Pho 79 Charleston — Restaurant in North Charleston

Picture from Mar 20 2024: lunch Pho Chay which contains sliced carrots, mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli, white onions, green onions & chopped cilantro topping. My fault for assuming there would be tofu slices - but that might not cater to everyone's taste, so I'll ask next time if it's possible to add tofu.

Picture from Mar 2 2024: Saturday lunch had the weekend special Hu Tieu Mi (forgot the rest of the Viet words): which essentially included fried garlic, chives, garlicky clear broth, pork?+shrimp wonton dumplings, large tail-on shrimp, tender char siu pork slices, and tender beef bone-in meat chunks (idk specific name). An amazing aromatic noodle soup!!! I think I love it even more than pho!! My friend was so impressed that he was even willing to go again Sunday to have a bowl haha. Same price as the phos on the menu but way more portion!! What a deal!! Lotsa protein added and 2 different noodles (thin round egg noodles and flat rice pho noodles). I wish I was in nchs on the weekends more to eat their special often!!

-- Tip: They have started having weekend (sat/sun) specials (2-3 items) plus dessert (made by the lovely wife who enjoys making desserts (and sells them (vietnamese cake) too if you ask!)). For example, one weekend they offered Hu Tieu Nam Vang; not on their printed menu.

Tip: You can ask to have the pho rare meat on a side plate for you to cook it the amount you desire. I do this to get the most tender meat.

Tip: You can ask for no black pepper in your pho. You can also ask for a smaller portion if the large is too much for you - but that just means you get leftovers for ya next meal ya know?

Tip: Either pay at the end of your meal at the right side of the counter, or one of the owners (husband/wife duo) will come to your table with clover pay device if you request them (or look done eating).

Tip: If you want your bun bo hue spicier, add the chilis and chili paste from the black sauce container provided (which also has nuoc mam aka shrimp paste) and/or add jalapenos from the provided veggies plate. The broth alone does not pack a punch; which is great for my love of the broth and thick round noodles but can't do spicy - although I knowwww the dish traditionally should be spicy. My parents can't have spicy foods anymore so they've cooked bun bo hue non-spicy too. W/ spicy paste as an add-on for others.

Tio: be kind and have patience for the limited seating available. No different than waiting 1 hour for Texas Roadhouse.

Tip: They are on DoorDash now.

Tip: They do catering / party platters if you ask for prices/quantity.

Tip: The owners will remedy any misunderstandings, mishaps, or mistakes done to orders. So, please don't take it out on them. For they will have offered ways to make it up to you. Don't hold grudges. Juggling multiple orders and tough tasks in a restaurant is a balance that should be commended.

This is my parents and my friends favorite Pho restaurant in all of Charleston. The owners make me feel at home, when I'm miles from my hometown, and the food is just as comforting. I wish the owners all the best because I wish to see their hard work and kindness rewarded! It especially makes me feel warm when I notice small things in the restaurant being upgraded/changed. From the soda cans to bottles, addtl non-soda options, upgraded napkin dispensers, new patio heater, mini water bottles to water pitchers, new decor, new specials chalkboard signage; all signs of learning, growth, efficiency, and progress :)

I'll keep adding pictures of my orders to this review as I continue visiting in the future.

Also, a reviewer long time ago gave a bad rating bc they couldnt even enter/try the restaurant bc of the panhandlers in the parking lot... If you've been to Dragon Court in Charlotte, NC, then this parking lot will feel no different. Yea, it's not the cleanest, richest, most modern shopping plaza. But in the past 10x I've gone, I've fortunately not gone through such an experience; I park right outside the restaurant... So don't knock it...

I will start by saying that I really do not like that 5 stars is seen as good and anything under that seems like a negative thing. I think 5 stars should be exemplary, 4 pretty good, 3 average etc.

This is a 5 star experience based on my criteria. I have had every bowl of Pho available in the greater Charleston area except for a new one in Goose Creek. This is hands down the best Pho and no one is even close, there is a gap such as this is 1st and then the next is maybe 3.5-4 on the list. The depth of flavor of the broth straight from the kitchen before changing anything to your liking is phenomenal.

I had the rare beef and flank today, I will be back for the tendon asap because it was so good and that is usually my favorite but probably not most people's first choice so I usually try the more basic version first. The flank is incredible, the rare beef a decent bit above average for our area options. They also snuck in some brisket pieces that were quite good. The portion is one of if not the largest in town. They bring the usual side additions of Thai basil, bean sprouts, lime, etc. I will say the potion on the bean sprouts is a little bit smaller than some other offerings, I will not deduct points for that. They have the usual options at the table of Hoisin and Sriracha, and some bonus chili crisp!

The service when I first walked in was very kind and inviting, quick delivery of orders to everyone I saw come in during my visit, and they bring you a self service water pitcher so you do not have to wait on a refill. The only sad thing to say here is that you shouldn't waste room on the water so you can finish the broth!

I will move to 4 stars on atmosphere. It is a no frills smaller space. I like that the quality of the meal is the focus instead of limiting seating availability with some overdone decor trying to distract you. I can see how some people might initially be put off by this aesthetic choice, but usually some of the best meals are found in places like this. This is why I will rate it slightly below 5 stars to hopefully temper others expectations.

The bowl of one or two meat options are just shy of $17 after tax. I know how much care has to go in to long cooked broths for even a decent one, this broth is made with a passion and focus on quality that more than justifies what is about average cost in our area for a bowl of Pho. (don't tell them I would pay a few dollars more for how good it is!!) I have yet to try other topping options but the two I have so far were mentioned above and I find them to be some of the best quality in the area.

I HIGHLY recommend stopping in next time you are in the area, I would almost wager you may make it a destination spot even if you are halfway across town when the craving arises. I say almost because I will be saving my wager money to make sure I can have more...

Found myself I'm Charleston today having Pho for dinner here at Pho 79 after having the absolute worst pho of my life in Savanah for breakfast today... check out that review and other Pho reviews.

So needless to say I was nervous because like Pho 79 that other place was highly rated as well.

I'll be honest... I don't trust the average Pho reviewer because they eat it a few times a year and usually from 1 or 2 places... I eat it a lot and have visited over 100 Pho restaurants in my life.

So whats the deal with Pho 79?

First let's start with the meat. It appeared to be pre cooked which I think is a no no when making Pho, but at least their meat was tender. Sliced rare red beef is the standard to shoot for. It should come to your table with at least 1 red piece of meat showing. So they failed here in that regard but like I said it wasn't chewy so maybe it's a wash there. There wasnt a lot of meat buy there wasnt a little either. Average amount.

2nd... noodles. Maybe slightly over cooked but I might be splitting hairs on that... noodles certainly were not mushy like many other places so it's a pass here.

Onions... decent amount. White and green used. Very good.

Portion size for price... $14.95 plus tax and bowl size was on the average side so my suggestion is that for $14.95 maybe consider filling the bowl 1/4 inch from the top instead for better value. They do offer size and noodle amount and meat amount upgrade but by then your well over $20 for a bowl of soup which seems silly but the economy is stupid right now.

Broth. It's flavorful BUT I think it was too heavy on the cloves. Much too strong. Maybe they could have balanced the pungent taste of Cloves with some more cinnamon... so overall the broth was good because it had flavor... it just was a one sided flavor and the broth lacked overall depth.

All in all I'll give it a 4/5 because I think it's shortcomings are easily corrected. If they take my advice they could really have some bragging rights in this town but as it stands their pho is not 5/5 Pho, and anyone who says differently is simply not thinking critically about Pho or they have no experience like I do with over 100 restaurants tried in North America over the last 20 years.

Service was good... whoever the women is has a fantastic demeanor and great smile so she's a plus for...