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Category: Vietnamese [Edit]
Neighborhood: Capitol HillMon-Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
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For a long time I've been sort of leery about Pho Cyclo. However, two recent outings have made me a bit of a convert. I get pho ga (yes, yes I know), and I really like the fact that the chicken is obviously pulled off the bone, and is not a processed/pressed deli meat. And the chicken just tastes like real chicken that someone put some care into cooking and preparing. The broth is very flavorful, well seasoned, not overly salty, not greasy.
The service seems to vary here. Sometimes it seems like they want to take everything away before you're ready, and sometimes you have to beg for someone to refill your water and bring your check. But it's a pho house, not haute cuisine, so whatever. So long as they're serving up a good spicy hot broth, I'm cool.
I am Vietnamese so you should trust me on this one. Pho is our culinary export to the world and I love the pho here. I order the #11, rare steak with meatballs. It arrives fast and piping hot and the broth is delicately savory with just enough fat and a scattering of chopped scallions and cilantro and a sprinkling of black pepper on top. The bean sprouts and basil are always fresh and plentiful, they don't skimp you like other places. And although this is not traditional as far as I know, the pho here is served with a side of raw onion slices and a ginger-chili sauce to dip your meats in (I assume).
The tables are sturdy polished wooden tables and nicely spaced apart. What sets this pho restaurant apart from others is the lovely trompe l'oeil murals on the walls. On one side it's a streetscape of a a bustling retail center in Vietnam, the other side is the outside of a restaurant complete with real shutters mounted onto the wall. You do feel like you are sitting outside in a courtyard which is how a lot of pho places do things in Vietnam. Street style food. And for two visits, I thought the gate painted on the wall in the back was real. Ha!
What do you crave most on a cold day? Pho, of course!
This was the last pho place on Broadway that I haven't tried. I really wasn't expecting much, but I was surprised to find a spot with good ambiance AND good pho. That combo doesn't happen very often, not that I'm complaining. Its just nice to see every now and then.
The portions are decent but prices are a tad bit higher than your normal pho place.
Either way, yummy pho makes me a happy girl, and I left Pho Cyclo a pretty happy girl.
Best pho, ever!
The broth is so flavorful and everything is fresh.
I was really enjoying my coconut juice (yum) and vegetarian pho which had a great combination of vegetables and a really flavorful veggie broth when a large rat ran across the entire length of the restaurant. It crawled up on the rickshaw thing and looked right at me. Needless to say, I lost my appetite at that point. In a nutshell this place has average to indifferent service, a large mural of Vietnam covering one wall, pretty decent pho and possibly a rodent problem. I wish I would have gone to next door Ali Baba which is fantastic in every way.
Honestly, the pho broth at PC is much better than other pho shops. It tastes much more natural and less like water with msg and salt. I wish there was a little more variety with their menu but if you're looking for a bowl of pho and only that, PC isn't a bad idea.
Don't ask for an extra little bowl of soup on the side though, they'll charge you a dollar. Their sandwiches seem popular but I think it's extremely overpriced, since you can get it much cheaper at Seattle Deli.
This place is part of my regular rotations for a good, steaming bowl of pho. I believe the slight premium on the pho prices are due to the cleanliness of the place, which I'm OK with. No pho juice leftovers on the table or sauces from other people.
The broth is consistently good -- the spicy ginger sauce on the side makes this soup unique from other pho restaurants. Soothes the soul. The noodles are never too mushy, and the meat is always tender.
Also, the fried tofu over rice noodles is excellent. This is my other choice if I'm not getting pho. Most of the rice noodle dishes are fresh and filling.
The banh mi is good too, although, I usually go to Saigon Deli for my banh mi fixes.
There is one dish, and one dish only that I come here for... it's the grilled pork over rice. I dunno why, but I think it's sooo good here. The pho here on the other hand... isn't quite as good as other places.
How can a pho place mess up on the pho broth? Well, for starters, this place is WAY to CLEAN to be good... Sorry, that should actually be a good thing. However, there is an indirect ratio between cleanliness and flavor of the broth... don't ask me why. But back to the point, the broth here is a lil more plain. Not as layered as other places. Hard to describe, but there is a difference. It's not bad really, just not as good as other places.
I've also tried summer rolls here and they were alright as well. Nothing very unique and sets it above the rest, but it's pretty standard. Even though cleanliness leads to docked points off flavor, it does have an overall good effect on the rating of this restaurant compared to other places. In addition to that, this place is one of the few pho places that actually tries to decorate itself.
Worth checking out... you probably won't be impressed by the pho... I'd stick with the grilled pork over rice... Not sure I'd come here again just to venture off on other menu items... *thumbs up*!!
great food . their vietnamese sandwiches are fantastic especially the sweet delicious pork, certainly the best thing to come out of the vietnam war is the vietnamese sandwich! if u go to the sodo location at lunch hour they have daily soup options, bad ass
I used to eat Pho Cyclo every day on the Microsoft campus when they were in two of the buildings and that was consistently outstanding. I miss getting a Pho Ga Tam Bun or however it's spelled every day.
So, it was a very cold and rainy day in Seattle and I was in a tremendously rotten mood. I went there with my book and needed some broth and noodle comfort, thinking I would get it at Pho Cyclo. I don't live far from there, and it's usually one of the best in the area.
I lived life on the edge and got meatball Pho instead of the chicken pho that I normally get. The bowl came quickly, the broth and noodles were heaven, the meatballs - not so much. Good thing about the chicken - all white meat and consistently good. Meatball pho was a little bit more like slices of meatloaf than a meatball that I get other places. So, given that and the laissez faire service, I vote 4 stars.
Lol. It is so true. One bad experince and you just gotta tell everyone, a great experince and if you can find the time hmmm maybe just maybe you can yelp about it. When it comes to the pho it's not the greatest but it's kitchenally acceptable. Oh i wasn't seated on time, the water wasn't refilled, they didn't smile when i walked in, blah blah blah. People it's Viet food your lucky if you get a hi.
We lived around the corner from here, and we often order their banh mis. If you get them to go, you can't beat the price!
I like their pho and it's nice to get something in a bit of a different style from Than Brothers every now and again (also very yummy pho!). I like their combo dishes too. In general, we have been happy with everything we got from them.
They have high chairs too, so we would enjoy bringing our baby with us on occasion.
We wandered here for a quick bite before a SIFF film. We had about 45mins before the movie started, so we had to MOVE.
I've heard about Pho Cyclo for some time. It's open late'ish for those hankerin' for some pho. But they had other menu items, like rice dishes, noodle dishes, and of course...banh mi.
The inside of the restaurant is huge and cute! Large murals paint a Vietnamese street (one of the nicer ones) and the windows open out onto the sidewalk on nice sunny days.
The hub ordered lemon grass chicken with rice and I ordered a banh mi. Two fresh spring rolls to share. Of course, I had to ask if they had it 'dac biet' style..and busted out my Vietnamese to ask. The girl regretfully told me they did not. I then ordered pork and politely asked if we could get out of here within 30mins.
In 5mins the rolls appear. They do have shrimp, which I am sometimes allergic to, but it was good. The dipping sauce was just okay...I like a nice thick creamy peanut sauce or else my mom's nuoc mam. A few moments pass and our entrees are here. Yay! Thank the hook-up that is using my native language. YUUUUS! (Not really though, I'm sure they are just that attentive, heh.)
The pork banh mi was quite nice. The usual ingredients--fresh cilantro, pickled carrots/jicama, cucumber, jalapeno on a perfect baguette. Just enough BBQ pork with some crispiness and char from the grill. It also came with a side salad (did not know this) w/ a lite dressing and a whole sliced tomato.
The hub's chicken was quite tasty and cooked to just right (I was a little skeptical because it came out so fast).
We were in and out in 35mins, and it was about $15. :)
Three stars. I will need to go back to see if it will get a four. The first visit was good. The fresh spring roll has a smell to it, but maybe it's the rice roll. It smelled a little funky.
I had a really good noodle salad with beef, and my friend like his Pho. This is a much better choice than Pho 900, which is a few blocks south a littered with small gnats that fly in your face.
Pho Cyclo was clean and nice. However, the wait staff didn't seem interested in you after setting down your meal. A water refill came much later than needed.
I had # 17 today, rice noodels w/ pork and shrimp oooohhhhh so good!
I had the Tofu Pho. It was soooo tasty! All the fixings served with it on the side made it even… Read more »
The pho was ok. Could use a bit more flavor. Actually the fried tofu over rice noodles was the winner. The spring rolls were fresh and good too.
Worth a try cause it's so cheap!
I'm from California so when I'm hungover on a Sunday morning I get myself a big, cheap, red, steaming bowl of menudo. Seeing as I can't on Capitol Hill, I am so thankful that I found this place. It's affordable (I only finish the "small" bowl that costs just a few dollars) and they have limited beer on happy hour for $2. This pho is refreeshing and tasty. Service is good and fast and I walk out feeling like a million bucks.
I'm a little surprised by all the decent ratings for this place. I had a really bad experience last night. I went here because I was really craving Viet food and we were in the neighborhood already.
It took a few minutes for my party of three to get seated and when the waitress took us to our table, she made us stand around because she decided to seat us at another table. She was wiping down the tables but left the table wet. That's my pet peeve when I go to restaurants. But I guess they were super busy.
I tried to ignore that little detail. So when we were ready to order, our waitress came by with our iced waters. I politely let her know that we were ready to order and she snapped back at me! "CAN YOU WAIT!?" I was like uhh... OK. HOW RUDE. I was so mad!
And then a few minutes later, some other lady came and took our order, she was definitely nicer than the first gal. I ordered the rice with shrimp, pork and shrimp balls. My friends ordered the wonton soup noodle and the shrimp, pork, shrimp balls and shrimp cake vermicelli. We also shared shrimp spring rolls.
My food was OK... I've had way better, there was something about the rice that felt mushy. And the shrimp balls tasted funky, not my cup of tea. The shrimp and pork was good though and the nuc mam (fish sauce). The spring rolls... meh.
My friend said her noodle soup tasted like pho but with egg noodles and wontons. Go figure. She also tried asking for vinegar twice. The first time, the guy told her to hold on... and then he never came back. The second time she asked the older lady and she said they didn't have any. Strange. But at least her boyfriend enjoyed his vermicelli noodles.
That was my second time visiting Pho Cyclo Cafe and I have decided to venture back to Chinatown for better Viet food.
My sister's friends suggested Pho Cyclo for dinner on my last night in Seattle. I had been here before but really couldn't recall anything significant so I took that as a good thing. I usually order a rice noodle bowl anytime I go to a Vietnamese restaurant but this time I thought I would order the Pho. I ordered the one with the tendon and flank with a side of fresh salad rolls.
However, when I tried to order the iced coffee with condensed milk (the ultimate reason why I go to any Vietnamese place), they told me they were out! I was so baffled. How could they be out? It put a damper on the rest of my meal. The service was fine and my rolls were tasty. I thought the Pho broth was lacking in flavor and I only saw one piece of tendon in there. Overall, it was okay but I'm still in disbelief that they had ran out of coffee.
Unique decor, generally above industrial average service make this place a great choice for a quick eat in the Capital Hill area. The pho and spring rolls is okay at best. However this place still come as recommended in my book due to the service and cleanness of this restaurant. To really think about it this might be the best place for Vietnamese noodle within a reasonable radius.
I loves me some Pho
but also have a new love and its Banh Mi Ga Nuong "Spicy Chicken Sammich" with fresh veggies pickled radish, cilantro, sliced jalapeno, cucumber ,and carrot
these tasty little sammiches are only $3.25 !! you can't beat that with a little old laddies broom.
now I have wanted to try these for a while but we always seem to be in Pho mood, but the other day we are at Vivace and a friend is eating one and the BF is like hey whats that it looks good, and our friend is its a Chicken Banh Mi from Pho Cyclo, so we head across the street to get us some yummy sammiches, I also listened to him and got extra Jalapeno on it and damn could I feel the burn !! but it was a good burn
I have been told this is the place for Chicken but there are better places for the pork and cheaper also, so will go in search of and review them also, I had a pork one here and it was good but if there are better to be had ......
Every bowl of pho comes with a little dipping sauce that tastes like it has fresh grated ginger in it. Compliments the meat perfectly. The soup is always hot and the noodles are never overdone. Their soup is a little less greasy and they are generous with onions and cilantro.
What a great place to sit and enjoy a steaming hot bowl of PHO! The day is a normal Seattle Spring day not to hot and not to cool, the front windows are open and the street is busy with lots of people going by. It is our 1st day in town and we have hooked up with a friend we have not seen in over 14 years, he live here but has never been to Pho Cyclo before. We order a lot of food for lunch but that OK we are in no rush. The Spring rolls come to the table are are very good and the peanut sauce is just right. The time has come for the Pho to show up at the table, it looks and smells great. The plate of sprouts, mint, and sauce is very fresh and taste!
We spend time talking about the past and what we have been doing over the time we have been apart. The food is now gone, what a shame it was very good!
Pho Cyclo Cafe is a great place to spend some time with a good friend and eating well also!
Remember to eat well and live well and please no chains!
As far as pho goes, this is my favorite. Sure, its not as cheap as Than Brothers, and no free cream puffs in sight! However, the veggie broth is so delicious - much more flavorful than the cheaper pho places. You can actually see the tasty morsels of garlic floating around in the broth, and the variety of veggies is great. A small bowl of this stuff goes far.
This is also where I go to get my Britney Spears fix.
My first visit was last night with two of my favorite girls.
I love:
- The mural on the the wall. Most pho restaurants have drab, neon interior and don't spend much time dressing up the place. They went all out.
- The music. Granted, I'm not a huge fan of club/top 40, but it does add to the ambience. A bit loud, but dammit, that's why my friend Lily (aka Fireminx for you Yelpers) has dubbed the place "Club Pho". I think they should change the name. Really.
- Our waiter! Fashionable, Friendly, Funny and Faaabulous.
Did not love
- Ran out of water, and had to retrieve the pitcher myself. So what? Easy to overlook because of good company and ambience.
- The lady who mean-mugged us when we walked in. Hey lady? You're on BROADWAY, why are you trippin? Take your judgments to the Eastside.
Oh, the food? Yummmm. I do like the spicy ginger sauce they bring with the pho. Not something I've been offered before at other restaurants.
Tastes chain-like and kind of overpriced for pho.
The pho is ok... I've had better. I service was different. Waiter was helpful and nice, but the cashier guy was a total sob. Texted the whole time I was trying to pay them. I guess they don't really care that much about money.
There are definitely better pho places on there. Try the International District.
Good place for a quick fix but not if you want something authentic.
Definitely a decent place for vietnamese food and the I have yet to find an item that I didn't like. The pho is great and the other menu items have great taste and at a fairly affordable price.
The staff are usually very attentive and were quick to respond to my requests.
Good atmosphere and clean! I'm sure that sounds shocking for the hill and all, but not bad! Good place to take a group or just you and a friend. Usually pretty brisk, but never extraordinarily busy. Parking is a little tough to come by as you are on Broadway afterall...
I think I used to like Pho Cyclo more a while back, as the broth seemed to be more flavorful a couple of years ago. Don't get me wrong, it's still decent... It just seems to be a little more bland these days.
I'd still much rather come here than Than Bros just because their menu is more than just soup. I usually get the tofu fresh rolls with the peanut sauce for a starter, b/c you know... a big ass bowl of pho just isn't enough food.
I always order the Veggie, which comes with sauteed garlic and green onion on top. The meat soups don't come with the garlic, which is one of the reasons I always go veg. Oh, and their shrimp fried rice is also fabulous and I think I'll be getting that next time.
The service is very prompt and I've never not been attended to right away. A good 'ol standby for noods and/ or rice on the hill when you're NOT a fan of 'In the Bowl.'
Had spring rolls and pho this past weekend and they were quite tasty. The spring rolls were fresh and springy, with a yummy peanut sauce that had just the right amount of sweet and salt. The pho came out steaming but not scalding, which was perfect for the chilly afternoon. I had a small bowl, which still pretty generous and had oodles of noodles.
Service was a bit on the slow side. Servers seemed to be running around but not really paying attention in an organized manner until they dropped off the bill.
BEST PHO CHAY IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE. Okay, I'm probably not qualified to make that assertion--but it's my fave, f'sho. I've had so-so service there, but nothing atypical of a Vietnamese-run pho place. What separates them most for other pho places is the pleasantly clean and vibrant atmosphere. Crazy mural on the wall of what I'm guessing is Hanoi or something.
A vast menu that has more non-pho entrees than pho. BEST Bun Tofu I've ever had in my life, too. Equal to or better than the deliciousness of the pho chay (veggie pho).
Great place to go in the summer for lunch. They open their huge windows so you can breathe all the beauty and splendor of Broadway. (Ew.) But seriously though, the bomb.
They have really good Pho! I always order their Vegetarian pho and I love the variety of vegetables they put in the Pho. I feel really lucky to live 1/2 block away from them too :)
Yay! I am a fan :)
Wait, what is this? Magical sandwiches? Yes, I SHALL take a magical sandwich! Cheap, delicious, and addictive enough to leave my mind puzzled as to how pickled vegetables, meat, cilantro, and more meat on a bun could taste SO DAMN TASTY!
Meat and veggies are of really good quality, service is fast (even when its busy).
I'm a meat lover, but they have the BEST veggie pho I've ever had and often order this when I want something healthy yet deliciously satisfying.
It comes steaming hot with fresh tofu, broccoli, carrots, sprouts, fried caramelized onions and garlic. Even places that specialize in good vegan pho (i.e. Moonlight Cafe or Vegan Garden) do not make it as special as it is here.
Ok, aside from the pho, their combo meat dishes with vermicelli or rice are very good and their broken rice (often an overlooked side) is always perfect.
Domestic and imported beers are available.
Visually, the decor is kind of fun.
They have pretty cherry wood tables and chairs, bright green chopsticks, and the surrounding wall murals emulate a courtyard scene in Vietnam. It brings out the kid in me!
PROS: The Pho Tai, Spring rolls with chicken or tofu, Bubble Tea, Fast and friendly service.
CONS: Haven't found one yet ! I'll be back if I do! (;
I've been there over ten times by the way.
We like to call Pho Cyclo "Club Pho" b/c of the music they BLARE in the restaurant. The last 2 times we were there I wanted to put down my cardboard and attempt to breakdance.
That being said, their fresh rolls are so good and quite frankly, I love their pho. It's the right combination of everything Lily wants in a bowl of pho.
The only negative is that sometimes the service is a weeeee bit...slow.
3 starts from me means:
I would go here again if I was part of a group and they wanted to go there.
I've been here before and thought it was pretty good. But the last time that I went, I didn't really enjoy it (even though I was starving).
The service wasn't bad and the atmosphere was actually pretty okay as well. I enjoyed that they painted a Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City street at night on the large wall. There were even little twinkles light set inside the wall to give it a nice look.
What I wanted to complain about was the food and beverages. I liked that they gave you hot tea for free (like any good Vietnamese pho place should), but my cup smelled like chlorine and my bf said that it tasted like dirty water. The food portion was small compared to other smalls I have ordered at other places. I also wish that they had given me some more tai and meatballs.
One last thing: I would have liked it if they had dried off the thai basil and the bean sprouts given to us for our meal. It only makes sense.
So...maybe I'm spoiled because I've had (if not better, but at least) just as good pho that's cheaper else where. Pho from Pho Cyclo is not bad, but personally, I think you can find pho that's just as good at a lower price, and usually, you can find that just a few blocks away.
Their rice dishes at Pho Cyclo are not bad. I enjoy the grill meat.
I'm not sure if all the Pho Cyclos are the same, but I always get a kick out of the music they play there ... at least for the Capitol Hill one. There's a variety...from 80's, to Britney, to Backstreet Boys...to Vietnamese pop.
I say, Pho Cyclo is alright, but not my 1st choice for pho.
So I eat here pretty often, just because I can't get to the ID for some REAL asian pho that will knock the socks off ya.
Out of the pho you can get on the hill, it's the easiest and most decent, the other pho place really stinks. It's equivalent to the safeway or qfc deli for me- it will do, but not a place I will bring someone I'm trying to impress to.
I understand that there is a certain type of taste bud their accommodating to, but I truly feel that if they make it authentic ppl will still eat it, and proba bly come more often.
It doesn't matter if your a pho eating pro that's been eating pho since 2, or a newbie- pho should always be authentic and flavorful. The broth is the most important part, and I feel like they don't let the bones cook long enough to get the true pho experience. Also, whats up with that side sauce- blah, I can't even dip my meat in that.
Enough of my bitchin, I will still go there when I'm hung over or I get a hankering for some good old fashion asian breakfast/brunch.
Oh yah, I don't like their rice dishes either...or the vietnamese sandwiches either.
Stopped by today & service was bad. I am usually just by myself, so my order is easy. Today I brought my mom & step-father before taking them to the airport to fly back to Denver. Took the waitress a while after we were seated to take our order (usually they are there after I've barely opened the menu!). Unfortunately she didn't bring water (we had to flag down another waitress 1/2 way through the meal) & didn't bring our egg rolls (until after main dishes arrived).
Also I have to say that the chicken lemongrass noodle bowl I ordered wasn't as tasty as usual. The chicken seemed a bit more gristly & mostly dark meat, maybe a little overcooked as well. Everything else still tasted great, so I just skipped most of the meat.
My step-father didn't really enjoy his Pho either. He is kind of a picky eater, but I figured, how can you go wrong with chicken soup?! Well, unfortunately, it went wrong. He didn't think it had much flavor.
Oh well, I'll still go back. I haven't tried their Vietnamese sandwiches & my mom did enjoy her rice combo. However I think I'll stick to Than Bros for Pho.
I can't speak for the Pho (my preferred Pho vendor is right down the street), but I do love their… Read more »
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