Kim Phung Restaraunt

I love this place. I prefer the north location but I have eaten at both.
The phở here is fantastic, the broth is delicious and has put every other phở place I have tried to shame. I usually stick with the brisket phở, but the vegetable (you can ask for beef stock instead of the chicken), and round steak are equally delicious.
Kim Phung is a staple, my friend and I eat here at least once a week.

Delicious phở at Kim Phung. The Wednesday night special is grand — only $ 6.00 for a large, steaming bowl that is delivered to the table. I ordered the fried tofu and veggie bowl (note: phở broth is not vegetarian; it is beef based) and my friend ordered the steak and brisket soup. I wish the accompanying plate of bean sprouts, cilantro, basil, and jalepenos was larger to throw into the bowl. We will be back. Great soup for a cold, winter’s night.

Ladies and Gentleman of the Jury,
To establish that stock has nothing to do with the quality of a fine phở place,
I present Exhibit A: Kim Phung.
‘Kim Phung is a place that makes a wonderful phở.
***
Opposing Attorney: Objection: Your Honor — Their menu mostly contains American Chinese Staples,
Judge: Objection Overruled. They are primarily known for the strength of their phở. Continue Counsel.
***
To repeat, stock has little to do with the quality of a good phở restaurant.
I myself dined at Kim Phung recently, and had their brisket, tendon and tripe phở.
I tasted the stock straight up. It was like cheap stock everywhere, greasy and not that tasty.
The final bowl of Phở however, stock and all, was outstanding.
Kim Phung, like every Phở restaurant on the planet offers a million condiments that you can add to the soup. Jalapenos, Hoisin, Two kinds of Soy, Rooster Sauce, Hot Sauce, Lime Juice, Oyster Sauce, Bean Sprouts etc etc etc etc etc etc.
When I — like every other patron in the place — began my work of bartending and tossed a million ingredients into my soup, the final result was wonderful.
***
Opposing Attorney: Objection, Your Honor. If the Unilocal Critic’s claim is correct, then what would set any Phở restaurant off from the worst swillpot in an alley in Hanoi?
Judge: I direct counsel to answer the Opposing Attorney’s question.
***
The mark of quality your honor is the care that goes into the preparation of the solid ingredients.
Kim Phung buys good meat, cooks it to maintain the flavor while keeping it moist, and maintains a good ratio of fat to meat itself. So every slice you pull out of your soup bowl is full of flavor and every ingredient tastes distinctive and good.
The ingredients have enough body to stand up to all the sauces and jalapenos you have dumped into the stock itself.
So every spoonful is interesting. The fat in the stock makes the meal feel hearty, even though in essence you are eating a meal of noodles and water. A little meat goes a long way if it tastes good, and you leave the restaurant feeling supremely well fed.
I rest my case.
***
(Opposing counsel settled out of court immediately for a generous amount.)

This place is still a favorite! I’ve recently become addicted to the tofu fried rice. They always give a huge serving and it never disappoints. The prices are reasonable and the interior improvements are really nice. The $ 6 phở on Wednesdays can’t be beat. The serves have always been very helpful, but the front desk staff could be a little friendlier. Other than that, no complaints! Love this place!

Kim Phung has the best Phở in the city, hands down. People may be scared off because it’s a hole in the wall, but once you go in you see that it has been remodeled and is actually quite a nice establishment. The quality of their food has not changed, I like the new format of order and sit, it ensures that you are quickly served and seated. This is the the perfect season for Phở, and I totally recommend you try this place out!

I came here a couple weeks ago to have phở, and GOSH I wish I remembered the cool cashier’s name because he was so friendly, informative and actually pretty funny. I ordered chicken Phở with vegetable broth. The Phở was prompt fresh, and full of fresh herbs. I will be a regular here and post an update with his name! :D

Very good! The place was super clean, colorful and newer… compared to the neighborhood. I had fried dumplings and phở soup. They have a menu for popular Chinese and Thai dishes. They also have tvs and a small play area for kids.

This place is a hidden gem. Since they remodeled the restaurant after the fire that put it out of business for months, a lot of improvements have been made. From the interior with four big screen tvs, friendly staff, and good quality food for a cheap price. I come here often since my office is down the street and I’ve never been disappointed. Highly recommended the Phở, Vermicelli bowls, and Thai curry.

Eat here!!! You will not be disappointed! Kung pap is excellent (not fried)
Phở is freakin amazing!
Noodles always perfect
Staff is wonderful, always on point and friendly!

Very clean place, friendly staff and phở steak was very good, it had enough of everything and the soup was tasty compare to others where it is just like water.

Had the #52, Vietnamese pork tacos and wonton soup.
Looks dirty on the outside but inside it’s marvelous, 4 nice flat screens throughout the colorful charming place. They have a great deal, Wednesday phở is $ 6. The tacos were great, bun and pork were sweet, just be careful there is a buried jalapeño WITH seeds. The wonton soup was fresh, hot, with a sprinkle of lime, it was delicious. The #52 are egg flat noodles with carrot, baby corn, cabbage, beef, shrimp, chicken.

I’m a huge fan of vermicelli bowls with the charbroiled pork and Kim Phung’s version ($ 8.50) is excellent. The pork comes in charred strips. The sauce is a little sweeter than standard «fish sauce» but it’s not the sweet clear sauce either. Dump a ton of Sriracha on it and go to town.
The spring rolls are just OK. They’re huge, but they have a kind of off-​putting taste to them that’s not there in better versions. That said, I still order them.
The place brags on its Phở, claiming numerous «Best Of“s but I have yet to pry myself from the charbroiled pork.
Also, this place looks like a dump from the outside but once you step inside it’s WAY different than you’d expect. Super high ceilings, wide-​open lay out, bright paint colors, a freakin’ kids area complete with train table and mini-​basketball hoop.
Service is prompt and friendly.

Usually a fire is a catastrophe for a restaurant. Besides the lost income, there are plenty of other ways that a fire can make it nearly impossible for a restaurant to regain its footing — ruinous rebuilding costs, the departure of key staff, interrupted supplier relationships, and the risk that as more and more time passes before reconstruction finishes, the public’s attention will have wandered. I’m glad that Kim Phung’s own recent brush with disaster has not only not damaged the dining experience, but has actually improved it.
The first thing you notice is that Kim Phung now has more of a fast casual atmosphere than the traditional sit-​down experience it had before. I don’t know if that indicates a shift in marketing strategy or was simply cheaper to construct or operate in some way than to rebuild the old layout. I think I prefer it just because it’s faster, even if I miss not having to refill my water myself, but the folks at the ordering counter are fast and pleasant regardless. It has less of a feel of a «quiet local hidden gem» than before, so beware if you’re the kind of person who goes to a place for that ambiance. They’ve kept the solid lunch specials, with a bonus of free egg rolls from 12 to 1pm (and 7 to 8pm).
Kim Phung was famous for its phở, and I’m pleased to report that it has not decreased in quality one bit. The broth is as savory and delicious as ever, and my standard of steak and brisket ($ 7.50) came out with the same great cuts of meat and well-​cooked noodles it always has. I think it tastes the same as before (palate amnesia is another risk of a lengthy rebuilding process), which is to say among the best in the city. Getting the even huger bowl for $ 1 more is still the same challenge of courage it was before. Table service has gotten much faster — when I was last there, I didn’t even have time to use the restroom after ordering before my phở was waiting at my table.
I’m very pleased that they have banh mi now as well: an excellent very crusty baguette containing grilled pork, chicken, or steak ($ 6 each); fried carrot and daikon with a more Korean flair than the typical Vietnamese style; and butter instead of mayo spread. It’s quite good, even if it is a contrast to the style found at somewhere like Ng BMT. They don’t list the banh mi on their online menu for some reason, but consider ordering it with the side of wontons and hot and sour soup for $ 8 total and you will be quite satisfied. In moments of extreme hunger I have been able to eat both phở and banh mi together, but that pair would be too much here.
They’ve kept the same delicious phở (and the 6pm-​9pm Wednesday night $ 6 phở special remains!), introduced great new menu items, and maintained a multi-​decade long local restaurant — Kim Phung is a textbook example of how a business can confront a potentially crippling setback and emerge even stronger than before.

I hope this place keeps advertising $ 6 phở on Wednesdays, because that is the only reason I come back! For 6 bucks you will get a good portion– I always get full– and you are also offered free veggie egg rolls.
Service and wait time– 5 stars for friendly people; you order at the front and they bring out your food in minutes.
Phở– 4 stars
Pad Thai– 1 star; don’t get it! It’s not that I expected it to be a legitimately thai dish, because I’ve had good pad Thai with a viet spin on it in other places before. This pad Thai didn’t agree with my stomach, and I felt sick the next morning. Just want to warn people.

My sister raves about this place. I had a bowl of shrimp phở and honestly, I want impressed. It was pretty bland and unremarkable. I also tried my sister’s beef and broccoli only to have the same reaction. The service was friendly and the prices affordable, but with so many terrific places to get my Vietnamese/​Asian food on, I can’t say if be Ina hurry to come back.

This is the third time that I have been here and I truly love this place. I also saw a sign that they are opening a new location in Cedar Park!
They also have a Unilocal check in offer for 5% off your next meal so, make sure you take advantage of that!
I ordered the coconut shrimp which are always amazing, the shrimp lo mien and the crab rangoons with sweet and sour sauce!
Crab Rangoons: The filing had good flavor but, I felt that they could have been cooked longer since the filling wasn’t fully warm. Also, they were a bit soggy but, this may have been because I drove 10 minutes home and there was a bunch of water condensation in the box. May recommend if you eat in but, not carry out!
Shrimp Lo Mien: The ingredients were fresh and the portions of toppings to noodles were really good. My complaint is that the seasoning and flavor wasn’t there. The next day it was much better because all the seasoning and sauce had the chance to soak into the noodles!
I feel like this place has high points on the menu and low points and if they perfected it they would be a 5 star restaurant covering Asian, Thai and Chineese!

Unilocaled a nearby Viet restaurant and this was what we ran into. Space is big and open. Clean. You order and pay at the counter. Here’s what we got:
— «steak phở» (which was not steak at all, but was regular phở tai)
— classic spring rolls (pork, shrimp, vermicelli) — it was a good size, but wrapped sloppily — -like a bumpy burrito. HA. Oh well!
— egg noodle with duck leg — the duck leg was on the sweet side (wasn’t a fan of that). Not sure how long the leg has been cooked in the broth because the meat fell off the bones easily, but skin was mushy and seemed old. On the other hand, the broth was delish. it also came with plenty of veggies (broccoli, celery, 2 types of mushrooms, carrots).
I was pleasantly surprised that our dishes turned out decent. Usually I avoid Viet restaurants that serve Viet dishes along with Japanese, Thai, Chinese, etc.
Service was non-​existent as the girl was only a cashier and busser. You refill your own drinks.

This is counter ordering with an open floor plan. At first I was disappointed that they didn’t offer any Phở, Bun, or, Banh Mi on the lunch menu, but, they didn’t need to. Prices are reasonable as they are, but, there are cheaper deals in town. They are MSG snobs, yay!, and have a lot of gluten free options. To finish this review I will need to try three of my favorite Vietnamese dishes; Phở; Banh Mi; and, Bun. If you can’t get these right then I have no interest in you. Here we go.
PHO: I got the meatball Phở as it is my favorite. The meatballs were cut into quarter sized pieces. It worked well, but, I think I like the wedge cut better. Regardless, the meatballs were delicious. The broth was great. Maybe my second favorite? The noodles were a tad bit over cooked which was a major let down. Overall a good bowl of Phở, but, it didn’t stand out to me. Definitely something I will do again. And again.
Banh MI: Whoa! WOW! OMG! I’m still raving about my sandwich. Not only is it a generous portion for $ 6, but, you can get a bowl of soup (hot n sour or egg drop) for two dollars more! Damn good deal. Ordering the Banh Mi is difficult because they don’t list the options on the menu. I hope they change that. I ordered the grilled marinated pork with a bowl of hot n sour soup. More than enough food! The soup was delicious, not my favorite HnS, but definitely worth doing. The sandwich came dressed with butter instead of house mayo. The butter sealed the deal on this bad boy. It was so chocked full of delicious grilled pork and focused less on the veggies. All stuffed into a freshly made baguette. Every bite was a delicious mouthful that kept me moaning. A perfect fucking sandwich from start to finish! FYI. Adding a fried egg is a $ 1.50 up charge.
Bun: I ordered the #33 grilled pork with egg roll. The rice noodles were served warm. Not something I’m used to. The egg roll was perfect, and, the grilled pork kicked my taste buds into over drive! They really know what they’re doing when it comes to marinating and grilling the pork. It was simply delicious! The Bun bowl was of great size. It took me a while to finish it, but, I did. A lot of food. I would have enjoyed it better with cold noodles. Just something about the warm meat mixed with cold noodles. It gives Bun dishes a whole knew experience. When I eat my Bun I like to dump in the fish sauce, add some chili and sriracha, and some of their sweet n sour sauce that’s up by the egg rolls (mix it with the chili sauce), then stir it all up. Bön Appetit!
**They also have some Thai and Chinese on the menu.

Drove here today to meet up with my brother and his family. They used to come here all the time when they lived in the area, it was my first time here.
I mainly give this place the stars for the service. It’s an order at the counter kind of place but my parents are old fashioned and they were seated and thought we were ordering with a server. Our ‘server’ was kind enough to give us menus and seat us and then take our order at the table and he checked on us frequently like any good server would even though he wasn’t technically a server so extra bonus points for the service! Oh and the renovation they did after a fire was quite nice and fresh.
Food was meh. My dad got egg noodles and said it was really bland. The noodles didn’t look like they were fresh at any point and they looked more like ramen compared to what Mi is. My moms phở broth was ok but not as good as the place I normally go to, which is 888. I got the rice plate with pork, the flavors of the pork were there but I didn’t get a chargrilled taste that that dish is usually known for. We also ordered egg rolls which were not good! I don’t know what their meat was but it was tasteless and mushy. I did like that they used rice paper as opposed to wonton wrappers though. Their entire menu is in English and as my sister in law stated it seemed like they really dumbed down their menu and Americanized it. And while I am vietnamese she is American SOOO even she could tell the difference.

They’re baaaaaack!
Don’t walk in to Kim Phung expecting to see the old school ways, either. Like James Brown said, Papa’s got a brand new bag!
So clean and nice and the food even tastes better. You start with a walk to the left as you enter, up to the register where you’ll order your food and now they have a nice selection of domestic and import beer, wine and sake. Nice, Kim Phung… you fancy, huh?
I won’t even lie, I am really sad that a fire hit that place up… but wowzers! What a difference a blaze makes. (don’t hate me for that one…)
All that truly matters is one of our favorite «go to» spots is back in the game. Kim Phung, I’ve missed you.