Vietnamese Soups - Pho
For Vietnamese soups, try any number of local Pho (pronounced pha) places, first choice is Pho 75, 3103 Graham Road, Suite B, Falls Church, VA, 703-204-1490, go early to avoid the line. Full Pho 75 entry here.
Then try Eden Center, but the one in Culmore Shopping Center, Bailey Crossroads is also quite good. I frequent the one on Main Street (236) in Fairfax, just a bit east of Robert Road, on the left side, it is close to my work. I have been told that the original branch of Pho 75 has reopened, on Wilson Boulevard, up the hill from Rosslyn in a small strip shopping center, on the right, past the fire station. See full Pho 75 entry for details.
A reader recommends Pho 495, web site, 7215 Commerce Street, Springfield, VA, 703-451-9495.
The soups will be fragrant, filling, very cheap, and often intriguing. Beef, mint, bean sprouts, brisket, tripe, chilies, and lemon, are among the ingredients that are in the soup already or can be mixed in. Vietnamese fast food. Blows McDonalds away. Should be a staple for us all. Why isn't it?
More
- Vietnamese Soup Customs - from Soup of the Evening
- Vietnamese Noodle Soups - from Wikipedia
- "Vietnamese soup appeals to American tastes, too," by Polly Campbell, The Cincinnati Enquirer, June 9, 2002
Comments
That's a great idea, Vietnamese fast food. 2 things that make fast food fast: drive-thru and lots of locations with easy to recognize branding. What would it take to make that happen for Pho?
Posted by: djchuang | May 15, 2006 03:06 PM
Everyone I have taken to eat pho has loved it. Strangely, they don't go back unless I take them. I recommend first timers try the eye of round steak and meatballs. Even though many Vietamese don't actually squeeze the lime juice into the soup, to my taste it is essential. The one on hwy 236 in Fairfax is very good but its meatballs sometimes are not as good as others. Pho Hoa (still in Eden Center?) is a national chain. I have tried it in Atlanta and Denver and have never been disappointed. I suggest the bubble tea at Pho Hoa, especially if you have kids with you. Pho 75 is actually not one of my favorite places for pho, however, it is very popular with the many local Vietnamese - probably more so than Pho Hoa.
Posted by: Lewis | May 17, 2006 09:33 AM