Pho Cyclo Café

Great lunch spot in the limited option area that is SODO. The service is fast and the food is fresh. I usually get the tofu with mixed seasonal vegetables. I’ve had the phở and it’s good as well. Don’t short yourself on their sauces as they add a nice pop to the dish.

Very plain and bland food at this restaurant. The quality has definitely gone way down compared to years before.

Environment:
Plain and simple. Nothing fancy. They have heaters inside but during peak hours, the doors open frequently so just be aware of where you sit. It’s got one big open seating area so the room feels very spacious.
Quality of food:
The phở is mediocre. It’s not the highest quality but still pretty good. On rainy days, it seems to taste better :)
Im personally a big fan of their vermicelli bowls. They make very good vermicelli bowls here. So give #16 or #24 when you feel adventurous. You won’t regret it.
Quality of service:
Spotty. Sometimes they are great, sometimes they are super slow. The food comes out pretty quickly but getting a refill on your water may take a bit longer than normal. The people are friendly but some of them barely know how to speak English.
Overall, it’s a great place to come eat if you’re looking for something quick and filling. Not a good place for anything fancy.

Pretty mediocre at best. The food is just okay, if not pretty crappy, the service generally sucks (always understaffed), and it is not a very clean place. When I went last time one of the waitresses (out of two) was in a horrible mood and it showed BIG time. I tried getting her attention a few times for napkins and she ignored me. I then walked right by her and made eye contact on the way out, gave her a smile (being the nice guy I am) and nothing, she just looked away with the same poopy look on her face. In a nutshell, go elsewhere.

A few years ago a friend who works at Starbucks picked up several Bánh mì sandwiches from here before we all headed out of town for a weekend trip. I still remember that wonderful sandwich. One of the best parts was the seemingly fresh and light French baguette. Delicate crust but soft interior. Modestly sized. Some of the interior bread removed to accomodate the fresh and delicious filling. Perfect.
Today I stopped by Phở Cyclo Café hoping to re-​experience that wonderful Bánh mì sandwich once again. Quite a different experience. The bread was awful. It was obviously a pre-​baked, frozen, and re-​baked mass produced bread so common in grocery stores and restaurants without a skilled baker or a bakery nearby. What happened!!!
I was hungry and so ate the fillings and left the bread for the dumpster.

One of my favorite phở places in downtown. Whatever they put in the little cup of special sauce is awsome.

Do as I say and you will not be disappointed. Now, allow me to order for you…
Option 1: Bowl of Phở with fatty flank
Option 2: Rice Noodle dish with grilled chicken (number 19)
Option 3: Pork Banh Mi (to go, order ahead for zero wait time)
Expect crowds and rushed servers at lunch time, because hundreds of people know this place is the bomb.

I work very close so I’ve been to this location many times, both for dine in and take out.
I’m not a Phở/​Vietnamese food aficionado, but the food is good and the prices more than reasonable for the portion sizes. Their take out lunch specials are a great deal for less than $ 7, even comes with soup. Unfortunately their lunch specials and Banh Mi are takeout only, you cannot order them if you dine in. I assume this is because they don’t want you only spending $ 4-​$ 7 and dinning in? Menu has a large selection and you can get all of it as take out as well, although the takeout phở is placed in a tall take out container making it a little difficult to eat once back at the office.
The service isn’t stellar, but I’d describe it as efficient. They aren’t rude, they get my order right, and my food arrives in a reasonable amount of time, which is pretty much all I’m looking for.
Has a pretty cool atmosphere with the painted murals on either wall.
Recently their front entrance/​windows were drove through, so much of the front is currently just particle board.

Great flavors, quality fresh ingredients.
If it’s your first time service is a little unclear as it sometimes takes a while after seating yourself for anyone to come by with a menu. If you try and order at the to go counter (which we saw people trying to do) they will tell you to go sit down and wait. Just chill out and they will come by with hot tea, water, and menus.
The pork noodle bowl is my favorite (#16). Just do it. :)

This is some of the best chicken phở I’ve had in Seattle. I also love the fresh rolls. Fast service and consistently delicious food.

I’ve tried the Phở Cyclo in South Lake Union before and both the food and the service was amazing! Seriously 5 Stars all around.
This location had GREAT Phở but I have no idea what was up with the service. I was by myself on a mid-​Sunday, it wasn’t busy to where they would be flustered but the ladies behind the counter were just downright rude. After my order was taken, no one came back to the table and when I walked up to pay, the lady didn’t even look up, just held out her hand. I was in a good mood that day, so I politely took my card back from her and walked out. Stay AWAY!

Water tasted like it came out of a garden hose. The grilled chicken tasted like fish, they must not separate fish and chicken coming areas. The Thai Iced Tea had white chunks floating in it. The service was very fast, but it was very hard to get another drink. You are served and forgotten about.

Food is cool. Although this is one of the worst restaurant to come to. Top 10 worst restaurant, Cyclo is top 3! Damn. It should scare me, but it’s a pack house in here. Hopefully they cleaned up a little. (Cross finger)
Click here

On weekdays this place can get very busy during lunch rush.
I came here for lunch with a friend during my lunch break. I had the shrimp and pork spring rolls and a tripe phở. The spring rolls were «average». They were not very big and, personally, didn’t contain enough noodles. The phở, on the other hand, was very good. The tripe was a bit softer than I typically would like (I like chewy tripe) but all-​in-​all it was a good meal.
It was very busy which resulted in slow service, but once our order was taken, the food came out very quick.
I’d definitely come back for a phở fix.

Review for Vegetarians:
They only have beef or chicken broth, no veggie Phở.
I had a tofu Bahn Mi. If you order a sandwich, you aren’t allowed to eat in the restaurant. I kind of felt like they were telling me to Phok-​off.
The Bahn Mi price is okay, especially compared to all the food truck prices, but isn’t Saigon Deli competitive.
Bahn Mi was okay, kind of bland.
I’ll be back if coworkers want to go there, but it’s not a go-​to with so many other veggie friendly options.

This phở place was just ok. The food didnt stand out, the service… well there wasnt much of it. Came here on a weekend for lunch, lots of seating available and all.
Ordered a vermicelli bowl, and I just wasnt impressed with it. Had the fresh spring rolls, they were decent.
Only came here because we had a gift certificate to use, but definitely a one and done type thing. No need to come back, especially since its not on my way to anywhere important.

I went here in a lunch break with a friend and it was crowded! This place is super popular which of course means it’s a good place to be right?
I orders the phở with tendon, beef, meatballs, and other goodness. The small size was enough to fill me up and the broth was sooo yummy. They also served a special sauce on the side which I haven’t tried at any other phở place. It was delicious!
I ended up paying $ 10 with tax and tip and left happy and telling my coworkers that if bring them with me one day soon!

Is it just me or is this place getting worse? Been coming here for years since I work nearby, and always get a vermicelli dish or a stir fry. I’ve been less impressed each time lately. Today my Spicy Curry chicken was minimal chicken and all cabbage. And they had the nerve to ask for $ 9.15. Whaaaa? My waitress couldn’t care less, and they even locked the door early so no more customers could come in.
Save your money and go to Rainier Valley for much better food at much cheaper prices. I’m done here.

I like this place so far. I’ve been here a few times for lunch and I usually have the Phở. I had the noodle bowl today and that was pretty good. Meat was flavorful, but texture could have been better (seemed overcooked).
My friend ordered the rice dish and he thought it was alright. The rice dishes that I typically see at Vietnamese Phở restaurants have an over-​easy egg on top of the grilled meats, but this place doesn’t offer it so that was disappointing.
For the other times that I’ve been here, the broth for the Phở has been pretty good in terms of flavor. I don’t usually add any of the sauces like Sriracha or Hoisin so the broth is important to me. It has a slightly sweet flavor. I don’t care too much about how they cut the meats.

I have been here a few times and each time ask for the waiter to tell me what dishes don’t have MSG in them. They provide a different answer each time I go there.
On today’s visit, I ordered a tofu dish that was described as being served with onions and vegetabables (#31). When I got it, it was tofu served on top of rice, with a small portion of let’s and two half slices of tomato. I clarified with the server what the «vegetables» were, and they replied, «the onions, lettuce, and tomato.» I told the server that the description of the item already pointed out there were onions, and that tomato is a fruit. So the only other vegetable was the lettuce.
I think that if this restaurant redoes the menu, they should indicate what is MSG free (or just stop using it), and also be more descriptive in what vegetables mean. I would have thought there would be broccoli, carrots, sprouts, onions, celery, cucumbers. If i wanted lettuce, I would have gotten the #30 that specifically said it was with lettuce.

I love the food here — the atmosphere is fun and casual. Super convenient location —
I don’t love how long the wait can take at a standard luch hour for a «to-​go» order. I’ve always felt the service was decent if I stay to eat though.

The Banh Mi ARE INCREDIBLE. The freshest crusty french baguette, savory grilled meat, piquant pickled carrot and radish, some snap from fresh jalapenos, and just the right amount of sauce… amazing. Oh, and did I mention that they’re cheap ($ 4-​$ 5) and super fast?
The phở is also great, just the thing on a cold, rainy winter day.
The only downside to this place is that it’s always packed with Starbucks employees at lunchtime, and it’s hard to find a place to park.

Vietnamese Phở is one of my comfort foods even though I am not Vietnamese. There is something about this beefy soupy goodness that I crave and can eat every day for a month without getting tired of it.
However, it has to be good. The broth needs to taste clean and elegant with the spices and fish sauce complementing the light beefiness — it is not meant to be rich like a Beef Consommé. This particular Phở Cyclo in Sodo happens to be my favorite in the Seattle area. I always get the combination with everything and the kitchen sink.
The tendon is always tender without being too «jelly». The rare steak is thinly sliced, the brisket is tasty and tender. The tripe is fresh tasting and nicely crunchy. There is always an ample plate of bean sprouts, basil leaf and finely sliced onions, with a slice of lime or two.
It is always crowded at lunch, so expect to have to queue.
For a richer (but slightly oily and too salty) broth — try the Phở To Chau in the Great Wall Mall in Kent (which was my favorite until I found this particular Phở Cyclo).

Met a friend here for lunch last week. I’ve been to the Phở Cyclo in Cap Hill. If you’ve also been, it’s a mirrored experience, different location.
The menu is the same and everything is pretty good. I always enjoy extra lime in my phở and the server didn’t object (as some places do) when I asked for more lime. I’ll use it all, I promise! Service isn’t the best once you receive your meal.
Fast, friendly, solid, and fresh. Will probably be back, since it’s walking distance from work.
This place gets PACKED!!! Show up around 11:30 and you’ll get seated promptly. I don’t know about you but my tummy starts growling around that time anyways. Food will show up quickly after ordering. Ask for the hot sauce rack to spice up your food.
Unlike Than Bros, there’s no cream puff. I’ll live :)
Pay at the register.