Pho Hiep Hoa - TY's take

2211 University Blvd W # A, Silver Spring, MD 20902

As Rob mentioned in the post below, we went to Pho Hiep Hoa yesterday for lunch. He wanted to post his thoughts while they were still fresh, so I dictated for him. As he mentioned, Pho Hiep Hoa is next to one of the beer stores that we frequent, and I had wanted to try it for a while, so we checked it out for lunch yesterday. Parking in the shopping center is always a nightmare – there aren’t a lot of spots out front and people sit there and jockey for a spot and traffic backs up onto 193. We just squeezed past all of the cars that were waiting and happened to find an open one on the other end of the shopping center. They have a lot around back as well, but that one tends to fill up fast as well.

My only pho experience is from Pho 75 near my office in Rockville, which apparently is one of the best in the area. I agree with Rob’s statement that Pho Hiep Hoa was cafeteria-like, but so is Pho 75 so I was expecting it. We both got brisket, flank, and skirt flank for our meats – I haven’t been brave enough to try the tendons or tripe. Rob was surprised that the small bowls were actually pretty big. I’m curious to know exactly how big the large is, maybe I’ll get one next time. The small was filling enough though.

Although the broth was flavorful, it could have used something, although I can’t quite put my finger on it. It also wasn’t as fragrant as I’m used to. I put a little bit of Sriracha, basil and soy sauce, a decent dollop of hoisin, and lots of sprouts in mine. Rob went with a lot of Sriracha, a little basil, hoisin, and sprouts, and some jalapeno peppers as well. I really like being able to customize the dish to whatever you’re in the mood for. I’ve mentioned in the past that I’m not great with chopsticks so I made a little bit of a mess trying to manipulate those long noodles. I’m prone to slurping and wasn’t great about getting the spoon underneath so I just kept my head down and used a lot of napkins.

Lunch was $15 for 2 small bowls and 2 sodas. I think our only 2 gripes were that they didn’t sell alcohol (Rob would have liked a beer with his lunch) and they only take cash. Luckily I had enough on me, but I usually wouldn’t. I’m pretty sure we’ll be back assuming they have carry-out…it would be perfect to just pick up dinner then go next door to get your Singha, and head home to enjoy pho in the comfort of your own home.