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    Pho 79

    4.1 (136 reviews)
    ModerateVietnamese, Noodles
    Open 10:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Pho 79 Photos

    Business Info

    PHO 79 ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Pho 79

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    #7
    Lisa G.

    Pho 79 is a classic. This place has been around way before the Vietnamese food boom began in the late-2000s and serves reliable pho, noodle and rice dishes. Friendly and quick service right at Staples Mill and Glenside. As most Vietnamese spots do, Pho 79 has a healthy eat-in and pickup business, but you're never kept waiting, and you can always find a seat in this hole in the wall that was a former fast food spot.

    Pho Tal, Chin Nac
    Isaac H.

    Great food and friendly service!!! It's my first time in Richmond and I was surprised to find this here. Virginia Beach has Pho 76 and Norfolk has Pho 78, so it was funny to find this too! Be prepared though, when we went they had the instrumental version of My Way by Frank Sinatra and Beauty and Beast on repeat for a good hour! Not a bad thing at all, you're just gonna leave the restaurant full and having a song stuck in your head.

    #7 with extra white onion

    This place was phenomenal I haven't had service this amazing in a long time!!! I got the #7 and everything tasted fresh!! I never leave reviews but for this place I'll most definitely be coming back!

    Chicken Pho Ga
    Kici C.

    You wouldn't expect much from this unassuming building on Staples but this may be one of the better pho restaurants in Richmond. The food is always hot and the service is lightening speed fast. I don't think I've ever waited over 10 minutes post ordering for food. You definitely get your moneys worth because the portion sizes are good! So grab a seat and enjoy some amazing pho

    Pho Thai Nam Gan Sach
    Seo C.

    Solid pho. 10 min walk to the Staples Mill train station but sidewalks are trash and theres no pedestrian crosswalks... Anyway the food was bussy bussy get pho thai nam gan sach and always order a bowl of sliced onions. Put sriracha in the bowl. Appreciate the broth before u cover it w the sauces, then try the meats with the sriracha sliced onions. It was cheap as hell i recommend

    U. U.

    Still my favorite Vietnamese/Pho place! They know what we want when we come in. That's how often we're here! Consistently delicious food. Will keep going back as long as they're around!

    Dining
    Celeena S.

    Been eyeballing this place..it is visibly busy but hesitated because I was premature in my judgment of its external appearance. Vietnamese food here is great. There are so many Pho spots in Richmond, all pretty good. I think this spot is my new favorite because of its unique style and it appears to be operated with a couple or duo of male and female. This seems to be a good sign of most Richmond Pho spots. I ordered their super bowl #14 Pho combo. It is amazing and SUPER LARGE. I am fat and am overly ambitious with proportions, I did not finish this and that is saying something. Along with noodles, they have rice dishes, as well as cooked noodle dishes. I believe they sell Banh Mi as well which are the Asian like subs. The food came out at a good pace..of course when busy it did take longer but a good sign that it's on the fresher end, right ? Give this place a go atleast once.

    Super bowl of Pho

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    5 months ago

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    2 years ago

    Consistently yummy Vietnamese food. Staff very polite. I stop by for takeout fairly regularly and have never been disappointed.

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    6 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Love the portion of food. And service is awesome highly recommend it. The owner ran outside and thought we forgot our drinks.

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    5 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Best pho in Richmond. Service is top notch! Have never dined in but every time I go in for food they are super friendly and helpful

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    3 years ago

    Love this place! We always stop when we are back in RVA. Best pho and best spring rolls around!!

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    13 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Best pho in Richmond. Nice staff. I no longer live in Richmond, but it is my most missed restaurant.

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    4 years ago

    Pretty authentic and the food always arrives quickly. The Egg Rolls and Vietnamese Coffee are great also.

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    2 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Delicious Pho and great service! Definitely would recommend, it's going to be our new regular pho spot.

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    Page 1 of 4

    Pho 79 Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Pho 79

    Is this the same pho 79 chain from northern va?

    Are the pho bowls gluten free? (Including the rice noodles being cooked in a separate pot as the vermicelli noodles)?

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    Main St. Dragon

    Main St. Dragon

    4.3
    (132 reviews)
    4.9 mi
    $$

    Found out about this spot after seeing a review on TikTok and had to check it out. I love Asian…read morecuisine and have been itching to try new places within the city. My waitress Kat was very nice and helpful, even patient with me since it was my first time. I already had in mind what I wanted to order, but she was eager to jump in and help me with recommendations if I needed it. I started with some chicken gyoza which was really good and the tangy sauce was very flavorful. Not even 3 minutes after receiving it, I got my main entree which was the scallion chicken and fried rice which was absolutely incredible! The sauce was very sweet with a bit of spice thanks to the peppers in the veggie mix. I heard that this place is known for its ramen so I'll definitely return to try that!

    Main Street Dragon was such a great experience! The restaurant was aesthetically pleasing, and our…read morewaitress was friendly and attentive. I ordered the Spicy Bangkok Ramen, which was delicious, fresh, and full of flavor. The bok choy was a nice touch and complemented the dish perfectly. My brother ordered the spicy Soba Noodles and really enjoyed them--the noodles had a nice, chewy texture. My mother chose the Indonesian Ramen and loved the strong basil and lemongrass flavors. She added chicken to her ramen, but unfortunately, it seemed either overcooked or processed. However, the staff handled the issue well and removed it from our bill, which we truly appreciated. Overall, we had a great family dining experience and would definitely return!

    Photos
    Bar with anime cartoons
    Bar with anime cartoons
    Ramen with mushrooms and char siu
    Ramen with mushrooms and char siu
    Main St. Dragon

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    Fat Dragon Chinese Kitchen and Bar

    Fat Dragon Chinese Kitchen and Bar

    4.2
    (758 reviews)
    3.5 mi
    $$

    Food is always fresh and delicious. Every server I've has been professional and friendlyread more

    As a self-proclaimed foodie and someone who runs their own food business, I'll admit my standards…read moreare high. To me, a great presentation and a beautiful atmosphere are wonderful, but at the end of the day? Nothing can replace pure, authentic flavor. ​Well, Fat Dragon in Virginia absolutely blew me away. ​From the second we walked in, the experience was seamless. We had a party of eight with no reservation, and they sat us immediately. The ambiance was great, the portions were incredibly generous, and the staff was friendly, attentive, and completely on top of their game. Drinks arrived fast, and the entire meal flowed beautifully without a single hitch. ​But let's get to the real highlight of the night: the Tsingtao beer-battered mushrooms. ​Oh my goodness, they were out of this world! Perfectly fried and crispy on the outside, incredibly juicy on the inside, and dusted with a spicy Sichuan cloud that made them completely irresistible. They were so good that even my father--who isn't a mushroom lover at all--couldn't stop eating them! ​For my main course, I had the Fei Lone steak, and it was absolutely sublime. Tender, perfectly prepared, and packed with flavor. ​If you appreciate amazing service, a great vibe, and food that actually delivers on taste, do yourself a favor and check out Fat Dragon. I'll definitely be thinking about those mushrooms for a long time!

    Photos
    Ambiance and bar area
    Ambiance and bar area
    Crispy calamari
    Crispy calamari
    Fat Dragon Tofu

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    Fat Dragon Tofu
    Sabai

    Sabai

    3.9
    (644 reviews)
    3.8 mi
    $$

    First visit here, and the experience was good. It was recommended by my step-daughter, and we came…read moreby for an early dinner right when they opened. Parking is available on the side, or you can usually find street parking nearby. I really liked the industrial atmosphere, especially the swings, but we ended up sitting closer to the bar area. Our server was super nice, and the service was quick throughout the meal. FOOD REVIEW Sabai Platter - 3/5 Not bad for shareable during happy hour, but some of the items were just okay. Pad Thai - 4/5 The flavors and spice level were balanced really well. Pla Muk Tod (Calamari) - 4/5 Good overall, but I wasn't a big fan of the dipping sauce. Pik Gai Tod (Wings) - 4/5 Flavorful and really good. Moo Sam Chan (Fried Pork Belly) - 4/5 Tasty and flavorful, though a little over-sauced for my preference. DRINK REVIEW Thai Tea - 5/5 Refreshing and enjoyable. Thai Mojito - 5/5 Really good and refreshing as well. Overall, good food, great drinks, and friendly service.

    I'll just tell you if you have a party or large group, just go ANYWHERE else but here. I should've…read moreknown better because we came here for a 8 person bday party a couple of years ago and it was horrendous. We had to chase down waiters to order anything, everything didn't come out the same time, and zero hospitality. Fast forward now to last week. A group of 9 of us come in for our wedding weekend and they thought we had 8 people not 9. They try to seat us on the swinging seats which can't even fit our 8 people. NOT ONCE did they try to help us, move us, offer to do ANYTHING. They literally stared at us not saying a word. We asked if we could have two tables, no. Have a stool to add, no. Wait for a larger table outside, no. Just absolutely the worst hospitality or lack there of I have ever had. This place has had issues with staff for years. Unfortunately it's now costing them consistent customers as we are not the only ones this has happened to. We ended up leaving and going to another Thai restaurant. If you want to be ignored and stared at with dead fish eyes this is the place for you.

    Photos
    Sabai
    Mak Muang Hin Maktan
    Mak Muang Hin Maktan
    Thai Mojito Spicy

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    Thai Mojito Spicy
    Kogi

    Kogi

    4.0
    (538 reviews)
    5.6 mi
    $$

    We went in on a Friday evening and the restaurant was busy. We were starving and ordered 2 entrees…read moreand 1 appetizer. The wings were advertised as double fried so I expected it to be more like a Bon Chon friend chicken wing, but it did not taste battered enough in my opinion. The flavor was still great and they were fresh. I was excited to try the Angry Squid, but the portion was a bit disappointing. The dish was full of flavor; however, it came with two pieces of shrimp and a handful of squid rings. Bulgogi ribeye bibimbap 4/5 - a bit on the saltier side but still had great flavor. I was happy with how fresh everything came out and the ambiance inside was nice. The server was attentive and the food came out quick. Would love to come back for their happy hour that includes 1.50 soju shots and $1 per dumplings (offered M-F 4-7p)

    Overall a pretty good experience. I thought the portions were a bit small but the flavor was still…read moredecent. Probably wouldn't go back unless I was craving Korean and ran out of new places to try. Although we read they have a decent happy hour ( $1 dumplings ) so I'd definitely roll for that. ---- Food ---- House Bowl served in a clay pot filled with white rice, house-made kimchi, soybean sprouts, carrots, cucumber, and pickled onions. We got ours with bulgogi ribeye. The flavor was good but wish it came with an egg ( $2.50 extra ). ( 3/5 ) Angry Squid - Squid, shrimp, carrots, cabbage, green onions tossed in our sweet & spicy gochujang mix, served with rice. The portion was really small with only about 8 squid rings and 2 shrimp. The flavor was really good with decent spice. ( 4/5 ) Korean Chicken Wings Honey Gochu - These definitely weren't your traditional Korean chicken wings. The menu read they should be twice fried but they didn't end up having a full coat of batter. Having said that...they were still fine ( 3/5 ). ---- Service ---- Essentially one server also acting as hostess and bartender. She did a great job. Never waited for anything and was nice. ---- Ambiance ---- Quiet and only about 70% full. Well decorated, nice warm lighting.

    Photos
    Bar on a Monday
    Bar on a Monday
    Kogi
    Pork Belly Thukbokki

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    Pork Belly Thukbokki

    Pho 79 - vietnamese - Updated August 2026

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