Pho King

This place is phở king awesome… Had to do it.
Seriously, service is warm and friendly, portions are abundant, and there isn’t a dish on the menu you can go wrong with.
Of course, phở is the staple. The other rice noodle dishes are also on point.

What a great addition to the dinner rotation.
Great flavors and as Vietnamese food should be it fresh tasting. I had the Pork Rice Noodle Salad (bun).

I’m telling you. This spot right here! You have to check it out. Some of the best «shrimp eggs rolls» on the Earth! And that was just the starters. The rendezvous ended with the Chicken Phở which was super fresh and made from scratch! There are two sizes, small and large. I recommend the small for most meals so you can indulge from the menu other choices! There are many choices to choose from. The service was exceptional and the staff are super helpful and friendly. Ask for recommendations if you are unsure about the selections. For those of you who are familiar with Vietnamese restaurants and this is by far # 1 In the area.

All right, how does this place have a 4 star rating? Actually, I probably know why. I think the best way to sum it up is that Phở King probably caters to people who are looking for an «authentic» Vietnamese cuisine experience. Not sure if everyone know what I mean by that, but if you do you probably might be as skeptical as I was when I walked in and didn’t see a single Vietnamese patron. The papaya salad was okay but it was mostly soggy papaya drenched in fish sauce. The culpable dish was the banh mi, though. Stale (not just day-​old but maybe even 2-​day-​old) bread, barely pickled veggies, and nothing else. I don’t know what else I should say, except find an authentic Vietnamese restaurant to eat at.

I have come here on many occasions and I have ordered for delivery and pickup. Every order has been spot on for taste. They have the best best marinated tenderloin beef chunk dishes. The meat is so flavorful and cooked to the right consistency. My favorite dishes are the Chili Lemongrass Chicken with Rice and the Rice Vermicelli plate with beef chunks.
This location has been occupied by many a restaurant, but I hope Phở King is there for the long run.

Review only for bahn mi.
Came here for a bbq chicken bahn mi.
Bread was stale and crunchy.
Pickled veggies did not taste pickled.
Chicken was good, but not enough to fill the length of the sandwich.
Workers were pleasant.

I really want to like this place since it is so close to my office. But, can’t do it. First of all the amount of meat offered in their meat featured Phở is really skimpy. Really. Secondly, their garnishes are also. Last time I was there I was offed one (1) spring of cilantro and a shoot of basil the literally had 4 leaves on it.
And finally no liquor license.
I’m taking a trip up the Buford Highway for my Phở from now on.

If you’ve tried good Phở, you will immediately know that this is absolutely not it. I wanted to like this place more as its so close to my home, but on two occasions now, it’s been a letdown.
The meal:
Salt, salt, salt! That’s the 3 words I can describe Phở King. It was so oversalted that it makes one want to down a jug of water after. The bean sprouts are also not fresh, see my picture. They are brown in color! How they have courage to even bring that to the table shocks me.
Pleasant atmosphere:
To be frank, this is probably the only reason they aren’t getting one star. Ambiance wise, this is undoubtedly one of the better phở restaurants I’ve been too despite being located in a strip mall, as they usually are. Nice artwork, tasteful calm colors and non-​officey looking ceiling make up for some of the food shortcomings. Priced fairly for the location.
Disappointing Service:
Tables are dirty without being cleaned for a long time and they are extremely slow.

Phở King good?
I’m happy that there is a phở place near midtown.
Service — was relatively quick.
Food — Ordered Chicken phở, the broth is a little bit more saltier and onion-​y than what I’m used to. Chicken was too chewy but the phở was acceptable. Also ordered papaya salad with grilled pork this was drowned in fish sauce and a little salty. If they held back on the fish sauce it would’ve been perfect. I’ll probably order it with the sauce on the side. Furthermore, I ordered the spring rolls, they were acceptable. It’s a little bit pricey here than the typical phở-​viet restaurant but I’m going to assume that it is because it’s in Buckhead and property is a little bit more expensive there.
My verdict — It’s good enough that I’m willing to go here instead of driving all the way out to Buford Hwy if I wanted some decent phở. Also note, you can do delivery through delivery dash.

This is such an exciting review for me. I’ve waited a couple bakers dozen visits to write it because I wanted to be sure of my feelings.
And, when it comes to establishments that provide me with a phở bowl, I take the relationship very, very seriously.
I’ve lived off Buford Highway for years until recent move to West Midtown and this little gem has become my go-​to. Not out of convenience, but out of love.
Mad love.
For starters, I completely adore this place so please feel free to consider me biased if you continue to read my review.
Service isn’t always perfect but they know my order (never changes) and always suggest new items I’ve never tried before, which I like.
The iced coffee is strong as f#%k but tasty.
Ask for a side of fatty broth with spring onions, it give the phở a little somethin somethin.
I also always get my meat raw on the side so I can decide how cooked I want it.
My new thing is getting an extra side of steak raw and side of onions and lime. Mix that ish up and add copious amounts of sriracha and fish sauce.
Eat raw! The lime will ceviche the meat. Super tasty cold bites to contrast your hot noodle bowl!
We never eat for more than $ 30 and we order bahn mis (delish here, bread rivals Lees Bakery)
I highly recommend it!

The noodle soup and the rice plate are really delicious.
There are lots of the different noodle combo! Three sizes can be selected: small, large, extra large!

First off, for grabbing a healthy & fresh lunch in Buckhead, this place has great prices! We ended up here because our Vitaflo clinic upstairs had a bit of a wait, but could get us in for an appointment 45mins later. No biggie, we can just eat to kill some time :)
The shrimp and pork spring rolls were very fresh and tasted great. We also had some crispy rolls we enjoyed (appetizer combo). We also each decided on a bahn mi sandwich, as we weren’t quite in the mood for Phở. The sandwich could’ve used slightly more meat, but was absolutely delicious and for the price, we really couldn’t complain. I think we found our new lunch tradition for our monthly vidaflo!

I recently visited Phở King and was pleasantly surprised. I’m not typically a fan of strip mall-​type restaurants, but I’m adding this place to my food rotation. The restaurant is easily accessible from Buckhead and Midtown, and offers plenty of parking. The restaurant itself seems pretty new and is quite large, which was helpful since it was bustling even on a Sunday evening. The service was also prompt and friendly.
We ordered the spring rolls (the accompanying peanut sauce was amazing) and phở. I went with the small tofu phở. The small is actually quite a large portion and the flavor was great. I ended the meal with a coconut bubble tea (with tapioca). I’m not an Asian food connoisseur, but I thought it was delicious and very reasonably priced.

Phở King is the place to go for phở in Buckhead. And look at the name! It’s so clever.
Their menu looks basic. It has your typical vietnamese items like phở, bun, com, banh mi, and the spring roll appetizers. They also had bubble tea.
I got the phở dac biet. It seems a bit pricy, but this is Buckhead. The phở was acceptable. The broth was just your standard salty, beef broth. It didn’t have much depth, flavor, or special characteristics. It didn’t taste bad on the first slurp, but it was the kind of phở you get tired of eating after a while.
The service was friendly and good. Although the server didn’t understand me when I said, «phở dac biet.» I had to point it out on the menu. Maybe my pronunciation sucked.

I am partial about giving this place 5 stars since it’s more along the lines of 4.5, but I really seem to like the fried rice here as it is different.
I ordered the bo buc loc with com chien. The bf ordered the chicken version with plain white rice, and his friend ordered the pork version also with plain rice.
The shaken beef (translated) was juicy and chewy. I think it could have used more seasoning, but it was good as is. The fried rice wasn’t seasoned with the usual soy sauce and mixed veggies but instead with what looked like butter. Simplicity is key in my book.
I had a sampling of both the pork and chicken. The pork was a tad dry imo. The chicken was flavorful as it was seasoned with a light curry looking sauce that had a slight kick to it. Soup accompanied our orders.
Parking was plentiful, easy, and free (considering this is Buckhead).

One of the few complaints I have living in Midtown is the scarcity of superb phở nearby. So when I saw Phở King off of Peachtree in Buckhead, I literally put it on my to-​do list.
***
I. FOOD
Pretty standard Vietnamese eats — phở, spring rolls, egg rolls, etc… — as well as bubble tea. I, of course, had to try their phở dac biet, spring rolls, and café sua da. (A combo of these three items should be named after me.)
*Phở Dac Biet: aka the phở special was OK. My suggestions to improve: 1) simmer the broth longer; 2) use more coriander and star anise; 3) include higher grade slices of beef; and 4) provide more culantro and basil. I totally understand patrons can be wasteful, but I literally received one strand of each. ($ 9.50)
*Spring Rolls: Very disappointing. Incredibly small, not a lot of herbs and meat inside. Peanut sauce was just OK. ($ 3.25)
*Café Sua Da: it could use more of a kick. A bit too milky. ($ 3.50)
II. SERVICE
Super nice server and host! The food came out incredibly fast, so no complaints there.
III. ATMOSPHERE/​DÉCOR
Very clean with classic Vietnamese art hung about. It’s large enough for small groups, and overall very nice.
IV. PRICES
Pretty affordable. Most things range between $ 3-​$ 15 range for eats, but the portions aren’t very large.
V. OVERALL
I really hope that Phở King does well, and I think it has a lot of potential to be great. For now, though, I think three stars is more than fair. I’ll also continue to drive up to Buford Highway weekly for my bowl or make it at home myself.

In my exploring menus it seems that Vietnamese restaurants in Atlanta have fairly limited menus (phở, Banh mi, bun, com) but this restaurant has green papaya salad. The green papaya salad was the best and freshest that I’ve had since being in Vietnam. We also had goi cuon, small phở (the phở comes in 3 sizes), and bun with the green papaya salad ($ 34 plus tip).
The restaurant felt very clean and new. People were very friendly and the food arrived very quickly.

I say a 3.5 but rounded to a 4. For a Buckhead area, not bad at all. I was pleasantly surprised. If you’re in Buckhead or live nearby and too lazy to go to BuHi, PhoKing is a good place to go if you’re needing some Phở. I live 8 mins away… so, I’ll be back often. BuHi is a 15 – 20 min drive for me.
Parking — They do have a parking lot. But PhoKing is a part of a plaza. I’m sure during peak hours, the lot may get tricky for spots. I personally come after dinner time, so I’m not dying for one.
Space & Environment — Smaller space. I don’t think this place would survive a massive lunch/​dinner rush. I mean the entire set up looks nice. Just that there aren’t as many tables like other Phở places. Not your typical Phở Dai Loi feel either… meaning, I don’t see little kids running around like crazy and is peaceful during meals. Which is nice!
Service — I’ve never had bad service when dining in. The guys and girls are really nice and try to their best to be on their toes.
Food —
The egg rolls were normal. Not greasy though. I enjoyed them. These were better than the ones I’ve had at Saigon Café and Banh Mi Café.
Meatball Phở — I kind of wish they added more meatballs to this. The Phở is standard. Not oily though. I get smalls every time I come in and I’m full when I leave. The broth is a hit or miss for me. Sometimes it’s really good and sometime it’s ok.
Combo Phở — Man, so much meat is included. I couldn’t finish this because the noodles + the extra meat made me so full. The meat was fine. The broth was good. If I’m starving one day, I’ll get this again. I got a small for this too and the portions were very generous.

Phở King is a Vietnamese restaurant that opened June 8, 2015 at the «Shops of Buckhead» strip mall in South Buckhead. The two-​story building is also home to a Firehouse Subs, CamiCakes Cupcakes, and Big Al’s Gourmet Butter Made Burgers. Phở King overtakes the space that was once home to sushi restaurants Sakana Sushi & Grill (most recently), Sushi House, and Imari Sushi. Those restaurants opened and closed within an approximate 10-​year span.
This is an A-​OK Vietnamese restaurant. It’s from the same owners as VN Phở in Morrow. Currently, I believe it is the only authentic Vietnamese restaurant in Buckhead. It’s similar to a typical phở restaurant you might find on Buford Highway in terms of its casual atmosphere and straightforward menu.
The owners have renovated the space and opened it up. There’s seating for approximately 60, mostly at tables, but there are a few booths and banquette seating as well. Simple, but tasteful lighting and décor — suspended lights, bamboo paintings on wooden partitions, and photo-​portraits of Vietnamese ladies in traditional dress.
The menu has basic Vietnamese cuisine: Appetizers like goi cuon (spring rolls) and cha gio (egg rolls), 10 different varieties of phở (noodle soup), a half-​dozen varieties of com (rice plates), bahn mi (sandwiches), five types of bun (rice vermicelli noodle bowls), and vegetarian options. They also have bubble milk teas and smoothies, which include flavors such as Thai tea, taro, jackfruit, avocado, soursop, and durian, and Vietnamese drinks like Vietnamese coffee, lemonade (da chanh), coconut juice, and soy milk.
The prices are reasonable. Most appetizers are each about $ 6 or less, most com rice plates and bun noodle bowls are under $ 10 each, and banh mi is $ 3.50-$ 4.00 per sandwich. The beverages, including the bubble teas and smoothies, will set you back about $ 3 a pop.
Phở costs $ 7.95 for a small bowl and $ 8.95 for a large bowl with the exception of the dac biet (special combination phở) which costs $ 9.25 for a small and $ 10.25 for a large. I’d say these prices are generally in line with those you’d find on Buford Highway (except you might be spending a dollar or two more for dac biet), so that’s definitely a plus in this part of town.
To see a direct size comparison between the small and large bowls of phở, check out my photo here:
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I’ve tried the phở dac biet. It’s my favorite type of phở because it comes with everything. At Phở King, «everything» includes eye round steak, well-​done flank, brisket, tendon, and tripe (stomach) — all beef products. You can also add extra servings of meat in the bowl or on the side for $ 1 each. I think Phở King’s phở dac biet is fine. The broth isn’t as flavorful nor aromatic as some of my favorite phở places in metro Atlanta, but it’s not terrible either. The noodles are satisfactory and they give you a lot of meat. The meat quality is OK. Other ingredients in the phở include a bit of chopped cilantro and scallion and thinly sliced white onion.
Phở sides include the customary fresh basil, culantro, bean sprouts, jalapeño, and lime. Table condiments include hoisin sauce and Sriracha (both musts with this broth). One of my Vietnamese friends always likes to ask for a small bowl of an extra rich, fatty stock on the side. Phở King serves it, but it’s not listed on the menu. It’s called «nuoc beo hanh tran.» You can just say «nuoc beo.» It comes with pieces of blanched spring onion.
Other things I’ve tried include the cha gio (egg rolls) and the ca phe sua da (Vietnamese iced coffee with sweetened condensed milk). The cha gio is tasty. Three thin egg rolls come per order. They’re hot and crispy and served with a side of nuoc mam (fish sauce) as well as a bit of pickled shredded radish and carrots. The ca phe sua da is thick and creamy. It’s not the best I’ve had, but still refreshing and satisfying. It’s worth a shot if you like iced coffee.
Service is good.
In the end, Phở King is a welcome addition to the neighborhood. I’m glad it opened because it gives Atlantans more options aside from Buford Highway and Gwinnett County for authentic Vietnamese cuisine. I still think the phở on BuHi and in Gwinnett is better, so if Phở King was located in those areas, I’d probably give them 3 stars. However, I’m bumping them up to 4 due to location. They’ve brought real phở to neighborhoods that have been veritable phở deserts.

When I think of Vietnamese food, Buckhead is the last place I would look. However, feeling curious, I decided to go support this new restaurant.
It has a relatively more intimate, fancy atmosphere than other Vietnamese restaurants that I’ve visted in SoCal and on Buford Highway. The walls have paintings depicting Vietnamese people and country. The staff is very attentive.
The menu has more popular items as spring rolls and phở (vermicelli in broth with different types of meat). There are also rice dishes, smoothies, and che (Vietnamese dessert).
I tried the hu tieu chay. It is another bowl of vermicilli noodles in a savory broth. «Chay» means vegetarian so this has tofu and mushrooms. I was very impressed! I’ve never had this entrée before but it tasted very savory and authentic.
I look forward to coming back, bringing coworkers, and introducing them to authentic Vietnamese food!