Pho Tuong Lai

Very comforting Vietnamese fare in this part of town. We were working outdoors throughout the day in freezing weather and in need of a meal at the end of it all to thaw us back to normal. The big bowls of noodle soup that we had at this restaurant did exactly that.
The beef broth that they make here lays a solid flavor base that brings together assorted thin cuts of meat, noodles, basil and bean sprouts into an elixir that can cure all ills. It is delicious enough to render condiments like Hoisin sauce or Sriracha as optional additions.
The restaurant does an excellent job at bringing the best out of lesser cuts of meat. Proof that every bit of an animal can be transformed into nothing short of amazing. If you’ve not tried eating nose to tail, please pass the prime cuts at your average restaurant chain and head here for a delectable ethnic treat.

So glad to have a phở restaurant nearby. I recognize all of the servers from Phở Saigon or probably other phở spots in South Philly. The phở broth is really tasty and spot on. I don’t know if this is a complaint but they give too much noodles. Yes! Too much noodles. Even for me. For some people, this may be a good thing. I… however, find myself unnecessarily stuffing my face before realizing that I was full 5 minutes ago lol. Been going here probably every other week or so and tried to get something different each time.
Phở– *****Very good. Great broth, huge portion
Banh Mi Bo Kho (beef stew w/​French bread) — ****good broth but maybe more fat than meat
Broken rice w/chicken-*****very good
Chicken phở– ***just ok
Bun thit nuong (vermicelli noodles w/​BBq pork– *****a dish that never fails and if a place does then they probably suck

I love going here for the phở. I’m so glad that somebody finally opened up a nice phở restaurant around NE Philly. I always get the beef and tripe phở. Always a good amount of soup and noodles. Usually I would be able to finish a bowl of phở, but I can never finish theirs since it’s too much. That should be good for big eaters. The service isn’t that great though. I always happen to be heading straight to the bathroom after eating the phở which isn’t really normal for me, but heck, the food is good so why not?

I’d give it 3.5 stars but there are no half stars as we all know. I’ll leave that to someone generous who will round up their rating so the overall stars will average out. Anyways, I liked their bánh mì, ordered the regular one, although the meat were not much (one slice each of the pork roll (cha lua) and two different types of ham), I am satisfied that they used the egg yolk butter! That is always a plus in my book. The bánh mì has your typical veggies and pâté and the overall taste was good.
I also tried their broken rice dish, that was a Fail for them. I’ve always loved Vietnamese egg quiches and every place makes them a bit different here and there. But what is always a BIG FAT NO is when black pepper overpowers the entire piece of quiche! Yep, that is what happened here! I like black pepper in other dishes but seriously it does not belong on the quiche… so sad! The pork chop was average, not too dry.
P. S.: I think they used too much MSG because I was very thirsty afterwards…=(

Absolutely fabulous Phở. Perfectly cooked and served hot, with peppers, mint and sprouts. Also recommend the Bahn mi special sandwich. its a great value at $ 4.00.
Go and enjoy, you will not be disappointed!

Finally a reliable and consistent phở joint in NE Philadelphia.
The soup is delicious, full of flavors and aromatic.
The rice dishes are well marinated and you get a healthy portion.
The bread of the Banh mi is hot, fresh, and … You should just try it yourself.

Very good place. You get lot of good for your money. Bahn mi sandwich is about $ 4 and it’s a sizeable sandwich. Phở is great. One bowl of phở fed my fiancée and I. This is my family staple now.

Very convenient location in the Northeast! A couple of doors down from Mr. Wish at the corner of Bustleton and Longshore Avenues. They have a very good and inexpensive Vietnamese hoagie. The French bread is perfectly toasted and totally makes a difference. We tried their grilled pork and spring roll vermicelli and it was delicious as well. You can’t beat their prices!

Great service, staff very friendly. I ordered take out. Broken Rice and Pork Chop. Delicious. Will definitely come back and it’s literally around the corner #winning

After a bubble tea a few doors down (Wish) with my son (the phở aficionado), and we decided to give this new spot a try. It’s close to the house. We were both glad there’s finally a phở spot so near. It’s something we eat… alot!
We both had the phở tai. Big bowls, lots of noodles and condiments, and a very reasonable portion of beef. The flavor was good and the price was right! We also split the spring rolls… a bit thin, but good.
The spot was clean and the staff was friendly.
We will definitely be back.

Phở was very good. I had the seafood phở, and the hubby had phở with rare steak and meatballs. First time eating here after they had only opened for three days (late post). Phở was very flavorful, didn’t need to add to much it. Will be coming here more often, plus very close home!

FINALLY.
It’s about time they have a Vietnamese restaurant on Bustleton!!! Now I won’t have to travel far for some hometown’s food :)
I’m usually not like this when it comes to other ethnic food, but I’m very, very picky when it comes to Viet food. Having the luxury of growing up with a super Vietnamese cook for a Mom, I have tasted almost all the traditional Vietnamese dishes out there. Therefore I have very high standards for Vietnamese restaurants. Well, I’m glad to say that Phở Tuong Lai didn’t let me down on the flavor aspect.
Today was my first time eating here. I went in with a friend and we order Phở Tai, Chin (#36) & Com Ga Hai Nam (#63). He got the phở and I got the broken rice. Phở came out first and it smelled pretty legit. The soup base is very aromatic, light and not too fatty. Phở flavors are there, but not as strong as I would have like it to be. However, compared to other places, it’s already scored a passing grade in my book. So, good job Phở Tuong Lai! Portion for the phở was also reasonable when compared to the price. I haven’t see $ 6.50 for a bowl of phở in such a looonnng time.
Ok, now my broken rice platter came out.
… I wasn’t happy with what I saw. For the price of $ 6.95, I was hoping to see more than just 4 pieces of chicken, 2 half slices of tomatoes, 1 slice of cucumber, lot of lettuces, pickled carrots/​daikon, 1 bowl of chicken broth flavored rice. It was more like 3.5 small pieces of chicken! Majority of it was bones! It wasn’t enough to satisfy my hunger. I was no where full when I left. Definitely not happy with my order and I felt like it wasn’t worth almost $ 7 for that plate.
So if you eat here, phở will be the best choice. As for the chicken broken rice, stay away if you want to eat your money’s worth. Overall, decent clean looking place. Employees didn’t interact much with the customers, but at least they remember to smile.
⁴⁄₅ for Phở
2.5÷5 for the Com Ga Hai Nam
Would have given a 3.5÷5 for this first experience, but since I can’t do a 3.5 here, it’ll be a ³⁄₅ for an overall experience.
I’ll come back here for the banh mi and coffee next time so look forward to that review :)

Finally the phở scene has arrived to the northeast. Yes, There are other phở places around the area but it’s still a drive to get there so to have one so close to this major street is nothing but welcomed.
The phở is great. The prices are even better. This place is definitely cheaper than your usual place but there is no skimping out on the ingredients here. This will be a staple phở place for sure.
FYI, the owners are the same owners of a phở place down in south philly. I can’t recall what the name is right now but you know it’s good if this establishment has a shop down in south philly.

They are very generous with proportions. what normally is a size large at other phở places is their regular size averaging at around $ 6.50. Their broth is subpar, i’ve had better but not the worst i’ve tried.
The place seemed to be shorthanded on workers as it started to get pretty busy during dinner time but there was only one guy running the restaurant. he even told the customers sitting next to me that they ran out of cups for water.
it’s at a pretty convenient location, smacked in the center of a strip of chinese-​ran businesses.