Pho Bac

Me and my friend ordered two Banh Mi. We were very excited to try it at first but sadly it was very disappointing. We sat own and took a bite and it tasted okay and we took another bite it tasted werid and disgusting. Very dissapointing. & it took the girl pretty long to make the banh mi about 10 – 15 mins. I wouldn’t go back here again.

I love Phở! It is heavenly concoction of a soupy broth with white rice vermicelli noodles flavored with 5 star spice, basil, cilantro, onion, spicy Jalapeño pepper, a lim wedge, slices, with slices of raw beef.
I absolutely enjoyed my meal. I ordered the small beef noodle soup for $ 5.50 and it was enough for me In fact, it was more than enough. I am glad that I got it for to go. I also got an avocado shake $ 3.25 here and man was it deliciously sweet. It was not a long wait on the line. In fact, I was the 2^nd one in the queue. I saw on the menu that they have rice dishes, banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches),
The only thing that actually took a bit longer was my shake, but I really did not care., since I was not in a rush. Instead, it felt like the time flew by as my order arrived quickly. In fact, the avocado shake was so good, I would have gotten two of them, but my hands look overwhelmed by what I was holding already.
To keep me in my happy mood, I found the lady who took my order to be very pleasant and polite. She was also pretty helpful including napkins, eating utensils, and also to-​go-​containers, packing the soup broth separately from the noodles themselves so the noodles stay springy (not sure the word for antonym of flaccid here). I was admiring her forebearance as she called out orders and no one was there to pick them up. I just stood there waiting with glee for my Phở. =)
Now that I think about it, when I came to Phở Bac at 5 pm on a Sunday evening with two friends of mine, there was actually plenty of seating here in the food court of this mall. I’m so pleased! Life is great! I want to come back as soon as I come back to Flushing.

This is the «express» branch of Phở Bac (in Elmhurst. GREAT lemongrass fish there btw. I still remember it from a decade ago).
I only learned this tonight when the owner at the counter looked very, very familiar. He doesn’t speak Mandarin too well; the counter girl had to translate into English for him. He may actually be Vietnamese.
This is the only Viet stall in the food court. But it gets ignored, because most people who go to New World Mall:
1. don’t know anything about Vietnamese food, other than the lame hipster interest in banh mi only, and
2. are more interested in the [granted, impressive variety of] different Chinese cuisines just yards away.
Pound for pound and deliciousness for deliciousness, this is one of the most reliable things you’ll find in the food court. $ 5 – 6 gets you an authentic, enormous dish. If it’s a winter day perfect for Vietnamese comfort food, or if you just need some lemongrassy lovin’, you know where to turn! Try:
— Phở, not bad though I prefer Phở Bang. $ 5
— Com tam suon nuong. $ 5! A classic. Viet-​style lemongrass char-​grilled pork over broken rice with pickled veggies.
— Bun thit nuong. $ 6. One of my favorites. Lukewarm vermicelli noodles with grilled pork and salad and pickled veggies. Toss it all together with the orange sauce (nuoc cham). Fresh and tasty and light.
— Lemongrass chicken. $ 7. No lemongrass fish here and it’s a little salty but very flavorful. Consume with rice.
I don’t see the bread being toasted and they don’t seem committed to it over the other dishes, so I wouldn’t come here for banh mi.
Somehow Phở Bac Express is noticeably cheaper than the other 2 Viet restaurants near Flushing Library. Choose this over the fast-​food-​teriyaki stall every time.
*Note, Aug 2012: prices have risen. no more $ 5 meals…

At $ 3.25 for a banh mi, you get what you pay for. The bread was stale and the meats were bland beyond recognition.
Although, I did like their beef stew w/​rice. There were some complaints in our group about some of the larger pieces being too tough, but every spoonful of my beef stew was tender.
Overall, okay value but with so many choices in the NWM Food Court I don’t think I’ll return unless I get a craving for beef stew w/​rice.

it is pretty goo and for 5.00 i bought a bowl of soup the size of a fishtank. this is thier second store. the original is in grand avenue. if your into vietnamese, or a fan of the original phở bac. its a good place to eat.

Couldn’t resist trying some banh mi in Flushing. It took a lot longer than most places to toast and fill with toppings, but it was also a foot long baguette for a mindblowing $ 3.25. Those are Spice Girls era prices right there.
Anyway, I wish it had been better. Asked for spicy and they barely put any sriracha on it. There was also just sliced ham and not any other type of meat and shredded mushrooms gave it a strange taste that wasn’t very banh-​mi-​esque. But hey, for $ 3.25, can’t complain too much.

I needed my fix for Vietnamese grilled pork chop over rice, aka Com Suon, and Phở Bac just opened up in the New World Mall. If I recalled last time, Phở Hoang wasn’t really authentic (too Chinese) and neither was Phở on Prince (too Korean). Phở Bang was the best in town, but kinda lack in décor. I want to know how Phở Bac measures up.
The rice was broken (authenticity, yay!). The suon was grilled perfectly with the right cut. It was a bit salty for my taste (I like sweeter), but overall a very good grilled pork chop. I wish they gave more fish sauce though, their mix was a bit light with no lemongrass or chilis.
Price-​wise, it’s definitely a lot pricier than their regular location in Elmhurst. (4.50 vs 6.00). I think it might have to do with the space rental location. I hope the price goes down in a few months.

Run by the same folks who own the Elmhurst branch (
), Phở Bac is one of few non-​Chinese options in New World Mall’s bustling food court. After awaiting many days for PhoXpress to open (which doesn’t appear to be anytime soon), Phở Bac is currently the only option to get some semi-​legit Vietnamese food (#1)
Upon first inspection of the menu, the prices are pretty on par with the rest of Queens Vietnamese joints though a little less than a dollar higher for most common items. The seems to speak more Chinese than actual Vietnamese, hardly a surprise given the mall clientele and consistent with how most Vietnamese places are Chino-​Viet any way.
And for food court standards, I wasn’t expecting a lot in the food but was pleasantly surprised at their robust menu. The selection is pretty vast with various appetizers /​noodle /​rice entrees that would rival any regular restaurant. It seems most of the appetizers are made to order, but everything else is reasonably fresh.
The Goi Cuon (aka Summer Rolls) felt a bit pricey at $ 3.80 for two and so does the $ 8.50 large order for Cha Gio (aka Egg Rolls). Both were a bit on the blander side, as expected. The $ 6.00 large Phở Tai was surprisingly generous and sported what would be considered a decent broth by NYC standards. Everything from the meat to the noodles were very tender and dare I say, fresh. The Bun Thit Nuong (Grilled Pork w/​Noodles) was also somewhat tasty and solidly priced at $ 6.00 but the accompanying Nuoc Mam (fish sauce) was disappointingly bland.
Would I come back? It would be hard not to, since there is much more to try, little lines to deal with, and my constant Vietnamese cravings that never seem to go away. When Chinese food no longer appeals, I can see myself lining up here, even when PhoXpress decides to open.
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(#1) No, Bun Grill /​Bun Malaysia doesn’t count.