Pho 79 Restaurant

10/16/09

Don't be white; get BEEF!

by Dinner Nomads 2000

The beef pho was off the chain - flavorful broth and decent portion size. We also got down to the shrimp appetizer dumplings. Easy to find, cheap prices for great quality, in a colorful location, pounds other competition in the area. Check out the surrounding Asian supermarkets to enhance overall experience - live crabs in buckets and every oriental delicacy imaginable.

P.S. The desserts looked interesting too.

• Pros: Dumplings, Pho, quick service
• Cons: None

05/04/09

This is not the place for the best phó in town

by hoimang

Having been a frequent diner at Pho Tau Bay for a few years, I always lament that it is closed on Mondays. I recently went to Pho 79 to see how it stacked up and was truly disappointed. The broth was lacking the spicy flavors of star anise and cinnamon that makes pho such a unique tasting soup, and it's color was so dark and cloudy it looked--and worse yet-- tasted like condensed soup. I always get leery when I see the condiments, or lack thereof, at a pho joint. No chili oil, no chili garlic sauce, so diluted red wine vinegar on the tables. The food is still reasonably priced, but this is not a phónatics pho joint.

• Pros: It serves a good glass of ice water
• Cons: The broth tastes like condensed soup

03/10/09

Good pho joint

by mrpl763

I like Pho 79 on Energy Park a little bit more than this one on Nicollet. The broth here is flavorful, but not as flavorful as 79 on Energy Park. And the bowls that they serve their pho in is smaller than the bowls on E.P. It might just be a little thing, but there's just something to having your noodles and everything else submerged and drowning in a big bowl of extra broth that makes the soup taste better. The menu here does have a wider selection of dishes to choose from than the 79 on Energy Park. But that could be because Caravelle share the same restaurant as them. But either Pho 79's will do you good when you're looking for quality Vietnamese food in the Twin Cities area.

• Pros: Parking, can choose from Caravelle's menu
• Cons: Can get busy