowl. Rare steak and the usual ingredients were bountiful. The disappointing factors; it didn't come with meatball. The soup was a bit on the lukewarm side when it was delivered to our table. For $7.25/large, I would expect a little more, at least steaming hot soup. Service was a-okay; not the greatest and not the worse. I MAY be back for other dishes.

    (3)

  • Michelle G.

    After some shopping we ventured down the mall to see if we could find something that sounded good to eat, no such luck until we cut back to J, when we stumbled upon Wayside. I was a little hesitant because it looked barren, but it was clean and I love Vietnamese food. The server was friendly and easy going, and said he liked the beef soup and duck with rice dish, we ordered both and were very happy to eat them. The soup was delicious, the broth was better than I've had in a long time, we could not stop sipping it. The roasted duck was delicious as well, the sauce was garlicky and flavorful over tasty greens with rice, mmm. Glad we tried it, and looking forward to coming back.

    (4)

  • Justin C.

    This is probably one of my favorite Vietnamese places in the area. It's really hard to beat some of the places in South Sac and especially places in the bay area. But I somehow seem to find myself coming here after I gym or when I was interning in the area. This probably has some of the best pho I've had in a while. I actually drink the broth, which has a really good flavor and not too salty. I would say the banh mi is good, but again, this place is highlighted by the pho. The one thing this place has on most other places like it is the service and the ambiance. The service here is much friendlier and the place has a somewhat trendy vibe that you would expect by the downtown/midtown area. Also, they tend to give me more pho than my friend. I don't know why or if it's just accidents, but it's a big plus in my book :]

    (4)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :11:00 am - 9:00pm

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : Yes
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Good For : Lunch
    Parking : Garage, Street
    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 : Yes
    Wi-Fi : Free
    Has TV : Yes
    Dogs Allowed : No
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : No

Wayside Noodles

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