$ 10 + tax and tip for a large bowl of phở is a great deal within DC city limits. That pretty much sums up all you really need to know about Phở 14 to merit a visit. I have been here a bunch of times and have always found it to be quite satisfying. Overall, the phở is good but not great. The broth is pretty tasty, though I’m not sure why it is so dark colored compared to most phở broths, and they give you a solid portion of meat(I get the house special #22 which I think has everything in their kitchen). I will say that the meat is cooked, not raw when it comes to you. I think I understand why they do that — so that people who don’t understand the need to let your meat cook in the piping hot broth don’t end up eating raw meat. But it was a bit strange and I found the meat to be less tender than it is compared to raw meat cooking in the broth. On that note, the broth is also hot, but not piping hot. I think both of these might be considered happy alterations from traditional phở, but I’d rather just get it served traditionally. I haven’t tried anything else here, but based on the phở alone I’m happy giving it a 4 star rating. Even though the service is kinda slow(15 – 20 minutes to bring out phở in a pretty empty restaurant), the price and the quality of food is pretty great within the district so I’d go for that if you’re on a budget.
Kiora B.
Classificação do local: 2 Washington, DC
I like that the Van Ness ‘food desert’ has more options these days and I enjoyed the quiet, gardenlike vibe when eating in the restaurant once with my family. The food would get 2 – 3 stars from me, good but not memorable. My complaint is that when I ordered carry out and asked for both condiments(one fish and one chili sauce) per bowl, rather than one or the other, it was met with total confusion. Once the carry out was brought to me, I was told they could only include one fish sauce per bowl, and threw in one sweet chili for all three bowls to share out of kindness(any more would be extra). And that was it. In my books, when a customer spends forty plus bucks plus a tip for preparation on carry-out, throw in extra sauce if requested. At Sprig and Sprout in Glover Park the dishes are fresh and fragrant and the sauces are self serve. I couldn’t help comparing.
Julie O.
Classificação do local: 4 Washington, DC
Grabbed a quick dinner of vegetable phở with tofu. Regular size was plenty. The order had broccoli, sliced carrots, shitake mushrooms, bits of parsley and cilantro, a nice heap of noodles and several slices of crispy tofu. The service was prompt and wait staff was courteous. Price was reasonable.
Nadia B.
Classificação do local: 3 Brooklyn, NY
The phở is not as quality as I am used to but the broth is decent. Service is good and they have a lovely back patio open on warm nights. The shrimp on the spring rolls may or may not be fake but the flavor is good. Vermicelli bowls are huge. Overall, generally good… just not the best.
Rui G.
Classificação do local: 3 New Orleans, LA
The food is just fine and the quality is not very consistent. Sometime the soup tastes amazing while sometimes just ok… The rice noodle dish is very small portion, not really worth the price. It’s not the best place to have Vietnamese cuisine in one word.
Douglas B.
Classificação do local: 2 Washington, DC
Food is fine. Not sure I’ve ever been here and had everything go well. Order a soda? good luck with that. probably not coming. extra waiting. basically stopped going here because it’s just a pain. i don’t get it. everyone pretty much orders phở and rolls. what’s the issue?
Tisha L.
Classificação do local: 2 Washington, DC
The food was not fresh and not warm. It tasted like leftovers. Disappointing since I am such a fan of this cuisine. The beef was hard and cold. The shrimp was cold and dry and the vermicelli did not taste like vermicelli. The spring roll included in the dinner had an odd after taste. The most enjoyable part of my meal was the two spring rolls I ordered that appear to have been made to order and my smoothie. Lastly, I ordered the beef and shrimp vermicelli. It came with TWO shrimps. I paid almost $ 30.
Vincent C.
Classificação do local: 4 Washington, DC
Phở 14 has good food coupled with very fast service. They take your order within several minutes of sitting down, or within seconds if you know what you want. Within several minutes of ordering, they brought out my spring rolls. The spring rolls were pretty good. The only complaint I have is that they hardly included any shrimp. Within another five or so minutes, my phở came out. The phở was pipping hot and contained a sizable portion of noodles and a good amount of meat. The broth was also seasoned perfectly and wasn’t overly salty.
Susan S.
Classificação do local: 2 Washington, DC
Not the best. The spring rolls were quite small, the shrimp in the vermicelli was a little weird. They were«cash only» the evening we went, so not that convenient. I didn’t hate it, but I don’t think I’ll be going back.
Kin K.
Classificação do local: 3 Washington, DC
It’s a shame that I have to give this place 3 stars. Being Vietnamese, I know Vietnamese food and to be honest, the food here IS good, like 4.5 Unilocal star good. The location is great, close to the metro(even though parking is hard to find). The drawbacks are portion and services. We ordered the appertizer egg roll, grilled pork with rice, and smal phở — the most expensive Vietnameae order for its portion. $ 5 for 2 tiniest spring rolls I have ever ordered. Normally when I pay$ 5, I get2 huge ones, so big restaurants have tocut in half. Now the thing about expensive food is that ppl are willing to pay high price for a small portion in an upscale restaurant. This one is NOT. Average restaurant with so so service. Waiters are not rude but always seem rushed, too fast to ask for what you want/take your food away, etc. They made me tired — not how I want to feel while enjoying a meal out. Please up the portion and service and you will have much more patrons.
Ryan Z.
Classificação do local: 2 Washington, DC
I feel like Phở 14 has gone downhill. The phở is okay but I don’t like anything else on the menu. Portions are small and not very fulfilling. The beef is tough and gristly and the shrimp has a chemical aftertaste. I wasn’t a fan of the egg roll, and the Thai iced tea was way too small to be $ 4. Fortunately, the people working here area really nice and friendly, but that’s a minor consolation when the food is sub-par.
Kyla N.
Classificação do local: 4 Austin, TX
Phở 14 is a good spot for dependable phở that doesn’t disappoint. Fast service and the taste and quality of the phở is consistent. It’s not the best phở ever but it definitely hits the spot when the hunger pangs hit. I’ve had the banh mi as well and that was okay but the phở is definitely the best thing on the menu. I like the brisket and the flank one and usually get the fresh spring rolls too.
Natalie M.
Classificação do local: 4 Washington, DC
We had such a great lunch here! Our waitress Tammy was excellent, she was very friendly, offered to split our bowl of phở and even split our mango smoothie into two glasses. I ordered fresh vegetarian spring rollls to start and my partner ordered the chicken/shrimp egg rolls, for our meals, we shared shrimp phở. Everything was delicious! Can’t wait to go back!
Amber M.
Classificação do local: 3 Washington, DC
Good service, a pretty full menu, and several vegetarian options. The rice bowl is good but lacked much of the flavor I have been accustomed to when eating Vietnamese cuisine. The prices were reasonable and the service was fast. Not my favorite Vietnamese restaurant in the area, but it falls within the top five.
Linda O.
Classificação do local: 2 Washington, DC
I respect the menu. It’s a straight-forward establishment trying to stay true to the roots of Vietnamese cuisine. This Phở 14 restaurant is one of three that are operating in DC. The story of the family who started this business is compelling and moving; I get teary-eyed each time I read it(see website). The food I have ordered, most unfortunately, has been overcooked. The various egg roll options that are possible are deep-fried severely and come out oil-laden; the meat and shrimp skewers can be tough; the garnishes are so so; and the iced Vietnamese coffee is a downer. The namesake dish of phở(soup), well, I just don’t find it very robust… sorry. There is an unpretentious vibe that I like here. The staff is gracious however service can be uneven. What a great location. It’s just across the street from UDC. With all the diversity that this university has in terms of students and staff who could be customers – the potential is vast for this Phở 14 location to be a fabulous eatery, not to mention that the Van Ness metro stop is just a stone’s throw away.
Christopher P.
Classificação do local: 4 Washington, DC
Our go-to Phở restaurant. Solid food, nice service, affordable. Ambience just ok. I Always get the phở tai and order of veggie spring rolls. If you are feeling adventurous, try a jack fruit smoothie. Yum!
Lan T.
Classificação do local: 2 Washington, DC
I finally tried the Van Ness Phở 14 location after eyeing it EVERYDAY on my commute home. Disclaimer: I have an aunt that is Vietnamese and used to own a Vietnamese restaurant in France. I have been fortunate enough to have her home-made phở and spring rolls whenever she visited the US or when I’d go to France. Back to the Van Ness Phở 14. First, this location does not serve the whole menu online. All I know is that for the stir fry dishes, they only have one of the curry dishes. I ordered the spring rolls and a large phở with well-done brisket, flank, mushrooms, and carrots. On the menu, for the phở, those were all base toppings. Jumping a head, when I got my receipt, they charged me extra for the carrots and mushrooms, but I thought they were included because the menu said it was part of the base toppings, and I could pick 4! N-E-WAZE… So the spring rolls were ok. The wrapper was a tad hard. I am used to them being fresh and soft. Definitely not worth the $ 4.50. You get two and they are small… like 3.5 inches each(I measured them). If you think that’s the appropriate size for your money, then you haven’t had real Vietnamese spring rolls. Or you’ve been ripped off your whole life! The phở saved the day. The broth was delicious! I even saved some for the next day(since I ordered a large) and there was not a lot of fat particles(or whatever they are called) in the broth the next day. One of my concerns with the phở was the basil. They gave me a twig with… MAYBE…two healthy leaves. I put EVERYTHING in my PHO — basil, jalapenos, lime, bean sprouts — and I dip my soup in plum sauce and sriracha. In conclusion, I would probably not go back to Phở 14. I might try their banh mi sandwich, but I’d prefer to save my money and eat Vietnamese food when I take a trip out to Wheaton, Rockville, CA, or Vietnam!
Adam G.
Classificação do local: 4 Washington, DC
Great phở in van ness. I’m not a phở expert but this place is really good. Spring rolls are excellent. Light and flavorful. Good peanut sauce and sweet chilli . I’ve gotten the chicken phở and more traditional meat mixed phở and both are very good. Flavorful broth and nice sides. Jalapeños give it good heat ! Worth a visit or takeout.
Prairie S.
Classificação do local: 2 Arlington, VA
Yikes. I’m guessing the reviewers who rave about this place have not had the authentic Vietnamese immersion available in Falls Church VA among the multiple restaurants in Eden Center… I found the food and plating extremely dull. Literally no flavors other than the cheap sauces you can get at any grocery store to slather over the food. If I’m going out to eat I expect a little finesse in my cooking – something with marinades and grilling that I can’t readily accomplish myself. Well, forget this place they fork out rice and vermicelli, top it with cut veggies, and plate it with sides of meat… or in my case batter fried fish. Not really evidence of great cooking. Had to use a lot of sauce to even make the dry fish taste like something… If the wait staff were not authentically Vietnamese and sweet to us I could have sworn the food could just as well have been plain ol average American kitchen attempting an Asian twist. Sad but the best ethnic restaurants are in the suburbs and you definitely get let down by these random mom and pop shops operating in Washington DC. Next time skip this and take yourself to Falls Church VA. Unless you are like I was– just stuck out in Van Ness and needing some dinner.
Dan C.
Classificação do local: 4 Washington, DC
[to the beat of Regulate by Warren G and Nate Dogg] It was a clear black night, a clear white moon, Dan C was on the streets, trying to consume, Some warmth for the eve, so I can get some«phở”-nk, Just ridin’ on the red, freezin’ in the cold, Just hit the south side of UDC, On a mission tryin’ to find some Phở Dac Biet, Seen a place full of phở, ain’t no need to tweet, All Unilocalers know what’s up with Phở 14, So I hooks a left off redline, Van Ness, See some colleagues ordering, so I said, «What’s the best?» They served up the phở, and said, «Want more?» They took all my monies, so I said, «I’m poor.» Since the broth is so good, I’ma sip and slurp, The flavors are perfect, and they straight heard the burp, Won’tcha think of better things than phở with chopsticks, I see my homey and some slurpers, all in my mix, I’m getting fat, I broke my belt, I can’t believe they taking Dan C’s wealth, The took my coins, they took my paychecks, I looked at the server said, «Damn, what’s next?» … Best phở soup in DC so far — no need for Hoisin or Sriracha. Won’t break the bank unless you order spring rolls, a sandwich, and soda as well … Laike someone I know… dmo out