I decided to try this place as my daughter is here 1x week and I love PHO. It's a brisk cold day my voice is horse and slurping this broth is what I needed. The seafood PHO was awesome and delicious I would like more spicy but I have to save that for take out as my tummy lol iykuk! Service: I walked in and seated myself but remember someone saying if you sit close to the door the air will catch you. I asked one of the young ladies if I could move and she said yes...I thought she would help grab the stuff off table but no she let me move everything. Not very attentive and one lady seemed annoyed however she fulfilled my simple food requests. I would come back and try something different. They could be more hospitable. read more

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I've been here for a while, and unfortunately it seems like the quality has dropped, so bad. The shrimp salad was tasty, just like two years ago. I guess that's the most delicious dish of the entire order. the spring roll was very decent, but the peanut sauce was watery. The amount of noodles is way smaller than before, and the broth lacks the rich, flavorful depth it used to have. It just doesn't feel the same, and I'm very disappointed compared to my previous visits. read more

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I'll have to say that this place redeemed itself and I'm honestly surprised because I ordered it for delivery! I'm feeling sick unfortunately and needed something warm and comforting. Door dash has been showing me Pho Cafe for a while now and because I couldn't find another closer place I said I'd give them another try. This time around I got the raw beef one. It came packaged very well. Broth in one cup & noodles, meat, onions in a bowl, then bean sprouts, lime, and herb & sauces in a zip lock. I wanted mine boiling so I threw everything in a pot and got to reheating it. I think that was a great decision + I put a while lemon in there (cause I was only given 1 like slice and trust be the citrus takes it to another level!) Not gonna lie the raw beef threw me off a bit but it cooked itself. Wondering if it would've had I not reheated it though. Last time we were not given Hoisin sauce and I believe that is what was missing. It made it super tasty along w the siracha. Everything i needed! read more

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My 11 year old son and I went here and could not even eat our food because it was so bad. As a Vietnamese person, this is not how Vietnamese flavors are and was embarrassed that it was representing my country. I ordered the items in Vietnamese and no one there understood me. So I'm guessing it's Chinese owned. If you go to Chinatown, definitely go for Chinese and for Vietnamese food go up to Argyle area. I recommend the owners go up to Argyle Street and taste some Vietnamese food there to show them what it really should taste like. read more

Yum! I ordered for pick up today and they were so quick. I used the yelp order feature, when I was tracking the order it said the tentative time it would be ready was about 45-1hr away. Whoa, that was way off. I'm glad I decided to step into the store early, because it was already right there waiting for me, 20 min after I ordered. Their broth is really good and their meatballs are so tasty. I will for sure order again. There's lots of tables inside-I'm guessing it gets really busy in the evenings or weekends. There were three other orders waiting there when I picked up, so I supposed lots of people order for pick up too! read more

Pho Cafe - 13. Beef Meatball Soup with Rice Noodle - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Hot Pho on a bitterly cold night. Service was standard, nothing good or bad. Watch where you sit when you dine because some locations get hit with wind every time the door opens and shuts. Traditional atmosphere, small space, so no large groups. read more

A no frills Vietnamese restaurant with super quick service! We got the bun bo hue and the grilled pork chop vermicelli bowl. Bun bo hue was slightly spicy and I loved how rich the broth was. The bowl was huge, and I loved the veggies/condiments it came with including lime, mint, cilantro, shredded lettuce, bean sprouts, and carrots. Grilled pork chop vermicelli bowl came with a slightly sweet and savory pork chop with generous portions, and I loved the spring roll! I don't normally pour in the entire stock of sauce, but my friend did so and I didn't find it too heavy! They're fast!! The whole restaurant was packed with parties of 12+ and everyone's food was still served in a jiffy! read more

Pho Cafe - 20. Spicy Hue Style Soup - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I went to Pho Cafe this weekend with two of my friends. I ordered the Seafood with Rice Noodle Pho. It was excellent, the shrimp, oysters, squid, and noodles all tasted very good. I would highly recommend going to Pho Cafe. read more

Pho Cafe - 16. Seafood with Rice Noodle - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Located right in the heart of Chinatown, Pho Café gives all the vibes of a traditional pho spot -- cozy, casual, and perfect for a quick meal. Unfortunately, the food didn't quite deliver. The pho was mediocre at best and lacked the rich flavor and depth that makes a great bowl stand out. Even after adding hoisin, sriracha, chili oil, and jalapeños, it still felt flat and underseasoned. Service was fine, and the atmosphere is what you'd expect from a neighborhood pho shop, but with so many amazing Vietnamese options nearby, this one just didn't hit the mark. I won't be back, but I'm looking forward to exploring other local spots in search of that perfect, flavorful broth. read more

Pho Cafe - Vegetable Pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Ate here for dinner tonight and was a bit confused at first. I wasn't sure if I should sit down or order at the counter. When I went up to ask, the waitress sharply told me to sit at a table, which came off rude. When she came to take my order, her attitude (and the rest of the staff's) didn't feel ver friendly. On the positive side, the food came out quickly, which I appreciated. I ordered the chicken pho -- it was okay but lacked flavor. I also asked for chili sauce and two extra lime wedges and was surprised to be charged for them. The Thai iced tea, though, was really good! read more

Pho Cafe - Chicken pho with chili sauce, hoisin, and siracha. - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It's very good pho. It's a small little diner and the service is good. I kinda wish that they had different drink options but the pho is so good I'll still keep coming back. read more

Bug found in pho! Extremely unprofessional environment, when we arrived they just stared at us for a few seconds saying nothing. I do not recommend eating here if you do not want to have a gross experience. I am a vegetarian, got the vegetable pho, and about halfway through my meal I found some sort of beetle or ant inside the soup. Yeah, meal was comped, but still really gross and unsanitary. I do not want any sort of dead things inside my vegetarian pho... After the bug was found the waitresses also ignored our table until we were ready to pay. All in all, not a good experience. I will not be back, and I suggest you should not go either. read more

I'm honestly in disbelief at how customers are treated here. We only come here as a last resort if other pho places are closed. After today this wont even be a last resort. We came in as a party of five, and a table of three was immediately told to move. She said it rudely with a dirty look. The new table was uncomfortable, and when they asked to switch to a more comfortable table , she said she was busy and couldn't do anything about it. The server minutes later came to take our order but we reminded her the group of 3 ladies were here first. She mentioned how they want to move their table basically refusing to take their order because they wanted to move. The ladies spoke up and said they will just stay at that table. Server still approached them rudely making the table of three and everyone else feel unwelcome. Another table of two waited a long time for menus while she walked past repeatedly. We felt uncomfortable watching how she treated every customer. We ended up taking our business elsewhere, and on our way out we told her it was because of her attitude and that she needs to fix it. She just said, "okay, that's fine." If a place is going to treat any customer with disrespect, I'm not eating there. We won't be returning. read more

Every time I go to pho cafe, I always order a noodle soup. This time I tried something different, 33. Vermicelli Grilled Beef Bowl. This was great and might be my new go to order here. Was lighter and refreshing and they gave a lot of grilled meat. The restaurant has plenty of seating and the staff were attentive to our needs. They constantly filled our water and allowed us to say at the table even after we finished eating our meal. I would highly recommend coming here to try this dish out. I'll definitely be back! read more

Pho Cafe - 33. Vermicelli Grilled Beef Bowl - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Got delivery pho. Solid but not in a rush to get again. Chicken pho - 3/5. Tasty broth that's quite rich. Solid noodles. But the chicken is pretty bland and the array of the components (herbs, hoison, bean sprout, lime) didn't add that much. My wife got the beef pho and liked it. She also got a spring role but our toddler ate it all. read more

THIS PLACE IS A SCAM! Ordered on Grubhub and they sent us a "delivery photo" which was a black / blank photo of nothing. It "arrived" just a few minutes after we ordered it. We have ordered from here before several times and so we thought it was just a mix-up, so we ordered again tonight ... and the EXACT same thing happened again - different "delivery driver" same outcome. This place is a total SCAM. read more

Are you pho reals? Vietnamese food in Chinatown. That was interesting. Pho cafe presents as a classic and ordinary spot. They had all the regular kinds of dishes from pho to bun bo hue to vermicelli bowls. nothing amazing and yet nothing bad. Plenty of seating for large groups or small groups. Everything you want in an ordinary pho spot, this is it. read more

Came here again to dine in and loved the food even more when it came out hot and fresh. I got number 19 and we also tried the viet pancake; the dipping sauce is amazing and the crepe was thin and crispy. The viet coffee was a little off but everywhere makes them different. Service was quick and nice, and the cafe look exactly like it was when it was the old cafe. read more

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They got the best pho I always come here even tho the staff is not so friendly I'm here once a week

We went for bowls of pho and good conversation. Our waitress was rude and short with us. The restaurant was pretty empty but we still had to flag the waitress down to order. Even when ordering she answered no questions and rushed us to do so. When our food came our waitress assumed that we would all share aromatics and when I asked for more I was told that it would cost $4. When we received our bills we found that we were charged for 2 plates of aromatics, $1 for a lime, and .60 a piece for chilli oil. I have never been charged so recklessly for small items - without being first notified. It was ridiculous. The food/broth was bland. We couldn't wait to pay and leave. We had a horrible experience. read more

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Yall are trippin this ain't no special pho. The spring rolls are lame like your kid made them. I ordered to go and when it got here, they didn't even put a fork or a spoon in it or a pair of chopsticks nor did they put any Sriracha and the broth taste like it came out of a can read more

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I've been on the search for an affordable & tasty pho place in Chinatown for a while now until I finally stumbled into Pho Cafe. This establishment might be my new go-to for a rich bowl of pho. The winner for me is the affordable price and portions. From what I can remember, their pho range from $11-14 which is unbeatable. The broth was so good it cured my soul on a rainy day. Service was surprisingly quick, we got seated and served right away. Don't expect a fancy ambiance, but do expect quality flavors and a quick dining experience. read more

Pho Cafe - 21. Beef Stew Noodle Soup - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I came here with my husband after 1.5 weeks of traveling, and Asian food is always the first thing I crave when I'm back home. We chose Pho Café since it was pretty close to the parking lot under the CTA redline and I knew they were open later (their closing time is 10:00pm). I've been here several times with my family before (dining in), and usually there is plenty of seating inside. If you're craving pho or Vietnamese food and don't want to wait in line elsewhere, Pho Cafe will do the trick! It's pretty low key and quiet which is sometimes a nice change from all the bustle of Chinatown. The review is for the food when I came here to dine in last week. While I normally order pho, I decided to get a grilled pork chop vermicelli bowl with a side of broth (extra $2). My husband got the grilled pork rice plate. For apps, we shared the beef skewers which were really tender and flavorful - my favorite thing we ordered that night. I got some fresh shrimp spring rolls as well (an order comes with 2). Pho Cafe has a wide selection of items on their menu, but my most recent visit felt kind below average. The spring rolls did not have bean sprouts (just shrimp, Thai basil, and rice vermicelli) and the hoisin dipping sauce tasted extra watered down. My husband's pork plate that comes with Chinese sausage only included two meagerly segments. Perhaps it was an off day when we went, because my mom is a huge fan (!) and overall it's nice to have Vietnamese options in a Chinatown, in addition to The Noodle on Wentworth and a version of it from Joy Yee's. Generally it's pretty solid. And a lot of folks do carry-out or delivery. Has the shortage of sriracha really (negatively) impacted pho in restaurants around the world? That was kind of the vibe of our meal there: "we are out of sriracha, we are doing our best (and we understand there was more to be expected)..." I could be projecting. Anyway, their replacement sriracha was actually a Tabasco branded hot chili sauce. It's not the same, and that's the way it is. This won't be my last time at Pho Cafe, but I hope next time we dine here we will feel a little bit more love from the dishes. read more

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My bf and I are regulars here! It's hard to find some good pho outside of the Argyle area so when I found this bowl of pho, I was so happy. Their pho broth is well balanced and for the price, you can't complain. The #14 House Special Pho is my go to. We've also tried some apps like the spring rolls, eggrolls and crab rangoons - nothing super special, just your standard apps! I love having this place as a go-to pho spot because some spots just aren't as good for pho and sometimes I just don't feel like spending nearly $20 for a bowl of pho, so Pho Cafe has my heart. Service is quick and fast! They also validate parking if you park in the Chinatown lots or if it's not too busy in the area, street parking is available. There are also 2 small steps you'll need to get through to enter the restaurant. I haven't checked to see if there is a ramp to allow access from the sides. read more

Pho Cafe - 14. House Special - Pho dac biet - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Started the new year off right with some Bún bò Huế and Thai iced coffee! The Bún bò Huế was so good and comes with fresh cabbage/vegetable toppings. It's great as a spicy alternative to pho. I'm not a big fan of the pork blood cubes but wanted to give it another try. I still don't like them. The soup isn't too spicy, just tastes super flavorful since it seems like they use plenty of lemongrass. The Thai iced coffee was creamier than the Vietnamese coffee. The Thai coffee was still strong but the Viet coffee was way stronger. Other places fill up the cup with ice, but here you get more bang for your buck since it was only filled about a third with ice. I think the Thai coffee may have some extra spices/flavorings in it too but I'm not sure. They love playing cover songs in this restaurant. There wasn't any wait on a Sunday morning. Parking in Chinatown was starting to get packed but I was able to find a spot after looping around once. I highly recommend Pho Cafe for your Vietnamese soup fix (pho, Bún bò Huế) and sweet strong and creamy coffee drinks (Thai/Viet iced coffee). Fun fact: 2023 is the year of the cat per Vietnamese zodiac rather than year of the rabbit per Chinese zodiac. read more

Pho Cafe - Thai iced coffee (left) and Vietnamese iced coffee (right) - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The food was fine but everything else made the experience not great. While these types of places are never the cleanest places around, this one was a bit too much for me. The table was sticky and the cups were very old. There's also better pho out there -- the soup was on the blander side. read more

Pho Cafe - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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OK pho place. The staff seems a bit uptight when we were there. They must have had a bad day or something. Food portions are okay - we've had more before. Nothing special though. They were limited on smoothies drinks that my kids want to order, and settled to what they can serve us. Casual setting. Staff may or may not speak English. read more

The lady serving was not pleasant felt rushed to eat my food. The pho was bland no flavor. The egg rolls were good though but I had to rush to eat. Will not visit again read more

06/05/2025 around 6:30 pm , the pho and the chicken with rice was great , service was terrible , horrible attitude from both female servers . read more

I went there many times, food was ok but the service was bad. The waitress never smile, I went there Sunday night at 8:30, the business hours on the door they closed at 9:30, one waitress told me they closed, well u can told me carry out only i probably feel better read more

TERRIBLE SERVICE!!! The staff was just plain rude. We walked in and waited for over 15 minutes without being acknowledged or seated while 3 tables sat open. Once approaching the table, following another fed up patron's lead, we were scolded in front of the restaurant and decided to take our business elsewhere. I have not had a worse experience with restaurant staff ever. If I could give negative stars I would. read more

I usually just order Uber eats from this place. But today I finally got a chance to visit and try the crab soup (bun riue) it was so delicious and comes in a big bowl. You can probably share a bowl for 2 people. The place seems clean and the pho (meat ball soup) is always good. The egg rolls are pretty tasty too. There was a family dining at this place and was complaining that the food was nasty but I think they are just a bunch of uncultured idiots. This is not marrucha ramen place ..this is Vietnamese cuisine be prepared for the flavor and some heat if you like. read more

Pho Cafe - 19. Crabcake Soup - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Very tasty pho! Ambiance is okay and the waiters are nice. The food is also very well priced, as you get a large amount of food in one bowl of pho. Recommend!!! read more

Pho Cafe - 22. Rare Beef, Beef Soup with Rice Noodle - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The Pho is great, my sister and I meet here once a week, the food is consistent, and it warms my soul. One of our favorite restaurants. We get #12(rare beef) and crab rangoon, 1 chili oil, and any additional condiments. If you are looking for Good Pho this is your place. read more

Any place that has bun bo hue on the menu, I'm ordering it! Bf got the grilled lemongrass chicken. Grilled lemongrass chicken - 5/5 stars At first glance, I was not expecting much from this dish. It looked like chicken breast that had been pounded down so thinly, I really thought it would be dry or bland, especially since it did not have much coloring to it. But WOWWW, one bite and we were blown away. Seriously. Lol I'm shocked by how tasty it was. We both thought their nuoc mam/fish sauce might be one of the best we've tasted, and this is coming from a Vietnamese person hahah. There's some extra ingredient that makes it so good, I can't figure out what it is. Bun bo hue - 3.5/5 stars Great dish but perhaps could use a little more fish sauce/lemongrass flavor. Maybe my expectations were too high since I've had so much BBH in my lifetime. But it was a good portion size and generous amount of meat, I was content and in a food coma after the meal. I would definitely get the grilled lemongrass chicken again, and although I looooove BBH I'd skip it and try the bun rieu or bo kho next time :) read more

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Written to "Bye Bye Bye" by N*SYNC I want Pho tonight A few toppings would be alright Just want something light Hey baby come on You'll be surprised splendidly Large portions, could feed two or three Please you must believe, don't go there alone Bowls empty can't eat no more It ain't no lie Can't wait to come back for more Baby, my, my, my Pho cafe I'm a fool for you Chicken and rice noodles dinner for two Pho always satiates me it ain't no lie Baby go try try try read more

Pho Cafe - 15. Chicken Soup with Rice Noodle - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Pretty good option if you are craving Vietnamese food while in Chinatown and surrounding area! Great service, our server was very attentive and quick. Clean restaurant, surprisingly busy, fast service. Lots of great options and few vegetarian options available as well read more

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Good atmosphere, service, and even music. Enjoyed the Spring Roll apps and the Beef Pho. The Spring Rolls were fresh and enjoyed the peanut dipping sauce. The pho was good and a little spicy. Good cuts of beef and tasty noodles. Cute place inside China Town. read more

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My daughter saw great reviews here so we Uber here from downtown. Every dish ordered was very satisfying. The service is customer driven, very attentive. We received our food quickly and the restaurant was clean and welcoming. read more

Pho Cafe - Beef 12. Rare Beef Soup with Rice Noodle - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

A huge bowl of Pho hit the spot on a dreary day in Chicago. Delicious, affordable, and nice servers. read more

Pho Cafe - Vietnamese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois