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Pho 88 - Excellent Pho House on Baltimore Avenue and Powder Mill Road in Beltsville


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On the other hand, Pho 88 in Beltsville is absolutely fantastic. Awhile back, I thought Pho 75, Pho 50, and Pho Tay Ho were about the best around, but from my recent experiences, both Pho 88 and Pho Hot in Annandale are better still - these two rule the roost, or at least they rule MY roost. I'd be curious to hear opinions from people who have tried both (note that the very ordinary Pho 88 in Falls Church is unrelated to the one in Beltsville).

I can't compare Pho 88 to the other contenders, but I can say without a doubt that Pho 88 has quickly reached the top of my Beltsville area dining guide and deserves its own thread!

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[How's that!

Edited by DonRocks
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I got a carryout (48-cent surcharge) large bowl of #12 ($6.84 -Tai, Chin), and had a taste of each component. Pho 88 seems like it's as good as ever, the broth in particular.

Their prices are odd because they make it so adding the sales tax will raise it to a nice, round amount.

Cheers,

Rocks.

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A friend and I stopped by yesterday around 5:30 and found the broth rather lacking. It was beefy, but didn't have the complexity that it used to have. Also, very oddly, the limes we received were not acidic at all.

I'm really glad you posted this. I was there a week or so ago for the first time, and thought that if this was among the best pho places in DC, then I Just Don't Get It.

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Out of curiousity, is this related at all to the Pho 88 in Falls Church?

A friend of mine suggested it for post-football food last night, and I had the joy of finally introducing pho to my brother and sister-in-law, who loved it.

I tried the tripe for only the second time...

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This is my go-to for pho and it's been awhile, so I dropped by today. The place was packed, as usual. Broth still as outstanding as ever. Quick, efficient service. I feel sorry for anyone who goes to a different pho spot near by--this one is tops.

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This is my go-to for pho and it's been awhile, so I dropped by today.  The place was packed, as usual.  Broth still as outstanding as ever.  Quick, efficient service. I feel sorry for anyone who goes to a different pho spot near by--this one is tops.

The previous three posts had me worried; yours assuaged my fears.

Out of curiousity, is this related at all to the Pho 88 in Falls Church?

SeanMike, no relation. The Pho 88 in Beltsville is night-and-day better.

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I feel sorry for anyone who goes to a different pho spot near by--this one is tops.

I'm feeling sorry for myself. I want my money back from all the sub-par Pho places I've patronized over the past 10+ years. With the arrival of cooler weather, I've been taking a mini tour of Pho restaurants within reasonable driving distance of Silver Spring. My La Cay -- bland. Pho Viet Grill (Hillandale) and Pho Hiep Hoa (Silver Spring), better and about on par with each other. I had lunch today at Pho 88 for the first time. As  soon as the bowl was set in front of me, I could tell by the color of the broth that it was going to taste richer than any Pho I'd had before. I wasn't disappointed. Used about 1/2 my usual dose of Sriracha because I didn't want to mask the broth's flavors. I had one more Pho restaurant on my tour list, but now I don't think I'll bother.

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The Pho here is definitely great, but more often than not I drop by Pho 88 to get their chicken and shrimp fried rice to go. It's tasty, nothing special in and of itself, but they give you an absolutely HUGE portion size. One of those square styrofoam takeout boxes filled to the brim with greasy goodness. It's literally enough food for 3-4 full meals, at the very fair price of $12.

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An above average bowl with much better than average noodles, good if not great broth and a stingy approach to the toppings.  I owuld gladly return i in the area, but I would prefer to stay in Wheaton for Pho Hiep Hoa on University for Pho.  I would rate 88 as my #2 choice in MOCO.

My La Cay -- bland. Pho Viet Grill (Hillandale) and Pho Hiep Hoa (Silver Spring), better and about on par with each other. 

Mi Lay Cay's specialty is their eponymous dish.  I love the M4 combo.  Second to the egg noodle soups, I prefer their noodle dishes where I take a combo of grilled items.  Their pho, not so much.

Pho Hiep Hoa has much better and more generous meat, but their noodles are stiff and chewy and not so great.  Their broth is, to my mind, better spiced if maybe not quite so rich as Pho 88's.  So id say the broth is a toss up or edge to PHH, the toppings a big win for PHH and the noodles a big win for 88.  All in all, I prefer PHH.

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PHH is definitely my number 2.  I prefer the broth at 88 and broth is the most important part (to me).

I do feel like their meat portion has gone down over the last year or 2, but maybe that's because of rising meat prices and not wanting to reprint menus/charge more.

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