Alright. The thing is.. I used to love this place. I went here almost every Sunday and it never failed me until my recent visit last Saturday. I'm pretty sure the owner has changed twice since then. Service used to be super quick, even when they were busy. Once you sat down, water would already be served. But it didn't seem like that anymore. But I'm not even complaining about the wait. That, I can understand. Maybe we were just VERY unlucky.. but once we got our waters, 2 out of 4 glasses had BUG PARTS in them. I was blessed with a leg while my friend had a wing in his (See photo). I already lost my appetite then. So our pho comes out... and SURPRISE! I got an ENTIRE bug floating in my broth this time! I must be a winner or something. It got us really thinking what goes on in that kitchen. On top of that, our broth was pretty salty and none of us could even manage to finish more than half of our pho. I'm sorry, but I don't think I can come back here anymore. read more

Pho Saigon - Left - bug leg, Right - bug wing. I forgot to snap one of the bug in my broth. - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

Well, this place wins my favorite restaurant for authentic and traditional Vietnamese cuisine after a night out in Austin! I have 2 favorite soups to get at Vietnamese restaurants -- the pho and the beef stew (sorry for my lack of knowledge for their proper names). The pho here is great and the broth is flavorful with tender pieces of meat. But the dish I want to talk about is their beef stew because it is damn good here. The chunks of carrots were tender and cooked perfectly along with the very moist piece of beef that just fell apart as you bit into it. As for the stew, it tied the entire dish together and was just very comforting. The beef stew here is well-balanced and I would say it's a solid offering compared to it's competitors. As for the service, from the past experiences, they've been good. The restaurant is large and very busy during Saturday lunch hours but there are plenty of tables and waiters to get diners in and out quickly. read more

Pho Saigon - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

Eminently solid respectable pho. Lots of good ingredients to put into your pho. An honest hearty broth (not that that will matter once you dump all your flavorings in, but still nice.) Odd touch but nice - there is a stool bar with ports to plug in your computer in case you want to Starbucks it and get some work done while eating your pho. Not recommended during the weekend lunch time rush - when the place is mobbed. But during the slower hours of the week, an interesting place to eat high quality pho over your computer screen. Thumbs up. ******* Bonus Item For Yelp Reviewers I happen to like tripe with my pho. I asked them to add tripe (which is on the menu and can be added in a tenth of a second) to one of their non-tripe phos. The waiter said yes, and the pho came without tripe. The world went on spinning - and the tripeless pho was perfectly respectable. But there are people on Yelp who go ballistic when something like this happens. Typical example: I ASKED FOR EXTRA whatever. THE SOUP I GOT DID NOT I REPEAT NOT HAVE ANY EXTRA whatever. THIS IS THE WORST I REPEAT WORST SERVICE TO BE FOUND IN ALL OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION. YOU SHOULD BOYCOTT THIS PLACE FOREVER. MY WAITRESS WAS A NAZI. HOW COULD THEY DO THIS TO ME (my grandfather, my dog, my poor best friend who was visiting from another city ... whatever) NO ONE SHOULD EAT AT THIS PLACE EVER NO ONE SHOULD EAT AT ANY RESTAURANT WITHIN FIVE MILES OF THIS PLACE AN ETERNAL CURSE ON THE OWNER AND THE RESTAURANT AND EVERYONE WHO WORKS HERE FOREVER AND EVER AND EVER! THIS RESTAURANT MUST ANSWER TO MY JUSTLY DESERVED WRATH!!!!!!!!! etc. etc. Flames do not make for believable, credible Yelp reviews. As soon as the reviewer starts carrying on, everyone assumes that the problem must be with the reviewer and not the restaurant. So ironically, the effect of the flame is to give credibility and sympathy to the restaurant you are going after. This is especially the case, if you don't review very many other restaurants - so it looks like you are on a vendetta against one particular victim. Credible critiques become more credible if you have a history of reviewing other places with neutral or positive reviews. (See ... she's not a hatemonger. Something is just wrong with this one place.) Credible critiques become more credible if you find positive as well as negative features of the establishment. (See, she's trying to be as fair as she can.) Credible critiques become more credible if you describe what went wrong in a neutrally phrased description of concrete details. "The soup looked good except for the hair in it." "I was somewhat uncomfortable about the waiter looking down my front." ""We had to leave after forty minutes because nobody had taken our order" Flame reviews actually lower the credibility of Yelp as a whole - while quiet but damning reviews increase the credibility of Yelp as a whole. Or as it says in "Liasons Dangereuses", Revenge Is a Dish Best Served Cold. read more

My first pho experience. I didn't really know what anything meant on the menu, so my dear friend picked #13 and told me I'd like it, and I did. It was warm and delicious. That broth was perfect. Wanna know something even better? I put it in the fridge for later (because the portion was huge) and it didn't turn into nasty mush, it was still broth, and it was great the second time! And for around $7! Wow. read more

Pho Saigon - 13... I think! Regular with lean beef and rice noodles - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Wow, I've been in love with Pho Hoang for years - but today my new #1 became Pho Saigon. I ordered a large #11 (Pho Tai) for $6.85 and it almost defeated me - I nearly didn't finish it. It took me 20 minutes to eat and it seemed like it was the never-ending bowl of pho - no matter how many of the noodles, sprouts, and meat I ate, the bowl seemed full. The broth was very good, not sweet at all (like some other Pho places), and the sides were plentiful. Way to go Pho Saigon! read more

Pho Saigon - Pho Tai! - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

Place has generous portions; Place has pho that taste like pho; and Place has speedy service (when you order pho) But I don't score a place based on a crowd. I certainly don't go eat crowds, I eat food. Thus I think there's better Vietnamese places out there. I think this place is just overhyped because it got crowded over the years. Broth wasn't as flavorful as other's I've tried in Austin. Rice and chicken on the platters are getting drier and drier over the times that I've tried. Service is typical Viet restaurant. Quick to order - no follow ups ever and appetizer always comes with your meal and never first. It's just not a coodination that they do. I'll guide anyone reading here to Triple 888 on Oltorf for Viet. Thanh Nhi is another good spot. read more

The food is okay but don't go here expecting good service and ESPECIALLY don't order online or through a delivery service. Multiple times they gave me the wrong item and then blamed me and the delivery driver. They won't ever take any responsibility for their mistakes and if you call them out they just double down. The terrible service is not worth the subpar food. read more

I don't understand the rave reviews. This is literally the worse pho place I have been too. One sprig of basil for two servings, the broth was lukewarm and the flavor was lacking (did you even put spices in there?!). When you leave a legit pho restaurant, you should be able to still smell it on your clothes, in your hair, on your breath! This place ... I could'nt even smell the herbs/seasonings when the bowl was sitting in front of my face. read more

Best pho I've found in Austin. It's good even by the standards of of Seattle (where I lived for 7 years) and DC (where I grew up). I'm kind of a pho snob if you couldn't tell already. Good pho has broth that has some texture and is salty, but not too salty combined with a lot of soft, but not mushy noodles. This does just that. I got the tofu veggie pho and it was delicious. They gave you the option of either fried or steamed tofu which is a step above and beyond nearly anywhere else I've been. I wish they'd put straw mushrooms as well, but I'll ask next time. Others got some of the beef pho and seemed very happy with it as well. Some of the others got some of the steamed rice and vermicelli plates which looked tasty enough that it would make me consider getting them instead of pho next time and I always order pho. read more

Pho Saigon is probably the best restaurant in the Chinatown area, along with First Chinese BBQ. Fast, friendly service, and relatively large menu. The food comes out shockingly fast. The pork spring rolls are amazing (especially the sauce). I've also tried the pork rice plate where the pork has an amazing flavor. The cucumber I got that day was really bitter though. The main standout is the pho though. Generous portions and a nicely deeply flavored broth with fatty brisket and flank is great. I've never left not satisfied, and is pretty cheap per bowl. read more

I usually come here when I'm in Austin and I want Vietnamese food. This place is always busy but the service is good and fast. The food has never let me down but I wish they would serve the real Vietnamese spring tools but sometimes it's hard to find them. I always get my pho with meatballs and they have the best ever!!! read more

Pho Saigon - Pho with fatty brisket and meatballs. In the background is grilled chicken and rice and spring rolls. - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

This place is great. They consistently serve very flavorful steaming bowls of goodness, delicious grilled meats on rice or vermicelli, and a decent selection of appetizers. Out of all of the noodle houses in the Chinatown complex, Pho Saigon is always the most packed. That's a good sign. Now I've got to say this, because I just wouldn't feel right otherwise. Tan My is my place. I go there probably once a week. I'm hooked. All other egg noodle/chicken broth soup will henceforth be compared to Tan My's version. For comparison's sake (and because it sounded damn good), I ordered the same soup at Saigon. Some notable differences: -The chicken-based broth at Tan My usually lacks the Pho-esque oil slick on the surface. Not so at Saigon. The oil was present. It didn't detract from the flavor of the broth, which was very very good, but it changed the aesthetics a bit. -The chicken meat wasn't as lean as at Tan My. I'm gristle-phobic, so this messed with my head. I just didn't eat the chicken. -The noodles were about the same at both places. I love an egg noodle with some bite. Soo good! Another very high point for Pho Saigon: the pork summer (or spring?) rolls. These are the rolls with vermicelli, char-grilled pork, basil, and carrot wrapped inside a rice-paper wrapper. Very few places serve them with any "meat" besides shrimp or tofu. Huge plus! I could eat my weight in these guys. I'll definitely be back whenever I need to restock at MT or get a hair cut at Kelly's. Otherwise, I think I'll stick to Tan My for my quick noodle fix. read more

Pho Saigon - pork spring rolls = yum - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Many years later, I cant believe i havent written a review about this place! This is absolutely my favorite Pho place in town. But Angie, there are so many other Pho places in Austin and so and so place has much better broth and this other place has better rice plates and oh that other place has better thai tea! Ive heard it all from my super picky vietnamese friends! So here is my reasons: 1. They are consistent. No matter what time of the day or what i ordered, its always the same as the times before Ive tried that dish, flavor and portion. 2. Speed. The employees here are like machines I swear. They can get through a lunch crowd efficiently. 3. Price. The prices are comparable to most pho places and for under 20 bucks, we can eat for two easily. Okay, one complaint. They no longer do the drop vietnamese coffee. Which is a bummer because that used to be my favorite thing to introduce people to vietnamese iced coffee here. Instead its already made in a glass, I guess its less work for me! read more

"Saigon... shit; I'm still only in Saigon... Every time I think I'm gonna wake up back in the jungle." If you know where this quote is from, you're obviously awesome. I have been on an Asian food kick over the past week (cheap & delicious). I think I have gone out to eat Asian food at least 4 times. This one definitely stood out, not just because of the excellent company that I had, but also for the speed and prices of the food. Being a vegetarian I do not get to enjoy Pho, which I hear is freakin amazing, but I did get to have a delicious vermicelli, tofu, and vegetables bowl. I didn't time how long it took me to get my food, but I doubt that more than 5 minutes passed after I ordered before I had a piping hot bowl of noodles and goodness sitting in front of me. The portions were huge. It ended up being two full meals for me. Being a vegetarian, I like to consider myself a tofu connoisseur. The way that this tofu was cooked, was excellent. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. YUM. The waitress was very nice and obviously not American as she could not speak English very well. That doesn't bother me in the least, in fact, it makes my dining experience more authentic. My companion got an enormous bowl of Pho with "meatballs". The "meatballs" looked particularly gross, but she seemed to like them. I wonder what "meat" they were made of.... I was really impressed with how generous they were with the basil. Seriously a whole plant had to be sacrificed for this meal haha. They also gave her a huge mound of beans sprouts. Anyhoo, I'll definitely be back. The only reason I docked a star is because the ambience is pretty lackluster. There are flatscreen TVs all over the place, which makes it feel more like a bar then a restaurant. read more

You will absolutely love this place it is so authentic. The thing I love the most about it is the coffee and the side dishes. Top notch! Also the perfect meal for take out under the current conditions! read more

Absolutely delicious soups, definitely recommend this place, especially if you are feeling under the weather read more

Pho Saigon - when you aren't feeling good but you get talked into getting some bomb soup! - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

Ordered a vietnamese iced coffee to go and it was super dark and strong. You can tell they take pride in the food they serve. I didn't order any food but I would definitely come back. The pho smelled so delicious and the portions were huge. The menu has so many options - something for everyone! A great place to stop for a bite after you get your groceries at the Vietnamese supermarket next door. read more

I've traveled Vietnam for three weeks. When I was traveling there, I fell in love with pho. I learned that people there eat pho for breakfast, which I thought it is brilliant. After I came back from the Vietnam trip, I tried many different Vietnamese restaurants throughout Austin area. And I can confidently say Pho Saigon is the best pho place in town. I can also claim that the pho here is even better than the ones that I had in Vietnam. I tried there other dishes, such as bun, lemongrass pork, and blood pudding spicy soup. All are good. Blood pudding soup might be too intense for some people, but the Vietnamese style charcoaled pork dishes are so flavorful and a majority of my friends liked it. If you are looking for an authentic flavorful Vietnamese food, Pho Saigon will not disappoint you. read more

Pho Saigon - The best pho place in town - # 21 with meatball added - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

Just went here with my father. There wasn't too bad of a wait time to get seated but took a bit longer to get the food itself which wasn't a big deal. The pho was very substantial and the egg rolls were very tasty and crunchy. It's not my favorite in Austin, but I'd say it's a Top 3 for me! read more

For a place called 'Pho Saigon', you'd expect the pho better be top notch. However, that wasn't the case, it never was. During my visit today, I spent a long time pondering what I should get. The reason being is because there really isn't anything special at this place. I was only dragged her because family friends kidnapped me. The service was ok. Anyways, I got the Special Pho. The only good thing about it is the generous portion. Other than that, the broth had too much msg, almost made it unbearable to eat. But hey, that's just my two cents. The owners should really rethink the name 'Pho Saigon.' read more

Pho Saigon - Pho special - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

"Pho Saigon" is one of the better places in Austin for Vietnamese food. Pho Saigon is conveniently located with in the Chinatown shopping center, just about where all the other Vietnamese shops are. The prices are fairly standard for a Vietnamese place about $6-7 per dish and it has all the favorites like Pho (of course), bun bo hue, egg noodle, vermicelli, and rice dishes. The pho here isn't too bad. My pho of choice is usually the "Pho Bo Vien" (pho with meatballs) and it is consistently good. The soup is a little bit too fatty for my taste but the meat and noodles are always fresh. My favorite dishes from Pho Saigon are actually the rice and vermicelli dishes. The "Bun Ga Nuon" (grilled chicken with vermicelli) is delicious. This dish is served with flavorful grilled meat served with fresh vegetables like bean sprouts, lettuce, and carrots. Both these dishes are topped with sweet fish sauce (nuoc mam) and you can also add egg roll to add some crunchy consistency to it. These ingredients add a variety of flavor to the meat and will definitely fill you up with their generous portion size. I would definitely recommend giving Pho Saigon a try if you want some signature vietnamese vermicelli or rice dishes. After your meal, if you want some dessert, there are plenty of other options within the plaza at the bakeries or the boba shops! read more

Pho Saigon - Bun ga nuon (grilled chicken with vermicelli) - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

It's probably the biggest Vietnamese restaurant in Austin. Every time I ordered Pho. Although they have many Pho choices, I couldn't tell what's the big difference from Pho 1 to Pho 100. Pho dish has a pretty big size and I couldn't finish it. I took the leftover to go. But the Pho tastes pretty bad after it was reheated on the second day. So if you can't finish Pho, don't bother to take it home. We ordered some jelly dessert and wished it to be as good as Lyly's. But jelly dessert here just tastes like grass jelly. So disappointed. read more

This is one of our favorite pho places in Austin. The service is always super fast, portion sizes are good, and the ingredients always are on point. They have a large selection of pho to choose from which is also nice. They also have kids portions which is always a plus. There are so many pho places popping up all over Austin now, but this one is still one of the best around. read more

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Food was delish and portions were large. Service was quick and the restaurant was clean

I thought I would be generous and hand out 2 stars. Years back I believe a friend and I tried this place out. I cant remember how that experience went. My wife suggested we give it a shot. I am not a big soup person but I agreed anyways. The dining room is very large and we grabbed a booth by a window. A waiter came over right away with waters and looking to take our order. After a few minutes we went with shrimp and pork spring rolls for an app. These were very good. They came out warm from being freshly made. The Ingredients were fresh. I ordered the charbroiled pork with an egg roll over rice. I also added a fried egg. Wifey ordered the beef soup that had a few different cuts of meat in it. All the food came out very quickly. I tasted her broth and it was very good. Lots of flavor. That pretty much was the highlight. My dish was a flop. The pork was very poor quality which lacked flavor. The white rice they served was such a small grain that it was like couscous. Very strange. The egg roll tasted frozen and I did not care for the filling. My wife enjoyed her broth at first as well. The meat in it was alright but it all quickly became very tough and too overcooked. The noodles also became way too mushy really fast. The service was really good. Our water glasses never went past half empty. It was all pretty cheap. We might give the pho another shot when its cold outside. read more

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- Is it because I haven't had Pho in a very long time? - Is it because I had been starving for a while before digging into a steaming hot bowl of soup? - Is it because Pho Saigon made some changes to their broth, making it more beefy? It could be many factors, but one thing is for sure, I haven't had such a delicious and filling #18 bowl of pho for a long time. I plan on being critical of every bowl of pho I try, but no criticisms can be found here. Frankly, I'm pretty surprised myself. I never had any problems with Pho Saigon, but I'm happy that now there's a reason to get excited. read more

Really good food, amazing tasting pork egg rolls and great white chicken pho, pork's nd shrimp spring rolls are also pretty good! Service is always quick! read more

This place can get pretty packed around lunch. The pho wasnt bad, average tasting vietnamese style pho. read more

Pho Saigon - Beef Tendon, Tripe and Meatballs - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

Nothing smells more authentic than the aroma of fish sauce upon entering this restaurant. This place is great for a quick lunch for small and large groups of people, Very good Vietnamese pho and my go to spot in Austin. They have other items on the menu but if the food is in the restaurant name then it's a safe bet to just order pho. Enjoy! read more

Pho Saigon - Small pho Dac Biet - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

We come here atleast 2 or 3 times a week! This place has the best pho in town! I can't get enough of their pho ga, real chicken meat, not the ones at other pho shops where it's the stir fry type of meat. My boyfriend tells me how delicious the pho Dac biet is and how he gets full quick bc their small is pretty big, and the Boy can eat! Service is pretty good, their always coming around to ask if everything is okay. Their pho keeps me going back!! I don't care what anyone says! :P read more

Pho Saigon - Pure delicousness!!! - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Pho-nominal. I've eaten at my fair share of pho places, and this is one of the best. It's a tough call between Pho Saigon and Tan My, but who says I can't frequent both? I do what I want! Coming back here soon....pho sho. read more

Stopped by with a few coworkers around noon, plenty of seating so not to worry about the lunch rush. Ordered a large pho (9.50?), came out piping hot a minute later. So much meat, sooo much meat. I couldn't even finish my noodles because I got full off the protonz. The broth was full of flavor, really good stuff here. I could tell it apart from other broths in a blind broth taste test. Not my favorite pho place but overall, it's all good baby. read more

Been here twice now. Being Vietnamese, I love pho. This place does a decent job. It's definitely "utility" pho...not the best, but not the worst either. Broth tastes bullion based rather than having the taste of being cooked from beef bones, but it's a serviceable pho. My only gripe is that the prices are a SMIDGE high. A large bowl is almost 7 bucks if I recall. It definitely is large, but I remember back in California as recently as a couple months ago having an equally large but better bowl of pho for around 5.25. I'll keep coming back, just because Austin has yet to show me a place serving truly excellent pho. read more

The home page of their website says "delicious, fast, affordable". They definitely got that right. I imagine Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City as it was renamed in 1975 to be a bustling place and maybe someday I will be able to visit. Wikipedia says that it is the largest metropolitan area in Vietnam with more than 9 million people. This restaurant is also a bustling place. A friend and I tried it out on Sunday afternoon and people were often seen waiting at the front entryway for several minutes until a table opened up. The food was awesome. Even though most people were there for the Pho, I tried the "Steamed rice with charbroiled sliced pork" and my friend tried the "Steamed rice with charbroiled chicken". We shared the dishes a little and both were excellent as was the Thai iced tea. Maybe when it gets a little cooler outside, I will return to sample the Pho. You can expect a casual, quick dining experience in a nice space in the Chinatown Center on Lamar. Check it out soon, because this may very well be one of the best Pho places in Austin. read more

Pho Saigon - The sign in front - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

This is the second time I've been here and boy do I love this place. We live in Fort Worth so any time we are in the Austin area my husband and i love visiting this place. Since he is here mow for business than I am he gets to enjoy our more. He loves their Pho I love the grilled pork with steamed rice with a fried egg on top yummy! The pork has been amazing! Eat well! read more

Vermicelli is awesome. Most places up north/northwest/cedar park area suck. When you order vermicelli you get lettuce, noodles, meat. This place makes it how I expect it. With cilantro,cucumbers, peanuts, carrots, plus the normal noodles, lettuce, meat. Very good. read more

Pretty generic! The waitress could not smile, and kept on coming back to the table asking if we wanted to order, had to tell her we would call her when ready! Not very friendly staff, nor very efficient, had to ask her to pick up the empty dishes on the table! Cha Gio, were good but nothing special! Fresh Spring roll, were far from fresh, the rice paper was hard, and the pork tasteless. Vermicelli with char broiled sliced pork and shrimp(3)! was just ok #68 as was the Vermicelli with shredded pork skin and char broiled sliced pork,# 63. Neither one of the dishes was out of this world!! Lots of locals, most of them eating Pho! May be that's what we should have ordered. read more

Pho Saigon used to be my go-to pho place, but ever since I've tried different pho and vermicelli locations in Austin, it's hard for me to enjoy this place as much anymore :( YAYS: -Price is cheap. You basically get the amount you pay for! Portions come in Regular/Large, usually a $1.00 - $1.50 difference -Lots of parking in the area (China Town) -Tons of meat pho options -Variety of kids menu items -Vermicelli isn't that bad, sometimes the vegetables aren't fresh -The additional side bean sprouts, peppers, etc aren't very fresh either NAYS: -Not much veggie options. Closest thing you can get is a Tofu noodle soup -The broth is very heavy.. too heavy for me. I can always taste the heavy amount of MSG afterward. I thought it was maybe the type of pho I got, so I've tried different meat and broth options, but it's all the same for me. I always have to ask for a cup of hot water on the side to make the broth less salty... read more

Pho Saigon - BÚN BÒ NƯỚNG CHẢ GIÒ Vermicelli with charbroiled lemon grass sliced beef and fried egg roll - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Not my cup of tea. Their broth has a distinct seasoning flavor that just doesn't vibe with me. I'm not sure if they use powder seasonings instead of a slow build or if they just put more of whatever it is than I enjoy, but their pho is just not as tasty as other businesses in the area. I also have had multiple issues of soggy veggies with my to go pho. Overall, if you're looking for good pho, there are other restaurant in the same area that serve a far superior product. read more

The best pho place in Austin - that's I've managed to try... and I've tried a lot! They have large bowl options which is nice.. the soup base doesn't taste artificial, but rather, slow cooked. The place is always packed, but if your drinks are running low, they are quick to give you a refill, they definitely try to provide good service. As soon as you finish ordering, your food comes out piping hot minutes later... My favorites: Charboiled chicken dish with fried egg roll Pork chop rice with fried egg Egg noodles with beef balls Egg noodles with chicken in a chicken broth Pork spring rolls Pho with brisket and meat balls Pho with rare steak The portion sizes are good and cheap! They are generous with their meat in both the Pho and Rice dishes. read more

Pho Saigon - Egg noodles with chicken and beef balls (small order) - Vietnamese Near Me - Austin, Texas

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