PHO 86 READING — Restaurant in Reading

We requested all the food to arrive whenever they were ready, and service was prompt. We ordered a Mixed Platter for Two as it was an efficient way of sampling 4 of their starters. Clockwise from top: the chilli squid was nothing special, not much salt or seasoning in the batter and really relied on the sauces for flavour. The girthy spring rolls were my favourite out of these 4, and very different to Chinese spring rolls from the filling to the wrapper. I loved how packed to the brim it was with minced pork and prawns, with the glass noodles giving it even more texture. The summer rolls were pretty standard, fresh and herby, delicious with the dips. The pork and beef in betel leaves were not to my taste, I guess I just don't like the taste of betel leaves, but I ate up the noodles they rested upon with the fish sauce.

Next was the dish that made me want to visit here, a dish I haven't found elsewhere in Reading: Chicken feet with spicy Thai sauce. If you've had this dish at dim sum before, this is a larger version with a whole plate of it to enjoy. Chicken feet is mostly skin, tendon, and cartilage, and some Asians prize it for its texture and collagen content. It's served cold, with a sweet and citrusy sauce, and I was even sucking on the green kumquats by the end of it! I don't know why both here and in dim sum they call it a Thai sauce whilst I've never seen it in Thailand or a Thai restaurant. I'm used to having chicken feet with bone, but they even serve a boneless version here which we ordered, a luxury that I had only experienced in Seoul's Gwangjang Market! This was my favourite dish of the meal and I'd happily return here just for this unique treat.

Of course we couldn't visit Pho 86 without trying its namesake pho, and we ordered it with rare beef. It came with the classic beansprouts and herbs on the side to avoid them from overcooking, but surprisingly no Sriracha or hoisin bottles on the table as would be customary for a pho house. Even the places most confident in their broths would still leave them for the customers, though I'm sure they would be available upon request. The broth was indeed good, and the beef was tender though less rare by the time we got to it. Unfortunately, nothing in Europe has quite matched my experience in a no-frills pho house with 40 items on the menu, but they're all just the same pho with various combinations of beef toppings from tendon to tripe, with 1 last concession: a chicken pho for the blasphemer. It was good, but with its name on the door I think it could've been better.

Next was a dish that I had to order when I saw the name as it describes me perfectly: Meaty fan. Bun cha (topped steamed vermicelli) is my go-to order at Vietnamese restaurants, especially when it was one of the two items described as Hanoi signatures. For £2 extra we could add more spring rolls and pork and beef in betel leaves, so why not. The marinated chargrilled pork is what I love this dish for though, and unfortunately it was a bit drier and not as juicy as I would've liked, even though the sweet marinade was good and they got the smoky char perfect. Make no mistake, this is the one dish I would recommend most newcomers to try if they want to visit, especially for solo diners, as you get to sample so many different things in one bowl. The combination of the steamed rice vermicelli, fresh salad, and the nuoc cham (sweet and sour fish sauce) is perfect for the summer.

The other signature dish was the La Vong turmeric grilled fish, and rightly so as it was the overall favourite dish for my party, second only to the chicken feet for me. They marinate boneless fillets of basa fish (Vietnamese river cobbler) and pan fry it until crispy, and top it with onions and chillis and dill on a sizzling hotplate. I'm normally not a fan of dill, but it wasn't overpowering, and the crispy fillets of fragrant fried fish was delicious, would...

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (If I could give 6 stars, I would!)

We recently had the absolute pleasure of dining at Pho 86 in Reading, and I honestly can’t recommend it highly enough. From start to finish, this was one of the most warm, generous, and delicious dining experiences I’ve had in a long time.

To begin with, we were travelling in from quite far away and had significant train delays. Despite us arriving much later than expected, the wonderful staff at Pho 86 kept the restaurant open just for us! In a time where customer service often feels rushed or transactional, this level of kindness and hospitality genuinely blew us away.

And the food — wow. I’ve had Vietnamese food in many places, including some big-name restaurants in London, but Pho 86 easily beats every other Vietnamese spot in Reading, hands down. The flavours are incredibly authentic — rich, fragrant broths, perfectly balanced spices, and fresh ingredients in every dish. You can tell the recipes come straight from tradition, with so much care and attention in the cooking. Whether you’re having the classic pho, bun bo hue, or summer rolls, each dish sings with that depth of flavour and homemade feel you just don’t get at chain restaurants.

What also stood out was the diverse and friendly staff — everyone we met was incredibly welcoming, helpful, and spoke multiple languages, which made the experience even more comfortable and accessible. It was clear that the team genuinely cares about every guest who walks through the door.

We chose Pho 86 based on reading great reviews online, and I’m so glad we trusted them. The food, the people, the atmosphere — everything was above and beyond. Honestly, if there were an option to give six stars, I wouldn’t hesitate.

We left full, happy, and already planning our return. If you’re in Reading — or even just passing through — don’t miss Pho...

Hi everyone, my wife and I visited this vietnamese restaurant two times already and I want to share our experience, we first seen this restaurant when it wasn't even open, we always keep an eye out for new viet shops/restaurants as we love the food.

I really want to recommend this place to everyone in the area, both times we visited our food was fresh, delicious, amazing smell, good looking, quick serving, the portions are very generous, standard UK prices, but still lower then the franchise Pho chain which helps. The food was really good and nicely prepared and the taste is very close to the restaurants in Vietnam, most staff members if not all are viet and you can tell this because the food it really authentic, they even serve some dishes that we only found in Vietnam like the real chicken leg, also the staff members are very friendly and polite. We really recommend the Pho bo tai or chin, banh xeo Saigon, Bo Kho, the spring rolls (cha nem/cha gio) or even the bo kho, of course many other dishes available, just check...