Review of Phở Mẹ Việt

There are (what seems like) thousands of phở places in Hanoi. Each place has their own distinct broth. I seriously can't remember any of the phở broths tasting the same. Sometimes they're lighter, sometimes they have a deeper flavor, sometimes they have a wok flavor from the seared beef, and..... you get my point.

Then there's Phở Mẹ Việt. Their broth was also very unique. Yes, it didn't taste like ANY other phở broth in Hanoi, but it tasted exactly like EVERY phở broth I've had in the United States. This leads me to believe that there isn't someone's mom in the back, boiling down bones to get every ounce of flavor out of them. This phở broth is pre-made, probably in powder form. For shame!

The meat in the phở was top notch, the noodles were done right, but it's hard to get past the inauthentic broth. I would totally have gone to Phở Mẹ Việt back in the States, but not here. There are so many great phở places in Hanoi I haven't tried yet that this meal actually made me angry.

Phở Mẹ Việt is west of all the tourist hustle and bustle. It's a nice space and the prices are beyond reasonable. That being said, don't go here. Go to a phở joint that actually takes the time to make their broth from scratch.