3.5*
Cash only.
Pho Phoenix (try saying it fast a few times!) gets an extra star for being one of the few places that was open on a cold and snowy Sunday night.
The restaurant doesn't really have the cozy feel of some Vietnamese joints I've been to, but one could appreciate how clean it's kept. The menu is the typical dictionary format that includes factorial combinations of every Vietnamese food you have ever heard of!
The deep fried spring rolls were decent, though not as good as the ones I've had at Pho Pasteur. The vermicelli with ginger beef is also pretty tasty and light.
The pho I found the most interesting; first, don't skip out on the 75 cent price jump between the small bowl and the large! The difference in size, and the amount of meat is HUGE! I'm really not sure how the math works out at this place!
Second, the broth is different in a way that's very refreshing at first, but get's a bit overwhelming by the time you're halfway through your meal. The most likely reason for this is the rather generous amounts of cinnamon that was used at the time of my visit. This would be a good ingredient to add to your own pho halfway, but a whole bowl's worth was a bit too overpowering for me.
Overall, Phoenix is worth a visit if you live in the area. The service is pretty decent, and the ingredients seem to be fresh! The fact that there were a few cops eating here during my visit was a pretty good sign for me as well!