How To Eat Pho So You Don't Look Like A Total Newbie

Pho restaurants have become a fixture of the American dining scene since their Stateside debut in the 1970s. Some, like New Hampshire's notorious Pho Keene Great, have gained fame for their punny names, while one chain (Pho 75) was endorsed by Anthony Bourdain as providing a great hangover cure. On the whole, though, the main reason why pho shops thrive a half-century after being introduced to our shores is because pho tastes phenomenal. But if you're a first-time diner, the pho experience can be a bit hard to figure out. 

You not only have to decode the menu, but once the pho arrives in a great big bowl, it's typically accompanied by a spoon, a pair of chopsticks, and a bunch of different garnishes and condiments. What should you grab first? According to Bryan Quoc Le, food scientist, author, and principal food consultant at Mendocino Food Consulting, you should always start with the spoon.

"It's best to try the broth as it is without any noodles or seasonings," he tells The Takeout. "This gives you an impression of what the flavor profile is and if it requires any changes." He also notes that while the broth's flavor profile is best when it's first served, it will inevitably cool off a bit as you work through the massive bowl. So don't hesitate or wait to finish your appetizers; instead, dig right in.

Once you've begun, Quoc Le advises, "Add the garnish after having tried the broth on its own so you can control the amount needed." He likes to start with a squeeze of lime before adding anything else, and he's somewhat skeptical of the need to add sauces to the pho. "It should not be used in all cases because their strong flavors can nullify a carefully crafted high-quality pho broth," he says. If you do feel the broth is lacking even after the addition of lime juice, you can add hoisin for sweetness, sriracha for heat, or fish sauce to make it more salty and savory.

Once the pho is sauced (or not), taste it again and then go to town with the toppings, which Quoc Le suggests you should shred into the bowl. "The herbs give relief to the fattiness of the broth, while the sprouts provide crunchiness and mouthfeel that alleviates the soft mouthfeel of the noodles and meat," he explains.

So what do you use the chopsticks for? These will assist you in eating the noodles and are also necessary for fishing out any large chunks of meat that won't fit into the spoon. And Quoc Le says that drinking the broth straight from the bowl is okay. "It's never inconsiderate to do in Vietnamese cuisine," he told us, adding, "You can do this at any point, [but] it's usually just easier to do it at the end so that you don't end up with an overwhelming [amount of] noodles and meat in your mouth."