Pho, Farringdon, London

Really good, tasty, healthy noodles. My favourite in Clerkenwell.

Wicked vibe too.

Really can’t go wrong here. Simple, but strong menu, of delicious Vietnamese noodles. I tend to have a (pho) noodle soup, but they have great lemongrass noodles with salad and a spring roll too. Just pick what you fancy in them, and dive in. :)

At the time of writing, Pho Farringdon is one in a chain of 6 Pho restaurants (Mostly London) and this particular one has been dishing out really decent Vietnamese food for many years now.

I came to Pho Farringdon about 3 years ago and remembered it as one of the only places around Smithfield area where it was possible to get a decent bite on a Saturday night that didn’t cost an arm and a leg, or that wasn’t fully booked.

It’s an informal affair, with an interior that is small but pleasant. Since my visit years ago I have been to the Westfield branch which I must admit I don’t find as good. The food somehow isn’t as fresh tasting, and the service is … well, non-existent.

I returned again tonight to the Farringdon restaurant and remembered why I loved it so much at first. Absolutely brilliant service, really friendly and attentive.

As for the food itself; the fresh Vietnamese spring rolls (the non-fried, see-through kind) were great, and their special recipe chilli dipping sauce called Nouc Cham was lovely – a delicate taste but with some kick.

I personally love the noodle soup with beef and meatballs, which comes with a side dish of garnishes for you to add to taste. (Chilli, beansprouts, lime, oriental basil, parsley – create your own flavours by adding to the soup.)

I was also pleasantly surprised by the delicious sorbets for dessert: you wouldn’t think basil and strawberry went well together, but they do.

And the small shot of Vietnamese iced coffee: sickly sweet and chocolatey. Lovely.

It’s a low key restaurant, and definitely not a place to take someone to impress them (try any number of other restaurants on Farringdon Road for that!) but if you need to grab a quick and delicious sit-down meal with great service and good prices, Pho is an excellent choice all round.

I thought I knew what I was going to say here – that it’s a great intro to Vietnamese food, doesn't quite match up to some of the Shoreditch Phos, Yadda yadda yadda. I was wrong.

I've had Pho here a bunch of times and think that it's ok. But today I didn’t have Pho. And I made a discovery. Pho is not what Pho is best at. Explore the menu a little more, venture off the beaten track and you’ll be rewarded with some tasty surprises

Goi Cuon Tom, summer rolls, were nice, although a little too noodley for me. They were freshly assembled though, full of herby flavours and the sea salty tang of prawns.

The Nem Nuong though were good. Slightly crispy on the outside, they were moist and meaty without being too fatty. Lemongrass added a lovely citrussy undertone to the tasty pork.

Next up salads. Vietnamese and Thai salads are a completely different proposition from their western equivalents. Properly made, they're packed full of powerful and punchy flavours, they dance sexily across your taste buds leaving them breathing hard and begging for more.

Goi Xoai, a spicy green mango salad served with pork, dried shrimp and peanuts was an absolute bargain at £4.50. Hot chilli, roasted nuts, pungent dried prawns and crispy pork. Wonderful, fresh and utterly reviving. This is the best dish I’ve had at Pho.

In comparison, the Goi Du Du, a papaya salad with chicken, topped with peanuts was more of a waltz than a tango. But it was super fresh, crunchy and soothing. The perfect spring time spritzer of a light lunch.

To finish I had a dense dark Vietnamese coffee. It was as strong and treacly as you could want with condensed milk adding a sweet viscosity to the tar coloured coffee

If you come here and stick the Pho then be warned, you're missing out.It might not be haute Viet food, but for a lunch spot it's great. And good value for money.

Went here for my birthday the other day, and had a great time. The food was, as usual, fantastic.

I definitely recommend sharing some of the starters, especially the crepe and pork and lemongrass meatballs.

I pretty much always have the pho, but ventured into new territory and tried a salad - the chicken papaya - and REALLY enjoyed it. It had really strong individual flavours, which is why I LOVE Vietnamese, and Pho. Can't beat it.

i had a wicked night here with my girlfriends last week.

we shared a few starters to begin with - summer rolls, spring rolls, meatballs, a crepe…all yummy.

we all had pho (noodle soup) for mains - amazing, which could have been precarious before going out, but the girls working suited us all up with bibs, and all our dresses were spotless for champagne induced dancing later.

fantastic little place!

i have been here quite a few times now, and it has definitely become one of my favourite restaurants.

it’s just so healthy, tasty, and fresh that i rarely think of a place i would rather eat.

last night i had the 'bun bo hue’, or the spicy brisket pho. it was to die for.. loads of coriander and chili - delicious.

i washed it down with an ice cold beer - Halida. Perfect dinner.

It’s not just 54 that keeps my taste buds titillated. Pho Cafe provides a cute, reasonably priced Vietnamese outside of Kingsland Road. Here’s their mission statement:

“The short menu means that we can specialise in a small number of Vietnamese street foods and ensure that everything is made in house from the highest quality ingredients and is bursting with fresh flavours. We don’t buy in pre-packaged processed meatballs and frozen spring rolls – instead our Vietnamese chefs make everything using authentic recipes. Our pho takes up to 12 hours to prepare and it’s this care that is key to the stock retaining its goodness and developing its subtle and distinctive taste.”

This place is also great for the gluten free, dairy free, fat free and the allergy ridden amongst you. No carbs can equal happiness, ask Dr Atkins!

I don’t think this place is anything special, it certainly isn’t as good as some of the Vietnamese restaurants in East London.

I found the Vietnamese pancakes very greasy and heavy, quite disappointing really. The noodles were nice and so was the soup but i thought the prices are too expensive. It wasn’t great value for money but if you’re catching up with friends and looking for somewhere quiet to eat then Pho is good for that as it doesn’t seem to get very busy in the evenings.

There is nothing I enjoy more than pigging out, whilst still feeling healthy. Nothing.

Pho (pronounced 'Fuh’, like a curtailed expletive) has become a regular haunt on those 'it’s your turn to cook, no it’s not it’s your turn to cook oh what the hell, let’s go out’ nights. The generously priced Vietnamese fare makes it simple to nip in, eat and skidaddle home without any lingering feelings of guilty economic downturn extravagance.

The noodle soups, all under a nine quid, are filled with healthy, flavoursome and filling ingredients and leave just enough room to finish off with some of London’s finest homemade ice cream. The choice of either honey and ginger or coconut would be hard for James Joyce himself to articulate in mere words alone. I am salivating as I write this and struggling to keep this keyboard dribble free….

So, moving on. If you work in this 'hood, the lunchtime takeaway menu is criminally fair priced, the service always friendly, affable and endearingly only 83% competent. The modern, minimalist setting though not ideal for a elongated dining experience, suits me just fine.

Pho-king marvellous.

Pho is rather disappointing. I won’t use the word ‘authentic’ as this isn’t it. I suppose if you’re new to Vietnamese food, there’s no harm in starting off here, as long as you doesn’t leave here thinking that this represents Vietnamese cuisine. The bill came to £32 (with no alcohol) for two.

Truly the worst Vietnamese meal I’ve ever eaten. Last year I was lucky enough to work on a cookbook with experience in a professional Vietnamese kitchen in London – this rather spoilt me. Eating Vietnamese food in London can often be reminiscent of eating Indian food here in the 1970s. So, why is the restaurant PHO so bad? The banh xeo was like a hard greasy taco shell, the nuoc cham tasted like red dish water. The Pho, and noodles, and “curry” were vapid, with meat that tasted as if it had been frazzled-black several hours ago - like bits of old shoe leather. All in all, truly appalling food. The range of beer was good and the Saigon beer was the tastiest item on the menu by far. The staff were professional, courteous and very friendly – but he food was so bad I went home and cooked for myself.

I really have to agree with all the details of the above review. They don’t have the biggest variety of Vietnamese on their menu compared to all the ones on Kingsland road, yet everything that I’ve had at this place has always been tasty, delicious and reasonably priced.

I’m addicted to the flavourful stock that they use for all the 'Pho’ dishes, and it’s especially warming on those cold days. I’m happy for others that they’ve now opened up a new branch in Oxford Circus somewhere.

The emphasis on really fresh, good quality ingredients also seem to win over their customers as it almost always seems full of people whenever I arrive. They even have a small counter (fitting three people) if you ever find yourself dining there by yourself or just can’t wait for one of their tables.

It’s rather embarrassing how many times I might eat here in a week. But it’s good and filling, fast and easy. I love their summer rolls and their fresh juices (my fave is the carrot, apple and ginger mix). And I’m crazy about their pho (Vietnamese noodle soup). I usually get the Bun Hue Ga ( hot and spicy chicken soup – with emphasis on the hot!) but all the soup’s are wonderful. And, yes, I’ve tried them all.

If there were only a zipline from my flat to their dining area … oh well, I’ll live I suppose.