3513 14th St NW.
Washington, DC 20010
202.629.2839
website
Washington DC’s Columbia Heights neighborhood is home to a huge, huge variety of restaurants that match its wide range of people. Many of these best restaurants end up being relatively modest little storefronts along the main avenues and into the neighborhoods. Pho Viet is a good example of a diamond in the rough; the hidden restaurant and its take on southern-style Vietnamese food is very refreshing and intensely satisfying.
The menu is all about the pho and the first thing you order should be one of those dishes. Some of the things I liked:
- Phở Tái: Good pho, the signature dish here, is all about the broth, it’s clear and strong, salty and sweet, and a perfect medium for flavor that’s sopped up by the veggies and noodles. And this version, which has beef eye round, adds a soft and pleasant chew. Top it with plenty of lime, hot sauce and some bean sprouts.
- Bún Chả Giò: This vermicelli noodle-based dish is topped with a ton of veggies, basil, carrots, cilantro and bean sprouts. Then some fish sauce on top. This particular version is stuffed with Vietnamese fried egg rolls, fried and crispy and very good to crunch on. I like it for how light this food is. Simple!
- Cà phê sửa đá: Vietnamese coffee, or cà phê, is prepared a little differently from your typical coffee, the grounds are placed in a special steel filter and hot water is poured in so the coffee drops into the cup below, which is usually full of sweetened condensed milk. This makes it strong, sweet and sturdy. Aways a good take.
The restaurant is pretty small inside, but worry not; the food comes very quickly and if it’s warm out, then there’s a pretty reasonable patio, too. This spot embodies the very typical Washington DC establishment, which is to say it’s good to each lunch on the go without a massive headache of an experience.
Prices here are incredibly inexpensive for Washington DC and that’s a serious plus too, because many of the more modern places trying to do edgy takes on the same traditional food end up pushing the prices up with gimmicks. Not so much the case here, instead it’s genuine, good food. All good reasons to come back!
This is a pretty solid pho joint. Good for a casual bowl in a very comfortable setting. I like it.
Recommendations
- Good pho is the hallmark of a good Vietnamese restaurant, which is the case here, too. Get it first.
- As is typical in Washington DC, food comes on one check.
- Most of the menu comes with a few different options to customize, and these noodle bowls tend to be good all around.
Another Food Critic 