I feel like there must be an alternative pho universe here when I hear people talking about how this restaurant is so awesome and gives too much beef. I guess they've shrunk them down so much that we are made to believe we are getting more even though it's actually less. We usually go to Pho 8 or Pho So #1. All the Pho start at a large for $8.55. You can ask for smaller but it defaults at large. Business tactic I presume. Any other place you are given a small at a lower price and not the other way around. I always order #13, beef and flank. The noodles came out bunched up, as if they took it out from the bin and stuck it into the broth soup without giving it a light cooking. The last 2 times I came, I thought the broth was too cold because it couldn't fully cook my meat. This time it was hot. It's getting a bit inconsistent. I got a little turned off by some cream in my bean sprouts and spearmint leaves. They were polite and grumbled it must've come from the jalapeƱo. Really? I quickly ran to the restroom to check my forehead. Afraid my better half wrote stupid on it that morning when I woke up late. But they brought me another. It's just not normal to have cream in a Pho restaurant. But at least they gave me a new one. Whipped cream isn't a big deal but I was afraid it might be silicone or something. Asian restaurants aren't the cleanest in the world I hate to say.
As for the beef, you get the same if you order small or large. They just give you more noodles pretty much. I thought it could use a few more pieces given the large bowl of noodles. Normally I get beef on the side but it's pointless if the broth is not boiling hot so I stopped asking for it on the side.
There's really no favorite Pho place for me anymore. #1 has gone down ever since I heard they opened a second location and moved the cooks there. Now the soup tastes more fatty and oily. The broth here is not fatty or oily.