Pho Nguyen Restaurant

My wife had #41, pork tough.
The egg cake was so so
I had shrimp thick chewy noodle. I like other (thin) better
19.40 for two
Very friendly
I started this review a while ago on my iPhone — it auto saved as a draft. Things may have changed since I initially created this review.

Strangest Phở Experience… read on for details.
I was a little hesitant because the restaurant is billed as a Salvadorian/​Phở restaurant. The theme/​décor is definitely Latino, including the TV’s blaring spanish soap operas. Nonetheless, the menu had all the hype of a great phở experience. I ordered my staple, fresh spring rolls, bubble tea, and Phở with rare beef and brisket. The oddities begin there.
Bubble tea — they offered 15 types of bubble tea. I ordered one, the waiter said they ewere out of that flavor, I ordered another (out of that too)…we finally settled on one. Out of the 15 on the menu, they only had 4. He brought it to me in a large glass, but with no straw. I asked him for one, and he said they were out of the fat straws. So I had to spoon the pearls out! It was odd that they were out of most of the tea flavors!
Spring rolls — delicious and freshly made. However, they were advertised as pork and shrimp, but the pork was missing!!!
Phở — strange… very strange. It came out piping hot and looked delicious. However, the broth was very clear and almost yelow (like Chicken broth). The flavor was close, you could taste the spices, but I really think this was chicken broth and not beef. The brisket was fantastic… among the best I have had.
The rare beef… was not rare at all. However it was tender and delicious, and exactly like PORK! I swear to you this was thinly sliced pork. Beef just doesn’t look or taste like this. It was very good… just not beef!
Also, they were out of Thai basil, sprouts and all the other accoutrements.
So overall I gave it a 3, because it was not a bad meal. Everything I ate was tasty and fresh. It just… wasn’t…normal.

This is not my favorite phở in town. Whenever I go out for phở, I get the phở tai, with the rare steak so it cooks in the broth, infusing it with flavor. Unfortunately, when the soup was brought to my table, the meat was already cooked and the broth was practically clear and relatively flavorless. I ended up putting way more sriracha and hoisin sauce in the soup to give it a taste than I usually would. I wanted to like this place because it is so close, convenient, and cheap. It’s a little hole-​in-​the-​wall, which usually means it will be authentic, but I was disappointed. I won’t go back. Also, I had to get more utensils off a cart myself because my baby kept dropping my spoon on the floor and no servers were around for awhile to help me get new silverware.

This restaurant seems to be suffering from something that is lost in translation. Earlier reviews indicate ownership by a Mr. Nguyen. It now seems to have Hispanic ownership, with a lot of Peruvian travel posters on the wall, and two televisions playing Hispanic programming. The menu appears to be all Vietnamese. We had two kinds of phở: Phở ga, and vegetarian phở (which had no broth, only hot water :/​). We also had a diet coke, and a green tea latte; the bill with tip was $ 25. It was not bad, it was not good; it was meeehhh.

I should have paid more attention to the music playing on the television (Shakira) and the Peruvian travel posters on the wall before I committed to sitting down. I didn’t see anyone of Asian descent in the restaurant. They were all Hispanic. The soup wasn’t that good. They don’t have a vegetarian option and they close at 8 PM. Luckily the early closing won’t bother me, since I will be continuing to go to the much better places down the street.

My, my, what can i say. This place is definitely the best phở restaurant in Manassas… no, scratch that. The whole state of Virginia!!!
I had the phở chin (well done brisket) with a side order of quail. one word to describe the meal?
Perfection.
The whole staff is as friendly as it gets! They even remember what I usually order every time i come out! Definitely better than phở 234 or phở gourmet!
This place is definitely worth a visit if you are ever in Manassas!

Very friendly owner, even pointed out a cheaper item on the menu than I picked!
One of the best Vietnamese Egg Roll!
The grill pork with rice was very good!

There aren’t too many great things I can say about this place. I ordered the Phở with rare round eye and well done brisket. I think I got 6 slices of meat. There were not a lot of noodles and the bean sprouts were brown. I was very excited about this place some of the reviews were great! Sadly, I was disappointed. The only reason I gave it 2 stars instead of 1 is because the owner was incredibly friendly.
If you want Phở in manassas go to Phở 234 or go to Centreville and try Phở Bistro.

The Phở here is absolutely delightful as are the appetizers. This is the only Phở restaurant (outside of the Eden Center in Arlington) that serves Bahn Bao and it’s FRESH AND DELICIOUS. The place is family owned and every member of the family helps out and is extremely friendly. I hadn’t been in a couple years but was able to go recently and they remembered me! They have a young son who has grown so much!
The décor is the usual for a Phở restaurant, the place is clean and the service is fast! I can’t wait to go back.

I’ve been going to Phở Nguyen for almost 4 years. I absolutely adore their Phở and Bun. The meat in their Bun is always delicious and hits the spot on hot days.
Their lunch special is a great deal… one small bowl of Bun or Phở, a spring roll or summer roll and a soda or hot tea. All for less than $ 10.
The Bubble tea varies. Sometimes the tapioca pearls are a little crunchy on the inside but usually they’re tender and chewy. Yum!

I had the sirloin Phở, and the broth tasted very good. Excellent Food.

We loved the bubble tea… this was our first time!
Hubby and I both ordered phở, me with sirlion and his was beef with tripe and tendon. Having never experienced this soup, we were pleasantly surprised with the freshness of the ingredients. The soup tasted rich, complex, fresh, and was very filling.
I’ve never had tripe or tendon before, and admit, I was a little afraid of this new food… but I will never hesitate again… tripe was wonderful, I loved the texture! The tendon was good too, but not my favorite thing.
For dessert we ordered a concoction of gummy-​like jello with red beans, crushed ice, some kind of syrup and crushed peanuts. It was delightful. It’s hard to explain how these ingredients go together so well… but, try it!
We were driving thru the Manassas area, but I would definitely visit Phy Nguyen again.
And, yes… we met the sweet little olé man who owns the place, and he is just adorable… very nice!

OKAY… so this review is just for their bobas (bubble teas) since I didn’t come in for their phở. But I was in a mood for some boba one day so where in Manassas can I get some? Of course at a Vietnamese Restaurant! So here I come walking in welcomed by a very pleasant man (Mr. Nguyen). I asked for honeydew and taro boba. It took about 15 minutes to get both orders but they were good. The pearls could use some sugar though since it tasted a little bland. Other than that… I’d come back to give it another try (Phở too!).

Note: This review below was before ownership changed. Unfortunately it is now a Peruvian joint disguised as a Asian phở restaurant. Food is terrible, don’t both coming here for phở anymore. Updated the rating to reflect the changes
Best Phở in Manassas. Very light broth, great aroma, fresh veggies. Shrimp noodle soup is excellent. Spring rolls are great. Best porkchops ive ever had and ive grown up on Southern fried porkchops. Excellent atmosphere, very homey environment. If you like Vietnamese and are in Manassas give the a try.

I finally got around to giving Phở Nguyen a second look — specifically for their version of Phở Ga.
Their chicken broth is very, very light in color, but has a nice flavor, albeit more of a subtle, light quality. White chicken meat was tender, aromatics were in reasonable shape, although the lime wedges looked like they had been cut some time ago and were dried out on the outside. The Basil was a bit on the ragged side.
Service was friendly and good. There was quite a bustling lunch business going on around 1:30 pm.
Worth checking out!

I want to like you more! I had Phở Ga and Spring Rolls. Your broth is SO good, but the chicken is dry and the bean sprouts are freaking me out! The lady who works there is so nice, I felt like I had to hug her goodbye when I left. If I could see some moist chicken and FRESH veggies I’d be all over it!

We are regulars here… each dish is prepared as ordered. It is the reaal deal and frequented by the local Asians.
The Lotus Salad is listed as an appetizer, but it’s quite sufficient for a main dish. The shrimp spring rolls are outstanding. Usually order a small phở soup – quite sufficient.
Curiously, this is where I go for comfort food when I feel sick and it seems to be just the right fix.

Restaurant is a mom and pop restaurant. The owners are very friendly and first impression is they have alot of regulars. I am from the Dallas, TX area and am vietnamese. I also make my own phở when I have time and am craving it.
The phở at Phở Nguyen is above average but not excellent. It is very hard to find a phở place that taste superb where the broth is at its most flavorful stage and the meats and herbs are top quality. I ordered Phở dac biet (specialty). This way I can taste all their meats in one bowl. The bo vien (beef meatball) is what I go for in phở. The bo vien here is okay, like any other bo vien. (mind you, there are some very distasteful meatballs out there.)
Friend also ordered the Shaking Beef (bo luc lac #9??). They use filet mignon beef for this which was very good. He loved it and told me he will definetely come back. I didn’t really care for the shredded lettuce and carrots that overly garnish the plate.
Overall, I would recommend this place because on average, you won’t find a place as good as this or better.

The only reason why I give this a four instead of a five, is because the Phở I’ve had there has been, while it’s definitely GOOD, definitely not GREAT — It just didn’t blow me away, BUT Phở Nguyen does have several menu items that do just that.
I can’t remember the exact names of the items on the menu, so please bare with me… Alrighty, my absolute favorite item to get there is the pork steamed dumpling — It is one large steamed dumpling with pork and a sweet egg on the inside, and it is just mouth watering. I absolutely love it.
Another surprise dish I love is the quail appetizer, i was hesitant to try it, but my mom ordered it and i felt compelled too — I was blown away, it especially tastes amazing with lime, YUM, and to quote the waiter, «Even Chinese like it!» LOL.
I can not remember the name of this other item for the life of me, but it was a duck/​egg/​rice deliciousness that i had, and had i not been graced with the presence of the quail appetizer (which is large enough to serve as a meal for one) I would have eaten it right up.
I tried the bubble tea there a few times, both pretty good. Hard to go wrong with Bubble Tea. Their standard hot tea is also very good, and is made from actual tea leaves, not the generic pads of tea you usually get. I admit, I ate the tea leaves.
They also have a shaved ice dessert with red bean and a green jello of some sort that is somewhat reminiscent of taiwanese shaved ice. I was already full from the previous meal, but i wanted to try it, and i’m glad i did, it tasted great, and you won’t be able to find a dessert like this anywhere near manassas!
The place is family owned and often you are waited on by one of the owners, it’s not a trendy psuedo asian style place, this is a real deal actual recipe from the motherland kind of joint. It is kind of a hole in the wall, but don’t let that distract you. The prices are VERY reasonable, and the food is fantastic (i highly recomend getting the non-​traditional items, as mentioned, while the phở is good, there are many other items on the menu that are PHENOMENAL, try them first!).