Pho appears as a signature dish in 1 United States cities. See each city's local variant and where to eat it.
Pho · Seattle
The Vietnamese beef noodle soup that the Pham family brought to Seattle in 1982. The Boat on South Jackson serves the city's defining bowl, with brisket, flank and tendon.
Pho arrived in Seattle in 1982 when Theresa and Augustine Pham opened Cat's Submarine on South Jackson Street, started selling Theresa's weekend pho to homesick Vietnamese customers, and switched the menu over to pho within four months. The shop renamed itself Pho Bac and is generally considered the first dedicated pho restaurant in the United States. The Phams' five children have since built a Seattle empire: Pho Bac Sup Shop, The Boat (which kept the original Jackson Street building) and Hello Em on 12th. Seattle now has more pho restaurants per capita than any US city outside California, almost all family-run. The classic order is tai-nam-gan: rare flank, well-done brisket and tendon, served with the standard plate of basil, sawtooth coriander, mung sprouts, lime and chillies on the side.
Where to eat in Seattle:
- The Boat
- Ba Bar Capitol Hill