Pho Hoa: Where Pho Is Fun

By Lynn Jacobson, Seattle Times Arts & Life editor:

“Mom, can we go to McDonald’s?” No. “Burger King?” No. “Subway?” Maybe, but I’m not buying the chips or the soda pop.

When it comes to fast-food and chain restaurants, I am no fun at all. But there’s one chain that I’ll always say “yes” to: Pho Hoa, which has seven locations in Puget Sound. My family’s favorite is on Rainier Avenue South, just south of Alaska Street.

The menu: It starts with rice-paper rolls, fried or not ($1.50). Then there’s an array of grilled chicken or pork with either rice or vermicelli noodles on the side ($6.18-$6.99). But really, there’s no reason to look beyond the pho — Vietnamese rice- noodle soup served, as is customary, with bite-size bits of beef or meatballs and a side dish of basil, bean sprouts, green chili peppers and slices of lime ($5.59 regular, $6.53 large). Read more.

Pho Hoa is located at 4732 Rainier Avenue South in Columbia City. Photo Courtesy of Pho Hoa