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 · 84% upvoted · other discussions
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] 8 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.