Pho 88

Disgusting Vietnamese food I have ever tasted. I do not recommend anyone to the dirty cheap Asian place to eat.

Pulled into Mobile to join the family for some fun and Seafood. We didn’t want anything heave after traveling all day, do Vietnamese was our choice.
Phở 88 is not much to look at but looks can fool you. Was greeted with a warm smile and friendly face, seated and drinks where on the way. Ordered Egg Rolls, good but greasy, sauce was good. Phở was good, too much tofu & imitation crab. Wife & son had pork noodle bowls, they enjoyed them, thought the sauce was a little sweet.
Our son will be attending college here this fall and will give this and other Vietnamese restraints a try. The stars may improve.

I think this is the better of the two Vietnamese restaurants here in mobile. It is definitely not the best Vietnamese food I have ever had, but it is decent. I would recommend this place to anyone looking for a good meal!

After dating a Vietnamese girl for 2 years I experienced some good food from her grandmother. With that said this was decent the phở was good not great the condiments were sub par also I didn’t feel comfortable with the bean sprouts the rice dish was decent the sauce needed some more flavor.

I ordered phở with beef flank & meatballs. It was OK. I didn’t even finish it and I haven’t even eaten all day. It wasn’t as flavorful as most places. I also ordered shrimp spring rolls but got pork spring rolls, not so tasty. It had carrots in there which were kind of different for me. My friend ordered the chicken curry and it did not taste like curry. When you order a curry you usually expect yellow/​red curry but it tasted like regular stir-​fry at Chinese restaurant. When we asked the server she said that’s how their curry is and it’s different from most common curry. The soup that came with it was bomb! We couldn’t figure out what it was but it was clear and interesting, almost like a lemongrass flavor. Prices were competitive. Probably wouldn’t come back, but the service was excellent! The 2 ladies that served us were lovely and super nice!

I had the chicken phở broth with tofu and it was great. I slurped down every bit. My husband had the shrimp curry which was equally as tasty.

Phở 88 has been a staple vietnamese venue for me over the years. It’s family run by almost 3 generations. Sure the new younger wait staff isn’t as friendly or knowledgeable as the the owner’s grandmother and mother, but what do you expect from kids these days… besides this isn’t fine dining.
For those wondering what to order, I recommend the #2 phở dish which is a medium bowl with all the fixings. Be sure to put the garnishes in it consisting of bean sprouts, basil, lime, and jalapenos as well as a few squirts of sriacha and duck sauce which is on the table. I also recommend the 88 special plate which consists of two marinated and grilled juicy pork chops with a sunny side up egg, rice, and a bowl of soup for under $ 10… that is truly worth waiting for.
For those afraid of beef stock or cow, try the chicken noodle soup #19 I believe, that’s what my sister orders every time. Or, you can try their stir fried noodles which definitely hits the spot each and every time.
Their spring rolls are ok, but their egg rolls are legit with that tasty fish sauce to dip them in.
One more thing, the food comes out QUICK! So, if you’re in a hurry, this is a good place for lunch and/​or dinner. So try it out

The phở was OK. The meatballs were very rubbery. (Yen is better) My husband and I ordered an ex-​large bowl and split it. I felt bad for splitting one item so we ordered pork and shrimp spring rolls. Both items came out together. We took one bite of the spring rolls and looked at each other. Not good. At all. The meat tasted old (pork was gray) and the shrimp was overly fishy. We didn’t eat them and continued to our soup, which hit the spot.
Our waitress came by at the end of our meal and asked if everything was ok. We very politely explained that the spring rolls tasted a bit off, like the meat was old. (BT food has to be BAD for us to send something back. We eat just about anything!) She apologized and then told us she thought we were looking at a piece of napkin that was stuck to the rolls. She had to wipe it because the soup spilled on the rolls. Nope, but thanks for letting us know after the fact…
Anyway, we went to pay and she charged us for the rolls. My husband asked, «We have to pay for the rolls even though we didn’t eat them?»
waitress: «Yes, I’m sorry. Do you guys hate us?»
me: «No, but the rolls were bad. We are not picky but we are telling you they did not taste good.»
waitress: «I tasted them in the back and they tasted fine to me. They did not taste rotten.»
me: OK.
Soooooo… I’m not one to argue over three dollars but I am to write a bad review and never return.
I wasn’t even going to bring up the piece of napkin being stuck to the rolls because I thought it was kind of funny (the waitress was very young and obviously didn’t know serving etiquette). However, paying for crappy food is aggravating so yes, I’ll point out bad service too.

I only give this a 4 because I was on vacation and got the same thing on the two occassions I went here. My sister brought my husband and I for lunch and we came back the next day by ourselves it was so good.
I ordered the 48 and my husband ordered the 44. My dish came with rice vermicelli noodles on top of a bed of veggies. Nestled on top of the noodles were super tasty small eggrolls and seared chargrilled pork that was incredibly flavorful. My husband’s was the same minus the eggrolls. Our dishes came with two different broths. One was clear and sweet with cilantro in it, I used that the first time and it was delicious. The second time my husband recommended I use the orange tented broth with orange zest floating in it. He was absolutely right, the broth was savory and elevated the dish.
Service was excellent. The girl serving us both times is the daughter of the owner, whom we also met. Lovely people. I will visit here as often as possible when visiting the area. Phenomenal.
Updated march 2015. This place is still so delicious.

I had lunch here last week and it was really good. I wasn’t sure what to order as the menu was huge and confusing (just b/​c it was my first time) To be honest I had no clue what I ordered… a soup with beef in it and a shrimp pasta dish.
My food was brought out quickly. Both dishes were very large and very good! I enjoyed the two hot sauces on the table. The service was excellent… very friendly staff who were checking up on me and the other diners regularly.
Atmosphere was lacking but I wasn’t looking for that. I just wanted a good, quick meal and I got it.
I will definitely be back.

I love this little place. The service is great. The food is good and portions are great for the price. It is not a super fancy restaurant and they don’t have large decorations all over like some other places. But I’d rather eat here since my server actually cared that I had everything I wanted. We will be back.

Considering that this is only 1 of 2 places in Mobile to get phở and friends of mine have been to Taste of Vietnam multiple different times and always had long hair in it, this is a much better option.
The broth, as long as you put the lime, hoisin, and siricha in it, is decent. My mother can make it better but w/​most good soups, it takes all day to make and it’s just easier to buy it. I’ve never ordered anything but the dac biet, which is good but not stellar.
I would suggest getting take out (as I have done the last few times) b/​c as other reviewers have said, it’s a hassle dealing w/​the kids that are there.

Very boring Phở. As usual, I get the xl bowl with everything (beef balls, rare, tripe, tendon… the works). The broth is what makes Phở IMO, and they don’t have it. It’s more like salt water. It’s fine in a pinch, the place is clean and easy to get to. I can only comment on the Phở; I didn’t try anything else. I just hope there’s better Phở in Mobile. I’ll be searching. The place on Holcombe is next…

Phở 88 is one of those places that you choose when you have no other option (like Yen is closed on Mondays or you’re craving Phở but too lazy to drive into the bad part of town for it). The Phở, the highlight of the restaurant, is very inconsistent. I’ve had it some days where it was the best in the world, and some days I would have been better off eating the instant version. I really wish they would bring back the Bun Rieu. That was the only reason to go to 88 twice a month.

Well, as for the selection of Vietnamese restaurants, Mobile isn’t the best, however, Phở 88 is the best place to go for some great quality phở, vermicelli, etc! For anyone that thinks that Yen’s has better food is very delusional because they are slow as hell and the food isn’t as fresh. If you want good food and not want to starve, then go to Phở 88!

This is the place to go if you want to get in and out.
Not quality food, but with little competition they can get away with that. Yen’s has better quality food, but the drive is out there and the wait time is heinous.
But I have to say, I enjoy their jasmine sweet tea, and avocado smoothies. The rice plates aren’t too bad and you always get your phở within 3 minutes of ordering. lol.

Understand, the food is good, but the atmosphere is awful. There is always an employee’s, or someone’s, child running around annoying the customers. The last time I was there, a small child came up to my husband and I’s table and repeatedly asked «What would you like to eat today?» while my husband and I are trying to have an adult conversation. I had to tell one of the employees to control the kid. Often times there may even be a group of kids from different families literally running around the restaurant!!! Phở 88 is NOT a playground! I will not be going back.