PhoLicious — Restaurant in Bloomingdale

Please read my updated review below, as I am happy to report Pholicious has re-instated many of the Vietnamese dishes it had eliminated from the menu. Several months ago I wrote, Goodby to Pholicious. We have had the pleasure of dining at Pholicious nearly every week for over a year. We were overjoyed that there was a restaurant in the suburbs that not only served pho (soup) and banh mi (sandwiches), but also a diverse and wide array of authentic Vietnamese cuisine, The ingredients were always fresh and flavorful, the staff always cheerful and helpful, and the atmosphere intimate, even when there were large parties sharing food and memories. We embraced Pholicious because it was nothing like the all-too-familiar suburban strip mall restaurant undistinguished and predictable, serving 'safe' meals, steering clear of invention or surprise or challenge. Whenever we left after a meal, we never felt bloated or foggy, as the food, the staff, the ambience had a wonderful 'chi.' Sadly, when we sat down last Friday, the menu had undergone a major revision, eliminating almost the entire palette of uniquely Vietnamese dishes, and adding decidedly non-Vietnamese food, such as fried calamari and tempura shrimp and fried dumplings --- basically, suburban pub food. I am sure this was a business decision, but Pholicious sacrificed its very essence, its very soul, its very distinctiveness in order to focus on selling bubble tea, pho, and sandwiches. As noted in the first sentence, the restaurant has apparently had second thoughts about veering off into a simplified menu, featuring non-Vietnamese fare, and returned some of its unique and delicious items. We have resumed going regularly, and are enthused and grateful for Pholicious for providing an oasis of wonderful food full of good chi amid the burger joints and pizza parlors in the western...

It’s been a little over three years since my last visit to PhoLicious, and it hasn’t changed in the slightest.

Today, I went in and was greeted by Ann, who was an amazing waitress and very patient with my indecisiveness with the menu.

Now onto the food and drinks, I started off with an egg coffee, which I’ve not had before but was pleasantly surprised with. Vietnamese coffee has a big emphasis on the coffee part, it was very strong and smooth, and the egg topping complimented it extremely well with its sweetness!

For my first dish I chose the BYO (build your own) Pho option with sliced ribeye, brisket & beef meatballs, the meat was flavorful and the broth was perfect, though that didn’t stop me from adding some chili oil & sriracha. Highly recommend those protein options.

I ended my dinner with the Chicago Signature bánh mì, the baguette was as fresh as I remembered from a previous visit! The meat was flavorful and the vegetable options made it all the more satisfying, especially the pickled ones.

PhoLicious is a Vietnamese staple in this area, you won’t regret giving it a try & if you’re lucky enough to have Ann (hopefully the right spelling of her name) as your waitress then just know you’re gonna have...

We tried Pholicious for the first time today and, due to the madness in the world, we had to take it to go. I don't usually like taking food to go as I hate when it gets cold but oh man!! The broth was still SO hot when we got home!

We built two phos. The first was a shrimp and steak pho with veggie broth. The second pho was shrimp, short rib, steak, and brisket with a beef broth. I LOVED the beef broth; probably some of the BEST beef broth I've ever had. To be completely honest, the veggie broth was mediocre. It just didn't have a lot of flavor which is hard to do as it's vegetarian, in my opinion. So, I highly recommend the beef broth and I'll definitely be ordering all my future phos with the beef.

We also ordered two banh mi sandwiches. The first was the grilled pork. The second was brisket with a fried egg. Oh mamaaaa!! Best banh mi I've had! It was flavorful, bread was soft, they had great meat to bread ratio!

Finally, I love how everything was packaged. The pho came in a plastic bowl (with broth on side) and it made it SO easy to serve up. This tiny detail really sets them apart from other pho places.

Thank you Pholicious!! Definitely going to order again as you guys are now our...