Pho DC

Meh. It was alright. I got the bun cha gio (vermicelli with spring roll). Nothing special. I have definitely had better Vietnamese food. This place is located in D.C. Chinatown so I wasn’t expecting much. I’m sure I can definitely find more delicious Vietnamese restaurants elsewhere that are less pricey.
But maybe I haven’t tried the phở and that might be what’s good here?
(But I write this review as a Californian who have been fortunate to have had wonderful Vietnamese food in the various Vietnamese-​American communities in the state.)

I’ve mentioned how I’ve been hunting for the best and finest Phở as if I were a Knight of The Round seeking the Holy Grail.
I’m not saying I’m quite there yet, but damn, Phở DC is the best Phở I’ve had so far. I was strolling through Chinatown and the sign was convincing enough to make me skip into the restaurant and make my friends follow.
We were seated within ten minutes. The place was pretty busy and we had a party of eight. I ordered the fried dumplings as an appetizer, and the regular beef phở that includes all of the different beef portions.
So hear me out: if proving how much I loved this place required me to put my head under a giant axe wielded by a Green Knight, I totally would! The bowl was huge, and the flavor was as big as the quantity of food in it. Each piece of beef has its own flavor, and regardless of how much of the beef or the noodles you try to eat, jt just never seems to run out underneath that soup. I made it a task to finish that bowl, but I failed. It was so much, and it was so good! Absolutely worth the $ 10 bowl.
I will come back. I always will. This is one of those places that you always come back to when you’re in town, because it’s just that good.
In the meantime, I’ll keep hunting for Phở. But until I find something better, this will be the best Phở I’ve had.

I’m not sure if Phở DC upstairs is connected to Phở DC downstairs but in the basement level is a bubble tea/​sandwich counter and upstairs is a nice sit down Vietnamese restaurant. I checked out the basement to try their steamed baos. They had, pork, chicken, sha chiu, red bean, and custard. I opted for pork and chicken. I was a bit disappointed that there was less than a teaspoon of meat wrapped inside. For $ 2 I expect a few more bites of meat. Steamed baos usually have a dense meatball inside (which I don’t particularly like) but a smear of meat is also being a bit cheap. The bread was sweet and pillowy and made for a satisfying snack. The baos here make a good snack, if you happen to be in the area. But for me, it’s not something I would make a trip out for.

Delicious broth and good portions. The service was friendly at the bar, and the coffee was delicious.

I like phở, but I love bun ga nuong (chicken on vermicelli). This place makes both very well. We came an hour before closing, so I’m not sure if they were more generous to get rid of it, but each dish had so much meat! My human garbage disposal partner had to order more noodles in order to finish his phở. I usually like to take home part of my meal, but I couldn’t stop eating… Nothing left but a little lettuce.
This isn’t your normal mom and pop phở restaurant. It looked more like a club with the LED string lights (not a bad thing) and was bigger than it appears from the outside (plenty of room for larger groups).

This shop is very difficult to find, but once you find it you never miss it again. The shop is down the stairs and through a little door. I stopped by for a quick refreshing drink. I ordered the Thai milk tea. The bubbles are soft and chewy as they should be.
This review is for their bubble tea because I did not order anything else.
The bubble tea is a great pick me up. The Thai tea was delicious. I just wish it was less sweet. I even asked them to make it less sweet and yet it was super sweet. I am not sure if it is the flavor I got that was sweet or if all of their bubble tea flavors are super sweet.
They only serve one size. The size they serve is super large. It’s a large size. They sell it for only five bucks. That’s such a great deal!
I would want to try their ban Mis because it smelled savory with an aroma of cilantro and fresh bread.
Overall, it’s a great place to get bubble tea in the Chinatown area.

Ordered for pick up but wish I dined in instead. I got the Phở Tai Chin– has well done brisket and rare beef. I was hesitant about the rare beef but glad I took a chance, it was tasty. Plenty flavor, a lot of meat and maybe too many onions and I love onions. I just picked around the raw ones, no big deal.
Boyfriend got the Combination on Vermicelli: (Bun DC Dac Hiet) All of it was tasty as well.
Overall good. Will come back!

Pretty tasty. Huge bowl of Phở that left with with enough leftovers for a second meal. If I’m in the mood for noodles, I think I’d head over to Daikaya first… check out the line… and if the wait is too long, I’d stop here! It’s basically the same price, but not quite as much flavor.
I got the #3…and the meat was really really tasty. I just wish the broth had some more zest.

Ok this place is now charging $ 7 for a Banh mi. Their appeal is now lost, and there isn’t anything worth $ 7 of your attention here imo. So the previous 4 stars I gave them is seriously overrated. Have this 1 star instead.
Who raises their prices by 40% overnight?! Start gradually little grasshopper. $ 6, then next year $ 7. Too high too soon.

The service isn’t that great here and the food is only ok. An estimated 10 minute wait for a table for two ended up being closer to 30. When a table was empty the maitre d’ told us she would seat us there once she cleaned it. Shortly afterwards, she came back and told us the table was reserved but she was not the one that took the reservation, so we had to keep waiting. The curry puff (2 pieces), which is similar to a samosa (samosas are better), was dense but bland. The curry puffs came with two sauces to give them more flavor. I got phở #2, which was phở in beef broth with rare beef. The serving size is generous and comes with bean sprouts, mint, and jalapeños on the side. The phở was good but I didn’t care for the beef broth because it was overpowered by the star anise. Our waiter was not very attentive and didn’t check on us to make sure we were doing ok or to refill our drinks. The waitresses were not very friendly. This is one of the few phở places in Chinatown, so if you really want phở, you can come here.

I went to Phở DC yesterday with a friend. I understand that it was a sunny, warm Saturday after a long long time. I also understand that all the Cherry Blossom Festivities made downtown super busy, super crowded. I should have timed how long exactly I had to wait to be seated but it was definitely well over 20 – 25 minutes. I assume when you go to a restaurant, you’d be seated on a first come, first serve basis. There we are waiting for a table to clear out, and out comes a group of three and they get bumped up; keep in line there were few other people in line behind us as well. So asked the hostess what happened? She explains that there was a table of three that recently cleared and she is still waiting for a table of two to become available for us. Are there triangle shaped tables that I don’t know of? I don’t know — the wait, and the fact that someone with a bigger group waltz in and get seated over people who’ve been in line all along was a bit bothersome. I should still point out the hostess was a lovely young lady, nonetheless; she apologized to pretty much everyone one who was waiting to be seated, and she did this multiple times. And honestly there was a (long-​ish) line outside just about every restaurant yesterday. I was tempted at one point to walk out, but then we figure regardless of where we went, we’d have to wait it out in a line.
As for the food, we placed the order almost immediately after being seated. I had the curry puffs, and phở ga (the phở with shredded chicken). The curry puffs were served with a tamarind sauce and a sriracha sauce. I thought the tamarind sauce complimented the puff pastry. The phở was delicious. The jalapeño slices definitely gives it that extra edge, and I love me some spicy food! :)
The plate the server had bought out with the appetizer wasn’t fully clean. I could see residue and that made me feel a bit grossed out. But I didn’t bother to ask for another plate — there was enough traffic in the restaurant to begin with. I didn’t want to add even more work for the server. We also had to track down the server for refills on the drinks. Later at a point, the server did however swing by once to check up if everything was good, and I appreciated that.
Price wise, you get plenty. I actually didn’t even finish the phở. There was so much! All in all, the service definitely could improve. Despite the factors that were annoying and frustrating, I probably will still drop by again.

Phở DC is one of my goto places when I’m in downtown DC. It’s in the center of Chinatown and keeps surprisingly short hours for what looks like a bar but is really an overly fancy noodle shop with huge bar in the front. The service is FAST and friendly, every time my drink is low it gets refilled by some sort of magic (or bartender) and the food comes out around the time you finish placing your order.
I stick to the namesake and typically order a phở, maybe some spring rolls or dumplings if I’m very hungry. Brisket, rare beef, beef balls you can’t go wrong. I’m not sure if I’ve had the chicken so I can’t speak to that… this time, I’ll be back!

In my book, the only phở in DC proper worth eating. Just expect DC prices ($ 12+ for a bowl). All the bean sprouts, basil, etc. are super fresh.
Besides the phở, I also love to get the pork vermicelli bowl when I’m in a non-​soup mood. Plus, it makes for a good take out meal that travels better than phở. All the ingredient taste fresh and bright, the pork is nicely grilled, charred, and tender, and there’s ample peanut crumbles and sauce to go around and nicely coat the whole dish.
Service is usually prompt both at the bar and in the dining room. And the décor is way fancier than most cafeteria style phở places, so it’s not a bad place for a business lunch or date.

It is a place that is hard to spot, and once you step into the place it is a small compact store. You can get a wide selection of food and drinks. They sell banh mis, custard buns, pork buns, bubble tea, and many more things.
I got the black milk bubble tea and after I got it I wanted to go back and get another cup, but I had already walk too far ahead:(
This is a great place to stop by and get a quick bite.

I love me some phở. Phở is part of my winter routine. My friends and I like to go after working out when it’s cold out to warm up and refuel with some healthy food. So when I came to DC and it was super cold, I wanted to grab some phở and introduce my friend to it.
Phở DC is in the heart of Chinatown and the entrance can be a bit confusing to figure out. It’s actually upstairs, as opposed to downstairs. We walked up, were greeted, and seated very quickly. I was surprised by both the amount of space and the décor. It’s a somewhat swanky phở place.
Our waiter took our order after we took a few minutes to look at the menu and we waited for our food to arrive. I’m not from DC but the prices were a bit expensive. The phở itself was $ 14! When I get phở back home in Texas, I pay $ 6.95 for phở and like $ 2.95 for egg rolls. The egg rolls here were $ 5.95 for two that they cut in half to make it look like you’re getting more. I know, I know… cheap Texan here but phở and egg rolls are not expensive to make.
So how did the phở taste? It wasn’t the most flavorful phở I’ve ever eaten but it was fairly decent. The egg rolls were pretty good. Next time I’m in DC, I might try it again after I get over the sticker shock.

I came in here for dinner and thought it was just OK. My friends and I wanted ramen but it was an hour wait at Daikaya. We decided on Phở DC. I ended up getting a vermicelli bowl. The portions for anything besides Phở is pretty small. My friends enjoyed their Phở and they do have spicy satay phở, which is different than usual Phở places. However, my vermicelli bowl did not have much vermicelli. The servers said that they weigh the portions. Also, I know it’s DC, but the prices are a bit high compared to what you are getting. They do have an extensive drink menu. If you’re looking for Vietnamese food in Chinatown, it is slim pickings, so you may end up here. If I’m getting Vietnamese food in the city, I much prefer Phở 14 or Mimosa (Dupont Circle).

My friends and I were craving some phở during these colder November days, and phở DC was the closest and most convenient to get it. So it gets points for being right outside the Gallery Place metro stations! The décor was nice and trendy (definitely the nicest place I’ve gone to get phở).
We were there for late lunch, so we were seated quickly. The phở also came out pretty quickly. I had the #4 phở. While the phở was more expensive than most, the portions were large and very filling, with a generous portion of meat. The phở was good, but not the most flavorful. I still found myself adding some hoisin sauce.
Overall, a good and convenient place to get some phở in the city!

Situé en plein coeur du Quartier chinois, je né comprends pas pourquoi ce resto vietnamien récolte que trois étoiles. J’y ai mangé des vermicelles avec brochettes de porc et crevettes dignes des meilleurs. J’ai retournerai sans hésiter quand je serai de passage à Washington. Décor accueillant et service courtois. Bravo !

I cannot believe that I can order a full size fill me up bahn mi for $ 5. I was skeptical, and when I saw the bread in one display case, it still didn’t have me convinced. When you walk in, the décor is very low key, informal and well, as though little thought to décor was ever made.
Anyhow, the bahn mi is good– 4 of 5 stars. Although I ordered a veggie bahn mi without any spread to make it or keep it vegan, it was still delicious. The carrot medley of Vietnamese flavoring lore does the trick along with well-​seasoned tofu (note: it is chilled but it was deep fried), fresh crisp cucumber slices almost the length of the 10-​inch bahn mi and fresh cilantro. I consider $ 5 perfect and a deal! Yum!
Also, if you want boba, only one size and depending on your drink, $ 4.50−4.95, but it is definitely a good 20 oz. I like that they have the black pearls. I also love that they are super hip Asian style and have no snap in kids but pressed on like a thick plastic wrap that allows you to pierce with the boba straw anywhere. Yes! The milk is dairy, but they can use nondairy creamer and flavor it for you to keep it vegan. Oh the possibilities! Maybe not the healthiest, but still good! Fruit or tea flavors for your boba? Yum.
They also have soy milk in a can, coconut water (the before it was hip style), Red bull and a few other drinks. There are also some steam buns and custard tarts.
Super low key, but the price is right and prep is lightning fast for the bahn mi and boba!

Smack in the middle of Chinatown. If you want to dine in comfortably and eat something simple, then you should get some Phở at Phở DC.
The ambience of this restaurant is great to just dine in. The food comes out really quick. You will be eating in no time.
Rice Noodle Crêpe with dried shrimp
The roll of wide Rice noodle filled with dried shrimp and served with vegetables and Sweet Soy sauce.
I enjoyed the rice noodles. It was soft and thin. Cooked nicely and comes out warm. I like the extra flavor by adding the dried shrimps. Dip it in the sweet soy sauce for some added taste. It’s a nice appetizer to have if you don’t anything fried.
Spicy Satay PHO combination
Combination of rare beef, well done brisket, tendon, tripe & meatballs in Spicy beef soup.
They give you a ton of meats and noodles. They fill it all the way to the top of the bowl. The spicy stock is delicious. The meats are great. The noodles are nicely cooked. It was a very filling bowl of phở. Certainly will fill up your tummy.
Phở Approved. I Approved. Great Bowl of Phở! One of the Bests I ever had.

Noodles & bar the big neon sign says, that’s a happy combination. Happy hour with $ 3 bottle beers and $ 4 apps from 4−9pm, beers limited to Dos Equis, Yuengling, Sam Adams and Paulaner hefeweizen, a decent DC happy hour. Can’t recommend the Afflingem abbey ale especially not at $ 6 :(But no craft bottles and nothing on tap at Phở DC.
A huge bowl of Bun Bo Hue (spicy phở with beef and pork) was delivered in a stunningly short time. Medium spice level, much sliced meat, spaghetti-​style noodles and very good with the side of bean sprouts, sliced jalapeño, lime wedges and fresh basil. Can anyone ever finish this much broth? Not me, and not cheap either at $ 14, expensive soup.
Vegetarian rating: 2 stars, exactly three options: asparagus and cheese in rice paper, fried tofu with vegetables, and phở with veg and tofu. All the dumplings have meat.
Bottom line was they fed me ok and smiled about it, 2.5 stars at least. Speaking a little Vietnamese would prolly serve you very well here.