Pho

I am totally head over heels in love with Pho! A friend recommended it to me recently, and now I can't get enough. Every time I'm in town with the kids, this is where I go. They love it too.

There is a great lively atmosphere, and some really bubbly and helpful people that work here that go out of there way to make sure you have a great experience, which is fantastic if you know nothing about Vietnamese food like me the first time I went... but don't be worried, they go through everything in great detail for you.

Personally, this is by far the best Asian eatery in Brighton now. The great things about Vietnamese food are the freshness of the ingredients and the DIY nature of a lot of the dishes. They don't come 'as they are' (I guess because it's not prepared/packaged somewhere else..?), you decide on herbs, spices, sauces according to your taste, and if there is something you don't like, they just make the dish without it.

The summer rolls (fresh, not fried) are to die for, and great for the waistline. as are the salads, especially the chicked salad with spicy ginger dressing. The bun noodles are bursting with flavour - lemongrass, garlic, chili, loads of fresh herbs and salad, and a delicious sauce on the side. The spicy noodle soups are fantastic too. Way better than Wagamama.. ;)

I do love all of our little cafes and eateries in Brighton, but Pho is fantastic, as it's got that care for the food and customer, but big enough to plonk down with two kids and loads of shopping and not be in the way at lunchtime!

A must try.
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Carla
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Thursday, December 15, 2011

I love this place! The food is great, it has a good atmosphere and authentic interior, most of the waiting staff are very nice and welcoming .... and, very importantly, this place won't break the bank! The Chenin Blanc they serve is also fabulous. I highly recommend if you like Asian food.
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Fi - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Saturday, July 30, 2011

Wonderful restaurant! It's become my favourite currently. It's a big spacious restaurant that is beautifully designed.

I've always been a fan of Vietnamese food, since living in London and having quite a few good restaurants there, so was really excited a few weeks ago that there was one in Brighton now. I was disappointed when I found out that it has been there for about a year though!

Anyway, so I have been back every time I'm in town to do shopping, and will continue to go as much as possible as I'll be taking the kids in for activities over the summer.., but Pho is perfect for kids too with a great little menu for them and lots of space.

The food really is fantastic from utterly healthy and super tasty summer rolls and salads, to bun noodles which have some fresh and fried elements (my favourites possibly), to their noodle soups which are so delicious, you really are spoiled for choice...

The girls that run the place are so helpful, bubbly and friendly and their staff are the same. Pho is genuinely a wonderful experience.
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Emily
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, July 25, 2011

So, this is maybe an odd style of reviewing, but here we go....

I'm a 'North Lainer', but a leisurely stroll through the 'south' the other day I happened across Pho. Initially, I though, 'Hmmm... Looks like a big chain-type-thing... but was beckoned with a smile from the staff, which seemed sincere and inviting, and turned out to be exactly that. I went in and was seated at the front of the restaurant sound-tracked by a Warpaint track which immediately made me think, 'This is cool.'

Anyway, enough about preconceptions and my being out of my normal habitat in the 'north'.... Pho was a superb experience in every sense. The food, service and atmosphere were all utterly delectable. I'm one of those people that ALWAYS order too much food due to be indecisive, so I tried lots of things that I'd never tried before, so left stuffed, but in that nice way that you only get from Asian cuisine.

I'm going to use the English titles for the dishes for ease of communication..

So to start, I had the prawn summer rolls (fresh, not fried) and the spicy mango salad - these were the equivalent of an LSD explosion of flavour on my palette... The individual flavours all completely clear, but perfectly in unison and built perfectly to compliment each other.

This was followed by the bun noodles with tofu and mushrooms, which immediately has become my favourite dish. It has this base of room temperature noodles (don't let this put you off..), fresh salad and an array of herbs, and then topped with a wok-fried blend of the tofu and mushrooms mixed with garlic, lemongrass, a bit of chili for good measure, then sprinkled with peanuts and fried shallots. This comes with a delicious fishy sauce that can be spicy or the regular version.

This dish IS mindblowing.. Seriously, the flavour overload (in a good way) is insane! Once mixed, you have this wonderful fresh warm salad/noodle/stir-fry dish that will have you tipping the bowl back at the end and slurping every gulp of its goodness...

I rarely get so excited about foo, but Pho has given me a religious/apple mac/drug-like experience that has no competitors in Brighton. You really have to 'see/taste to believe...

I can't recommend this place highly enough.

P.S. The girls that work here and the music were all absolutely wonderful too, adding to the fantastic experience. Love you Pho.
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Sim - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Sunday, July 24, 2011

Went there a week ago on Sunday afternoon 10th July 2011. Restaurant was fairly quiet although busier at the front. Service pleasant and prompt. Can't remember all the dishes we had but we both thoroughly enjoyed it. Started with one of the spring roll type dishes which was a bit forgettable but tasted fresh and home made. Had a very good and fresh tasting salad, a noodle dish and I think one other. The whole meal tasted very freshly cooked with light clean tastes of chillis and herbs. The chillis oil and sauce on the table can be used to add heat to the meal. It inspired me to but a Vietnamese cookbook and I've since cooked a few Vietnamese dishes myself but on the basis of this first visit we'll definitely go back. It's probably not the best place for a more formal meal but for a relaxed tasty and moderately priced meal it's very good.
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Ian Grace
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, July 19, 2011

So pleased to have finally gone to Pho. We had a delightful evening here this week!

I can definitely say that this has taken over as my absolute favourite Asian restaurant in Brighton after just one visit.

The food was utterly delicious... So many wonderfully fresh ingredients. There's a great DIY aspect to the food as well with herbs, chilli, sauces, which I really enjoyed.

The service was attentive, but not overly so, and the staff were extremely helpful at explaining the menu, which was helpful as Vietnamese is new to a lot of us!

I loved the the actual design of the place too. Very pleasing space to spend time in.

The music played was top drawer as well.

Fantastic!
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alan r
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Thursday, March 03, 2011

Slow, forgetful, lamentable service, but food is sort of ok. On no accounts queue (you cant book). No longer trying, apart from in a bad way. Been there 4 times, not going back.
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richard w - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 4
Tuesday, February 15, 2011

COLDEST RESTAURANT IN BRIGHTON

Food was lovely; I've eaten in the London branches many times and this was of a consistent standard. Lovely fresh zingy broth in the pho, nice selection of beers, slightly naff prawn crackers.

HOWEVER I had to eat the entire meal wearing my coat as the place was FREEZING. I'm not someone who usually feels the cold so I this is no exaggeration by some flimsy girl. Every time the door opened a howling arctic gale came rushing through and the door is a self-closing number so we were stuck there in the baltic breeze for a good 10 secs every time someone came in or out.

The staff were obviously aware of our discomfort as we all were bundled up trying to hold a spoon though gloves but offered neither apology or solution. Rather rubbish service all round in fact: took ages to attract someone's attention and they forgot a drinks order.

I'll be back....but when the weather warms up.
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, February 09, 2011

Visited Pho as part of my 50th birthday celebration with my family. I would like to be able to review the food but unfortunately I cannot. We left our name on arrival and were told there would be a half hour wait for a table, so we ordered expensive drinks at the bar. The place was noisy and chaotic, the longer we waited the less inclined we were to stay. After an hour I found the hostess to ask about our table, she told me she had called us some time ago. We had been watching her allocate tables to people arriving after us, it is highly unlikely we would have missed her calling our name.

Perhaps it's my age, but I don't think Pho is a place to visit if you want to relax and enjoy a meal.
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NC
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Monday, February 07, 2011

Having grown up in Oz I've always been a lover of Vietnamese food so I was especially stoked when pho opened up in Brighton. I think I was one of the first people through the door when it opened and I've eaten here at least 25 times since then. I love it and you really can't beat the bun noodles they're delicious. Especially the pork and lemongrass bun noodles which are definitely a favourite. One of my and my partners fav restaurants in Brighton and we take all our mates there too. You can't beat it for delicious fresh food in a lovely relaxed atmosphere. They also serve one of my favourite beers called Hue ( Way). Definitely would recommend it to all and sundry.
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Kate
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Friday, January 07, 2011