Reviews - Phonatic
Reviews summary
Phonatic has received a mix of reviews ranging from disappointment to high praise. Some customers found the food to be bland and overpriced, while others enjoyed the delicious, tender beef pho and Vietnamese pancakes. The atmosphere was described as unique and the service as friendly, although there were some issues with timing of meals and beer quality. Despite the mixed reviews, Phonatic seems to have its loyal fans who appreciate the great food, friendly staff, and inviting atmosphere. Overall, it seems like Phonatic is a place worth checking out, especially if you're looking for a cozy spot to enjoy some quality Vietnamese cuisine in Adelaide.
Was David R at Phonatic a mag?
My wife and I had two wonderful meals at this great restaurant. We were greeted very quickly and the wait staff were all very attentive, polite and extremely happy. I had Pho Do Bien, a noodle seafood soup and my wife had Bo Kho, a beef stew. They were extremely tasty, light and hit the spot. Cannot recommend this restraunt more highly. View all feedback.
What Cara Muller dislikes about Phonatic:
Very overpriced and not an authentic Vietnamese dining experience!! if you want value for your money, you'd be better off at the restaurants around Hanson road. Plus, waiting time for take away rice for one person was more than 30 mins. Ridiculous? I'd say yes, for the quality of food that they served. View all feedback.
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Reviews from various users
Last update : 22.07.2025
Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 5
Foods are awesome and worth the money. Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 5 Service: Dine in Meal type: Dinner
This is usually my go-to place for Pho. Would request for the beef to be cooked well, but this time round, it tasted gamey and was still red and pinkish in some areas. The beef was not cooked well at all, tasted extremely gamey!! Please follow instructions carefully in the future, especially if customers may have issues when eating undercooked meat. The meat was still red and clearly undercooked! Service: Delivery Meal type: Lunch Price per person: A$20–40 Food: 1 Service: 3 Atmosphere: 3
Last update : 29.01.2024
I live in Brisbane and travel to Adelaide a few times a year for business. A customer took me to this restaurant a while ago and now I can't keep away from the place. The food and service is top notch. All the staff are so friendly and helpful and funny. Wish this place was in Brisbane.
Wow! This place is so great. The food is delicious, the decor is cool and the service is good. I think I'm going to be a regular here.
Yuuuuuum! All of our food was delish! Beef pho best I’ve had. Home made lemonade fantastic service! Satay chicken and prawn spring rolls were a hit with the kids! Great food great prices , we will be back for sure!
We were in Adelaide for work from Melbourne. We love Vietnamese and a girl suggested to check this place out. Thank god she did best Vietnamese food we have all ever had and we have it weekly in Melbourne. Adam thanks for your amazing food and hospitality please bring Phonatic to Melbourne. Best ever !!!!
Brendan is wonderful and the food is excellent ! i had a yummy chicken pho soup and it was delicious I highly recommend this place to anyone Ben Eleni from Melbourne : Thanks Brendan
Last update : 27.07.2023
Booked a table with friends for a Sunday lunch pre Andy Warhol Exhibition at Art Gallery. Funky interior. Super friendly staff. Extensive menu. Amazing food. Hot, fresh and excellent prices. Open Sundays which is a bonus. Give PHONATIC a go. You won’t be disappointed.
I've been meaning to come here for years and finally did! I love the aesthetic certainly one of the more unique restaurants in a sea of bland white places in Adelaide. Service was friendly and eager to please. Cooper's beer keg tasted like it was about a year old flat and waaay past its prime. It happens, but I didn't really appreciate being told how popular the beer is and that I must be wrong. I've had about 1000 pales in my life, I know what they taste like. Meals also came out at completely different times, which is never nice. Despite that, food was very good (despite a slightly burnt Vietnamese pancake) and was super enjoyable. Prices are excellent too. Will give it another go at some point.
Just popped in for a quick dinner before going to a show for the Adelaide Fringe festival. The staff were friendly and were quick to accommodate us even without a booking. As always, I over estimated my tolerance to spice but throughghly enjoyed my wagyu beef anyway. We were in and out of the restaurant in the space of 45 minutes and weren't late to our show. Thanks guys!
I dined at Phonatic twice in one week while in Adelaide on business. The first night I had the vegan Pho, which was bland and unimpressive. But two of my colleagues had the salt and pepper tofu and raved about it, and when we were dining out later in the week voted to go back. I shared an order of the tofu and also had the vegetable stir fry with basil sauce, and both dishes were delicious. The servers weren't rude but also not overly friendly nor did they hover, although there always seemed to be around when we needed one. I would return again.
Food was fantastic, great variety,and arrived in a timely manner, wait staff happy and pleasant. Very quant little place to dine, would highly recommend a visit here
Last update : 25.03.2023
I just think of a quick snack. Chicken n Prawn Spring Rolls and a pint of Brooklyn Larger. Thanks to their license, you can't...
Want a huge bowl of Pho? How about a huge portion of the Vietnamese pancake, Banh Xeo? This place would be desperately happy. Newly opened...
I finally made it back to phonatic and decided to try her banh xeo (vietnamese pancakes.) that was up there with one of the best I found in adelaide. a good amount of delicate pork bauch and garnel, crispy pancakes and the correct amount of salat leaves to eat it. I went with the combination pho occasional and received a generous amount of delicate rare bark meat, melt in her mouth basket and springy bark meat meat meat balls. if pho isn't your thing, they try their sour soups.
I'm not often disappointed with Radelaides' food scene. When I calculate a business with less than three stars, that means they didn't hit the brand...
Ordered via ubereats and it came pretty quickly. Ordered the quails (entree) and the beef and beefball pho. I was so surprised at how awesome the quail was. For less than $10 you get a whole quail (butterflied) and it was so tasty. The pho was good, generous serving of the meat but was hoping to get rare beef. Mine was just a little too cooked for my liking.
