Cafe Pho Ga Thanh Thanh

I finally get to check this place off on my food bucket list. Yes I have one and it’s mighty long lol. Now if your looking for looks and nice ambience this is not your place. It’s as much as you can expect of a phở restaurant. A little more run down and old looking. Possibly due to the location if anything. It’s a true vietnamese staple of must try at least here in Philly. I’ve been hearing about it for so long. The restaurant is real small but they have upstairs seating too so I’m told. We got lucky and got there before thier rush. We ordered 2 phở ga and half a chicken. The bowls aren’t overly large. Just the right size. They give you a decent amount of chicken. Your usual plate of herbs. The broth was very good. A chicken broth seasoned just right. No need to add hoisen sauce or siracha for flavor. Although you can if that’s how you like your phở. I feel that takes away the flavor of this broth. Soup was so clear. They give you a little bowl of special sauce on the side looks like it was lime, salt, black pepper, chili’s and some kind of herb to dip your chicken in. This was pretty good. Definitely different. The chicken was steamed. Meat was tender. With the sauce very good. I feel like if it was added to goi it would be even better. I liked it. The boyfriend on the other hand thought it was good but not worth all the hype. Overall great experience and all that food for $ 17. SCORE! No complaints about service. Quick and efficient.

I eat here two or three times a week. It is some of the freshest and most delicious chicken I have ever had in my life. Trust me when I tell you, this chicken does not come from any store. More than likely, it was walking around earlier that same day! This is what chicken really taste like. Their Phở is delicious. It’s plain simple wonderful homemade Phở. This place is built around fresh, and delicious. All at a very reasonable price.

When I feel under the weather, my go to remedy is usually Chinese juk. But this time, I decided to try taking out phở ga here after reading all the reviews.
I drove to the area which, as others have noted, feels sketch. I’m not sure I would have stopped here had I not gotten parking at 10:30 am on the same block.
The phở ga was very good. Soup broth was clear but flavorful. Chicken was fresh and the accompanying dipping sauce was delicious. With that said, the to-​go portion was quite small. I was still hungry after eating it. Probably won’t go back.

They just have one item– chicken phở. When you come in they ask you in Vietnamese– lon hay nho? Large or small? It’s incredible. There is a shop across the street that sells live poultry. Thanh Thanh sources its chickens from there. The meat is amazingly fresh with a heavenly tear when you bite into it. The restaurant isn’t clean, the service is surly, the neighborhood is grimy. But you’re coming here for the food. It’s so good that urban legends have grown around this place. People say its addictive because the owners put heroin in the soup. Nonsense but people will make up anything. Just come, eat, enjoy.

Always want to come back! Best chicken phở in USA! I am from New York and the chicken phở over there were different. This is the best chicken phở I have ever had. :D

No menus is a great giveaway that this place sells itself! Order the half chicken and large bowl of noodles. Drooling just thinking about it!

The chicken phở is so good! The broth is what makes it. The prices are also very reasonable. I don’t really understand why they don’t expand. The location is not great, but they try to seat you reasonably fast.

The service wasn’t really there. Can’t really complain since it’s an Asian spot. I love phở and my boyfriend show me this place and he said they have the best chicken phở. I didn’t believe him until I gave it a try. I couldn’t believe how flavorful the broth was. The chicken is always super fresh due to the live poultry place across the street. Would definitely come back again !

Come here if you want to experience phở in the most authentic Vietnamese way. This is exactly how it feels like to go to a Phở place in Hanoi. Boyfriend and I stopped by the place for a late lunch, around 1ish. The place was packed. We got to wait for 15 mins for a table. No menu cuz they only have chicken or beef phở. And cash only.
We order 2 plain phở with half a chicken. They serve it with lime dipping sauce just like the authentic way of eating phở at home. The chicken was a little bit fatty for my liking, definitely not as good as the one we had at Thang Long restaurant. But the broth is definitely better; it was clear, deep, and just good!
Overall, it was good, but too much of a hassle. I’ll come to Thang Long restaurant next time.

I’ll repeat what everyone already knows from previous reviews: AMAZING CHICKEN PHO + DIPPING SAUCE, and BEEF STEW!
A few notes:
–cash only. And it’s rather on the pricey side compared to other phở spots in philly. $ 9 for a large chicken bowl.
–long lines on the weekend (everybody needs that hangover cure…) but the line moves rather fast. There were 8 parties in front of us but we waited for ~15 mins. I feel like the quality is a tad worse when they are super busy though, which is understandable.
–no menu but here are the options I know of:
1. large/​small chicken phở with any combination of white meat, dark meat with bones/​skins, blood cubes, organs like livers, hearts, etc.
2. Half/​whole chicken: if you just feel like devouring some meat with their awesome dipping sauce (salt, pepper, lime juice, jalapeños, and some herb I still don’t know what it’s called in English…), this is the way to go. It will come out with everything of the half/​whole chicken of course…
3. Beef stew + rice! Everything is so well-​stewed that they could melt in your mouth.
4. Vietnamese coffee: you know the slowly-​dripped phin type over condensed milk. They probs have some other drinks but I really don’t care.

Excellent friendly, family based all around Vietnamese restaurant, with very good service. Fast and hits the spot for my phở fix. My friend brought me here and said this is the place to be if you are in the area.
I had the chicken phở and it was delicious. The broth is good and the dipping sauce on the side is made of a very unique blend of lemon grass and other herbs that brings out the flavor of the chicken.
Come and try it out for yourself.

The chicken phở here is legit. Really like crack, so good. The chicken tasted like it was just killed two hours ago. The broth is clear, not greasy, but still had so much depth. Damn. I love that citrusy sauce they give you for the chicken. What a find, so glad my friend recommended it. Will def be back.
Yeah, the neighborhood is real shady though, but its worth it. I didn’t think the service was bad. It was no frills, you get what you needed. No menus.

People from Philly love this place. My philly friend took me here. The neighborhood isn’t the nicest, so hopfully that should set your expectations. Parking is easy on the side streets.
This is a simple, really simple place. For others, they may be put off by the layout and ambiance. They are known for the chicken phở. As the name impliesThere is no menu, but this was not a problem as my friend ordered for us.
I ordered the phở and a whole chicken for three people. The food came really quick. .Hospitality is definitely not a selling point. The guy didn’t give us any water or napkins and we had to ask for it.
The chicken was fresh so that tasted good. I’ve eaten a lot of phở and I thought it was good. I think that they used the chicken broth to make the stock.
If you like other types of phở (like with tripe, fish balls, flank, etc) this may not be the place for you.
As for the price, we ordered 3 large bowls of phở (which was plane) and a chicken for $ 44. $ 8 for a basic bowl of Phở seemed a bit pricey.
Bottom line:
Likes:
If you like chicken phở and fresh chicken. Basic and simple
Dislikes:
Cleanliness, not very attentive staff

Man this place is a dump. Like a real dump. The tables looked like they were stolen from a homeless shelter, and the chair cushions have long since frayed away to nothingness, exposing stained foam rubber. My partner, the Hue Out Princess, immediately turned to me with murder in her eyes. I had insisted on trying this place despite her misgivings, so from the moment we crossed the threshold every inch of this grimey soup-​hole was my fault. If I had better self-​preservation instincts i would have turned around and walked out, but I’m an idiot. So we sat down and it didn’t get any better.
The pseudo-​hipster Viet guy taking our order was way too cool for school from the jump. He immediately asked us what we wanted, and seemed maliciously gleeful to have the chance to smack down our attempt to GET A MENU.
«We only have two things, chicken noodle soup and beef noodle soup. So, yeah. What do you want?»
He then looked at us like we were the assholes. Personally, I just hate that secret-​handshake-​are-​you-​in-​the-​know bullshit. Old girl, on the other hand, was pissed because even shit-​ball soup stands in Vietnam have more than two options, and this place has walls and a roof. But presumably the crackhead DJing the hot plates out back can only handle two stock pots, so that’s the selection.
We ordered one of each. The soup was good but not spectacular. The folks running the spot are southern, so they serve a decent chili-​lime dipping sauce with the phở ga.
But definitely not worth sitting in that place and/​or touching the table/​chairs/​glasses for.
Thang Long across the street is easily as good, has far more selection and is much less likely to be raided by the health department while you’re there.
*It’s cash only, but given the state of the place that shouldn’t come as a suprise– you immediately know that if they can’t afford chairs from this century then they ain’t paying no interchange fees.

First time having chicken phở but dang it was gooood! The broth was clean and tasted amazing without having to add any sauces to it. I admit I like to douse my phở with siracha and hosin sauce but the broth was good by itself. The chicken was juicy and the dipping sauce made it even better.
From the outside it doesn’t look like much but don’t be fooled they serve some good phở. The place is small and service is pretty fast. Be fair warned though, its in a sketchy neighborhood and we were told not to casually walk around even during the day.

When they say this place is a hole in the wall, they truly meant it. Super sketch, no AC (mind you it’s 90 degrees out and I’m about to order noodle soup) & to top it off there was no bathroom (it was out of order that day). So moving on, the waiter arrives to take our order but there was no menus provided… Soo I guess we will just order based on what we saw on Unilocal right? Ok so 2 phở ga and that’s it i think?
The verdict? Just simply fabulous. Wow, the chicken broth hit the spot. I’ve alway swore by the phở ga I’ve had in San Fran but seriously this was on par. Even though the first impression of walking into here did not look promising, I’m definitely delighted of the outcome. I made the right choice.

To start this out — I am not a germaphobe whatsoever. I grew up in the country running around barefoot and picking up bugs. That however is not the experience I want when I am eating soup recommended by Craig Laban.
I honestly don’t get what people are talking about. Did they pay someone off?
This was one of the most disgusting meals I’ve ever experienced due to the complete lack of cleanliness. There were food stains all over the walls, fruit flies SWIMMING in the chili oil and all around the old crusty condiments. The broth did taste good, but it wasn’t anything I hadn’t had elsewhere, plus I had lost my appetite long before the bowls were brought. It was hard to pick out anything good about the place while I was combatting flies swirling around my head the entire meal.
I’m also pretty sure we were ripped off. $ 22 bucks for two bowls of phở on Kensington Ave? You gotta be kidding me. I saw a table of two who had a feast pay a total of what looked like $ 6. You can’t argue though because there is no menu. We paid. We left. And we never will return.

Just ate here and the reviews don’t lie people. I ordered the phở ga, and when I say it’s one of the best I’ve ever had, I mean it. The broth is flavorful, but the true gem is the chicken. They use some kind of free-​range chicken, so the meat is chewy and tastes just out of this world. I can rave on and on about the chicken, but the dipping sauce really tops it off. It’s some kind of spicy haberno basked in a salt&pepper lime sauce that just blows your mind. How does all the flavors even make sense? But the taste is ethereal and everything just works.
Get the plain phở (small or large) and half a chicken. Just do it.

Best chicken phở ever! Come here for life changing phở. They don’t have a menu but everyone knows to get the chicken phở. They have small or large. I got the small phở with beef meatballs and a side of chicken (half or whole). The chicken comes with a spicy pepper dipping sauce. I’m not sure how they make this chicken but it is the best I have ever had. It is better than the roast chicken in chinatown. The broth is straight crack, so good!!! I have dreams about the chicken phở here…
Tips
1. Cash Only
2. Closes at 6 so come early… why would you even want to walk around here at night #realtalk
3. Street parking
4. MUST GET THE CHICKEN
You might lose your life coming here… okay not really but seriously. Real talk: Come here during the day.

I’m from SoCal and it’s known to have the best phở outside in the US. A friend recommended to go here if I fly out of PHL so I did. I’m glad I did because it was sooooo good. Best phở ga ever!
Note 1: don’t expect a menu. They only have phở ga/​chicken noodle or beef noodle. Size is only small or large. This place is known for their chicken because the name of the restaurant is phở ga. Why stray away from what they specialize in?
Note 2: call to make sure it’s open. Sometime they travel or close early so don’t trust the time on Unilocal.
Also, make sure to order a side of half a chicken for a party of 4. Depending on your group size, you may want a whole.
As for service, it was ok. It was our first time and didn’t realize that they didn’t have menu. Could have been better if the server ask if it is our first time and give us info.
Overall, must come back every time we’re in Philly. Not the best part of town but it’s worth it. Trust me!