Pho Thanh Thanh

There is a strong Vietnamese community in our neighborhood, which makes for a great authentic restaurant scene. I recently went to meet my friend Brooke for lunch. She told me exactly where the restaurant was, and I arrived and sat down and waited for her. After a few minutes, I realized there was another Vietnamese restaurant directly across the street, and she was waiting for me! We did met for lunch though, and Pho Thanh Thanh is a interesting spot.

This small little cafe was filled with people, and Brooke and I were clearly in the minority; there was only one other white guy. Again, the key word here is authentic. Also, my friend Dahn works here, and that makes the place even cooler. We placed our orders while the TV blared out soccer and commercials in Vietnamese.

The menu only really consists of pho, which is a traditional noodle soup dish. But it's way more gourmet and delicious than any kind of soup I'm used to. The specialty here is chicken pho, which I ordered. A "small" costs $6. It's actually a huge portion, and the only real reason it can be called a small is because there's an even larger portion.

The pho comes with a side dish of greens, jalapenos, and sprouts that should be mixed into the dish. I put a lot of peppers in mine, and it ended up being quite spicy. I'm not great with chopsticks, but I used them for the whole meal. The meat comes in huge chunks, and there's really no elegant way to enjoy your meal. Later in the night I felt a bit sick, but I don't think it was from this meal. I'll report back for sure, because I'm definitely going to eat here again.

Bottom Line: For me, this is a local place with great food where I can sit elbow to elbow with my neighbors. The food, service and atmosphere are all great, and the food is a distinct change from my weekly menu. I image it tastes even better when it's cool outside. If you want to lunch here, just let me know. We'll meet up.

Essentials:

2539 Kensington ave

(215) 427-0483

Pho: $6-8

Cash Only: Yes