Over the course of April, we visited four Vietnamese restaurants in Ann Arbor to determine where the best pho is. Pho is a Vietnamese dish of slow-simmered broth that is typically prepared with beef bones, served with rice noodles, protein (historically chicken, but includes beef as well) and toppings. Sriracha and hoisin sauce are often served on the side.
We went to Ginger Deli for the first week, One Bowl for the second, Saigon Kitchen for the third, and Dalat Restaurant for the fourth. Out of these establishments, they specialized their pho in contemporary, fusion, or authentic styles.
Ginger Deli – 203 E Liberty St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Located in downtown Ann Arbor, Ginger Deli is a casual, dip-and-go eatery. It has a quaint menu of Bánh Mi and a vegetarian or beef pho, which we ordered in addition to a chrysanthemum boxed tea and mango juice. The pho met our requirements of a tender meat, cooked in the broth. However, the broth to noodle ratio was greatly imbalanced, although the flavor was not bothered by this.
The vegetable pho had a more contemporary array of fermented toppings, while the beef pho did not arrive with the traditional toppings as well. While the meat created softness to the texture, a crunch was absent. Ginger Deli is a contemporary and accessible place for those passing by and wanting a twist on Vietnamese fare.
One Bowl – Ann Arbor Plaza, 1220 S University Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Described as an authentic restaurant that serves Asian cuisine, One Bowl is also located in downtown Ann Arbor. While the menu offers dishes from Vietnam, China, Korea and more, we decided to focus on Vietnamese food and ordered pho (both chicken and beef), as well as agedashi tofu, a classic Japanese appetizer.
While the meat seemed to be low quality, the pho consisted of a flavorful broth and was served with sides such as bean sprouts and limes. Both bowls of pho were large and worth the price of around 13 dollars. We noticed that the sriracha and hoisin sauces that got served were diluted, so they did not add to the flavor as we had hoped.
Despite being labeled as authentic, the agedashi tofu seemed to be on the American side and did not come with typical toppings of benito flakes and scallions. Though this did not affect the quality of the pho, it negatively impacted our overall experience.
Saigon Kitchen – 521 E Liberty St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Saigon Kitchen is snugged inside of downtown and is lined with photos of Vietnam in the night. There are colorful lanterns on top of each table. The server immediately showed us the depository for utensils, as well as the QR-code menu.
This is definitely one of the more convenient phos we’ve had. When you order, you pay instantaneously. As usual, we had the beef and chicken pho, with a coconut panna cotta. The chicken pho was extremely flavorful and with a fair portion size. However, the beef pho did shy from as much potency and the chicken was not the best quality.
As a sugary finale, there is also a joint Vietnamese cafe called Block and Brew next door. It shares the menu items of Saigon Kitchen as well as serving Vietnamese coffees and memorable strawberry matchas. Saigon Kitchen seems to have a consistent serving of true Vietnamese food in a prominent location.
Dalat Restaurant – 2216 S Main St, Ann Arbor, MI 48103
A small Vietnamese family restaurant, Dalat Restaurant is located in a strip mall in Ann Arbor. The menu offers a variety of authentic dishes, with sections like appetizers, noodle soups, rice plates and more. Similar to the previous places we visited, we ordered chicken and beef pho, as well as chili salted squid for our appetizer.
Our initial observations were that the restaurant had a very homestyle feel, with its vibrant green walls and lingering scent of pho. The pho itself was overall a pleasant experience. We noticed that the quality of the meat was a lot better than previous restaurants, and the broth was flavorful as well. It was served with the traditional toppings as well as hoisin and sriracha sauce.
However, the broth of the pho seemed to be sweeter than usual. Though this may not be an issue for everyone, we noticed that the sweetness became too much near the end and the pho began to taste like candy. Pho is typically a savory dish, so it did feel a bit odd to consume something that was on the sweeter side.
