Mi La Cay — Restaurant in Wheaton

Pho La Cay is back - reopened Thursday 5/21/21 and we ate the next night. First time for us eating out as the pandemic starts to ease. Both fully vaccinated since mid-April. Thought we’d support an old favorite which struggled both from the gas explosion and the pandemic. First, it seems like a safe place to eat. Patrons were spread out, high ceilings and HVAC running full tilt the entire time we were there – so think I the air is adequately circulated and refreshed. All staff masked all the time.

Summer rolls were the appetizer – excellent with a good balance of the rice noodles, shrimp, roasted pork and lettuce. The dipping sauce was slightly different from what is typical for Vietnamese restaurants, tasting as if there was some additional herb or seasoning that created an improved flavor. For entrees, we each had combination dishes – hers with lemongrass beef, grilled pork and lemongrass chicken over rice noodles, bean sprouts and lettuce while mine was grilled pork, lemongrass chicken and grilled shrimp over rice. Each was excellent, both with regard to the seasonings and, perhaps more importantly, with the cooking of the meats. Every piece was cooked just enough and with a small amount of searing on the outside, but not too much as each bite was moist and tender inside. So many cooks can’t get this right.

The only drawback was that a number of dishes weren’t available yet. They have limited staffing so far and not enough cooks to cook a number of the special dishes – it was only the second night. Most things are available and we had delicious, excellently prepared items. We’ll just go back later for those other dishes. Show Pho La Cay some love!! And the interior is much more attractive than the other local Vietnamese...

What a hopping place! You know an Asian restaurant is good when it's full of Asian customers. I decided to stop here after a quick search for something that would satisfy my hunger and cravings: a giant bowl of pho. The restaurant is located on a tiny strip just off the street, with a small parking lot in front of it. I was lucky to find parking at 8pm on a Sunday. Anyways, you are greeted by the hosts when you enter, and there's a lot of seating inside. The place had a hip vibe to it. The decor was nice, the bar located right at the corner when you enter, and the staff is super friendly. I also have to mention the cleanliness of the place! Oh, and did I mention the friendliness of the staff? They never made you feel rushed to order or finish up, and always asked if everything was ok, and never let my cup of water sit below half-empty!

They have quite a few options in the menu for food, but of course, I ordered the beef pho (the one with tripe and all that because I love it so much). They give you the option of spicy or regular broth, which is different. I ordered regular and my cousins ordered the spicy. I tried a sip of theirs and the flavor profile is definitely different. It tastes more like a vegetable base, and honestly, it wasn't that spicy. We all actually preferred the regular broth and added the hot sauce that was on the table. Both broths were still very good, and full of flavor.

One more comment I'll add here is that the prices are great! The pho sits $1-2 cheaper than most places I go to, and yet is far tastier than others. I would have gladly paid the usual for this...

3.5 stars. I used to visit ages ago. It's been quite while cause I don't eat red meat. Family does though. Today, I thought we were getting takeout next door, but my dad said he wanted pho. So, got pho for the family. Got some chả giò too.

Soup was super hot in the quart containers but those containers can leak cause the lid can pop off. That's what happened on the way home. I was wondering why I could smell the broth so well in the car. A bit messy but thankfully it did not spill in the car. It was still piping hot so my parents were pleased. The noodles and condiments are packed separately. Which is great because the noodles don't get soggy. A large size is a very good portion. Enough to share.

Chả giò were tasty but I wish they used rice paper to roll them. Still good though. Needed some more lettuce and sauce though. I ordered 3 orders and it would've been nice to have enough sauce.

With just pho and chả giò, I still waited a long time for my order. Not sure if they had a large amount of other orders ahead, but when I placed my order, they had said 15 minutes. I waited closer to 30 minutes.

Might go back again next time I'm in Wheaton. Will probably work on finding a better spot...