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| - I was disheartened by Pittsburgh's pho scene when I went to a very popular restaurant and was very disappointed with their 'pho dac biet' (special pho), my usual order for pho in Seattle. It was completely different, and honestly it seemed tailored to the tastes of the region instead of being authentic pho. If you're Vietnamese American like me, you'll know what I mean! Real pho has to be beef-based, and this was not.
I was hopeful going in to Pho Van, because the menu was partly in Vietnamese (compared to the other restaurant's completely English menu). The ambiance is not it's strong point, and the restaurant had this weird unappetizing smell. Not the trademark pho smell, but something else that I can only explain as not good. The service however was just fine, and the bean sprouts and basil were very fresh. I ordered 'pho dac biet' and was very pleased by the generosity of meat! Even in Seattle, some restaurants will skimp on the meatballs or the brisket, but my bowl was probably around 45% meat and 55% pho noodles. The broth was excellent, although not as hot as I would have liked.
Overall, this pho restaurant gives me hope for pho in Pittsburgh! It absolutely reminded me of Seattle pho, and I can't wait to come back to try more things on their menu. Under normal circumstances, I might be more inclined to rate this restaurant as a 3 because of the sub-par ambiance, but because it is real pho, it absolutely deserved the 4. Please get out here to the strip district and get a taste of genuine Vietnamese pho!
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