Pho 79 Restaurant

Probably the best phở place in the US. Probably the oldest too, since 1979. Don’t think they’ve done much remodeling since then. Glad there’s a place I can go to to relive the nostalgic memories of eating phở with my parents on the weekend as a kid. Love this place.

What happened to this place? Last time I was here, about 8 years ago, it was touted as THE BEST phở place, and was excellent.
Just stopped in for lunch, and was really underwhelmed.
Ordered Phở Tai Nam, spring rolls and an avocado shake (Buh?).
–Phở noodles and meat were fine, but the broth was flavorless. Had I not given it a generous squeeze of sriratcha, it would have had no taste at all. My benchmark for good broth is Phở Bac on Barranca in Irvine.
–Spring rolls were big (like 8″) not the smaller size, but still only had two shrimp, and were pretty bland. There should be a law that spring rolls need 3 shrimp.
–The avocado shake was more like an avocado ice, not the rich sweet creamy shake that Café Lu serves. It was more refreshing on a hot day, but I can’t help but think they were skimping on the avocado.
Meal came to about $ 16.50. Reasonable. Just wish the food was a little tastier.

Decent phở and other dishes. Somehow, the food here is not as good as the one at the Asian Garden Mall, which is now closed.
Service is fast and efficient.

My wife and I came here for the first time tonight because of the Unilocal reviews. We ordered our food and it tasted fine. When we were just getting ready to leave we spot a roach walking across the dining room area. Yuck! I’m not so sure we will come back.

Ordered the #3 Phở. Beef broth is flavorful and not too salty. They give a generous portion of veggies (basil, bean sprouts, jalapeño, and lime). Came around 12:30pm on Sunday and it was empty. It was packed house by 1pm. My parents enjoyed the #1 Dac Viet (Special) Phở, which comes in a larger bowl size. Really inexpensive, filling meal.

GREAT TASTE & VALUE!
CASH ONLY.
This place is my #1 place to go in Little Saigon for phở and oxtail.
Their phở broth was full of flavor, meat was tender & delicious, noodle portion was generous and overall a great value!
Their side of oxtail is to die for — it was so tender, juicy and delicious! And the portion was large enough to share with 4 people! Again, great taste and value. Because it is so popular sometimes they do run out of it.
The service was quick and friendly. We came for a late lunch so our wait was about 5 minutes. They have a sign-​in sheet hanging by the door.
They have their own parking section but you might have to circle around 1 – 2 times before finding a spot.

One of the best in the OC, that I have yet to try. Phở 79 is exactly what you want when you are going for a good bowl of phở. Lots of seating, big menu, friendly staff and quick service. PS — It’s behind the liquor store, parking is behind the shops off Brookhurst. Also, this place is cash only.
I phở-​real enjoyed my dinner here. #21 Phở Tai (beef) with the fresh basil, bean sprouts and lime juice topped off with siracha and hoisin sauce. Delish! The most important factor for me is the broth and it was on point. When the bowl was put in front of me the smells were intoxicating, especially the fresh ginger root. I ordered a medium and had a very fair share of the noodles, beef and onions.
Taking it back to sitting down. Greeted immediately and gave our order just a minute later. Not even 3 minutes past that and there’s our food steaming in our faces. Our table is equipped with the essentials: both plastic and bamboo chopsticks, spoons, napkins, and the sauces.
The not so awesome things: the price for a medium bowl is $ 8 and that’s a little steep in my opinion for a bowl that isn’t a large. The parking lot is full of potholes, literally. Beware if you’re driving here in the dark, especially if you have a low suspension on your vehicle.
Overall, great phở and I’d definitely return.

There is no other phở place I want to eat at. Period.
With so many options for phở scattered throughout Orange County and a good amount of places located in Bolsa/​Little Saigon, where do you go?!? You can pick a place with a punny name, but everyone knows if the place doesn’t have a number in it, it’s not legit. So what sets 79 apart?
Well, the parking lot is literally the worst ever. The restaurant is tucked behind a liquor store and the parking lot is adjacent to it, and it has the most and largest pot holes I’ve ever seen in my life. Like, you might as well call yourself Indiana Jones as you traverse through it to park your car. The exterior and interior are pretty drab as well. Your American plastic forms of payment aren’t valid at this establishment either. Service is mediocre, but they get you your food fast. The owners couldn’t care less about any of these things, because their primary focus is to serve you a damn good bowl of phở.
They don’t have any gimmicky 50% off deals, but what they do have that every other place doesn’t is OXTAIL. Limited in quantity daily, the OXTAIL comes in a separate bowl of broth and some green onions and scallions and it’s absolutely divine. It’s perfectly cooked, fall off the bone tender, not gamey at all and I could eat 2 bowls of it by myself. Take that first bite and it just melts in your mouth and it’s like you’ve experienced a bit of culinary transcendence. Get there early as they usually run out within a few hours, so don’t bitch and moan if they’re out… just come back earlier next time. You won’t regret it.
The phở itself is super flavorful. The noodles don’t stick together and have a nice consistency, and they give you LOTS of meat. It comes in 3 sizes: small, medium and large. You can also have them just give you a bowl of noodles in the broth and eat it with the OXTAIL. I also suggest you tell them to give you onions soaked in fat. It’s literally green onions in a small bowl of fat. Add a spoonful of it to your bowl of phở. You’re welcome. Oh, make sure you get the mother frickin’ OXTAIL.

Finally their phở started to taste like their other location! We started to come here when their other location closed last year in the Asian Garden Mall. Half of the other staff from there moved over to this location. We’re regulars here, we come 1 – 2 times a week. My husband loves the phở here.
We love their Phở broth here. Temperature, taste, amount is so good. I always get the Special Combination Beef Phở (32) add meatballs. I like everything in it. =) I have tried a few other noodle dishes: Bun Bo Hue, Bun Mo, Bun Rieu Oc, Hu Tiu Tom Cua Kho, I can’t remember the other ones. But I enjoyed them all. A lot of other places doesn’t make them right.
I also had their rice dishes, I’m a big fan of Com Bi Cha Thit Suong (104) and Com Bi Cha Suon Nuong (106).
Drinks: Vietnamese Ice Coffee with milk, Fresh Limeade Soda, Young Coconut Drink, and Thai Ice Tea.

Simple and Sweet
This place is the real deal. Parking can be a pain at times but right when you come to the restaurant expect a line. The phở is quite amazing though so worth the wait! The phở stock was sublime. I’m sure they didn’t use MSG in theirs because i left feeling not thirsty. The phở was just superb! Meat is good, herbs are fresh, and noodles are good.
The service is fast yet exceptional and the prices are extremely fair. I got the super bowl (only XL size) and that was 10 bucks. This place has so many Zagat awards hung up on their wall so you walk in knowing its legit. The place is kinda small and always packed so come early or you will have to wait in line.
Definitely will be back soon!

Maybe it’s a chain thing, but we were rather disappointed. Broth was very good, and fresh, especially the phở tai. The chicken soup was a bit sweet for me but my father in law tore it up. There were lots of fresh herbs. Service was quick and thorough.
However, the bun thit was over cooked & the sauce was straight up fish, no lime. Coming from Boston’s Vietnamese zone this was not even in the running for good. Like, we didn’t take home the leftovers.

Located within an area with what I reckon to be the worst parking lot ever, Phở 79 is a diamond in the rough. No, you won’t find a great interior inside nor outside. And hell, you might not even get a waiter that speaks English, but what you will find is… oxtail. Delicious and big portioned, the oxtail is roughly $ 3.50. It’s tender and simply falls off the bone. However, only the lucky few will get it since they tend to run out. Both times I have been here, I’ve been lucky to score a bowl of the delicious meat.
Personally, this isn’t the greatest bowl of phở I’ve ever had. The meat is decent, the noodles seem fresh, but the broth isn’t as potent as I’d like it to be. But no worries my friend, that’s what the oxtail is here to fix. The oxtail comes in its own little delicious broth of goodness which is more concentrated and flavorful than what you’ll get in your bowl of phở. So, this is what you have to do — take that lovely oxtail broth and throw it into your bowl of phở. It’ll change everything for you, I promise.
I’ve only had the oxtail and phở here. But it’s so good, it’ll keep me coming for more. The service is subpar but we’re not here to be served well. We’re here to eat OXTAIL!!! Have I mentioned the oxtail enough yet? OXTAIL!!! OXTAIL!!!
Also, when you finish eating, you take your receipt and go up front to pay for the food. And lastly… OXTAIL!!!

There are a lot of phở restaurants within a 10 mile radius of this place, so what sets Phở 79 apart? One word: oxtail. You can’t order it until 11 AM on the dot. No joke. We tried to order at 10:55 and homie didn’t budge. Order your normal phở, however you like it (I like tendons in mine), and get the oxtail on the side. It comes in a bowl of broth and it is so fatty and rich. Absolutely delicious. Everything else on the menu is pretty standard. Get there early because the line gets long and they regularly run out of the oxtail quick!

I havent been able to try this well known Phở house on previous visits to SoCal as the line has always been excessively long. This time, as I was up early I thought I’d try my luck and drive over at around 8am. I think I got the last vacant table in the place, it was roaring at this early hour.
I ordered my standard Dac Biet and as I waited, I noticed all the awards on the wall going back a few years. This place has been successful for a long long time. They have ipad ordering which I suspect is an initiative from the next generation of the family.
My hot bowl of Phở arrived and the first thing I noticed was the oil slick floating on the top of the bowl. This seemed excessive compared to other bowls I have tried recently in SoCal. The broth was flavourful and the serving size was okay, pribably a lil less meat than some other places.
For the novelty of dining at an institution I probably wouldn’t come back nor queue up for a bowl here?

Let’s make this revisw S&S (short and sweet)
I think Phở 79 has one of the best tasting broth for phở around the numerous phở places in the area. My review is mostly based on their phở.
Their phở tai is my jam. There is regular size ~$ 7 and then medium $ 7.75 and then large which is $ 9.50 or somewhere around there. You get big portions and a lot of meat. The broth is seasoned perfectly and tastes clean. Add a bit of greens and lime to your broth (sauces too if you want), and dip your meat in sriracha and hoisin sauce.
Service is alright, sometimes they can be slow. Today the phở took a while to make, I want to believe that they just finished making fresh broth.
There is plenty of seating inside but it can get busy. Parking is horrendous and the worst thing about this place. Full of pot holes and just… terrible lol.
If you are in the area and want some good phở, I would say check phở 79 out.
They close early on Wednesdays!

Possibly the best phở I’ve tasted. Located in the heart of Little Saigon, there are many different phở restaurants around and competition is stiff. I have heard that many phở restaurants have numbers in their name because thats when the owners came to America following the communist take over.
Phở 79’s facility is your typical phở joint that is all hustle and bustle, but the staff does take precaution to keep this place clean. With pull out chairs, and generic tables, you don’t come to this place for ambiance and service. They order through iPads though, how cool is that?
I elected to order the phở tai large which ran about 10 dollars for a bowl. While I am use to cheaper prices in Houston, the bowl of food was definitely large and I was satisfied. I also ordered a side of oxtails to accompany the phở. The oxtails were delicious, but was marred with a lot of fat. It tends to get greasy and oily but if you don’t mind it, the oxtails are a must get to get that true authentic phở experience.
I won’t be coming back for a while since I live across the country, but from what I understand its one of the best phở joints around town. If I ever come back to OC, I will make it a point to drop by.

PHO 79.
This place is hot. I came to this place with a friend since he said his buddies and him always come here after a hang over… Ok cool… Anyways, the restaurant itself is pretty easy to find but the parking here is a headache. They do not have enough parking spaces so often I see people park on the other side of the streets lol. What we would do for phở. I love the phở here because the meat is very tender and not as chewy as other places. The broth is mixed/​cooked to a very delicious taste.
The workers here don’t really speak English but they do know numbers (: this place is truly my go to place now whenever I want phở! Phở tai is what I usually order since I don’t really eat those tendons and stuff… It’s based off your own preference really. Oh and get their egg rolls!!!
+Wednesday: they close early at 3PM.

I dunno, I really was expecting this place to blow me away and I thought it was just good, like safe good. I’ve been told a long time ago that Viet food in NY was very sub par and the Viet in Cali was excellent, I felt it was basically on the same level as the stuff I get out in Queens. I am in the minority opinion since all the customers were Viet, Unilocal gives it much love, Zagat gives it much love but Ben only gives it a little love. The restaurant itself is very straightforward, there is basically no décor.
The food:
79 super bowl– It’s kinda the big f’in Phở bowl, it basically has everything. The Phở had good broth but the flavor of the broth could have been more pronounced. I had issues with the noodles, they were over cooked and basically mush and the meat parts were nice and no teeth required tender but they didn’t have a lot of flavor. It kinda tasted like just boiled beef.
Cha Gio– Crispy fried egg rolls. The egg rolls had good flavor, but nothing too crazy, they were on the greasy side, though. On the plus side, they gave a lot of greens to wrap the egg rolls. And it’s interesting they call it egg rolls in this place, in NY we know them as spring rolls.
Avocado Shake– DO NOT ORDER IT. I didn’t like it and I didn’t like the soy milk.

My HOLY GRAIL phở place!!! I’ve been a regular customer here for years and I always order the Phở Chin (well done beef). This phở is legit (I have high expectations because I’m Vietnamese and I’ve eaten at multiple phở restaurants but nothing comes close to this) They don’t disappoint! (The Zagat wall of awards and long lines on the weekends speak for itself)
They are generous with their meat and it is wonderfully soft and melts in your mouth. The broth is super flavorful and I can drink it all day. The «icing on the cake» is that you get a yummy, filling meal at an affordable price!
I also really like their fried egg rolls (but they are pricey) and oxtail which is a plus.
The only downsides (which is just my personal preference) are that they ONLY ACCEPT CASH and it’s hard to find parking when it’s crowded (but these are just small inconveniences).
Overall, the phở here is unPHOgettable!!! I don’t live nearby but it’s worth the drive and time just to taste this!

Another bookmark bites the dust. I was looking for some property up in the area and was definitely in the mood for some soup. The area is ripe with phở spots so I decided to knock another place off of my bookmark list. Easy to find and with decent parking, but the parking lot needs to be resurfaced. Tons of tables and a quick and efficient wait staff. Lots of Asian clientele employees tells me the place I’d legit, as well as ridiculously good reviews.
Mmmmmmmmm…phở broth… The most important part of a pizza is the crust. For a sandwich, it’s the bread. For a bowl of phở, it’s the broth. The broth here is unbelievable. Deep rich brown color and very flavorful chock full of richness without being overly salty. Tons of fresh veggies on the side, delicious noodles and lean rare beef. Totally satisfying.
I also tried the egg rolls and they were simply amazing. I have never had them served with all of the fresh veggies to wrap the deep fried bits of heaven with and dip them in a light and tangy sweet fish sauce. Super delicious.
5-​star worthy in every way…

My friend takes me here when I am craving some good phở. The hours are 6am-​10pm. A good option for a hungover morning?
Phở tai: if you want to order something safe, can’t go wrong with phở Tai. The broth is clear and not that oily. They give you plenty of basil, bean sprouts and lime to add.
#43 clear noodle with shrimp and chair Siu: I decided to try this bc I like clear noodles. It came out with the broth separate from the bowl. I wasn’t really sure what to do with it so I poured the broth into the bowl. I liked the noodles and it had like a ground pork and peanuts mixture in the bowl which was also good in the broth. There was a good amount of shrimp and chair Siu pieces.
There’s a good amount of seating in this place which is a plus. Parking is kind of weird tho.

They FINALLY remodeled the restaurant after years of having dirty filthy carpet, chipped tables and stinky chairs! Now I will return more often because it actually feels pleasant to eat here without having to worry about cockroaches running around in the kitchen!
tip: get their xi quach (bone on brisket/​bone marrow) $ 3

It’s more of a 3.5 rating. Pretty good phở here but the egg rolls suck. This place gets packed so expect a wait. It’s the typical phở restaurant, no fancy décor or top notch service. Just sit and seconds later someone will be at your table to take your order. My phở dac biet was pretty good but I didn’t see or taste anything special to set it apart from other phở places. We also ordered some ox tail meat on the side and it was dee-​lish. The egg rolls were a let down though. They were small and really really shiny for some reason. Lunch for two was under $ 25 (cash only). Pretty good deal! Parking is terrible here though. I’d eat here again but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it.

2^nd time here.
Spring rolls
#27-​rare, well cooked, fatty beef
#85– bun w pork

The phở here is the Bomb Biggity! I’ve dropped by a couple times and it hits the spot each time. You can’t go wrong here if you have a phở craving.
My go-​to order is the phở chin gau (briskets) with ox tail (for sharing) and a side of nuoc beo. The broth and nuoc beo had just the right amount of flavor. Also, all the meats had the right consistency and were cooked to perfection.
I thought they were going to give me a small portion of ox tail since it was a few bucks, but they gave me about a pounder! Hot dam! It was super tender (maybe a little too much) and is perfect for sharing.
If you’re going to order the xe lua (XL size), I suggest going to attack mode from the get (the phở does not come out piping hot and cools down rather quickly).

My favorite phở place in California. Phở is tasty, vegetables are fresh, grilled pork spring roll is a must try.
The service here is good, If you order the wrong thing they are friendly about it and kindly switch to the right dish that you have in mind for you free of charge.
The drinks are good, try the avocado shake and jackfruit shake.
The only thing that’s not as good is the grilled pork or grilled beef, kinda dry.

Hands down, my favorite Phở place in Orange County. There are a few other popular phở restaurants, but I still like this place best.
They recently remodeled and extended their hours (yay!) to open earlier and close later (10pm). I am so happy! It gets busy, especially on weekends, but it’s a good size restaurant and they turn tables fast.
The Phở here is delicious and really hits the spot! They offer the wide noodles which are my favorite (over the thin noodles). So ask for that! Also, their broth is smooth, clear, and hearty. You know they stewed the bones and meat for a long time to get such a savory broth. My favorites to order are: Phở Tai, Phở Dac Biet, or Oxtail Phở. The beef here is tender, but is not filet mignon like some other places. The oxtail is super tender and indulgent! A must try also!
A small complaint is that sometimes the broth is not really hot when it comes out, which I prefer, over warm broth. But it’s still good nonetheless. Also, although they have their own parking lot and the parking area gets packed, the driveway to get in here is soo old and bumpy! The road needs to be fixed or leveled out because I hate driving my car through that old jagged driveway. –_–

Went here for the first time with some of my girlfriends… We went at a late lunch hour or early dinner so it wasn’t crowded; quick and easy seating. There were 5 of us ladies, but our servers were super quick to get us waters, AND OUR FOOD! Seriously… before the last girl finished ordering the first girl’s phở came out! We were all extremely hungry! So that made us extra happy!
I got a small bowl of Phở Tai Chin (~$ 7?) with Ox Tail (additional $ 3) for a total cost of about $ 10. Extremely worth it! This place was amazing! Delicious food! Great service! I only dock one star because it’s CASH ONLY so a group of 5 women… all needing to pay cash… let’s just say it took some time getting there. So aside from that inconvenience… It’s an «A» in my book! The Ox Tail is pretty fatty and greasy… BUT DELICIOUS. I really had more than enough meat already with the Phở Tai Chin… but I don’t regret it. Just come hungry!

Their staff is so efficient it would drive any cheap Phở owners insane to see that many waiters & servers on the floor for a week night! We were greeted by this young man after waiting for a couple minutes for a clean table. Another one took our order on an iPad & someone else brought our drinks out moments later. The food arrived within minutes (holy fast) & two totally different, older guys carried all our food at once by trays. You could tell all their workers were in a good mood considering they’re not being burdened with multiple tasks at once. Each is assigned a different role. Some only host, take orders & help cleaning up while other only serve & clean. Seeing the workers happy also put us (who are former servers) in a great mood.
My Bun Bo Hue was rich, flavourful (could be spicier) while my girlfriend’s Bun Rieu was generous in portion. Another friend ordered Rice with Grilled Pork & Tofu, his plate was spotless after 10 minutes. Customers kept pouring in even after dinner rush. Seeing that they only accept cash, I wondered if they’d hire help to count all that money because I’d volunteer.

One very rainy day this week, the hubs and I were out and about, and both thought that Phở sounded really good. While Phở 45 has been our go to recently, my fellow Unilocaler Aaron had just written up Phở 79, and gave it glowing reviews.
So, away we went on our holy grail to find the best Phở in Garden Grove. Parking really stinks here, and that while there are several spots in the back, these folks have a really hard time keeping it between the lines. The alleyway that leads to the lot is very narrow, so two cars can’t pass each other at the same time. Let’s add in the rain, and seven Asian granny’s being dropped off at the door, to really cause havoc. Let’s just say that there was a lot of horn honking going on.
The line was out the door, but I will say that they do a great job of moving the diners through. I think we waited for like five minutes. Now for the star of the show– the Phở was amazing! I loved the broth, and found it to be very well balanced, and not too heavy on the warm spices. They certainly don’t skimp on the filet, and had just the right bite to the noodles.
They also had by far the best egg rolls that I have ever had. I really appreciated that they serve them with shredded carrots and cucumber in addition to the lettuce.

I made a return visit with the family and we ordered 2 #23 rare and cooked beef phở and #28 rare and cooked beef and fatty beef phở.
The noodles were still cooked perfectly but the broth in my #23 rare and cooked beef phở was oily (maybe due to adding cooked beef)? and not as fragrant and clear as my prior visit. I did not care for the texture of the cooked beef brisket and wished I had just ordered rare. The rest of the family wasn’t overly impressed with the place but Phở is not really their favorite type of soup.
Will I still return? Yes, but I will only order rare beef so I can try to get a bowl as good as my first visit.

Next to a couple other Phở spots in Westminister and Garden Grove, Phở 79 Restaurant is on the top of my list for good Phở spots in the area. To me, what makes a good phở is good broth, fresh noodles, and quality abundant meat. Phở 79 Restaurant has all three. The broth is flavorful, and noodles and meat are abundant. No skimping here. It’s the perfect go to spot for a hangover or cold, with the right flavor that hits the spot.

My new favorite Vietnamese restaurant in the OC! Came here on a Saturday night around 7 and the wait wasn’t too bad, there were two small parties of 3 – 4 ahead of us. We had a party of 12, so we we’re expecting the wait to be a white. However we were seated fairly quickly, probably about 15 – 20 minutes after arriving.
They took our orders in groups of 4s and the food came out pretty quick. I ordered the #85, Charbroiled Pork and Egg Rolls with Vermicelli for only $ 8. The food was really good and the portions were huge! You can also get the Oxtail, I forgot what number it was but its quite popular and they tend to run out of it early on during the day, so if you’re in luck and they have it available, definitely try it! Especially since its only $ 3! Definitely a bang for your 3 bucks! I will be definitely coming back here when I am in town!
If you are in the neighborhood, looking to grab a quick and delicious bite, but not looking for a long wait Phở 79 will be your go to!

Best phở I’ve ever had. I’ve been to about 8 phở places as far as I can remember. Different places in Westminster, Irvine, Brea, La Habra, Buena Park, Garden Grove all good but this place and their #23 well done brisket with rare beef plus some pork meat balls added in. My homie Thi showed me the way of The Phở.
Tonight I found the best phở I’ve had to date. Broth so good, I didn’t need to add sauces. Beef, brisket and meat balls of the sweetest quality. Sticky spring rolls with kicking chili & peanut sauces. I was euphoric after the meal. I felt so good I thought I was high.

It’s an extremely weighty thing to call something the «best» of its kind. When you see all the reviews on Unilocal,the numerous Zagat plaques on the wall, and even the «best in town» slogan on employees’ shirts, the expectations are heavy.
Such was the atmosphere in which I found myself slurping down a huge bowl of soup at Phở 79 today. Not so much the packed house or an instrumental «Les Feuilles Mortes» (aka «Autumn Leaves») in the background, but the thoughts of whether I was enjoying my noodles and beef to a superlative extent.
The order came out as quickly as proper phở should when ladling out always-​ready stock. My Phở Xe Lua ($ 9) was the huge bowl version of the Phở Dac Biet, and it had all the different kinds of meats that generally accompany it. I loved the fatty brisket and I found a surprising amount of flavor in the tripe. The rare and well-​done slices were also good. The broth was nice, and the noodles are the same as you’ll find anywhere.
But ask me if I can definitively state that this is the best and I can’t give you an affirmative. It’s certainly among the best that I’ve had recently, but [EDIT] the broth is rather sweet (some lime or pure fish sauce van help to soften this), and I wasn’t really blown away at any point of the meal. I had no particular dislikes save for the not-​so-​fresh basil and sawleaf with occasional dark blemishes. [EDIT: both disposable wooden and reusable plastic chopsticks are available.]
I expect to return occasionally to Phở 79, and I’ll certainly consider giving five stars after repeated tastings. I’d like to think that it’s a testament to the abundance of great phở restaurants available in California that I’ve found myself in this quandary. You won’t go wrong here for sure.

The phở is good but I come here to stuff myself with the com ga sot bo toi, rice with crispy fried chicken and a salty garlic sauce. I’m pretty sure the sauce is laced with crack, I’m scratching my neck furiously just thinking about it. Buttery, salty, garlicky, crack-​licious sauce with tender, juicy, crispy fried chicken. Comes with a side salad and bowl of broth too! What more could you ask for?
*scratch* *scratch*

Phở 79 has the best phở I’ve ever had.
It’s amazing how even subtle changes to the most basic ingredients of a phở tai bowl — from the tender half-​cooked slices of beef to the smoothness of the savory fresh broth — can put Phở 79 way above its many diversely numbered neighborhood competitors AND for the same prices. The noodles here are also neither too soft or hard — they’re just right and just right is perfect in my book.
The café sua coffee here is also pretty damn strong. And I mean STRONG — with just a little, I was jittery for hours afterwards and as a caffeine addict, few things phase me as much.
Service here can be slow here but that’s very much due to demand — this spot is pretty popular. While the parking lot you can access isn’t small, I can see how it can get crowded on a weekend night.
Slurp well friends.

The holy grail of Phở.
You really need to check out this bustling restaurant specializing in a variety of broth-​based Vietnamese soups in a very modest setting. Until now my all time favorite would have been Phở Lu but that has all changed thanks to the supreme broth that Phở 79 churns out. Look… when seeking out the best Phở, it’s all about the broth. At Phở 79 beef bones, a proprietary mix of aromatic vegetables and sweet & smoky spices are simmered then strained to produce a crystal clear soup with multiple layers of deep flavor.
That broth is a straight up national treasure.
Walk in, sit down and order the Phở Tai. Within 5 minutes a steaming bowl is sat before you filled with expertly cooked rice noodles and paper-​thin rare beef filet. That gorgeous hot broth is poured over everything and served with a side plate of sprouts, fresh herbs and lemon wedges for you to add as you wish for flavor, texture and color. Add Sriracha as deemed necessary and if that isn’t the best bowl of Vietnamese slurpables you have had then stay the hell away from Phở 79 so I have a spot to sit.
El Nino is starting to kick off and Phở weather is now upon us. Phở 79 is how to stay warm.