Pho Van

I don't know how to explain this combination of noodles, partially cooked meat, raw bean sprouts and herbs. BUT! when you mix it all in the bowl, and wait maybe a minute to kinda "" cook it up "" this flavorful bowl of goodness is both satisfying and filling! more

We are die hard Vietnamese food lovers and this is one of our favorites! My wife always orders the beef noodle pho and I opt for their noodle bowls. The atmosphere is awesome and a romantic date spot. Their food has been the example which we have compared all others to. While it is a great dining experience, you can get comparable tasting food for less money at pho hung just down the street. The difference is the ambiance! Pros: Taste Cons: A bit pricey for their portions more

The ambiance is typical american pan asian - black gloss carved wooden structures and fishes. The food while cheap is average, not bad just unremarkable. Service was polite and average. If i lived in the area I would go back for take-out when I couldn't think of anything better. Pros: Average Cons: Average more

Super good pho. Great service and I think well priced. A huge bowl of pho for $7 is a great deal if you ask me. My husband and I both ate till we were full and spent less than $25. I will definitely go back. Pros: Good portions, great prices Cons: Bathroom could have been a bit cleaner. more

the only thing about this place is the service, ambiance and three color drink, everything else is overpriced and below par. my sister and i ordered a pho and some other dishes like salad and rice. starting with the pho, it was raw, which is expected, but the soup was cold! how can you possibly enjoy a good bowl of cold pho?\r the rice dish was good, but the meat was on the chewier side with LOTS of char marks all over. it was ""blackened"" above and beyond the norm for our tastes. \r the best thing was the three color dessert, but even that was super sweet. at nearly 4 dollars a cup, you are definitely not getting your money's worth. more

Food is very good!! I don't care much for ""some"" of the waitresses. I can think of maybe 2 waitresses that are very nice and on top of there jobs!! The other girls!! Forget about it!!! I'm lucky if I get a refill!! Or just to be checked on!! I feel like I am always flagging someone for more water or a refill on soda!!! My family has been going to pho van since they were off of Glisan on 82nd!! I have seen the positive and negative changes that the restaurant has endured!! I think that the restaurant is very clean and I like that they serve wine!! Not to many pho restaurants serve alcohol!! \r \r I was incredibly offended by one waitress about 2 years ago. I was about 8 months pregnat and I was a little selfconcious due to my pregnancy. As our waitress was about to seat us she took a few steps and then stopped and turned around, looking me up and down and asked very puzzled ""can you fit in a booth""??? I looked at her turning 10 shades of red ""Yes'!!!! Then she had the nerve to say ""well I didn't know""!! I just think she could have asked if I prefer a booth or table!! Or if she didn't think I could fit in a booth sit me at a damn table!!\r \r Why do I go back?? Food is very good!! Try the creme' brulee!! It is wonderful!! It is clean!! and It is worth the bad service!! Sorry to say!!! Pros: Food is great and the serve alcohol Cons: Very bad sevice!! slow, lucky to be checked on!! more

The service was extremly poor and seemed like only catered to the white people. I'm not a racial person but they were giving all the white people there better service. I was blown aways since i'm asian myself and I would never treat any customers differently. I would never go back there. I felt very alienated there. Would never recommended this place to any friends or family. There are so many other Pho places in portland that is cheaper and the food at ""Pho Van"" was not tasty. Very over priced and over rated. Cons: Poor service more

Let me Defend Pho Van against all the negativity by the ""ethnic pho eaters"". I keep hearing complaints about about the prices. Essentially it comes down to paying 1$ more for the price compared to other Pho Places in town. However, keep in mind the $1 difference one is paying for, in return you are getting a nice, clean atmosphere, adequate service, and consistent food without the ""THUMB SPECIAL"" (Food servers bring your pho bowl out with a thumb or two in your bowl, Pho Oregon is notorious for this). The other sour point from many reviewers is the poor service. I find the service adequate. Personally Vietnamese and Chinese restaurant's have a bad to adequate service in general, so any service is usually a plus. \r \r Personal Favorites:\r Best BUN MANG VIT in town (Duck with Bamboo Shoots)\r Best Egg Rolls in town Pros: Nice atmostphere, good food Cons: Entrees a dollar more compared to other Vietnamese Eateries more

Highly recommend the sugarcane shrimp hand rolls, and green papaya salad. I have always been satisfied and come home with lots of leftovers. On weekends I recommend early dinner (5-6 pm start) for best service and quick food. \r \r more

I just read the last review before me for this restaurant and I find it quite baffling. We can't possibly both be talking about Pho Van. I think this customer must be angry and dillusional. At any rate, I just wanted to say what a wonderful restaurant it is. Always good service, and fast. Also, the main courses are under $10 a piece. I feel like I am getting excellent food when I am there but am not paying an arm and a leg. The decor of the restaurant is also quite nice. more

Extremely distasteful service each and everytime I'm there. Servers are rude with extremely poor customer service. Unfortunately, what keeps drawing me back once in a great while when I can tolerate the prices and service are the excellent rice plates. Caucasion's are preferred there no doubt. Next time you're there, look around you and you'll notice native pho eater's are scarce. Prices are way too high. However, I will admit food is delicious and like no other. BUT, you can get tastier pho for a cheaper price without discrimination many other places in Portland. I recommend Pho Vietnam or Pho Hung. It's better to order to go should you need that rice plate from Pho Van. Pros: Vietnamese rice plates Cons: Service is slow and poor more

First off, great customer service. The waiter was prompt and polite and the food was good too. We had the Bun ga (honey lemon grass chicken) and Mi Văn (pork and shrimp noodle soup) with lotus tea and a mango black iced tea. All of it was great and it was in large portions, leaving plenty of left overs. The soup alone is enough to feed two people. I am defiantly coming here again and again. The waiter was so good at his job, I hardly knew he was there. At the same time, I had my drinks refilled fast and felt like we were well taken care of. Not only that. It was a good price also! Two entrees, two types of tea, and a side of rice all for under $20!\r \r I would take these over cheese burgers anyday. Pros: Delicious food with large portions , great customer service, and a good price. Cons: None. more

Really, I should have a frequent Pho card. I come here alone. I come here with friends. i come here whenever i can. I have probably eaten here 60 times. You would think i would have worked my way through their menu by now, but unfortunately I get stuck on favorites and order them again and again. Then eventually i try something else which then becomes my favorite. The current favorite for me is the Turmeric Noodles. It's a spicy soup, especially once you throw in all the jalapenos they give you on the side. It also contains shrimp, pork, and jicama - and peanuts on the top, as well as a couple of sesame shrimp crackers which are great for dipping. And what a bargain for $7.50. We have also ordered the green papaya and lotus salads and they are crunchy, exotic, and refreshing. My previous favorite was the Spicy Beef and Lemongrass Soup., full of noodles, beef, pork, Last time i was there, my friend ordered the grilled lemongrass beef, which was wrapped around grilled onions and served over vermicelli. It was also delicious. The service here is always gracious. the owners obviously take great pride in their restaurant. It is sparkling clean and beautifully decorated. Pros: Best Pho and gracious service for great prices more

I can't remember what I ate here, but both times it was something a little bit lemony and a big bit... more

I can't remember what I ate here, but both times it was something a little bit lemony and a big bit delicious. Must go back and order something els... more

I'm extremely dissapointed in the quality of service. Who would expect Pho Van to discriminate against their own ethnicity. Prompt seating is available to caucasians or if you bring a caucasian friend. However, would have to agree that their food is good and the atmosphere is quite nice. Perhaps Pho Van should employ non-asian staff to provide better service. Pros: good setting and food Cons: discrimination more

Pho Van was the first place I ever tried the infamous ""pho"", and since that faithul day back in 8th grade, I've been craving it ever since. I've been to every vietnamese resturant in the metro area here in Portland, some spectacular at a great price, and some terrible and over-priced. Pho Van has always held itself in the top tier of the pho around Portland, along with excellent service, a beautiful setting in which to dine, and some of the friendliest staff you can find. Since first eating there, I've been to every new resturant they have put out, while still being good, none compare to the 82nd Pho Van. They definetly deserve a hand. Pros: Great people, great service and amazing food. Cons: They have gotten a little lazy with their other resturants around town, not quite the same quality more

Pho Van on 82nd has become one of our favorite restaurants, period. My soon to be husband and I visit it often and we've taken other friends and family there many times and everyone simply loves it. The food is very fresh, well-flavored and served by very friendly, and polite staff. We've always had wonderful service and we love the authentic decor including the Vietnamese stringed instruments hung on the wall and the rickshaw and the motorbike! Recommended dishes from us would include: grilled shrimp, chicken or pork with rice noodles with delicious nuoc mam poured over it, Pho, spicy seafood soup (a real winner) , green papaya salad with shrimp chips, and yes, the avocado shakes and ginger-flavored creme brulee are a must and compliment the meals well. The prices are extremely reasonable. All in all, Pho Van is an excellent value and a very pleasant dining experience. Pros: all good more

My dining partner has been trying to get me to Pho Van on 82nd for months & I resisted because I tried some Pho at a restaurant on NW 23rd & it was gross. Finally she took me last week & I was so impressed I've been trying to get back there since. We had salad rolls and there was an interesting peanut sauce to go with it. At first I thought the sauce had an unpleasant bitterness to it. After a few more dips of the rolls in the sauce I found it to be a good combo of sweet and earthy that went well with the rolls. My dining partner had been telling me about the avacado shakes (which you can't get at the Hawthorne location) and again I thought eeewwww. But NO these shakes are a stupendous! A mellow flavor that is cool & creamy on the tounge and a perfect compliment/balance to the myriad of flavors in the pho. The soup is so very good! A combination of ginger, garlic, onion and goodness knows what else. I had the round steak in the basic pho. The meat was incredibly lean! A small bowl was huge and I couldn't even finish it. Truly the meal was just wonderful & I can't wait to get back there! Pros: The Food! Cons: N/A more

It's a great place for Vietnamese food. Salad rolls rock.\r \r They don't cater to Vegetarians. If you're reading this PhoVan please start offering more Vegetarian Friendly food!!\r \r Thanks. Pros: Delicious Cons: Not Veggie friendly more