I feel very conflicted about only giving this place three stars for a number of reasons. First, it is always there for me. As this is the only 24 hour pho joint in the city (as far as I can tell), I know it will always be there for me at 3 AM when I need it most. You cannot say that about most restaurants outside of Chinatown. Second, they make a beautiful takeout package. Pho is something that is not easy to transport given the hot liquid and the need to keep the ingredients separate so that you can put it all together in your house. This place always manages to keep all the separate containers intact and makes sure that anything that can be spilled is wrapped tightly in a plastic bag. Third, this place is fast. I know pho is pretty much just broth and meat but this restaurant can have your meal ready faster than anywhere else in the city.
So why only three stars? The quality of the beef has really gone downhill. When I first started coming here about three years ago, the cuts of beef were always decent and I would typically eat every last piece in the bowl. In recent years, they have started mixing the strips of beef with so much fat and gristle that I end up taking about half of it out and putting it in a separate bowl that is not pleasant to look at and far less pleasant to eat. This problem could so easily be solved if they would stop being so cheap and return to their roots but I have started to lose hope after three or four bad experiences. Pho Pasteur - get your act together!