Pho La Vie — Restaurant in Lower Paxton Township

This is an easy 5 for me. It's got a cool calligraphic font on the signage, with my favorite color (orange) to boot. Totally hip! The interior is brand new, like less than 2 months old. The manager and staff were friendly, attentive, and super helpful. We recognize one of the waiting staff from Kimlee, so we asked him about the relationship between the two restaurants. The two restaurants are owned and operated by two separate owners, but the owners are relatives. I asked if the recipes are the same. The answer by the manager was that they are similar but Pho La Vie is a bit better. Ha ha, good answer! Incidentally, I think Pho La Vie is much better situated in terms of location, off the busy Jonestown Road.

Now the food.

S3 - grilled chicken Banh Mi ($4.95). It's good, the baguette was nice and toasty; chicken was freshly grilled and slightly sweet.

L1 - Bun Bo Hue ($8.95) where I smartly requested to have the vermicelli substituted with pho. Ever since I have my debut with this dish at Kimlee's, I fell in love with it. It's rich in flavors as well as ingredients (extra proteins and cabbage). I don't think I would ever go back to plain pho noodle soup. Now I do feel Kimlee's rendition of this dish has more kicks than Pho La Vie's. But still, I totally enjoyed it.

L9 - Crispy egg noodle with seafood and vegetable ($10.95). This was the first time we tried. Not sure if this is a real Vietnamese dish or a fusion; but it's like the Chinese pan fried noodle, one of my favorite Chinese dishes. It's not quite as nice as the pan fried noodle, but still OK. It surely was messy to eat. The plate was too small to mix the crispy noodle with the seafood and sauce. The manager had to give us extra plate so we can successfully mix it up.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this delightful place to dine. It's a bit out of the way for me, but I would definitely find every...

In short: robust portions, amazing flavor, and quality across the board. Good enough to rock our top Vietnamese restaurant's position as #1 on our roster.

We grabbed takeout when we were passing through, as our regular go-to Vietnamese restaurant (Pho Viet in Danville) is temporarily closed. Pho La Vie more than made up for it!!!!

We had La Vie's Special Bún (standouts in this dish include the fried shrimp paste and the fantastic drizzling sauce- I think a type of nước chấm? I may be wrong on the name), and the cơm chiên dương châu (fried rice with pork sausage and bbq pork- a sweet-savory-meaty-smoky delicacy that is just as good as its description sounds).

Finally, we grabbed a Vietnamese iced coffee that tasted sweet (but not too sweet) and was magically not watered down by the ice. 10/10, please grab one as a pick-me-up or dessert- it won't disappoint.

Thank you Pho La Vie!! It was a pleasure, and we'll see you...

Hidden gem! Spring rolls (clear wrapper)were light and flavorful with a sauce that hit it out of the park. Pork Bahn mi seasoned well and bread was a great balance of crispy on the outside and soft inside. Veg slaw brought a bright note to round out the flavors. Steak and brisket pho soup was so satisfying with lots of complimenting flavors - beef broth with ginger, fresh Thai basil, spouts and fresh slices of jalapenos (if you like it spicy). Plenty of noodles with the right texture - not too hard or too soft. Small size was perfect but if you're hungry, the large bowl is also an option. The special crispy rice noodle with beef (L6) was also a winner. The crispy noodles soaked in the sauce was the star of the dish - synonymous with steak fries and gravy!Fresh food with fast, friendly service. Best meal in 2 years visiting our son at Penn State. Definitely recommend and will be...