Best Boston PHO

[louds911]

New to Boston and looking for some chowhound advice on where to find good in the downtown area.

thank

[brokentelephone]

I had pho Pasteur (chinatown) and xinh xinh back to back lUnches.

I vastly preferred Pasteur; better meat, tendon, and noodles although broth is on the overly salty and oily side of thIngs. XX had better broth but other ingredients were lacking and portion size was ridiculously small; we had to order a size of extra meat and tendon.

Atmosphere art Pasteur somewhat more pleasant.

[MC Slim JB]

I like Xinh Xinh for a lot of reasons, but I agree that pho is one of its weak links. Pho Pasteur and Pho Hoa are better places to go for pho in Chinatown.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

[MrsCheese]

Xinh Xinh is my favorite, with Pho Hoa a close second. If you ever find yourself in Allston, the pho at Pho Viet in the Super 88 is really good too. I have not had good experiences at any of the Pho Pasteur/Le's.

[NYChristopher]

Having read some mediocre reviews for Pho Hoa (Chinatown) and Pho Pasteur (to be fair, some good reviews too, but consistency seemed lacking for bot of these), I was wondering if peoples opinions have changed. What about Pho Thien Thien, Pho 2000 or Xinh Xinh?

See also
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/446030

NB: Really just interested in thoughts on pho, not other Vietnamese dishes (though always happy to learn of that stuff, too).

Thanks,
Christopher
(looking for recommendations for a friend)

[C. Hamster]

Xinh Xinh's pho is fantastic, IMO

[ScubaSteve]

second Xinh Xinh.
start with the grilled Quail, then Pho, then an avocado shake,

[joebloe]

The vast majority of Vietnamese in New England consider Pho Hoa on Dorchester Ave the best of all the pho places. Whenever they come in for the long weekend from Worcester, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, DC, San Jose, Santa Ana, and even half a world away Saigon, they WANT go to that particular Pho Hoa and nowhere else. I have eaten at most pho places in the area and find this the best and most authentic, although portion and service is very spotty. My credit card summary showed I spent $3000 on pho at this place during one year until my cholesterol went borderline high:(

Pho 2000 is good gives you a HUGE bowl of pho. They are very famous for their beef seven-course and that's where's the Vietnamese go there for.

[Luther]

Pho2k is the best. I found the Fields Corner Pho Hoa and Xinh Xinh to be decent but a notch down.

[litchick]

Pho & I on Huntington & Mass Ave is quite yummy (I don't know if that qualifies as downtown, but...). I'll admit that I don't necessarily know what "authentic" pho is supposed to taste like, but I like what I've had there as much as Pho Pasteur/Le's. Another plus: the owner is really nice (so are the drunken noodles and the bun), and I like supporting a little neighborhood joint in an area that otherwise doesn't have much neighborhoodiness to it.

[Zabalburu]

Pho Hoa is my favorite pho in Chinatown, though I can't pretend to be an expert. There are also a bunch of Vietnamese places on Dorchester Avenue near Fields Corner if you're feeling adventurous (some would consider it a rough neighborhood) and want to explore beyond downtown.

[lennyb]

What used to be caled Pho Pasteur (now Le's I think) on Comm Ave is better than the one in Chinatown. More consistent broth and the meat is much better quality than the Chinatown version.

[po_boy]

Comm Ave? Am I missing one? If you mean the one in Allston on Brighton Ave, then I've had the exact opposite experience with my last visits to each. Go figure.

[Luther]

Yeah, I feel the same way. Original PP in Chinatown is best.

[lennyb]

my fault. brighton ave.

[limster]

I'd also side with Pho Hoa, with the caveat that I haven't had their pho in a while.

[Luther]

I've had pho at Pho Hoa in Chinatown once, and I'll never go back. It was awful.

[Luther]

My favorite in the downtown area is Pho Pasteur in Chinatown.