49. Pho Chay
Ld Pho

Ld Pho

4722 N Kedzie Ave (at Lawrence), Chicago, Illinois, USA, 60625, United States

Fish • American • Vietnamese • Vegetarian


"I judge all Vietnamese restaurants against Mai Lee in St. Louis, especially their Nuoc Cham (dipping sauce made with fish sauce) and rice dishes (but not their pho).LD Pho is one of the closest and tastiest that I've found. I ordered the pork spring rolls and the crispy pork inside made it one of the best I've had. The peanut sauce was average, but it's peanut sauce so it's pretty darn tasty regardless.I got the combination meat rice plate and enjoyed the grilled pork, Chinese sausage, egg and other fixings. The only thing missing was the traditional egg loaf cake, but the Nuoc Cham was on point. My only complaint was the jasmine rice was not broken and was on the soft side, making it mushy when sprinkled with the Nuoc Cham.Ambiance was fine for a regular restaurant and it was pretty quiet with more take out customers than dine in. Service was also fine, we just had to flag the server down whenever we needed anything. What stood out the most was that after paying the bill they asked if we wanted more water and we declined. However, after 10 minutes my friend and I were still talking and ran out of water. The server returned and filled our waters which was very welcome. Most restaurants are happy to ignore you once you've paid so this level of service deserves special recognition.Price was reasonable for dinner for two with an appetizer at $46 after tax and tip."

Pho Hoa

Pho Hoa

2450 Nicollet Ave, 55404-3449, Minneapolis, United States

Soup • Asian • Coffee • Vietnamese


"My comfort food spot in Minneapolis when I don't know where else to go for food! In comparison to many phở spots that I have been to in the Twin Cities, Phở Hòa is pretty solid because as much as the food here can never been compared to home-cooked Vietnamese meals, they still do a good job providing decent quality food that one can still enjoy if they do not feel like cooking that day. The phở broth is better than that from most places that I have been to.I am not sure if they have Bún Bò Huế because I don't recall seeing it here, but I have had the Bún Bò Xào before here and it tastes pretty good to me. The tofu is well pan-fried, and the onion is nicely caramelized. Mixing them with the noodles allows flavors to combine nicely. In terms of phở, I am always going for #97, which is Phở Chín, Nạm, Gầu, Gân, Sách, meaning brisket, flank, fatty flank, tendon, and tripe. Again, it's the broth that counts, but meat lovers will have #97 as a good option for sure. One can also order #91, which, instead of brisket, has steak instead, and everything else is the same.It seems like this restaurant is actually a chain business which I did not realize until my friend in Boston went to the one there! Even on Nicollet Ave, commonly known as Eat Street, with several Vietnamese restaurants, this place still stands out as a solid option for one to get comfort food.Service was pretty fast and on point. You should not be expecting anything above and beyond simply because that's not the way these small Asian restaurants do it, but the waitresses get the job done, and that is more than enough for me!One thing to know, which I am not sure if it applies nowadays, is that they might charge extra if you pay with a credit card."