Pho Chau

My partner and I absolutely love Vietnamese food, but unfortunately there aren’t any restaurants in our area, so when we had to take a trip to Rochester we decided to take the opportunity to stop at Pho Chau. This little hole in the wall did not disappoint. We were seated immediately, drinks came out not even a few minutes later, and the food shortly after. Everything was hot, fresh, and absolutely delicious. We ordered the pho with brisket, spicy shrimp stir fried ramen, and cream cheese wontons. And for drinks, we had Thai tea with boba and a Vietnamese coffee. This restaurant is now a favorite spot and I look forward to exploring the menu further when we come back up to visit.

I ordered the pho with beef and meatballs. Also got the spicy crispy pork belly with rice. The pho was really flavorful and definitely could be one of the best in Minnesota. Great portion for the price and with the right amount of protein. I did not need to add anything because it tasted so good just the way it was. The pork belly was crispy and seasoned to perfection. Although it was not spicy to my level, it was still a great dish. Overall, I highly recommend this place and will definitely be coming back when I’m back in town. Definitely give it a try

Service was so quick and there were lots of menu options! Server went out of her way to accommodate our 8-year-old with plain broth, noodles, and meatballs. Delish!

Five stars. I’ve been here a few times now and it’s been consistently great. Friendly service, quick turnaround, and the pho is excellent. The broth is clean and flavorful, the portions are solid, and the herbs and add-ins are fresh. I’ll keep coming back.

absolutely a must! the beef pho was so flavorful and the passion fruit tea…. obsessed! great quick service will definitely come back!

Holy this place is expensive. I paid $19.07 for a bowl of pho. Bruh. The food was amazing but god damn $19 pho is crazy. The base pho is $13 and does not include any meat which is bizarre already. I opted for the beef and brisket for $4. I only came here because the Pho Tai was closed but, I am not sure if I will return, especially not for a $19 bowl of pho.

I’ve been going to Pho Chau since high school, back when they were near John Marshall. Their new location off Broadway is even better, and the menu is just as amazing. The two women who run the restaurant are always on point — friendly, fast, and welcoming. I love the pho and iced green tea with strawberry, but sometimes I switch it up with the rice and chicken, which is also delicious. A go-to spot I’ll always come back to!

I ordered the beef pho and shrimp spring rolls and everything was wonderful! The food was all packaged for delivery with care. There was a wide variety of toppings included for the price -hoisin, Sriracha, fish sauce (1.25 extra), lime, basil, bean sprouts, green onion, and cilantro. The sauce with the spring rolls was particularly great! The best ive ever had served with spring rolls.

Service Excellent Food Exceptional Wonderful Dumplings both Vegetable & Pork. Perfectly cooked soft boiled Egg. Highly recommend this establishment. Clean, beautiful, no frills but modern decor.

We were in town and stopped by this Pho house that was recommended by our friends. There were many interesting menu items so we decided to try three different ones. We got the pad thai, pho and ramen stir fry. The pad thai tasted very authentic. The sauce was thick and very delicious. We got it with shrimp and it was grilled really well. Not dry at all. Highly recommend. The pho was good. We have very high standards for pho and it was decent, a clean broth. We got it with beef and brisket. Other options are wayy too expensive. The ramen stir fry was really tasty. Even the low spice was spicy. Think bul dak bokum noodles. It was good but not a dish you would eat by yourself, in my opinion. The spice is strong. Last thing we treated ourselves to was the mango slushie. A bit sweet than I'd like but refreshing never the less. My kids loved it. I'll probably come back for the pad thai again :)

Always one of our favorites! Best pho in town! The restaurant offers both dine on and take out, as well as delivery through door dash/uber eats. The ambiance of the restaurant is casual, but nice. Service is always good-- quick and attentive.

Pho Chau is my favorite place to eat in Rochester. This is some really authentic Vietnamese food. Everything here is so flavorful, and my favorite part is that the food can get very spicy! For example, the Bo Kho here is so good. The broth was delicious, and I loved adding the chili crisp/oil provided at the table. The beef was very tender, and the noodles were perfectly chewy too. I got a side of the Fresh Spring Rolls with Shrimp, which were also delicious and paired well with the spicy broth. The menu is quite diverse and has non-noodle/spicy dishes too, including vegetarian options. The service was very quick and the staff were all very friendly. There were plenty of tables too, and this restaurant would be particularly great for large groups. Definitely come and visit Pho Chau!

I ordered the Pho and thought it was delicious. The seating inside is basic but comfortable. Parking is a bit cramped but we found a spot with no problem. Our server was accommodating to our requests (we had our two young sons with us). We all had a great lunch here. Only taking off one star as it was a bit more expensive than we felt it should have been.

Great and fast service. Amazing food. I was pleasantly surprised at how great and flavorful everything was. Highly recommend.

This place is a little out of the way, but it feels like a hidden gem in Roch. The staff is quiet, knowledgeable, and helpful. I thought the pho tai broth had depth and was fatty with being greazy. This was a quick in and out visit, so I didn't try anything else, but I will definitely be back to try other menu items. Their chili oil was excellent!

I had a very disappointing experience here. I ordered the combo fried rice with kimchi and added shrimp, but my food didn't have a single shrimp in it--even though I paid $27 for the dish. I don't mind paying good money for food (I do it regularly), but I expect to actually get what I ordered. When I called to explain the issue, the server immediately got an attitude instead of trying to resolve the problem. I really don't like the customer service here, and I'm not the only one who feels this way--many people have said Pho Chau's staff come across as rude and unprofessional. They walk around with an attitude as if they have something against certain people, which makes the experience even worse. Unfortunately, they've lost a good customer who was willing to spend money here regularly.

Service is amazing and food too. I've tried many types of pho and none of them compare to this one. I live 1 hour away and drive to eat this pho Definitely recommend

$40.00! For Pho and fried rice. Ridiculous! They charge add ons for nearly every dish.

No frills pho place with good soup base. Casual dining with fast service. For most the dishes you choose the style and then add the protein which is extra. It's a little pricier than other places - but given the location in Rochester I would say a premium is not unwarranted. Solid food. I'd go back again. Boba teas are also pretty good.

This restaurant is like robbing people. Foods are extremely expensive. Don't go there, Pho Tai way better in price and foods.

Not really authentic Vietnamese food more catered towards a conglomerate of Americanized Asian cuisine. A lot of the condiments I'm used to in the twin cities were missing from my pho experience. I had to take my food home and doctor it up to taste like the pho I prefer.

Don't order the sesame chicken. Zero flavor. Only comes with white rice and that tasted old. Veggies aren't included. They were so good many years ago. Not sure what happened

The service can be better. I dont like when they give the bill on the table as soon as the foods is out. The chicken broth pho is not too tasty. My cousin said the beef pho is better. I will give it a try next time. The Vietnamese coffee is good and have good taste of the coffee (not just sweetness). Ambiance of the restaurant is okay. I m not too fond of it

Pho Chau is amazing. The service is beyond fantastic. The food is on point. I love how the pho broth is a little fatty. Most restaurants skin the access fat from the bone and the broth just becomes too clean for me lol Their Springrolls are different from what I'm used to, but it's still good. I love their Chicago fried rice. Something about it is just... so delicious. I highly recommend arriving early as they do get busy quickly.

Pho Chau is not too bad, especially if you're looking for a fix on Vietnamese food. However, with proximity to Pho Tai and other Asian dineries, it is more of a backup restaurant. Menu is not quite as extensive and is pretty overwhelming from a price perspective. A bowl of Pho will run you like $14-15 which is about 20% more than other places. The rice platter (3.5/5) ordered was not as traditional. The rice was not broken, the meat was drenched with food coloring, and the lack of meat loaf and few other items made it disappointing. Wife was feeling Pad Thai (3/5), and this version was really oily. The use of fish sauce was nice, but a little more overpowering than others Overall, Pho Chau is not too bad, but prices and alternatives make it challenging to re-visit.

Pho is mediocre, cream cheese was cold, and prices are too high for what you get. There are better places in town.

This review marks my 500th in 2021. It's fitting that I write about a Vietnamese restaurant in Rochester, a city that I called my home for two years. Back when I was a resident, there weren't any Vietnamese eateries in Rochester. I couldn't get a bowl of pho. I resorted to either making my own or heading up to the Twin Cities to get my fix. Just before the pandemic started, I visited Kung Fu Tea and noticed Pho Chau next door. I bookmarked it. On Christmas Eve, I was driving up from Elma, Iowa, and needed lunch. I remembered Pho Chau and drove over here. There is parking in front of this restaurant. There is also more parking around the eatery. I parked closest to N. Broadway Avenue and walked in. A woman was prompt greeting me. She got me a menu and guided me to a booth. It was just before 3 pm and I was hungry. I got the following items: - Fried chicken dumplings - Beef and meatball pho (#17 on the menu) My food came out fairly fast. Both items were brought to my table at the same time. I practically inhaled all six fried chicken dumplings. I was so hungry. These dumplings were great. Each one had plenty of filling. The wrapper on each was thin and crispy. The dipping sauce was yummy. The dumplings were so flavourful. I'd get them again. The pho comes in one size. I got a huge bowl of comfort placed in front of me. I added the bean sprouts and cilantro into my pho, and squeezed the lime. The broth was excellent. It was authentic and so good that the broth scent stayed on my clothes for a while. The beef was tender and didn't require much effort to eat. The meatballs were hearty. The noodles were perfect. I loved it. The removal of a star in my rating was abruptly getting my bill from this woman without being asked if I wanted anything else. She dictated that I was done. Weird. Part of me wanted the che 3 mau, but I decided to now skip it and revisit Kung Fu Tea instead. I went up to the counter to pay for my food with a credit card. I tipped and paid. All done! I used the women's washroom before making the hour drive up to Eagan. It's a single stall and was clean. I'd return again. If I do want the che 3 mau next time, I'll need to order it with the rest of my meal before I automatically get the bill. (500)

The Pho here is not good. The flavor is off. I think it's missing a sweetness from charred onions. It's not terrible but for a child of immigrants who were born and grew up in Vietnam, this did not meet my expectations. The Mi Hoi San (egg noodle soup with seafood) was good though. It could use more fried shallots, fried pig fat, and chives though. The service was nice and quick We will likely come back since there are not a lot of Vietnamese food options in Rochester.

Not sure how this place has 4 stars. Overpriced for what you get. Way too oily and had more onions/cabbage than noodles in Pad Thai. Chicken quality was good which was a win!

Beef Pho is okay but no vermicelli dish with grill pork which is standard Vietnamese dish...spring rolls are oily and not very tasty! Only one server taking care of customers during late lunch and she is a bit impatient with asking about dishes for make changes, Restaurant is reasonable clean and quiet ambiance but fairly expensive for all dishes and charges for to go hot sauce....

This is our spot to go for Vietnamese food when we are in town to visit my mother in law. The dine-in experience is so much better than the take out. Is so sad to not see and hear the hustle and bustle of customers eating and being happy father around good food with loved ones. We ordered the vermicelli noodles salad combo (shrimp, beef and eggrolls), cream cheese wontons, kids beef pho and adult beef and meatballs pho, grilled meatballs, and kids chicken lomein. I was a little disappointed in my salad because I thought the beef would be sliced up not a whole big thin pieces and the meat was a little tough to bite or cut up. The best part of the salad were the eggrolls. Probably the best takeout eggrolls I've ever had and that's saying something!! The fish sauce could be a little bit more spicier and tastier. It was too water down I felt. The chicken in the kids lomein was flavorful but the noodles were too sticky together that it was hard to cut up with the plastic knife and fork. It almost broken the chopsticks. The grilled meatballs were flavorful and not too salty. The pho was good. This is the first place that cooks the beef slices for you for take out orders instead of keeping them raw. I love the shape of the cream cheese wontons. It makes it easy to eat like a claw of a crab. It's nice and crispy and it doesn't have the oil taste which is a plus. The cream cheese were sweet not plain! Even with the disappointment in my vermicelli noodles salad, I would still order from here again because I love the varieties of options and you never get tired of the food. The prices have gone up during the pandemic but overall very reasonable still.

First time eating here. We ordered the Spring Roll appetizer, Beef Pho, and Sesame Chicken lunch meals. Service was very good and atmosphere was clean and enjoyable. Food all came hot and delicious! I definitely will be back when in the area.

I enjoy eating here when we are in Rochester. They have the quickest service in town. The food is always delicious and top quality. I highly recommend this restaurant if you're in the mood for authentic Thai cuisine. You won't bedisappointed..

Pretty Good. We were traveling from ATL. Good service and great Pho. Was very surprised for a small town

I used to come here when Chau still owned it, now the prices are way too high for the quality and quantity of food. The spring rolls were nasty and definitely not authentic and the braised pork you get more broccoli then anything else.

Stopped in for a late lunch and the place was very busy. The staff was friendly and took care of us the entire time. I started with the egg rolls and then had the Chicken Pad Thai. The egg rolls were tasty and unique. The Chicken Pad Thai was very tasty and interesting as well. This was the first time I've seen a Pad Thai with thick noodles like this, which I actually enjoyed. The dish had quality flavor and the a lot of chicken. Overall, the price was very competitive for lunch and the portion size was decent. The parking is a little tight and they have signs directing people to nearby overflow lots that are available. I'll definitely stop by again if I'm in the area.

Hopping and I mean the staff is hopping this Sunday at 1:30 just to keep up. And the food? 5 amazing stars!! Best seafood pho I've had. The broth had this clean and flavorful taste without the usual Asian tendencies to mix sweet and sour, yin and yang. Next was the roasted quail. I love this country. I love its diversity that I can have roasted quail in Rochester MN serve by the Vietnamese family that runs Pho Chau. Why because the quail was Amazing!! I can't begin to describe the marinade. It came in a bed of lettuce and homemade salad dressing. Dribble that in the lettuce then have a bite of the quail. Heaven on Earth. The whole meal with the Iced coffee came to $22.00 that fed the Three of us. Are you kidding? Highly recommend.

Service and food are both quick and made simple. Great place to go for those who aren't entirely familiar with Vietnamese cuisine. There are definitely options everyone can find something they'll like. Recommended!

Worst Vietnamese meal I have ever had anywhere in the US. A boiled mess with no flavor. The vermicelli noodles were almost mush the need was boiled, unseasoned and mushy. The carrots, onions and cucumbers were not pickled, and if. Poked, mushy and flavorless. There was not a single condiment on the table that could rescue the bowl if slop from flavorless oblivion. When the waitress cane by to ask how the food was, she turned and ran away with no intention to listen to any answer. There must be a totally untrained cook in the kitchen-it's the kind of place Gordon Ramsey would likely try to revive but would nonetheless fail.. the photo is of the 3/4 uneaten vermicelli salad that I would not even taking home for the dog. Stay away - you're certain to be disappointed.

I enjoyed the restaurant I had the pad Thai it was decent it tasted different than what I've tasted in other restaurants but none the less tasty, also had a taste for the sesame chicken with was pretty great but also different in their own style

We used to love eating here, probably visited once week. We showed up one day and they did a complete overhaul on their menu and both of our favorite dishes disappeared. They also got rid of their kids menu, so to order a meal for my 5 year old we have to order an full adult entree and pay $13+ for her to eat 1/4 of the meal. They have also increased prices of food and don't include protein in the main cost of the meal anymore. It was set up to include chicken as the base then you could pay extra if you wanted steak, shrimp, etc. Now you pay the base then add extra money for even chicken. The food is delicious still, but disappointed in the new menu and cost overall.

Didn't like Bad quality and never knew that they were with Asian cuissine. Never paid so much for so little.

Honestly, one of the cleanest and most efficient restaurants I've been to. Delicious pho and I would definitely eat here again.

Stupid Expensive for a bowl (quart) of soup. Got covid with my wife and ordered thai food to clear the sinuses. We got a quart of good tasting Tom Yum broth (with overcooked chicken) and additions pack (beef, shrimp, chicken) addition which added a few slices of overcooked beef, two shrimp, few slices raw onion, tomatoes, and ramen and mushrooms ... 27.50 for literally a bowl of ramen soup .... times two with my wife and some egg rolls, 80.++ dollars and 100$ with tip, taxes, and service fees. Felt like a dope for ordering from this restaurant

We came in for dinner on Friday evening and, while there were a fair amount of people, the place wasn't packed. We were seated immediately and able to order within a few minutes. It's a small place, but I felt there was adequate space between us and the other tables. I had shrimp spring rolls and pho with shrimp in it. Both items came out pretty quickly and were delicious! I was pretty pleased with the pho - the portion was great and they put a decent amount of shrimp in it. Maybe not the best pho of my life, but pretty solid. The staff weren't unfriendly persay, but they definitely had a hands off approach and seemed to interact with patrons as little as possible. I didn't need a refill on my glass of water, but no one ever came around to check on that or see if there was anything else we wanted either. The tastiness of the food and speed makes up for mid level of service though. I'd eat here again regardless.

Stir fry mixed vegetables with extra vegetables was disappointing. Huge amount of bamboo shoots, mushrooms and onions. A brown dish, accented with a very small amount of broccoli and carrots. Service was minimal.

Even though it was a challenge getting to the restaurant because of the closed streets, it was so worth it! The wait staff were great, gave me some help with the menu, and food came out speedily. It is almost a ceremony to prep the pho at the table. I got the beef with beef brisket. Very delicate, with the flavor developing as the table-added ingredients warmed (Thai basil, chili oil, bean sprouts, lime). Top notch pho. The chicken dumplings were fried crispy and light, and the dipping sauce was perfect. Thanks Pho Chau, for a delightful meal!

We are very sad that this place changed ownership and suffered in quality while prices have almost doubled on a few of our favorite dishes. This used to be our go to spot for fusion cuisine prior to the change in owernship

We went to Pho Chau on a Fruday evening and service was very fast! The meat was a little overdone and the soup had lost a little flavor, but the food is great for a colder winter day. It warms you right up! Restaurant and bathrooms looked clean, and we were offered drinks right away which I appreciated. The shrimp spring rolls were delicious though I think the sauce could have used different flavoring rather than straight sauce out of the bottle. The restaurant gave ample toppers for the noodle soup.

Very nice place. The pho was solid full of meat and other goodies. Pass on the egg rolls they were small and not what I'm accustomed to at a Vietnamese restaurant. Spring rolls were good but missing the herbs so a bit bland. Service was great.

Best Vietnamese we have found since moving from Milwaukee to La Crosse, WI in December. We will be regular customers. We visit Rochester once a month. Both our GoTos were great. Combo Pho, meaty and flavorful, not too sweet, noodles (perfectly softened) and Beef Shrimp Vermicelli good and tasty as expected. Spring roll starter good and a sweeter sauce. Next time I'll try the crepe entree. Attention to details like trimmed tendon, only the green tops of scallion (although I enjoy the white part as well), ends of spring roll trimmed(again why waste it)? Pleasant and efficient service. Dining room clean and neat, restroom clean but no hot water and towel dispenser empty. I saw refills, but up too high for my reach. I advised cashier. Odd parking lot but one trip around block and we had a spot.

We had another long day at Mayo and had the craving for some Asian food. I found this place on Yelp and the reviews were good. We found it after maneuvering through the construction site. They are in the middle of redoing the whole frontage road which looks real nice and is almost done. That being said we had a very good meal the food was great the service was awesome nice quaint little place to eat with plenty of room inside. And its handicapped accessible

I always try pho in different cities I travel to and the yelp reviews gave this place a good review, but upon ordering the pho we were disappointed. The amount of middles we got weren't that much, and for the pho combination which is usually the star dish it didn't have a lot of meatballs, tripe, and tendons. The noodles came out hard and firm. After letting it sit in the bowl for 5 minutes it softened up a bit. The noodles should never come out hard. The broth lacked a good beefy flavor. Overall the pho combination was okay. They need to up the flavor of the broth because the broth is king, put more noodles into the bowels, and not be stingy with the combination meats.

The beef pad Thai was sad. No peanuts and tasted more like fried noodles than pad Thai. Good for fried noodles, but it's supposed to be pad Thai. Plus, there were eggshells in it!!! I was eating it and suddenly had a crunch. Stupid me thought it was some burnt fried eggs and swallowed some before spitting out my mouthful and discovering it was eggshells. I dug around the dish and found more eggshells. I told them about this so they gave me a 10% discount. The curry was all right. Lacked flavor and wasn't wet enough.

We came here for lunch on Saturday. It was a chilly day and the pho ga hot the spot! The server was extremely attentive and friendly. She didn't check on us too much but it was just enough to make us feel like we weren't being ignored. The food was amazing. We are glad we tried this restaurant and we will definitely be back!

This restaurant has gone downhill since Chau sold it. The food is more expensive and they charge extra for any proteins (eg, meat or tofu). One waitress that's always there needs some personality lessons. I'll never go there again if she's working there.

We recently moved to Rochester and were hoping to find a solid, go-to place for pho. Pickings are slim in Rochester, but anyone that gives this place a try will be pleasantly surprised. I ordered the Pho Chau, and my partner ordered another variation of pho. The broth was clear, savory, and came out piping hot. The meat and noodles were fresh and served in large portions. Of course the pho comes with all of the usual accompaniments (Thai basil, lime, bean sprouts, etc) and those too seemed fresh. Overall, this was one of the better bowls of pho I've had (having tried many in Houston and along the Northeast). Great experience with nothing to complain about. Kung Fu tea is right next door, so that's another plus!