Pho King

Convenient Phở on this side of Canal. People are nice there. The food is always consistent and convenient location.

Sadly I didn’t get to eat here, because we couldn’t find it! They didn’t answer their phone. There is no sign outside. The Lost Love Lounge was closed so we couldn’t have gotten to the restaurant anyways, even though we went for a late lunch. Better signage and a separate entrance would make this much more accessible!

This place doesn’t answer their phone even though they claim to offer delivery and pickup. Too bad too cuz the food is tasty.

I was pleasantly surprised to find this little vietnamese kitchen located in the back of the Lost Love Lounge. I am a big fan of phở and to have it in the back of one of my favorite bars in my favorite area of the city is all a winner for me. I had the rare brisket phở and it was delicious and they have some very tasty rolls that I tried. If your riding your bike this winter in the Bywater/​Marigny/​FrenchQuarter area than this is the spot for a quick warm up. Plus they are open late and accepts credit cards. I love this place.

Vegetarian/​vegan friendly! Plus there’s a bar in front! The tamarind fried tofu Bun is delicious and fresh. Green lettuce is topped with rice noodles, then stacked with fried tofu, bean sprouts and cilantro with sauce on the side. We ate, then sat at the Lost Love bar and had drinks. Good drinks, good music– a fun place that keeps it super casual. If you’re looking for a relaxed place to have some drinks and good Vietnamese food –this is the place!

I am a Vietnamese aficionado, I grew up eating in there homes. It’s a Cusino that is made of the richness of long simmering flavors. Unfortunately Phở King missed the memo. I was hankering for some Phở and rolls… the Phở broth was tasteless, the pro rolls were just seasoned pork in a wrapper… neither dish had the fresh authentic greenery that is the foundation for ever thing that calls us to culture’s that are not our own… then to charge 10 bucks for a bowl that I found not worth the calories was heart breaking… I will just wait for the real Phở places to open… yes that’s why I went too Phở King my regular spots close too Damn early …

I love that this place exists in the back of Lost Love. Vietnamese egg rolls are fiya, but you already knew that.

Love this place, easy choice whenever I’m looking for something fresh, healthy and clean tasting. I’ve tried most of the vegetarian options and the tamarind tofu bahn mi (sandwich) and tofu phở (noodle soup) and veggie spring rolls are my favorites. Everything comes piping hot and with super fresh veggies, herbs and accoutrements. Servings are filling and prices are reasonable. This is a must go place for vegetarians and those looking for yummy and healthy casual dining.
They absolutely do need a sign! The way they present, they look like the kitchen in a somewhat divey bar, which likely doesn’t offer the greatest confidence in their cooking. While rarely empty, the place is also rarely very full, and I only wonder how well they would do if more people knew they were there!

A few drinks on Frenchmen and I had to satisfy my week-​long craving for vietnamese food. And so I decided to try the legendary Phở King.
It’s a few blocks away from the vibrant goings-​on of the Marigny and at night (and if you’re not a local who understands NOLA neighborhoods) it may seem like you’re walking in the wrong direction. Assuming you’re walking in the right direction, keep going.
You’ll arrive at the Lost Love Lounge and you’ll probably ask the bouncer/​security dude if you’re in the right place. Between you and me, I did. Assuming you’re in the right place, keep going.
You’ll walk through a cozy bar and assuming you’re in the right one, keep going. If you’re not in the right place you might end up in some «back room» where you’ll see… well, not Phở King but it’s homonym.
If you DO end up at Phở King, walk towards the counter where you’ll be greeted with friendly service. Get the spring rolls — the peanut sauce is damn good. (to the chef: If it’s out of a bottle, tell me. I don’t care I’ll buy it. If it’s not out of a bottle, you should considering bottling it.) The shrimp was extraordinary in that they were actually seasoned. Most places don’t really do it like they do. Yum.
The bun is a healthy portion (not a large as what you’ll find in the west bank eateries) but they’re probably doing me favor with the reasonable portion. The pork was perfectly cooked and the fish sauce added the perfect complement.
All in all a good experience and worth every step it took to get there from Frenchmen. I’ll be back.

Pricey for what it is. We ordered the fried «spring rolls» and expected a fair amount for the price, but what we got was 3 TINY little things not even worth the effort to eat them. The noodle salad was passable but extremely salty. The only bright spot was the Phở but wasn’t enough to make me ever want to visit this establishment again.

I’m really phở-​king impressed by this place and feel the need to give them phở-​king props, although I did write a separate review for Lost Love Lounge and mentioned how phở-​king amazing the food was. I didn’t realize that the kitchen was its own separate phở-​king entity until recently.
Vegans rejoice, for phở-​king bar food where there are options a-​plenty. I phở-​king love the spring rolls here. Listen, I’m as prone as the next person to indulge in greasy, salty and often cheesy bar snacks when I’m fiending. How phở-​king awesome is it that you don’t have to succumb to such actions here (oh, btw, there are fried options, like egg rolls if you need to get your phở-​king fry on, as many people are wont to do when immersed in the drink). The aforementioned phở-​king spring rolls are generously stuffed with tofu, vermicelli, mint, lettuce and are served with a fine peanut sauce. I’ve had the tamarind tofu bun, as well, which is not phở-​king phenomenal, but it’ll do.
One thing I don’t quite phở-​king understand is that in a veg-​conscious establishment, they put fish sauce on the table, yet no soy sauce. Since the latter is more common, I once poured it all over my food and then realized what I had done too late. I find fish sauce really gross, so that kinda sucked.
In closing, I Phở-​King love you. But please give a soy sauce-​needin’ gal a break and put it on the tables!

Excellent Vietnamese food. The vegetarian phở and spring rolls are outstanding. Prices are low. Service is friendly (especially Johnny) and professional.

was on vacation there this past weekend and procrastinated about getting out to go eat dinner. wanted to eat seafood at zydeco’s but it closes at 9pm on mondays at it was 845pm when i checked. so we looked for our go-​to, phở. the only place i found was phở king inside lost love lounge (whaa whaa). we were staying by harrah’s on the river front so it would be a short drive.
the location is pretty sketchy at night. i can tell they’re trying to revitalize the area but it’s gonna take a while, i think. driving up, we turned off the main road and headed into a really dark neighborhood. my wife was feeling pretty nervous about where we were. when i pulled up to the location, there seemed to be some vacant buildings and homes around and the lost love lounge appeared to be the only thing still in operation. my wife really didn’t want to get out of the car until she saw a group of 7 girls and guys walking towards us, the girls were wearing dresses and i would categorize them as «hipsters?» i guess seeing them walking out of the shadows made her realize that it was safe to get out.
the restaurant itself is literally in the back room of the bar. it was really dimly lit. you have to go to the counter to order… when we walked in we just stood there waiting to be seated while the worker stood there staring at us. I figured out the procedure when the hipsters walked pass us and went straight to the counter and picked up a menu.
the food itself was ok. we ordered the pork spring rolls. they weren’t bad but nothing special. we also ordered the phở with well done beef and brisket. the flavor of the broth left something to be desired. we eat phở on the regular in dallas so we are used to good flavorful broth. they didn’t give very much noodles or beef. overall, we’d probably not go back if we’re ever in Nola again.

I absolutely love this place, the tamarind tofu bun rules. Staff cool, vibe cool. If you cant handle dive bars, go FUCK yourself

Ok. They get bonus points just for the name. Seriously though I enjoyed the variety of their menu; it was a pleasant surprise since I was expecting standard bar fare.
Loved the tamarind tofu banh mi. One of my friends had the steak phở & declared it delish. I just wish it was in my neighborhood.

I admit that not everything on the Phở King menu is 4 stars, but I know what I like there and I can’t stop going back for it. Spring rolls, fried pork dumplings (steamed are still ok but the new fried ones are so much better), and the meatball bahn mi. If you haven’t tried that sandwich yet, give it a whirl. That alone is worth 5 stars. It’s sinful. The noodle salads and phở dishes taste a little bland to me, but the phở isn’t so bad that I wouldn’t get it when I have the sniffles. It is, after all, only a few blocks from my house. The service is aaaalways friendly and quick. Try the lime-​ade with a shot of rum!
I’m sorry to see that so many people think poorly of this place. I hope my review encourages more people to try it out. I do agree with an earlier post that they should have kept the menu simpler. Hopefully Phở King heeds these warnings. That location has been cursed to failure for a while now. (anyone remember Night Hawk? blegh) I’m surprised Phở King made it this long, but regardless of all the poor reviews it stays busy.

This used to be one of my favorites. I don’t know what has happened in the last six months. I used to eat there every week and it was so stupidly good. Then I moved away. I go to Houston and bitch and moan that No one can do the bun as well as Phở King on Franklin back home. So I come home and OF COURSE I want some Phở King, why thank you!
On the phone they ask me pick up or delivery. They now have delivery! Yaaaay! I don’t have to risk getting arrested bringing my kid to pick up my order or call inside and wait on the sidewalk with her. It’s in the back of a bar with gaming machines, hence the problem. So, this is very good.
They are out of the curried shrimp bun, so I get the regular shrimp for the kids and the curried tofu bun for the adults, as well as the normally awesome limeades. Everything was a major fail. The noodles look the same, and the romaine lettuce. That’s where the similarities end. Everything else… looked like it was from an entirely different kitchen. The shrimp was fried and in a batter an inch thick, like you get at a really bad Chinese restaurant. They didn’t tell me on the phone it was fried. It has never been battered and fried before. I am so confused. The tofu was a pile of shredded crap with a horrible flavor and texture. There were almost no veggies at all, and no fried onions anymore, anywhere. The fish sauce was very bland. Not the delicious heaven it once was. The limeades went in the trash with the shrimp and a good portion of the tofu.
And all this after they said they couldn’t send forks or spoons for the kids. Gee, thanks. What has happened over there? So so disappointed.
And I have sent so many people over there. What the hell must they think?

This place has gone downhill. While I was excited to see new menu items, such as Tamarind fried tofu and vegan phở (back again!), the food quality is so terrible that I cannot return, and would rather go somewhere further away for my Viet.
I am obsessed with tofu bun. I have had them in tons of different places, and appreciate each restaurant’s different take on the dish. I don’t complain simply when I see something new, actually, I love it. However, at Phở King, my bun was gross. The noodles were more like ramen noodles than vermicelli, weren’t all the way cooked, and had this odd consistency that made me separate them from the rest of my meal. The veggies were sparse, but fresh. The tofu was so bland and barely cooked. It was rubbery, and I just gave up trying to enjoy my food. Even for the «American» Vietnamese, it was flavorless and no amount of sriracha could fix it.
The veggie spring rolls were good. I like that they have yummy teas, but the main event (the food) is awful. I am sure they changed hands again, and this rendition of «the Vietnamese place in the back of Love Lost» sucks.
Whoever runs this place (right now, that is. before the next changeout.) is sitting on a freaking goldmine. There are so few places to eat in the Marigny/​Bywater area, and anything that pops up is sure to do well if the food is consistent and delicious. Please, Phở King, get it together (or have less on your menu!) if you want to be around for a long time. Word is travelling fast that your food just isn’t worth the extra cost.

As bar food, Phở King is solidly 4 stars. Where else can you get a pair of fresh spring rolls inside a bar? Wait… don’t answer that. Phở King doesn’t actually have a monopoly on bar-​ietnamese cuisine in the area.
My pork spring rolls were fresh and ready for consumption in less than 5 minutes. They weren’t Phở Tau Bay quality, but they beat pizza, wings, or burgers that dominate the bar food scene.

This review is for Phở King on Franklin…
Phở King… get it? (nudge nudge) is in the back of Love Lost Lounge. Just walk right up to the counter and order. Bun, Phở, Egg Rolls, Spring Rolls and Banh Mi.
1^st time: I’ve eaten here twice in two weeks. First I had the Bun with Curry Fried Tofu; the portions were huge and I was able to eat the rest for lunch the next day. It was delicious but, unfortunately the lettuce was a little gritty.
2^nd time: I’m trying to get over this allergy thing… seems like everyone is going through right now. Ahhhh, spring time in NOLA. Go to PHO. I got the chicken phở to go and an order of pork egg rolls. Egg rolls are fresh and hand made and served with a citrus garlic sauce, mmmm. The phở broth was bland and not too flavorful and there wasn’t enough chicken compared to other phở places I’ve been to recently.