The Boiling Bowl

The bún featured fragrant pork and crispy spring rolls, with hearty portions. And don’t let the boiling bowl’s environs of parking garages and fast food joints fool you, its interior is luxuriously decorated and perfectly cooled for a hot day. Cocktails fairly cheap for a restaurant.

I ordered a large bowl of beef pho, but the meat was extremely chewy and tasted old. I called over the only staff member working and complained. A little while later, he brought me a small bowl with a few pieces of noticeably better-quality meat—but never said anything or followed up. Was this some kind of test bowl? I’m still confused. In the end, I paid for the full bowl and left the place hungry. I’ve been to several Vietnamese restaurants, and this was by far the worst experience.

Staff was very nice. Food was excellent, and interesting. Decor was date worthy. Had an intense won ton soup, best I've had. Meal with leftovers size. Spouse had tofu bahn mi. Very good. Did it as a combo, the mushroom fries were very tasty. We recommend the tea highly. Fresh rolls were very good, more interesting than many places. The decorating made the interior look very nice. Free parking! That's a nice plus in this area. Sign says 6'11" Clearance, so careful with vans etc. +

My favorite Vietnamese restaurant! We always eat pho in here, but this time we tried different menu and both are really good! And the stuff was nice and friendly:) I can’t wait to visit there again.

Moved into the neighborhood, and this has become my go-to spot. I pretty much always order the tofu banh mi or tofu vermicelli bowl, and both are so good. Always really fresh veggies, really reasonable prices. You won’t find a better, or cheaper banh mi in the NW neighborhood. Service is always attentive, and kind. I love this place <3

Good portions for the pho. Meat quality is good. Noodles are thin which I like. Soup a bit weak for me. Would come here again to try rest of menu

Stopped here before work and just got a chicken Bánh mì, it was fantastic!! The chicken was tender and the vegetables were fresh and crisp. I suggest using their hoisin sauce on the table and a little sriracha for a little kick. The soups all look great but I didn't have enough time for one. Will be back.

Love this place. Best pho in west Portland hands down. The staff is friendly and the broth is to die for! Been coming here for years.

We ordered the Cha Gio with Pork, Thit Nuong Cha Gio Bowl, Ga Nuong Plate and Chicken potstickers to be delivered so I cannot speak to the cleanliness or friendliness of the restaurant or staff. The food was ready and delivered on time. The appetizers were both good but the cha Gio stood out between the two. Both the bowl and plate were great! The proteins were delicious- well seasoned, tender and flavorful. The portions were ample and we ate well. We will definitely be back.

Very enjoyable authentic Vietnamese meal. Easy to find plus they have parking too which is a plus. I had F1 which had roast pork & shrimp + noodles in a chicken & pork broth. My wife had the wonton soup. Both were tasty & very filling. As a water drinker, they score bonus points by putting the carafe of water on the table. Good food, service & meal. This place is a keeper.

I've always said I'm not a fan of Vietnamese food. But this place has converted me. I've never even had a spring roll before this place and it was so good and refreshing. I wishbi could have them everyday. I got the beef stew and was so perfect. The flavor was spot on and great for the cold weather. A nice sourness to it that I've never had before. I can't wait to go back because it was so good. The waiter was really nice and made sure no cilantro was added to my meal.

Great spot for an afternoon bite when you're in the neighbourhood. Good value for the quality

The only complaint I have about this place is that it isn't closer to me. First - they have free parking right next to the restaurant. How often do you hear that Portland offers free parking? Service was great. She saw that my fiancee was parking our car and that I was about to pay for the metered parking and she stopped me and said to go park in the garage. She was also patient as I was being indecisive on what to order and checked in on us frequently. I wish I got her name to give her a shout out but her customer service was on point. Ordered egg rolls, fried shrimp, and the thit nuong self roll platter. And this place definitely is one of my favorite and authentic viet food within the area, which is hard to find. Highly recommend and would come back.

This is a solid restaurant, it's a good one to have in the neighborhood because you can go there any day of the week and know you're not going to be disappointed by your food. Is it absolutely to die for it? Maybe not... But I would not trade consistent good food for an occasional amazing dish. I get the same thing every time I go and I'm never disappointed. I would give this a solid four out of five if you live in the neighborhood, I would definitely suggest visiting this location because it might become part of your rotation. The food is quality, atmosphere is always nice. And best of all the food is reliably good.

I came here because I was craving Vietnamese food and getting kind of tired of only eating on the east side of the Willamette, so I decided to check this spot out! It's a cozy spot, with more seating than it looks and a nice, quiet environment. Decor is nice and they also have a bar, unlike a lot of other Viet spots! I was pretty surprised by how extensive their menu was--there was a lot of options you typically don't see and some unique ones, I've never heard of as a Viet (such as spider roll and lobster pho). I got the hu tieu kho and my boyfriend got the pho; the food didn't take that long to come out. The food was so healing, definitely comfort food, and so so much better than I thought. Although it's probably not the best I've had in Portland, it is definitely on the better side and from their diverse menu, this place will become a favorite as I try more items from them!

We came accross a Vietnamese eatery for our comfort food, phở. This place was nice and neat with cozy and modern atmosphere. The staff is friendly and sweet. We were seated right away at arrival and did not wait too long for our food to come out. Pho broth is nice and on point. However, the star of our meal was Coconut flan. It tasted like coconut coffee in a pudding form. The sweet snd creamy texture of the flan paired greatly with the bitterness from Vietnamese coffee. Don't sleep on this item if you love dessert! Overall, our experience here was great and exceeded the expectations. Highly recommend checking this place if you're in the area.

This spot is the JAM! I've had a lot of Vietnamese in my time and this place has what others don't, the most delicious beef stuffed nuggets (reminds me of authentic Greek dolmades, they're almost exactly the same) . I got the combo bun today and it was plenty for 2 people. Server made us feel like we didn't want to leave. The Vietnamese coffee was amazing too. Will be back as often as we can !

Tasty pho, stir fries, and other Vietnamese dishes. I love to try new things here like Com Suon Bi Cha (pork chop, pork skin, and egg custard. Or the Xao Sa Ot (Lemongrass stir fry.) The servers are incredibly friendly and helpful. Aside from the nice look of the place the music is great too really setting the atmosphere.

The ambiance was very chill and comfortable for a bowl of pho. The service was attentive and quick. The beef pho broth lacked a depth of flavor, where i felt i needed to add a lot of extra hoisin and sriracha to add to the missing flavor. The noodles were the perfect texture, but the beef pieces were quite bland in flavor. I rate this restaurant a 2.5/5 stars.

Amazing broth as always!! Love being a usual there especially being that the broth is gluten free.

Sort of nice but sort of a lot of design ideas started, then stopped, then not maintained. Relaxed vibe belowstreet level seating with Vietnamese coffee house acoustic music in the background ~ nice. Food is good just not proportioned to the bill which is ~ too pricey. Come here if you are calorie restricting yourself and you need someone to control the small portions for you. Staff is almost non existent before the meals are served and no where to be seen when you are waiting to pay. Could not get a single water refill.

Ordered from The Boiling Bowl through Caviar. We were looking for a banh mi place that offers pâté and pork on the same sandwich and decided to give this place a go. Unfortunately, despite advertising otherwise on their menu, the sandwiches arrived without pâté - major bummer. The pork was good but the veggies were not as crisp and bright tasting as I expect. Their boba tea also arrived without boba? Bizarre. To top it off, the crispy egg rolls smelled and tasted like musty socks. No exaggeration. Will not be ordering from The Boiling Bowl again and sticking with our go-to for banh mis, Best Baguette.

Had the beef pho. Terrific broth and more food than I could eat. Service is good and ambience fine. Noise level good as well.

I have been here a few times since my first review. I will say the food is always inconsistent. Like today, I ordered the vegetable stir-fry with chicken. While delicious with the lemongrass + ginger flavor, I was disappointed by the lack of vegetables in the dish. It was onion, bell pepper and green beans. The picture clearly shows carrots and broccoli, which I prefer. I'm convinced they made the lemongrass stir fry and not the vegetable stir fry.

Love their broth, choose your own options and serving sizes. Plus the parking is great

I was never able to receive my food bc I was running late. I tried to call about this but no one answered the phone :(

The hot soup craving hit hard on a rainy day so we're scavengering for a pho place and came across this spot on Yelp and we couldn't be more stoked we did! The place is waaay cozier on the inside than what the outside might belie. We're surprised. They have a full bar and plenty of tables and booths to seat people. We ordered a feast of Bun Bo Hue, Pho Ga, Spring Rolls, and Papaya Salad. Not too exaggerate but EVERYTHING was delicious. Freshest of fresh ingredients were used in every dish, especially in the Papaya Salad which you can feel the crunch in every strand of papaya. Great balance of flavor and super refreshing. I've already decided that I would come back just for the Papaya Salad. The Spring Rolls were freshly fried and crispy. I liked the flavor of the pork filling and the fish sauce dipping sauce also hit the spot. The two soups were amazing. Needless to say our craving for hot soup was satisfied. We drank the either bowls. Again, a lot of fresh side herbs, meat, and noodles in the Bun Bo Hue and Pho Ga, making them very rejuvenating. First time having Bun Bo Hue and I'm a big fan of the spice, totally could do with a lot more of those bird's eye chillies. Can't believe we haven't heard of this place before. Top Vietnamese place in PDX for us right now. We'll be back!

Low key soup stop with homey decor. We got the house beef pho and beef stew, both of which were comforting and flavorful. The bean sprouts and basil toppings for the pho were plentiful and very fresh, and the bread for the stew was soft and tasty. Would come here again!

I really enjoyed boiling bowl! It was so hearty and tasty! I ordered chicken pho and it was so comforting especially on a cold day. Even the salad rolls that were recommended to us were awesome! Service was great and staff were very friendly. It's really clean inside too which is nice! And beautiful interior. So good!

Amazing ambiance and comfortable seating/decor. Tasty pho and friendly staff! Can't say enough good things about this place.

I enjoyed this stop. They had great Pho, a nice vibe inside and it was relatively easy to park on the street (or there is a Walgreens parking lot in the same shopping center that this is). We ordered and got our food promptly. Waitress even offered up chili oil - which I thought was nice as we usually have to ask. We did find it a bit hard to find only because we aren't from Portland and didn't know the area so Google Maps took us to the Walgreens and was like (you're here) and it took us longer than it should to realize if you park up top at the Walgreens you have to go down the stairs to the front door! Hope that helps someone :)

The service was great. Food was delicious atmosphere was great ambience or whatever portions were a lot. Location is great too.

I visited The Bowling Bowl for some pho several weeks back. There's a parking garage next to the restaurant and street parking. I thought the atmosphere was weird. There was loud classical and 60s music playing. I didn't enjoy that. I built my own beef pho. I got tài (thinly sliced steak), gàu (Fatty Brisket) and bò viên (beef meat balls) as meats. The broth was okay. I didn't find it very flavorful. I ended up adding a lot of srircha and hoisin to it. The Boiling Bowl had average pho. I wouldn't go out of my way to go here.

Boiling Bowl is simply amazing staff are always the nicest and the food always tastes fresh and well made

There are a lot of places to get decent Vietnamese food in and around Portland, but not too many outstanding Vietnamese restaurants. This place serves outstanding Vietnamese food!! We had more dishes than we needed (of course!), and everything was fresh, fragrant, texturally complex, and overall delicious. Service was very fast, and our server was friendly and welcoming. Check out the pictures for better descriptions than I can put here. Included delights: Green papaya salad Spider roll Chicken banh mi Crispy seafood noodles Seafood phò

This place is a favorite in my neighborhood. Our usual favorites are the chicken phö (generous portion too!), pineapple fried rice and grilled pork. Last night I just tried the wonton soup which was so savory and comforting on a cold day! Another bonus is they have their own adjoined covered parking (under the Walgreens on 21st) which is very rare here in NW and so convenient.

First meal straight off the plane. Got the pho with the meats. Round, flank, and brisket and was happy with the choice. Good broth. The grilled pork summer rolls were great too although I would loved it with the peanut sauce instead of fish sauce vinaigrette. Glad I got the chicken satay too so I could use that peanut sauce. It was all Yumm and reasonably priced.

Bahn mi sandwich is the bomb!!! They marinate the pork themselves and sliced thin. And free parking!

We visit Ptown often and try lots of different pho places. But haven't found decent good pho. We found this cute restaurant, lovely decors. Their Samurai Pho is bomb. I know how to make phở so far most of pho's restaurants we tried were tasteless. This place is on point. My husband has bun bo Hue and it's good as well. Staffs are friendly. Highly recommended. Definitely will come back when I'm in town.

This place is awesome! My husband and I spent our 5 th anniversary visiting Oregon we stayed in Portland and wanted to try out a many restaurants as we could before leaving . We've tried a few Thai places and steak restaurants around Portland but this place was absolutely fantastic that we came back for a 2 nd time before ending our trip . Restaurant was very clean and everything we ordered was on point paced with flavors. Service was pretty fast and so was the food that came out . Would definitely visit this place again next time we're traveling to portl

The food here isn't anything to write home about. I've tried them a couple of times and each time I'm left unimpressed. But it's nearby so it'll do. I ordered pickup yesterday and again while it was okay I knew what to expect. I decided to order the coconut flan as treat. It cost 5.99 which doesn't seem like much until you see the size they give you... it was a joke. Lesson learned.

Really enjoyed the Bun Bo Hue. The broth was delicious and had good heat. Great portion! The brisket was soft and had good flavor too. The service was very friendly. I called ahead and they had everything ready to go at the designated time. Didn't eat in, but looks like they have a lot of seating.

Good chicken pho, but the eggrolls were the worst I've ever had. The shell itself was thick and appeared to be fully cooked, but tasted undercooked. Also, they were served with an extremely salty dipping sauce. I would go back for the pho!

I haven't had a piña colada in.... years! The Boiling Bowl has a large cocktail menu by the way , and I couldn't resist their well-blended piña colada (with an umbrella in it!) It was perfect. I also love appetizers. The potstickers, chicken satay and pork spring rolls were amazing. For dinner, Pad Thai chicken was perfectly plated, flavorful and in generous servings. We did not walk away hungry! On the outside, this place could easily be overlooked. However, on the inside, it's filled with tasty food and drink served up in a friendly and efficient manner. Don't overlook this Goose Hollow gem

We had a fabulous meal at the boiling bowl. Our waiter. Cody was one of the all-time greats. He guided us through the menu and we each wound up with vermicelli bowls. My wife had a veggie bowl with crispy eggrolls that had been made that day while I had the salmon bowl. These bowls were huge, especially considering the affordable price. And everything was delicious. Cody also made us marvelous Boba tea drinks. This restaurant was a pleasant surprise, and we will definitely be back!

Tasty as heck, has parking for you so you can pick up real quick. I'm an order online and take to go kind of girly so I love that to go bowls are provided with the pho to go orders. I don't have to have my own bowl for pick up orders cause I'm am a lazy girly so I appreciate saving me having to do dishes lol . Pick up is easy and it's not awkward which is always dope. If you're looking for that usual beef pho taste then you got it here. Probs gonna be my go to pho spot for now on

Staff was really nice with excellent service. Food was great. Cocktails were good. & they have their own parking.

One of the newer restaurants to hit the NW area. The interior is spacious and has a modern feel to it. My friend and I ordered a few things to try out. We ordered the following: - beef salad (spicy): it was mediocre at best; the pieces of beef were a bit dry. - chicken wings: these were a bit more carmelized and a more unique taste than the other vietnamese wings I've had. - pho tai, nam, bo vien: I liked that the broth had a clean taste and was not heavy. The rice noodles were nicely cooked and wasnt mushy. The meats were also tasty. The service is very friendly and wait time was not long. I look forward to trying some of their other dishes next time.

Cool and yum. Our foot masseuse recommended this place and it did not disappoint. On a hot day when open table and Resy were booked up we were thrilled to find a this trendy location with its own parking garage!! The staff was attentive and the food was fun. We made our own spring rolls and tasted green boba. Highly recommend the fall off the bone ox tail pho. After experiencing an awful seafood crepe at another restaurant, The Boiling Bowl was able to restore my faith in the dish. Yum! I did wish there were less flying bugs but perhaps they wanted to escape the heat too. Other than that this place was perfect.

Went here in mid-September. I ordered beef pho with thinly sliced eye-round steak. It took 30 minutes for me to receive my meal. The broth was not very flavorful, and I could taste the individual additions to it. I don't think I should be able to taste the fact that you added fish sauce, or that your broth is a little too watery, or that you needed more flavorful spices added to it. The rice noodles came in a sticky lump at the bottom of my bowl that I had to work apart with my soup spoon. The beef was underneath the lump of noodles, was already fully cooked when it arrived at my table, and consisted of only 3 or 4 two-inch round pieces of 1/4" thick beef. Very strange, not like any other pho I have ordered elsewhere. I will not be going back.

Great food, friendly staffs. It is a really nice and cozy place. The soup was fantastic!

Happened to stop by the Boiling Bowl because it was raining and it was clearly soup weather. I came in a large group (8 or 9 people?) but we were seated pretty quickly. It took a while for our food to come out, but I don't think that would have been the norm. I think we were there on a weekday during off hours, so I don't blame them for that. The service was friendly and attentive, and made sure we had everything we needed. I got a steak pho, which I thought was good. They were generous on their portions for everything.

They employed my struggling niece and we're paying her under the table and when payday came the only paid her $200. after putting in long hours. They owed her between $600-800 with tips she never got. When she tried to talk to them about it, they act like they don't understand English. Sad that my niece had to go through this.

Soup so good im having a sick day today and i ordered soup from here and it immediately made me feel so much better like magic. The beef is so tender and the broth is just CHEFS KISS . the passion lemonade is also so delicious, i will definitely be ordering from here again!!

The food was great and service was fantastic. Just a nice mom and pop run Vietnamese restaurant with all you could ask for!

I love the option to build your own Pho bowl. I ordered my Pho w/ eye-round steak, well-done flank, and fatty brisket. My friend basically ordered a House Combo w/ Tofu. The broth was flavorful, lots of cilantro to add some flavor. The chicken satay was delicious, but I found it odd that the container of peanut sauce was only filled 1/4, but the fresh roll peanut sauce container was filled to the brim. Definitely worth ordering again if I want to build my own bowl.

Good service. Good BBH. Would taste better with the banana flowers chopped in with the vegetables but still good without it. The flavor of the broth is rich and not watery taste. Some restaurants would use the pho broth and turn into bun Bo hue and I would be able to tell. My wife had the pho samurai and she said it was good and she makes good pho. Would not disappoint. This is just my honest review.