I was checking out del.icio.us today and came across a link to Yelp. My only reason for checking out the link was the name "Yelp". Yelp is a site where you can review restaurants, nightlife, and anything else that tickles your fancy. I was just on the frontpage and you wouldn't believe what I saw... Pho-fest 2005: A review on the good to mediocre pho in San Francisco. Nice! 

Okay, so I won't be going out to San Francisco just to check out the pho scene, but this review got me thinking--I'll do a review of my favorite pho restaurants here in the Twin Cities. 

1.     Pho Tau Bay - ***** (5/5)
        2837 Nicollet Avenue
        Minneapolis, MN 55408

Hands down, my favorite pho restaurant in town.  Located on popular        Eat Street (Nicollet Avenue) in Minneapolis, Pho Tau Bay can easily be missed amongst the competing Vietnamese restaurants. 

It's funny how Jason and I found this place...  Our introduction to pho occurred at Quang (reviewed below) Restaurant.  We ate pho at Quang's quite frequently until one day they ran out of pho!  Since our only intentions were to order pho, the waitress told us about Pho Tau Bay saying, "It has the best ..."  She realized what she was about to say and stopped herself mid-sentence.  It was obvious that she thought Pho Tau Bay had the best soup in town.  We ventured down the street to Pho Tau Bay, ordered a couple bowls of soup, and never looked back.

Pho Tau Bay offers a bowl full of flavorful goodness.  I've only eaten their #9 (the simplest of phos - rice vermicelli, beef slices, and yummy broth), which is what I typically get at all Vietnamese restaurants, and it's by far the most flavorful of the bunch.  Granted, the other restaurants I've been to serve up a good bowl of pho, but quite frequently, I'm not always impressed with each bowl that I'm served.  I know I will always be served a bowl of pho tasting of the most complex and delicate flavors at Pho Tau Bay.  (Be sure to order the fresh spring rolls and Vietnamese iced coffee to complement your hot bowl of pho--you can't go wrong.)

If you are not a big soup-eater their rice vermicelli dishes are to die for.

The atmosphere is casual and relaxed--It's not glamorous by any means, but its friendly waitstaff, excellent pho, reasonable prices, and quiet and non-crowded atmosphere make up for the lack-lustre decor.   Given its location, you would think parking would be an inconvenience, but Pho Tau Bay has its own parking lot with ample parking spaces.



2.    Quang Restaurant - **** (3/5)
        2719 Nicollet Avenue
        Minneapolis, MN  55408

Quang is known to be the best and most popular Vietnamese restaurant in the Twin Cities area.  Quang does serve good eats, including pho, however, their bowls of pho are quite inconsistent--some days the flavor is mediocre and other days it's quite delicious.  The inconsistency could be due to the large amounts of traffic that visit the restaurant each day--The quality may be sacrified for quantity.

Jason and I still wander over to Quang every once in awhile.  Their pho will sometimes knock our socks off, but their are 3 things that cause me to give it 3/5 stars:  atmosphere, parking and shortage of pho. 

Quang literally serves hundreds of customers  per day.  The dining area is small for the number of people being served at one moment of time.  I often feel cramped and rushed through my meal.  If you want to beat the rush avoid lunch time (mid- to late afternoon), which is their busiest time of the day.

Quang does have their own parking lot, however, it's typically full and the layout of the lot often makes me wonder if someone is going to hit my car.  You are better off parking in the street, but good luck in finding a spot next to the restaurant.

As mentioned in the Pho Tau Bay review, Quang has had the occasional shortage of pho.  If you are a late-eater like Jason and I and want some pho, I probably wouldn't go to Quang in case they ran out of pho.  We have been denied pho on two occasions.


3.      Pho Anh - *** (3/5)
         799 University Avenue W.
         St Paul, MN

I have not been to Pho Anh in quite some time.  The pho is quite exceptional, however, I have to give it 3/5 stars because it's not always clean and, from what I remember, it could be quite smokey.  It's a quaint restaurant and typically doesn't serve up a lot of customers.  Jason and I used to eat at Pho Anh frequently when we lived in St. Paul, but since moving to Minneapolis, Pho Tau Bay is our place for pho.  If we were still living in St. Paul (or are in the area) we would definitely grab a bite to eat there. 

Hopefully you will find these reviews helpful.  I'm not a food critic by any means so be sure to share your favorite pho spots if I didn't mention them here.  If you have yet to taste your first bowl of pho, I have one piece of advice to share with you...  ORDER THE BEEF PHO!  Do not order pho with chicken or seafood--it's just not the same!

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