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It's not every day that a tiny mom-and-pop ethnic restaurant is so hotly anticipated. But ever since Prince of Petworth posted a picture of the maroon awning and "Coming Soon" banner, local blogs have been buzzing about the prospect of more Vietnamese food in the city. Pho 14 in Columbia Heights finally opened on Wednesday, and judging by the lines out the door this weekend, D.C. can't get enough pho.
Pho 14 offers 19 different iterations of pho, 17 with beef, plus one chicken and one vegetarian version. There are five varieties of beef alone (eye-of-round steak, well-done and fat brisket, well-done and skirt flank), plus tripe, tendon, and meatballs. All soups come with the traditional selection of do-it-yourself toppings: bean sprouts, Thai basil, chilis, lime, Sriracha, and hoisin sauce. If you're not in the mood for soup, there's also a selection of bun (grilled meat over rice noodles and fresh veggies), rice dishes, and banh mi (French bread sandwiches).
It is arguably the broth that makes or breaks a bowl of pho, and Pho 14's version is not too shabby. The flavor is mildly beefy, with delicate notes of anise and cinnamon. It's not as deeply meaty or spiced as Pho 75 in Rosslyn, but it's more intense than the broth at Nam Viet. Use a light hand when adding hot sauce or lime so as to not overpower the meat and spices. Pho is available in two wallet-friendly sizes -- a large bowl is $8.95 and a regular bowl is $7.95.
Pho 14's grilled beef bun is also tasty, if a bit light on the veggies. The beef needed to marinated just a bit longer and allowed to develop a deeper char on the grill. The bun is also available with grilled chicken, shrimp, pork, tofu, or egg rolls ($8 - $11).
The real gem during my visit to Pho 14 was the banh mi. The French bread is top notch--crusty on the outside and pillowy on the inside--and the fillings are fresh and flavorful. Each sandwich is stuffed with slices of cucumber, pickled carrot and daikon, jalapeño, cilantro, and smeared with a little mayonnaise. Fillings include grilled chicken, beef, and pork, marinated pork, pork pate, pork skin, and Sumaco fish (a kind of canned fish similar to sardines). The banh mi bi was is my favorite so far. It is a trifecta of porky flavors and textures -- earthy, grainy pate, simultaneously chewy and crunchy skin, and marinated tenderloin chunks. The banh mi are $8.95 and come with an appetizer and cup of soup.
Pho 14 has been packed since opening day, and the service is understandably overwhelmed. Our dishes arrived at different times instead of all at once, and it was difficult to flag down a server to ask for utensils. That said, the staff was extremely apologetic and comped us our iced tea and coffee. Things are always a bit rocky when a restaurant first opens, but I suspect that the owners didn't imagine business would be this brisk their first week. Hopefully with a little time and practice, Pho 14 will be running smoothly. If this weekend is any indication, they are off to a promising start.
Pho 14
1436 Park Road NW
Washington, DC 20010
Metro: Columbia Heights
Hours: 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
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$8.95 for banh mi? I'd rather just walk the mile or so from East Falls Church metro to Eden center and get like 3 sandwiches.
Amen.
maybe you should get a second job or go on a diet? or get a Vietnamese girlfriend which is like severely injuring a couple of birds with one rock rather than having to throw a rock at each bird. speaking of which, Columbia Heights is pretty sketchy so be sure to bring some rocks to throw in case you get roughed up by the locals.
Just because a bird becomes petrified and loses its sense of direction and hits you in the head doesn't mean you're getting "roughed up." That's just the Columbia Heights crowd's way of saying, "Bon chance, mon ami! Welcome to the neighborhood, honkey muthaf**ker! Now gimme your money else I cut you!"
My thoughts exactly. That's an insane price for bahn mi.
Pretty sure you're not the target audience for this place. Besides, who in their right mind would drive from East Falls Church to get banh mi in Columbia Heights? That's like driving to Chinablock from ANYWHERE to get Chinese food.
Also, what's the cilantro level in their pho? Is it mild or extra-Palmolive-ey?
Well, I can't drive anywhere b/c I don't have a car. I'm just saying I'd rather haul my ass out the Orange line (full of the ugliest riders, lets be honest) and walk the mile or so down whatever street that is to Eden Center.
I can drive about 10 minutes to eat cheap, excellent pho in Beltsville.
yeah. this is WAY TOO EXPENSIVE for banh mi, even with the "appetizer and cup of soup."
I'm also pretty sure the rent's a lot cheaper in Eden Center, compared to Columbia Heights. Also much lower in the stabbiness department, so Falls Church doesn't have to pay a bunch of dildos in police uniforms to doublepark, shakedown hookers, and in general, be a nuisance.
I'm just amazed there's still places you can get a sitdown lunch for less than $10 in this town. A burger, fries, and a drink at Five Guys will set you back $15 at least. Then there's that whole diarrhea thing, but I don't count the rolls of toilet paper as part of the costs associated with Five Guys.
lol
as someone whose family once owned a store in Eden, I can tell you the rent is SKY HIGH, and that it cops are there ALL THE TIME shaking down gangsters.
I think the commenters here just view us as less scary than the Columbia Heights locals.
It may be expensive, but those of us who live in Mt. Pleasant/Columbia Heights are pretty excited about being able to walk down the street for some Vietnamese food.
On a related note, it seems pretty standard for Thai, Vietnamese, and Indian restaurants in the District to be WAY more expensive (and with trendier decor) than comparable places in Virginia.
Sigh....I know it's too much to ask that folks read the menu but you get a soup and an appetizer with each banh mi. The banh mi is also as good as those at Eden Center (which is damn good) so it's a good deal. The nice people who took the risk of opening this place deserve that people who complain should at least know what they are talking about first.
We caught the soft opening (the night before they had their "official grand opening" that is). The broth is richer than Nam-Viet's broth (and not too heavy on the cilantro, Monkey) and we were pretty happy with the food, but we're waiting a few weeks before we cast any judgment on the service.
I had the same reaction everybody else is having to the price of the banh mi in person, until my girlfriend pointed out the soup and appetizer. It misses out on the whole cheapness aspect I appreciate about banh mi, but you're still getting what you pay for so it seems fair.
Do they do delivery?
Is the 10-10 7 days a week?
Is there a phone number?
I don't recall seeing anything about delivery, but the menu does say there's an extra 50¢ charge for takeout on the pho.
Just an FYI, you can also order the banh mi without the appetizer and soup for about half the price.
Perfect.
See, that's not as bad. As I couldn't find a menu anywhere online, I found it irritating that they're forcing people into a combo situation.
It's actually not clear on the menu either, so just be sure to let your server know that you only want the sandwich, not the combo.
Must customers get the banh mi 'combo' for $9? Can they simply select the sandwich for, say, $4/5? I don't always feel like dropping double digits with tax on a quick snack.
The inclusion of vegetarian phở on the menu raises several troubling questions: Can broth a made without bones still be called phở? Can a chair without legs still be called a chair?
Yet consider a stone large enough for a man to sit on. Is that not also a chair? Have teenagers in Columbia Heights figured out a way to throw such a stone?
This comment is not to say that Pho 14 in any way makes their veggie pho with meat stock. It's just that your comment brought up memories of when I worked at a Chinese restaurant during college.
During college I worked at a Chinese restaurant and the only thing vegetarian about their vegetarian tofu and spinach soup was the tofu and spinach. I wondered how many of the vegetarians that ordered that soup and egg drop soup not know that they were consuming chicken broth... Go figure.
Forgot to also mention that after I found out about this, I made sure to let our customers know. Many of our veggie regulars were quite surprised and were adamant that I was wrong as the owners' told them otherwise. Hey, if the kitchen staff said that they never made any soup with veggie stock, than that soup was sure as hell never vegetarian.
Sorry about the tangent. Just
I'm Vietnamese and also a vegetarian. My mom makes amazing pho, and although she was kind of miffed when I asked her if she could make a vegetarian pho broth for me, she took on the challenge. While it doesn't have the same taste as the beef-based broth (my mom's veg version is a lot lighter), my mom adds in all the same spices and it is very, very tasty.
And to all the people complaining about the prices...it's a restaurant in a city. Their rent is probably a lot more than the rent on a comparable place in Eden Center.
For really good multiple vegetarian banh mi options, I recommended Banh Mi DC on Route 50 in Falls Church. It's just down the road from Eden Center. The fried tofu is very light and fluffy. :D
I'm not hauling ass on the orange line or crossing bridges to scary suburbia just to get a banh mi. So glad Pho 14 is in my hood now... and I WILL take the $8.95 combo!
I'm pretty excited to see a new restaurant open up in my neighborhood. Everyone is throwing a hissy fit about the price, but, have you eaten out in dc before? Eating out is expensive. But good food is definitely worth the price. Welcome to the 'hood Pho 14!
I'll never understand why people make such a big deal about banh mi while failing to appreciate bun altogether. When done right, the bun combination of vermicelli, vegetables, grilled meats, and fish oil is an excelsior dish. Which is not to say that banh mi is not great. But banh mi is hardly such an extraordinary sandwich that it should be the make or break test of a Vietnamese restaurant. C'mon, it's street food.
They should have a little side store for ordering Banh Mi--that would be awesome.
Banh Mi + a new Circulator. What have we done to deserve this?
Per Alicia's post #13, the price for most of the banh mi for carryout (plain sandwiches) is $3.95.
I'd be happy if I could just find some Italian beef sandwiches in DC.
And by "happy" I mean "riding the Septicemia "L"".
I'm so happy there is a place to get pho in DC, but $7.95 for a small bowl. Why is it expensive? I would get mine at $4/bowl Chicago's Argyle area.
Hope this demonstrates there is demand for MORE pho/vietnamese in DC.
I hope it's better than the spot at 20th & P. That pho is pretty average.
@ katya
I currently live in Chicago...like a few streets from Argyle..and you can definitely NOT get a bowl of pho for $4. that's quite an exaggeration..and it's DC..and DC is quite expensive...try dining at other places....crazyyyy pricing....so i don't mind the $7.95 for a small bowl..as long as it's tasty...cause it's quite hard to find a nice yummy bowl of pho these days..
What fool would ride a metro for an hour each way to save 2 bucks on a sandwich? I can't believe half of this thread is over the price. Will you also be shocked to learn that housing and commercial real estate is more expensive than it is in buttfuck?
Depends on what side of Buttfuck you're talking about. East Buttfuck has always been the "wrong side of the crack" whereas West Buttfuck is a rich vibrant tapestry of urban kultur. Full of narrow-jeans hiptards, though. Still, much less stabby than it used to be, but you have the homos to thank for that. They made it safe for the hiptards.
Hells yes. I live across the street and was one of 10 people in the line snaking out the door on Friday night. It was worth the wait. The pho is solid and close to rivaling Pho 75 in Rockville. Spring rolls with shrimp and pork were decent, if not mind-blowing. In case anyone's interested, I'll be periodically posting reviews on Culinspiration as I eat my way through the menu.