Pho 88 Restaurant — Restaurant in Lowell

Pho 88 located on 1270 westford street is probably one of the best places for pho in lowell. Usually I order take out from here but a friend and I decided to go in and sit down. As we walked in, the smell both made us smile and our first words to one another were comments on how good it smelled. That is not something that happens often when walking into a restaurant. We were promptly seated straight ahead of where we walked in and right across from the bar. The lighting was dim and warm. Perfect for a cool evening night out. The temperature was just right inside the restaurant. My friend and I were able to take off our coats and sit comfortably in our seats without feeling cold even as newcomers came in. I find that to be a rarity in many restaurants on a cold night and usually prefer not to sit near the door because of this. But I was completely comfortable the entire time. Our waitress was curteous and patient. We did not feel rushed. I hadnt seen my friend in awhile so while we were deciding on food, we were also catching up. I sensed the waitress understood this and gave us time to decide without being pushy. We started our order with some bi cuon (fresh spring rolls with peanut sauce). They were perfect, no complaints. My friend got bun tom (rice vermicelli with shrimp) and I got the bun bo hue (hue city soup, which is a spicy soup with vermicelli, tendon, shank, ground shrimp and ground pork). We both loved our choices. However I must admit ive ordered the bun bo hue soup through takeout many times and it is my favorite go to soup on a cold day. For drinks my friend just had water and I opted for a scorpion bowl to tone my week of craziness down a notch. It wasnt too strong but hit the spot. We finished the evening off with some yummy green tea icecream and a couple games of cards. The waiters and waitresses were very pleasant and did not mind us spending some extra time playing a couple of games while they were starting to wrap up the night themselves. Our dining experience here was perfect and I will definitely be back more often now. This is a great place if you want to relax with a calming feel to your night. The tvs by the bar did have the hockey games on but they were not too loud in the least. If you want to be away from the screen just ask to sit on the opposite side of the restaurant at a booth. Great place to come with ur family, or friends.

I will add that I went to the restrooms 2x. Once when I got there and once at the end of the evening due to that scorpion bowl. Lol. The first time they were out of toilet paper, and I didnt notice until I sat down. Luckily I had tissues in my purse. The second time it was filled. Restaurants do get busy and there were quite a few people in the restaurant when we got there. So just make sure there is toilet paper (at any restaurant you go to) before you sit down. This is the type of place that would quickly apologize and fill it for you immediately if it...

Went here December 9th, 2023 at 11:15 AM to use my gift card. I'll split this review into two parts: today's visit, and previous visits to explain the rating.

Today's visit:

Long was my waiter and he gave great service.

I got the 36c (vermicelli bowl with grilled hamcake) which is $18 ($17.95). As much as I like the hamcake appetizer, it's hard to justify paying $15 ($14.95) for two skewers of hamcake and having to order a side of white rice.

It turns out asking for hot tea is now $1.50; before covid, I remember it used to come at no cost if you asked for it. The tea still has the same issue of being light in color and tasting close to just slightly different than hot water.

The vermicelli bowl is the most consistent item I've gotten and it's hard to screw up, so I got it today's visit. As you can see in the picture, it is effectively an assortment of ingredients and you get fish sauce with paste to pour over the bowl. A plus here is that the vegetables are neatly placed on one side of the bowl so it's easier to add more fish sauce in one area than the other.

It was good, although here was what the bill came out to: $17.95 for the vermicelli bowl $1.50 for hot tea with tax (before tip), $20.81 with tip, $25

There was another person that left a review about broth and raw chicken being left out in the hallway where the big fan is. I also saw the big fan this visit, but not the buckets of broth; but it was just shortly after the restaurant opened for the day. I'm not sure if they still might be doing that whole "fan cooling" business.

Previous visits:

Other dishes tend to be hit or miss. The "bird's nest" yellow crispy noodle dish, I stopped ordering ever since the time I got the stale tasteless noodles. It seemed like the soy sauce used was old, and the noodles might have been expired.

The beef noodle soup/pho is now significantly more expensive than I remembered. An extra large bowl of rare steak pho you could get for around $12 before covid. Now you're paying closer to $20 for it.

Service has usually been good in my previous visits.

Conclusion:

It's really hard for me to justify paying this much when there are so many other great places around where you can get food for less or around the same price. There's Sushi Yanagi in the plaza right next to Pho 88, there's China Buffet not that far away, etc.

The 3 star rating factors in the surrounding restaurants in the area where you can get a great meal for less or the same price, and that you may experience inconsistency here for some...

already had plans when I got here, but when I saw this in the specials section, I had to try it. Bun Bo Hue (Hue City Soup) ($10.95). "Hue Special Soup - A spicy large vermicelli soup, with soft tendon, sliced shank, ground shrimp and pork." The actual menu said pork blood, but they don't do that anymore. It wasn't vermicelli noodles either, and the tendon was missing, but I got sliced brisket instead. I also got a pork knuckle. There were very delicious pork cakes in the soup. It was spicy but really just pleasingly spicy. This was one savory soup chockful of flavor.

More dishes. Hot, Sweet and Sour Soup. Canh Chua Ca Bong Lau, Tom Hoac Ga (Sm:$12.95 / Lg:$14.95). "A choice of sliced Fish, Shrimp or Chicken Breast with Bean Sprouts, chunks of Pineapple, fresh Tomatoes and Basil in an aromatic spicy broth with a slice of small Green Chile Pepper on top. Two sized bowls are served with steamed rice." It's now $16.95 for a large. The chili pepper didn't make it. I had to ask what "Tom Hoac Ga" meant? Turns out it should be "Tom, Hoac, Ga" fish, shrimp or chicken. The fish turned out to be catfish, which was perfectly cooked. It was also a good amount of fish. I really enjoyed the broth. However, it lacked spiciness. Adding chili oil and pickled jalapenos from the condiment stand really improved things.

I normally order the famous #14 XE LUA ($13.95). "Extra large Beef Noodle Soup. Our largest bowl of our most popular Beef (Bo) Noodle Soup combining rare Beef, well-done Brisket, Beef Flank, Tendon and Tripe." This time I decided to get the #15 ($11.95) that is the same, but in a smaller bowl. As you can see, I got everything. The broth was rich and delicious, with plenty of meat and I mean plenty! Even the smaller bowl was loaded with meat. The tripe was crunchy as it should be since it's only there to add texture. A bit short on the tendon, but no big deal. Leftovers for dinner, that's how big the...