Seattle Pho-off: Which pho is the best?

Than Brothers Pho

Tucked into an unobtrusive retail space on Broadway Avenue between East Republican Street and East Mercer Street, the only bad thing about Than Brothers Pho is how difficult it is to find. The sign on their window simply reads "Pho," and you won't realize you're in the right place until you are seated with a menu that advertises by name.

But everything else about Than Brothers is perfect. Their shop on Capitol Hill has a friendly and informal atmosphere, and their pho is fantastic. It's also dirt cheap. Don't be fooled by the four different sizes of pho they offer; their small dish (for a college-student-friendly $4.95) offers a meal and a half worth of food, and their "x-large" bowl of pho could probably feed a family of four with leftovers to spare.

Than Brothers also offers pho on the fly; for an additional 60 cents you can order any of their delectable dishes to go. They also offer variety with their pho; you can choose between beef, meatball, chicken and veggie-based bowls.

One shouldn't hesitate to make the 25-minute trek from campus to Than Brothers. Their pho is so flavorful you don't even need to add plum sauce or Sriracha to get the full experience of dining at the restaurant. Of course, adding Sriracha and plum sauce doesn't hurt; a few spoonfuls of each send their pho to the next level, turning rice noodles into four-star delicacies.

Than Brothers' service is lightning-fast; most dishes are brought from kitchen to table in under five minutes, and a group of two can get drinks, pho and dessert for less than $20 (including a generous 25 percent tip).

Make no mistake—Than Brothers are the pho kings of Seattle. After all, there's a reason why they operate in 11 different locations throughout town.

Pho Bac

Pho Bac is monopolizing the pho business in the eastern end of the International District. With two locations on Jackson Street (on 7th Avenue and 14th Avenue, respectively), Pho Bac goes beyond most pho restaurants in the Emerald City by offering pho in two varieties—broth-filled bowl and noodle-steeped plate.

Their standard, soup-style pho is nothing to write home about, but its flavor is soaked through with authenticity and certainly isn't a cause for complaint. More interesting is their pho xao—pho sans broth, which is served similarly to dishes like pad thai and chow mein. They offer it in the same flavors as their traditional pho (beef, chicken, meatball and veggie with tofu), but they bolster the dish and its nutritional value by serving it on a bed of bean sprouts, cabbage, lettuce and carrots. All of their meals are also preceded by a pot full of free green tea that comes to the table perfectly brewed and just cool enough to sip.

Pho Bac's noodles are soft and delicious and their prices aren't terribly steep (nothing on the menu costs over $8), but with only two size options for their pho—small and large—they're a shop best suited to those who are either starving or just feeling a bit hungry.

Décor-wise, Pho Bac's two locations are pretty uninspiring, but both shops are well-kept and decorated with interesting Vietnamese fixtures ranging from metal engravings of traditional folklore stories to less descript paper lamps.

The restaurant does nothing revolutionary in the world of pho, but it has mastered the craft of making authentic pho. They're not quite worth a dedicated trip to the International District, but if you find yourself on Jackson Street and craving delicious noodles, Pho Bac is the place you'll want to go to quench that appetite.

Pho 900

Perhaps pho 900 doesn't have the most noticeable locale, buried among the excess of phó restaurants on Broadway Avenue and with a sign hidden from view on the opposite side of the street, but pho 900 is attempting to fight its neighborhood competition with "sweet" tactics.

Pho 900 has had some negative reviews in the past, and it seems to have taken those judgments as accepted truths rather than as constructive criticisms to build on. The noodles, broth and vegetables all appear and taste in harmony, but beware of ordering meat, because crunchy bones might just fight their way to the top of the bowl. The free cream puff at the end of the meal is a definite bonus, but it won't clean the palate after the disturbing crunch of bones.

While the food itself is average, the décor, classy china dishes and quick and friendly service seem to be a bit above average. Sadly, it may be the only thing keeping them in business amid the struggle with all the competition.

The coy and nifty tip calculation suggestion left at the bottom of the receipt gives a subtle hint that yes, indeed, tips can and should be left. Perhaps it can come in handy for those whose math skills are less than average and have a difficult time figuring out 15 or 20 percents.

Despite its obscured sign and average pho, Phó 900 is located in a fairly popular spot and seems very capable of attracting a decent-sized crowed even on a weeknight. Maybe service really does make all the difference.

Ballet Vietnamese Cuisine

Ballet Vietnamese Cuisine, located on 11th Avenue and East Pike Street across from Via Tribunali, has not only cheap and filling pho, but also lovely goldfish.

Ballet seems to take special pride in its goldfish. A tank full of them greets you as you walk in, and their images grace the menus.

You cannot select goldfish as the meat of choice in your pho, but you can select chicken, beef, brisket, meatballs, steak and tofu. Pho Chinh, the brisket option, is quite delicious, especially with a Hoisin sauce kick. The $4.95 small size is more than enough to fill the hungriest of students. Homemade fortune cookies are served at the end of the meal, a delightful finish for sure.