Pho #1

No longer Phở #1. New owners. Beautified interior décor, revamped delicious menu.

Phở is delicious .
While in Atlanta on a business trip went to this place 3 times during the week.
Broth is full flavored and is well balanced in spices. I have eaten phở in major cities and this is amongst the best.
Try the papaya salad with beef jerk… Not offered in many restaurants .
Thus is equally up there with what you will find in Westminster, CA.
You will not be disappointed with the phở here!

Best phở EVER! What else can you except from a place that calls itself
«# 1» ?!
The broth is so fragrant and fresh: full of perfectly simmered star anise! A bowl of their medium phở with well-​done beef brisket makes my day. I come here when I need to clear my head (and sinuses).
Their beef can be a little grisly at times, but who cares.
Good to know: You will be charged an extra $ 0.50 for takeout dishes to cover preparation and boxing materials.

The husband and I ventured out to Phở #1 after hearing some neighbors raving about their yummy phở. Will Phở #1 be my go to phở place? Probably not, just because there are other phở joints a bit closer and I’m lazy like that at times. But if Phở #1 was a bit closer to my house, I’d go there more often.
I’ve only eaten phở at a few different places so far. But the broth at Phở #1 has to be my favorite by far. It was amazingly delicate with a bit of sweetness to it. It would be a shame to add sriracha to this phở just because the broth was so damn good. I got the phở with rare sirloin and flank steak. The flank was definitely the way to go. It just had this rich beefy taste to it that complimented the broth oh so well.

Well after a few days of Sinusitis and eating canned soup in my home, I ventured back into the world today. While in Sandy Springs and with a chill in the air, I decided to check out my trusty Unilocal Iphone App to find where to get my Phở On!
This was my first time to Phở #1.
1) Excellent Service– I was seated quickly and ordered the Shrimp Phở
2) The Phở– Really Delicious! Warmed my soul and I could honestly feel my body recovering from my cold… The Doctor Meds may have helped a little too… But I’ll credit whatever is in this broth.
Tis the Season for Phở… Now that I know this place, I’ll be back.

This place is a standard Buford Highway phở restaurant. Clean with bubble tea posters on the walls. It’s certainly nothing fancy.
The service here is quick and attentive.
We ordered the spring rolls which were average. I’ve definitely had better.
The phở was really really good. My boyfriend and I both ordered X-​Large bowls and the waiter apparently thought only he was up to the challenge. No really I want the extra large! Of course, I had no intention of actually eating the whole bowl; I was buying my breakfast for the next day!
A warning to those sensitive to MSG: I unfortunately suffered from two separate MSG headaches after both of my meals, so I doubt I will try this location the next time I am really craving phở.

AS A FIRST TIME VISITOR–
Highly recommend getting the beef and noodle phở with medium rare sirloin. As soon as you get your bowls, tear up the aromatic herbs and dump them into the broth, then start sipping it until it is cool enough to really enjoy. We got both this and the combo, which our server said were both very popular. As a first-​time taster of phở, the combo was terrifying (specifically because it contains tripe), but the sirloin was perfect.
We sat outside in the car for about 5 minutes looking through reviews before we decided it was worth going in, we’re really glad we did. It may look a little bit shady at night, but don’t let the Buford Highway Mystique freak you out, this place is great!
Medium bowl is PLENTY for an empty stomach!

THE best bowl of phở I have found in Atlanta. Easily tied for first with my favorite San Francisco Bay Area phở joints.
THE FOOD:
+ Phở: Delicious broth base, good quality meat parts. I have never, until Phở #1, seen a phở size for «X-​Large». Being a badass and a terribly curious individual, I opted for the #1 (all meat parts) phở, X-​Large. Let’s just say, it’s enough noodles in a tub-​sized bowl to feed an entire extended family in Vietnam.
+ Egg rolls/​spring rolls: both are solid here, do get some and share!
+ Iced coffee: so legit here I thought my mouth was going to explode from the intensity of it all
The owners of the place have a much harder time understanding your requests in English than other phở joints I’ve come across, but they get what you ask for eventually.
Cheap, ridiculous portion sizes if you opt for it, and delicious. Come here hungry, leave with a rice noodle coma.

If you’re looking for a phở fix, Phở #1 is not a bad option. I can’t say that it significantly differentiates itself from the competition up and down Buford Highway as far as actual phở goes. Other Vietnamese dishes? Perhaps. Phở #1 is located just across the street from the QuikTrip and Plaza Fiesta, not too far north from the Buford-​Clairmont intersection. Spacious interior with plenty of booth and table seating similar to the other shops. Quick and friendly service. The basil, culantro, bean sprouts, etc. served with our phở were not very fresh, but it could have been an isolated incident as we were eating there late, right before they closed. Plenty of parking.

I’ve been on the hunt for good Phở since moving to the area. We had it narrowed town to Phở #1 and Phở Dai Loi and decided to give Phở #1 a shot when my parents were in town.
Each of us ordered Phở, and there’s really not much to say beyond: Darn Good Phở! The broth was flavorful and barely needed anything added to it. All I added was a little Sriracha and a squeeze of lime; my wife also added in a little hoison to help deepen the flavors. The flank was super tender and had a good amount of fat (enough to help flavor the broth, not too much to make it inedible).
All in all, not the best Phở I’ve had, but easily among the best. Everyone enjoyed themselves tremendously, which is what matters most.

1^st time Phở-​er, long time listener…
Lot’s of well-​written reviews for Phở #1, and you can see from my rating, our experience was consistent with most others.
We really loved the whole experience.
I loved how adding the sprouts, hot peppers, Thai basil, and hot sauce completely transforms the flavor of the broth.
Shrimp rolls with peanut sauce were a great start.
My wifes iced coffee with condensed milk was stunningly good.
From the friendly service and helpful suggestions, to the fulfilling broth and flavors of the Phở, to the unexpected treat of Mango bubble tea, to the amazing value prices, we were impressed. Dinner for two including appetizer, two Phở’s, coffee, and bubble tea all for under $ 20 before tip.
Can’t believe we waited so long to begin exploring the terrific Vietnamese restaurants on Buford Highway! We will be back!

FINALLY– some good phở! Fragrant and flavorful broth (much more to my taste than Phở Dai Loi), abundant amount of rice noodles. I had the seafood phở noodles in beef broth, which I’ve ordered in many phở places– (seafood= shrimp, squid and fish balls). Side plate provided bean sprouts, thai basil, and a giant wedge of lime (plenty of lime juice to add the tangy flavor to the broth), perfected the bowl of soup noodles. Great value– my bowl of phở was under $ 7.
Ambiance is like any other place along Buford… family friendly, vinyl booths, and both interior and exterior look a little dumpy. Service is very fast– the minute I sat down, the server was at my elbow ready to take my order.

Phở #1 is more like Phở #4 or 5. Man, I guess you have a lot to live up to when you brand something #1. I came on a week night craving some hot broth. The dude I went with got Phở, so I figured, I’d eat off of him and grabs myself something else. The Phở is aight. I can think of 3 – 4 other places that makes better phở on a weeknight. They gave a lot of noodles… if you’re into that.
I saw the waitress eating a Northern Viet dish that’s kind of rare around the hood; it’s bun mam. It’s stinky sauce in broth, with some pork, and congeal blood. YUM dude! I got that dish. It was alright. Slightly watery and the congeal blood tasted kinda old. Damn I sound like a food snob. Overall, filling, not as full-​filling.
I like to add though, the people working here are very nice; service was good.

Phở #1 has now become my favorite — I’ve always like the place but there are so many good shops that are closer — we visited last night as it was nearly 9:00 PM and I remembered that Phở #1 is open until 10:00. That’s one issue with most of the ethnic restaurants that I like — most close early during the week so if you don’t get into them by 8:00 or so you feel rushed because they’re trying to leave by 8:30. This isn’t true with Phở #1 — we got there just before 9:00 and there were still a lot of tables full of people eating.
Regardless of their closing time, the reason you come here is for the broth — chicken or beef, their stocks are the best. Intensely flavorful and not salty, it’s the make-​or-​break and they certainly deliver. With the shrimp rolls our bill came out to $ 17 with a generous tip — such a deal!

I woke up today with enough alcohol in my system to kill a horse. I didn’t venture out of the house till about 4:00 and had an errand to run in the area, so I figured phở might be a good first meal of the day.
I settled in to a vinyl clad booth and ordered up a medium bowl of phở thai and some Thai tea bubble tea (boo for green not being an option!). Within minutes, my food and tea arrived and it was the perfect medicine for my weary liver and unhappy stomach. The broth was flavorful, and the beef was some of the best I’ve ever had in phở: it actually tasted like beef, rather than the dried up gray stuff you see elsewhere. The bubble tea was equally flavorful, although I was a bit disappointed by the balls: they were overcooked.
Service was super friendly, as was the precious Hapa toddler seated nearby. She sat down in my booth, we stared at each other for a bit, I gave her a bean sprout. She seemed pleased with that. I know I was.
For $ 10, I couldn’t think of a better hangover remedy. When a phở craving hits in the future, this is where I’ll be.

This place is the old reliable — plus it’s the closest one to in-​town. The rest of the good ones are further North on Buford Highway.
Though, the health inspector score is a bit disturbing at 74 out of 100…

I didn’t go with the masses. Even though I knew that everyone recommended the spicy beef stew with French bread, I love phở and I wanted to try that first. So now that my curiosity has been satisfied, I have to say… I wish I’d ordered the frickin’ stew.
The phở was okay, but it wasn’t anything to write home about. Phở Dai Loi has a more delicate and balanced broth. Phở Mimi has a more flavorful broth with better-​quality meat. Both places had better-​tasting noodles, too. The noodles I had today were just… oddly bland.
And each of the above two places has a special delicious drink that I crave. At Phở Dai Loi it’s the avocado smoothie and at Phở Mimi it’s the non-​slushy bubble tea. Phở #1 didn’t have any drinks that caught my eye.
The service was prompt and polite, but after the über-​friendly, cheerful service I received at Phở Dai Loi, I now seem to have standards for service at phở places. This is going to come back to bite me in the butt later, because I should know better than to expect good AND friendly service when I’m eating phở. But right now, I do (I’m sure it will wear off eventually).
I will visit Phở #1 again just because I have to try this famous spicy beef stew (and I’ll update this review to let y’all know what I thought). But when I want phở, this will not be the place I choose in the future.
3.5 stars, rounded down because I think I’m in a bitchy mood today.

Are all Vietnamese restaurants the same?
Utilitarian interior and décor. Every city I’ve been to, I’ve had Phở Soups everyone of these restaurants look exactly alike. I’m sure if I visited Vietnam I’d understand this concept. Is this a franchise type concept?
Atlanta was no exception. The Phở Soup at this one was some of the best I’ve ever had, the spring roll was great! The service was very friendly and fast!
I’m so happy to know where to go in ATL.

I found only one vegetarian dish, but it came out so quickly I didn’t have time to grumble. My tofu on rice vermicelli was made with fresh herbs, and my wife’s shrimp dish was apparently quite tasty.
Iced tea is only 50 cents for a 32-​ounce tumbler. I don’t think they do refills, but for 50 cents a quart, you’ll die of a caffeine overdose before you run out of money!
We shared a slushy taro-​milk drink with a mix of tapioca boba and fruit jellies (yum!) for first dessert, before venturing over to La Churrería, and the bill was $ 18 and change.
That’s right. Two meals (one featuring shrimp), two soft drinks, and a dessert for less than twenty bucks — and made with fresh ingredients. For my money, Phở #1 deserves its name.

Huge portions, deliciously perfect phở, and fast & polite service makes this place an instant favorite.
For lunch, we ordered the spring rolls, phở with brisket and eye round, and the shrimp on vermicelli. The spring rolls were good, but the phở was spot-​on. Tasty, flavorful broth with a good portion of noodles and meat made the meal. The shrimp on vermicelli was a great treat. The shrimp was grilled perfectly, and their smoky flavor complimented the noodles and veggies.
This place is a bargain and worth a trip.