This review is so troubling for me because of my deep love for Pho Saigon 8 on Eastern Ave. I am a regular there and have never experienced anything less then great, efficient service and consistantly high-quality food. I don't know how they were ever able to open a second location based on the first. Yikes.\n\nMy friend and I walked up to the front door only to have 3 employess with aprons and name tags on smoking in front of the front door. Literally blocking the entrance. One opened the door while talking over us with his cig in his mouth. It was a disgusting way to enter a restaurant (ithrough a plume of smoke) especially when you're starving.  Upon walking in,  nobody said anything until we asked if we just seated ourselves. The employee, looking bothered by the interuption, asked how many and looked behind him and pointed to any table. Never even stepping away from his task. So, she and I chose the closest table. We then had to ask for a menu which appeared to annoy them as well. She and I were kind of in disbelief as we wondered if we should even stay? Afterall, we have both frequented the second location and enjoy it so. A woman came to the table and stood there, never asking anything. My friend ordered her Thai tea and I ordered the same with boba. The woman left. When the tea arrived I can tell you fairly (not because of the awful experience) that the tea was watered down and the boba was mealy. So gross. I didn't finish it.  When the waitress came back, she stood there for a minute and said \"do you know what you want?\". Again, another sign that we should have departed. \n\nWe did have a good laugh that the menu prices were crossed out with marker and re-written in with higher prices. \n\nThe food came quickly and of the quality I am used to which was a nice relief from the otherwise disappointing experience. Nobody ever came back, we had to get what we needed ourselves from other tables. I saw another server holding his pack of cigs on the floor in front of tables. He eventually went outside as well. When finished, we went to the register only to see both people behind the register eating Balut with their hands only stopping momentarily to take people's money while still chewing. No handwashing, people. BLECK.  By this point we were especially grossed out at the sanitary standards (smoking servers went right back to work, no handwashing) and wanted to get the heck out.  I am almost so bummed out by this experience that I don't even want to go back to the Eastern location!  What. A. Shame.