Pho 21 — Restaurant in Houston

One of the best places for pho. The restaurant and the shopping center are nothing to look at, but it's all about the food. The menu is pretty standard for a pho shop (pho, rice dishes, and vermicelli bowls). The staff is nice and friendly. Service is quick; perhaps too quick...as soon as I sat down, I was asked if I was ready to order. But no biggie, I just asked for more time...this is typical of Vietnamese restaurants cause custmers usually know what the want. They only offer 3 appetizers (spring roll, veggie spring roll, and egg roll), but they are very good, nonetheless. The spring roll consists of halved boiled shrimp, sliced Vietnamese pork roll, vermicelli noodles and lettuce...it's pretty standard fare but rolled up nice and tight with peanut sauce on the side. The egg roll is tiny but has a lot of flavor...my guess is that it's of the frozen variety, but a quality brand (I think I actually have the same ones at home)...the egg roll is rolled to nicely to be homemade. Regardless, it was good and the dipping sauce was perfect. For pho, it's all about the broth (a line borrowed from another author, but very true). And Pho 21 does it right. I don't think it's better than Pho Danh (in the Hong Kong mall) or Bodard Bistro, but it's certainly right up there and good enough for a return visit. The only condiments they offered at the table are oyster sauce and saracha, but I'm sure they'll have everything else in the kitchen. I look forward to trying their beef stew and vermicelli dishes. My only gripe is that I wish they offered grilled pork/beef spring rolls...it's difficult to find a place that offers this AND a great bowl of pho. It's often one...

Hidden gem 💎 Flavors on point! Humble restaurant with great customer service.

This was my first time at Pho 21. As you walk in you are warmly greeted by the staff. They seat you and give you a menu to look at. They don’t give you that rushed feeling to hurry up and make your order. I appreciate the chill vibe they have.

After you place your order, your appetizers arrive within minutes. Then your entrees are to follow 🥰

The shrimp spring roll was fresh, great texture, the wrapper was still moist, and the noodles were cooked great!

I had the pho with tendon, tripe, fatty brisket, and the eye round steak. The broth was flavorful. And seasoned nicely. The temperature of the soup was hot and I really appreciated that.

My mom ordered the grilled shrimp. It was cooked beautifully. The shrimp was moist and flavorful. The pickled vegetables were also a nice touch on the side.

Over all this restaurant had a very humble and authentic vibe. Even the plants were happy and well taken care of. That’s a really great sign of a business that cares 🥰 🪴

I’m definitely looking forward to returning and trying other items on their menu.

I...

Looks like in a scary area (metal bars on most stores in the plaza), sitting by the window feels like you are in prison. However I have been there late as 8:30 (closes at 9) and there aren't usually any questionable people hanging in groups around the plaza.

I always get the combo one: small pho, two spring rolls, and a drink, for $9. Spring rolls are fresh and tasty, and comes with the real sauce, with peanut chunks (a lot of Chinese/Vietnam pho places will give you sweet sauce or seafood sauce which is not right).

You can upgrade to a large pho for like a dollar or two extra. The small pho is plenty for me with the two spring rolls. I am 240 pounds and workout and can make buffets go out of business. But the combo is plenty satisfying, and feels just right.

The beef broth isn't the richest I have had but is up there. Vegetables are fresh and clean. And you will feel satisfied, happy, and healthy after the meal.

This is one of my most frequently visited places, I'm Chinese and this is 10 min from Chinatown, but I go to Pho...