It's a bit past 9pm on a Saturday night and I call Xinh Xinh to see if they're still open. I've never been, but I'd heard good things, and I had a hungry crew of people from out of state to take care of. Closing at 9:30? We can make it...
Good thing I did call, because they were about to close up shop early for the night. It's a small place owned and run daily by one guy (Shai), so it's a forgivable practice. Just make sure you call ahead if it's near closing time.
We felt a bit embarrassed coming in, but Shai made us feel completely welcome and we never felt rushed at any point in the night. Since we were also the last patrons of the night, he took the time to make sure we were satisfied and chatted with some of my friends who from his home state of California.
I've had a lot of pho in my time, but the broth here was much more flavorful than any other place I had been. The meat balls weren't as dense as I'd have liked (that's what she said), but overall everyone was happy with their soup. My one sick friend said she felt considerably better once she finished, so yay pho!
Protip: they take credit cards and are open Sundays now. Shai mentioned a Sunday special on Pho, though I don't know if it was just that Sunday or every Sunday.