Pho Binh

Horrible service!!! Took 10 min to Get my drink, waited an additional 15 minutes to find out my food wouldn’t be ready for another 10 minutes. Food smelled ok, but would never support this business. Also the place was not busy, all we ordered was a phở and Vietnamese sandwich.

It’s no longer part of the Phở Binh family. It’s been renamed Phở Long and is under new management; apparently the kitchen staff is still the same. The phở is still pretty solid, but some of the other items (such as the spring rolls) are not as good. Location-​wise it’s still where I go most often to get my phở fix but it has lost a bit in the transition to a new owner.

Phở Long, formerly Phở Binh, is a nice little Vietnamese gem near Northwest Mall. Being one of the few non fast food places near my work, it is one of my favorite lunch break excursions.
Their chargrilled grilled pork is amazing. I highly recommend either the grilled pork and rice or the baguette with grilled pork. (Sorry, autocorrect won’t allow me to write the real Vietnamese name.)
Although I have never been much of a soup fan, their namesake phở is delicious. In fact, it is some of the best phở that I have tasted outside of Saigon or Hue. Their noodle dishes are quite good as well.
On top of the delicious food, the staff is quite attentive. There is rarely much lag time between sitting and someone coming to take an order. The music is good as well, I like eating my Vietnamese food while listening to country stations. Spring rolls and Brad Paisley are a good combo.
If you are in the area and looking for a great Vietnamese lunch, you should consider stopping here.

I think the name of this restaurant changed named. forgot what the new name is but its something like Phở L…
Anyways, I like the broth they use for the phở here. Its not too greasy and taste light and healthy, so if you want greasy meaty phở this is probably not the place for you. The wait staff there are also really friendly which is another plus.

I don’t really have much else to say about their food. I really don’t know how other Unilocalers gave them 4 – 5 stars rating. Their food is bland and tasteless. I ordered to go «Grilled Pork and Fried Egg Roll served with thin vermicelli noodles and vegetable» and also grilled shrimp and pork served with thin vermicelli noodles and vegetable” since they said they were out of Phở and they were about to close.
You get only one tiny pathetic fried egg roll with not much ingredient in there. Fish sauce that came with it, also tasteless and I have to pour some of my 3 crab brand fish sauce to be able to eat the vermicelli. I thought I give this place a shot since some of Unilocalers has high rating for it. Seriously, I would rather drive a bit further to Phở Dalat on Tidwell to get good Vietnamese food that never skim on their ingredients if I am in the mood for phở or bun next time.

Very good Phở. I’ve been unhappy with the Phở options we have in The Heights area, but this is only about a 10 minute drive and far better than anything else in the area. I had the large Phở with medium rare steak. The large was a bit too much for lunch. next time I’ll go with the regular size. I thought the interior looked fine, so maybe they have updated it since some of the earlier reviews.
As a bonus, this place is in the same strip mall as a Pain Management clinic, a couple strip clubs, and an adult video store. So really you can knock everything out in one stop. You can’t beat convenience like this!

This place is bigger than i expected with many chairs and tables. You can choose to eat out on their patio or inside which is great. We each had their phở. They do have good phở like the other reviewers have said but I have had better. We went for lunch so they weren’t cooking on the grill that’s in the center of the restaurant. I do have to add that they employees were really nice and friendly. They made sure everything was great! Definitely check out this place and see for yourself.

So the last time I came here I happen to run into one of my customers and I sat down to chat with him while waiting on my to-​go food. He told me that things have changed for this location and it didn’t really change for the good.
Food tastes noticably different and I realized that before my chat. I just thought it was a bad day for them or something like that.
I’ll just leave it at that and you can judge the rest for yourself.

Guys you can’t get better Phở in Houston!
The service is very responsive, and very friendly. I’ve told the staff that I’m on a mission to eat everything on the menu (at least once), but I end up eating my favorite 3 — 4 dishes so it’s going to take a bit of time to complete, but I office around the corner on Dacoma, so I’m here often!
Also — as other reviewers have said, there’s not much around for good food, I’m so grateful for a great spot like Phở Binh!!!
OH! When you visit make sure that you try an order of «Split Rolls» it’s an egg roll that they cook, split and then stuff with more goodies, it’s awesome w/​the house Fish Sauce!

the duck noodle soup (#2) is delicious and impressively authentic — could easily pass on the streets of saigon.
phở bo tai was very fresh with tasty broth, and was served with fresh padan leaves which add a wonderful flavor and aroma — i’ve never seen this served in the US before but phở is not quite complete without it. some of the best phở I’ve had anywhere in the US.
their shrimp and pork summer rolls are excellent, served with addictive spicy peanut dipping sauce. cha gio (fried spring rolls) were also quite good.
service is very friendly. the décor inside is pretty bad but there are fun outdoor picnic tables with umbrellas for shade and an expansive view of the strip mall parking lot.
there are also other locations in Houston.

Easily the best phở in the city of Houston. The owner is always hanging around to welcome customers and is very nice, taking great pride in his phở and food. I’ve tried their steak dishes as well, once again excellent. The minus comes from the server we had there last time, he gave some attitude as my fellow eater and I were debating what to order and when we asked for his name he said something along the lines of «everyone keeps asking me my name guess I better get a name tag» with a sarcastic tone.

Phở Binh is right around the corner from my office, so I go there quite a bit for lunch. For those of you who arent familiar with the area, there isn’t much else out there so its great this hole in the wall is so close.
I get there Chicken Noodle Soup with the Soup on the side. They give you the broth, and then chicken, noodles, and vegetables on the side. I always have some left over because there is so much.
The wait staff speak perfect English and are very welcoming. The place is not the cleanest so I always bring it back to work.
By far the best Chicken Noodle Soup I have ever had!

The Phở is really good here. A vietnamese co-​worker brought me here as one of the better phở options in the 290 area (there’s a Lot).
It’s pricier than phở saigon or phở da lat ($ 7).
They have a lunch noodle menu with different soups, and they look really good! The «chinese-​style egg noodle» soup is also a hearty meaty alternative to phở.
Also, the banh mi (sandwiches) are Very Fresh and the bread is perfect! (not stale and hard) They only have 2 options: BBQ Pork or chicken. My pork banh mi came with meager fillings, so I asked the waiter what was up and he went and filled it with more carrots and twice as much pork!
Phở Binh is fully staffed with fast and friendly service, unlike the usual mom-​n-​pop phở places where they make their daughters work at the restaurant for 10 tables and everyone is spread thin. They also refill your water! surprise!

I really love this restaurant, but I have to give a thumbs down for the Bo Luc Lac Fried Rice. Comparing it to the excellent version served at Huynh, Phở Binh’s was very very lackluster. The meat was cut into tiny cubes, had no sear, overcooked, and the meat missed the caramlized flavour that is common for very good versions of bo luc lac. Also, there was hardly any beef. Just raise the price of the dish a few dollars and give me some meat! Despite this, I’ll give them 4 stars today as the tapioca drink with pineapple and mango was very tasty and refreshing.

I recently discovered this gem of a Vietnamese place on Mangum. The atmoshere is fun, looks a bit like a Vietnamese village and has concrete floors. Service is attentive and friendly.
I mainly go for the char-​grilled chicken bun and have never been disappointed. I’ve gone with several friends who say the Phở is exceptional. They now have smoothies.
I wish I could go everyday for lunch. They are open 9a-​4p only.

Been here twice now due to it’s proximity of the work place, and I must admit, its pretty good! You definitely get a feeling of authenticity with the décor of this place, and like Paul T. mentioned, the grill in the middle of the room is really a great touch.
They are known for their Phở Ga (chicken) so that is what I always get, but I would like to venture out and try some of the other items on the menu.
I am a big lime-​head when it comes to my Phở so they get an extra star for bringing me all the limes i want.
If you are in the area, this is a great option.

The Good:
: they have good phở… try their phở tai bo vien!
: their spring rolls are good!
: tasty eggrolls!
: nice employees
: lots of space inside
: outdoor seating
: they take credit cards (with a $ 10 minimum)
The Bad:
: the phở was a little saltier than it should have been
The Ugly:
: i got the largest bowl they offer and i got a bowl that was a shameful small portion. seriously? this is a shame upon the restaurant.
Would I go back? Sure… but it’s not at the top of my list of places to hit on my way out of Houston.
This place is IN.

This place made me felt like I was in Austin because of the vintage decorations inside and the care free feeling. A grill is in the center of the restaurant where every thing is grilled. Surprisingly it doesn’t get smoky in here but the good smelling aroma lingers in the air. This place was packed during lunch on a weekday that I visited it.
I was disappointed when I tried the Phở Ga here. I really thought that all the Phở Binh would serve the Phở Ga the same way. Unfortunately they don’t and since they have different chefs, the dry noodle with the chicken soup on the side didn’t taste the same. There wasn’t enough of the milky flavor from sesame oil or the all natural Dayat seasoning sauce. It also lacked the sprinkle of crispy onion flakes. The chicken soup on the side lacked flavorful chicken essence in the soup as if it wasn’t cooked as long.
All and all this isn’t a bad restaurant. It just didn’t meet my expectation with the Phở Ga.

Monday morning was cold and when it’s cold, nothing hits the spot like a hot bowl of phở. I’ve had my eye on this place for a while now, but since it’s only open M-​F 10:00 — 4:00, it can be a little challenging to get over there. I finally decided to make my move.
Walking through the door, the smell of charred meat hits you as the grill master works his magic on the huge indoor grill in the middle of the restaurant. I figured it would be sacrilege NOT to have whatever he was grilling, since that was clearly their specialty. Out with the phở, in with the bun thit nuong & cha gio (vermicelli with grilled pork & an eggroll.)
Yummy! That pork was delicious. Grilled to perfection.
Not wanting to leave without knowing about their phở, I ordered a bowl of broth. If the broth is good, the rest of it usually falls in line. Their broth was full of flavor and just salty enough, one of the better bowls I’ve had.
Price was generally inexpensive, but higher than most other Vietnamese places. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a $ 7.50 bowl of phở before. The bun bowl, at $ 6.75, was also higher than most. That wouldn’t stop me from coming back though — the food was ridiculously good.

I should be utterly embarrassed by the spectacle I made of myself in front of my coworkers. But, in my defense, it was their fault. I was merely a passenger as they selected a hole in the wall restaurant for lunch, and introduced me to phở and a grilled pork sandwich called banh mi thit nusag.
I hear what you’re saying. «Where have you been, Ray? You never had phở? You say you like to eat, but you have never gone beyond your paltry neighborhood and tasted a grand mixture of flavorful spices like anise, cinnamon, cardamom, and fennel in a soup?» I say shut up, imaginary jerk. I never got around to it until yesterday, okay?
At first appearances, Phở Binh looks exactly as I cited — a hole in the wall restaurant locked in the center between a Mexican restaurant that sells (from what I hear) over-​priced empanadas and on the other side a massage boutique with iridescently tinted windows. Opting for a happy ending that didn’t require secrecy I chose Phở Binh.
When you first walk in, it’s a small place. It’s crowded, of course. The bouquet of charred meat and cinnamon and anise hit me something fierce. At the center of the room is a large grill surrounded by glass where one person I saw was grilling thin slabs of pork. It smelled fine.
My co-​worker friend insisted that I try phở. For those of you new to phở, it’s pronounced «fuh,» as in you’re about to say a dirty word but your mom with a heart condition walks in the room before you do. I was hesitant on the recommendation; that pork had me turning primordial. I relented, but still had my attention on the pork.
We started on the fried eggroll with minced pork, shrimp and vegetables. Wrap them in lettuce and go nuts with the fish sauce. For tiny things, they were big on flavor.
I ordered the phở with sliced steak, brisket, and fatty flank. There were a few variations in which you can have phở… I chose the meatiest and the fattiest.
Okay now… above I mentioned said spices — anise, cinnamon, yadda yadda. That’s just the start of it. Though the phở smelled good as it was, my friend instructed me that it doesn’t stop there. I had to add hoisin sauce and the red chili sauce called sriracha into my soup, too. Throw some fresh mint and basil and bean sprouts into the brew, and I entered what I will now refer to as liquid heaven.
While pant buttons were on the verge of popping like champagne corks, I astonished my coworkers and the waitress, and ordered the grilled pork sandwich to-​go. A French bread sandwich with slices of pork, cucumber, and jalapenos sliced lengthwise. I nibbled it on the way back to the office. You’d never heard such disgust toward me.
The only objection I have toward Phở Binh is that it’s presently open Monday through Friday and closed on weekends. So if I act like a total hog during my lunch hour, it’s only because I need my phở and pork sandwich fix… plus it was cheap… so get off my back.