If I could give zero star this would be it . The food quality is below average . Pho broth is very bland and meat quality is poor . Would not recommend to family & friends . Over all if you want an authentic great Vietnamese cuisine then go to Bellaire ! More food for your money and favorable . read more

This is my favorite pho place. the food is always so good, and the pork spring rolls are a must. The service is great, too. read more

Pho 21 - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

I always come here with my fiancé and this is our favorite spot! We love the combo pho. They have great deals and has quick service. I love the relaxing music and how busy they get. I hope they continue being here for many years! read more

Pho 21 - Fresh spring rolls with lemon water - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Now this is 100% Authentic Vietnamese food. Alot of places claim to be but this one is a guarantee. It's clean and the staff at the register know alot about each dish. I love this place when I'm in this area. They've been open since around 1997. Long standing. read more

Pho 21 - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

I guess inflation has hit everyone. The lunch special for plates USED to be $6.95 but has been raised to $11.95! That's terrible. The service was also not the best as it use to be. The quality of the meal was mediocre at best. The flavors also did not seem to be cohesive, so sad. I will visit again when it's pay day, this is too expensive for lunch. read more

Pho 21 - the front of a vietnamese restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Fresh, light, friendly, and good. Simple words to describe Pho 21, and a pleasurable dining experience. It was our first visit, probably ok or our last. The pho dac biet...when I first tasted the stock, I initially thought it wasn't punchy enough. But as I sipped a bit, pondered more, I'd conclude that it was a really good stock, but delicately seasoned. This doesn't mean watered down, but think of it as the agua fresca equivalent of Pho stock. It has all the spices you'd expect, but nuanced. It's perfect if you're craving Pho comfort but feel like something lighter. The ratio of meat to noodle is spot on too, as was the crispy freshness of the herbs. Two things happened to us that has NEVER happened in a pho joint before in almost 50 years: 1) they actually brought out our appetizers before our bowls of noodles, and 2) I didn't have to ask for more basil because they weren't stingy on the goods. What a revelation! Surprise of the day...the sriracha chili from Texas Pete. Man, it was really good and more indicative of the traditional Thai sriracha, which was the inspiration for Huy Fong (hate to break it to you, but HF didn't invent sriracha). The service was great too, not overly chatty, but friendly and efficient. I'd pop back in again if in the area. read more

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It's very rare that I give a spot a 1 star but this place did it for me. It was by far the most frustrating experience I've ever encounter. It started off okay but as the time went by, I grew more frustrated. So here it goes. We came around 12:45pm & did not receive our food until 1:33pm. There were several tables that came 10 mins after us and got their food before us. There was one table that came way after us, ordered, received their food & finished & we are still sitting here waiting on ours. After waiting about 30 mins I asked two servers about our food & they said the tickets were mixed up in the back. What frustrates me is that they didn't offer an apology or at least 10 percent off on the meal. I don't want anything for free but it's the thought that counts and I have to say that the service recovery was complete garbage. I also think that it would've took longer if I didn't say anything. It's ridiculous that I waited close to 45 minutes for some Pho. I know that the broth is already made in the morning & they keep it hot throughout the day. Every pho restaurant I've been to I've waited less than 15 mins. I understand mistakes happen but they made no effort to make it up to us. There was another family that came maybe 2 mins after us & half of their table received their food at the same time we did, while the rest waited. Okay, enough of my rambling. Now on to the food. I ordered a pho combo that comes with egg rolls & a can drink. ($14). The egg rolls were alright, it came out piping hot but taste wise it was nothing special. The pho was just edible, the broth was boring & I had to add a lot of Sriracha & hoisin sauce to give it some flavor. It's like they were in a rushed to make the broth. It just had no substance. The only positive thing that I can say is the well done brisket was tendered. Overall, it was a terrible experience. I would've given them a 3 if they came to my table and at least offered an apology but no one seems to care, so for that it's going to be a 1. I think it's been about 3 years since I gave a 1 star but today is the day. Service was a complete joke & the food was just edible. Will I come back? H-E double hockey sticks no. read more

Pho 21 - Meh - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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The pho was very good well in flavor the service was ok but it waiter had gotten my drink wrong plus there was a hair in my pho

Great Bahn Mi sandwich. Phos are very good, my favorite is the glass noodles with seafood. Quick service and everything has lots of filling and ingredients. read more

I love how this is a Houston staple for me! This place is my family's go to pho spot. I love their combination pho that's only $13 and the Vietnamese Che dessert! We've been coming here for years. Please don't change! read more

Pho 21 - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Unfortunately I'm done with this place. Between the service and diminishing and inconsistent food, I keep returning, hoping for better results, but I've been left disappointed one too many times. I always order a large chicken pho here and take back the leftover for a snack the next day. I love their clean flavorful broth when they do it right. Unfortunately my large chicken pho kept getting smaller and smaller portion wise with each consecutive visit. On my recent and last visit, the kitchen was super stingy with both noodles and broth. It felt like almost half of the noodles were missing. The broth was barely warm, not nice and hot as it should be. Needless to say, I finished the bowl easily and was still hungry afterwards. I brought this up to my waiter and he kinda shrugged and pointed out it was served in a large bowl. Yes, I understand that. It's the lack of what's in the bowl that is the problem. I pointed out again while paying at the register that I was not served a large, as I usually am full and have plenty of leftovers to take home. He halfass apologized and mentioned that it's just how the kitchen makes it... A diminishing chicken pho and rude service unfortunately leaves little reason for a return. read more

Pho 21 - Natural chicken pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Pho is good. Service was great. Ambiance could be a little better but it's nice enough and very clean.

Legitimate noodles and meats with the accompanying sides for your pho. The broth is more consomme flavor and clear looking. Service is ok, they bring you the stuff to your table and refills if needed. Ambiance is open and has several tables, no booths. read more

Pho 21 - Kitchen location - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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This has to be our favorite Pho spot! From customer service to the quality of the food is a plus Their Pho is so flavorful it is a must try. read more

Pho 21 - Chicken noodle soup! - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

I believe that location has a change of ownership. When I had frequented that restaurant before the food and service was great. The owner always smiles and greet the customers. But back to food, I took my mother there for lunch because she wanted some Pho and I thought about this place so I took her there. We didn't order much but two bowl of pho. Even at that the waiter that took the order got my noodle wrong, I ordered the egg noodle since I have not had that for a while, but they must have run out and just put some vermeil noodles in its place, on top of the wrong order I had order the large but that came out small. I guess they were hoping that I don't know the difference since i was on the phone texting a lot with my friend when the food shows up. Trying to get the wait staff's attention was a nightmare, so I said never mind I just eat what I have and just leave it at that. but never once the new owner ask how was my food? unlike the previous owner. Needless to say, I will never go back to that place, and they seem to care about the business but just serve the people that doesn't know Pho too much. So if you are on the hunt for some good Pho, go straight to the Pho 58 on Bellaire just a bit down the road, you won't be sorry. read more

I don't know what you're complaining pho... this place is awesome. And you don't have to be 21 to come here... false advertising. It's a dirt cheap and amazing Vietnamese restaurant located right by Westpark and Harwin and Gessner. They make excellent fresh rolls which Barbie loves, she gets them with the shrimp. Definitely worth a visit, and basically everything they have is good. If you like this kind of food, you'll love this place, and it's cheap and amazing and that's why you'll see so many elites giving them such a great rating, because by price or standard of food or size of portion, you're going to be very happy here. read more

Pho 21 - Don't pho get to come here - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Excellent taste and price, got the large and they give you a real large just like all other great pho spots. Will be going back as long as I live in the area. Quick service & perfect amount of authentic options. Also got Thai tea and a viet coffee to go both 10/10 better then most boba spots. read more

Pho 21 - Pho Chin - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

This is my favorite pho place. The pho and beef stew is delicious. Very attentive and fast service.

When your liver has regressed to being practically a born-again virgin and you go out for a friend's birthday (not just any friend - a bartender friend) having forgotten that you had skipped dinner, you spend the next morning repenting at the altar of the porcelain goddess, swearing off rum. After the waves of nausea that had rocked and thrashed you pass and you get that precious four hrs of uninterrupted sleep after having kept down 4 pints of water, you awaken, deprived of life and emptied of sustenance (literally). You feel weak. Your body aches. You crave broth like a newborn after milk. Enter Pho 21. You face the menu. The bun may have called your attention another day, but not today. The only thing standing between you and a piping bowl of pho are the permutations of meat choices. Go 18. 27 if you don't feel like cooking your own eye round steak in the soup (although you should). You crawled all the way here. Get the large. Live life a little and splurge them 80 cents. Commend yourself for putting on pants. The gigantic bowl arrives in 3 minutes and, at first sip, you feel your exhausted bowls perk up. This is it. This is aquavit right here (not to be confused with the wicked Norwegian liquor). Fill them with more spoonfuls, and they slowly warm to life, restoring you to life. Your body thanks you for no longer being the idiot you were just hours before. Personally, I like taking all the noodle out as soon as it's served - that way it doesn't absorb the soup and lose its chewiness. The broth here is clear without the fattiness - some people prefer the cloudy style of broth at Pho Binh and the like, but I find Pho 21's pho best in town. Blissful moments pass and you eventually leave, feeling like Tony Stark with his heart thing fixed. The sun is shining (and not pricking at your cranial nerves anymore). Life is beautiful again. 'Til the next drink, I mean, bowl! read more

Very good pho Got the combination And egg rolls Everything is yummy and flavorful Big restaurant I recommend read more

Pho 21 - Big restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Incredible broth for an incredible price! I got #18, which is the beef pho with various types of steak. The broth was very flavorful, but not too salty or overwhelming. I was impressed - I usually want to add hoisin sauce to the broth, but not this one. The meat was also fresh and tasted great! The staff was also very accommodating when I asked for no cilantro. A small bowl of pho, which was more than enough for me, was only $7 including tax. I love this place! read more

Pho 21 - #18: Pho with beef broth and eye round steak, well-done flank, fat brisket, and soft tendon. - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Pho 21 has been in this area for at least 20 years! I remember going here as a kid. It's still the best one in the area -- good in price, value, and taste. I've been picking mine up to go lately. They package everything nicely, and it's still hot when I get home. $8, including the tax cannot be beat nowadays! read more

Pho 21 - Large to-go - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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i'm definitely not a pho connoisseur but this place is buss ‍‍ i've been going here since my childhood and although i cant remember the prices from back then, it's still a solid pho spot!! i would def give it a 4-5 star. service has always been really good! the food usually has always come out within 5-10 mins and when we needed more water, radish, vegetables, etc, they always gave us a plate! pretty quiet! no loud music or anything!! cheap and staple spot if ur in the area! read more

Best egg roll, Other place got better pho and sauce. Rice with pork chops is delicious. read more

First time having Pho. I ordered it to-go and it was so good. Good size for price. Lasted me 2 servings

This is my new favorite hole in the wall Vietnamese soup kitchen on the west side of town. I've been coming here on and off for 7 years. I'm not a huge fan of going to Chinatown and the traffic on Bellaire is ridiculous with all the construction. The beef and chicken pho are both super flavorful and the soup is filled with plenty of meats, accompanied by lots of fresh veggies. Small bowl of pho is $5.95 and a large is $6.75. If you can't decide, do a soup and spring roll/egg roll + drink combo for $9.15. I've had the Bo Kho (beef stew with french bread) and Bun Bo Hue (spicy beef noodle soup) and they are very good, too. Some other items to try, the #73 Hue Tieu Dai Tom Thit (clear noodle soup with pork and shrimp) and #51 Com Ga Nuong Trung (steamed rice with grilled chicken and fried egg). The prices are all very reasonable and the food is very fresh. Beware: the service is just like those in Vietnamese soup kitchens, but they do make an effort when they're not busy. Also the location is tucked away in a corner off of Gessner and Westpark Tollway in a seedy area of town. Don't let this determine the quality of the food. Lunch and Sundays are when I come here and it's usually filled with a lively, ethnic crowd. I'm a stickler when it comes to floors and bathrooms in a hole in a wall type of establishment. Surprisingly, both are relatively clean for this type of restaurant. read more

Pho 21 - Lunch! - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

I love the taste. After going to many places in Houston for pho places to try, this one is by far one of the best. I just can't seem to find the same taste from other places read more

I have eaten at this Pho21 several times last year and the food was good. Last visit not so! We ordered BBQ pork and rice, the pork was grossly over cooked, dried out, tough, and tasteless. We also ordered the large Pho with brisket and steak. The brisket was refrigerator cold, tough, and tasteless, the steak was properly shaved but wouldn't fill a tablespoon. The pho soup was poorly seasoned and just OK. The noodles were refrigerator cold and the herbs and garnish consisted of less than two tablespoons of mostly chopped up cilantro stems and some green onion tops; NO basil, mint, cilantro leaves, bean sprouts, Jalapeno slices, or lime wedges. Pretty much worthless pho; the worst that I have ever been served!! I won't be back! read more

I ordered the grilled chicken rice platter and it was awful! The chicken does not look grilled and it tasted like a bottle of oyster sauce. The place is known for pho and I'm sure it's best to stick with that. However, if you've been in business for over 10 years, rice platters should at least be edible if not perfected. read more

Pho 21 - Com Ga Nuong (Grilled Chicken Rice Platter) Awful. All I could eat was the rice. - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Good Bun Bo Hue, Vietnamese Iced coffee & Spring rolls with spicy peanut sauce. Very affordable. read more

Pho 21 - Good Bun Bo Hue, Vietnamese Iced coffee & Spring rolls with spicy peanut sauce. Very affordable. - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

Been coming here for over 15 years. Lately their prices went up and food proportions went down. Will not be coming back till this is fix.

Great lunch specials! You get your choice of beef or chicken pho (can choose your meat types), two spring rolls or egg rolls, and a drink for less than $10! Friend and I both got beef and the broth was good. Portions are filling. Spring rolls were fresh and the sauce it came with was tasty. I would come here again for lunch next time! read more

Pros: -Love the service here. The food came out fast. The waitress happily answered all my questions. -Spacious and clean -The sugarcane juice is delicious -Good food with affordable prices Cons: -There's no sign. For those who are coming here for the first time, this place is located in the right corner of the plaza. They do have a big sign listed by the entrance of the plaza so you'll know if you're in the right area. -The menu could use an update read more

This spot has incredible pho and at a great price! The broth was delicious and the meat was great quality. However, I won't be returning here until post-pandemic because although the staff wore masks, they didn't ask the customers too while walking around the restaurant. It is also a smaller shop so the tables did not seem as spaced out as they should be. read more

I ate here once a few months ago and have no complaints. Food was good and definitely affordable :)

Oh real, authentic pho. How I've missed you. I'll even dedicate my 100th review in 2014 to this :) I had kind of forgotten about this Pho 21 since I'm never in the area anymore. Oddly, I was reminded as I drove by it last week otw home from work to get to the new pho place closer to my house! Over 12 years ago, Pho 21 was the go-to spot for my office lunches when we were located on Harwin. Since we moved out to Stafford and I moved further from Alief, it sort of faded out of my mind. Shame on me. But last night, I was back. Got my standard order to-go (with some added tendon and tripe, yes!) and picked it up in the dark, shady strip mall. In the daytime it's kind of ghetto, but sometimes at night it can be straight Alief hood. Get in, get out. My order was ready when I arrived, and the sweet lady at checkout pretty much assumed I was Vietnamese. Luckily she didn't say much and I could figure it out. Everything was perfect when I got home. Got my bag of veggies with my hoisin/sriracha mix and lime and made my bowl. It was SO. GOOD. Like I had forgotten what it was really supposed to taste like. I had a bite of my com thit nuong just to taste it and packed it away for lunch. Now that I realize where Pho 21 is again, I'm sure I'll be doing the after work pick-up much more often. read more

Pho 21 - pho tai, gan, sach - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas

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So I recently I wanted to test a theory. Is it worth it to drive outside of the loop to get vietnamese food? If you stay in the loop you're paying at least 2 bucks more for a bowl of pho, but if you drive out, you're spending time, gas, and possibly tolls. I did some fine calculating and came to this decision. If it's 1 person, it's just better off staying in town as there are places that are comparable and not much more. If it's two people it's a total toss up, you should go to the place with the best taste. If three or more, def go to bellaire/outside of the loop for taste and money savings. This is probably one of the closer OTL options. It's seated in a semi-shady area. The waitresses were actually very good for a viet joint. I was expecting much less. The pho is top notch, I liked the broth, the noodles, could have had more meat though. read more

My go-to pho spot in Houston! It's located in a little sketchy lot, but I guarantee the pho is great! The place is super casual, you choose where you wanna sit when you go in and then the waiter comes to take your order. No frills or anything. The best thing about their pho is the broth. The broth is sooo good and refreshing. I always ask for extra limes for the broth because it brings out the flavor even more. For the price you pay for this pho, you can't find a better place read more

This is our new favorite pho place. It's in a kind of sketchy strip center, but it really is some of the most consistently good pho we've had. I usually get Combo #1, which is a steal. Beef pho, spring rolls and a drink for $9. I love their Vietnamese spring rolls. The peanut sauce they make is so good. We've also gotten their Vietnamese coffee and wow, it's got some bite to it! Tasty, but very strong. As for their pho, I don't know if it maybe changed management, but I am baffled by the other comments that there isn't enough meat in it. I find that they serve more meat than most other pho places I have been and charge $2 less. The seafood pho is a little sad in the way of shrimp included, but it is a $5 bowl of pho, so for the price I get it. The beef varieties have a ton of meat in them. Most times we can't finish it. Yes, they don't have as much green onion, and they don't offer cilantro, but overall, we love this place. It's a hole in the wall, for sure, but they keep it very clean, so don't be fooled by its surroundings. Give it a shot! read more

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This is on my top two list of favorite pho places in town. The portions are large, there's a great ratio between noodles and meat, the prices are cheap, and the food comes out fast. I always get #16 large and sometimes the spring rolls which taste fresh. The broth is always hot and not heavy. It's a great hole in the wall restaurant and the staff is always friendly. The place is pretty spacious and there are always people coming in and out when I go. Very authentic and popular with non-Asians as well. I've seen Americans, Africans, and Hispanics come and eat here. read more

Pho 21 - Vietnamese Near Me - Houston, Texas