[Food] Best PHO in the US
When talking about Vietnamese food, the first one that comes to mind is easily PHO. Since I am Vietnamese, I might as well write a post about some notable PHO places that I have visited in the U.S
Highlight: Phở tái lăn
How about Angus beef only? How about Phở Tái Lăn (pan-fried beef on the side)? Plus, they had fresh noodles (bánh phở tươi), and fish sauce to spice up the taste too.
Before leaving the Bay Area, this was my favorite Pho place. Only downside was that it was a bit more expensive than other places (a regular sized bowl cost about $11.25 including tax). They accepted credit cards though, so it was a plus.
Highlight: The most home-cooked-tasted Pho
Pho here tasted the most home-cooked to me.
Initially when I tried this place for the first time, I wasn't impressed at all. However my opinion changed.
I was having Pho 90 Degree a lot. However, wanting to try something different once in a while, I dropped by Pho Y #1 one night, and I was truly impressed.
Pho Y tasted so much like home-cooked. The broth was just right. The broth was clear broth. I loved that they had fish sauce to make the broth even stronger. I usually ordered an extra bowl of briskets, the meat was so tender I almost didn't have to chew much. It was falling-off-bone kind of tenderness. The fresh noodles were also really fresh, soft and chewy at the right degree. And the fatty flank cuts were crisp!
I preferred the fresh noodles here over the fresh noodles at Pho 90. A bowl of Pho here was also cheap too. $10.30 for a small bowl plus extra brisket on the side. Good eat! Hate that they close a little early at 9 PM.
In 2016, I had a chance to live in Houston for almost 2 months (thanks to my super best friend), so I made sure not to miss out on some good Pho here.
If we discuss taste, Pho here was not as tasty as the Pho bowls in California I just talked about, but I hold dear memories about this chain restaurant in Seattle, mainly because I ate here a lot when I was in Seattle.
Different from other "Best in the US" posts, where I usually sort the restaurants in the order of my most favorite to least, in this post I will go around all the cities I have had a chance to visit. The reason is because if I list the PHO restaurants in terms of my favorites, the top 3 will all be in California ahaha. Vietnamese food in California is just that good.
What's more, California is the only place you can find Pho with fresh noodles (bánh phở tươi) and (maybe) donuts (quẩy) for northern style "Pho Bac."
As always, my opinion is highly subjective. Feel free to give me recommendations for a good Pho restaurant too! Without further ado, let us visit California.
1. California
Pho 79 (Garden Grove, CA)
https://www.yelp.com/biz/pho-79-restaurant-garden-grove?hrid=Jis8iPbhwOoaNKjqV_4pcQ
Highlight: BEST PHO IN THE U.S
Highlight: BEST PHO IN THE U.S
The undisputed best bowl of Pho that I have had in the U.S was Pho 79, located in the city of Garden Grove of Orange County.
The broth here was one of the thickest, deepest, and most flavorful Pho broth I have tasted in the US, and that by itself was enough for it to rank 1st on my Pho list. Seriously, right when they placed the Pho bowl on my table, one smell of the aroma and I knew immediately that it was gonna be good! So aromatic!
Super aromatic!
Great broth
The cuts of meat here were also good and had good varieties. My favorite cut was the fatty flank, and they did have that cut here. I also ordered a bowl of oxtails in my last visit and the portions were so hugeee that I couldn't finish.
Spacious restaurant but still packed
They had fresh noodles too, and the price was pretty reasonable.
We came here on Sunday night at 7:30 and still had to wait 20 mins. Even though the restaurant was big and spacious with a lot of seats, it was still packed, which was uncharacteristic for a Vietnamese restaurant (not counting NYC). So you know how good Pho here was.
The wait line at 7:45 on Sunday night
Pho 90 Degrees (San Jose, CA)
https://www.yelp.com/biz/pho-90-degree-san-jose?hrid=I8DFixXXviBQbvzFPdWoCgHighlight: Phở tái lăn
How about Angus beef only? How about Phở Tái Lăn (pan-fried beef on the side)? Plus, they had fresh noodles (bánh phở tươi), and fish sauce to spice up the taste too.
Pho with oxtail and pan fried Angus beef (Phở đuôi bò tái lăn )
Before leaving the Bay Area, this was my favorite Pho place. Only downside was that it was a bit more expensive than other places (a regular sized bowl cost about $11.25 including tax). They accepted credit cards though, so it was a plus.
Fatty flank beef Pho
Fatty flank beef Pho
Pho Y #1 (San Jose, CA)
https://www.yelp.com/biz/pho-y-1-san-jose?hrid=r9nHj1SLa2F-9H9TfXBndwHighlight: The most home-cooked-tasted Pho
Pho here tasted the most home-cooked to me.
Initially when I tried this place for the first time, I wasn't impressed at all. However my opinion changed.
I was having Pho 90 Degree a lot. However, wanting to try something different once in a while, I dropped by Pho Y #1 one night, and I was truly impressed.
Very crisp fatty flank
Very home-cooked-like Pho, with fresh noodles
Pho Kim Long (San Jose, CA)
https://www.yelp.com/biz/pho-kim-long-restaurant-san-jose?hrid=4Pyhg3ughmB5F_Vf5mtHJQ
Highlight: Chicken Pho (Phở Gà)
If you ordered large bowl of dark meat chicken Pho here, they would throw in chicken liver, gizzards, and young eggs - all the goodies!
One time they served me onion heads in fatty chicken broth on the side. Anyways, their chicken Pho was really good here, but chicken Pho here was overshadowed by other popular dishes such as Bún Chả Hà Nội and Bún Riêu.
This place was also one of the most reviewed Vietnamese restaurant in the Bay, so it was a very good overall restaurant. Very quick service too!
Highlight: Chicken Pho (Phở Gà)
If you ordered large bowl of dark meat chicken Pho here, they would throw in chicken liver, gizzards, and young eggs - all the goodies!
Small bowl of chicken Pho
(with fresh noodles, and onion heads in fatty chicken broth on the top right)
One time they served me onion heads in fatty chicken broth on the side. Anyways, their chicken Pho was really good here, but chicken Pho here was overshadowed by other popular dishes such as Bún Chả Hà Nội and Bún Riêu.
This place was also one of the most reviewed Vietnamese restaurant in the Bay, so it was a very good overall restaurant. Very quick service too!
TO TRY:
Pho Ha Noi in San Jose: This restaurant re-opened when I already left California for NYC. My friend who I think had a similar taste to mine told me that it was one of her best bowls of Pho (even though she wasn't a Pho person).
2. Houston, TX
Welcome to Houston, the land of seasoned rare beef Pho (Phở Tái Ướp). Seasoned rare beef was very popular around Houston. They basically seasoned the rare beef with pepper, lime, and maybe other seasonings, before serving the rare beef on a side dish. What we were supposed to do was to dip the rare seasoned pieces of beef into the boiling hot Pho broth before eating.
In 2016, I had a chance to live in Houston for almost 2 months (thanks to my super best friend), so I made sure not to miss out on some good Pho here.
Pho Dien
I already heard a lot about this restaurant, that it could get crowded and you could have to wait in line, and that they ran out of Pho at around 2pm everyday. My bro, Minh ML, even claimed that this served the best Pho bowl he ever had.
Anyways, I ordered a small bowl with fatty flank and seasoned rare beef on the side. The broth was on point and very aromatic. The beef was just OK. I couldn't taste much of the seasonings of the rare beef.
The seasoned rare beef on the side
Overall, still a good high quality bowl of Pho. Not the best I have had though. Also they didn't have fresh noodles (bánh phở tươi) here.
Pho A Hung By Night
http://www.yelp.com/biz/pho-a-hung-by-night-houston-3?hrid=j4D0sDfmEDgNy5cas4t1RQ
Highlight: Bone marrow and raw eggs in fatty broth
It's funny to review this place because Pho here was good but it didn't taste exactly like a typical bowl of Pho lol.
The broth was OK. The meat was exceptionally good. Some of my friends came here just to ordered the seasoned rare beef on the side and the broth (no noodles).
Le me "chém gió" about food and philosophy
I myself ordered baby cow meat (bê thui) and oxtail together with an add-on seasoned rare beef on the side. I also ordered the fatty broth with bone marrow and egg (nước tủy trứng lòng đào). It was so good but definitely not good for your health haha. The marrow was so tasty and fatty. Probably the most memorable thing about this place was this bowl of bone marrow and egg.
The bowl of bone marrow and egg in fatty broth is on the bottom right.
Top right is baby cow meat (bê thui)
The seasoned rare beef was also so good. It had a lime flavor but wasn't sour. The baby cow meat tasted unfamiliar in a good way.
Another look at their Pho and bone marrow side + seasoned beef side
3. Seattle, WA
Pho Than (Than Brothers)
Highlight: Those cream puffs.
If we discuss taste, Pho here was not as tasty as the Pho bowls in California I just talked about, but I hold dear memories about this chain restaurant in Seattle, mainly because I ate here a lot when I was in Seattle.
Photo courtesy of Yelp
Some of you might know that Seattle was the first city in the U.S that I lived in, and I was there when I was very young and poor (and stupid). Therefore a large $6 bowl of Pho (priced in 2007-2008) carried me through so many of those days!
Photo courtesy of Yelp
Besides, Pho Than was so successful in Seattle that they opened a lot of locations all over Seattle (12 as of 2017, total domination in Seattle!), so the quality was pretty consistent and the brand became the go-to place for people who were looking for a familiar hearty taste. The taste was more of "clean" than "rich," so it catered to both Vietnamese and Americans.
Than Brothers' signature were the complimentary mini cream puffs. Oh dang, they were good!
I got a friend working there so she threw me some extra cream puffs sometimes lol.
Look at these cute little beauties
4. New York City, NY
Madame Vo
https://www.yelp.com/biz/madame-vo-new-york?hrid=IW9V_7HCDQ-vs0BNqfPDkA
Highlight: The most expensive Pho I've ever had, but GREAT fatty broth and short ribs.
Highlight: The most expensive Pho I've ever had, but GREAT fatty broth and short ribs.
Having moved to New York city from California, my standard for Viet food was pretty high. I gave up finding a good bowl of Pho from the very start! In fact, I gave up Vietnamese food from since beginning. If you have hung out with me in NYC you would notice that I rarely went to Vietnamese restaurants by choice.
However, one evening with my past roommate of 3 years, Rio, we decided to try Viet food here. The bowl of Pho at Madame Vo exceeded my expectations!
Their PHO really suited my taste, because I loved fatty broth. I had one extra piece of giant short rib for, I think, an additional $5. It was well worth it! The short rib was very tender! The bone marrow made the broth really deep in taste. Fatty too! Just how I liked it.
Fatty broth Pho - my favorite type of broth
The PHO bowl also had different cuts of beef and beef balls. Granted that this restaurant was rather expensive, but the HUGE portions made up for the price. I couldn't finish my BIG bowl of PHO and had to have to-go.
Probably the most expensive bowl of Pho in my life though hahaha ($17 + $5 short rib add-on), because I was used to paying under $10 for a good bowl of Pho. Pretty long wait too on weekend nights (a typical thing for good restaurants in NYC)!
Madame Vo Pho was the only bowl of Pho that I liked in NYC (yeah I know, Hanoi House fans).
Anyways, that's it for this post about Pho guys. Hope to see you in my next adventure.
Life is a journey
Anyways, that's it for this post about Pho guys. Hope to see you in my next adventure.
THE END
Life is a journey
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