Best Pho
Pho Hiep Hoa
2211 University Blvd W
Silver Spring, MD 20902
(301) 933-7660
You almost don’t need to eat the pho here. You can practically get your money’s worth just by breathing in the rich, fragrant beef broth, which is the foundation of Pho Hiep Hoa’s outstanding noodle soup. I have yet to encounter a broth in the entire D.C. region with more body and flavor; it’s so good, I rarely feel the need to doctor it up with Sriracha, jalapeños, basil, or Hoisin sauce. Just as important, this pho parlor doesn’t cheat you on the meaty ingredients like some other joints, where the rice noodles seem to outnumber the brisket slices, flank steak, and tendons by a ratio of, oh, 100 to 1. Even the accompanying condiment plate provides a welcome sight: long, serrated leaves of culantro, an herb often found in Vietnamese pho but rarely spotted in noodle shops ’round these parts.
—Tim Carman
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Comments
9:46 am
No F ing way. This place flat out sucks, and the broth is the worst part of it. It's all MSG and instant pho soup mix. I was with you until this. I know everyone has a right to their opinion, but you're flat out WRONG!!!!!!!!! You don't know jack about pho...
8:10 pm
No F-ing Way;
First off, thanks for manning up and putting your name on your comment.
Second, Pho Hiep Hoa makes its broth from scratch, using beef bones, not pre-made pho mixes. The place does indeed use MSG, but I think the bigger question, which pho parlors don't? Call around and ask for yourself, MR. NFW.
-Tim
7:04 pm
I'm not sure I've been to this place or not but I'll probably check it out next time I'm in Silver Spring. I do agree with the author that many pho places are skimpy with the amount of meat they use in their soups. In fact, I went to a Vietnamese restaurant in Crofton (near Annapolis) that was mostly broth, some noodles and very few bits of meat. I swear the owner is the same one who bought the lone Vietnamese restaurant in Salisbury. Both places are too expensive for what you get. As far as many of the restaurants using MSG, it's probably true- I even see pho recipes calling for MSG. But I can assure you that when making pho that MSG is not necessary to make it tasty. I make a very delicious beef pho at home from scratch and never use MSG in it. The key is to use beef marrow and/or oxtail and to simmer for hours. Also, make sure to char the onions and ginger for the broth and to use several good pieces of star anise. I also add cloves and a stick or two of cinnamon. That's my 2 cents worth. Thanks for the article.
4:13 pm
By the way thanks Tim, for a great review on our "pho soup". I just would like to add that our broth (one pot) is cook from scratch for about 7 to 9 hours ( pending on the thickness of the bones). From scratch (beef bones, flank steak, beef brisket and eye- round steak fats) to make the broth.
8:25 am
hi
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good luck
4:38 pm
Actually, there is a Pho place that does NOT use msg and it's also in Silver Spring. It's off of New Hampshire Avenue and Briggs Chaney Road, next to Safeway. My daughter goes to the Dance Studio next door and I stopped by to get a bowl while she was rehearsing. I've been to almost all the Pho places in MD- Pho 75, Hiep Hoa, Pho Real, you name it I've probably been and this is the only place without msg in their broth. I wasn't so sure at first but I spoke to the manager and he confirmed. The color of the broth is a bit darker then most places but the taste is phenomenal. They have a combo special and for $2 more you get a soda and a goi cuon (summer roll) with the peanut sauce.