It's Pho-tastic

You would probably miss it if you weren’t looking. Unassuming, resembling a hospital waiting room rather than a restaurant, Pho 75 has an oddly comforting sterility to it. Walking in, you’ll find a large white-walled room with small red faux-leather chairs that were probably purchased at an elementary school auction.

But it’s not what’s not on the walls, or what the chairs are made of that make this place special. It’s what’s in the bowls.

Pho 75 serves, well, you guessed it, Pho; a Vietnamese soup of sorts filled with varies beef parts and beef byproducts, onions, sprouts, and garnished with lime and mint. I’m not sure if the Vietnamese do chicken noodle soup, but I would imagine that they wouldn’t need it to serve as a cure-all with a bowl of Pho placed in front of them.

With well over a dozen varieties of Pho, the menu provides more than enough options, while keeping it simple. And simple seems to be the main ingredient at Pho 75; broth, brisket, eye-of-round steak, and noodles mixed together to provide a great balance of flavor. Accented with the lime and mint, the Pho is light and surprisingly refreshing, while being wonderfully comforting at the same time.

The service, while often criticized, was more than sufficient. Although the restaurant wasn’t packed, it was busy enough to expect delays in service, delays that didn’t occur.

When all was said and done, the meal, for Jill and I came out to about $16.00; a great price for a meal with no pretensions, and a dish that’ll make you pay attention next time you walk past this unassuming, cavernous white room of a restaurant.

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Pho 75
1721 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22209
(703) 525-7355