Pho Chateau — Restaurant in Lorton

This review is based solely on the decor, atmosphere and the pho. I did not try anything else.

Pho Chateau is a new Vietnamese restaurant in the Lorton area. Being a local resident, I was excited to see that I could potentially have a great place to get some pho when the craving hits and not have to drive all the way to Falls Church. Unfortunately, my experience was disappointing and I will not be returning, even to try the other foods.

As a preface, I am Vietnamese and grew up eating my mom's pho (which is great by the way) and the pho in the Philadelphia area. I know my pho and Pho Chateau did not deliver.

I ordered a large bowl of Pho Dac Biet aka Chateau Combination. I believe this is #81 on their menu and is the first pho listed on their menu under the pho category. Pho Dac Biet is supposed to be a pho establishment's creme de la creme. It is supposed to feature a bit of all of their ingredients to showcase everything that pho establishment is all about. As you can see from my picture, the bowl I was presented with conveyed that Pho Chateau was bland and nothing special.

This large bowl cost me $10 after tax. The broth was bland and inferior to my homemade pho. There was no body or depth to the flavor whatsoever. The tai meat (raw meat that is cooked in the broth) seemed like it had been cooking in the broth for awhile. There were a few small pieces of brisket that were flavorless. The beef tendon pieces were few and a bit on the not to tender side. Don't get me wrong, I like my tendon to have a bit of chew, but this had more chew than I felt necessary for pho. Lastly, I had one tiny slice of tripe, which again, was nothing to write home about. There were no other types of meat. No fatty cuts, no flare, no nothing. The rice noodles were overdone and were not al dente, which ruined the whole experience for me. Overall, I give the pho here 2 stars out of 5 and I feel that is a bit generous. I was very disappointed. For a place that has PHO in the name, it should be better.

As far as decor and customer service are concerned, it was ok. The decor is modern and clean, which is to be expected. However, a few red flags in addition to my pho experience result in my never returning. Upon entering, I was barely greeted by a server and was told to just take a seat in the mostly empty dining room. Red flag #1. I was provided with water that was poured from a bottle into a glass with no ice. The water was cool, but not cold and though it came from a bottle, it was clearly from the tap. Do not be fooled. Was this for presentation? In any event, red flag #2. I looked around as I was eating and saw that the drip coffee that is very popular had already been brewed and sitting on the bar. I did not order any because seeing this made me not want it. Any coffee lover will know that coffee tastes best when it's fresh brewed, not sitting and getting old. red flag #3.

I wish Pho Chateau had given me a better experience. Given the good reviews, I was very hopeful, but was very disappointed. I suppose their other food is just that good? Or perhaps my palate is simply too sophisticated for a strip mall pho joint in Lorton, VA. TRUE pho...

I've never been to Vietnam, but I grew up watching tons of Vietnam War films that captured the horror and heroism of that war and the complicated politics involved at that time, which divided the nation.

But, with all of those dynamic and visceral films from Deer Hunter to Platoon, you won't find one film that gives you any insight into the local cuisine that has become a staple to the Asian food diaspora of urban and sub-urban America.

That's where Pho Chateau comes in. I had had some delicious chicken pho the day before when a coworker had picked up their lunch and grabbed me some as a courtesy so I ended up visiting Pho Chateau, a spot not far from HQ and I was thorough pleased with what I tried and felt it unbelievable that I hadn't visited this spot in the past 3 years.

I purchased a tie milk tea without Boba, Phi with Rib eye, vegetarian fried rice with chicken added, and crispy spring rolls. I would order each item again.

I ended up splitting the pho over two days....all ingredients were fresh from the bamboo shoots to the green veggies, meat, and sirachi and soy sauce that accompanied the soup. There was very little grease and no indigestion after my meal, and the to go packaging was firm and secure. I rolled in at the bar, put in my order, and got everything completed accurately within 15 mins. The spring rolls are made from a crispy rice with marinated meat within, and the Vietnamese milk iced tea had a comfortable level of sweetness that wasn't overly indulgent or overbearing.

The establishment is clean and roomy and has space for a large family or tables that comfortably sit a couple or a group of 4.

The counter was well managed with 3: 1 at the phone ready, 1 at the bar, and 1 at the register. I would definitely...

I’m a huge fan Vietnam’s famed breakfast soup, but sadly this spot was pho-gettable. I’ve passed Pho Chateau many times, so I figured I’d give it a try. I ordered the fried spring rolls and Phở.

My favorite spring rolls are from Vietnam, so I was looking forward to these. Sadly, they were under seasoned and their nước chấm wasn’t enough to liven up the dish. Also, the spring rolls were too oily. I surmise the oil wasn’t hot enough and/or they didn’t let the spring rolls drain.

As for the Phở, I had #B89 (Well-Done Brisket, Fatty Brisket and Soft Tendon – Phở Chín, Gầu, Gân). I asked them for no soft tendon and to just add a little extra of the other meat. First, the dish came out with soft tendon, so I picked it out. My server saw me and was apologetic about it. They brought me a small bowl of the other meats to add to my soup. The broth lacked the characteristic richness and unctuousness you expect from Phở. It was under seasoned as well. The noodles were cooked perfectly and the meats were tender, so that was good.

The restaurant itself was nice, clean, and inviting. I asked for more fish sauce and was given a little dispenser with it. My server also brought me a caddy with different condiments because they knew I was looking to enhance/ improve the flavor of my food. That was nice.

My server was great. They were very warm, answered questions I had about the menu, checked in on me, and even engaged in light banter. The customer service here is good.

I cannot recommend this place on account of the quality of the food I had. Sadly for Pho Chateau, Northern Virginia is saturated with Vietnamese restaurants and the...