Pho Duy Restaurant
Category: Vietnamese [Edit]
Neighborhood: Southwest945 S Federal Boulevard
Denver, CO 80219 (303) 937-1609
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol: None
35 Reviews for Pho Duy Restaurant
HOLY COW, thank you Yelpers!! You couldn't have been more right. This really is the BEST Pho in Denver. I thought I had my favorite Pho place, but it has been out done by Duy. Not only is the Pho fantastic but the staff is really friendly! Our waiter even stopped by after we were done to see how we enjoyed our meal. I think the empty bowls showed him how much we liked it. This place hands down gives you the most meat, the most noodles, the best broth and over all the most bang for your buck.
We will be back again, and again and again. YUM!
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My first authentic pho experience. Good stuff.
The menu scared me a bit. Tendon and other parts I am not ready for. Yikes.
I got the beef and it was tasty and there was a lot of meat! I am used to getting tofu pho. So this was also my first meat pho experience.
The service was way quick and the price was unbelievable. The bowl was FREAKING HUGE and I got the small at $5. I can't believe I have been wasting my time eating Top Ramen to save money.
The neighborhood was entertaining and it was a bit tricky finding the place considering there was only 15 other pho places in the surrounding blocks. Whoa. What have I been missing all my life?
Pho. Thats what.
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10 years ago, when I first told a Vietnamese friend I've never had pho, he was like, "What???" I suppose it's like anyone telling my Chinese self that they've never had rice. I like beef, noodles, limes, mint, and soups, so why not put them all together? I liked it the first time I tried it, and have been in search of the best pho in Denver ever since. I finally found it at Pho Duy. The broth is so tasty, but doesn't leave my mouth dry like some Asian soups seasoned with MSG. I usually get the #11 (with rare steak and well-done flank), because I'm too chicken to try out some of the more authentic ingredients like tendon, tripe, and intestines. For drinks, I like the Vietnamese coffee and the 3-colored drink (green jelly, yellow bean paste, and red sweet beans in a coconut milk concoction).
This place should be called Pho King, 'cuz it truly is. I brought up the name change once, but I don't think the owners were as enthusiastic about that name...
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Awesome! I'm a total n00b when it comes to Vietnamese food, but I decided to go here because my fellow Yelpers couldn't say enough good about it. I'm glad you did, because it was excellent.
As long as you don't expect ambiance, appetizers, or a very elaborate dining experience, you will not be disappointed. I had the marinated steak / cubed flank Pho - it's basically a ton of meat in a big bowl with a delicious broth, and some thin white noodles at the bottom of the bowl. You have to really dive for them, it's nice that they don't skimp on the meat.
They also bring you a plate of 'extras' to put in your bowl - bean sprouts, leaves (basil I think?), lime wedges and jalapeno slices. We also had the Boba - this is a very sweet frozen drink that comes in 20ish different flavors (we had the Mango - yummy!). It has a large straw in it, which is necessary to suck up the strange little black balls of tapioca I think. They are a little chewy, which is admittedly strange the first time, but it's so yummy you just keep going. Like an ethnic slushee of some kind.
I also had an espresso with condensed milk over ice - they bring the psuedo-french press to the table and let it drip into a normal coffee cup. They bring you a glass of ice to pour it over. I thought they had forgotten the condensed milk, but it was just in the bottom of the glass. YUM! If you like espresso, you will love the sweet treat.
Very fast, and cheap to boot! Go there to try something new if you've never had Vietnamese :)
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Love the pho here.After coming back from vietnam after a month there I have always been searching out authentic Pho! The service is great and the pho is excellent and fresh.I would believe they use very little if any MSG because after eating i do not have that craving for water like i do at other asian places. Its a hole in the wall place but great pho.
I often go in after work and order a large to go. (I could never order a large at the restaurant because I would waste a lot of it.) The to-go orders cost a little more, but wow, do they give you a lot of meat. It's like a roast beef dinner on top of the noodles. Yummy. The absolute best! I love the broth!
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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08/17/2007
I've never had bad pho. This, however, is heavenly pho. Pho is an amazing meal in general. Lots of… Read more »
We had reservations going in as some friends had said it was OK but not the best in the area let alone Denver. Well, they are WRONG!!! this is the best that i have had in Colorado ( I have tried a few:)) I had the number 14 (Raw Steak and Brisket) and it was divine. So much meat you could barely see the noodles and as you stirred them up the brisket started to breakdown and made the broth a truly delicious meaty experience.
The parking lot is pretty small, but there is plenty of side street parking.
The staff were great, the food was fantastic an overall wonderful dining experience.
I now have a new Pho favorite, I will be going back, but I will also keep exploring.
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This place is hands down the best deal for pho I have ever seen. There's a couple things preventing me from giving 5 stars, but they're not pho related.
Food: I tried the small rare beef and tendon pho (http://www.yelp.com/bi...). As other Yelpers have pointed out, the small is more like a medium. All aspects of the pho are spot on; the broth tastes fantastically beefy, the noodles are plentiful, and the garnish plate is so loaded that it's hard to put the stuff in your soup without making the stack topple (http://www.yelp.com/bi...). All for $5! Amazing! The only bad thing about my meal was the fact that I got a collection of meats that weren't just rare beef and tendon. I had a meatball in there and I think some tripe too... I ate it all anyway, but what if I hated tripe? I also got an avocado boba (http://www.yelp.com/bi...). The liquid part of the drink was perfectly fine. The avocado gives a subtle, sweet flavor, especially since the cup has quite a bit of whipped cream on the top. The boba, however, was hard in the middle. My friend tried the vegetarian soup and thought it was delicious.
Service: They're a bit slow here, but you can walk right up to the register and pay whenever you want. They fill your water like crazy, which is nice if you're addicted to Sriracha.
Atmosphere: It's a bit dirty in here, but not bad enough to override a growling stomach. The walls painted (and framed) with what looks to be Vietnamese people enjoying nature. It really helps brighten the room.
Synopsis: Yum. I will be back for another heaping bowl of $5 pho.
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Tasty pho. I have a sneaking suspicion that the medium and large have roughly the same amount of noodles, and the only difference is that the large has more broth and comes in a bigger bowl. Fast service and good price.
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We have eaten Pho at numerous restaurants in the Denver area. Our previous favorite must have changed hands or cooks, as the quality of the food is no longer the same. We ate here tonight at Pho Duy for the first time based upon the Yelp recommendations and was not lead astray. As previous reviews stated: best Pho beef broth we have tasted, generous portions of meat, properly cooked rice noodles, reasonable prices and a very friendly owner and staff. For the first time at a Pho house, I could actually taste the distinct flavor of the brisket among the meats in the broth. The owner obviously takes pride in the high quality of his Pho. Let us hope that Pho Duy continues to maintain those standards.
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Many may not know but this Pho Restaurant was THE 1st in Denver. I remember going for the 1st time some 14+ years ago.. I'll drive from Thornton or Aurora to get some of this Pho.. It's THAT good... I'll bring people here for their 1st experience of a "Phogasm" and no complaints..
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After reading the great reviews of this place, I had to try it. As a native of Los Angeles, you grow up spoiled with all the great food. Did it meet expectations?
Heck yea. This place did not disappoint. The place was busy with the 6pm dinner crowd - families with their kids and lone eaters packed the place. I made eye contact with the waiter and I was seated, with a glass of water and menu within a minute.
After glancing at the Pho only menu, I decided on trying the simplest bowl possible - Pho Tai - rare steak. I also added the extra meat for $1.00. The mint leaves, jalapenos, and bean sprouts arrived shortly with my soy bean milk and I was setup to eat.
Fair warning: BIG portions. When the steaming bowl of noodles, beef, and broth hit the table, I was ready to go. The broth was great, not oily and not watered down - it really hit the spot. You could tell that the broth took hours upon hours to make. I couldn't finish all the food, so I ended up just looking through the bowl and eating the beef... and more beef.... and more beef... it was impressive how much there was.
Definitely a recommended place.
Best Highlight: No frills and solid pho.
Low point: None.
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Best. Pho. Ever.
A medium here is a large, meat that covers my bowl to the point where I can't even see the noodles, and everything else you could ask for when eating Pho.
I have seen the light and I thank God that I have.
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Best Pho in Denver, by Pho-arrr!
Add my vote to the long list of raves for this pho-nomenal establishment. I love it when a restaurant knows who it is, knows what its customers want, and just does it well.
Pho Duy is successful because it does just that, and nails it consistently. For me, the secret to good pho is in the broth. If your base isn't good, it doesn't matter how much crack you mix into your soup, it's not going to satisfy. The broth here is the best I've ever tasted.
Other bonuses: Extra meat for $1.00 (my wife can't resist), and a good variety of bobas and drinks (I like the three-colored drink, although I'm still trying to figure out which of the six colored items in it are officially part of the supposed three).
For the ultimate comfort food, a healthy and filling meal for under $6, and the best pho you've ever had, you have to come here. Pho-tastic!
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Roll in. Get pointed to the one empty table. Have your order taken real fast. They drop your plate of fixins (how do you say fixins in Vietnamese?). Pho arrives. Hit that shriracha, decide it's not enough and add way too much (as if there was such a thing). Fall in love with the ridiculously large bowl of broth and meat and everything. Suspect that your friend got more noodles than you. Sweat. Pay six bucks. Leave full.
Normally, I'd beef over no booze, but it keep the wallet full and allows for a no-issue drive back to Cap Hill.
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Remember CupcakeGate 2008? Remember the Tacopacolypse? Well my friends, I have something new for you. Are you ready?
Friday Night Phoights.
For the uneducated masses who think Pho is pronounced like it's spelled and should rhyme with "dough," it's not and it doesn't. It's like the first two letters of that famous Four Letter F-Word... so actually, "Friday Night Phoights" is some pretty damn awesome wordplay if I do say so myself. And I do.
There seem to be two major contenders in these Phoights, Pho 79 and Pho Duy. I'm ready to throw a third (and in my opinion, the best) into the ring. Stay tuned for that one though... because this one's for Pho Duy.
It's good. It's not the best, but it's good. A couple things could've been better. I always get my Pho To-Go (looks like it rhymes but it doesn't! ha!) because I live a five minute drive from Federal's Silk Row. If the broth isn't hot enough to cook the raw steak by the time I get it home, we've got issues. I don't like having to nuke my Pho. Pho Duy's was barely tepid (granted, I DID make one stop... but still... should'a been hotter).
Also, no cilantro. I have a freakish devotion to that herb, and I miss it when it's not there. Please, enough with those weirdo sawgrass leaves or whatever the heck they are. They taste like nothing. Bring on the cilantro! Or at least more basil...
My husband griped about the paltry amount of onions, but I hate raw onions (they taste like B.O. smells), so that was all good with me.
One more thing... nothing on the menu but Pho and Bobas. Yeah yeah yeah... I know it's a Pho joint. But sometimes you just need spring rolls too.
Other than that, it was good! The broth was tasty and the meat was high quality. Also, no ants roaming around in the bean sprouts like the one we found in our take-out from Pho 79 that one time. I don't like stealth proteins.
Not the best, but not the worst. I've yet to come across a Pho I don't like, and Pho Duy does it solid. Bonus: you can now get Vegetarian Pho and Shrimp Pho there! I'm going to have to try it next time... and yes, there WILL be a next time.
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Pretty good! It's the best Pho I've had in Denver so far (keep in mind I've only tried 1 other place). I'm a big fan of actually seeing other Asian people, you have to know the food is good. And nothing says authentic than the old Asian lady burping out loud next to you. But I have two concerns...#1 what's with the lack of elbow room on the tables against the walls? I know I'm not petite, but seriously??? Thankfully I was only there with one person so there was plenty of room, but if we had added two more guests to our dinner - my elbow would have been in the other persons soup. Maybe it's because I'm an elbowy eater, but come on. There's plenty of extra walkway space to move the tables out just a little, don't you think? Concern #2-what's with the music?
Other than that I really liked the place. The menu is simple and the food is good.
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First Pho place I've been to in Denver (just moved from Virginia) and I'm liking it. The place has a no nonsense feel to it and I like that. It was easy enough to order and the servings are big. The broth was tasty and comparable to many of the offerings I've had up in northern virginia. Will definitely be back again.
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Probably the best pho I've had in the continental United States (including Boston, SoCal, Chicago, etc). Unfortunately, they only serve pho (and bobba drinks). So if you are in the mood for some spring rolls or egg rolls, go here another time.
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Pho Duy.... actually I think its pronounced duey because my Viet friend said if I remember right, it was pronounced more'or'less like "Zooey". Oh, and if you already didn't know it's pronounced fuh, like "what the fuh", but most of you know that by now. That's why you'll see newer restaurants with names like "Pho Shizzle" and "what the Pho".
I don't know what's up with Japanese people and noodles: ramen, soba, yakisoba, udon, etc, but when we were eating the typical free employee meal at Sushi Den which consists of curry, hama kama, curry, sometimes curry, and whats that one dish that is made of curry powder? oh yea, curry! So if it was a "curry again" day or something the Japanese guys didn't like (BBQ ribs?? anything spicy??), we'd always end up eating at Pho Duy where we were regulars here. So if you have the same tastes as an older Japanese sushi chef that likes to eat natto, than I'd recommend Pho Duy. Actually I recommend it too.... and I havn't bothered to try natto which looks like hanakuso (nose snot).
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Warning - The Bobas are TINY.
Everything else that everyone else says is true. The Pho is good (It's as good as Pho 79, but no better).
The place was HOPPING at 8:35pm which in Denver is a good sign - this town goes to bed early.
The waiters were all native English speakers which would have been pretty awesome, except I order the same thing every time and had no questions.
The negatives:
The Bobas are small. They are $3 which is cheaper than other Pho places, and other Boba joints, but they are 1/3rd the size of the other places. There is a pretty standard "Boba glass" which Lollicup, etc. use. They dont use it here. They use what appears to be an 8 oz fountain shoppe glass, with a significant amount of whipped cream in it.
My only other complaint is that these are some Asian person sized tables. Two seaters surround the room and they are SMALL. I'm 6'3 and my girlfriend is 6' and I felt like there wasn't enough room for the two of us plus our Phos at the table. The size of the large bowl looked smaller than Pho 79, but I felt like I got a proper amount of food.
The meatballs had some gristle in them which wasn't great, I've never experienced that at another Pho place, and meatballs are really the way to go.
Overall, it's a solid Pho joint. The 80s music was louder than I'd like, and there aren't any booths. Americans want booths! Put a gun to my head and I would say Pho 79 is the better place. It has a more varied menu with vietnamese dishes as well as pho, the best broth in town (Which is what MAKES pho so delicious), big bobas with many flavors (Not nearly as many as Pho Duy, they have a LOT of boba flavors, it's too bad they are so small), and booths for big cornfed Americans like myself.
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This is the best pho in Denver, no question. Since 2000 I have eaten here well over 500 times. If you are lucky, you will get to hear Vietnamese versions of American pop songs. My personal favorite is sung by a boys chorus "All in all your justa 'nother blick in the wall."
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Really really good Pho, and dirt cheap. It's worth the trek down S. Federal. I'm kind of sensitive to MSG, and a big plus is that they don't seem to use as much as other Vietnamese joints. This is a place you go for food, period. Don't go for ambiance.
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As a vietnamese person, I HAVE NEVER ate at a pho place so good in my life. This is no joke, I've been in search of the best pho restaurants for a while, with all the restaurants in Los Angeles and Houston, I have no tasted a Pho broth so greatly prepared.
A lot of the pho restaurants in California will have either too much greese or the beef will be too fatty. The beef meat at Pho Duy is extraordinary! The pho bowls are the biggest I've ever seen also, the medium bowl is the size of large bowls in other restaurants. They are definitely not stingy on their portions.
This is a hidden gem which is a "MUST GO".
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Always happy with the food here. The broth is always hot and fresh. Service here is decent, but the pho totally makes up for it. Try it, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
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I would have given them 5 stars but I came across a review that said their Pho Gha or Chicken Pho was the best. So not, that is the last time I trust a non-Yelp review. My bad. The chicken although plenty was dry and they didn't use a chicken broth. Saying that, the pho broth was packed with flavor and was unreal in a good way. More than the average noodles kept me slurping for a while. Luckily, I ordered a side of marinated raw steak that added depth to my dish. Service was super friendly and I would definitely recommend this place.
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Great find. Located off Federal in a small shopping center with a tiny parking lot. I had the Pho Ga - chicken pho and it was great. They have three sizes small, medium, and large. I got the medium and it was huge. I couldn't imagine getting the large. The service was the usual for a Pho house - simple. Food arrived quickly and was very tasty. Always good for a cold rainy/snowy day.
Fantastic! Vietnamese noodle soup. For those that have never had Pho, it is soup with a very flavorful broth, noodles, and your choice of meats: Brisket, flank, sliced meatball, tripe, soft beef tendon, and chicken. I'm sure there is something I am forgetting! There is also a vegetarian version available. A plate piled high with bean sprouts, sawgrass, limes, jalepenos, and basil is brought to the table to add to the soup. Customize it further with hoi sin, shriracha, and fish sauce, and you have the best meal you can get in town for 6 bucks. The bowls are huge and I challenge anyone to eat a large in one sitting.
I always get the vietnamese iced coffee, which is a remnant of French Colonialism. It is Cafe du Monde coffee (with chickory) brought to the table in a small french press, left to drip over sweetened condensed milk. Pour it out over ice and enjoy the complex flavor. You'll swear there's something else in it like caramel. They have a wide selection of boba drinks, and some traditional vietnamese drinks.
Pho Duy is very busy at lunchtime. Resist the urge to park at the Pizza Hut, as they have started to crack down.
Once you try this, you will crave it. I go once a week now. This is the best Pho I have had in the Denver area.
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Once I finally found the place, hidden in the corner of a little strip off Federal, I immediately knew I was in for a treat. How? The 3 other noodle houses next door were empty and Duy was filled! And it was worth it. Service was similar to every other pho house I've been to....brisk, to the point, no messin around. The plate of herbs,lime, jalapenos and bean sprouts arrived quickly but with no cilantro and very little mint. However, the broth was simply so delicious....I hardly needed my regular fixins! I only gave it four stars becuase I am now so accustomed to the extra cinammon flavor from New Saigon that I missed it here. Also, no shrimp chips to snack on before(I know...its strictly pho) and no alcohol. After work on Thursday night...mama needs a glass of wine. I will return to try more of the options, which include rare beef, briscuit, flank, tripe, tendon, chicken, meatballs, vegetarian and shrimp. Pho-nomenal!
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Gotta admit it, damn great pho in Denver of all places. Best part is that you can choose among the various beef and beef parts in your pho - great idea!!! And their pho can challenge any pho place here in SF.
PS. My local bud liked it better than New Saigon just down the road!
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Great food. Service is prompt to say the least. If you know what you are doing, you can order within 30 seconds of sitting down. Portions are very large, I'm a pretty big guy and a medium did the trick for me. Didn't get to try the boba but next time definitely will. Real cheap and tasty food here.
This what S. Federal is all about. Aways good times eating here.
This was my first trip out of downtown since I've been in Denver. I had a mean craving for some pho tonight and nothing around downtown looked good. Getting there is easy though, just take the 30 from 16th and Champa and it drops you off right in front of this place at Federal and Kentucky.
I've had no training in asian cuisine, and I'm certainly not a professional food critic, but I have had a lot of pho in my day. Once when I lived in Seattle I only ate pho for dinner for around 20 days straight. So I think you can believe when I say, I know my pho.
Like most pho resteraunts the service was minimum. They point at a table, you sit there, you pick your combination of meats and size and give it to the waiter, your pho comes out, and then you realize why practically every review of this place is positive. The pho is amazing. The broth is stellar, the meat isn't greasy (which is rare for a pho joint), it comes with the perfect amount of noodles and the garnishes are ample and very very fresh. A lot goes into a good bowl of pho and I've seen the balance of the pieces go out of wack enough to know it isn't trivial to do what Pho Duy is doing here. This is a "can't miss" meal that I plan on recommending to all my friends coming through Denver.
The diversity of the patronage was also very appealing to me. The neighborhood is a little rough around the edges. But I could tell that the people packing into this place had come from all around the city for their pho.
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The best. Pho King. Pho in town. About the same time I first saw the movie Tampopo a friend of mine turned me on to pho at this now favorite restaurant of mine. So everytime I watched or thought of that opening sequence of the movie where the master is teaching his noodle disciple how to eat a bowl of ramen it made me crave pho. In the space of a lunch hour my buddy T. Ng. could eat two large bowls of pho! It was incredible to watch. We would eat lunch here at least once a week if not 2 or 3 times. I learned the little intricacies of making my bowl just the right color with Sri Cha and Hoisin to know that it was seasoned just right. A squirt of lime, lots of basil, almost an equal amount of spiny coriander, and just a little bit of bean sprouts at a time so the soup stays warm. The little side dipping dish was already prepared with a 75/25 mix of red to brown for flavoring the chunks of meats I will pull from the bowl between mouthfuls of noodles mixed with garden. Chopsticks in my right hand, chinese spoon in my left I eat methodically sipping soup between mouthfuls of meat, noodles and then pause to clear my nose running from the copious amounts of Sri cha. I take the time to mix my Ca phe sua da only after I have filled that need that only this bowl can satisfy. He picks his face up out of the bowl, leans back and says, "Ah-h-h-h" . "Stop it, your stupid book is making me hungry".
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Their pho is so good that we wonder if they put illegal substances in it that makes us so addicted to it. It's so good especially during cold winter months, what's better than to enjoy a bowl of hot, delicious soup when you're sneezing from the cold and your chest ache from the wind?
In terms of service, this restaurant beats all other Pho restaurants I've ever been to, and if you know how fast Pho restaurants serve food, you know that they're fast! One time we went in only 15 minutes before closing time, gave our order promptly (as we know our favorites by heart) and the noodle bowls came out maybe only a minute later. We were out of the door by closing time.
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