Unplanned visit, we were pleasantly surprised to enjoy our dishes. My bowl was combination of marinated grilled pork pieces with ample bed of rice noodles, salad fixings, a few bite sized pieces of egg roll topped of with a tangy dressing. The secret success of this bowl for me was mixing all of these elements together. Every bite thereafter was a delicious taste, multi-textural wonder. We'll be back for sure! read more

This is easily some of the best Vietnamese food in Asheville! The grilled chicken vermicelli salad was outstanding--the chicken was beautifully marinated and packed with flavor, not just bland or boiled. The egg rolls were also fried to perfection with a delicious filling. The service was incredibly warm and friendly. I cannot wait to return and try their pho! read more

Among the culinary joys of Asheville, Vietnamese doesn't seem well represented, so I was intrigued to find this restaurant in a small downtown space. They marked themselves as having a "soft opening" in December, which I think is notable because I visited them in June. And it's not just that there's a sign that says soft opening, it's that their menu is limited, their website unhelpful. The staff were saying a full opening is coming soon. While I struggled to ascertain a priori whether they were vegetarian-friendly, their limited menu did include some worthy items. Their vermicelli bowl comes with fried tofu, vegetarian rolls, and a sweet chili sauce on the side. The fresh rolls had an ultra-thin wrapper that allowed the fresh ingredients inside to be seen as well as tasted. While one could argue that getting tofu, noodles, and salad in a roll in addition to my tofu noodle salad bowl would be kind of redundant, I experienced no regret as it was all delicious. I hope that they are able to continue operations with a bigger and clearer menu, as the quality is already there. read more

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Checked out Sen, the new Vietnamese joint downtown - it's solid. Clearly still in the growing stages, the space is a bit bare - but I like that. I don't want any fancy with my pho. The menu is limited (with promises of Bahn Mi and pancakes to come), but, the vegetarian fresh rolls were crazy delicious and the pho was wonderful. I've lived in AVL for over 20 years and the lack of pho has always been frustrating. I'm happy someone is doing it and doing it right. Also - get the honey ginger green tea because it slaps. That's a thing still, right? The service was the best part. Incredibly friendly, and very patient and accommodating when a food allergy issue popped up with my daughter's dish. They handled it perfectly and remade the dish without any sign of attitude. That kind of service is truly appreciated - especially in this town. I will be back. There are about 7 more varieties of pho I need to try and someone promised me pancakes. read more

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This place describes itself as Vietnamese street food. It's mostly a pho shop, with very few other offerings, but sometimes it's fine to do just a few things and do them well, which they do. They probably have a dozen variations of pho plus a couple vermicelli rice noodle dishes, along with some roll appetizers: fried egg roll, fried pork roll and a fresh spring roll (vegan). The mother/grandma of the family running the business ran a pho shop in Vietnam for 30+ years before the family came here, and they use her recipes. We started with the fresh spring roll. The rice paper wrapper was good and it was filled with various fresh vegetables and herbs. It came with a peanut sauce for dipping. I'd give this a solid 4. For mains we had the pho with a combination of beef brisket and rare beef (a Vietnamese traditional style) and the vermicelli noodle vegetable bowl with chicken. The pho was a large bowl full, with plenty of both meats and some vegetables. The broth was good, especially with some crushed red pepper paste added. 4.5 for this. Even better was the vermicelli bowl. It came with loads of tender chicken grilled Thai satay-style in peanut oil. Nicely charred on the outside, but not tough at all. Wonderful flavor. There were plenty of fresh, high quality veggies and vermicelli noodles. There was also a egg roll cut up on top, which provided a nice contrasting crunch. On the side was a very flavorful fish sauce. I poured it all on, as it was definitely needed to give the bowl some sauce and pull everything together. I added some crushed red pepper paste to give it a little heat, too. Whatever herbs they used in this bowl provided fragrant and very tasty flavors. This was an all around great dish, which I would definitely order again. 5. Service was excellent. Atmosphere was minimal, but fine (this was Sonora Grill previously, and Blue Curry House before that, and it doesn't look like much has changed, but it's comfortable and cozy in any case). The kitchen is kind of open, so depending on where you sit, you can watch them cook. All around I'd rate this place 4.5, rounded up to 5. Hopefully they'll add some more menu items over time, but we'll be back regardless. And hopefully they'll have better luck in this space than the previous two restaurants. read more

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I love a pho place that serves flavorful broth without the need for extra seasoning like hoisin, limes, or sugar. The service and vibe were great. I would definitely come back! read more

Sen - Pho Dac Biet. - Vietnamese Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Love the meatball pho here. Seriously the best meatballs. They are really flavorful. I've had meatballs full of gristle at other places, which makes me not want to eat them. Service is great and the restaurant is nice and clean. read more

Sen - Meatball pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Any solid Asian offering in Asheville is worth celebrations. Sen is still finding its legs, has a very short simple menu but what they are offering is a good sign. The fried spring rolls are delicious. The Pho was very tasty and not overly sweet. Everything could be served warmer and the place is quite spare at the moment. I suspect they will improve. If you work downtown and craving a bowl of noodles for lunch run don't walk. Oh and they are now taking credit cards huzzah! read more

Super yummy!! We had the fresh rolls, which had shrimp. They came out quickly and were delicious. My partner had pho that he raved about and I had the vermicelli bowl with chicken and was very happy! They opened recently at the end of 2025 and I wish them well, the food was absolutely scrumptious. read more

Sen - Vermicelli bowl with chicken (mixed up and half- eaten in photo!) - Vietnamese Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Good service, good spring rolls. Difficult parking. Maybe I just don't know or like good pho! It was my first time trying this dish. The flavor was not what I expected. I would return here to try other dishes. read more

Sen Vietnamese is a great small family owned restaurant in downtown Asheville. Park in the County owned garage on Coxe Ave or City Wall Street garage. Easy walk to the restaurant. I always get Pork Vermicelli Bowl with egg roll. It is almost enough for 2 people if you want to get an appetizer. Price is very reasonable. Highly recommend. read more

What a perfect Pho! I walked by Zen and then doubled back and I am glad I did. The ingredients of my Pho were so clean and fresh tasting. I ordered extra chicken. The white meat and savored every bit. My server Vivian tried to entice me to enjoy a spring roll -- which very much wanted to -- but I only had so much room for this first meal. Gives me a great excuse to come back. read more

Sen - Pho with white meat chicken - Vietnamese Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

One of the worst Vietnamese restaurants I've ever been to. Don't waste your time or money. The people giving this place 5 stars are clearly either (a) friends of the owner or (b) don't know what Vietnamese food is supposed to taste like. My wife (a chef) and I ordered pho (which was OK but insanely salty) and a "bun dau hu chay" (noodle bowl) - which was inedible. The noodles were undercooked. And there were no herbs, so it was completely bland. No mint. No basil. No flavor - other than overly sweet fish sauce. We asked the waitress for extra mint, or something, to add flavor and she apologized, saying that they were having problems sourcing herbs. So we asked to get something else, but they refused to take it back and kept offering us a takeout plastic container for the disgusting mess. First they sent over the wife of the owner, who spent about 15 minutes talking to us about how they couldn't afford to buy herbs locally and had to drive to Atlanta, but they were out of stock, bla bla bla. Maybe peanuts? She said there were peanuts. We searched. We found a single peanut. But - she couldn't take it back. She had to talk to the "manager" (her husband.) Then he came over and talked to us for another 10 minutes about how his wife is Vietnamese, and this is how they cook it authentically in her village. I said it's amazing that after eating Vietnamese food in literally hundreds of restaurants, including in Vietnam and Japan, since my first time in 1992 in Chinatown in New York at Pho Pasteur - I have never stumbled on such a bland preparation. He said "Oh, she's from the South". Ok, dude, whatever. Must be that one special village where they don't do flavor. Or know how to cook rice noodles. He was rude and inconsiderate. We didn't eat the dish but they refused to remove it from our check. He agreed to give us a 10% discount. I won't even mention the eggroll that came with it - also undercooked, and you could taste the raw batter beneath the oily surface. If you want decent Vietnamese, go to Wild Ginger Noodle Bar. read more

Sen - Vietnamese Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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Finally I get to taste real Phò, I loved this family's version of it as they're from the region where they make it this way. Fantastic broth with fresh green ingredients. This broth had a deep and ever so slightly sweet taste that was complex and rich. I usually don't go for Phò as I'm more of a Vietnamese rice dish person, but this Phò was delicious. Cannot wait to go back and taste their nems (crispy rice paper fried rolls) and more Phò. I wish the Phò was a bit cheaper, but I understand where Sen is located, rents are probably extremely high on downtown Patton. read more

I understand they are just opening.. they don't answer the phone for questions...all I want is to see their menu. I hope they are a good authentic Vietnamese restaurant, I love the food and don't want fusion... Vietnam is traditionally Fusion and leave it at that.. don't add more...perfect as it is.. https://yelp.com/menu/d3G94W1ah2r-RTK5FwBGRw?utm_medium=menu&utm_source=ishare This is what I love... I hope you can link to it to look at the menu read more

This is the most delicious Vietnamese food I've ever had anywhere...love that it's at home in Asheville.

Ok- I just left this place in Ashville.... They still on a soft opening ..... Family owned and business right in downtown Ashville .... PROBABLY SOME OF THE BEST PHO I've had in Ashville NC and the people are VERYYYYYYY hospitable..... Very clean ..... read more

Decent pho - exactly what's needed after a hike! Strategically located right in the town center with plenty of municipality-owned parking available read more

Best pho in town!! so savory. I LOVE authentic Vietnamese food and ate it often when I lived in Los Angeles... trust me, this is the real deal. Run, don't walk! read more

Absolutely amazing food and stellar service! The best pho we've had in many years. Highly recommended!

Had a good experience at Sen. The combination pho was delicious and had a great depth of flavor. You can tell there was intention and time well spent on the broth. I felt it was expensive at 20.80 for the one bowl. Server was efficient and friendly. Parking in the area wasn't convenient. read more

I was really looking forward to trying out this new place (I LOVE pho and have had a lot of it in my life) but was quickly disappointed upon opening my to go order at home. There was very little broth and toppings for my noodles and chicken. My husband got Vietnamese coffee and the picture is what they gave him. Mostly ice and this thick, syrupy coffee-less tasting coffee. It doesn't taste like any Vietnamese coffee we've ever had before. I know they're just opening so I hope their quality and quantity improves. Although the broth was flavorful, everything else lacked. read more

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The food is delicious and the family run business makes you feel at home. The family takes care of your requests and wants to make sure you have enjoyed your meal! Servings are well proportioned and absolutely delicious! Pork chops are amazing! Keep these lovely family in business! You will be well rewarded. Enjoy! read more

The best Bun Vermicelli salad I've had since we lived in California!1 Actual grilled pork with lots of flavor. Nice people. So glad they opened Sen! read more

Service is great, but food is okay. I've had better tasting and robust flavored broth. I don't think that this place is a true representation of Vietnamese Pho and the portions are small for what you pay for. I ordered a Vietnamese coffee with my meal and it was a cup full of ice with coffee barely filling the cup partial way. read more

Very good food and attentive service, not too pricey and staff was polite. Would definitely recommend to friends and others.

I went here on a date with my girlfriend and we ended up going back two days later to try the pho. Everything on the menu is great and the staff are really sweet. Do yourself a favor and check it out read more

Better than Pho Dai Loi in Atlanta! All three of them. And now, right here in Asheville, we get to go to Sen!! Service was fantastic. The flavors so rich. We had both bun and pho. We live an hour away from them, but we will return over and over!! read more

I have been there several times and have been very happy with the quality of food and the service. I have been to SE Asia and many Vietnamese places in the US. Anyone who has would know that PHO is a family recipe just like any other regional food. Food varies by region and family in EVERY part of this world in terms of particular flavor. Even within Vietnam regional flavor profiles vary. If you don't believe me watch some youtube or actually go to Vietnam. I love what they do and you may not, that is okay. Peace out... read more

The Pho is fantastic! Authentic Vietnamese food, vibes are great, and the service was spectacular! Well done Sen!

Wonderful Pho! Excited to have a regular place to go for some Vietnamese!! Only feedback is MORE and hotter!

Service is amazing! Food is very flavorful and came to the table very fast, definitely will be a regular at this new establishmen.