Pho King

This place is close to ST. Josephs hospital and i see a Dr that is right next to the hospital. Had been hearing about how good Phở was. Last couple years i have been breaking out of my norm and trying new things. After one of my Dr appointments i stopped here for lunch to try phở for the first time. I had medium size well done beef phở, it was all i could do to eat all of it and i was hungry. That was a year and a half ago, i have been hooked on phở since. The meat is quality, veggies are fresh, and the broth is very good. I have eaten here about 3 more times since and the service is always top notch. This is best i have tried in tacoma, but i have only been to one other place. I want to try others, but this will be on my list of go to places in my city.

Amazing!!! Best food in the world. The pad Thai is phenomenal. The Bön mih is refreshing. The phở is generously big and delicious. The spring rolls, don’t even get me started. I would die for there spring roles. The tofu is georgiously fried. The prices are outstandingly low! I would recommend phở King to anyone who likes life.

Probably the best Phở in Tacoma. These guys know what they’re doing for sure. AWESOME!

Love it! Large Portions, and cheap!

The phở was good. However, the service was not that great and the place was a little dirty. However, my biggest complaint was the pork spring rolls! They put lunch meat on how stupid and cheap!

I’ve seen this place once driving by and thought nothing of it, just another phó joint. I was trolling (not really) Unilocal and saw that «phó King» had very good reviews and the menu looked enticing. I gave them a shot today and here’s how it went down.
The storefront itself is really dirty and outdated. Sauce splatters on the walls and sticky tables. Not a pleasant place for an eating experience. The staff is okay, not awesome but not bad.
The to-​go orders take «phó ever» to get. Waited over 15 minutes for simple items, banh mí and fresh rolls, nothing cooked. (It was slow and no orders ahead of us. The group who came in after us and ordered dine-​in received their food before us. (Phó and a stir-​fry looking dish.)
We got our food and went back home to eat it. The prices are very inexpensive. However, the food is super bland and lacking flavorful ingredients. My fresh rolls consisted of noodles that were not seasoned, some lettuce and bean sprouts with unseasoned fried tofu slices. (They really need to add cilantro, basil, or anything with taste.) They were pretty much tapioca sticks. The dipping sauce was terrible. Watery peanut butter. No trace of soy, garlic, ginger, or nothing. I used the plum sauce from the table instead. (Asked for a To-​go ramekin for it-​my elite senses told me I’d be needing it.)
My hubby’s banh mí sandwich was adequate. Proper ingredients and a decent size, considering the cost. It was a bit skimpy filling and protein wise, and the bread wasn’t flaky chewy good like others. It tasted like there was mayo instead of pâté.
We won’t be back. I think people like this place for the «quirky» name. Thinking it’s cute to give a positive review just to exclaim, «I LOVE PHÓ KING!» Immature?
Or we could have just lucked out with an off day, though I doubt it. Either way, I have safe phó and banh mí places to go.

Came here for lunch and had the #9 large eye round steak and tripe phở. The broth was flavorful and the ingredients were fresh. Portion sizes are good and prices are low.
Service was pleasant and we didn’t have to wait long for our food. The restaurant is pretty spacious so tables are not all crammed together. We came here on a Saturday and street parking was easy to find out front.

I’m not the easiest to please when it comes to Asian food, but man was their Vietnamese Sandwich good! My husband got the Phở King special, giggled a bit at the name of the restaurant and item when ordering, but was also super happy with his food. Veggie egg rolls are also great! And man is it cheap!

Phở broth was nice and light — not too heavily MSG’d. Bahn mi wasn’t too bad — we got tofu, so maybe that was the issue. Not a ton of taste. I supposed I’m used to a very flavorful tofu bahn mi I used to get in SoCal.

This is quite possibly the best phở joint in Tacoma. The banh mi was good but not the best I’ve had, and the banh xeo was also quite good but again not quite the best.
The quality of the meat is top notch here, and I think that makes a huge difference. The banh mi and banh xeo don’t really stand out here and you can honestly find just as good if not better elsewhere, but brave the Hilltop and come here for the phở!

One word. Amazing! Outstanding phở and bahn mi sandwiches. I have looked for a bahn mi of this caliber since moving from Everett area. I found it. My only gripe, refill the water. I had one glass and needed 3.
Family ran business that excels in all aspects.

Love this place! The service is always awesome and the owner makes it a point to get to know his customers.
Nothing like a steaming bowl of phô to get you right.

It’s «phở-​king» great! I decided to come here feeling Vietnamnese food, and this place is spot-​on with their food and prices. The service here was excellent. The menu has pictures of some of the food in case you’re a newbie. The waiter was very friendly and prompt. We ordered spring rolls and it came within 5 minutes! The spring rolls were good, a little too chewy, but the peanut sauce makes up for it. I ordered the vermicelli bowl with shrimp, egg rolls, and pork (#33) which was everything I wanted. The egg rolls were hot and crispy, the shrimp had a lot of flavor, the produce was fresh, and the pork was cooked just right. The only complaint about this dish was that the noodles were a bit springy. The place itself is a bit beat up, we sat on the booths which had some tearing on the seats and the tables are very scratched.
I will most likely come here again! It’s cheap (less than $ 20 for an appetizer and 2 meals), the food is good, and the service is quick! I only eat phở once in a blue moon but if I’m ever craving it, this will be the first place I go!

Holy smokes, so this is where everyone in Tacoma comes on a Friday night. Based on my limited experience «cruising» downtown Tacoma during my short stay at the Silver Cloud Inn-​Tacoma Waterfront a few weeks ago, I thought everyone scampered off to bed after the sun went down. Turns out I was just in the wrong neighborhood.
Maybe because of its location near all the bars, tattoo parlors, and other nightlife on 6^th Ave., Phở King benefits from lots of «local traffic». The immediate environs is fairly quiet though, and you don’t see many people walking around. Then again, it is the middle of winter and what do I know? I HAIL from Los Angeles, where people freak out and call FEMA as soon as there is more than an inch of rain.
The broth was flavorful and portions were legit – I ordered the large no. 12 (brisket, flank, fatty flank, and tendon) and was barely able to finish it (I troopered through it though to gear up for the night ahead of checking out the bars on 6^th Ave). I was disappointed (in myself) I didn’t order the Phở King Special, which had the tripe and eye round steak, but I have to have my brisket.
Service was fast, attentive, and friendly, which was nice as they didn’t give me any weird looks because I was sitting there taking pictures of their menu to update the photos on Unilocal.As it turns out, I think only the cover of the menu changed.
More variety in the phở combinations would be nice, but all-​in-​all one of the better values I’ve seen in-​and-​around the Seattle-​Tacoma area so I will be back.
Another phở venue visited, another phở venue crossed off the list of my All Northwest Phở Restaurant Tour (or more accurately, my Some NW Phở Tour). Amazingly enough, I’m actually starting to feel pretty phở-​king saturated with phở, so next time I’m going to try their Bánh Xèo (Vietnamese Crispy Crêpe).

Definitely one of the quickest, most delicious cheap eats I’ve ever found. The prices are a dollar or two lower than most places I’ve seen in the greater seatac area. Their phở has great flavor and ample portions. Their banh mi is a steal — a little skimpy on the sandwich fillings, but very tasty still. Their egg rolls are delicious — great flavor, piping hot, crispy wrapper. Their rice vermicelli bowls are very filling and their sauce is great. Their grilled Pork has a slightly sweet taste to balance out the salty– just the way I like it! It’s tender and perfectly grilled. Their homemade chili oil sauce is delish as well. Not the best décor/​ambience, but the food is great. Would definitely recommend this place

Came here after lunch to test how good it really is! My girlfriend and I ended up grabbing bubble tea, and I grabbed a couple banh mi sandwiches for later on.
The ambiance was pretty busy, as almost all of the seats were almost taken! The staff were pretty accommodating, and the order took less than 10 minutes to finalize!
The recommendation was their bbq pork sandwiches, so I grabbed a few of those, along with the bubble teas! Such an awesome taste and the food kept me full! I’m definitely coming back here soon! Thank you for the recommendation Unilocal

You know what? Phở King is pretty phở king awesome!
There are a ton of Vietnamese/​Phở restaurants in the Tacoma area, but Hilltop’s Phở King is one that I keep returning to because of it’s location (close enough to walk to for lunch, and the uphill climb to get there from downtown provides a bit of a workout), great food, and reasonable prices.
$ 6.25 for a ‘regular’ bowl of phở (with any combination of meat or non-​meat protein) is a heck of a deal for a satisfying meal, and I usually add on an order of fresh spring rolls or crispy shrimp rolls for another $ 3. The banh mi sandwiches are also fantastic! Service is quick and friendly, and although the dining room is well-​worn, it’s comfortable and clean enough.
They do tend to get pretty busy during the lunch rush, so getting there a bit before or after the 12:00 — 13:00 ‘peak’ is advisable. Good stuff!

We’ve been to a few places for phở in Tacoma and haven’t found one we’d like to go back to… Until today!
Ordered the fresh tofu spring rolls, honeydew bubble tea, veggie phở, and beef & meatball phở. We were very happy with all of our items! Fresh, flavorful, and very well priced! The restaurant is older– but clean and comfortable.
When we arrived, we were the only ones there. We sat at the back so we could watch the little league baseball World Series. By the time we left, the entire place was packed! They seem to be a busy lunch destination. Can’t wait for our next visit.

There is a ton of good to great Phở in the Tacoma area (don’t even get me started on the Bahn mi) and I try to go to a different restaurant every time I have a craving. This will be difficult for me after visiting Phở King because the food was so good!
My sister ordered the crispy shrimp rolls, which were good, although hard for me to judge because I haven’t ordered this item before. Great sweet chili dipping sauce!
The phở was amazing! A few bites into his, my Dad proclaimed, «This is really good, the broth is better than the Thahn brothers.» which was a huge compliment from a man who has been eating phở for lunch since the early 90’s and considers that his usual spot in West Seattle. I am amazed with the quality of the soup on this little corner of 11^th and Martin Luther King Jr Way in Tacoma.

Phở in Tacoma? When you have that crazy craving for a bowl and you’re in a new city, you whip out your Unilocal app and scout out where to go eat. Enter Phở King here in Tacoma. exit hunger pains. :)
I arrived here in Tacoma after a morning of crazy cardio in Renton @ LA Fitness. It was only a 30 minute drive down the I-​405 and subsequently the I-​5; and I was starving. I had found a free gravel makeshift parking lot directly across the street from Phở King and I was ecstatic to find free parking for once, especially since Seattle loves to nickel and dime you. Parking on the street can be a crapshoot. It was about 12:00pm when I strolled into this joint on a lovely Monday morning. The traffic wasn’t bad at all. The restaurant itself was buzzing with activity when I came and that’s a good sign. The restaurant itself was clean and organized, stereotypically of what you would find anywhere else Vietnamese fare. The restaurant itself isn’t large. I’d say it was a medium sized restaurant with approximately 10 – 12 tables for patrons who love Vietnamese cuisine. My time here was about 45 minutes to an hour and it was a good one. The overall experience was pleasant, positive, and quite nice. The service here was good, simple, and nice. Wouldn’t have it any other way.
Phở King is located at 1020 Martin Luther King Jr Way in the heart of Tacoma, WA. It’s in a nice neighborhood that can be easily accessible to the I-​5 and the I-​705. They accept major credit cards, so that’s always a good thing. The prices here we’re very reasonable, especially with the large bowl of Phở only peaking out at $ 7.25. In Honolulu, you can expect to get one on average of $ 9 a bowl. So yes, it was cheap, so I asked for an extra side of noodles and the obligatory summer rolls to round out the meal. The wait wasn’t long, at most 10 minutes, so I got to people watch while playing with my iPhone. There was a few hot spots of activity going on in the restaurant. The summer rolls were a pleasant surprise, dipped in the peanut sauce that was just so elegant it had to be good. Of course, a squirt of shiracha and I was good to go. The phở itself was decidedly good, but not grand. It was typical goodness that phở provides and it was good for lunch.
I can’t say that this place provided the best Phở, but it was decent and quite delicious. The service was good and fast. This was the perfect place to have lunch in before setting out to sightsee in Tacoma. If you love phở and have that daily craving that I do, please feel free to drive down here and have a lot of fun with phở. While this isn’t the only joint that serves phở in Tacoma, it’s one of the best here and the food and service is indicative of that. I would recommend Phở King for its simplicity and humble. This place makes me smile. I’m willing to bet it’ll do the same for you.
Support local!
4 stars, solid.
B+