Bowl of Pho — Restaurant in Jacksonville

Description: When this place first opened in Jacksonville, I was quite skeptical. In my 18 years living there, I never found a Vietnamese restaurant worth going to time and time again. I spoke too soon because a few years later, my family continues to come here whenever I visit back home for some good ole' pho and other Vietnamese cuisines. The interior design is to my liking; it is definitely a step up from a lot of typical Vietnamese restaurants. The tables, decorations, spacing is all just better. They are usually fully staffed and the waiters are always pretty attentive despite being quite busy.

Food & Service: I've been here too many times to count but I almost always order the same thing, pho. At Bowl of Pho, they have so many different ones to choose from that it makes it easy for anyone picky to get what they want. They also have a lot of other dishes to choose from but I haven't really branched out because I crave pho too much. Their boba tea selection is pretty yummy but the prices can be a little high. If we're feeling adventurous, we'll order the fried eggrolls, which are tasty but in my opinion not worth the money. Their pho isn't the best I've ever had and it's not the cheapest either but the price is very reasonable for the amount of noodles, meat, and fresh ingredients on the side that they provide. My mom usually orders a pan-fried noodle dish that comes with a gelatinous-like sauce and ample seafood. It's a little pricey but large enough to share or take home.

Final Thoughts: I'm giving this place 5 stars because they have proved over and over that they know how to run a successful, consistent business. Everything has always been solid and I don't see that changing anytime soon. This is also the only Vietnamese restaurant I know about in Jacksonville probably so if something happens, I can't get my pho. And if I can't get my pho, it's not a happy day haha. But yeah, whether you're from Jacksonville or not, this is the spot to stop by if you need a quick fix for...

Lately, we’ve been reading alarming numbers in Health & Safety issues in the restaurant industry. But I never expected this to hit home until yesterday. We had been in Jax for an appointment and decided to have lunch at one of the fav PHO restaurants we patron while in Jacksonville. I ordered up my bowl of PHO (#13) the meat, noodles and broth were delicious! The PHO accompanied by a tray of veggies & herbs is normally a nice addition to the broth. I had added some Thai basil initially but waited until after I consume the noodles & meat before adding the bean sprouts to the broth to finish up the meal. I stirred the bean sprouts in, added some additional Thai basil and started to consume the broth, when my eye happened upon something that was “different “ than the rest. Initially, I thought it was a root of the bean sprout - but upon closer examination - I saw what appeared to be an antennae. Scooping it out of the broth, I laid it unto a napkin & realized what it was. This bit of “extra protein” I didn’t order - A DEAD FLY in my soup! Bringing this to my waiter’s attention, he apologized and proceeded to explain how these insects fly in when the doors open - Okay, I get that, but then he continued to inform me that they have the “veggies” laid out on a table in the back and they land on them! Violation, Violation. To add to the insult - the waiter didn’t even attempt to compensate for this - normally, they’ll take the item off the receipt! He did not! So, this experience reinforced what I’ve been leaning to for a while now - best food is one you make from home - because then you know the quality of the “ingredients “...

I go to this restaurant every week. I'm not exaggerating.

Get the pork spring rolls. Fantastic stuff. I normally get the rare steak pho. It's so good. Their broth is fantastic. Every time I go the broth is a little different. Meaning, that they make it fresh. They give you a decent amount of meat. If you get the Bowl of Pho Special there is so much meat it's hard for them to get you a lot of everything. So be aware. My boyfriend switches it up every once in a while. He normally get the rare steak with tripe. He did get the "Hue's Style Spicy Noodle Soup" and "Nam Vang Style Noodle Soup". He loved both. With Hue's you can get, if you like, ham hock and pig jello (pig blood). It's a pretty decent soup. It's also very spicy. If you're looking for heat this is the soup to try. He liked Nam Vang but not as much as Hue's. Nam Vang has a quail egg in it. It was a little over cooked but the broth is boiling hot so it's understandable.

The Boba tea is great. They have mango! They also have durian if you're looking for a seriously adventure. They let you mix up the flavors if you want to. Mango/strawberry is so good!

I really like that you can choose a size. Most pho places give you one size. If you're peckish you can always get the small. It's perfect for a work lunch. The extra large is like the size of a small tire. You should get that if you're the hungriest you've ever been.

The only poor thing about the place is the when you're done it takes a minute to get the check and go. The service is fine. It's just that they don't want you...