Anh Dao

Their phở is great and their broth is some of the best in the area. The location is easily accessible too. They don’t seem to have heat in the winter though.

Mediocre phở and extremely terrible customer service to black patrons. My husband and I have gone twice for a sit-​down meal and have been treated very coldly – no hello, just asked what we want. But they greet white patrons with a smile and friendly words. It’s happened twice and both times we’ve left after being ignored. I won’t be spending my money in a place that I feel disrespected.

The dining room was dingy. The portions were fair. Not worth the price. The service was friendly and prompt. My son and I agreed the candy at the end of the meal was the best part. I won’t be going back.

OK, so we are looking for a Phở Restaurants in DC. I hate to say what I have to say. The Phở itself was not so bad but… it was not so clean and the ambiance was way below par for the price they were charging. As soon as we sat down I wanted to leave but we didn’t want to be rude. Service was cold and disinterested. Not welcoming at all. Good luck to you all who crave the hot soup!

Bigoted, racist restaurants need to be called out. Learn to treat everyone equally and with respect.

Great Vietnamese food on Capitol Hill. So glad I stopped in here to get some vegetarian phở. So many delicious vegetables, great sweet and spicy sauce on the table. Highly recommended!

The Phở was excellent but the price was a bit high. Two bowl of Phở cost us $ 30, while back in Orlando, we would have paid half that price.

Decent food, like expensive Raman. The woman charged me dinner prices before 3pm (lunch time) so I didn’t leave a tip. No central heat. Cheap environment. Very cheap jade Buddha. Lol. we stayed warm by space heaters. Lol. so funny ! So so

I didn’t order roach phở! The phở was already disappointing, only for me to find a roach floating in the broth. Disgusting! Avoid at all costs!

No one deserve zero service! The food (special soup and spring rolls) was «ok» but not so good to cover the un accepted service.
And they was not busy at all! I was one of only two tables they serve at that point of time.
«Double visit»: first and last

My favorite place to stop for phở in NE. There is an amazing spicy sauce that you can pour over your soup that takes it from great to fantastic. The special vermicelli is also fab and loaded with noodles, chicken, shrimp and egg rolls!

I’ve order lunch to go several times but have never dined in. Hard to order over the phone, serious language barrier. Every time I order the service gets worst and worst when I pick up my food. I even witnessed some strange things while I waited for food (I could be wrong but there was some discrimination). Food is ok compared to other local phở’s, over priced and taste different everytime. My last visit she even tried to up charge me for beef broth in my veggie phở. Thai tea is the worst I’ve ever tasted and way over priced. I must be a glutton for punishment because I keep going back, but I promise the last time was my last!

I approve. Had the spring rolls, phở special, iced-​coffee and Thai iced-​tea. The phở was very tasty with very tender slices of beef. Very nice staff. Cozy atmosphere.

Cute place, want to love it, but the food is just too bad to leave a good review. The chicken in my soup might as well have been leather. I seriously couldn’t chew it. Bean sprouts were old and browning. And, as others have mentioned, more expensive than nicer places.
I’ve been twice, and it’s been disappointing both times.

This place is bizarre in so many ways, from the perpetually empty tables, the generally lethargic service, and the obviously frozen beef they use for their rib-​eye phở, but for whatever reason, I like it.
The woman who is always working is super friendly, although on her own schedule. The food comes out pretty quickly, and its always constantly average, which is all I can ask for really out of a divey go-​to neighborhood spot.
Get the Grilled Pork Vermicelli, it’s by far the best thing on the menu and never disappoints. The phở is fine but if you’re a purist you’ll probably be let down.
Also, if you come at Christmas time, you get the added bonus of feeling like you’re sitting in the set from «A Christmas Story»…

Small venue, intimate décor, seems family run. maybe? Tried their vermicelli special and was satisfied — a great amount of food (had a plenty leftover for lunch the next day) and fresh ingredients, but the lady took my order incorrectly and I had to wait until my party was basically finished eating to have my food brought out. Price is also slightly expensive, albeit not unreasonable. Probably won’t bother traveling all the way here again which is quite far from where I live, but I’ll get the special again when I’m in the area and in the mood for it.

I am moving my two reviews from their old business page to here:
My husband and I went here last year with some friends of ours who recommended it. We had a great time! I got the chicken phở, my husband got the vegetarian phở, and we shared the fried tofu with peanut sauce. All was delicious; the service was quick and cordial; there were generous helpings of sprouts, lime, and fresh basil for the three of us who got phở; and we all had a wonderful time (although a lot of that was good company, which, of course, a restaurant has little control over). Atmosphere-​wise, it feels like many non-​chain Asian restaurants – somewhat homegrown, a teensy bit tacky, but pleasant and clean. It was a great spot for dinner and conversation – in fact, I’m pretty sure we were the noisiest things there – and we were just talking normally, if enthusiastically, at times.
A note: my husband is a vegetarian, and we were worried they didn’t have a vegetarian option, but it turns out that the back of the menu has a whole vegetarian section (not just phở). So for all the vegs out there, give this place a try!
Update: We didn’t go back again for various reasons (none to do with the restaurant) until recent months, but since going back, have kept falling prey to the cravings and returned more often than is good for our budget, haha.
Holy crap, they’re way better than I even remember! Their veg/​tofu phở is chock-​full of delicious veggies, the broth is spot on, if you’re dining in, the service is great! I decided to branch out and try the lemongrass tofu, which is tofu in a sauce and veggies over rice vermicelli. Very very very tasty. But I keep coming back to the phở!
Not the cheapest place in town for dinner, but two people can each get phở or a noodle dish for around $ 30.

Not a fan. This is the first time I haven’t finished a bowl of phở. The broth was okay, but the noodles were too thick and had a weird texture. Plus since Anh Dao is in DC, the prices are a bit higher than what I usually see. Skip it and go to Phở 75 in Rosslyn

I was pretty excited to check this place out. We tried going a week prior, but they were closed for vacation (or maybe it was renovation?). Anyway, went the following week and everything was just bad.
We ordered the spring rolls. They tasted like they had been sitting out for hours. For some reason there was shrimp and chicken in there, and it was cold and nasty.
On to the entrees. My wife got the chicken phở and I had the lemongrass chicken vermicelli. Aesthetically, they left much to be desired. And the taste followed suit.
I hate to write a bad review, because the lady was so nice, but this is the worst food I’ve ever had at a Vietnamese restaurant. And some of the highest prices I’ve seen in town.
Maybe their food was old because they were closed the week prior?
I might give them one more chance…

If you enjoy phở, don’t come to this place. Their phở is so bad it’s almost offensive. They use frozen, cheap clumps of beef for their «steak» phở. The meat is so chewy and chunky, completely unlike what steak phở is supposed to be like. The broth is nothing special, just salty. I’m surprised this place is still in business to be honest.

I moved into the city recently and have been trying to scope out Vietnamese places for the upcoming cold months. I love Viet food-it’s my go-​to. I was extremely excited when I noticed Anh Dao was only a few blocks from my apartment. I needed to check it out. Immediately.
Food: I ordered spring rolls and the meatball phở, one of my favorites. The spring rolls came out poorly wrapped. The rice paper looked, felt, and tasted as if it had been sitting out for a few hours. It was really disappointing. It tasted basic, nothing amazing. The phở broth was nothing to praise. Again, standard. The noodles were a sticky glob at the bottom of my bowl. Quite unsatisfying trying to pull them apart into a small enough mass to slurp into my hungry belly. The only thing that is keeping me from giving this place one star are the meatballs. Those delicious, moist, flavorful half balls of meat rendered the place not completely terrible. I can’t say the same for my dining partner. He ordered phở too and the meat was way over cooked.
Service: Typical Asian place. Don’t expect amazing customer service. The lady did refill my water-​once. I was given a bit of hassle when I requested extra basil. I love Thai basil. One stem was not enough for my partner and I to share.
Ambiance: Not spectacular. The restaurant looked as if it was an Italian place at one moment in time.
Overall: I am very confused why Unilocal has such high ratings for Anh Dao. I would rather hike to another Viet place for phở/​goodies. Only if I was sick and my tastebuds rendered useless would I crave this phở :/

Umm, I come here for the phở. They really need to stop using frozen steak for their soup. They aren’t fooling me. If you want phở, you can go here, if you want really good phở, try some other place. Dear I say, if they dared to make better phở more folks might come through there.

really yummy phở — generous portions and courteous staff! I’ve had the beef noodle phở and the fresh spring rolls as well as the fried ones. I want to try more stuff on the menu but I really just go there for phở cravings since there aren’t many options of phở in the area. you can order ahead and take out or eat in — not too many seats and not great for a big big group, but up to 5 is probably do-​able. also parking is easy to find around there which is nice but also a quick walk from eastern market or potomac ave metro stops.

Popped in here the other day, wanting to get our V-​fix on. We wanted something close to our rental crib, after another day of urban trekking in our nation’s capitol.
Arriving at 3:30pm, doors were locked. Oh fuck!?! Now what??? But wait, the owner unlocks the door, greets us and seats us. Right on we say.
Perusing the menu, I realize there’s no beer to quench our thirst on this warm and slightly muggy sunshine filled day. Oh fuck!?! Now what??? But wait, they have Vietnamese coffee on the menu, so all is good. I’d pump this stuff into my veins if I could and forego ever sleeping again, but I just stick with one glass of the caffeinated chilled goodness of coffee and condensed milk.
We order vittles and when they arrive, we devour, uttering the occasional grunt of yums between each savory bite of rice noodle, fish sauce, chicken, pork, cilantro, crushed peanuts, lettuce and bean sprouts. Oh so delicious.
So, the next time you’re bopping around the Eastern Market area of DC, make sure to pop in here for a bite.
You’ll be glad you did.

We ate here early one Saturday evening about 6pm and I think were the first customers of the evening as the only ones in there until a few more showed up later. We had a tofu-​phở with some sprouts and anise leaves, a crispy roasted chicken over salad (mostly carrots and lettuce so I added the sprouts from the other dish to spruce it up a bit) with a light vinegar dressing. I got the feeling they’ve lost their passion for what they do as everything was not quite as good as it should have been but good enough. They serve no alcohol and the service was prompt and friendly. It is not wheelchair accessible as there’s a step at the front door.

When we arrived, the doors were locked, the restaurant was devoid of customers, and the lights were off, despite a neon sign informing us the business was open. After trying the door and finding it locked, an older gentleman came over, unlocked it, and waved us silently inside. He brought us to a table and a woman brought us silverware and water. Neither was very friendly, though when we placed our order it only took about ten minutes to receive the food.
The spring rolls were fresh and light, but that’s where the good ends and the bad begins. The chicken wings were small, hard, crunchy, and greasy. The vegetarian «phở» was American chicken noodle soup sans chicken. The broth was standard vegetable stock laden with carrots, broccoli (?!), and celery, with three small pieces of off tasting tofu. The only vaguely phở-​like bit of this dish was the weak afterthought of mint and few shreds of cabbage. I adore phở, but this was absolutely the worst I have ever had. While my fiancé’s beef with noodles wasn’t quite so awful, he was equally unimpressed, and failed to finish the greasy meat matched with bland noodles.
We were so hoping for a great meal based on the reviews, but this was a complete letdown. And far too pricey given the low quality of the food and service.

We’re recently back from Vietnam, where we loved the food. So we were eager to try this little place that’s tucked away on Capitol Hill.
My vermicelli special was excellent – tasty shrimp & pork & egg rolls. My husband wasn’t so high on his noodles with beef, as he wasn’t keen on the tripe that was part of the deal. The fried egg rolls were OK, but certainly not up to what we had in Vietnam.
I’d still have given 5 stars except for the fact that Anh-​Dao doesn’t serve wine or allow folks to bring their own (I called ahead & asked). I found the lack of wine detracts from the dining experience, though many will not need that.

Great Phở. I got the ribeye phở to go and it was pretty awesome. The surprise highlight was the fresh spring rolls with plenty of sauce to dip in… some of the best I’ve had. The ingredients for everything were fresh and delicious. The spice content of the broth was perfectly fine for me (some other reviewer said it was bland, she probably didn’t use the required sauces…)
I’d definitely go back! There is only one thing that you should do here, which is to request that they NOT put the meat into the hot soup for your take out order. It cooks the meat! (I mean, unless you liked cooked meat, then by all means don’t say anything) Our meat was cooked and it made it kind of tough, but this was only a minor concern so I am not deducting a star for something minor that I should have requested.
It’s located next to Frager’s Hardware, which is currently in demo/​reconstruction since the big fire last year. But the construction doesn’t really affect the restaurant. It’s not exactly amazing inside, but it’s perfectly big enough – bigger than most Phở places I’ve been to. Totally worth a visit. It will be in my regular rotation on the Hill.