Pho Duong is not my number 1 go to spot, but I would say it's ikn my top 5 in the area.
It feels like Pho Duong has not been around for long, but theyre coming up on their 10 year anniversary soon! This location has been open since 2015 and some people would agree to say that their flavor has not changed since opening.
[Food: 4 of 5]
--Pho Dac Biet: Most of the time, the soup is delicious, no extra fish sauce needed, and I don't have to drown it in hoisin sauce. However, there are a couple of times where the broth tastes bland and I need to top it off with a lot of seasoning and lime juice.
--Com Tam Dac Biet: Not the best com tam that I've had but its not bad either.
--Banh Xeo: Okay, you might think why would you get Banh Xeo at a Pho shop but..this dish was actually really good. My brother got a banh xeo for himself but we all ended up sharing his pancake because was cripsy and delicious. The only thing I personally dont like, is that there are way too many bean sprouts, yuck! (But of course you can request the dish without it).
--Bun Bo Hue: this is one of their most popular dishes so I was pretty disappointed when I had tasted it. I'm not sure if the chef was having an off day, but the bun bo hue was lacking in flavor. It didn't have that strong depth of lemongrass and bo hue flavor. It just tasted like flavored broth, but not ..bun bo hue broth. Bun Bo Hue broth is spicier, with a strong depth flavor. It's hard to explain, but coming from a Vietnamese household..the flavor was not where it needed to be.
[Service: 3.8 of 5]
The older gentleman (I believe he is the manager or owner) - is very sweet and funny. He provides the best service, in my opinion.
The time that we recently went, the younger male server did not provide the greatest of service. The first 2 dishes came out, and there were no silverware to be found; we flagged him down and asked for some....but he did not return with any. Then the next few dishes came out, we asked once more but still no silverware. We finally got hold of another employee who was able to give us some. The restaurant only had 2 other tables but it was difficult to flag the employee down for additional items, such as napkins, extra bowls and water refills.
[Ambiance] It's a small to medium size restaurant, located in the heart of Fairfax center, right next to Chuck E. Cheese and Trader Joe's - this restaurant is usually not too busy so you don't have to wait for a table.
I would definitely recommend trying this place if you haven't before.
Although my most recent dining experience, wasn't a 5 of 5. I will still be returning here to try their other dishes! read more