The Kansas City Pho Tour!
We begin! Quick question for the crowd: Who is here following from the calzone tour?
We will be visiting 7 locations to get some pho today, rating them on a scale of 1-10 on an average of 3 ratings. Based on deliciousness, vibe, and uh well I guess that's it.
If your favorite place isn't on the tour today, do NOT panic! You may still have your place on a list that we will try a different day, but still feel free to recommend a location!
I'm joined once again by u/joemeister44 but now, first time joiner to the tour, my fiance u/therockstone.
First stop: Bun Mee Phan
82 comments · 85% upvoted · other discussions
Mr Le's Sushi: This is the place that my fiance and I had our first date at- and we go here often. This will NOT be a biased review.
Mr Le's is a 8.66/10 . It's good pho and it's the cheapest I know. I accidentally guessed the wrong husband so I can never show my face there again.
The broth was hot (YMMV, we got there at open) noodles were fine but nothing to knock your socks off and everything else was great! We were in, and seated, and fed, and out in less than 30 minutes. This place is crazy underrated and I highly recommend it- it's so far my favorite.
Good friendly people, good vibes, they didn't yell at us for wanting to split a bowl of pho. That's a new one. And we're off!
San's Sandwiches next!
Dudebug1 [OP] 5 points · Jan 2024 · Calzone Master
Sans: there's a lot to unpack here. Let's start with the rating. 5.66/10
A lot of this comes down to VALUE, which people wanted for our calzone tour. It's a fine sized bowl, but 19 dollars before tip. That removes 2 points in its own right.
I also enjoyed the taste the least, as I might have had most of the black pepper, and that was about all I could taste. The other two thought it was the best meat of the tour (so far) and the broth is very oily, which I do not prefer, but the other two didn't mind.
The noodles were PERFECT.
The staff was VERY ACCOMADATING AND NICE.
I definitely brought this rating down the most, without my vote it's a 6.5.
Onto Pho Tuoi!
Dudebug1 [OP] 3 points · Jan 2024 · Calzone Master
Pho Tuoi: First off, big difference from Sans, only 2 doors down. The main difference? It was a full house- sans was nearly empty. Great vibes, some ponapean greetings on the wall that I appreciate (Kaselehlie!). Onto the score: 7/10.
The broth was the best of any. The meat was the worst of all. We got a small bowl and it was pretty bad value, but I've had both the medium and the large. GET A MEDIUM OR LARGE. it's worth it. Smalls are not. They also have the largest variety of sauces to add- not just Hoisin and Sriracha, but soy sauce and chilies too. Very strong performance, and extremely accommodating.
I also forgot who asked, but this place has vegan options!
Onto Xuyen!
Dudebug1 [OP] 3 points · Jan 2024 · Calzone Master
Xuyen: this was a disappointment just because the inside is very cute and great vibes, once again very accommodating, which all have been except ONE SINGLE PLACE. Dang.
Anyway, the rating is a 4.33/10, the broth was super funky and I got some off-veggies. The noodles were great and the meat was fine in my bowl but the other two had chewy and gristle-y beef.
The lady was super nice though but this is a hole in the wall. Don't expect a fine dining experience if you go here, like the other places.
There's charm in hole-in-the-walls.
There's charm there.
Our final stop: Big Bowl Pho.
Dudebug1 [OP] 9 points · Jan 2024 · Calzone Master
Big Bowl Pho: the most unique pho. Our rating? 8.66/10. u/joemeister44 gave it a 9.5
The noodles were incredible and the broth was fantastic, but it was the least uniform. The meat was the only thing that was kinda "eh", but the broth is the story here.
It felt like it wasn't pho. It was great, of course, but instead of being a meat broth, it was like a spice broth. Highly recommend giving this one a shot.
This concludes the KANSAS CITY PHO TOUR....Part 1.
We will be doing another next month, going more south, to the fan favorites.
For those who love Bun Mee Phan, let me clarify something. If you go in because you love this pho, you're probably going to have a great experience with the pho you enjoy. You're not gonna have any issue with the wait staff because you're making no special requests, okay? But for the record, we have issues with how the business operates, treats reviewers, and managers. They were not accommodating to us , when every other restaurant was with literally 0 issue. We will never go back but obviously you totally can. No need to take issue with us because we don't like your restaurant.
Thank you to everyone for joining us on this rainy day for a little vietnamese vacation, and we do hope you enjoyed an extra spicy version of a tour- This one being pho.
We do this for you. The biggest thanks to u/joemeister44 and u/therockstone for joining me on this adventure, and we are looking forward to doing it with you next month!
Dudebug1 [OP] 9 points · Jan 2024 · Calzone Master
Side note: if you ever feel like you want to pee constantly for 8 hours, drink a ton of pho. I've never been more hydrated in my life.