Phonatik

I enjoyed it. I really did. Tofu spring rolls were yummy. My fried tofu vermicelli was delicious too. Damn good. It at first seemed like it wasn’t that much food but damn I got full. The jasmine tea was fantastic had like 4 cups so that’s probably why. They need to add deserts to their menu. Lastly the service was slow. Took a while for us to receive our food. In the end good phở.

Just make sure when you come to eat here that you don’t have any plans for at least another 2 hours. It’s gonna be at least 20 min for the waiter/​waitress to greet you and at least another hour for your food to come out, no matter how busy it is. It’s a bummer that the service here sucks so bad because the food is pretty darn good.

Our first time here and it was awesome! Definitely got our Phở fix! The staff was polite and everything was clean.

Good, basic menu. Tastes good in the mouth. Phở: good. Banh mi: good. And it’s open hella late!!! Yeah!!!

So I’ll admit I’ve only had phở at two places, but I can say with complete certainty that this is by far my favorite meat soup haha. This place is packed every single time I’ve been and we STILL have an awesome time. Service is 5 stars; as well as the apps and entres! My favorite is the meat combo but you can make whatever flavor your like! Also, the spring rolls and crab/​cream cheese rangoons are to die for. This is now an every time stop when we’re in Anchorage.

Phở broth not flavorful at all. Meatballs are horrible. They were extremely fatty. I couldn’t even eat them. Also it was freezing inside. We told the waiter and he told us the heat has been out for a couple weeks. Weeks? Get it together.
Yuk.
Staff was nice.

After moving from Texas and tasting bomb ass phở there and California this place has to be «THEE» best in the state of Alaska.
The wife and I moved up here in Fairbanks after being stationed here and tasted the phở places. The phở places up here are not that great so we don’t even think about phở anymore like we use to.
Took a trip down to Anchorage and tried a few phở places but nothing beats PHONATIK! The best I’ve tasted in the state. The broth was just unbelievable and the amount of meat they gave me was great. But I just wish they put in more noodles.
The atmosphere was very good. Good lighting and very welcoming. Customer service was fast. I probably had just been in the restaurant for 5 mins and was already greeted with my appetizer and drinks. A couple of mins later the main course came out.
The bathrooms were also very clean and I enjoyed that. It felt like the whole place is kept clean.
We will most likely be coming back here next time we’re in Anchorage again.

Very chill and a cool Environment, the food is amazing. I love how there open late !

If you are dining in, you’re going to love the place.
If you’re calling an order for takeout, the food is still good, but the whole part where they tell you how long it’ll take for the food to be ready? Not a strong suit. At all. It’s a shame because it is a great option – at least in theory – to order their food, pick it up, and take it to another location to eat.
Best advice for take out? Give a pick up time of 20 – 30 minutes before you’d like the food. Second best advice for take out? Eat at the restaurant. The wait staff is solid and the wait time is noticeably better.
I really wish they had two separate review options to accurately evaluate the different components of the business. The take-​out fiascos have been tolerated the past 3 or 4 times, but the most recent incident, I had to cancel the order and get my money back. Gave them 45 minutes when they told me it’d be a half-​hour. Arrived at restaurant and was told another seven minutes. That sounded like a pretty specific amount of time and not just a guess, so I waited. Ten minutes later, I was told it’d be another five. Oddly enough, it was another seven minutes before I told them I wanted my refund. They gave it to me, of course, which was nice and expected and bid me good night.
I ended up ordering pizza, which I was told would arrive in 30 – 45 minutes. It was there in 44 minutes.
If you have had nothing but gold-​star take-​out service, please let me know your secret.

I came here twice during my recent visit to Anchorage, AK. The prices are more expensive than the lower 48, but for the limited Vietnamese food options, I understand. The quality here is fresh, and the vibe feels like you’re in Portland, OR. I love that there are some Alaskan influences to the food like adding smoked salmon to the fresh rolls that are usually made with shrimp. I know it’s called Phonatik, but they also have a lot of other Vietnamese food options on the menu beyond phở. Another unique aspect here is being able to pick your own toppings for phở, and they have a lot!, including oxtail. Service here is good too. If you find yourself craving Vietnamese food in Alaska, Phonatik is THE PLACE to go to in Anchorage.

BAD PHÕ NASTY KITCHEN-​This was really bad phõ. I got the shrimp phõ with extra meat and I got 4 shrimp total. The red meat was chewy and I had to spit it out a few times. The broth is flavorless and all around pretty bad. The view into the kitchen didn’t look very clean either. I was lead astray here from Unilocal.Won’t be back. Wish I could get a refund. Two stars because the California roll was okay and plentiful.

This place is awesome. Solid «A-​ok! I’m a phở-​phan» rating. 3.5, leaning closer to 4, star on this one
Located down across from the Dimond Mall complex, depending on what part of town you’re coming from, it might be a bit of a commute + dealing with Dimond traffic.
The ambiance here is nice. It caters more towards a trendy/​casual/​urban vibe. Decent seating, so even though this place is normally pretty busy, doesn’t take too long to get a table if there’s a line. I don’t drink, but there’s also a bar area, so if you’re into that sort of thing that’s an additional plus.
The main thing that dings them I think is the service. Not to say that it’s bad customer service as the wait staff has always been friendly and attentive, but rather the time between when you order and get your food is a little bit on the slower side. Last time we were there it took around a half hour from the time we placed our order to receive our food (which has been generally now between 20 – 30 minutes each time I’ve been here). Seems like whenever I’ve been in there the restaurant staff is a little bit all over the place, so this timing issue possibly might iron itself out with more experience and/​or management practices in place.
The food is good. I’ve had their Oxtail and Combination Phở’s so far and they’ve both satisfied my brothy desires. As others have mentioned, the broth is a bit on the richer side, which is fine by me, just something to be aware of. I’ve also tried the Banh Mi sandwich and that was also able to quell my stomach’s desire to eat itself. The Spring Rolls are also a good way to start off before the main consumption of mass quantities starts.
So I would say, come often and come hungry :-)
P. S. — Concerning coming hungry, they do offer a Phở Eating Challenge. 2lbs of noodles, 2 lbs of meat and 64 oz. of broth. Going to do some serious stomach stretching and try to take this one someday. They have a wall of Achievement/​Shame behind the main counter showing the patrons that have dared take on this feat #getyophoon

I ordered a lunch special with fried egg on top. Good but not great. The beef has a great taste the noodles are good but overall, I’m not excited about the dish has whole.
I’m giving them a 4 star because even tho I’m not a fan of the dish I ordered I think the individual components are very tasty and make this place with visiting again and experiment with different dished. My server was very friendly

OMG — this place is AWESOME! I Luv phở and I Luv oxtail. The two combined is heaven. The atmosphere is friendly. I like that beer and wine are available. The place is sharp and the service is great!

It’s all about the broth! Phonatik is by far the best Phở restaurant in anchorage. We ordered the pork fried egg rolls cooked to a golden brown perfection. However, the fish sauce was too fishy and I opted for the siracha sauce that was on the table instead.
The combination Phở was packed with strips of beef with generous portion of other meats. The meatballs were tender and the tripes (I think) were properly cleaned and prepared. Again, the broth was well seasoned not too salty like other Phở places in the area. The garnish were fresh and just enough for two bowls. I do have to say that the restaurant’s name «Phonatik» kinda project an Americanized phở, but you would be surprised.
This is my new «go to» place for phở and they will see me more often this cold winter. oh yeah, did I mention they also have great service? Good food and great service equals my support for this local gem.

Modern décor compared to a more traditional looking phở shop. Biggest disappointment for me was the quality of the veggies; bean sprouts were brown. But there was a good amount of everything available (jalapeños, basil, lime). The broth itself has great flavor and stays hot enough to cook the meat, the noodle has a good toothiness to the bite. I tried the combo (#1) which had a good thin cut on the steak, and tender tripe which makes me not mind that it doesn’t come chopped up. Egg rolls are also worth it. I didn’t see a drink menu which boggled me a bit. But they do have a phở challenge if you’re up to that. I wish it was better ventilated, there’s nothing like breaking a sweat in a hot shop while eating phở. But nonetheless, I’ll be returning for sure.

I Love this place! I’ve been eating Phở since it first hit Alaska. When I had my jaw surgery it was literally the only thing I could eat for almost 6 weeks that would make my mouth stop hurting. I checked out a few spots but for quite awhile the best place around was the one in Dimond Mall. Then Phonatik opened!
The interior is really cool, simple yet trendy, and just different. I like the chalk wall with the definitions of PHO and the correct pronunciation etc. It is bright and welcoming. I can’t tell you how many bowls of this soup I’ve tried and in just about every flavor, and every place in town. I like Phonatik because they don’t have a crazy amount of items they offer on their menu. It’s simple which means they stick with what they know, and they make it well instead of having their hand in a little bit of everything.
I“ve tried all the flavors of their Phở, my favorite is still the beef Phở with lean beef and brisket, but the seafood PHO is also great! Their broth is just the right amount of cooked broth, seasoning, and anise, so much so that you hardly need to add any extra’s to it to flavor it up (which is a good thing) I also absolutely love their Bahn Mi sandwiches too, they are DELICIOUS! Just the right size, and uniquely different then some of the other places that offer similar items around town. I have also had the pork and shrimp spring rolls. The rice noodles were slightly dry inside but they were still tasty and came with a kindof peanuty/​hoisin kind of sauce that was different from the normal spring roll fare but quite tasty.
Service is always fast and friendly here, and they are more then willing to explain things to you if your not sure what your getting or wanting to get, plus the prices are affordable. Great bowl of PHO for $ 10.00 and the Bahn Mi sandwiches are only $ 6.95. I’m never disappointed when I eat here, they are consistent and delicious!

Wow, what a pleasant surprise!
The interior and the general art direction of this place have a distinctly modern, hip vibe. Something you’d never suspect from a place in a humble Anchorage strip mall, reminds me more of an Asian fusion restaurant in Portland’s Pearl District.
It seems like most places in Anchorage that contain «Phở» in their title, are often Thai restaurants in disguise (not that there is anything wrong with that, Phở Jula is probably my favorite «Thai» restaurant in town!).
Note here; everything is distinctly Vietnamese.
Their menu is just the way I like it: short, sweet, and specialized. Too many places nowadays try to «everything to everyone» and end up being «nothing to no one». Again, not here. You’ll find Phở and a handful of other Vietnamese staples, as well as some appetizers. It’s laid out in a simple format resembling more of a sub shop or a Chipotle rather than a typical Asian restaurant menu with hundreds of combinations. (this is not the type of menu where you say «I’ll have the #127»)
I got the beef bowl. As other reviewers have pointed out, the broth here is much more richly-​spiced than at other Phở places. Personally, I’m into this. I barely had to use the additional phở accoutrements! The chunks of beef were large, plentiful, hearty, and melt-​in-​your-​mouth delicious! It has had broccoli in it. That may not be «traditional» for phở, but I thought it paired with the beefy flavors wonderfully.
And the medium size bowl was only 10 bucks! 10 bucks for non-​fast food is a steal in Anchorage.
Some other things I noticed:
Cool little bar area with an EXCELLENT beer (?!) selection. Seriously, you won’t find many dedicated BARS in Anchorage with taps this good, and in a Phở shop, it’s practically unheard of! I counted well over a dozen taps, and not mainstream swill either, PHO-​KING good craft brews. (for those of you that thought you were going to make it through this review without any Phở-​puns, you are naïve and too-​trusting!)
Memorabilia on the walls from some sort of MEGA PHO EATING CHALLENGE they do here. I’m not sure of the complete details, but some folks have apparently won $ 800+ for their PHONBELIEVABLE soup-​swilling skills.
One more thing: these folks are open LATE on weekends!

On those cold and ridiculously freezing nights in Anchorage what are you craving? Obviously something warm, hot, and delicious. Phở is definitely something that comes straight to my mind and finding the right place is always hard. Luckily I have a friend who is from Alaska and she recommended we eat at Phonatik. A place that is supposedly Phonomenal for the soul and for phở crazy people.
We came down here for some drinks, appetizers, and phở! I ordered the reindeer wontons, which were very flavorful and the meat tasted a bit like bacon. I also had a chicken and shrimp spring roll. Loved the typical peanut sauce with it. Now the phở menu has the options for combinations and also a phở your way choice. I ended up getting the tripe, tofu, and beef. The broth was decent, but the small size bowl was just way too small. A bottle of sake and some beers were bought so that was nice as well.
This place has a wide spectrum of opinions from customers. Some extremely disappointed and others love it. I was satisfied and it was a nice time. I sat right next to the fireplace among the hipster style of it all. The drink menu has a lot of options and this is great for beer. A good pregame place or even a nice place to go after a night around town. It may not be the super authentic phở experience, but for what it is you can enjoy a meal here for sure.

I’m relatively new to the phở-​nomenon, and there are a lot of phở restaurants in Anchorage. This one is one of my favorites. I enjoy their meatball phở and their barbeque vermicelli dishes. They are always fresh and served fairly quickly, and the flavor is consistent and very good. I like that I can get a small, and it’s a good size, for very little money. If I want leftovers, I will get a large. The broth is flavorful, not too salty, the meatballs good (not rubbery as I have had some places), and it includes really fresh accoutrements (the basil, sprouts, and jalapeño). I also really like their fresh pork springrolls. They have a few decent, affordable wine options, too. I go there regularly to eat in or get takeout. They have a surprisingly hip ambiance that sets them apart from similar restaurants, but as far as I’m concerned, I’m there for the food. However, it does add a nice touch.