Pho 75, Five Area Locations - The Best Chain Pho House in the DC Area

[jparrott]

Sing along with me:

It's beginning to look a lot like Winter
Pho in every bowl;
But the prettiest sight to see
Is the garnishes that will be
The sturdy kind that won't steal the show…

Seeking Pho... good Pho... to be found on the DC or VA subway lines. Previous posts have eschewed Nam Viet in Cleveland Park. Suggestions? Recommendations?

Pho 75 in Rosslyn. Metro to Courthouse, about a 10-15 minute walk downhill. Have a small bowl, then a steak at Ray's, then pay your respect's to Dremo's before it closes with a few pints to wash it down. Hops are a digestif, natch.

[jasonc]

Word on the street is that the pho 75 in Rosslyn has slipped considerably over the past year? Can anyone corroborate this story?

[Apples & Bananas]

Word on the street is that the pho 75 in Rosslyn has slipped considerably over the past year? Can anyone corroborate this story?

I was just there three hours ago and can say with all certainty that it has not slipped. It's the same magic in a bowl it always has been.

[jasonc]

I was just there three hours ago and can say with all certainty that it has not slipped. It's the same magic in a bowl it always has been.

Interesting. I also heard that the service is not what it used to be - did you experience anything like that?

[DanielK]

Interesting. I also heard that the service is not what it used to be - did you experience anything like that?

What service is there at ANY of the Pho places around? They seat you, within a minute they take orders, drinks are brought out a minute after that, and within 5 minutes you're eating. Nobody stops by the table again (to check on food or refill water) unless you grab someone, and you pay at the counter at your leisure. That's the same experience I've had at least monthly for 20 years at every Pho place in the metro area...

FWIW, I've been to the Rockville and Rosslyn Pho 75's in the last month, and both seemed their normal (fabulous) selves.

[jasonc]

What service is there at ANY of the Pho places around? They seat you, within a minute they take orders, drinks are brought out a minute after that, and within 5 minutes you're eating. Nobody stops by the table again (to check on food or refill water) unless you grab someone, and you pay at the counter at your leisure. That's the same experience I've had at least monthly for 20 years at every Pho place in the metro area...

FWIW, I've been to the Rockville and Rosslyn Pho 75's in the last month, and both seemed their normal (fabulous) selves.

Ok fair enough. I guess I should just give the context: my brother and dad used to go there several times a week, but lately they said the once chatty and friendly waiters were replaced by a colder bunch that just kind of tosses menus in your direction and often gets orders wrong, and the broth isn't what it used to be.

I have found there to be varying degrees of service at pho places, and like any dining experience, I think it matters. But I was just trying to gather some information, not start anything.

[jparrott]

I've never seen a waiter at the Rosslyn Pho 75 utter a word to a customer. I've probably been there 50 times.

[DonRocks]

Word on the street is that the pho 75 in Rosslyn has slipped considerably over the past year? Can anyone corroborate this story?

I just went an hour ago (1 PM on a Sunday) and it was as good as ever.

Broth rich, deep, and long

Unusually thick soft tendon

Priced at $7.20 for a large

A small queue at the door

Many Vietnamese patrons

Same manager as before

Cheers,

Rocks.

[jaimetown]

I go to the Pho 75 in Falls Church (Rt 50) like clockwork once a week, and I have to say that 1) the amount of meat has decreased per bowl a bit (which is not that big of a deal) and 2) that the noodles have come a little overcooked the last month or so.

[turbogrrl]

What with exams and final projects and papers, oh my... I forgot to eat today after half a salty oat cookie in the morning. Got out of the exam around 3:30, started to wend my way home, realized it was possible that I might eat part of my car if I didn't get something quick. So I pulled into Pho 75 on University in Langley Park, brought my bag o homework, and sat down.

'Number 9,' I said, without looking at the menu. 'Oh, and an iced coffee.' Small? 'Yes, small.'

My coffee came out, prompting me to put my work away, and the skirt steak and brisket pho soon followed. I let the coffee sit in the cup with the brewer on top, and attacked the pho. It was good.

Sated, I addressed myself to the coffee. It's assemble-your-own iced coffee. The condensed milk is on the bottom of the coffee cup, and the coffee is brewed on top. So if you don't want the result to be sweeter than cotton candy, all you have to do is leave the condensed milk alone. I stirred lightly, then upended the mug over the glass of ice. (Hrmm, I could use more practice with that.) The condensed milk stayed mostly in the mug, like I wanted. I took another teaspoon of it, stirred it in to the iced coffee, and drank the coffee down.

Total with tip for the much-needed soup interlude: $9.

[DonRocks]

I go to the Pho 75 in Falls Church (Rt 50) like clockwork once a week, and I have to say that 1) the amount of meat has decreased per bowl a bit (which is not that big of a deal) and 2) that the noodles have come a little overcooked the last month or so.

I've seen a decline in my last two visits to Pho 75 Rosslyn, which could be attributed to random variance, time of day, day of week, a key soup cook moving on, etc. The last time in particular, the bowl had less meat, the noodles were overcooked and starchy, and the broth lacked the long-cooked, fragrant aspect that I've seen here so often in the past. Come to think of it, it has been a long time since I've had a truly great bowl of Pho anywhere (December 16th, 2007, to be exact). Need.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[DonRocks]

Ah, I've never enjoyed Pho more than I enjoyed it last night at 10:17 PM. Pho 75 serves takeout for 50-cents extra, and a tub of plain broth (no meat, no noodles, no condiments) is only $2.50. The broth last night was awesome. Paired with a red Burgundy it was even better.

If I was having surgery, and was required to be on a clear-liquid diet the day before, I'd cheat and have Pho broth and red Burgundy. Okay so it's not clear but it's clear enough, and it beats the living snot out of a bouillon cube and a glass of Hi-C.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[jdl]

Just to be contrary, you can get great pho within 9 blocks of DC at the Rosslyn Pho 75.

Great -- now I find this out, after having moved from DC to the inner-burbs of Maryland.

[DanielK]

Great -- now I find this out, after having moved from DC to the inner-burbs of Maryland.

Depending on how inner burbs you are, the Pho 75 in Rockville is also excellent. On the Pike, just north of Rte. 28.

[DonRocks]

Note also that there is a lot of comparative discussion of Pho 75 with various other Pho houses in the main Pho thread here.

Cheers,

Rocks

P.S. And what did YOU do between 4:30 and 5:30 on this lovely morning?

[Kibbee Nayee]

Went to the Falls Church location today (reminding myself to refrain from criticizing the Multiple Locations category once again) and ordered the large no. 1. Coming off a nasty cold, it was just perfect.

This bowl was loaded with goodness -- tripe, tendon, other barely identifiable pieces of meat -- but that broth is delectable. I wish I could order up a bathtub full of it on a cold, rainy day. I'm also developing a fondness for tendon. It has a really nice gelatinous quality that is hard to duplicate with any other savory ingredient. I also tend to pile on the basil, bean sprouts, jalapenos, lime, duck sauce and srirachi sauce, so my big bowl of soup is nicely personalized....btw, a Vietnamese lady with her son at a nearby table asked for a separate bowl of sliced onions, and proceeded to drown them in srirachi sauce, and then add them a little at a time to her bowl....hmmm....I took a note to try that next time.

My only regret is not trying the meatballs this time, as they appear to come separately as a standalone item in one of the soups. I could have inquired about paying extra for a few, but there's always a next time.

[chaofun]

Pho 75 has been Jenna and I's standard Saturday breakfast for the last year. We coupled it with a visit to the Arlington Farmers Market, every weekend. Breakfast pho to me is much more enjoyable, no crowds, all the veggie additions are cut fresh. Plus it is supposed to be breakfast! The iced coffee is pretty darn good too.

A big loss was losing this weekend tradition when we moved out to Leesburg, but luckily there is a Pho 75 relatively close in Herndon. We can pair this with a trip to MOM's Organic Market which is in the same plaza, so it's pretty much the same experience, exccept now we go on Sunday mornings most days.

Thank goodness.

[RWBooneJr]

Went to the Falls Church location today (reminding myself to refrain from criticizing the Multiple Locations category once again) and ordered the large no. 1. Coming off a nasty cold, it was just perfect.

* * *

My only regret is not trying the meatballs this time, as they appear to come separately as a standalone item in one of the soups. I could have inquired about paying extra for a few, but there's always a next time.

I had a large no. 1 for breakfast at the Arlington branch on Sunday. If I had enjoyed it any more, they would have had to mop. A friend always gets the no. 1 with meatballs added, which costs maybe $2 extra.

[Kibbee Nayee]

I had a large no. 1 for breakfast at the Arlington branch on Sunday. If I had enjoyed it any more, they would have had to mop. A friend always gets the no. 1 with meatballs added, which costs maybe $2 extra.

Noted. Now I know my next order there...!

[jasonc]

I went to the Rosslyn one in February and it's still one of the best phos I've had.

Following my rating system:

Broth: Probably my benchmark pho in terms of balance. Just a great recipe. It could maybe stew a bit longer - 9

Beef: Consistently fresh, but they sometimes skimp - 8

Noodle: Only once or twice have I had doneness issues here - 8

Condiments: Nothing special, many of the places in the Eden Center will give sawtooth herb. They don't - 7.5

Service/Atmosphere: Always efficient with varying degrees of brusqueness. It could use a fish tank - 7

[funkyfood]

On 11/1/2015 at 8:09 AM, NolaCaine said:

I had the most bland bowl of pho at Pho75 I just had to ask, was it a 10am fluke or has the place gone downhill?

Bland, really bland.  Watery even.

Roslyn was the location of my phirst pho. We took the kids because they love Pho, the place opened early and we though the 5 year old would like to visit a mom-dad date place.  Kids loved it. In fact, 2-yr old said "I love it" and 5-yr-old said "This is really good pho".  They were both wrong. 

I had a similar experience about a month ago at my first experience with Pho 75.  Bland, bland, bland.  Hoping it was a fluke. 

[Jonathan]

On 7/22/2016 at 10:55 AM, DonRocks said:

Jonathan, I'd personally love your opinion of your favorite 3-4 pho houses in the Pho thread - anyone who has eaten it 300 times in the past 3 years has covered some serious ground. Feel free to quote me here as a lead-in.

For me, the standard for Pho is Pho 75 in Roslyn. I have eaten Pho in NYC, DMV and Philly and I think Pho 75 in Roslyn is the most consistent, nuanced and clean tasting broth, much like Frank's vaunted consomme. The owners son claims his dad likes the broth at the Hyattsville location the best out of all of them but I haven't been yet. 

[DanielK]

3 hours ago, Jonathan said:

For me, the standard for Pho is Pho 75 in Roslyn. I have eaten Pho in NYC, DMV and Philly and I think Pho 75 in Roslyn is the most consistent, nuanced and clean tasting broth, much like Frank's vaunted consomme. The owners son claims his dad likes the broth at the Hyattsville location the best out of all of them but I haven't been yet. 

I agree that Pho 75 is the gold standard. Hyattsville (Langley Park, really), Rockville, and Rosslyn have all been consistent in my visits.

[DonRocks]

4 hours ago, Jonathan said:

For me, the standard for Pho is Pho 75 in Roslyn. I have eaten Pho in NYC, DMV and Philly and I think Pho 75 in Roslyn is the most consistent, nuanced and clean tasting broth, much like Frank's vaunted consomme. The owners son claims his dad likes the broth at the Hyattsville location the best out of all of them but I haven't been yet. 

1 hour ago, DanielK said:

I agree that Pho 75 is the gold standard. Hyattsville (Langley Park, really), Rockville, and Rosslyn have all been consistent in my visits.

FWIW, it's the only Vietnamese chain I have in Italic. So yeah, it's been consistent - not just over the years, but over the *decades*. My father passed away in 1994, and I used to take him and my mom to the Langley Park location probably once a month.

[funkyfood]

i went to pho 75 in rosslyn with my girlfriend 3-4 months ago after hearing how great it was.  perhaps we got a bad batch but it was almost entirely devoid of flavor, the way low-fat oreos taste compared to regular ones. we haven't gone back.

[Jonathan]

8 hours ago, funkyfood said:

i went to pho 75 in rosslyn with my girlfriend 3-4 months ago after hearing how great it was.  perhaps we got a bad batch but it was almost entirely devoid of flavor, the way low-fat oreos taste compared to regular ones. we haven't gone back.

It could just be subjective. There are all different pho's in this city that seem to appeal to different people. For example, my friend loves Pho Hiep Hoa in Wheaton. I went once and really enjoyed it, and the other time it was nearly inedible. It was so fragrant with clove I found it totally unpalatable.

[TheGut]

Great day for Pho.  Going to hit up Pho 75 for lunch today.  Here is a pic from last week at Pho 75.

[horacebailey14]

Stopped in here for a quick bowl the other night and really enjoyed it. We're not pho experts by a long shot but the past few times we've been here we've been very satisfied. The minimalism appeals to me. Within 1 minute of sitting down you've ordered and have a piping hot bowl of deliciousness set in front of you.  Few things are more satisfying on a drizzly night.

 

[DonRocks]

I had lunch yesterday at the Rosslyn Pho 75. I tried my utmost to get there before 11:45, because I knew a lot of Vietnamese-Americans would be there on a Sunday, and sure enough, there was a line of three couples in front (thirty minutes later, that line had stretched to about 10-15 people). 

Anyway, the broth, which I usually like, seemed more thin and bland than usual, and towards the bottom of the bowl, it seemed like there was a powdery substance which resided in the bowl (I have no reason to believe this was starter mix, but it reminded me of that cloud you often see in miso soup (however, for all I know, this could be bone marrow)).

On the nose and palate,this was a sub-standard bowl of Pho for Pho 75, which is normally one of my very favorites, and has been for quite awhile. I also figured they'd be putting out their Sunday best broth, but this just wasn't there. I have no explanation, but notice how clear the rim of the broth is, with very little bubbling on top, and down below, it's cloudy:

[DonRocks]

7 hours ago, Marty L. said:

Pho 75 -- Rockville.  Consistently solid.

I'll tell you what, I've been to Rockville, Rosslyn, Falls Church, and Langley Park over the years, and this is one place that has been pretty darned consistent, in all locations. My parents *loved* it when I took them to the Langley Park outlet, which I did probably once a month (and my dad passed away 23-years ago). It has had a few misses here-and-there, but not many. (Notable exception in the post up above, which came across as sort of a "powdered miso soup" in texture - I took that picture for this exact reason, so I could look back upon it and remember that even this fine chain isn't perfect.)

[DaveO]

Actually, Rosslyn has few really good dining options these days. Plenty of counter service and food trucks for the lunch crowd, but sit-down dining options are a thing of the past.

If you were on Wilson Blvd there was always Pho 75, thank goodness

[DaveO]

On 7/17/2017 at 11:18 AM, DonRocks said:

I had lunch yesterday at the Rosslyn Pho 75. I tried my utmost to get there before 11:45, because I knew a lot of Vietnamese-Americans would be there on a Sunday, and sure enough, there was a line of three couples in front (thirty minutes later, that line had stretched to about 10-15 people). 

Anyway, the broth, which I usually like, seemed more thin and bland than usual, and towards the bottom of the bowl, it seemed like there was a powdery substance which resided in the bowl (I have no reason to believe this was starter mix, but it reminded me of that cloud you often see in miso soup (however, for all I know, this could be bone marrow)).

On the nose and palate,this was a sub-standard bowl of Pho for Pho 75, which is normally one of my very favorites, and has been for quite awhile. I also figured they'd be putting out their Sunday best broth, but this just wasn't there. I have no explanation, but notice how clear the rim of the broth is, with very little bubbling on top, and down below, it's cloudy:

Just in case you are wondering as documented in the post above--Pho in the summer is still a nice treat.  I was at Pho 75 Arlington over the weekend.  Hot weather.  

Its possible that this pho was not at the same quality as in the past as I see noted above 1 year ago.  The thought passed my mind while there.  Regardless this pho is SIGNIFICANTLY better than so many versions in so many other places.  Possibly for the time being its dropped a notch.  It remains superior to a great swath of alternatives.  I have pho alternatives that are and have been infinitely more convenient.  They haven't been able to touch Pho 75.  They wouldn't touch it now.

[silentbob]

Anyone know if the broth here has MSG?  Google search proved inconclusive.

Three generations of our family enjoyed lunch at the Rockville location this past weekend.  I ordered the large and felt like the portion of noodles was a bit skimpy, though there was plenty of meat (fairly tender for well done) and soup.  I fell asleep for two hours that afternoon and woke up with dry mouth, not sure if that was MSG-related.  The lemonade had a bit more sugar than I typically like.

[kieplangdu]

2 hours ago, silentbob said:

Anyone know if the broth here has MSG?  Google search proved inconclusive.

Yes, it does although Pho 75 probably has the least MSG compares to others. The one that uses the most MSG is the Mi Gia in Eden center. Can't taste anything other than MSG.

[DonRocks]

I went to breakfast at Pho 75 (Arlington) this morning at 9:30, and was surprised they weren’t open yet (there were people inside). Are they opening at 10 AM now?

[Kibbee Nayee]

At Wilson Blvd, mouse droppings were found on bags of onions....

[DanielK]

38 minutes ago, Kibbee Nayee said:

At Wilson Blvd, mouse droppings were found on bags of onions....

Which wasn't even enough to close them down - it's an otherwise pretty excellent review. Every restaurant has mice and bugs - you just need to keep the food safe. Which, other than a couple of minor corrected items, they were doing.

[Kibbee Nayee]

19 minutes ago, DanielK said:

Which wasn't even enough to close them down - it's an otherwise pretty excellent review. Every restaurant has mice and bugs - you just need to keep the food safe. Which, other than a couple of minor corrected items, they were doing.

I agree. It won't stop me from going back again and again.