James L.
Yelp
Semi-regular lunch spot for me and my office mates. Located off Allentown Road directly across from Joint Base Andrews, Pho Viet is the only Vietnamese restaurant in this part of Prince Georges County, MD.
This place exudes a very "mom and pop" feel. Conforms with the Asian ethos of featuring lots of indoor greeny from (bordering on excessive) potted plants; the display in front of the main window is impressive with several plants reaching over 10 feet high!
In typical pho joint fashion, you walk in, are promptly greeted by the friendly staff, and then have open seating at any available table. My colleagues typically enjoy sitting in the "main" dining room, although there is a second area off to the right.
I've had the pho and it's decent, but the underrated entree is their beef stew, aka the Bo Kho. Nowadays, I will judge a Viet place by this dish, as it involves hours of slow simmering to ensure tender pieces of beef, ultra soft carrots, and a hearty flavorful broth. Check, check and check.
The "traditional" method Bo Kho is served is with a toasted French/Viet style baguette; but I usually order it with noodles (slight upcharge). Pho Viet only serves rice noodles...which is a slight bummer as I like egg noodles. Things I like about the meals here are:
* Good portion size - unlike at many Viet restaurants now, the bowl of noodle soup here is generous relative to the price. The Bo Kho has lots of pieces of beef and an appropriate amount of noodles. Only slight critique is this dish could use some of the more traditional pieces of meat like soft stewed tendon for texture.
* Flavor - the broth is a deep brown-ish red hue, and is thick with lot of rich "beefy" notes. Add some of the accompanying aromatics such as the Thai Basil, jalapenos, bean sprouts, and a squeeze of lime for freshness and crunch.
* Value - (as of this review) the Bo Kho is $15, which is a "bargain" relatively speaking. To me, Pho Viet provides good dining value for the money.
My colleagues also ordered pork cha gio for the table. It was fine and the thing of note, was the fry was not overly greasy but the nuoc mam dipping sauce was (predictably) too sweet.
The majority of instances, I brown bag my lunch. But on the occaisons I want to dine away from the office, Pho Viet is a solid option. And bonus that this place accepts credit cards!!!
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