Pho

We had gotten a free phở card so came here to redeem. Since any phở was free, I didn’t hesitate when after for their recommendation they pointed to the second most expensive phở (I believe its usually £12 something). It was the house special with beef and egg. My expectations were high. The presentation looked nice and the portion was sizable, but I was not impressed by the taste itself. It lacked that awesome brothy flavour that seeps into the noodles and just want impressive at all. Glad I didn’t have to pay for it.

3.5 but am rounding up.
To be honest, it’s average phở compared to better places like those on Kingsland Road. However, comparing against other Phở chains, it was the best I had. Broth came out hot and flavourful. Everything in general was fresh, though I wish they served more veggies.
Service was generally good and prompt. No major hiccups, and they came by to check on me regularly.
Ambience was the usual you would expect of any Phở chain. They had a lower ground level, though, so it can be nice if you’re looking for a bigger space for a bigger group.

The lighting was too dark, I ordered a beef noodle but the soup was as bland as water… Heard that the one in the city was far better, perhaps I’ll give it another try when I’m in London next time.

Ah, I do like Phở!
This branch has not been carefully inspected by me (as if!) because the table we were given once arrived was the one in front of the door. Which, amazingly, didn’t mean I was going to get super annoyed by people getting in and out of the restaurant as I could barely notice them.
But it was a warm day, so maybe I was lucky?
This time I ordered a different noodle soup, one with steak and garlic, but odly enough I didn’t prefer it over the veggie mushroom ones I had at the Soho branch. It sort of lacked flavour compared to the veggie one, and I had to add loads of chilli and hoi-​sin sauce to add some taste. I ordered the flower green tea which was really really nice.
The place seemed brighter though, and we were served very very quickly. Our table was a bit wonky but nothing too annoying.
All in all another pleasant experience, it’s becoming a staple in my diet nights out.

Ok taste.
Disappointed about flat noodles and not typical Phở noodle. Wouldn’t come back again.

Having grown up in Southern California, home to some of the best Vietnamese restaurants outside of Viet Nam, I am obviously dubious when it comes to trying phở outside my home state.
Phở Café has good food — the kitchen really cares about the preparation of the dishes and making them as authentic as possible. It’s not the same as you would get from a mom & pop phở shop in SoCal but that’s not to say it’s not yummy.
I come here regularly for lunch. It gets packed very quickly so come before 1:00pm if you want a seat. Takeaway is easy — call in and pick up from the counter on the lower ground floor. If you don’t call in, be prepared to wait 10 – 15 minutes for your food. It gets really busy during peak lunch hour.
My favourite dishes include
— cha gio (fried spring rolls)
— cha nem (fried spring rolls with crab)
— goi ga (chicken salad — don’t be fooled by the name. This dish is hearty and healthy with fresh mint leaves to bring out the sweet-​tangy dressing)
— phở Tai Lan (garlic beef Hanoi style phở)
— bun bo hue tom (spicy soup with prawns)
My boyfriend loves the veggie spring rolls and tofu curry over rice. We’ve been meaning to come here for dinner to try the veggie pancake (banh xeo) which is only served during dinner time. It’s hard to find banh xeo, even harder to find veggie banh xeo, in this city.
My advice — if you’re looking for Vietnamese food like in Chinatown in Paris or Little Saigon in Southern California — it’s not the same. Come try it anyway — you might like it as much as me.

And we went to our fourth branch of Phở last week! Never been to the same one twice. We love it so. This one is pretty small and I bet it gets busy for weekday lunch, but it wasn’t hard to get a table after 2 pm. Service was very quick too — gets you in and out in a pinch if that’s what you want.
Mom and I split a yummy fresh juice, then I got the spicy prawn phở (Bun Tom Hue) which I liked, but not as much as getting a regular phở and then adding spice to it myself. I shall remember that for next time — the broth just tasted different. I was a little disappointed about that. Still — juicy prawns, abundant noodles, all the good stuff. The plate of add-​ins (basil, mint, bean sprouts) seemed a bit smaller than usual. Everyone else loved their phở so I know I just need to not get that kind again. Oh and if you’re adding the little red chiles to your broth, do so at your peril — they are HOT. I also got some of the sugar snaps and green beans with peanut sauce again, because they are so delicious. Crisp-​tender with delicious sweet peanutty sauce, and then you can pretend to be healthy and have a vegetable. Actually I don’t think phở is unhealthy at all, so I don’t know what I’m talking about.
Had to give 3 stars since my phở wasn’t as good as I’ve had at other locations, but I know if I ordered something different, I’d have loved it! Next time, I will — though knowing us, instead of returning we will probably just go to a FIFTH location!

Seemed oddly over staffed that night but we were eating a little early for a friday night so… yeah.
The last place I lived, Oakland California USA, was all about the Phở. The quality of the phở was alright here but it was the plate of bits that seemed lacking. You know, all those toppings you can DIY your phở with, coriander and basil and mint and chilies and lime and and and. (this seems to be a trend in the phở places Ive been to though)
They had the sides but in a miniscule amount. So sad as it can enhance your phở so much while making you feel like you’re getting a great deal for this huge mound of really mostly veg and herbs and sriracha… mmm cock sauce.
Not usually in this area but if I come back I’ll just remember to ask for two plates of toppings, if they’ll allow it.

This is a small branch of the Phở chain, located off Oxford street. Not open on Sundays, so head for another branch if you got the thirst for a Phở.
Serving tasty and reasonably priced Vietnamese food, as well as the traditional phở there are other dishes you can try; noodles, salad and rice dishes. They also have a selection of tasty starters to chose from particularly Ch giò, which is crispy fried spring rolls.
The service is quick so it’s a great place to pop in for a quick bite if your on Oxford Street shopping. They also offer Phở to go so you could eat it in a nearby park if it was a nice day.

Dull, insipid soup. Gristly steak. Warm coke. Second time I’ve been to a phở and I won’t be returning. On the other hand, service was fine, but I was eating a late lunch at 3.30pm. Another chain off my list.

The location of this Phở restaurant is really great. Just enough off the main streets to be quiet, but close enough that it’s an easy place to get to if you’re out shopping on Oxford Street or maybe headed to the British Museum.
Delicious food (as per usual, I went for the phở ga -{chicken phở}), great service, and a relaxed atmosphere on a weekday mid-​afternoon.

Ohhh sadly Phở Café disappointed me. It really is one star quality. The broth was salty and lacking depth. The noodles was dry while the there were literally 6 small pieces of almost bone dry meat (Brisket) measuring 2×2 inches. What in the world?! Oh did I mention that they gave us very old looking– turning brown 6 mint and basil leaves? What a sad story especially when you are sick and looking forward to a solid Phở.
NEVER Again!

The Great Titchfield Street location is the greatest plus point of this restaurant of the Phở franchise. On the unfortunate occasion that I am forced to wade through the mobs on Oxford Street, I can now add this one to my list of oases. It even has a to-​go option.
The interiors are modern and the bright colours give it a trendy look. Split over two levels, I’ve never had trouble finding a table in this restaurant, during moderately busy hours.
The menu is well designed, not unusually creative, but everything tastes good. The noodle soups are bursting with fresh flavours, although they could do with a little more meat in them. :-) The steak, brisket and meatball Phở is a good option if you are always meat starved, one of my favourites.
The fact that this is a medium sized chain, also adds to the quality of service, and allows some room for discounts to be passed on to customers. So, a good bargain for the quality and an above average experience, overall.

Yum! Loved the phở and loved the service.
Spring rolls: They don’t taste like vietnamese Spring rolls from the states. That being said they were quite fresh and worth the try.
Chicken Phở: It’s definitely has a more savory feel than the phở that I’m used to. Tastes more like ramen than phở, but I loved the fusion taste because I love ramen too :)
Definitely worth a try :)

I’m honestly a fan of this place.
I find it interesting that the British call it «fo» instead of the proper pronunciation of «fuh.» All good with me as long as it tastes damned good! I come from Northern California, and we NorCal peeps love our phở. If there isn’t a phở restaurant around, you have phở-​king crazed people looking for their phở fix.
I lived 20 minutes from San Jose, which is PHO central! No really, no joke. It’s phở-​king amazing. We also have a restaurant called Phở Kim Long. Just wrap your head around that and chuckle for a few minutes.
Okay, okay enough with the phở-​king jokes, i get it! ;)
I have to say that the noodles were mediocre, but the BROTH was good! I loved the abundant garnishes and sauces that made me feel quite homely. Our spring roll was divine. So good! Husband got a fried one while I had a rice wrapped one. Both were absolutely delicious. He had the phở combination while I had mine with perfect beef slices.
Just so damned good. We also went right when they opened on a Saturday, so there was no line, no crowd, just a few tables taken. BLISS. Will return!

Dropped in here today for lunch —
I had the veggie fresh summer rolls, and the Asian Shredded Chicken Salad — both were so good I actually cleaned my plate — which is a total rarity!
I definitely plan to return on a chilly day for Phở — but, on temperate or hot days, the rolls and salad are perfect!

I wanted to like this place, I really did… I’ve just had so much better.
I was disappointed in the meat and the noodles, although the broth was decent. One out of three isn’t that great though. The best way I can describe this restaurant is that it’s a chain, and obviously so. It’s like going to Subway and expecting a really good sandwich, it’s just not going to happen. Hopefully other phở restaurants will open up and take off so we aren’t stuck with just this place in London (I’m sure there are more places out there, I just haven’t had a chance to try them yet).

I’ve decided to give this chain a 2^nd try. First time was at Westfield and thought the Phở was… probably the worst I’ve ever had. This time I had the Bun — lemongrass chicken — I realized the problem was the bland fish sauce — where I had to ask for more (which they were happy to do) but it ended up being nearly soup noodles. The summer rolls were okay… the peanut sauce was also a bit tasteless. And last complaint, the viet ice coffee… the weakest I’ve ever had. This place earned a 2 because it’s not absolutely horrible… Sorry… I think I’ve just been spoiled by really good Viet food.

It was my first time having phở, and I really don’t like cliantro, so take that into consideration when reading my review!
I picked up my soup for take away, waiting about 15 minutes to have it all put together for me. I wasn’t sure what took so long, but no big deal — it was nice to get out of the office for awhile.
When I opened it up, it became obvious what took so long — so many little things wrapped up in little packages. All I could think of was, «oh my god, look at all this waste!» Not a good way to start a meal, but I put that thought aside.
Let me caution you against eating this soup by a computer — what a bad idea. By the time I was finished — or should I say too tired or annoyed to eat anymore — my keyboard was glistening with a field of little oily droplets. ewww…
The food was okay in general. There was an interesting spicy taste to the whole soup which I liked, but I couldn’t consume in such large portions. Plus, it was a little too salty in my opinion. I seriously threw in the towel about halfway through my giant styrofoam cup of soup. Sorry environment.

I’ve always been a big fan of Phở, which is one of the few restaurants that always comes to my mind when friends ask me where we should go and eat. They are best, of course, for their phở noodles, which are authentically prepared and taste like the real deal, full of flavour. Among their noodles, go for their traditional beef phở, or their dry bun noodles. While their spicy noodles will thrill those who like a bit of chilli in their food, you will miss out on the clean flavours of the beef stock.
For starters, my favourite are the prawn summer rolls, which come with a very addictive dipping sauce. In fact, I have often been tempted during my visits to Phở to just order several portions of the summer rolls and forgo a main course!
Dessert-​wise, the banana fritters with honey and ginger ice cream are heavenly.
While you can get everything slightly cheaper and slightly more authentic in the Vietnamese restaurants on Kingsland Road, Phở is an extremely good choice if you’re in central London or Westfield, as Kingsland Road is a bit in the middle of nowhere. Phở also do some excellent fruit juices, which go very well with their food.
Reviewed by The London Insider

Tiens tiens! Un restaurant vietnamien qui fait de la vente à emporter! Je dois avouer que je me suis méfiée au début, car une chaîné reste une chaîné. Il existe trois-​quatre autres établissements à Londres.
Celui-​ci est plutôt esthétique, avec une salle en longueur au rez-​de-​chaussée (bondée à midi) et un sous-​sol où on commande à emporter. On attend jamais très longtemps, une quinzaine de minutes le temps de la préparation. Alors, comment fait-​on un «Phở» (soupe tonkinoise) à emporter?
Les nouilles et la viande d’un côté, le soja de l’autre, un sac plastique avec pleins d’herbes (basilic, menthe, coriandre) et du piment, et un grand verre en polystyrèné avec le bouillon. Pas très pratique pour manger, donc prévoir un gros bol.
Et le résultat est plutôt réussi! La portion est satisfaisante, les nouilles fermes, le bouillon sent bon la cardamone et n’est pas trop gras. J’ai pris le Phở Chay (végétarien) avec des champignons et du tofu pour £5.25. Il né restait plus rien à la fin, je me suis régalée!
La carte proposée par «Phở» est assez longue. Outré la soupe de phở, déclinée à toutes les manières), elle propose en entrée des nems, des rouleaux de printemps ou de la salade (goi) pour environ £4.50. Moins cher que le «Phở»: le «Bun», plat de vermicelles de riz avec des légumes sautés, de la viande, des cacahuetes pillées et du nuoc mam.
Le service n’était pas extraordinaire… Difficile de décrocher un sourire à Agniezska, la serveuse. Et né vous attendez pas à ce qu’on prononce le noms des plats correctement (ça fait mal aux oreilles!) A part ça, un concept réussi qui mérite d’être exporté en France!

Nur ein Katzensprung von der Oxford Street entfernt (zum Glück aber schon um einiges ruhiger uns entspannter!)bietet sich diese Phở-​Restaurant (ja, es gibt mehrere davon, siehe deren Webseite) ideal zur Stärkung nach/​vor einer Shoppingtour an.
Die Einrichtung ist im Gegensatz zu vielen der üblichen verdächtigen Kingsland Road vietnamesischen Restaurants sehr un-​vietnamisch und erinnert mit seiner klaren, freundlichen Linie eher an IKEA.
Beide Bedienungen waren super freundlich und sehr bemüht. Schön auch, dass einem bei kleckerigem Essen, ein Lätzchen angeboten wird — sieht zwar lächerlich aus, aber mein T-​Shirt wurde dadurch gerettet.
Nun aber zum Wichtigsten: dem Essen!
Schmeckt richtig frisch zubereitet und ist auch eine recht ordentliche Portion. Warum dann keine 5 Sterne? Ehrlich, meine scharfe Variante war einfach zu fad. Und zwar nicht nur nicht genug Chili, sondern geschmacklich zwar nett, aber nicht mit ganz soviel Aroma bzw. geschmacklich interessant, wie es für 5 Sterne hätte sein müssen.
Aber mit 4 Sternen bleibt Phở sicher empfehlenswert und stellt um Oxford Street eine nette und bezahlbare Alternative dar.
Übrigens, die frisch gepressten Furchtsäfte sollten nicht unerwähnt bleiben — sehr gut!
Oh, und dann wäre da noch die Sammelkarte, das ist praktisch die Visitenkarte und hinten drauf sind 10 Felder zum Abstempeln. Leider wird nicht verraten, was es genau nach dem 10. Stempel gibtschaumermal.