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Category: Vietnamese [Edit]
Neighborhood: Tower Grove East
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I surely miss Vietnamese from SF and Pho Grand is about as close as it comes.
The prices are very reasonable as it is a very nice looking place (in comparison to most Vietnamese restaurants)
The Bo Luc Lac was amazing, I would suggest that every time.
I came here hoping that it would be as good as my pho experiences from Chicago, and it was! The was relatively large with some interesting decorations.
I had the chicken pho and it was very good! It had very strong flavors with all the right ingredients. I was very happy when they brought over an entire plate of bean sprouts and cilantro, it was exactly what I needed to make my soup taste even better. I poured some saracha sauce in with all the side greens and it was just a big bowl of fantastic flavors in every scoop!
The prices were good and the food was delicious! If you like Pho or Vietnamese food in general, definitely come here!
I do not profess to be an expert in Vietnamese cuisine, but I think you would be hard pressed to find a much better experience than Pho Grand.
There's a real sense of care for the quality of the food presented at Pho Grand. We started with and order of Cha Gio and Bi Cuon. There was nothing out of the ordinary about either one except that the ingredients had a really fresh taste and feel to them. You could tell, someone in the kitchen wants you to experience the best Cha Gio and the best Bi Cuon you've ever tasted.
For entrees I had the Hu Tieu Dac Biet ($6.95), or Clear noodle soup with BBQ Pork, Shrimp, Crab and Vegetables. The broth is served on the side and is meant as an accompaniment to the noodle dish. Everything was expertly cooked and delicious, with notes of sweetness coming from the caramelized onions and the roast BBQ Pork.
My Dining Partner in Crime had the Com Dac Biet ($8.95), or crushed rice with egg cake, shredded pork, BBQ pork, pork skin and a fried egg. Again, a beautiful plate presentation and high quality execution of some delicious ingredients.
We each also ordered a Vietnamese Drip Coffee. Wicked strong!
Service was friendly, fast and efficient. The place is an incredible bargain.
HUGE menu, lots of vegetarian options - (all in one section of the menu). Staff extremely attentive and friendly. Very diverse crowd - great for people watching.
Health inspection rating posted on front window (could be standard for the area) with an "A". And it was very clean.
Street/neighborhood only parking - but seems to be a nice area.
Garlic wings were very good, med-rare steak pho was good - but not really different from any other pho place. I guess it is one of those foods you can expect to be the same wherever you go.
#23 on the vegetarian menu - Vegetable dish with fried tofu - my girlfriend quite enjoyed.
Roast. Pork. Bun.
*drools*
I am a fan of most if not all of the Vietnamese places in St. Louis. Their bun is just the best. I think it's the way they charr the thinly sliced pork.
'Meh. I've experienced better'. Yep. 2 stars. It's a huge downgrade from my previous rating of 4 stars, but it necessary.
Went here again tonight. Had 11.02 (beef pho). It was DECENT, but you can definitely get better pho elsewhere. Like Mai Lee.
The eggrolls were pretty good, but not the best. The spring rolls were disgusting.
I probably won't come here again unless someone REALLY wants to go. And only if both Lemongrass and Mai Lee are closed.
Sorry, Pho Grand. I'm afraid you're just a wee bit overrated.
This was my first time trying pho, and I thought it was pretty good. I couldn't resist trying this… Read more »
The deep fried tofu was delish! There wasn't a hint of any oil on any of those deep fried tofu cubes. It came with this peanut-hoisin sauce mixture, that was also delish. Now, on to my dish. I ordered a calamari with garlic & onions. It was a bit bland for me. Again, no hint of oil, but still lacked some flavoring with the exception of a blast of black ground pepper on top of it. The rice was so-so. The vinegared carrots made my day. I love those things! My bf's dish wasn't sooo bad. He ordered a ramen soup that reminded me of my mom's cooking. The noodles were definitely fresh & good. The wontons were equally as good. The server was very much attentive, which was good considering it was a busy Saturday night. We didn't even wait that long for a table despite being told that we were going to have a 10 minute wait.
Not sure about the oily Pho I am seeing in other reviews. I like a little oil in my broth... little dots of the oil are good. Fat adds a roundness. I digress.
My Pho was fine. Not too oily. Complex and spiced like good Pho should be. No complaints, except they did not give me any raw hot pepper to add on my garnish plate.
The egg rolls rocked just like most viet rolls do.
Service was great, and they did not give me a dirty look when I showed up a half hour before last seating. PC trouble will make you late every time!
THE BEST VIETNAMESE PLACE EVER!!!!
While visiting St Louis, my friends and I came here for some pho after reading some great reviews on Yelp. Turned out that the reviews were absolutely spot on.
If you happen to be in St Louis and you love Vietnamese food, you have to come to this place. The best pho I have ever had!! Prices were very cheap too. I think a bowl of pho was like 6 bucks. Having mentioned the cheap price, the service here is excellent as well. Very friendly and helpful.
I have been an addicted fan of Pho Grand for almost 20 years. I had all of the greatest meals of college there; the prices then as well as now are unbelievably reasonable, which my college budget really appreciated and my recession budget still appreciates.
I have never had a bad dish here. I am a big fan of the Pho Ga, lots of fresh herbs and sprouts served along side, nice flavor, not too salty, generous amount of chicken with a good ratio of noodle to chicken.
Pho Grand easily has the promptest service in Saint Louis. We've ordered appetizers and had them on the table in less than 5 minutes. Friendly as well. They are a Saint Louis Institution for good reason.
If you are taking a meat eating newbie to Pho Grand for the first time, I recommend the Shaking Beef; I can't tell you how many converts that dish has made amongst my circle of friends and acquaintances.
Arguably the best place to get pho in St Louis. It can also hold its own in comparison to places like Orange County or Houston and being isolated from either coasts and those large Viet populations that speaks a lot.
There's also a ton of Viet who you'll see eating here which is always a sure sign that it's good.
The broth is solid and is neither overpowering with MSG nor blatantly bland. That broth is what makes or breaks pho and they have got that part locked down.
Pricing is excellent making this restaurant a phenomenal deal to eat at for Vietnamese or in comparison to any other cuisine.
The only downside I can think of is it can get pretty busy here and parking can be difficult to come by. Other than that it is top notch here.
WOW!! This was great! A big thank you to Ericka H. (on this board) for recomending the Shakin' beef. It was outstanding!
Had lunch here today and thoroughly enjoyed the food. Really good egg rolls and the beef dish was wonderful. Really yummy. My daughter had a chicken dish which was also wonderful. I will go back soon. Yummy
Ok, i dont want to be one of those hater people that say that its terrible because i've lived X place and X place. unfortunately i'm going to be right now. Growing up eating vietnamese food and pho, i came to Pho Grand to check out what viet food in STL was like. First off, I thought that the food was waaaayyyyyyyy overpriced. 7 dollars for a bowl of pho that was pretty small is pretty bad. But the 2 cha gios for 5 bucks? thats robbery! So expensive and small portions. two strikes. Finally, i agree with the reviewer who said the pho was oily. it is OILY. no doubt about it. Flavor wise, Pho Grand has nothing on West Coast Pho.
One major positive was this was the best service i have ever had at a Vietnamese restaurant. So if you want good service with small, overpriced, and oily pho then come here. otherwise look elsewhere
Not only the best Vietnamese restaurant in town (easily)
Also dollar for dollar the best restaurant in STL.
This is a "must try"
Recommended (yes by number)
1804
1801
1503
1001
1002
Pho Grand put Vietnamese food on the map in St. Louis. When they first opened, there were few other Vietnamese options in town.
Pho Grand started out in a small space next to its current location and it was dirt cheap (average dinner plate under $4). It was always full of Vietnamese people (a good sign). They grew, bought the historic building next door, raised the prices (still reasonable) and decorated. It is a nicer space, but I think people miss the cheaper prices and no frills atmosphere that they had next door.
I think people hold Pho Grand to too high of a standard because it is popular. Pho Grand has a reputation that precedes it and expectations may be unrealistic. I guess that's the downside of being a pioneer.
There are better Vietnamese restaurants in town, but Pho Grand is good and has a nice atmosphere. Their crushed rice plates are inexpensive and yummy. The Pho could have more flavor, but it is still good. The food is always fresh and they have a scallop curry that I love. Good stuff!!
The only complaint I have is that the staff does table prep in the front of the house, so it looks disheveled in the entryway where it should be clean and uncluttered. They should also make use of the handcrafted bar up front instead of using it to store things.
Five stars because it also pisses me off this place is getting three in some cases.
I've had Viet food all over the place and this is one of the better restaurants. Pho broth is absolutely hit or miss. And I've had some broth that's absolutely disgusting (See Pho Bang) Also having grown around Viet folks and having an ex that's Viet, I have pretty high standards for a non-Viet dude.
Wifey and I had the Pho Ga (As usual, her comfort food, and my barometer for rating Vietnamese joints) and we ordered the Vietnamese-style fried rice to go. Both were absolutely knock out dishes.
Only cons to it were the fact that parking was scarce (parking's scarce all over that street) and that I can't order from this place more simply based on the fact I don't live in STL.
I have to say that STL is blessed to have alot of good places to eat, but this place is definitely one of my personal favorites. No matter how many times we either visit or drive through STL Pho Grand is an absolute necessity!
Being contrary, I did not order pho at Pho Grand. Instead I ordered these noodles with beef and chicken and vegetables. And before this, my favorite fried tofu appetizer.
Everything tasted very fresh - the noodles were perfectly cooked, the vegetables had a bit of a snap to them, the spices were balanced, and they didn't skimp on the meat.
With their excellent food quality/price ratio, there's no reason this shouldn't be every St. Louisian's favorite go-to dinner spot. I know I'd wander over here several times a week if I lived in the South Grand area.
I really like Pho Grand. But I agree, there is other equally good Vietnamese food on Grand. I much prefer Bahn Miso.
I go to Pho Grand for a particular dish. I'm not sure what it's called, but it was different than anything I've ever had. It's almost like a hot salad. There is a broth with rice noodles in the bottom of the bowl. Then lettuce, cucumber, fried tofu and cilantro on top. It is so good I'm salivating just writing about it. I'm sure they serve similar dishes at other places, but I usually have a hard time deciphering if the dish is cold or not on the menus at other places.
The service is really fast here, and sometimes I go just to look at the waiter with the tattoos...Yes, I said it.
Their spring rolls PALE in comparison to Banh Miso's, which is down Grand a bit.
I gotta be honest. I think that there are better Vietnamese restaurants in St. Louis. Don't get me wrong, Pho Grand is very good, but there isn't any reason to wait for a table there when there is at least one if not two Vietnamese restaurants near by that are nearly as good if not better than Pho Grand.
Next time there is a wait at Pho Grand go a few blocks down Grand and try Four Seasons, or walk a block to Lemon Grass.
Holy crap, is this place cheap! You get plenty of delicious food and leave with plenty of cash in your wallet--sounds like a winner to me.
At prices this low, I would've expected Pho Grand to be a total dive, but it's not--it's clean, nicely lit and well-appointed with art and musical instruments. The service was prompt, though maybe a tad rushed at times, but geez, the diverse clientele just kept coming, so they had to keep up!
Pho Grand's menu is vast and everything sounds tempting, from bowls of pho and rice flour crepes on down to pan-fried noodles and fried rice . I took Allan C.'s recommendation for the snapper in the special curry sauce, even though they substituted tilapia for the snapper last night. Day-um, Gina, that is some tasty curry! And the fish was flaky, crispy and delicious. There was a misunderstanding with our server, so I didn't end up with my leftovers (*sniff*), but that's okay--I'll just go back and order more. So, so good. Justin had the bun bo hue and his first encounter with pigs' feet, and while he didn't dig on the cartilage too much, he loved the intensely flavorful skin and pork fat. We also shared the lettuce wraps appetizer and, as others have said, they are reallllly good.
Pho Grand is pho-nomenal. That's right, I said it. :) It's cheap, it's delicious, it's got a wide variety of dishes to choose from--and if you're lucky enough to have as wonderful company as we did on our maiden voyage there, you're in a good spot, indeed.
Cheap, tasty, authentically Vietnamese, and a HUGE selection to chose from. You will never be disappointed! Try the crackling pork!
The pho was magical. The broth, beef pieces, noodles, and veggies were a gastronomic experience that the SF Bay Area has yet to deliver.
I also tried the noodles with beef, chicken and veggies and it was delicious.
If I ever come back to St. Louis, I will insist on going here for a return trip to this Vietnamese food haven.
Pho Grand is definitely one of the better lunch spots on the culinarily rich end of Grand near Arsenal. They have a pretty solid menu of Vietnamese standbys such as bun thit nuong, bun bo xao, and pho, pretty much what you would expect from a Vietnamese place. They also have some really good dishes slightly outside of what you would expect such as the Korean style crushed rice plates, which are absolutely fantastic. The deals here are crazy good and you can go nuts ordering and walk out of here spending less than $15. Most times when I don't order coffee I usually keep it under $10.
The Vietnamese egg rolls are some of the best appetizers I have ever eaten at any restaurant and they also have some rather interesting summer rolls. Pretty much all the noodle and rice dishes I've had here have been excellent and I can't really complain about the food quality in general as 90% of what I've had there has been fantastic.
The only real disappointment here is that the soups are extremely mediocre, which might be surprising for a restaurant that claims to be for pho. The pho is actually pretty bland and has very little variety. You pretty much get beef balls and sliced beef and that is it. No tripe, tail, or tendon, basically none of the good stuff. The bun bo hue was also pretty lame. The noodles were fine, but the broth of the soup is just lacking.
Overall, this is a killer spot, I usually make it out there twice a month at least just because the dishes are so good and cheap and the iced coffee is also a real treat in the afternoon.
Yum. In the continual battle of who serves the best pho in St. Louis, Pho Grand wins hands down. They may not serve the best pho ever, but it comes pretty close in my opinion. Great portions, yummy flavor, and excellent service. I've always had great pho here...nonoily, fresh, and without any of those MSG additives. It's real comfort food at its finest. It might not be the cheapest, but I'll take it any day due to the quality.
I just wish it was in a better location. (long story).
I was somewhat skeptical coming here, after visiting Vietnam, and secondly, the fact this is in St. Louis. Yet I was extremely surprised by Pho Grand. I went with a few friends on a Wednesday night and the place was packed. The Mi Xao Mem (meat, vegetables, and egg noodles) was as good as any Vietnamese food I've ever had. The staff was extremely friendly and the service was excellent. I'm planning many more trips to Pho Grand.
Hands down my favorite Vietnamese!
I go here often...at least twice a month. I sometimes call in an order and pick it up to take home.
I typically get the same thing (1903) which is a chicken and veggies dish over sticky rice. My very favorite thing is the spring rolls...I could eat a dozen! The iced coffee is also very good and I now make it at home since I'm addicted.
Great service too....never had a problem.
I think a lot of people fall into either the "I love Lemon Grass" or "I heart Pho Grand" camp. For most likely arbitrary reasons, I fall into the former. It's probably because I have more memories of fun times with friends at Lemon Grass and I think it smells better (in a food way).
That doesn't mean that I don't like Pho Grand. I do. I haven't had bad experiences there. Their spring rolls are not my favorite (and I'm a spring roll junkie), but they're not bad either.
The prices on food there are good, as well as the portions, plus it's kind of fancy looking for the price range.
My Pho was so peppery it was hard to eat, and I like pepper.
The broth was okay, nothing impressive. I was a little surprised that they didn't have the traditional spoons I've gotten everywhere else when I eat pho.
My noodles were really clumpy, too.
The were really good at filling my water, though, so that's something.
I've only been here once and had the curry coconut tofu- fabulous. The spring rolls left a little to be desired. They had a nice texture, but not much taste.
They should seriously consider putting a bar tender at the empty bar in their waiting room upstairs!
Okay, it REALLY deserved only 1 star, but my cousin got one of the crepes, which was actually tasty. So let me tell you why I did NOT love this place:
(a) the service had a WHOLE lot of attitude. He told me I told him the wrong dish, which I did not, and then was not nice when I was concerned about the colour of my pork,
(b) my bbq pork was red -- candy apple red. I ordered "bun thit nuong" which I have ordered several times in my life (I used to live in Houston, TX and I *know* what good Viettnamese food is like). I had no idea what "red" tasted like until now,
(c) they poured the ngoc chom INTO my noodles, so it became a SOUP,
(d) both my brother and sister ordered pho, and it was not very good -- way too peppery and one of them lives in LA, and
(e) the portions are quite small, compared to restaurants frequented by those familiar with Vietnamese food.
In summary, I do not recommend this restaurant to those familiar with Vietnamese food. However if you generally like SEA food, it's not absolutely horrible, it's still tasty, but just not true to form.
Dear Pho Grand,
Are you serious? Your prices - holy sh*t. Your food - goodness. I want to marry your face.
That is all,
Ashley
It's no secret this place is amazing. The only problem I have is remembering what I got before that was so awesome because the menu is huge. But I've yet to try a dish here I didn't love. The prices are jaw droppingly low for such great food, and the service is speedy.
Even my ethnic-food-phobic fiance loves this place!
Why is this a four? Because their appetizers pale to the ones at Lemongrass. They should make a baby together.
Otherwise this is the best Pho in town. However, I came here with my parents and my dad ordered a Red Snapper dish and my mom ordered the Udon with pigs feet (which are DELICIOUS...) and I was blown away by them. I got a pork and shrimp crepe and, though tasty, isn't something that I would ever choose over the staple pho.
Things I've Tried:
Pho - The broth is actually on the thick side for a broth... sweeeet.
Red Snapper in special curry sauce (#21.14) - BOOOOOOOOO... freaking cheapskates switched over to tilapia until further notice! It still says red snapper on the menu. It's still tasty, but I'm a much bigger fan of Red Snapper, though I understand that things are getting more expensive and some cuts had to be made.
Anything else in special curry sauce - that curry sauce sure is damned special.
Udon with pigs feet (#16.05) - Very delicious. However I think the pho is better, but it's a good alternative to change things up.
Spring Rolls - They were premade and have been sitting around for a while. Not that great.
Went here for dinner and had their spring rolls and a pho dish. The spring rolls were clean, if not a bit tasteless without the sauce. I'd say they're your average spring rolls you'd find at any Vietnamese place. The pho dish I got had a variety of beef in it (sausage, thin cuts, etc). The broth was tasty but very greasy. For its price (about $7 I think?), it's an excellent deal. The atmosphere is also very nice, atypical of an Asian place.
A couple of complaints. The dishes for the pho are too small. It gets a little hard to mix the vegetables without fear of spilling. The tables are too close together in the restaurant so the waiters are always having to squeeze by your table.
Pho Grand is hands down superbo.
There's a big debate in amongst my friends in STL whether or not Pho grand is the best or if Lemongrass is the best.
I'd say Pho's pancake/crepe things are the best
and
Lemongrass' hot pots are the best.
I have no idea if Pho Grand is authentic, but I loved it all the same. Everything I ever ordered was very flavorful and delicious.
When I lived in STL, I think we went every week and dinner for two always seemed to be under 20 bucks (why we went there so often).
the green curry here is delicious. I've had some funny/good memories here. the service is good and it delivers good food every time. the portions are great for the price they charge. it's clean and it's always pretty lively.
Yum! This place is GOOD. I live in LA right now for school.. food capital of the nation and i'd have… Read more »
Certainly didn't expect that St Louis would be such a gold mine of great Vietnamese food. But the Vietnamese restaurant row on Grand are quite simply "grand"
Tasty rendition of central dishes...particularly the steamed rice noodles...a pleasant atmosphere, nice enough for casual dates.
Once again, great service. Of all of the cities I go to on business, St Louis has proven to be among the friendliest.
The food was fresh, delicious and beyond incredibly quick. Also, extremely good value for the price. Packed, even on a Monday night - that's a great sign.
Five stars because the fact that people are giving this place 3 and 4 stars is pissing me off. You know where there's better Vietnamese food? Vietnam. Probably a lot of other places too. Bottom line: Pho Grand is fast, cheap, fresh and reliable. If I could ever find a guy stupid enough to marry me, I would probably have 19.04 (coconut chicken curry) served at my wedding.
Neighborhood: Tower Grove South
Category: Vietnamese
Neighborhood: Tower Grove South
Category: Vietnamese
Neighborhood: University City
Category: Vietnamese
Neighborhood: Dutchtown
Category: Vietnamese
Neighborhood: Central West End
Category: Vietnamese
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