Yoonique Phở & Grill — Restaurant in Portland

One of the best broth experiences I’ve had in ages, hands down! I mean, I’ve gotten down in the weeds in a lotta Pho places. It’s a passion for me and I’ve had a lot of disappointments, places that left me with a little piece of my heart lonely and bruised. Places that only filled your stomach, but didn’t fill anything else, your imagination, or your spirit, or your heart… In every single place there is that crucial moment where you taste the broth and you know. You know whether it’s right. Whether you’re screwed. Or whether it’s gold.

Yoonique Phở & Grill hit it right on so many levels, not just the absolute best broth imaginable, the atmosphere was charming, the staff was friendly and welcoming, the presentation, was beautiful, the place was spotless. But let us discuss the beef stew for a bit. I always try and stop for a moment and gather myself. Pay attention to that first sip. See if I need anything. Yoonique has the full condiment tray which I deeply appreciate, I often like to tweak my broth a bit. So that first sip is important.

It’s amazing. Deep, slightly sweet, umami, rich, a little bite… I’ll add a touch of red oil to it, that’s personal choice, but it’s incredible, just as it is. The beef is falling apart but still has integrity the carrots firm, the noodles plentiful, the broth piping hot, the color profound. It’s one of the most beautiful looking bowls I’ve seen. That’s important.

The shrimp salad rolls were elegant festive examples of the art form and the peanut sauce was perfection, not too sweet. They were huge, so I took two home to the wife and she too was thrilled. Again presentation was a delight. Someone has spent a lot time and effort here thinking this out. The decor is charming, the food is beautiful, the logo is well thought out, in fact, even the bathroom is spotless. It is a destination. A date night. A place for an important meeting. A regular haunt. A favorite spot. I was impressed and I’ll tell you I’m not all that easy to impress.

I’m getting old and sometimes I feel a little like the tin man in the Wizard of Oz. I get creaky and stiff and my joints stop working. Then I think, I need those old fashioned oil cans that make that doink doink noise as they lubricate my aging body. And you know what I want in those cans? Broth...

I had a fantastic experience at Yoonique Phở & Grill! The pho was outstanding, with an overabundance of meat—something you don’t see often. They definitely don’t skimp on portions, making the meal feel like a great value for the price. Speaking of which, the prices were very reasonable, especially considering the generous serving sizes.

The interior of the restaurant was well-laid-out, which honestly surprised me given the neighborhood. It had a clean, inviting atmosphere that made the dining experience even more enjoyable. The service was also top-notch—attentive, friendly, and efficient.

Perhaps the biggest testament to the quality of the food is that even my picky wife enjoyed it! That alone speaks volumes. If you’re looking for delicious pho, great service, and fair prices, Yoonique Phở & Grill is definitely worth a visit.

Update to Our Review:

We returned to the restaurant and, as always, the food was excellent. This time, we tried the seafood fried rice, which unfortunately wasn’t a hit—it just didn’t land well for us. On the brighter side, the fresh lychee tea was superb: light, refreshing, and full of flavor. We also had the Thai iced tea, which, as always, was solid and enjoyable.

Still one of our go-to spots, and we’ll definitely be back—just not for the seafood fried...

Hair found in 3 of 4 dishes bought at 2 different occasions.

My wife and I were happy to try this newish place instead of having to go all the way to 82nd for Vietnamese. The decor inside is sweet and staff super friendly. But both of us found short black hair in our dishes. Not just one. Afterwards I called up to let them know that this happened, we wished them success. Unexpectedly we were given a discount for a return which was nice of them.

I came back after a month for some take out. Back home we found there's hair in our food. Again (!), same short black hair. And not just one. Nothing's changed. Sadly, we couldn't finish the food. The food is nice enough but we don't want to be consistently picking out someone's hair from our noodles and soups. And we'd love to dine there and take friends and family when visiting but we can't face the embarrassment of having our visitors go through picking out hair from their noodles and rolls.

I feel like a simple course correction would have helped - the cook wearing a hair net. But I did not see that happening on my 2nd visit. So it's a shame. But I'm glad other people are having a good experience. The waiting staff there are lovely, just a little more pro-active problem solving rather than reactive discount offering would have been...