Pho 79

The positive reviews for this place are hard to swallow, almost as hard to swallow as their menu offerings.
Upon entering the restaurant my wife and I detected a very unusual and unpleasant odor that did not seem to originate from the kitchen as it smelled slightly of mold. We were seated quickly and service was very good at the outset. This is where things go downhill, I’m afraid.
The Summer Rolls were ok, but the pork tasted a bit past it’s time. The peanut sauce was thinner than I’ve experienced before, and the flavor was merely passable. Ever the optimists when it comes to trying new things, we ventured forth into the realm of Phở.
I must say that my wife quite enjoyed her bowl of seafood soup (can’t recall the name of it). I was not so lucky in my selection.
Feeling adventurous, I ordered number 4 which features rare steak and brisket. Served lukewarm and lacking cilantro on the accompanying plate of «toppings», I can honestly say that as a huge fan of Vietnamese cuisine I have never been more disappointed in a bowl of Phở. The brisket was nothing but huge square blobs of fat, zero meat. This item may be outside my area of culinary expertise, but it was disgusting and I immediately removed the offending chunks. The steak was cooked perfectly, but resembled lunch meat. The broth left much to be desired, as it had very little resemblance to the beautiful, aromatic marrowy goodness I so longed for. Right after we were served our bowls the establishment apparently decided that we no longer required service from our waiter, as he did not check back in (perhaps he came across some tainted meat and needed to be removed)…however we did receive one long awaited water refill from a busboy as we wrapped up our meal. We waited for a ticket and finally when the bus boy arrived we asked and he pointed at a register near the back of the building (nonverbal gesturing gets bonus points, correct?).
All in all, a sad endeavor. It probably goes without saying, but let me be perfectly clear: I would not recommend eating here, as it would only encourage them.

Delicious phở. I’ve had phở at about 50 different places (5 of them in Vietnam), and I was impressed with this place. Healthy portion of meat, delicious broth, and simple as it should be. Friendly waitstaff, and overall good experience.

I am a big phở connoisseur in the LA and Orange County area. The Phở Thai was okay, came out lukewarm. I’m not sure that I would recommend it. What was really good was the Bun with grilled beef. Delicious and recommended.
I am not sure how the pricing compares with other Denver area Phở places… Phở and Bun prices seemed reasonable but Bun Bo Hue, Ban Xeo and Banh Cuon seemed $ 1-​$ 2 higher than necessary. Shocking was that Che Ba Mau was being offered at $ 5 (a $ 3 drink in OC). I felt the drinks were overpriced.
The staff spoke English very well and service was better than average for a Vietnamese restaurant. Probably a good introduction to the cuisine for those who are new to Vietnamese food. Parking was plentiful and everything was clean.

Lunch was awesome! Delicious phở. I ordered the shrimp phở and spring rolls. Both were perfect. This is a more salty and heavy phở but I didn’t have to dr it like other places. Great looking fish tank at the front door– shows the cleanliness of the establishment.

The phở here is good. The broth is a little too flavorful for my taste, but everyone has a different salt tolerance. The atmosphere is fun and relaxed, plus it looks clean (which can’t be said of all phở restaurants). I also had the Vietnamese coffee and it was some of the best I’ve ever had.

Spring rolls barely had any noodles and lettuce, wontons were super greasy and my phở had so much cilantro and onion I could barely finish my phở. I love cilantro but it was overwhelming how much there was in there.

I’ve tried phở all over town and Phở 79 is one of my most favorites, if not my most. The broth just seems more flavorful and complex than others. Service has always been good, and the place is pretty nice. It’s usually busy and parking can be a bit difficult in the tight parking lot, but there’s street parking nearby.

I love this restaurant, the best phở in my opinion! My husband ate the noodle bowl with chicken and he loved it! He is not a soup lover like me. The egg rolls are a must! My only compliant is the parking lot, it is pretty busy not the easiest place to find parking.

Just left this place. I agree with other reviews that the broth is definitely good and does not need much added sauce such as sirracha or hoisin to go with it. The aroma of the broth also smelled really good. The portion was okay, had much larger portions at other restaurants down the street. Iced coffee was average. The service however, was not that great. I asked for a styrofoam cup of water for my kids because with the usual cups of water they give, my kids would definitely knock it over. The waiter was very hesitant about giving us one until I explained to him why. Service was slow even though they weren’t that busy. I prefer Phở Duy down the street as their food and service is always great.

I am a bit of a Phở snob. Phở 79 has the best broth. This used to be the only phở restaurant I would eat at, but as the expanded and they spread out employees the service became TERRIBLE!
Still the best phở in town but customer service needs a lot of work.

I’m really torn on this one. On the one hand, the other reviewers are right. The broth here is fantastic, the best I have had in Denver, and that’s the key element of a good bowl of phở. Furthermore, the service was quite good. Everyone was unbelievably sweet and prices were very good.
But there were some downsides. First, our booth had a noticeable locker room aroma to it. No bueno. Also, the condiments on the table were just hoisin and sriracha, with none of the other fish and chili sauces you get elsewhere. In their defense, they can probably get you these if you ask. The standard phở garnish plate had sprouts, peppers, lime, and thai basil, but no culantro or anything else.
All in all, it was tasty, and I could be talked into going back. The staff were very nice but there were some shortcomings.

Everything was wonderful. The phở noodles and broth were perfect. The rare steak and brisket were delicious. The Thai tea and mocha boba were authentic and tasted real. And the ambiance and workers were warm and welcoming and comfortable

Best Phở in denver. Period. Oh, and it’s super cheap. Ethnic Ave (aka Federal) is the best place to go for Vietnamese.

This is the model phở restaurant. Service is fast, food is good, décor and attire is casual. You can order in English, Vietnamese, or Spanish. Welcome to Federal Boulevard!

Disappointed. I’ve heard great things through the grapevine, but reality just didn’t deliver. Partner barely touched his Phở (bad sign when he has a bottomless pit for a stomach) and the egg rolls were not as described on the menu. Instead of 2 decent size eggrolls, you get 4 mini ones with barely any filling on the plate.
Place was not full, and service was very slow. I was tempted to get up and walk down Federal for something faster.

I eat here once a week. I love it! Always fresh never disappointed. It is a lil ways from where I live but don’t mind the trip fir the food! Love Love Phở 79

Had lunch here today with some guys from work I did not have the Phở. We had some spring rolls and egg roll apps and 2 ordered the combo rice plate I had the noodle bowl combo. Seemed like there could have been a bit more meat in the bowl and it was a dollar or two more than some of the others in the area but that being said it had a really good flavor and I ate every bit of it. I almost gave it 4 stars instead of 3 more like a 3.5. I would go back. The menu is not huge mostly all Phở hence the name! but they could spruce up a the plates with some additional herbs other than cilantro and be a little more generous with the meat although I may have just got the losing plate as a person who ordered the same thing as me seemed to have more in his bowl. The shrimp were definitely on the small side verging on the bay variety or at least like the ones you see up Maine, but they were not bad.
The fish sauce had a really great flavor. This place is definitely worth a try, but there are just so many options on this side of town I will try a new place or go back to my favorite so it will be a while before I come back but not because the food or service was bad in any way. Give it a go…

We can’t remember which restaurant was older, or more «original», Phở Duy or Phở 79? They’re practically one block away from each other. I had some GREAT experience with Phở at Phở Duy last time but seeing what I really loved wasn’t offered at Phở 79 (It was phở with marinated, cubed flank steak), we decided not to get Phở at all and ordered Seafood egg noodles soup instead. It was a hit, loved the thin, Asian style egg noodles, and the soup was enhanced with a bunch of fish balls and some shrimp. Our starter, the ubiquitous spring rolls, didn’t disppoint at all. I think it’s because they used Char Siu (Asian style BBQ pork) than just plain old steamed pork.
I had low expectations for the Vietnamese Crepes since last time I had some not so good ones at Can Tho Phở, but Phở 79’s pro. The crepes were awesome! Just the right amount of crunch, and veggie to meat ratio, and they looked HUGE! It tasted even better when we squeezed lime juice over it and dunked pieces in the fish sauce. It’s a great alternative to fried Vietnamese egg rolls.
This experience taught me a lesson: always stick to the oldies, they’ve existed for so long and come this far for a good reason!

I discovered Phở 79 in Littleton because it’s near work. I fell in love with their Rice Plates. When I realized they have their Federal Location that’s just a hop-​skip from my Lakewood home, I had to try it out.
I ordered take-​out tonight. I went with Old Faithful: The Combination Rice Plate (See Photo). From their menu: «A combination of grilled pork, beef, shrimp, and Vietnamese eggrolls. Served with white rice, shredded carrots, cilantro, lettuce, cucumbers, and our homemade fish sauce. » What more could you want, right?
There are some differences between locations. At the Littleton Location, there are 2 kinds of pork: The Grilled and the red-​edged BBQ Pork, on the plate, in addition to the Beef and Shrimp (As the menu says.) At the Federal Location? There was Beef and Shrimp. Lots of it, but still. I want my Porky Goodness! At this point, though, I’ll chalk it up to an anomaly. The shrimp were fresher and differently-​prepared at the Federal Location, having an orange-​colored seasoning. The Fried Egg was FAR superior at the Federal Location, with a delicious, Oozy, Yolky Center! Noms.
Also the salad fixin’s are different. At the Littleton Location, it’s like the Banh Mi filling: Rice-​Vinegar Infused Daikon, Carrots, and some Cucumber sliced and sitting on whole Romaine Leaves. At the Federal Location, chopped Romaine, Sliced Carrots, and Cucumber Slices, but no tang of Rice Vinegar. So I soaked it in the Fish Sauce… Oh yeah, their Fish Sauce. The Federal Location wasn’t nearly as Stinky, which in my opinion isn’t a good thing. I like my Fish Sauce appropriately Funky! With the kick of the red chile flakes I find at the Littleton Location. But again: Preference.
Okay, enough of the comparisons. The Beef and Shrimp were hot and seasoned well, the egg was oozy goodness, and the veggies were fresh. I devoured it.
I will be back to both, and I have favored items at both, so I give ‘em BOTH 4 Stars.

Phở-​mazing!
Another great Phở find on Federal. Although Phở 79 is a bit quieter than some Vietnamese joints in town, the lack of customers doesn’t mean the food is lacking. I for one am perplexed by those who say the phở here is bland. I think the milder flavored phở is how it should be… to many places have really salty or overspiced broth. If you want it that way, you use the provided accouterments to make it so. I think this slightly sweet and anise-​flavored phở is great.
Also great are the eggrolls. My lady and I shared both the fried and summer egg rolls and both were quite good. The fried rolls were perfectly cooked with a bit of a mushroomy interior accompanied by a great (though not as spicy) fish sauce. The spring rolls had both whole shrimp and pork strips inside a clean tasting rice wrapper and served with a savory peanut sauce. Next time I may just get a meal consisting solely of those delicious bites.
The interior kind of reminding me of the Tropical Discover exhibit at the zoo, so that’s cool. As was the efficient and friendly service.
We originally only came her because Phở 95 was packed to the gills. Glad to know that picking a random phở place on Federal is pretty much a sure thing (at least so far).