Thanh Nhi

I went here looking for some phở for the first visit to Austin. Their bowls are HUGE! Phở quality was okay, not great, but not bad. The lady owner is extremely nice and service is spectacular!

I use to frequent this place often until tan my became my go to phở place. I decided to check this place out again to see how it was doing. The lady owner was still as sweet as ever but the food was less than perfect. Tasting the broth here after frequenting tan my nowadays, I could definitely taste the difference. It’s not as deep and savory here. I ordered the eye round, fatty brisket, tendon combo with the eye round on the side. They gave me a good amount of eye round but I only found 2 pieces of the fatty brisket, which is my FAVORITE, and 1 small piece of tendon. Very disappointing. There was actually more lean brisket in my phở which is weird because I never ordered it. All in all. I’m just gonna keep sticking with my favorite phở place.

Best phở broth in town.
The woman that runs the show is the sweetest person ever.
I’m not a fan of crowds and every time I’ve gone here it’s empty. Most customers seem to be ordering to go.
I also like hole in the walls.
Nothing fancy here just the best PHO in town.

Just go. I know it’s in a crappy strip mall. That just means it’s good. All the best phở places are in crappy strip malls. And this is some of the best phở I’ve ever had. Cheap and delicious!
And get the pork paste spring rolls. They’re amazing!

Only been here once and had the bánh canh (thick Vienamese noodle with pork slices, shrimp, and congealed pork blood).
I was sad that my noodles were broken in pieces and clumped together. They’re not supposed to be like that; they should be distinguishably thick individual noodles that you can eat with your chopsticks instead of a spoon lol. I think this may have just been an off day, and maybe they usually prepare the noodles correctly. The broth was good though, and I do recommend this kind of soup if you’re tired of eating phở. If you get it, be sure to add your bean sprouts, squirt a little lemon, and throw in some Thai basil. :)
I will probably return to try other dishes. Service was kind.

Holy shit.
It’s not often you get lucky and find a place. This is one of those times. I got lucky. And I’m better now for finding this place.

Pretty solid place for a quick lunch at a very reasonable price! Definitely a gem in Austin!
We ordered two bowls of phở dac biet (small) and portions were very generous! The broth was very tasty and not overly salty like some places make it. Nothing like a pipping hot bowl of phở to soothe a headache after a big night out!
Will come back again!

Some of the best Vietnamese I’ve come across in Austin, right here on Lamar!
Thanh Nhi is a real old-​school Vietnamese place with its functional interior, yet it’s refreshingly clean and friendly compared to a lot of places I’ve visited in Westminster or San Jose. Maybe a little of Austin seeped in around the edges?
The grilled pork and rice is a treat, the spring rolls and egg rolls (they are quite different) were uniformly excellent, and the standout for me was the banh mi sandwiches. The pork and pâté on a fresh roll was superb, with a great balance of salt, umami, and the crunch of fresh cucumber.
I’m definitely coming back to try the phở and the other specialties of the house.
This place pegs the ‘CTJ Scale’ at 5 stars, as noted below.
5 out of 5 stars: Come-​to-​Jesus good. Would be OK passing away after finishing a plate here.
4 out of 5 stars: Come-​to-​Mary good. Would be OK being seen eating here by Mother Mary.
3 out of 5 stars: Come-​to-​Joseph good. Would be OK having a beer here with Jesus’ Dad.
2 out of 5 stars: Come-​to-​the-​Apostles good. Meh. Wouldn’t have my last supper here.
1 out of 5 stars: Come-​to-​Nobody good. I wouldn’t have my penultimate supper here, either.

I’ve been coming here for 5 years now, always delicious, friendly service, and the prices are great. I love the phở, spring rolls, soup, and Bahn Mi sandwiches. The food is always fresh and consistently awesome. The owner is the nicest lady and always recognizes and greets us.
My only regret is that I live in South Austin now and haven’t found any better Vietnamese food than Thanh Ni.

Got the phở Thai chin and pork bahn mi. Really amazing, especially the soup. Bahn mo was good, but 4 star not 5. Meatballs in soup def not my thing.
Update: I’ve been back twice since this. Tried a different soup from later in the menu and it didn’t rock my word as much. Tried what I liked the first time, the broth and noodles were great. Really the broth is what makes it so amazing. The meat itself this time didn’t seem as good though. Hopefully just an off day.

Not sure why my last review disappeared.
Cheap bahn mi sandwiches and fresh rolls (though I’d like the option for double meat). Good phở (and fresh ingredients). Make sure you don’t order Phở Bo as they don’t have it here (and you will end up with chicken phở! — Chicken Ga… totally not the same!)
If you get Vermicelli bowl, make sure you ask for one with egg roll if that’s what you want.
Better yet, order by number. I uploaded a picture of the menu :)

My go to place for bun Bo hue or phở. The noodle soup here is very good and fresh. Service is friendly. Can’t get any more simple than this. Delicious!

When I find a good phở restaurant, it takes a lot of prodding to get me to try another place.
But I’m glad I came here.
We ordered their egg rolls (2 egg rolls per order) and I got their #1 bowl of phở. It was strange that the egg rolls got to the table after the phở, but once you take a bite, who cares? The egg rolls were super crispy and tongue-​burning hot. The filling was really delicious and definitely tasted like their made it themselves. A lot better than egg rolls from other places. The phở I got was my standard order (the one with all the different types of beef). Just visually, the broth looked amazing. It didn’t look oily and the taste reinforced that. The flavor of the broth was really good and strong, beefier than others that I’ve had. Noodles and meat were both delicious as well. The cold of the winter is coming and this was exactly what I needed.
Is it the best phở in Austin? It’s definitely one of my personal bests and most of the credit is due to the broth. I’ll definitely be back.

BEST PLACE FOR PHO IN AUSTIN. EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS PLACE IS SO GOOD
This place is my go-​to place for hangovers and I’m-sober-and-craving-Viet-food moods (which happen weekly). The lady always grins whenever she sees me enter the store lol. I even took my mom here because it’s so good… (And she liked it!!) I’m not an expert on authentic Vietnamese food, but my Vietnamese friend introduced me to this place and I also found out my Vietnamese friend’s parents actually own this shop, so I find this place pretty authentic.
There’s something about the broth in the phở noodle soup that does it for me. It’s not overly salty like some other places I’ve been to, and it always tastes fresh and meaty (yes yes yes yes). I never have to wait a million years for my phở to come out either. Very quick and good service. I like that they’re not skimpy on the bean sprouts.
Other dishes I’ve ordered are their bun bo hue, mi thap cam, and vermicelli bowl, which were all amazing. I’ve gotten their bahn mi and spring rolls, which weren’t bad, but are overshadowed by the phở. Sometimes I get the Vietnamese iced coffee which I enjoy!
All the less than 4 star ratings are haters. This place is better than Phở Saigon at Chinatown. TRUST

Best phở in Austin. if you disagree you’re a fraud food critic. srs. The broth is really good and the staff is always super friendly. They also give you the really fatty brisket if you’re a regular.
I always get a large phở with extra meatballs. I will be honest I haven’t tried any of the other dishes.

Wow. I really don’t get the 4 ½ stars. Austin has many inexpensive Vietnamese restaurants that are tasty and use good ingredients. Sadly this isn’t one of them.
We had three different plates, plus an appetizer, and the best of it was only so-​so.
The spring rolls: dry and ordinary.
The curry: run of the mill.
The beef: lowest grade, with lots of tendons, fat, etc.
The chicken: tough.
The shrimp: my wife is worried that she might have gotten food poisoning (seriously).

Ive been trying the phở all around town. Saigon has a good mix of large tendon and menu options. phở dan has great eye round steak but horrible tendon. And then there’s thanh nhi.
This little hole in the wall pushed back in the rough part of town, with a nice older lady whos key phrase is «soup good today?», is home for me. The tendon is BIG chunks they have RED onion which i love… i wish the eye round steak was more apparent in the #1 combo phở but its delicious and filled with love. They have fried egg. not on the menu. Which is an amazing addition to either phở or banh mi. And i always get the shrimp and pork spring rolls as well.
Btw the banh mi? Best bread in town! Fillings are simple and traditional but a perfect cheap addition to that beefy rich soup :)
Its all good. But so is everywhere is it not? Thats why i took a break from here and went to all the other shops to see what i was missing.
When i came back to my «home» i was greeted with the most warm welcome back. They remembered my drink order still. And i bring in my own hoisen sc and had accidentally left it there 3 months back without realizing it and they had kept it! And brought it to me when i came back, and i remembered how nice and amazing everyone working there was. And how they will do everything possible for you to have a great experience… and that is why it is home. To me and im sure many other «ruk-​a-​muks» that hang out in that area. Great food. better atmosphere.amazing service.

I love this little hole-​in-​the-​wall — the service is always so sweet and wonderful here.
I know they’re famous for their Banh Mi, but I find myself always ordering phở when I visit. The broth has a deep, beefy taste, and they always give plenty of noodles and sides to go with your phở.
Parking can be a bit dicey, depending on what time of day you visit, as this place is in a strip mall and only has like half a dozen dedicated parking spaces (if that) for the restaurant. Park in the lot next door if you have to, though, as the phở here is worth it! The perfect cold-​weather food, or meal for those times when you don’t something that’s going to weigh you down and put you into a food coma.

I’m Vietnamese so I know good Vietnamese food. Thanh Nhi has the best phở in town. The broth tastes like it’s been cooked overnight. The flavor has a rich beef taste that many other phở places do not have. This place is a small hidden gem. I also like their banh canh gio heo. It has a good flavor that I’m familiar with, just like my mom’s homecooking. But I wouldn’t recommend the nem nuong rolls. Compared to the ones I’ve had, this one, along with the sauce, is bland. But the soups are very good.

A solid 4 for the nicest little lady serving us. Pretty sure she’s the owner, as she walked around asking if everything was okay for us. She was ecstatic when I responded to her in Vietnamese. I had a lot of fun watching her interact with all the customers on a light Saturday afternoon.
What we ordered:
Springroll. It has a smell to it. Like plum. or hoisen sauce. I’m still trying to figure it out. I guess I’ll do that at the next visit. The style that the rolls were made is very similar to the famous Brodard of Cali. a solid delicious strip of sausage, with a crunch from the eggroll wrap and stuffed with lettuce. If I did it any differently, I’d include a side of bun and extra lettuce to wrap and dip with the fish sauce (which was perfect btw).
Phở. Clean. Flavor is pretty authentic, but does not smack me on the head and demand me to come back.
Bun Thit Nuong. Also well made, with all the ingredients there. Again, no bang. Still yet to find the best bun out there.
Viet iced coffee. Strong. Strong hint of mocha. Went home and diluted it with skim milk and it was a perfect iced latte.
Overall, this is a true mom and pop shop. I love the love that this place exhudes, and I will be back just to visit the nice lady, maybe have a springroll or two.