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Pho Central
Category: Restaurants Vietnamese Vietnamese [Edit]
1118 Davie StVancouver, BC V6E
Neighbourhood: West End
(604) 669-8638
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11 am - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 11 am - 11 pm
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
37 reviews for Pho Central
Review Highlights
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"The ice coffee is amazing and there spring rolls to die for." In 9 reviews -
"...a side of sprouts and fresh Thai Basil and wedges of lime." In 3 reviews -
"You get tons of bean sprouts, cilantro and lime." In 4 reviews
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37 reviews in English
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Review from Chepdao N.
5/24/2012
I was in town for 10 days and stayed at a hotel on Davie St., walked by this place and it screamed good "feng shui" for authentic Vietnamese food.
I'm so glad this place was close to me as I probably ended up going there 3 or 4 times. The Pho noodles, both fresh and fried rolls, and a few other dishes I had were all really good and fresh.
Pricing was not bad but could have been cheaper considering the decor, really tight space. and friendly but erratic service. The location on Davie probably makes the rent higher? (I don't live in Vancouver.) I suspect language barrier issues with the wait staff...many times the customers next to me had problems with what they ordered due to misunderstanding or errors. So make sure you point to the items on the menu and order by the numbers to avoid this problem.
Tasty, fairly authentic and relatively inexpensive Vietnamese food on Davie. The menu is somewhat limited but they excel on what they offer...I'm a fan! -
Review from Anna P.
Vancouver, BC
5/5/2012
This is literally a hole in the wall joint, but the pho is so ridiculously good it's worth the tight squeeze. About $7 for a large bowl of pho, with beef brisket.
Only bad thing: You'll walk out of there smelling like pho all day. -
Review from Stephene C.
Vancouver, BC
4/16/2012 1 Check-in Here
After eating a fairly high fat and protein diet for breakfast yesterday, I wasn't feeling so great, so for dinner I was set on eating a salad. I had told my friend who I met for dinner that all I wanted to eat was some greens and veggies. After a tiring day of shopping, we had no idea where to go. While walking along Davie st my friend had suggested this Vietnamese place, because they have great salad bowls. I was all for it.
This place is definitely a hole in the wall. You have to walk through a hot kitchen with burning stove fires to get to the bathroom, and the floors are laden with cardboard boxes, I assume to catch all the grease from cooking. I almost slipped walking back to my table. Word of caution, definitely watch your step if you are brave enough to use the little girls room, don't want to slip and catch a hand on a burning stove.
The prices here are insanely cheap and affordable and serving sizes very large. When my "salad bowl" arrived, it wasn't what I expected. I was thinking of something fresh and light, but what was before me was a bowl of carboliciousness (vermicelli) topped with sauteed beef, sprouts and a myriad of other ingredients and flavors. It was delicious, although it did make me feel like more crap but that definitely isn't the restaurants fault. I should have read the description before I ordered.
Overall, not a bad experience, other than almost falling on my butt...but I would venture back again.
St3Fin -
Review from Kathleen L.
Vancouver, BC
3/29/2012
I'm super stoked on this joint. I was informed by a stranger that this is the best pho in Vancouver. I think she may have been correct. super super tasty broth and good quality meat. My eating companion loved the spicy noodle soup.
The service was great.
They just needs a little window cleaning to help out with the window people watching.
I honestly can't wait to go back. -
Review from Natalie M.
Vancouver, BC
4/4/2012
I loved this place. It was delicious, the service was very friendly, and the food was quick, and who doesn't want Vietnamese right next door?
However, I haven't been back after the one time I got take out, and my chicken was completely pink on the inside. Like, not cooked properly pink. I haven't been able to go back since. -
Review from Meana k.
1/26/2012
A friend at work introduced me to this place after hearing me pining for some good pho. I am thrilled to have a new place to throw into the lunch rotation.
Initial thoughts:
Service is actually great. I've never had attentive and friendly service like this at a pho place. That was a plus.
Good pho options plus a lot of other stuff ranging from vietnamese rolls to sandwiches to lemongrass chicken. But really, I was only there for the pho.
So how about the pho? There is a good variety including seafood, although I stick to the beef typically. The noodles are great. The broth is delicious. The rare beef (tai) is great, the meatballs (bo vien) are tasty although many people don't like the texture.
I will say, the Thai basil isn't as fresh as I'd like to see it, but overall the sprouts are good. Not enough peppers for my liking!
I can't wait to come back and have the vietnamese iced coffee which is an absolute must, but I had little time on my first visit.
Tip: If you order the House Special, please note it's going to include tendon and tripe which is fine by me but some people get skeeved about this. They don't disclose this on the menu and they don't do a clear job of letting you know when you ask, unless you specifically ask if it includes tendon and tripe. Oh, yes. All the parts of the beef. -
Review from Kenneth E.
Vancouver, BC
2/10/2012 2 Check-ins Here
After enjoying so many good ones along Kingsway, PC just doesn't cut it. Maybe it was late night and all, but the soup base wasn't as good as I expected, had suspected they were Vietnamese owned.
Nevertheless, it did hit the right spot, at this time of nite, and in DT, it's not bad. Wouldn't make me running back anytime soon, just have to be in the mood for pho.
And price-wise, it's a bit more but it's DT so... -
Review from Charly S.
11/18/2011
Came for the soup not the dining room or ambiance and we were not disappointed. It was a busy evening, but we did find one table right away. There were quite a few people getting take out, usually 4-5 the entire time we were there. This place would not be good for groups of more than 3, seating is very limited.
Service was very quick and helpful, no problem with spring rolls arriving late, they were there ahead of the soup. One of us had the 15e, rare beef and meatballs and one of us had the shredded chicken. We found the spring rolls to be good but average. The soups were both terrific,very nice but different broths with lots of sprouts, thai basil, jalapenos and limes on the side. The shredded chicken has fried garlic and chives, which are very good.
Will definitely be back here, a great place for a quick, filling meal and only $19 for two soups and spring rolls. -
Review from Joshua N.
9/9/2011
Delicious pho, incredibly friendly staff, quick service, and clean clean clean. It was 8pm when we got there, still crowded from the dinner rush, and all of the nozzles on all of the sauce bottles were perfectly clean. My rare beef and meatballs pho was 6.95 before tax, and it was a decently sized bowl of soup, so good value there. For two people, tax and tip included, we spent $17 and were stuffed.
However. If you want what used to be the "house special" in every pho place in town, but is now considered some kind of expensive delicacy, i.e. tripe and/or tendon, you have to pay $2.25 extra. I'm sorry, but I can't understand how there can be any kind of tendon shortage that would merit this much of an extra charge. Don't soft tissue meats follow the laws of supply and demand? I mean, if there's a dead cow somewhere, and you can make meatballs out of it, you can also get some delicious organs to put in my Vietnamese soup. Unless there's a global tendon cartel out there, $2.25 is an extortionate surcharge. Unfortunately, I think we're seeing this in more and more pho places. Hence the 3 stars rather than 4, which I would otherwise gladly give this place. -
Review from Emily-Anne P.
Vancouver, BC
9/21/2011 1 Check-in Here
So I was going to give this place three stars, because we really enjoyed our Pho. It was fresh, the meat tasted good, the service was fast, the place seemed clean, however.....we both felt really sick about an hour later.
My colleague and I couldn't be sure the food from there made us feel ill (not food poisoning, but too much sodium/processed food kinda sick).
That having been said, we loved our Pho. I had the rare beef pho and it was good, the noodles were well cooked but not over cooked, the broth was salty but not over the top, the meat was on the thicker side but was still quite good.
We had the springrolls too which were a little too intense for me. They were deep fried and a little over the top. But they were still good.
I'd say check it out, but if your stomach hurts a few hours later let me know. -
Review from Cody B.
Vancouver, BC
6/28/2011
Awesome veggy noodle soup. Simple Pho style made with veggy broth. Many of the Pho places I go to only have pork broth, and this was the first I found which offered an alternative.
They have several vegetarian rolls and other items on the menu as well. The soup broth had a lot of flavour in it, and comes with tofu. All of the veggies and tofu were cook very well.
I recommended this place a few times with many of my friends. The price is extremely good for what you get as well.Listed in: Best Veggy Ramen or (other)…
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Review from Curtis H.
Vancouver, BC
7/26/2011
By far, one of the best Pho places in town.. only reason I didn't give it 5 stars, is because of it's rundown "dining room" and wierd wierd bathroom setup. The staff is ALWAYS super friendly, and thefood is great.
The salad rolls are always packed with more meat than noodles (which makes them more of a small meal than an appy), and the wonton soup is delicious. Its always busy in here, and for good reason. Go in the late afternooon to avoid lunch rush crowdsm and try to get a table beside the window. Best people watching spot! prices are VERY affordable, and always delicious. -
Review from M M.
Vancouver, BC
7/10/2011
A friend introduced me to this place when I was feeling under the weather.
Now all I want when I'm sick is the number 20 ( Shredded Chicken Noodle Soup). I get it dry-style (soup on the side, in case you didn't know what that means) and extra chicken for a couple extra bucks. The broth is so flavourful and the ingredients are so fresh. You get tons of bean sprouts, cilantro and lime. I think the takeout size is slightly bigger than what you get when you eat in, FYI. I've had enough for 2 meals.
I don't usually like spring rolls, but theirs is MOUTHWATERING. I love their salad rolls as well.
Their iced coffee with condensed milk, OH MY GAWDUHH. YUM.
I've taken my sister and mom here, they both loved it. My friend MMMM!'d during our entire meal.
The service is a little slow sometimes, but considering that they work 12-14 hour days everyday, we could cut them a little slack. All the servers are very sweet and even cute if they forget something.
It does get a little cramped because the place IS small (but they added 2 more tables last year, holla!) and sometimes there are lineups out the door and the people waiting to sit are giving you looks for you to hurry the hell up as you're trying to finish your soup. Whatever, meng.
It does look a little shady from the outside but at least it's clean. Even if there aren't decorations on the walls (or is there? I forget) they make up for it with a damn good bowl of soup.
Hopefully one day they'll expand. But if you're looking for a nice lunch under $10, here's where to go! -
Review from Alex F.
Vancouver, BC
1/19/2012
I get the vegetarian noodle bowl at least once a week. So tasty, very cheap, and ready in 10 min. Staff is super friendly and helpful. Such a good place.
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Review from Stunning Steve J.
Vancouver, BC
3/25/2011
waking up is hard and feeling hungover make it just a little harder too! Here is a great remedy to get that sloppy feeling......one pho with rare beef and balls. Very yummy and they have sweet and chili sauce on each table for your liking.
The prices on each item is very reasonable or just plain cheap for what you are getting. I would say the atmosphere is on the frugal side but if you are paying under $8 for a good dish on crowded Davie street, I think you are doing alright.
If you like curry then check out their curry chicken pho which is unique and you just can't seem to get it anywhere but there.
The ice coffee is amazing and there spring rolls to die for. I have been there over 50 times and somehow it is not going to end. If you like pho this is the place to go! -
Review from Hideki B.
Vancouver, BC
7/25/2011
I went to Pho Central with my girlfriend as we live close by and are always looking for some good eats nearby. We weren't fazed by the lack of decor but the general sense of uncleanliness made us a little hesitant but for pho we were willing to still give it a shot. Unfortunately, the food was disappointing and combined with the sanitation concerns we will not be going back.
To be fair though, we both got pho (rare beef and beef balls) so haven't tried the rice dishes or sandwiches. But the broth was too salty and didn't have a full beef flavouring that you would expect but was quite greasy and for us, it's all about the broth. -
Review from Kas D.
Vancouver, BC
4/12/2011
I would probably give this place a 3.5. I went for the second time yesterday and had a pretty enjoyable experience. I ordered the 27e which gave me a huge amount of food (veggies, vermicelli, spring roll, lemongrass chicken) for under $7. Steal. I also split the "veggie noodle soup" which was basically a veg version of the Pho. I had ordered the Pho with beef balls last time and it scared me. That being said, I'm not a very adventurous meat eater and can easily be turned off of meat if it's not the right texture or looks unappetizing. The veg noodle soup was very tasty and really hit the spot.
Overall, the food is good and the price is great. Definitely worth a try if you're craving some Vietnamese cuisine. -
Review from Thu N.
9/12/2010
I finally listened to all the rave reviews of my friend for the hole in the wall on Davie called Pho Central and came here for lunch. I've been told that the pho here rivals some of my favourite places in East Van but we both ordered the Chicken vermicelli "salad" with spring rolls.
I love being able to see the whole kitchen and that the staff was actually Vietnamese! The food came out quick and it was actually really tasty! The sauce was a little too runny but that's my only complaint ! I ate the whole bowl happily. The menu here has so many things I'd like to come back and try.
I'm pretty happy that there is a downtown Vietnamese food place that's cheap and good, I'll be back! -
Review from Kelvin L.
Vancouver, BC
4/19/2011
Have eaten here multiple times, take out and eat in. Mostly get the pho as well as the dry vermicelli. Pho tastes amazing, the soup is delectable. Wish they gave more meat and noodles sometimes.
My favourite dish that got me hooked, that I no longer order (unfortuneately) was a beef stew that they serve with a baguette. I also had it in noodle form.. However, I don't think its that popular and so it tastes watered down from previous stock. They also give less of the brisket in it.
All in all great taste, portions, for a great price!!!
Wait staff are friendly and prompt. Very nice people. Wish they had a bigger unit!
Also their salad rolls are delectable. and the spring rolls. However , all to often they come after the meal. At least you know they are fresh! -
Review from Marc D.
Vancouver, BC
4/17/2009
As I have said before, there is a magic line in Vancouver. Some call it the divide between Vancouver East and Vancouver West. I call it the decent Vietnamese food divide. So once again with trepidation and a thought of, "I know better than this" I wandered into the newish Pho Central hoping to break through the magic line and find a pearl of a pho house west of the line.
Service was very welcoming and friendly throughout the visit. Good start!
Looking over the menu the first thing that stuck out was the pho was only available in 1 size, but priced just slightly higher than a large east of the line. So far, ok. Looking a little more closely at the options if you wanted tendon or tripe you had to add an additional surcharge of something like $2.25 or so. WTF?!?!??!
Well, at least they have brought tendon and tripe west of the line. I guess they had to pay protection money to the tendon and tripe police to smuggle it west and are just passing the cost along? I can picture the border checks as you drive from Vancouver East to Vancouver West where they search your car and say, "Ah ha! I see you are carrying tendon. You thought you could get this past the line?!?!?!?!?! Pay up."
Never being a fan of the speakeasy, I just ordered the rare beef and brisket pho.
The basil and sprouts had seen better days. The lime and chili were plentiful. The noodles themselves were a big clump on the bottom that were very difficult to separate. Hm.....Not so good...
On the bright side, I do have to say the beef was of decent quality, and the rare beef was not completely cooked (I like it close to raw so I can cook it in the soup just barely and enjoy it really rare, so this was promising). I like it to come even a little rarer, but for being west of the line this was a good job.
The broth itself was decent, but a little greasier than I normally like it.
Honestly if I got this pho east of the magic line I would definitely not return. So I'm left with the debate of if I should ever eat pho west of the line. I'm leaning towards no.Listed in: Vanoodle, Vancouver Vietnamese/Cambodian…
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Review from Mary A. W.
Vancouver, BC
11/30/2010
Four-star pho...for the area. Kingsway and East Hastings have my absolute fave places. But for downtown, it doesn't get better.
I ususally get 27e: 2 lemongrass chicken skewers (with skewers removed!) and rice paper spring roll on a bed of vermecelli, salad, pickled veggies, and fresh bean sprouts. I love that it's not all noodle, but a generous portion of protein and lots of beansprouts. I always get extra fish based sauce to pour over top. YUM.
I've seen delicious steaming bowls of soup come from that kitchen too.
They're really friendly. Have messed up a takeout order once, but next time I walked in and reminded them. I got the omitted item for free.
go in, warm your body and heart. -
Review from Rachael T.
Toronto, ON
8/21/2009
From the outside, this place looks shady.. and kind of dirty.. the decal on the front glass seems to be peeling off and you have no idea what you're going to expect inside... but I was wrong. The inside is clean and well lit, but no washroom in sight so I didn't even bother asking.
We sat down and water was brought prompty. I couldn't decide between the vermicelli or pho - my friend had tried the vermicelli before - portions were big too and my mouth was watering watching the others eat... but I decided to go for pho with brisket and raw beef.
For $6.95, I had a large bowl with nicely textured noodles, lots of bean sprouts and a satisfied tummy. We got an order of springrolls too - eat them while they're hot because thats when they taste the best..... way deep fried but it's spring rolls right.
Our waters were filled all the time and the people were really nice. It seemed like there were a lot of regulars so I guess others are happy with it too. -
Review from geraldine g.
Toronto, ON
4/12/2009 1 photo
A new addition to the Westend.
It's a small venue with only a few tables to sit and enjoy their food. Great for take-aways in that respect.
I must say, the customer service here is wonderful. Perhaps because it's so small but I genuinely enjoy going. They aren't pushy or ignore the people that walk in. It's a very comfy space.
Quite good pho if you are interested in it.
I had the vermicelli with lemongrass chicken and springrolls. I felt the rolls were undercooked but the chicken was very tasty.
Chicken in curry sauce had a wee bit of a kick but also quite good.
I must say, if you are a fan of lemongrass, they offer a plethora for you to choose from.
inexpensive and filling. can't go wrong. -
Review from Curtis B.
Vancouver, BC
8/3/2010
This Pho place is alright. OK if you're in the neighbourhood and just want something fast.
We had Pho, fried chicken and spring rolls. The pho was good but the fried chicken was very greasy and had a hair in it. The spring rolls took forever to come out which I thought was strange.
The wait staff took back the chicken and made a new one (I hope) and refilled water attentively.
I don't think I will be going back because there are many better options for Pho in the city. -
Review from Yi C.
Vancouver, BC
7/18/2011
One of the better pho places around the area, and the price is very good! The pho soup is very flavorful! If you are looking for a good Pho (not like many places here in Van where the pho soup is sooooo flavorless). Worth every penny. However it is a very small place, so keep that in mind
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Review from Jenny l.
Vancouver, BC
5/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
I love the salad bowls at this place. I got the 27A beef salad bowl. Crunchy peanuts combined with savory seasoned beef, and spring rolls on veggies and vermicelli. I have a major crisis everytime I'm here, cause the salad bowls are so good but the Pho is also really good and flavorful. However, the closet size locale, lack of seating, and questionable cleanliness is kind of a dealbreaker. Waiting for seats and sitting in the dingy ambience causes me to only want to stop for a quick bite if I'm guaranteed a seat. The prices are good though!
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Review from Alice A.
Updated - 2/2/2011
Left work with a massive headache and a growling stomach. As if locked onto a homing device, my legs carried me straight to Pho Central where I had a hot comforting bowl of beef and brisket Vietnamese noodles soup. I emptied all the side vegetables into my broth - crunchy bean sprouts, large slices of green chili and fragrant Thai basil, and squirted a mix of red and black condiments on the plate. Fifteen minutes later, I felt so much better. Light yet filling, oh so scrumptious. Well worth 8 bucks.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/21/2010
This is one of those places I hesitate to review, mostly because it feels like insider news, a place… Read more »
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Review from Ryan G.
Richmond, BC
11/28/2011
This place reminds me of south east Asia. Small shop, good food, cheap.
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Review from Skye N.
Vancouver, BC
10/6/2010
Delicious pho, a popular destination for an affordable hot bowl on a cold day with friends. I rarely leave any broth left in the bowl. What else do you need? Sure it's not fancy, but us people that live downtown need hole-in-the-wall eateries too, and there's plenty of other date spots on Davie.
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Review from Francois P.
Vancouver, BC
3/15/2011
Here again as we could not resist this great gem in Davies Village. 2 rare beef noodle soups. The broth is very flavorful and can be spiced with the generous amounts of slivered hot chili peppers. Yum
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Review from J N.
Vancouver, BC
9/2/2010
The bad:
From the outside, this place looks cheap--someone here said it: more like a dump than a restaurant. The inside aren't that much better.
The good:
The food are excellent. If you want a cheap Vietnamese restaurant downtown Vancouver, this is it. The food--esp. thenoodle soup broth--are tasty. The portion are very generous. And the price are very inexpensive. You can get stuffed for under 10 bucks. Whenever I'm in downtown and have a craving for Vietnamese food, I always come here. This is the only place for Pho in downtown Vancouver. You'll be disappointed elsewhere.
The service are decent. The waiting staff is friendly. Can't say much more because there are only a few tables. At least, you won't have to deal with waitresses or owner's PMS at you here. -
Review from Doug M.
Victoria, BC
3/17/2010
I have to say that from outside this place looks shady. And even when you walk in it looks like a dump. However the service is quick and the menu is bloody amazing. I love my pho on hangover days. And this place is the spot. Maybe see ya there on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon!!
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Review from Leo T.
12/3/2010
Came here for lunch on a weekend, and ordered the Pho with Beef Brisket as usual when I go to any Viet restaurant (gotta have a benchmark, righ?) Wasn't a big fan because the beef didn't taste right, and there were a very small serving of the pho in the bowl. The soup was okay so that salvaged the whole meal slightly. Definitely a place you can stop by for a quick meal, but nothing out of the ordinary.
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Review from Steven S.
4/28/2010
No surprise that Pho is one of my favorite food in the world, I have eaten it extensively in Vietnam and all over the world where it has appeared. Always on the look out for a new Pho outlet this week my friend and I wandered into Pho Central, located in a small non nondescript kinda meh looking place on Davie St, Pho Central is more of food stall kind of place than a actually restaurant.
My friend has never had Pho because of her fear of tripe, tendons , meat of questionable providence and other bits. She had the curried chicken noodle soup which I must admit was worth the trip right there, wow it was good. I had a traditional beef balls, rare beef Pho. The tripe & tendons are a add on which i found odd and when I ordered them they were out of tendon, damn... i love tendon but he gave me a huge amount of tripe so my tummy was happy with tummy.
The broth was good, the beef nice and rare and cooked quickly in the Pho. the beef balls, well kinda like spam to be honest. My big complaint was that there were not alot of noodles in my Pho. Maybe they were short on them too.
A guest at another table ordered a sandwich only to find out the had no bread either. The iced coffee over cream is a must, I repeat a must so nice.
I will go back as it is pretty good Pho and I want to see if the noodle shortage and bread thing was a fluke, a it was packed and to survive on Davie they have to be doing something right. -
Review from Howard P.
Vancouver, BC
1/4/2011
Hands down the best Vietnamese food downtown. Good Pho and other dishes like rice dishes, vermicelli dishes, and sandwiches.
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Review from Andy K.
Vancouver, BC
5/30/2010
I went in hoping for good food, but was let down. The service was good. The salad rolls were large and tasty but the peanut sauce was only so so. The Pho I had was very spicy (perhaps too spicy) and the meat was fatty and tough. I really want to only write good reviews... but I just couldn't this time.
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Review from Laura G.
Vancouver, BC
5/27/2009
I use to be Pho -Bic about Pho places. As an ex vegetarian I still have a lot of meat phobias. Vietnamese food is fresh and simple and they use all parts of the animal that I find scary.
Pho Central has friendly attentive service. I think they are family run and this is good honest family recipes. The broth they use for their PHO SOUP is delicious you can taste the star anise and cinnamon. Beef and pork dishes outstanding, lots of lemongrass. Everything comes with a side of sprouts and fresh Thai Basil and wedges of lime. You will get a cup of green tea to wash it down. You can also do the Pho dry style with the broth on the side. Highlights for me were the Thai Basil, Green Tea, Vermicelli Noodles, spring rolls with the dark sweet soy, hot sauces at the table, fresh jalapenos and lime with your dish, beef thinly sliced. Everything tasted clean and fresh. I want to eat like this all the time. I went two days in a row and they recognized me. Comments I overheard from other patrons were positive. I hope Pho Central remains a neighbourhood staple for a long time.
