Pho Bac

I work near this place for years and never once give this phở place a try until recently. I guess it was one of those pIace that is easily overlook even though my co-​workers order their phở to go all the time. One day I was craving for some phở, and decided to give this place a try, and I’ve been back at least once a week. Very fast and friendly service without too much fuss. The broth is clear and very flavorful and the noodle is cook perfectly with just the right amount of meat and broth.

The Phở is good, the price is right, and they have parking. What’s not to like?
Compared to other phở restaurants, their broth is less salty, and that’s a good thing. You also get quite a generous portion of noodles, as well as goodly amounts of basil — more than is common.
The atmosphere is quite pleasant for lunch, with windows on two sides of the «ship’s prow», making for lots of light. The staff takes your order quickly and the food comes out promptly.
N.B. Cash only.

Awesome awesome awesome amazing amazing amazing! Best phở in Seattle and perhaps the WORLD! We eat here every week!

This place is the definition of a hole in the wall. It’s probably one of the sketchiest looking restaurants in Seattle. The tables are dirty, the walls are peeling off and the floors are so slippery it feels like ice skating. However, they make the best phở in Seattle so it’s all worth it.
You’re quickly seated and you have to look at the board towards the kitchen for the menu. You have your choices between small, medium, or large bowl of phở, your choice of meats and the typical selection of Vietnamese coffee or pop.
Service here is really quick so you often get your food within minutes of ordering. Not surprising for a place that only serves one thing. Portions are really generous for both the meat, noodles, and they also don’t skimp out on the veggies either! They also offer Chinese donuts to dip in your phở as well.
–1 star because of cleanliness I always end up with a sticky table and I feel like I’ll slip and fall walking on their floor.

Simple and honest phở at a very reasonable price. The service is always great given there is typically only one front of house employee, and the broth is pretty consistent. The place is a bit dirty as expected, but consistency and price makes this place very hard to beat on a cold rainy day.

I’ve been making a weekly pilgrimage to this gem for the last couple of months. Ironically I came here after wanting to eat at Phở Ba over on 7^th which was my prior gold standard. After nearly a dozen visits though. I found my touchstone for phở in Seattle.
Exceptionally tasty brisket. Broth that has the perfect balance of herbs and a deep beef flavor.
Hell even their tea (which is complimentary) is quite good!
I love phở for breakfast and as they open at 7am, what more could you ask for? Nothing in my book. Kudo’s ladies. Obvious why they’ve been around for 30+ years.

The closest taste to the one from home!
Moving to Seattle/​America has posed some difficulties for me. One of them is the Vietnamese food. It’s not easy to not compare the food here and there. And after trying many places and being let down many times, I finally found Phở Bac! The taste was so good, and they have the Chinese donut which I used to have together with my phở all the time back in Vietnam. The people here are super friendly. Just the image of the boat is a bit interesting to me, but my general experience with Phở Bac is outstanding! You really should give this place a try if you’re a fan of Phở :)

Very tasty phở, to cure what ails you. Prompt service and free hot tea. I enjoyed the tiny, economical set-​up and would definitely return for a quick, healthy, delicious, hot meal.

So I grew up eating here until i was ten and had to move away. Ten years later, being right now, me and my friend craved phở and we happened to be in Chinatown so we decided to eat here. First, i decided to read the reviews first and saw people state how uncleanly this place is, how there’s no physical menus, and how the food isn’t great.
It is true that there are no physical menus (there’s a menu on the wall, very easy to see and noticeable), but the other stuff doesn’t seem to be true. The first thing i checked for when i sat down at my table was to see if the table looked, smelled, and felt clean: check. I checked the floor and my surroundings and everything looked nice and clean.
Now to review the food! I’ve been to PLENTY of phở places in between white center all the way through federal way area, and the taste of this food (i ordered a large beef, round steak, meatball large bowl of phở) is definitely in my top 3 favorite phos that I’ve ever tried. The meatballs bursted a lot of good flavor into my mouth as I bit into every one and the beef broth tasted delicious. The other meat, noodles, ingredients didn’t stand out much; tasted ordinary imho.
Sadly, the meat portion here isn’t quite as much as a few other places I’ve eaten in the areas I’ve mentioned, but it isn’t a significant difference.
I arrived at 3pm and left at 4, on a Friday evening.
It went from 2 parties in there to about 6, so i may agree that between 3 – 6 is when it gets most packed, as another Unilocaler stated.
My waiter was decently attentive, not outstanding from any other place in that department either.
Also, this place has their own free parking lot right behind them!
4 stars because it’s not absolutely perfect in every way that one would like it to be.

Heard this was good but as we pulled up watched a woman carrying in 5 baguettes uncovered with her bare hands. One fell and she picked it up and put it with the others.
No thanks.

Never has Unilocal failed us so much, are reviewers just loyal because the business has been around for a long time regardless of the condition of the joint? We sat down and I immediately regretted trying this place out, it smelt like urine by our table. The bathroom definitely required a new toilet seat which is a cheap and easy fix if the owners cared anything about their customers.
We are vietnamese and was very disappointed in their steak and beef ball phở. The beef balls were starchy and had barely any beef flavor. The meat was of bad quality and clumped together. I have never eaten phở so fast in my life!!! You have been warned, good luck and props to all of you locals that like this place without worrying about the condition pf the kitchen.

Really delicious broth and fast service make this a great place to grab phở. The well-​done brisket was tender and flavorful. The only thing keeping me from giving this 5 stars was the cleanliness factor. A little sketchy, to be honest. There was a rather unpleasant odor at our first table that I think soap, hot water and a mop would have eliminated. We moved and our new seat was fine. Just accept and even appreciate the history and dig in to an amazing bowl of noodles.

Been coming here since the 90s and it’s still my favorite. Always can count on a good bowl of phở from here.

Hands down the best phở shop in seattle. This place had been around since the 80s. One of the oldest phở shops in seattle. Or maybe it’s the oldest. It would be cool if they remodel the outside with all the money they made. But hands down good phở. Fast and cheap.
On a side not they only sell phở.

I live in little Saigon, so I’ve made it a mission to try all the great little restaurants in the area. Having said that, I always come back to Phở Bac. Why? It’s the best Phở in the city. Why? Every aspect is perfect. The broth is amazing. The noodles aren’t clumpy. The steak is raw as it should be. The brisket is tender. The service is quick and friendly, and they accept credit cards. It’s just no frills quality phở.
Pro tip: order «nuoc beo» (pronounced «nuke bayo») on the side. It’s the fattier broth they skim off the top while cooking. It can richer up the broth to your liking and comes with amazing blanched scallions.
Sauce tip: In addition to Sri Racha and chili paste, Phở Bac also has a third hot sauce that is amazing. It’s in a plain red bottle and is light, vinegary, and tangy.

My BiL thought this was the best phở he’s had, so I was curious to check it out. In a town that’s lousy with phở joints, how does one stand out?
Simple: make what might be the best phở in Seattle!
THE ROSES: The bottom line is this: this phở is good. Really. Good. The broth has a depth of flavor and complexity that I don’t see in a lot of other phở joints, particularly the ubiquitous Than Bros. restaurants. They don’t skimp on the meats, which also have very good flavor. The boat-​shaped building has a funky appeal as well. Staff is very pleasant.
THE THORNS: Remember that funky building? The downside it’s really run down and a bit dingy, which can be off-​putting to the uninitiated. During the lunch rush, the staff can seem a little harried, and service can be not quite up to the lightning-​fast speed you see at Than Bros. To be fair, when I was there, there were only two — yes, two — people working the restaurant, and they were working their butts off! At $ 7.50 small/​$ 8.50 large, this place is a tad more expensive than Than Bros., but I think the superiority of the food makes it worth it. Parking lot is a bit small, but hey, a lot of phở places have no parking at all!
THE VERDICT: This scruffy little joint is easy to overlook, but hides within it possibly the best phở in Seattle. By all means check them out!

Best phở I’ve had! So glad I found this place because I’ll definitely be coming back. I ordered a small mixed beef phở and the portion was huge!

Best phở I’ve ever had? YOU BET.
First of all, this place is HISTORIC. The first phở place in Seattle, which is definitely something worth noting when you consider the size of the Vietnamese community there. They started out serving sub sandwiches and switched to phở full-​time, and boy, am I glad that’s the way history worked out.
I ordered my phở with EVERYTHING – meatballs, tripe, tendon, brisket, the works! They pack a flavorful broth full of noodles and meats, but honestly, I’d pay to drink the broth alone. It’s so flavorful! No need for add-​ins, although sauces and bean sprouts/​mint are offered.
It was pretty empty around 11am, but once it hit noon, the place was packed. The service was minimal, but who needs it when you’re slurping away at perfection?
Stay away if you’re a vegetarian… but if you’re down for meat, have at it!

I think this is a classic phở place. So classic that they don’t have menu and you have to read from the board up front. I like the fact that you can customize your own combo for your phở. I’m definitely the girl that wants a little bit of everything.
Great place to grab your phở without fuss and questions during your hang over days. Just get your cash ready. Don’t expect great service here as it is the internatinal district. You come to places around here for the food and not for service.
Also I think it’s kinda cute that the place is shaped like a boat.

I admit it. I judged Phở Bac by its cover. I am sure most would given the weird rundown boat shaped building it resides in.
My folks were in town and they were looking for a lunch spot after shopping in Little Saigon. Since we were in the area, I came up with Phở Bac since it was nearby. After parking in the lot, we were still on the fence about it. Seeing some diners inside, we relented and entered the restaurant.
The offerings here are limited. Just phở, Chinese doughnuts and drinks according to the board menu on the wall. The phở prices here are easy on the wallet. $ 7 for a small and $ 8 for a large, tax inclusive. They have beef, chicken and shrimp meat options here for the phở.
We all decided on the combo small beef phở ($ 7). The combo contains six different beef toppings including round steak, two varieties of brisket, tendon, tripe and meat balls.
After trying out the broth here, I was impressed. It was flavorful with a little sweetness to it. No need to add any sriracha for flavor unless you are looking to add some spice. The meat offerings were good too. I would say the brisket and tendon were my favorites. The phở was a little off. It was still partially jumbled in a ball. But it did not deter the quality of the dish.
If you are looking for good phở at reasonable prices in or near the International District, Phở Bac is a place I would recommend. Though you will need to overlook its exterior shortcomings.