There’s nothing better than a big bowl of spicy pho on a rainy day. Or the contrast of pho with a cold thai tea on a sunny summer day. Or a steaming hot bowl on a cold winter day.
Rain or shine, I am ALWAYS in the mood for pho (much to my friends’ dislike). As someone who lives in Northern Virginia, which has a pretty big Vietnamese community and therefore an abundance of insanely good pho restaurants, I had to see where Charlottesville compares. Although it could never top my go-to Viet Fortune in Woodbridge, I have gotten around to a couple of pho spots in Charlottesville and am here to share my rankings!
Nguyen’s Kitchen – 9/10
Although I have only been here once, the pho here was definitely my favorite in Charlottesville.
The chicken wings as an appetizer were lovely as well, and the flavor of the broth was so good it didn’t even need sauces (although I am guilty of being a Sriracha + hoisin sauce warrior). However, the reason for my singular visit is that I really value a proper eating-out experience, and the restaurant is a bit small and not very sit-down, since you have to order at the front. Perhaps I can learn to get over that and go back, though, because the pho was pho-nomenal!
mangosteen – 8.5/10
This new addition to the Corner (on Elliewood where the old sushi restaurant used to be) has seen me way too much this semester. The bowl is a little small for my liking, and I don’t love their chicken wings, but the pho itself is very good. The broth is insanely flavorful, and they give you a good amount of beef. It’s pretty reasonably priced and super conveniently located for my fellow Hoos, so I definitely recommend trying this out.
pho3pho – 7.5/10
I go to Pho3pho so much that the workers there know my friends and I by name (shoutout Maria). The bowls are so big, and the chicken wing appetizers here are probably my favorite out of all the places in Charlottesville.
The pho itself is better some days than others, but pretty good nonetheless, and I love the vibe here. This was my Cville go-to before I discovered Mangosteen, and I miss Maria, so I will be back here soon!
Chimm – 6.5/10
Chimm was actually the first place I tried pho at in Charlottesville, and I have mixed feelings about it. The prices here are really good, and the chicken wings are buss, but the pho itself is probably the least best I have had (I use that odd descriptor because I’ve never really had bad pho, some are just better than others). This is a Thai restaurant, though, so their Thai tea is to die for. The restaurant is also super cute and colorful, and it’s conveniently located next to Cold Stone, which hits so good after a warm bowl of pho.
Mai tea Vietnamese Cuisine
Even though I have not tried pho here yet, I did want to include this on my list because it’s been recommended to me by quite a few people, and I am excited to see what all the hype is about soon. Most of the places I go to here are Thai, so this being an actual Vietnamese restaurant sounds promising!