So it should be said that pho is probably Albert’s favorite meal, so much that once when he was sick, Erin didn’t really believe it until he couldn’t finish a bowl. Now, we have had thousands of bowls in hundreds of restaurants all over the world, though we have not been to southeast Asia yet. And, while Albert once tried to compile all the pho restaurants he has ever eaten in with reviews on noodle texture, soup complexity, and temperature, we are not trying that here. In fact, Albert will claim the best pho he has ever eaten is still in Little Saigon at Pho 79 on Hazard, but he hasn’t eaten there in a while. So instead of trying to talk about the best pho in the world, we will only talk about NoVA (Northern Virginia). That being said, Albert will even say that Pho 75 may rival Pho 79, so there is that.
ALSO, there are many pho restaurants we haven’t tried yet in NoVA and some restaurants like Pho Sate we didn’t give our best effort in, of the ones we have tried, and there are many, we only included the top 8. There are other Vietnamese restaurants that don’t serve pho like Present that we love, but aren’t listed here. Albert will also claim that the worst pho in an actual pho restaurant (food courts and trucks don’t count), also can be found in NoVA. There is also a mecca of noodle soup restaurants in a small radius in Anandale that is worth a visit. Click here to read about that.
Purists will say that you don’t add anything to your pho, but our take is that pho is like a hamburger, plain if you don’t put on any condiments; AND if you are not supposed to customize it, why do they give you the plate of basil and beansprouts? Salad? For the uninitiated, that is NOT salad. So pho needs to be customized to be good. The important thing is to be consistent in what you add or you cannot compare between restaurants. Albert gets the combination bowl and puts in the leaves of one sprig of basil, two jalapeno slices, a squeeze from one lime, and the biggest handful of bean sprouts he can take and still leave Erin enough for her food. He then adds four rounds of siracha and one teaspoon of chili if available. Albert does not use the hoisin sauce that Luiz and Steve love – Luiz puts hoisin on every piece of meat, and Steve puts a ring of hoisin around the lip of the bowl. Erin loves jalapenos, so whatever jalapenos are left after Albert’s two (usually, like, six), basil, lime, bean sprouts and siracha. No chili, and no hoisin sauce after she got sick of eating pho for a while. Erin gets the eye round mostly. Curie and Elia eat meatball pho with no onions or cilantro. Many times we will buy the extra vinegar onion, but for our purposes here that is not included.
Two reference links that are pretty cool: first the difference between northern and southern pho, hanoi pho and saigon pho respectively. And lovingpho.com, if you want to geek out over pho.
Okay, we rate three qualities (1-10): noodles, soup complexity and flavor, and soup temperature. Subjectively we will include notes on cleanliness and presentation, and other dishes as available. If fried egg rolls are available, we will rate those as well (the best are in New York) (1 – 5) for an overall score.
In order of pho rating:
1. Pho 75, Arlington – Possibly the best pho we have had, they only make pho, and some drinks, there aren’t even appetizers. If there were a Soup Nazi of pho this would be it. But the broth is hearty and complex, hot and full, the noodles firm and separate as if made to order for your bowl. Their meatballs are very tender. The place is older and spartan: you can tell they are processing patrons through the tables but it is worth it. Clean but not a place to take a first date unless they are the one.
Noodles 10, Soup Complexity and Flavor 10, Soup Temperature 9. No egg rolls or other dishes Egg roll rating: 0. Pho score 29. Overall score: 29.
2. Eden Kitchen, Falls Church – So to be fair, Andy is the same owner as Pho Factory whose mantra is clean place, hot soup, lots of onions. He also insists on porcelain bowls instead of plastic because he believes it is in respect to the customer. There are a lot of noodles and there is a lot of meat. The broth is hot and hearty, the noodles are generally great and springy. The main server is great, and Andy is usually there. Eden Center can tend to get crowded so parking is sometimes hard. There is a great Asian supermarket nearby.
Noodles 8, Soup Complexity and Flavor 9, Soup Temperature 10. Best side dish, fried tofu. Egg rolls are better than at Pho Factory. Egg roll rating: 4. Pho score: 27. Overall score: 31.
3. Pho Factory, Anandale – See above for the pho rating. Curie doesn’t like this place because the waiter there LOVES her and bothers her too much, so we tend to go to Eden Kitchen. The place is very clean and modern, but the location is hard to park in and there is a lot of diversity that drive in their own ways and customs.
Noodles 8, Soup Complexity and Flavor 9, Soup Temperature 10. Best side dish, tamarind chicken wings. Egg rolls are good, and they will provide lettuce and mint to eat them properly if you ask. Egg roll rating: 3. Pho score: 27. Overall score: 30.
4. Pho Deluxe, Fairfax – A great all around restaurant. If Erin doesn’t want pho, this is where we will go, great curry chicken and great salt and pepper shrimp. There is a branch in Tysons (the picture is that branch) but they don’t have the salt and pepper shrimp. The people at the Fairfax location seem to be nicer too – more family oriented.
Noodles 9, Soup Complexity and Flavor 8, Soup Temperature 8. Best side dish, salt and pepper shrimp. Egg rolls are good though not memorable. Egg roll rating: 3. Pho score: 25. Overall score: 28.
5. Pho Hot, Anandale – When we first arrived we went to a number of mediocre pho places before discovering Pho Hot. It was the best place by virtue of being just good. It is a big place and almost never full. They tend to sort dishes and chopsticks right in the restaurant leaving the experience a little sour.
Noodles 7, Soup Complexity and Flavor 8, Soup Temperature 7. Best side dish, salt and pepper shrimp. Egg rolls are good and full though they have a lot of pepper. Egg roll rating: 3. Pho score: 22. Overall score: 25.
6. Saigon Quan, Springfield – This used to be our go to place if people wanted other things besides pho or bun in the party, but with Eden Kitchen that has changed. Still a nice place to go if you are taking a group and the most typical restaurant of the bunch.
Noodles 7, Soup Complexity and Flavor 7, Soup Temperature 7. Best side dish, curry chicken. Egg rolls are good though not memorable. Egg roll rating: 3. Pho score: 21. Overall score: 24.
7. Pho Golden Cow, Falls Church – We have only been to this branch, we understand there are others. The owner/manager is very genial and looks out for you most of the time. It is close to Curie and Elia’s child care, but always has consistent food and service. The style is like Pho 75 with spartan tables and decor.
Noodles 7, Soup Complexity and Flavor 7, Soup Temperature 7. Best side dish, nothing of note. Egg rolls are less full, sometimes oily and over-fried to bursting. Egg roll rating: 1. Pho score: 21. Overall score: 22.
8. Saigon City, Springfield – We used to come here particularly for the quails. The location in Anandale closed and became Justa’s Chicken, and we have only been to the Springfield location once or twice. The pho was good and the woman was always nice, but there wasn’t much business when we went.
Noodles 7, Soup Complexity and Flavor 6, Soup Temperature 7. Best side dish, quail. Egg rolls were not memorable. Egg roll rating 3. Pho score: 20. Overall score: 23.