Pho Bac Cafe

Filth pot for a phở joint. go around the corner to phở king. its cleaner & the food is better.

This is pretty standard Vietnamese phở. And only phở. I was hoping for at least the standard Vietnamese noodle bowls or rice plates for the kids, but no such luck. We ended up ordering meatball phở for them and tofu and shrimp phở for us. The phở was fine. The broth maybe a little bland. Nothing out of the ordinary. Cash only so it was cheap, but that was a little inconvenient for us. I took an extra star of because I expect phở to be super fast (it’s just phở) and they took quite a long time to first take our order and then to serve the food.

Was not what we expected. Most Phở places have more then just soup and rolls on the menu. We watched the lady with her ungloved hands make our spring rolls, I didn’t see her wash them prior to making them either. And they have no bubble tea! Soup was ok do to the amount of flavor we added. We won’t come back here.

They only have phở here and the appetizers. But. THEIR PHO IS A1. Me and my family grew up in this specific hilltop Phở Bac and the own has always been the same. They are kind and the phở is always on point. If I want phở in Tacoma, phở bac is the way to go always.

I love the phở here. They are cash only though. The prices are reasonable and the phở is good. Their menu is small compared to most phở joints. If you looking for a big variety this not your spot.

I love the flavor of the broth here. I’ve always had good, prompt customer service.
They only accept cash, but that’s not a big deal.

Lots of people feel that this is the best phở place in Tacoma. Mmm. It’s definitely good but it isn’t necessarily my favorite phở place in town. Don’t get me wrong., the phở was very tasty and the Spring Roll I had was good and fresh. No complaints there and I would indeed go back but I prefer the broth at a different place a bit more in town.
There were a few things that didn’t really start off on a good swing of things. I went in on New Year’s Day so of course it was busy. There was only one person waiting on the tables in the café and dirty dishes were piling up on tables for customers that already ate and left. She was trying her best to keep up but she seriously needed some help. The wait to place the order and to get the phở took a while too but again it was a holiday but I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the one, lone lady waiting on all those customers.
The place is not pristine in cleanliness necessarily either. The space where the café is is old and a bit dingy however the food is just fine.
Phở Bac does not accept credit or debit cards. You will need to bring cash to experience a meal here and the closest ATM is at a Safeway up a block or two.

WOW!!! The broth was ON POINT! Soooo good. Hella far if your coming from downtown Seattle, but hella worth it. It’s a no frill place, décor is not all that great… BUT WHO CARES!!! The food was bomb! Highly recommended! Must try! The people that worked there was super friendly and nice.

This place is absolutely trash. Whatever you do, DO NOT go here. There was dirty dishes everywhere; barely anywhere to sit. We sat ourselves and waited for 15 – 20 minutes without being greeted, without being even acknowledged that we were there, they did not give us menus and when we asked them for menus, they continued to ignore us. Whatever you do, do not go here, they do not care and they were extremely rude. The place is also a dump. We ended up leaving and not even eating here, it was a terrible experience, if I could give NO stars, I would.

Though I’d stop in for some phở this evening and I’m glad I did. First time eating here and was pleasantly surprised how fast the phở came out. And the broth was exceptionally good. So good in fact I don’t think I’ll be getting my phở anywhere else. Very inexpensive 7.50 for a large raw beef and brisket. Can’t say enough about how good it was. Can’t wait to go back. If you want the best in town there it is.

CAVEAT EMPTOR: As other reviewers have mentioned, this place is CASH ONLY. Nowhere in the restaurant is this mentioned; you have to infer it from the lack of credit card stickers on the door. So come armed with cash, but not a lot, as a large bowl of phở is only $ 7.50, tax included.
Restaurant is typical of most phở joints: bare-​bones decorations, questionably clean surfaces on the tables, perfunctory service (although there did seem to be several regulars there who were treated with a bit more friendliness). Service, once our order was taken, was lightning fast — they had our bowls out to us within 5 minutes.
The phở itself is great. I’m not vegetarian but I love a good veggie phở, and although when they brought mine out I didn’t have high hopes, I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of flavor in the broth. No carrots or cabbage, only broccoli and onions in the broth. Tofu is included and was plentiful and tasty.
My companion got the rare beef phở, and this was excellent as well — flavorful broth, tender beef.
To me, the sign of a good phở is when you don’t have to doctor it up with sriracha/​fish sauce/​hoisin/​soy/​pepper oil/​etc. And although we did just that, because I like me my spice, the phở was delish as-​is.
Solid four stars.

Real deal with Vietnamese ladies working here that barely speak English, excellent flavor and quality of meat in the Phở, and priced right at $ 7.50 for a large. Best spring rolls with peanut sauce too!

The hunt for the «best» phở in Tacoma continues… and Phở Bac is definitely up there in the rankings. I’ve asked around and many have said this spot is their favourite and I can see why. While the portions are smaller than that of Vien Dong or Phở King, the broth is delicious and they do well with everything else that comes with the dish. The debate goes on– where is the best? I’ll try this place out at least a few more times, if not more.
It’s a downside that it’s cash only– particularly since there’s no ATM, but apparently there’s one across the street (they failed to mention this when letting us know it was cash only…)

I meant to go to Phở King around the corner, but my boyfriend has a passion for Phở Bac locations, and on one of the few rainy days we’ve had this summer, the pull of the «known» phở experience won.
A very small menu is posted on the wall, and cheerful older Vietnamese ladies putter around the shop serving steaming bowls of soup, or chopping massive amounts of green onions and cilantro in the corner. The spring rolls were good, although the peanut sauce slightly off color and bland.
The phở was amazing. Totally worth the visit. Although you only have a few options for what you can order, the meat is done (or not done) perfectly and even the small size comes with plentiful amounts of meat. Extra spicy fresh jalapeños, fresh cilantro and fragrant basil left me incredibly satisfied with the whole experience, as did the traditional (take this with a grain of salt, coming from a white girl) perfect broth.
Worth the visit! Definitely number one Phở, I’d like to see a few more options and better peanut sauce to warrant that five star, but I will be back.

Snappy Vietnamese women serve up quit possibly the best phở around. The broth is always crazy hot and rich in flavor. Last time I was stuck on a liquid diet at St. Joe’s I ate their broth every day.
The women here always remember my order and most of the time they know to just bring it on without asking.
Cliché restaurant names are not needed when the food kicks this much ass.

Great soup! Love the price! One of my favorite photos places. Fast and friendly service too!

Whenever I’ve had too many shotskis at 1111, the only thing I can keep down the next day is salty, warm, herbaceous phở. I send the boyfriend up to phở bac for the best phở to go. Large rare beef is where it’s at.

This is a review I’ve always wanted to write, but wasn’t sure how I was going to. I’ve been coming here for 20 + years. I won’t lie, but my review may be a little bias since this place holds a sentimental value for me. Kid me not, this place is the real deal when it comes to its signature and really only dish, Phở! Before I ramble on about the Phở, there are negatives such as the service is hit or miss, phở portions vary, and it’s definitely a hole in the wall (that is putting it mildly haha), but I feel Phở places should be rated a little differently. You’re not going to a Phở place for an ambiance, but to get yourself a good bowl of noodles and soup. And this is one of those places where the phở is close to authentic phở in Vietnam. I would give it 4.5 due to service problems sometimes, but I’m only judging phở quality and its up there as best in Tacoma area.

I love it here. I probably drop in a few times a week. The ladies are so sweet and so clean. If I want phở, this is where I go, authentic phở. Plain and simple, but in a good unique way. Always remember to bring cash though! I have noticed that when I tip, the ladies seem so surprised! It could be because quite a few times already, I’ve seen people walk away without tipping.

Great little slice of southern Vietnam, right in Tacoma. Phở broth is very authentic, the spring rolls are very good, and the little old ladies who run it are a hoot.
The high ratio of Vietnamese to everyone else among the guest speaks to the authenticity.
We’ll be going back!