Pho Ngoc Hung

Good phở but not amazing. Their summer rolls are very good. Service is quick and they are friendly.

Quite simply the best phở in Arlington. Better than Phở 75 or Phở Sate. In my opinion this are the top 3 places but nothing beats Phở Ngoc Hung. Excellent, flavorful broth, lots of meat and very friendly service. Along with the phở which is a must have, try the vermicelli noodle bowls and the fresh spring rolls. Everything here is done fresh and made from scratch. So if your ever in Arlington and in a phở kinda mood… you cannot miss out on this place!

Shredded pork rolls and Phở Tai raw large.
Good food. metal chopsticks are too smooth

Love this place, it’s close by and soups are always fresh and delicious, plus they have few beers for when ever you are with hangover :) lol
Check it out!

About a 1 – 1.5: I’ve always passed by Phở Ngoc Hung, but never got a chance to stop by to check them out. This small unassuming Vietnamese restaurant is located on a small residential road off of Columbia Pike, adjacent to the plaza that holds Papa John’s. The menu lists items such as appetizers (spring rolls, shredded pork rolls, crispy tofu, crispy chicken wings, etc.), phở (beef and chicken), rice egg noodle soups, vermicelli noodle bowls, rice platters, fried rice, stir-​fried noodles, fried fish, and other special ents (such as salty fried jumbo shrimp, stir-​fried seafood with vegetables, etc.). They also have a beer and wine list. The hubs and I came here for a late dinner, and we were pointed to an available table. We started off with a Shredded Pork Roll (this looked like a triangular samosa; this was filled with ground pork, some vegetables, as well as a tail of a shrimp sticking out from one of the corners — from looking at other patrons’ pictures, I thought it was just a crispy shrimp appetizer and was not aware that there was pork in it — this wasn’t really that good, as the filling was not seasoned and I wasn’t a fan of the texture; I probably would have just preferred a shrimp spring roll). For entrees, the hubs #14, which was the Phở Tai Nam — a beef phở filled with slices of eye round steak and flank (the soup was very light but didn’t really have much flavor; it was much sweeter than what we are used to; the noodles were super overcooked, so they were just a mound of mush; the eye round steak was super thin and not the best quality, but the flank was better of the two; adding some chili oil, hoisin, and the sriracha didn’t do much, but made it slightly better); I had the #42, which was the Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio (this vermicelli noodle bowl came with some shredded lettuce, sliced carrots, thinly-​grilled pork pieces, and a cut-​up spring roll; the noodles here were okay, but again, slightly overcooked; the shredded lettuce and carrots were fresh, but could have been drained a bit more; the pork had a good marination, but it was a bit small in terms of portion; I wasn’t a fan of the spring roll, as it did not have much flavor, and the exterior was more chewy than crispy; the portion of the vermicelli bowl was extremely modest as well, and I was surprised at the smaller portion). Staff were super friendly and kind, and the place was packed on a weekend night with locals. There’s about 8 spaces to park in front of the store in their small lot, and it’s a bit of a squeeze; however, there are some limited street parking available. I’m glad I was able to finally check this place out, but most likely won’t go back.
+chewy spring rolls
+sweeter-​tasting phở
+3 sizes available for phở
+small portions in terms of vermicelli bowls
+friendly staff
+limited parking in 8-​spaced lot

I came here on a lark seeking a new option for phở. Let me start by saying Im not an expert of Vietnamese food but I have eaten a ton of phở over the years and I know good food when I eat it.
Parking: Small shop stuck on a side street off of Columbia Pike. They have a small lot bordering on a larger lot for a shopping center. In a pinch I figure you could get away with parking in the larger lot if you needed. 4 Stars
Décor: Typical small shop décor with booths and table seating in the middle. Nothing new or spectacular here. Very casual feel. 3 Stars
Service: Prompt service. I was seated quickly and offered drinks while I decided what to eat. After the food was received I entered the service black hole. No one came back to check on me or refill my water glass. I made a half hearted attempt to get someones attention but no luck so I gave up. 3 Stars
Food: I decided on the phở with well done beef and flank. The phở came out quickly and let me tell you there was a lot of beef in the dish. I was happy to see that they didnt skimp on the beef and it was tender and delicious. The broth was very light, much lighter than I am accustomed to but pretty good none the less. The noodles were not that great. They were over cooked and mushy. I actually ended up eating around the noodles after a while.
I also ordered a thai ice tea (yeah I know, Thai product in a Vietnamese restaurant but Im on a Thai tea kick right now) amazingly it was great! It was one of better ones Ive had in the NoVA area. 3 Stars
So with alll that said, Im not sure I would go out of my way to come back here for Phở, but if I wanted a good Thai ice tea, maybe.

I have eaten Phở all over the country and nothing beats the unique flavors of Phở you find at authentic Vietnamese restaurants, especially this place, Phở Ngoc Hung. Phở is delicious here and I am so happy I finally tried this place after reading stellar reviews from my Unilocal friends!
I can only rate my review on takeout option, as I’ve never stayed to eat there. You can order on phone beforehand, but I prefer ordering in person.
The soup is full of flavor, if you are getting it to go, they will give you the option of taking your beef home raw so it cooks in the hot broth. I’ve only tried the Eye Round Steak Phở and can tell you it’s amazing! This phở alone keeps me coming back for more.
I’ve also had the crispy spring rolls which are fried fresh upon order. Also had the fresh garden rolls, which are also made to order because you receive them with the inside meat hot and the rice paper roll fresh and easy to bite/​eat thru.
Can also comment on the vermicelli noodles dish with grilled pork and crispy spring rolls. This is another awesome dish, the fish sauce you pour overtop is on point!
I love this place, have been several times in the past 2 months and have enjoyed it every time. It’s a family run business and depending on the time you visit, you see several members of a very close-​knit, friendly, hardworking family working together to provide an awesome customer experience.
Definitely recommend. All dishes reviewed are great starter items for anyone wanting to try Phở without eating anything too crazy, lol… Hope to see you there sometime!

Solid Phở. Exactly the way a quality Vietnamese place should be, a bit of a hole in the wall, off the beaten track with nice contrast to the almost over commercialized «little Vietnam» not far away. Friendly, fast, straightforward service. Very reasonable price for good product.

My top place!!! Very impressed with the food, flavor, freshness, etc. professional, friendly service… attentive. Absolutely delicious!

I am a Phở lover and Its one of the best phở I had try. Its flavorfull, look and taste so fresh. I ask for the arge bowl and is a really good size. My kids loves this phở place as well. Its yum!!! Nice and quick service. Love it!

Some of the less expensive prices in the area. The spring rolls and pork spring rolls are amazeballs!!!
Phở is solid. #56 is a massive amount of food.
I have only been here twice and will come back for sure. I would classify the food as overall good and a great value.
I can go into my favorite places for phở and viet cuisine, but would come here again on a casual dinning night.
Check out my other reviews to learn more about Viet cuisine.

My second favorite phở place around NOVA! They have a much more extensive menu compared to Phở 75, serving up Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio, other rice dishes, and appetizers like grill quail!
We ordered:
Super Bowl Sized Phở with Rare Eye of Round Steak and Flank. The soup is not as flavorful as Phở 75’s soup, that said, it is still deeply infused with flavor, beating every other phở place I’ve been to around NOVA. The meats, especially the FLANK, melted in my mouth like butter. Now, I have never had flank as good as this before. I’d come back here just to eat their flank phở! The size of the super bowl was huge, the 2 of us shared that one bowl and got full from it :) Ideal if you are trying to save money. 10.95 for a super bowl is a really good deal. How funny we actually came here the day of the super bowl: P
Grilled Quail: Delicious quail with honey sriracha sauce, the pieces were meaty and the sauce complemented it well.
Fried Spring Rolls: These appetizers took a while to come out, but after taking in a bite, it tasted so fresh and hot you know they had just made it. It wasn’t sitting around to be refried or heated up. BOMB!!!
Definitely my new go-​to phở place when I’m not in the mood to travel all the way to Phở 75. I’ll be back soon to try some of their other dishes!

I am a phở newbie, so feel free to stop reading if you want to know about the subtle nuances of the phở at this restaurant. All I can say is I had a great bowl of hot soup on a cold day.
I went on a weekday at lunch, and it was pretty crowded. From blue collar to white collar to families, apparently everybody was in the know about the phở but me. So glad I joined the club!
The staff was very friendly and offered me hot tea when I came in. Did I mention it was hella cold outside? So of course I said yes. It took me a while to read through the menu, but they neither rushed me nor ignored me. Thanks to my fellow Unilocalers, I settled on the Phở Tai Bo Vien (#16, thin slices of beef and meatballs). I also ordered the Shrimp Crispy Rolls. They were triangles instead of the logs I was expecting, but otherwise familiar and totally tasty. Crunchy, piping hot, and flavorful.
But back to the soup… How can a soup be so warm and comfy, but at the same time be light and airy? Somebody please tell me! The broth was extremely flavorful and there were about 5 – 6 meatballs and 5 – 6 slices of beef. Tender meat and the noodles were not mushy at all. Also there were some herbs floating in there (cilantro, basil, who knows?) that gave the soup a brightness I was not expecting. They give you a plate with bean sprouts, sliced fresh jalapeño, and mint that you can add to your soup. On the table is sriracha sauce and maybe soy sauce (again, who knows, it was brown). They brought me chopsticks and a fork, and I was like, uh… what do I do with this? Thanks to the guy at the next table, I figured out there was a plastic container of spoons already on the table. So I developed my own clunky version of two-​handed eating with the spoon for the broth and chopsticks for the meat and noodles. It would be awesome if somebody could please teach me how to eat phở without making a mess and sounding like a pig.
If you want phở, there are plenty of options out there. But if you want tasty phở, a clean restaurant, and staff that is not at all intimidating for newbies, then try this place. I’ll be back soon! And seriously, about those lessons…

Food is amazing! I got a number 36 and was blown away! My daughter couldn’t get enough! I’m not a fan of phở so I go with salads. After a recent move to DC I was really missing our old phở restaurant and this exceeds expectations!

Extra star goes for having both 33 beer and Saigon beer. Although they were out of Saigon, they had 33 and it was so nostalgic to have a Vietnamese beer during lunch. the husband got the pork chop with rice, shredded pork, and fried egg. I got the combo phở. The phở had a little bit of oil in it, which is good, b’c it’s so necessary for the flavor. The broth isn’t clear like it is at other phở places around here so there’s more body to it. It’s a little on the sweeter side, but their small is $ 7.50 and filled with meat. They also use fresh noodles which is a super plus. Service was extremely fast and it’s an adorable family owned restaurant that looks like it’s in the middle of no where. I highly suggest this if you work in around the Baily’s crossing area, it’s one of the better phở joint.

I went to the Unilocal Elite event a Pollo Campero this year and never even realized that this gem of a Vietnamese Phở restaurant was right next door!
Since discovering Phở Ngoc Hung we have been back at least 4 or 5 times and each time the phở has been excellent and very consistent. The broth was very good quality, savory, and the To Tai (I like rare steak) was sliced thin and delicious. I would not rank it above Phở 75 (the one in Rosslyn), but it is darn close. In fact, I might actually prefer Phở Ngoc Hung because they server beer. I was able to order a tall can of Saporro, which made my phở taste even better.
We did try the summer rolls, as recommended by the Unilocal reviews here, and although the ingredient were very fresh, and the portion was much larger than expected, I would say they were certainly above average, but nothing to write home about.
Overall, an excellent hole-​in-​the-​wall phở restaurant, and a great option on a school night :)

Fresh summer rolls were good. They could have been packed tighter so they don’t fall apart after bite one. The peanut sauce was tasty, just slightly thinner than the consistency I like.
Mom had the seafood soup and loved it. I tried it and agree the flavor is there. The seafood consisted of shrimp, a sort of shrimp meatball, and crab sticks.
I asked if they could make me meatball and well-​done brisket phở since I didn’t see that option on the menu. They did and my broth was awesome. I liked the flavor more than the seafood soup.
Good neighborhood spot. Small. Nothing fancy. Very clean. Come here if you’re in the area and looking for a good phở joint. And the gentleman that took care of us was really attentive, friendly, and speaks pretty solid Spanish, which you could tell was appreciated by customers.

Four stars for the broth quality, because that’s what matter in a phở place! There’s definitely a good amount of herbs in there, and you can really taste the beef in the broth. However, it’s not as aromatic as some of the other broths I’ve tasted in similar restaurants.
Otherwise, the experience is pretty straightforward. The servers/​managers/​owners doesn’t speak English very well, but pointing will get you what you want. Make sure to really be clear when you’re ordering something very specific.
We also ordered the spring rolls (goi cuon). It was as expected, and the peanut sauce is delicious.
They have lots of other items on the menu that we didn’t get to try. With a 4-​star convincing phở broth, it’s definitely worth exploring.

The hubs and I have visited this restaurant several times and it’s about time that I write a review. We’ve really enjoyed coming here for dinner. The hubs usually orders phở and I order the vermicelli with pork and spring rolls. Both are very delicious! We’ve also tried the dumplings, wonton soup, stir fried egg noodle with seafood, and fresh spring rolls. Everything has been excellent!
Food ⁵⁄₅
Service ⁵⁄₅
Atmosphere ³⁄₅
Price ⁵⁄₅ (very inexpensive!)

I could see why there are mix reviews for this place. It’s really a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ chance. Fortunately, it was a hit for me and my family! I got fresh rolls and phở. The rolls were FRESHLY made. I mean it wasn’t cold and chewy like most places. This was warm, you can taste the fresh cooked sausage, shrimp and vermicelli.
The broth for phở is deeply beef flavored. You have a choice to get small, large and extra-​large. For average eaters, small is the best choice. The meats were cooked well and the noodles were perfectly made.
My cousin ordered fried rice and that dish is HUGE! It was good but not worth getting. My friend ordered the grilled pork dish and that was delicious! Go for the vermicelli dishes as an alternative.
Please take into consideration that this a family own restaurant. So don’t come expecting things to go your way. As I was taught, always respect other culture and treat them the way you would like to be treated. The service here is friendly and fast.
Best time to come is during lunch.