Pho 71 — Restaurant in Broken Arrow

Another option for average Vietnamese food in BA This is a very small and busy restaurant located in a strip mall at the corner of Kenosha and Elm. I have to admit that Vietnamese food is not my favorite. I struggle with the taste of the fish sauce and can’t figure out what is so exciting about a bowl of Pho. I have tried to focus on one dish Bun Bo Hue in order to have some basis for comparison between Vietnamese restaurants. My wife likes the vermicelli bowls and the fish sauce. She has a good foundation for her comparison of this particular dish. Let’s start with the appetizers “Spring Rolls with Grilled Pork.” Our order was delivered to the diner siting at the table next to us. After a few minutes and after the diner had taken a couple of bites of one of them, the waitress realized she had served the wrong table. She delivered his order of tofu spring rolls and took the partially eaten and full pork spring roll back to the kitchen. A few minutes later she brought out our order of pork spring rolls. Only God and the Kitchen staff know what really happened in the kitchen. We they were still good. My wife liked her Bun Tom Nuong Cha Gio. This was a vermicelli noodles, vegetables, grilled shrimp and spring rolls, and of course the fish sauce. The grilled shrimp was really good! Today’s special just happened to be Bun Bo Hue. Their version was nothing more than a noodle and beef brisket soup with chili sauce added. The only meat in it was the beef brisket. The soup was just not what you expect to get with Bun Bo Hue. It did have some of the classic vegetables on the side (basil, cilantro, a couple of jalapeno slices, and a slice of lime and bean sprouts.) It tasted Ok, but was a boring bowl of soup. No complex flavors from lemon grass and other seasonings. Average food, average service, clean, very busy at noon, does a lot of...

Today's foray to Broken Arrow took me to Pho 71 on Elm. Don't know if it was the cooler temps or what, but I was in the mood for something hot and soupy.

TLDR: Good pho, nice people, priced right.

Located in a strip mall along with several other eateries, Pho 71 is small, cozy and homey. I arrived around noon and was seated immediately. I'd kinda checked out the menu, so I pretty much had my mind made up, which helped speed the process a bit. I went with the medium pho with brisket and meatballs, and a order of 2 fried seafood spring rolls.

In looking at the menu online, I only got to see the pho portion. There's a whole 'nother page with noodle and fried rice dishes, and a lot of them looked really appetizing.... so those are for another trip.

My food arrived pretty quickly, and after giving it a minute to cool down while I tore up the basil and cilantro, I plowed into it. The broth is subtle and layered. Not at all perfumey like some places tend to be. There were plenty of noodles in the bowl, along with generous amounts of meat. They didn't skimp on the Thai Basil either. I love the stuff, but there was too much even for me. Bean sprouts, cilantro and a single slice of jalapeno was also presented. Personally, I would have liked to see a few more pepper slices and some sweet onion slices like my local Pho joint does, but it in no way detracted from the dish. The spring rolls were properly done, with generous amounts of seafood inside, and cooked to a perfect golden brown. I'm glad I went with the medium instead of a large, because I don't think I could have eaten a large, and that's saying a lot. Price was just over $19 before a tip, and for what I got, I consider that...

Pho 71 is one of the few Vietnamese restaurants I have visited, and it is certainly my favorite. You can easily miss this location, in a small shopping center set away from the intersection near which it is located. However, if you wander inside you are in for a wonderful time. The restaurant is small and cozy, with numerous small tables that can accommodate parties of various sizes.

I have had several appetizers at this restaurant - always their fresh spring rolls. They are prepared beautifully, and served with a rich peanut sauce. They're very flavorful, and served in pairs. They can be ordered with pork, chicken, beef, shrimp, or just vegetables - so they can be catered to various dietary restrictions.

The pho, the restaurant's namesake, is delicious! It comes with various beef products, chicken, or shrimp. The broth is very flavorful, and the noodles are beautifully cooked. The waitresses bring out a plate with bean sprouts, fresh herbs, jalapenos, and limes enough for the table to share (to add to your pho). The table has hoisin sauce, sriracha, soy sauce, and chili paste to flavor the broth, which is not spicy unless you add spicy things to it (so if you can't take the heat, you don't have to get out of the kitchen!). The medium order is enough for one sitting, or two if you don't eat quickly or wish to split the meal.

The bahn mi is also very flavorful, and the ingredients are fresh. I recommend giving this restaurant a shot if you're feeling...