Best pho in Phoenix, according to Yelp

Phoenix is a city with excellent eats, and that includes some amazing pho restaurants. Read about the top 10 places to get pho in Phoenix, according to Yelp.

Un-pho-gettable, pho-nomenal, are you pho-real? Are these dad jokes here for fun or to help pronounce pho correctly? Pronounce those lines with an Italian New York accent–now two things can be true!

The iconic Vietnamese dish known as pho is a delicious experience for the tastebuds. Made from bone broth, veggies, thinly sliced meat (or various vegetarian options), and rice noodles, pho is naturally gluten-free and is packed with massive nutrition. Meat choices range from conventional, such as chicken or beef, to exotic, such as duck or tendon (my personal fav!). It’s often served with sides of bean sprouts, basil leaves, lime, sliced jalapeno, hoisin sauce, and sriracha (or other chili sauces) and can be as refreshing or hot as you like! If you are feeling at all under the weather, this soup can be loaded with spice to help you sweat it out; handle the spice and start feeling nice. Or just enjoy the delicious nature of the noodle soup sans the heat, too.

Phoenix, which fittingly starts with “pho,” is home to some fantastic Vietnamese restaurants. If you are feeling spicy, fresh, or wanna go out just pho fun, these are the top 10 rated pho restaurants in Phoenix, according to Yelp (yes, a few are around the valley). Be warned, though, that this dish is a gateway for puns— you can even make a game out of counting how many puns are present in this listicle. 

10. Song Lynn Vietnamese Restaurant – 4.3 stars 

Location: 2755 N. 91st Ave., Suite A150 – 160 in Phoenix
Price: $$
Why the Yelp love: This low-key restaurant offers unique options, such as dumpling pho. Yumm. Patrons like this place for the pho options, the large portions, and the other menu items including brown sugar boba and banh mi. One enthusiastic reviewer has summed up his experience: “This place is excellent. I have pretty decent Vietnamese food credentials and I would put this up with some of the best I’ve ever had.” Best he’s ever had? That’s a pretty high standard. 

9. Khai Hoàn Restaurant – 4.3 stars 

Location: 1537 E. Apache Blvd., in Tempe
Price: $$
Why the Yelp love: This is the pho spot people go to for the remedy. Many yelpers say something akin to this review: “I was feeling under the weather and the pho broth CURED me.” This could have something to do with the spice and fresh veggies, both notable qualities of the pho at this restaurant. Pair it with the fresh coconut drink–a literal coconut–and the pho will leave you feeling good, full, and satisfied. This is the perfect place to handle the spice. 

8. PHO KC – 4.5 stars 

Location: 18555 N. 59th Ave., Suite 130 in Glendale
Price: $$
Why the Yelp love: A pho place where portions are so generous, users tend to split an order…what a dream. PHO KC is known for its rare beef pho or its pho special which includes steak, tripe, and tendon (drool!). The service is also noted as being speedy, so expect to get full fast when you eat here! 

7. Pho Thuan Thanh – 4.5 stars

Location: 4306 W. Northern Ave., Suite C in Glendale
Price: $$
Why the Yelp love:  Pho Thuan Thanh has perfected all of the criteria for a highly-ranked pho: dynamically flavored broth, fair pricing, and generous servings. It seems that most yelpers couldn’t finish their bowl. Fortunately,  leftover pho actually heats up quite nicely (surprisingly, no pun intended here). As one yelper puts it so poignantly: “Nothing says pho-off to a cold day like a big bowl of pho.” If you decide to indulge in the warming soup here, opt for take-out. The less-than-perfect ratings seem to stem from a low-energy atmosphere and blase aesthetic. The perfect ratings praise the flavor, price, and serving size. The broken rice is worth a try, too. 

6.  PHO 43 – 4.5 stars

Location: 2844 N. 43rd Ave. in Phoenix
Price: $$
Why the Yelp love: “Love at first sip” is the perfect summary of what Yelpers appreciate about this Vietnamese restaurant. The broth here is house-made and fills the dining room with decadent aromatics whenever the kitchen door graciously opens. This aroma is evidence of a flavor depth that can make or break a pho. Beyond the beauty of the broth, many patrons also make note of the tender proteins which have that melt-in-the-mouth feel.  As one reviewer attests: “the pho was by far one of the best meals I’ve ever had. The broth was so flavorful and the meat was so tender it was falling apart as soon as it touched my mouth.” There’s a reason this restaurant is constantly busy, even with the early opening time of 9 a.m. Noteworthy: Throughout the Yelp reviews of other Phoenix Pho restaurants, this restaurant’s name appears several times; it is only on days that this place is not open that patrons are willing to explore other pho spots.

5. Pho Noodles – 4.6 stars

Location: 2160 E. Baseline Road, Suite 120, in Phoenix
Price: $$
Why the Yelp love: Pho Noodles is a newer location in South Mountain but already has the locals raving. The staff is friendly, the restaurant is clean, and the spring rolls make a great side for the bowl of pho. While the serving sizes here aren’t likely to warrant leftovers, the lack of size is made up for with the amount of options. Pho Noodles not only has traditional proteins for the pho, but it also offers fried calamari as a topping, as well as a highly-talked-about veggie pho. As one reviewer raves, “Myself and another had veggie Pho and the broth was amazing! This place just opened up, but it’s gonna be busy!”

4. Que Huong Restaurant – 4.6 stars

Location: 3424 N. 19th Ave,, Suite 8 in Phoenix
Price: $$
Why the Yelp love: This pho restaurant provides great service, consistency, and authenticity. “Mr. Service” was a server mentioned multiple times across Yelp for kindness and efficiency, but this rating is really about the food. True to the standard, the broth is mentioned as being rich and flavorful, but it is the limited pho menu that offers authenticity. There is no vegetarian option here, but you can certainly get tripe and tendon, a meat most often found at authentic Vietnamese restaurants. The simplicity does the trick, as one Yelp reviewer announces that she will “continue to travel 20+ miles to enjoy this cuisine.”

3. Pho Laveen – 4.6

Location: 3424 W. Southern Ave., Suite 180 in Phoenix

Price: $$
Why the Yelp love: This pho spot is well garnished by songs of praise, and that speaks for itself: “Extraordinary portion sizes, great amount of protein, and overall excellent flavor. I’m honestly convinced this a top 3 pho place in the entire valley” It looks like this person is correct, as it’s ranked #3. “Don’t walk, run over to Pho Laveen before it gets dark, once it’s night time you will have to patiently wait to get your tasty delicious bowl of pho noodle soup.” Late, but worth the wait. “The broth was very flavorful and I almost burned my throat multiple times because I wanted to eat too quickly.” 

2. UK Pho Vietnamese Cuisine – 4.7 stars

Location: 6228 N. 43rd Ave. in Glendale
Price: $
Why the Yelp love: You won’t want to judge this Vietnamese pho spot by its appearance. The dining room is typically full of empty tables, but the pho here is a popular to-go dish and if you sit long enough, you will see customers constantly picking up takeout. The chicken pho, which is said to be flavorful and tender, is particularly notable. More notable, though, is the price. Large portions for nominal fees? Yes, please. 

1. 3 Regions Vietnamese Kitchen – 4.7 stars

Location: 28325 N. Tatum Blvd., Suite 6 in Cave Creek
Price: $$
Why the Yelp love: The winner of this list knows that people have their own unique taste and that is why customization is the key to success for this fan favorite. This family-run Vietnamese restaurant seeks to balance authenticity with Western flair by offering an unusual amount of customizations. It’s vegetarian-friendly, offering veggie broths, veggie additions, as well as fried tofu. It is also carnivore-friendly and offers meats, such as oxtails, that aren’t usually found in pho but make for a delicious treat. It may sound pho-nky, but most just find it tasty. 

The Takeout Takeaway

Thus concludes the top 10 pho restaurants in Phoenix, according to Yelp. Maybe your go-to spot made the list. If it didn’t, then use this as an excuse to try a new place and have that un-pho-gettable experience—you didn’t think this could end without a pun, did ya? In case you were playing, the total pun count is 9. Have pho-n! 

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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