Pho Hoang Duc is not a fancy Vietnamese Restaurant. This is a smaller family owned and operated restaurant. Currently they post a grade "A" Maricopa Health Inspection on the door. My review is only based on one visit but I did get the impression that the food they serve is very much above the average I tried that's Vietnamese Cuisine.
We started with Spring Rolls that were fresh and light. They contained shattering crisp tofu that I never had before and were served with a tasty peanut based sauce.
For my meal I had the Hanoi Turmeric Fish with Dill. The mild meaty fish was flavored with exotic flavors and was fried and caramelized. It was delicious with all the sides of lettuce, minty herbs, fish sauce, noodles and peanuts. All together it was wildly flavorful and full of interesting textures. The owner was kind enough to take the time to show me how to eat it the Vietnamese way by tearing the lettuce, adding noodles, dunking the fish in sauce and topping with peanuts. This dish is the National Dish of Hanoi. I've had it before but never served with all the sides before. This version seemed more like how it is suppose to be. I thought it was delicious I think anyone would like it. I often wonder what many other Vietnamese Restaurants don't serve this National Dish?
My husband had the Spicy Beef and Pork Noodle Soup. My husband squealed "Spaghetti"but I think it was Soba......This Noodle soup differed slightly from other Spicy Beef and Pork Noodle Soups by having slightly different meats floating in it and the side dish of sprouts and herbs were interesting and mostly minty. The side dish also contained fresh cabbage and lemon instead of lime.
Prices at the time of this review are subject to change but I don't think anything on the menu was over $7.95 and the Banh Mi Sandwiches were priced at-
*****ONLY $2.95***********
So I had to take one home for latter.
I took home a Chicken Baguette.
The bread has this really delicious bread aroma. It's more crusty than crisp but has a soft center. My sandwich was very generous with mayonnaise but also contained other sauces of hot chili and sweet barbecue. The chicken was fried and full of great flavors......but it was chewy like wing meat. Also contained the pickled carrot and radish salad with cucumber and fresh cilantro. This was a wildly flavorful Banh mi and delicious.
The family working there were very engaging, thoughtful, friendly and appreciative.
This restaurant seems special.
Very Very Good!