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Pho 1

3.5 star rating
based on 16 reviews

Category: Restaurants  [Edit]

5764 Baltimore Natinl Pke
Catonsville, MD 21228
(410) 719-7500
Price Range:
$
Accepts Credit Cards:
Yes
Parking:
Private Lot
Attire:
Casual
Good for Groups:
Yes
Good for Kids:
Yes
Takes Reservations:
No
Delivery:
No
Take-out:
Yes
Waiter Service:
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible:
Yes
Outdoor Seating:
No
Good for:
Dinner
Alcohol:
Full Bar

16 reviews for Pho 1

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Photo of Alex M.

 

105

124

Alex M.

Columbia, MD

4 star rating
9/1/2009

Nice people , place , atmosphere

a place you will enjoy..... when I went there I ws surprised in the decor wnd how everything just seem to be in place...nice to  have a place like this in Baltimore..

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Photo of Jea K.

 

0

4

Jea K.

Baltimore, MD

5 star rating
9/4/2009 12 photos

Wow yummi yummi!!! The food and drink so good!!!!!!!!

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Photo of tania t.

 

34

160

tania t.

Baltimore, MD

2 star rating
11/19/2008

Boo. Disappointed yet again by the lack of great Vietnamese food in Baltimore. Been here a few times and had good memories so headed back for some body-warming pho and was punished with burping up pho smell for the rest of the evening. Sorry to be so graphic.

Despite the lackluster pho and egg rolls (where are the imperial rolls that other places have?), the Thai Iced Tea was amazing.

Probably will look for another pho outlet instead of trekking back here.

Update 1/21/09: Unfortunately, there are hardly any other places for pho in Bmore (I believe there are two: Baltimore Pho and Minato), so we ended up back here tonight. Satisfied though! I ordered pho #27 (bbq pork, crab, and shrimp pho with egg noodles) and the broth seemed to house less MSG than usual and the flavor was good. Best part: I didn't feel sick after I ate here, a very good sign. :)

BTW, Tony R., I think this place must have on and off nights and I hope I stumbled on an off night when I had that awful experience at Pho #1. You must have lucked out on your visits, but I have to tell it like it is.  No sugar coating it here.

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Photo of Mary D.

 

2

69

Mary D.

Baltimore, MD

3 star rating
7/3/2009

We have come here several times in the last two years and this is the place I come to when I am craving Vietnamese when I can't get to Virginia. I have sort of a mix feeling about this place because sometimes their food is pretty good and there are other times that the food is horrible. The food really isn't consistent here. My safe item that has turn out decent most of the time is the shaky beef and the egg roll. Other than that I wasn't too happy about the other food. However, I am a huge fan of their bubble tea which isn't really tea but it is smoothies with topica This place is actually a little pricey for vietnamese food, but overall this place is ok.

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Photo of Ryan N.

 

0

8

Ryan N.

Baltimore, MD

4 star rating
6/27/2009

My girlfriend introduced me to this place during my sophomore year in college.  It was the first time I ever had Pho, and I loved it!

We've since been back to this place countless times, and it's obvious from the other reviews that this place is definitely hit or miss.  There are some nights that the soup is fantastic - sweet, salty, rich, plenty of noodles, tender meat, and piping hot.  Other nights, the broth can be a bit bland, the meat can be mostly fat,  and the noodles can be quite lacking.

I will say that I've never left the place unhappy.  The owner is very approachable and can always be seen behind the bar making drinks.  I sometimes get his coconut boba tea drink, and it's great!  I always make sure that he makes it, though.

There is a mysterious closed off room in the back, and you can sometimes smell cigarette smoke, despite their efforts of concealing it.  I'm not sure what is going on back there, but it always sounds like a party...

The waitstaff is straight-forward - they come to take your order, they serve it to you, and they make sure to come back to refill your drinks.  I can respect that.

Anyway, overall the place can be hit-or-miss, but even on their off nights, it still tastes a lot better than the other restaurants around here.  The prices have gone up, but it's still under $10 after tip for a bowl of their soup.

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Photo of Brig T.

 

15

34

Brig T.

Denver, CO

5 star rating
3/7/2009

Best Pho Ever!  When I go in they make my pho special for me, with crispy noodles which is great.  They also have a full bar, and stay open quite late in the evenings, so its a great place to chill after work.  Ask Kenny (the owner) to make you up a drink of his choice - he comes up with great creations. They have a huge menu, and if you are in the know, you can order special things not on the menu, like wings.  I gurantee that the wings are the greatest you will ever try, even if you disagree about the Pho.  And I agree with Denise about the Avacado Shake - YUMMY!

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Photo of Matthew L.

 

5

163

Matthew L.

Baltimore, MD

3 star rating
3/6/2009

I think it's pretty good.  The meat is tender.  The broth is a little bit on the lighter side and they are a bit skimpy on the noodles.  The Pho was tasty.  The summer rolls were delicious.  The restaurant is nicely decorated.  The biggest plus is that it's cheap.  $10 with tip and tax for a full meal.  Can't beat it.

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Photo of Marsha W.

 

1

15

Marsha W.

Baltimore, MD

3 star rating
3/7/2009 3 photos

We like this place for a cheap meal out.  The soups are good and are the noodle or "bun" dishes.  The menu is a little hard to understand by the staff is patient. The Thai Ice-T is worth the trip!

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Photo of Scott P.

 

5

37

Scott P.

Denver, CO

5 star rating
3/11/2009

I've been coming here for a few years now, and it never fails to please. Their broth is sweet but salty, the veggies are always crisp and fresh, and the chicken wings are absolutely incredible (they're not on the menu, be sure to ask for them). The bartender always has new concoctions, but if you want to play it safe the shakes are always a win. The people are friendly, the service is quick, the food is exquisite, and I honestly can't find a single thing that I don't like about this place. Also, for the adventurous types, they have some more traditional (define:  things we used to eat when we had NO options) fare such as blood and knuckles soup. Just sayin'...

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Photo of Denise F.

 

9

42

Denise F.

Gaithersburg, MD

2 star rating
1/13/2009

Their pho is pretty disgusting. It tastes watered down and very sweet. They have a large variety of other dishes. Their vermicelli noodles are kinda crunchy... think undercooked, but weird. Their rice dishes are okay. Its the one place in Maryland that I've found AVOCADO SMOOTHIES!!! YUM.

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Photo of Michelle J.

 

0

35

Michelle J.

Baltimore, MD

2 star rating
9/24/2008

This little hole in the wall place has some decent dishes, but you really need to be patient if you want to dine here. The lunch rush there yesturday consisted of 10 people, including myself and a friend and the 3 employees, and it still took us well over an hour to get out of there. It literally took 20 minutes for us to order and eat and twice that to just get our bill!

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Photo of Mike W.

 

0

9

Mike W.

Sherman Oaks, CA

3 star rating
8/4/2007

This place is ok, but not great, or good. Now, I ate there one day and had the restaurant pretty much to myself. Just me, oh, and the waitress. She was eating at another table. Probably why it took so long for a bowl of pho ga.

I don't want to be so negative about that because maybe it wasn't her fault. Maybe someone close to her had just died and she was using her chicken soup to comfort her soul. I'd say, in that case, she needed hers way more than I needed mine. I believe enough in karma not to spread ill will, but when it takes almost an hour to have a bowl of soup for lunch, something is wrong. And, getting a glass of water refilled? Or the check? Well, maybe they've fixed it up by now, hopefully.

The soup wasn't bad, just not good enough to deal with the possibility of wasting another afternoon alone in a booth.

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Photo of Jeff C.

 

7

38

Jeff C.

Chevy Chase, MD

3 star rating
7/3/2008

For a local Pho place, not bad at all.  Not my favorite, but still pretty tasty.  They've got a substantial menu, and their soup is not bad.  Not the fastest place around, but still good for a quick lunch.

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Photo of CJ W.

 

7

22

CJ W.

Baltimore, MD

5 star rating
3/26/2009

fantastic homestyle vietnamese; authentic to a fault.

i've been coming to pho#1 for years. it's a standby meet up for lunch with my friends and family. family owned and run by a woman (now retired) who grew up near my mom in saigon. after spending some time in the more remote areas in the south, i can say for sure that this food is the real deal. read the fine print on your dish description, otherwise you may end up with animals parts you've never eaten before. tripe, tendon, and blood pudding aside, there's plenty for your friend who thinks white rice is spicy. for everyone else, step up to the specials posted at the door, or at least try a few new things before settling forever on that bun cha gio, or bun bo hue. the portions are generous bordering on ludicrous and they will make special requests, as regulars can be treated to things not on the menu. i'll admit the language barrier, in addition to relatively sparse staffing can make for some service frustrations, so drag in your vietnamese war refugee mom for backup. if you don't have one, order a #1 and a thai iced tea with bubbles.

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Photo of Tony R.

 

0

11

Tony R.

Perry Hall, MD

4 star rating
1/21/2009

I dont' know what the other two girls (DEnise and Tania) are smoking but the Pho here is really good. Also their chicken roti rice dish is excellent. Get the Thai tea with boba it's  really good. This is also the only place i know of in sucky Baltimore that has avocado smoothies.. GO HERE!

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Photo of Alan D.

 

1

32

Alan D.

Parkton, MD

3 star rating
8/5/2008

This place gets 3 stars because of the decor and variety.  Not because of the soup, the soup is OK, not great.  Portions are generous i always get the large #1.  Overall not a bad place for the Baltimore area, i have had better though.

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