Pho Mania

This place changes names so much I don’t ever remember what its called. But I love it. Its cheap, and within walking distance of my house so when we are too lazy to cook, this is the best. Need I say more?

2 stars just cause I love the name, based on taste however, not so much. LA has such a vast amount of phở restaurants and large eclectic Asian population adding their own twists to the phở flavor and tradition in each and every one of their own ways so its disappointing to come across a phở rest. That carries mediocrity to a new low broth watered down and flavorless meat both chicken, beef, and shrimp all way over cooked and noodles all stuck together and even uncoiled in parts. The summer roll was sweet?! And peanut sauce super sweet?! What were they thinking in fact the only saving grace was the chicken wings, sweet and spicy with the perfectly fried and crispy skin, but for a phở rest. I want my phở to taste greAt and my wings shouldn’t be the highlight.

I really thought this place would be better considering it was in pretty much the heart of Korean town. It’s has a pretty big dining space. When I was there was on like a 8 or 9 on a Saturday and there was only like 2 or 3 tables occupied, that should’ve been a red flag right there. The Phở was ok but nothing to write a rave a review about. The Spring rolls below average. Don’t plan on going back there anytime soon.

I know this place ain’t all that good but for some reason I end up coming here because they are open 24hr and close to where I live. It’s nice to come here when you are out late and don’t want to bother with all the drunk crazies out and about.

I give this place 3.5 to 4 stars.
When you’re in the mood for phở in Koreatown — this is a good option. They’re a bit skimpy on the meat but the noodle to broth ratio is decent. Also, bonus points because the broth isn’t overly greasy. Too many places don’t take the time to fish out the grease swimming on the top.
They also give you plenty of bean sprouts, chopped cilantro (I’m a big fan of cilantro), jalapenos, and onions — lots of onions. I’ve read the reviews on here and it seems a lot people are confused about the onions. You have to remember, this is a phở place in Koreatown. So, the extra onions don’t go in the soup, but are supposed to be treated like a side dish. Many Koreans like to put sriracha sauce and a bit of the sweet brown sauce on the onions and mix it up to make a spicy kimchi-​like side dish. I haven’t seen anyone outside of Koreans do this so confusion is understandable. :)
Bottom line: I would recommend this place to anyone with a craving for phở in K-​town.

me, the gf, and a couple fellow Unilocalers (phillip n. and cate t.) ate a late dinner here after an event this past tuesday night. bcd tofu house had a humongous line in front, and we initially wanted to eat phở. so, this seemed like the perfect answer. i was a little hesitant going to k-​town for vietnamese and should’ve gone with my gut instinct on this one.
phở mania bills itself as authentic vietnamese cuisine. yeah, authentically bad…
the noodles were overcooked and stuck to the bottom of the bowl. also, the paltry portions of meat were low quality and old.
they couldn’t even get the condiments right. sure, they had bean sprouts, jalapeño slices, lime and cilantro. but they completely forgot the basil leaves and instead, replaced it with a large plate of sliced onions.
did we really need more onions to go with the plenty already in the broth?
uh, NO!!!
man, the only good thing about this place was its extremely tasty (i’m guessing filtered) tap water. so smooth and without the usual gross chlorine flavor. if you want a cup of cold refreshing water, i totally recommend this place. otherwise, the sgv (garvey ave, valley blvd, las tunas dr) is full of real spots to get some good phở…

Considering the fact that I was damn hungry by the time we decided on this place to eat a late dinner, the place was just okay. Low-​end okay.
It’s Koreatown. Phở is not the proper choice in Koreatown, but phở seemed to be the general craving of the night, and we would just have to deal.
However, what is with all the onions?! You already get onion in your phở, I don’t need a whole heaping plate of sliced raw onion to go with my onion.
The noodles were pretty clumped together in the bowl. I did spend some time using my chopsticks to loosen everything up.
The quality of the meat is pretty low-​end and you don’t get much of it. I actually left a couple of pieces because they looked pretty nasty. One of my dining companions rejected a piece that looked sort of… greenish in color.
In any case, I was hungry, the night was cold, and the phở warmed me up (with a healthy dose of sriracha alongside). It was cheap, and you get less than what you pay for.
I would’ve rather gone to the new KBBQ a couple of doors down.

Perhaps it was my own fault for visiting a Vietnamese restaurant in Korea Town, but my experience here was sub-​standard. The restaurant sits behind BCD Tofu House, and I regret having not gone there instead.
I ordered the phở, and got it to go. It was supposed to be rare beef and shrimp. The beef was fully cooked, a solid grey color, with a cardboard like taste. I didn’t even add in the shrimp– they hadn’t been de-​veined, and were too gross for me to eat.
The broth was super MSG salty, and not much flavor underneath that.
I do not expect to be back.
On the upside, I did not get sick. :-)

Whenever I have out of town people come, one of the many stops we make is Phở Mania!
A $ 4.99 Regular Phở bowl (that is actually a large portion), that’s only a short walk to/​from Wilshire/​Western.
That together with an oh-​so-​addictive Thai Ice Tea and basil leaves (by request) it is more than a-​okay by me.
It’s a simple meet-​up place that’s open 24 hours, you also get your fill of foreign game shows and soap operas (always fun).
It is a B-​Rating, so if you’re a stickler for that stay clear; I will keep their Phở all to myself.

Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever been greeted in Korean when entering a Phở restaurant. It definitely caught me off guard.
The place was deserted, it smelled somewhat like Phở, and it was eerily quiet. By the time we sat, a semi-​friendly Korean man greeted us at the table… continuing to speak to us in Korean. I smiled and replied in English. It was a funny 2-​seconds of exchange.
Anyhoo, I ordered my norm, Phở with rare steak and beef tendon. The broth was definitely not the normal broth I’m used to at places like what Phở Pasteur (of the old) and Saigon Flavor in San Gabriel and even a few others spots I used to visit in the Bay Area.
They were VERY generous with the onions, I have to admit. That’s a good thing, if you’re into lots of onions.
Honestly, this Phở is oookay. The fact that it’s open as late as it is helps it a smidge, but it doesn’t save the fact that it falls in the same category as Phở Citi in Phở taste and quality.
I may or may not return. I guess it depends on how much I’m craving some late night Phở.
2 Stars.

I wish Unilocal had a ½ star rating. I’d give this place a 3.5 easily but not enough for a 4.
Phở mania is a no frills $ 5.99 choose any phở item on the menu kinda place.
Korean owned and operated, a lil restaurant tucked behind BCD tofu on western, I love that’s its 24 hours, I love that it’s inexpensive, I love that they play Korean soap operas on the 1 big screen in the restaurant.
The quality of the phở is passable. I was missing my mint leaves but the large portions made up for that. Eggrolls were great. Come with your standard lettuce wrap faire and dipping sauce.
Timing varies. I went late friday night and they were buzzing. I felt bad for the poor waiter who was by himself. Service is dodgy but at least the food came out faster than expected.
And another thing, old korean men customers are rude. I hate ajashis who take the «respect your elders» too far. Just saying.

Mmm k.
Koreatown scares me, Ill say it. I’ll admit it. I just have this fear I’m going to walk in a restaurant and I’m going to order something strange with wet octupus in it.
(Please don’t ask).
This is my go to Phở spot in K-​Town. Its just real… basic bitch. Nothing extraordinary, but yes its good and it does the job. Now that I’ve had Phở from different places, I know the difference. This use to be my favorite spot until I had So Phở So Good…
But anywho… LARGE portions. I mean everytime I order a small bowl, I’m still surprised as to how big it is. The large bowl (no exageration) is the size of a mixing bowl.
They have all the toppings. I know how some Phở places skimp out on basil and cilantro. The rare beef (on the side) is very tender. I will say they have the best quality beef, if not the best broth.
I never get the stank eye when Im in here. That is a huge plus. I hate when I go out to get phở at other places and I get this look like, «wrong establishment, get out»…
There isn’t any serious atmosphere, and it isn’t a date spot. This is to the point, eat and go. O but if you order to go. MAN! You get like double noodle portions. SWEEEET!
I say it again, real basic bitch. Too the point, cheap and large portions.

A little sub-​par in comparison to the many phở restaurants in the Koreatown area. I ordered the equivalent of my usual Phở Tai and an order of egg rolls. Their menu did not refer to it as a «Phở Tai» but rather a «number 1.» There wasn’t a choice for a small or large but, the portion was big.
Everything looked and smelled like my usual Phở Tai but, I did notice 2-​different types of meat — rare flank steak and brisket. The egg rolls looked and tasted the same.
I was a little disappointed to find out that you had to ask them for basil leaves. The cilantro was not cut nicely and included a lot of the stems. They even chopped it up with green onions in the same dish.
The broth was a little disappointing. Even though I followed my normal routine with the sauces, the cilantro, the lime and jalapenos, etc. The noodles looked like they were a bit swollen which indicated to me that they left the noodles in the broth too long and then served it.
Parking is okay because this restaurant is located in a strip mall off of Western Ave. They only have two child’s seats and no boosters. Not too kid friendly.
Price was good — $ 4.99 for a bowl of Phở. I am not sure if this is the regular price but as the old saying goes, «you get what you paid for.»
Overall, I will NOT be coming back to this place. You can get much better Phở up and down Western Ave. in Koreatown.

Typical Korean phở place. Nothing fancy, not particularly clean but acceptable. Average quality, good portions, great price (5bux). Good service.
3 stars.

If there are two reason for you to come, they are portions and prices.
Large bowls and good deals. Spring rolls are decent. The broth itself is a bit watery and not super flavorful but this is probably better than some broths with like a 2:1 of water to MSG. Good for hangovers, good for hangunders and people who are currently drunk.

This was my first experience with Phở.
To be honest I was not even sure of what it was till I had some about a week ago at a Unilocal event. By the way that sample was POOR and full of jalapeños and no one damn noodle.
My friend insisted that we get some so she whipped out her phone and Unilocaled Phở places in Koreatown. This place hit the spot.
We didn’t have a lot of money but wanted to eat like Kings.
The inside is basic, black chairs, black tables, and photo copied menus all over the walls. The service was cool and they didn’t charge an extra $ for Debit/​Credit.
Phở is so damn good. They have a special where you get Phở and a side of egg rolls (my choice) or spring rolls for $ 7.95. God it was so good. The hot broth, the noodles and all these different toppings: sauces, beef, onions, green onions, lime, cilantro, bean sprouts. Yes, I used every single one and the I NEVER ran out of noodles. My food was very filling.
The only complaint that I had about this place was the strange group of Hispanic guys giving me and my best friend the sexy eyes when we left.

Phở Mania has a «summer special» of $ 5 for a bowl of Phở – you can’t beat this deal. This special was valid all last fall and winter, and is still good in spring 2010.
I presume that management (Korean) will end the summer special when it starts snowing, so I’m hoping that it doesn’t start snowing anytime soon.

Mmm… Korean Phở.
They make pretty good Phở and that’s saying a lot coming from someone who is Vietnamese. However, when it comes to the meat, there is VERY little. :(The beef to noodle ratio is about 1:8… and they give you A LOT of onion in a separate plate. Most likely you won’t need it since there’s already enough in the Phở.
There’s a «special» for the Phở; it’s only $ 4.99! Cheap!
One thing about their service: although it doesn’t appear to be busy AT ALL, it still takes a lot to get their attention. Just sayin’.

So many phở restaurants in Koreatown to choose from.
and this one’s definitely not on my list.

The previous restaurant at this location was also a Phở place called Phở 5.5. Not sure if there’s a change in management but the name has been changed to Phở Mania.
Currently, they have a $ 4.99 special on all Phở dishes. I ordered the #1 regular (you get a choice of regular size bowl or large size bowl) and it was plenty enough for me.
It comes with a plate of thinly sliced white onions and a plate of bean sprouts w/​basil leaves and quartered limes. The soup was delicious! The waitress could tell how much I liked the soup by the proportion of soup to noodles that was in my bowl that she asked lady if I would like more soup. I declined because I was full but I thought that was very nice and attentive of her! 5 stars on service!
Highly recommend! It’s good phở and go while the special price lasts.
Parking: Lots of parking in the parking lot in front of the restaurant.