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Category: Vietnamese [Edit]
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill
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The optimal, and most probable, time line for your meal at Than Brothers:
Walk in and be seated: 10-15 seconds
Have order taken: 0 - 30 seconds
Plate of garnishes and cream puff arrive: 5 seconds
Exercise self control and not devour cream puff: feels like forever (max 30 seconds)
Steaming hot bowl of noodle soup arrives: 20 seconds
Garnish, squirt, and stir: 5-20 seconds
Slurp, slurp, slurp, receive the bill, slurp, slurp, slurp: 5 minutes
Gobble down complimentary cream puff: 3 seconds
Contemplate ordering additional cream puffs: take your time, avoid rash decisions
Pay around $5 and get out of there in under 10 minutes. Cheap, fast, and let's go ahead and call it healthy!
Seriously, where else can you get a GIANT bowl of soup and cream puff for $6? I definitely am in the veggie pho line, as cheap meat products kinda make me uncomfortable. The veggie soup if full of great fried tofu slices, and I love making it spicy in the wintertime to clear out the sinuses. Than Brothers is single-handedly responsible for over half my dining on Broadway. So cheap, so filling, so quick, so easy.
Always pleasant staff, and while cash only, its next door to a Wells Fargo ATM.
Hands down the fastest I've ever received pho ever - either sit down or to go. I think from the time I placed my order to the time I had a piping hot bowl of pho in front of me was about 20 seconds. To Go was maybe 3 minutes - and half of that time was me trying to dig cash out of my pocket.
Great broth, perfectly portioned. Delicious cream puff. I'm unclear why people think this place is dingy. No, the exterior isn't shiny and pretty with a bunch of fancy signage and lights but the interior is clean, simple, and serviceable. I couldn't even tell you about the decor because once pho is in front of me? It's serious business.
It's also serious business for the staff too - they are quick, efficient, and polite. No small talk about the weather, etc etc. Sometimes you just want to sit down, eat, and gtfo. Than Brothers is perfect for this.
Becoming a Pho fan and Than Brothers is one of the better Pho places I have tried. My daughter comes to this one often and took us along recently. I really liked the cream puff that came with it, I should have saved it for last, more like a desert.
I decided to just try the broth without dressing it up and I was very pleased, good flavor but not overpowering. Before I knew it, I had finished it without adding anything. The price is very good and like the three sizes to choose from.
I'm a regular at the Than Brothers in West Seattle, but I made my way to the one on Cap Hill this past weekend, and it was so sad. The place itself is so much nicer than the one in West Seattle, there are actually fish in the fish tank. However, the broth for the soup was way too fatty and lacked in flavor. In addition, the soup was luke warm. Yuck. It's ok though, there are a lot more pho shops on Broadway to try.
Give me a number 3 (Rice noodle soup with eye-round steak and well-done flank), and I'm good to go!
Simply the best pho in the city. The Aurora location is equally as good, though I should say, there's much more to do in the Broadway location after you're finished with your meal. Afterall, food coma is possible with the ridiculous extra large bowls that you can order here.
Service is fast. Faster than a speeding bullet. Prices are cheap. You could buy your meal with the change under your couch.
The parking can be a bit pain. But I'd be damned if I wouldn't be willing to walk a mile just to get here.
Thank you Than Brothers for being there with a super fast, super hot bowl of veggie pho to make all the vodka go away! Without you, my weekend would be so much more painful! By the time I finished, I could stop glaring at the delicious cream puff and fully enjoy it's tastiness!
Than Brothers is the first place my lovely boyfriend took me to when I moved to Seattle. Sure, I've had Than Brothers before in the years I've been visiting Seattle, but that first visit to Than Brothers as a Seatte resident was comparable to being greeted with a 'Holy crap you finally got here sign!' held by a loved one by baggage claim at the airport. It was warm and comforting and made me feel right at home.
Okay, enough of the mushy stuffs. Their pho is the best I've had. It's simple and the broth is amazing, and they don't try to shove a bunch of unecessary veggies in it. I've tried pho at a good handful of places in the city, and I'm never satisfied. Even when I lived in Orange County I tried a terrible pho place that smelled like the manicure place next door, and I felt like I was punished for cheating on Than Brothers. The service is fast, the interior is no frills, and it's cheap and completely satisfying. It'd be amazing if it was open just an hour or so later at night, but I can deal.
The pho here has a good quality-to-price ratio, and is among the cheapest in the city for a decently sized portion. There is a free creampuff for each eater, and extras can be ordered cheaply.
I worry about the cleanliness of the restaurant in general, but if you can get past the atmosphere, the food is decent. It's probably not the best quality out there, nor the most healthy (you can see the fat and sense the MSG).
Not horrible, but not great. I like to think of this place as the fast food version of pho-- it's a little faster and cheaper than the other places, and I only go there as a last resort.
The veggie pho has a lot of decent tofu, but the only veggies in it are straw mushrooms (which have that mushy canned vegetable texture). The broth is pretty bland and tasteless, too. Compared to Pho 900's veggie pho (which has tons of tofu, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, and snap peas in a delicious broth), it leaves a LOT to be desired.
Service is fast and the restaurant is clean, so I won't give it the harsh 1 star :)
I have a theory that the dirtier the pho restaurant, the more kick-butt the food. Case in point, enter Than Bro's. I've seen pho places wipe their utensils with a dirty rag, serve bleak looking water and sport sticky counter tops. But all of that fades away when you receive that piping hot bowl of noodles, cilantro, thinly sliced red beef and a light little cream puff. If you're not too sloshy with savory soup, try the iced French coffee which drips agonizingly slow into your cup but makes a refreshing counterpart to a hot day.
All this within a guaranteed 3 minutes of you sitting down, the order is barely out of your mouth when the soup arrives at your table. Cash only is a bummer but suck it up buster.
I know there's better pho out there but for scarcely $5 for a body well satisfied? There's no comparison!
The best veggie pho in Seattle, without question.
Like Converse, go one size down from what you think you need. I still haven't finished a medium pho, and I'm a chubby bastard.
If you're expecting service or to look at a color besides white, you may be disappointed.
This is the only Pho place where their cream puff was not stale and was actually kind of good because you could actually taste the cream in the middle, instead of the tiny morsels of museum standard pastries elsewhere. Don't even think about stepping even a foot in here to eat without cash, but there is Wells Fargo ATM right next door to the rescue.
The big bowl of rare beef, meat balls slices, and tendon Pho had passed the edible test, but the broth was kind of bland and fatty. Not at all like the mother of all Pho places in Seattle "THE Pho Bac on 7th Ave". That had always been my favorite place for Pho since finding it on Yelp a year ago, and they always get it right the first time.
Also, the noodles at Than's were undercooked so if you happened to sit facing the window, it could give the impressions that you were chewing gum or tobacco instead of eating your soup. The owner was friendly and services were good. Pho 900 is slightly better but they often garnish most of their stuff with black pepper which modified the taste to whatever and black pepperish.
Really good. 4 stars for a cheap eats place. A welcome treat in between some fancier spots when visiting Seattle.
Hands down, the best pho in Seattle. The veggie pho is totally amazing...
Avoid the location on Aurora though, that one is dirty, unkempt, and smells like pee.
Other than that, the capitol hill location is clean and has road runner speed service, especially if you catch one of the owners on a day they are working.
For some reason, the soup tastes really bland on days they aren't there.... namely weekends... so I would definitely go on a weekday -_-
Best vegetarian pho in seattle! Absolutetly live this than brothers.
I have been to a few other than brothers and I was sad to find out most of the others around the state use chicken stock for their veggie pho, but the one on broadway for sure uses vegetable stock.
The atmosphere is bland and a bit on the unclean side, but if you can look past that it's a great place for quick food.
Their smalls are massive and I can never seem to finih a
medium.
Each meal comes with a free amazingly tasty cream puff.
Food is delivered almost disturbingly fast.
In short, if you want quick, CHEAP and tasty pho, go to than brothers on broadway. If you want a warm, welcoming and sterile environment, choose elsewhere.
I used to love this place. I keep returning after a long long while hoping to get the good pho i used to get a few years ago. Twice now my pho came out somewhat warm. I want my pho steaming hot! Other than that, I don't have much else to say. Just another typical pho restaurant that is average. Guess it's worth the price you pay because it's still the cheapest pho in town. Maybe I can take it to go and microwave it some more at home. Hmm... but I think they charge extra for that.
Love this place. Love the food. Love the staff. Food is piping hot and served very quickly. My belly is full and my bowl is empty when I leave. What more can one ask for? Dancing girls?
Cash only, which can be inconvenient, but not worth losing a star over.
P.S.
As Valentina has reminded me - the creme puffs come first. Not the chicken. Not the egg.
Pros: free cream puff before meal - awesome, you will usually get your food within 5 minutes of entering the restaurant, the pho is pretty good, and two people can get full for about $10.
Cons: they only take cash, if you need anything after they give you your pho (more cream puffs, coffee) good luck, because they will not come back to your table, and you can't really get anything besides pho or cream puffs (no spring rolls or anything)
All in all, you get a pretty good meal and a delicious cream puff and you get to eat pretty much right away for about $5. Can't complain.
You can produce something good, fast, and cheap, but you cannot produce something that is all three at once.
With Than Brothers, you get:
Cheap: A little over $5 after tax.
Fast: Today, the server asked me if I was ready to order before I sat down (and I was ready).
Consistently Adequate: This is not gourmet food, here - it's a five dollar meal! And it still beats a lot of less-than-consistently-adequate places out there....
The best pho in Seattle. I live in the Columbia City area (South Seattle) and will drive to this place whenever I want pho. I only eat Than Brothers pho. It's "top shelf" pho! Plus you can't beat their cream puffs!
I recommend the pho ga (chicken pho) or the #9 (beefy goodness). I've also tried my girlfriend's vegetarian pho once and it wasn't half bad. PERFECT when you are hungover or cold.
This is the worst dirtiest pho place I have been to and trust me I have been to a lot with my Vietnamese friends. Again, disappointed. The broth was beyond bland....the beef was cheap quality and it was DIRTY inside...they need to wipe down the seats!! I see oily fingerprints and dirt at the booth.
As far as vegan pho... gross. The only vegetable in the pho is mushrooms. Weak weak weak. Go Pho 900 if you don't eat meat... the vegan pho there is much more impressive.
The broth isn't bad though and the prices are prime.
Don't let the dingy interior fool you. The food is tasty, the portions outrageously generous and the service efficient in the way that only proprietors of pho restaurants can be. And cheap, cheap, cheap. You will not be disappointed (though probably not a good place for a first date if you want to impress your paramour).
I ordered a veggie pho and there was a piece of chicken floating in it. :(
When will I find a decent pho restaurant around here?
This place is cheap, fast and tasty. Never mind that sometimes they will actually SLIDE the bowl of… Read more »
I am not overly concerned with the service. The pho, however....UGH! Yeah there are lovely little cream puffs, but still, mediocre soup isn't going to get my repeat business.
FAIL
Love the veggie pho! It's true that it just has noodles, tofu, and mushrooms, but I think that's how it should be . Pho with broccoli, cauliflower, etc. is too complicated and too difficult to eat.
Yummy, filling meal for $4 or so. Perfect!
If all you are looking for is a big hot bowel of beefy love, then the Than Brothers got what you need. And that is all they got. They don't confuse you will a huge menu of stuff you will likely never order, they have Pho, Pho, and more Pho in sizes from Pho-wimp (small) to Pho-master (EXTRA-LARGE!).
Broth was tasty, better than most in Chinatown, and the overall taste was on par with my other favorite Pho joint, Linh Son. But since I now live in Seattle and Linh Son is in Fed-way, Than Brothers will likely be my new regular.
Did I also mention their prices are very good. I got a large bowel for around 5-6 bucks, HELL YEAH!
I just don't get it.
I went for the pho not the puff - and the broth was terrible.
You know that Campbell's Soup commercial where the snowman walks in from outside, eats some soup, all the snow melts off him and he turns out to be some kid? That's exactly what it feels like when you walk into Than Brothers in the dead of winter.
Four dollars ($4) gets you a HUGE bowl of Pho and a cream puff. A good, cheap, satisfying dinner.
I love pho. All I can speak for is the veggie pho (or pho tofu, I guess), but it's quite good. I hate onions and mushrooms so I always have to remember to ask for it without, but they are good at accomodating my request.
Pros: pho is yummy, you get a free cream puff, and it's pretty cheap.
Cons: they only take cash and sometimes the service (in terms of getting water refilled, etc) can be a little slow.
Portions are good sized for the price here. Good quality pho. Pretty good customer service but I went during an off hour (I think it was 3 or 4pm so it wasn't too busy). Loved the cream puff!
2..yes as I hold my fingers up at the guy while either the disco pumps or the opera whales..Random..well YAH..its pho. I prey for a booth and as I sit down there is usually already water and bean sprouts on the table, these guys dont mess around. Eat some soup..small chicken or veggie..xtra tofu..Yummo. repeat.
This restaurant is totally fine, even good, but not great. I have to appreciate the efficiency, though. They do pho, and JUST pho. You walk in, they point to the table, you sit down, order your food in 1.5 minutes and they bring it in another two. Wham bam, thank you Than!
Minus one star for the disintegrating booths and the general church basement atmosphere.
The cream puff is alright, but not worth a special trip or anything. I'd make a separate trip to QFC for some ice cream afterward.
Ok, so I eat pho all the freaking time... probably my #1 food choice. I mean my mom makes the best pho out there (slow cook the broth overnight, etc...)
Than Borthers is by far the best "value" as far as size of bowl per price. Albeit, it is not the best broth out there, it comes in pretty hot (the last 2 times i went there - within the last 3 weeks) and is tasty. I can tell you that they don't put in that much MSG, i should know because i've eaten pho countless and countless of time.
Do not get the XL, that thing is HUGE and yeah... too big even for a big eater like me. M or L will do it. Also I'm NOT vegetarian, so I can only speak for their Pho Dac Biet (or the one with everything).
Unlike Pho cyclo (which is made for Americans), the Pho Dac Biet has tripes and tendon. If you truly enjoy what Pho Dac Biet is, you can't have pho without those 2 items; call it what you want but a Pho restaurant cannot call itself one if it doesn't have those options on the menu.
Back to Than brothers, the broth could be better and tastier, but it's the cheapest i've seen (cheaper than little saigon in ca and i used to live around there for years).
Oh, and to all those who are waiting for checks, typical vietnamese restaurant, you go up to the counter to pay for your table, just tell them what table you were sitting at.
Quality-wise i'd give Than brothers a 3 for the pho, but ad 1 star for the value. To me it's a better option than Pho cyclo which had terrible service and about same quality of Pho.
For people on the east end and south east, 108 in kent (near ikea and great wall) and Pho Tinh in kent are much better options.
I wasn't going to get many chances at this, so I jumped right into the deep end. I gots me some Pho Bò Tai Chin Nam Gau Gan Sach. All the delicious, scary, nasty bits were in there. Yum. On the few occasions I looked up from nom noming my dirt cheap, mega huge bowl of assorted parts and freaky bits, I saw a dumpy restaurant needing a good scrub. Big whoop. Food good. Food cheap. Service fast. I ain't getting this in Cowlumbus. Pho here is chicken noodle soup with sriracha.
I feel like this review is an act of sacrilege. I still love their pho, but I cannot stand to be in their restaurant for longer than the time it takes to pay and grab a pho to go. This place is in dire need of a deep cleanse. The last time I was in there, the restaurant reeked like urine. If Than Brothers managed to clean up their restaurant and make it more hospitable to their customers this place would be without a doubt a five star place because their food and their service is unbeatable.
Ok so I'm just not a huge fan of pho. I know, cue boos and hisses...
Maybe there's some place else that I could find a more fulfilling experience but it wasn't here. Food was fast and decent but the quality of ingredients and overall taste was in the dumps. Maybe I came on an off day?
Either way, the cream puffs saved the day and I left a fairly happy camper because of them...
I have to say, I was full of rage when i saw only 3.5 stars average for this place. I love this place. I love the people, I love the food, I love being able to come here drunk and get the same kind of service. I've gotten take out from here twice (I dont really like getting takeout, because I never have a vessel big enough to hold even a small, so I have to use a huge serving bowl). I have never EVER been disappointed by any Than Brothers restaurant (with the exception of being forgotten one sorry sunday). This one and the one on the Ave are my two favorites.
I used to hate pho because of the poor quality of meat and excessive cilantro. HOWEVER i found a way that avoids both of these awful things and i still get to enjoy the deliciousness that is PHO.
I order a medium veggie in BEEF BROTH (this is very vital--the veggie broth is WEAK) and it comes with mushrooms and tofu YUM YUM.
I also request no cilantro. They're usually pretty good about this. Just add some hot saue, some hoisin sauce and you're good to go.
Oh yeah, and the cream puffs don't hurt :)
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill
Category: Vietnamese
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill
Category: Vietnamese
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill
Category: Restaurants
Edmonds, WA
Category: Vietnamese
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill
Category: Asian Fusion
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