What The Phở — Restaurant in Indianapolis

Indianapolis is very lucky to have Pho 54 and I'm glad I finally checked it out. I had no idea that such an excellent menu existed in this city. Quite a bit off of the beaten path for me, as I am rarely on Michigan Rd, but oh so worth the drive. Pho 54 is a great authentic Vietnamese restaurant, able to appeal to many audiences: people who don't know anything about Vietnamese food and would rather stick to a sub-$5 Chinese lunch special, fans of Vietnamese food/adventurous diners looking for the staples done well along with some less common menu items, and vegetarians/vegans. Typically, the third audience listed gets the short end of the stick at Vietnamese restaurants, but not here! Pho 54 is owned by a family of, from what I gathered, Buddhist vegetarians and it reflects in their menu which approaches 50/50 veg/non-veg. The only time I've been to a Vietnamese restaurant with this much vegan/vegetarian appeal was in Anaheim, CA. Go Naptown! I tried the Veggie Chicken Pho and the Veggie Vietnamese Pancake with some jasmine tea. The Pho broth had depth I hadn't experienced in veggie Pho since I was in Anaheim. I don't typically go for fake meats but the "chicken" was very good. I was really excited about the pancake because I have not had one in a long time, abstaining from the milk and eggs typically added. It certainly did not disappoint with its flavorful outer shell and mellow dipping sauce. I would've preferred more variety in the filling as it had more bean sprouts than expected. With that said, I would order it again. All in all, a delicious meal served up by a peaceful, welcoming staff. I walked in feeling congested from a lingering cold and left clear and refreshed as if leaving a massage. A perfect Pho experience...

*Should have taken a photo prior to me eating but can confirm, no one can wait that long.

This place is truly a gem.

The food is dream worthy. It has a ton of depth and such complex flavors. I’ve had Banh Mi’s at several places around the US but never really saw the hype. Tried it here and I’ll never trying another one again. It is the best sandwich I’ve had in my life. Even my kids loved it and they don’t eat anything. I cannot recommend it enough!

The co-winner of the show- the pho! Their veggie pho with tofu is so intense. The flavor is something truly unique. It’s very easy on the stomach but packs such a good punch. I’ve never been a “broth” person but this truly made me fall in love with broths. The depth of flavor and the complexity is just immaculate.

Lastly, highly recommend trying their Thai Tea. This is the first place I’ve had it at, and it is such a delicious beverage and compliments the food very well. Since, I’ve had Thai tea anytime I can but this place is top tier.

The portion sizes combined with the price points are a match made in heaven. You could easily share a bowl of pho with someone or save it for two meals (if you can stop yourself from devouring it in one setting)

Service is always fantastic, the staff is very friendly and welcoming.

This is one of my favorite places I’ve ever had the opportunity of eating at. I’m a big foodie and I have lists of the food I want to share with my family and loved ones and this is always on the top of my list to take them when they come to town (and top of my list every time I want to go someplace!) You will not be...

I paid $40 for moo goo gai pan, kung pao chicken and egg drop soup. The moo goo was average. My mom said the kung pao was good. Portions were very small. Each came with a small container of plain fried rice. I'm glad I checked my order while I was in the car as they initially gave me Mongolian beef instead of the moo goo. At any rate I'm still baffled as to why my order was so much. No menus in the store and we ordered over the phone using menus we saw posted. I would not recommend. The place is clean. The counter person seemed a bit irritated but nice. I asked for sugar snap peas in my moo goo. There were none. The only good thing I ate was the egg drop soup however it had a slightly funky after taste. See pic of $15 moo goo below.

EDIT Well u can see from their reply how unprofessional and rude this place is from their response. They didn't do me any favors by giving me something I didn't order. I don't eat beef and gave it the homeless drug addicts in front of the store. I was being kind when I said the moo goo was average. I'm not entirely sure it was chicken. Yeah there are too many GOOD places to eat in this area to deal with their mediocre food and nasty attitude. Taste of China is excellent for Asian food with generous portions and friendly service. I don't mind paying for good food but the experience here was garbage. What the pho was more like what the phuk. 😆 BAD BUSINESS. Stay away from this...