Where to get the best Pho in Philly

So you're low on cash, it's cold out, and you're ravenously hungry. Lucky you, chances are you live right next to a Vietnamese Pho restaurant and don't even know it.

Pho is a rice noodle soup made with beef stock and other meat trimmings that is garnished with an assortment of vegetables, herbs, and condiments; and usually never breaking $7 a bowl means it's dirt cheap. If you're new to the Pho phenomenon it might seem intimidating to be handed a menu with upwards of 10 choices of exotic meats and then be brought a bowl of unseasoned soup and a plate of vegetables which you are expected to assemble and season with the supplied condiments on your own, but there are a couple of guidelines.

On the menu you may come across a few unfamiliar items such as tendon, fatty beef, and tripe; these ingredients are completely optional but if you're an adventurous eater they can add a lot of depth to the overall flavor of your soup. Next are the vegetable garnishes; usually bean sprouts, jalapeño slices, Thai basil, and lime. The bean sprouts add a nice crunch when mixed with the noodles and the jalapenos do the same for fattier cuts of meat, the basil can be ripped up a mixed in of steeped and taken out later, and the lime is self explanatory.

Last thing out there is the array of condiments left on the table. The bowl of chopped chilies and garlic is called Sambal and adds a medium amount of heat similar to pepper flakes on pizza. The bottle red sauce is Siracha and is quite tasty and quite hot; and the bottle of brown liquid that smells like socks is fish sauce, don't be fooled by the smell, fish sauce has a great salty taste that's way different than soy sauce. There are also two other condiments on the table that I don't recommend for Pho: Hoisin, a sweet fermented plum sauce; and soy sauce, just stick with the fish sauce. Of course there are usually plenty of other choices on the menu besides Pho but you're on your own with that. Here are a couple of this Toddler's favorite places around the city:

Pho Cali Vietnamese Restaurant Inc

1000 Arch Street

Philadelphia, PA 19107

(215) 629-1888

Pho Saigon Philly

1100 S Columbus Blvd # 22

Philadelphia, PA 19147-5513

(267) 773-7305

Pho 75

1122 Washington Ave # F, Philadelphia - (215) 271-5866

1022 Race Street, Philadelphia - (215) 925-1231

Pho Ha

610 Washington Avenue

Philadelphia, PA 19147

(215) 599-0264

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