In the great debate that I have had with my colleagues at work, we often discuss which has better food between Pho Xinh Xinh and Pho Pasteur (of the Pho restaurants in Chinatown). I was aware of other Pho restaurants in Chinatown, though I naturally assumed that since no other person mentioned them at work, they were of inferior quality. I recently decided to take matters into my own hands and try out an underdescribed Pho restaurant – Pho Hoa. I tried to see on their website if they had anything good that I could eat, but discovered that they actually didn’t (on their website). Upon arrival to Pho Hoa, I discovered that their menu is completely different from what is available online, and in fact, there is a wide selection of vegetarian dishes available. Many of them are cheaper than Pho Xinh Xinh, which is an added bonus.

I decided to order the spicy lemongrass tofu curry, which, considering my recently acquired cold, was a phenomenal decision. This dish is not dissimilar to the tofu in ginger scallion sauce that you could get at Pho Xinh Xinh, though it is considerably cheaper. Likely this is because of the inclusion of baby corn – which makes the meal subsidized by the Government. Normally baby corn is the bane of any Asian dish, however, the flavors of the sauce are such that even a noxious compound such as baby corn cannot ruin its taste. Furthermore, this tofu curry is comparable in price to Pho Pasteur, but is 100 times better. So, while many do not put Pho Hoa in the discussion of great Vietnamese restaurants in Chinatown, I think they should.

If it were college football season, I would suggest that Pho Pasteur and Pho Xinh Xinh are the Texas and USC of Vietnamese restaurants, while Pho Hoa is the unfortunate Boise St. If you don’t follow college football, I am saying that Pho Hua is ignored because none of the subway rags (Phoenix, Weekly Dig, Improper Bostonian, etc.) dare mention it because it is a national chain. Though it is a national chain, it is no P.F. Chang’s, so it should be mentioned in the discussion of great Vietnamese restaurants. Therefore, I will give it four cheese sandwiches for providing a wide variety of vegetarian options (as well as Banh Mi!), and a solid tofu curry dish at a reasonable price.

Pho Hoa
17 Beach Street
Boston, MA 02111-1630 
(617) 423-3934