Pho 99

I love phở! And this place is where I tried it for the first time. So delicious and the people who run it are very nice and accommodating. I went to Superior Phở a couple times, but I honestly like this place better. The broth is just a little better and they also have thai tea!

Very good phở, probably my #3 place after Superior Phở and Minh Anh, but really all three are right up there. Cleveland needs more good phở places.

Yumm! Love Phở, which is unfortunately hard to find, especially on the East Side where I live. So I was overly excited to find the Asian Plaza and this wonderful little Phở place.
It’s authentic and tastes great.
Wish they had the seafood Phở on the menu; that would be my only criticism.

UPDATE: So after my first visit right after Phở 99 Opened, I have been back multiple times to enjoy the food in combination with Shopping trips to Asia Food Company. I’m adding a star compared to my original review 7 months ago as the all-​important Phở is even better the last couple times I ordered it. The «Large» now seems more plentiful in terms of noodles, broth, beef, and flavor. Filling and Tasty. And that is what food is all about! Hungry for some now… :D

Phở was ok. It about a b plus on a grade scale. The broth was a little watery and the noodles a bit hard and they didn’t give u much. The beef rounds didn’t taste that fresh. It was still ok though.

Thats right. I do this sparingly, but I’m thrown’ out the 5 star. I just really liked this place. It was empty. They need the love hug of a five star.
I actually came upon Phở 99 while looking for Superior Phở (thats right, poke your fun, I’m an eastern suburbs boy… I know my way around street names like «South Woodland,» and «Lander,» but at this point not as well around the «Superior» and «Saint Clairs» of the world. I’m learning. I mean give me a break – I haven’t lived in this city since I learned how to drive, or my mommy let me go places on my own. Ask me about Mayfield Heights… I’m your man.
Anyhow – walked in with a bit of skepticism. There was no one here. It was super clean. There were no number plaques on the table. It didn’t smell like Phở. In short it was not your typical Phoexperience. But hell, I thought. I am hear, and its raining outside so I might as well stay.
The Phở is all I got, and it was great. The broth is different then most Phở I have eaten, but still delicious. Lighter, but not less flavorful, I don’t think they have it wrong and the others have it right, they just have it different. The noodles were great. I noticed someone commented about them that they were not the «right» noodles… perhaps they have changed them, but mine were banh phở noodles – the noodle for which the dish was named. The were cooked just right. And the meat, oh the meat. The brisket was a plenty, delicious, and large, and there was some flank in there which was also great and abundant.
So hurray! Stop by, try it out, see what you think. I would highly recommend it.

I’m a fan of Superior Phở but I was open to trying this new phở place. Located in the Asian Town Center, this place had all nice furniture. All bamboo tables, chairs, floors, felt like I was in California for some reason. The place was empty but I didn’t mind because then that means I get my food quick. I ordered what I always order at Superior to compare and the broth was light so not as heavy as Superior. I liked it but I wasn’t wowed by it either. Maybe I’m use to eating the soups that my grandma always makes. Very homey and comfy. So I guess that’s what I feel whenever I eat the phở at Superior. It feels like my grandma made it. It gives the feeling of ah. Don’t get me wrong, the phở at phở 99 is good but not to my liking. It’s probably definitely healthier since you probably won’t have food coma after.

I like this place. Great food and good quality ingredients. The service may vary quite a bit but you will always feel like coming back. The place is bit noisy on weekends when busy

Phở 99 is a small, with 10 tables, but attractive and clean place. It is located in the Asian Town Center. The Phở is good, not great, with plenty of meat, served in a large deep porcelain bowl with the usual accompaniments of basil, lime, sprouts, and sliced jalapeño. The Banh Mi was served on warm crusty French bread with pâté, pork and ham, this was one of the better Banh Mi I have had in this city. The menu is a simple basic Vietnamese noodle shop menu, with emphasis on good Phở.

This is a relatively new (opened in summer 2011) phở place located in the Asian Town Center (building with the purple signs and the cheaper supermarket). I shied away from this phở place at first because they were handing out advertisements for their phở and the noodles in the picture looked like udon noodles instead of phở noodles (!!!). I’ve tried this place since then, and, much to my relief, their noodles are real phở noodles. The prices are comparable to the other two phở places in Asia Town, and this place is open later.
As for the broth, I’ll just say that it’s a different combination of spices from Superior Phở’s. For me, their broth paled in comparison to Superior Phở, with something in the broth giving it an off taste in my opinion. A couple of my friends actually liked the broth better though, so I would suggest that phở connoisseurs who venture into Cleveland try this place in addition to Superior Phở and judge for themselves.
The service is slightly slower than Superior Phở’s but still pretty efficient overall.

Phở 99 is a great place for phở, but not as good as Superior Phở.
The soup is milder though still delicious. The noodles at Phở 99, however, might even be better than those in Superior Phở; they are more chewy in a good way.
BUT phở is more expensive here. Small is around $ 7.50 and large around $ 8.50.
Superior Phở is the place to go for me, but Phở 99 is worth a visit to see for yourself.

Dear Phở 99,
Consider this my application to live in the back corner of your restaurant. I solemnly promise to shower, limit my snoring during business hours, and to not scare the other patrons.
XOXO,
Jennifer
In all seriousness, I arrived at Phở 99 looking like a mess. I had just gotten done with the Occupy Cleveland march, and I was sweaty and gross. They probably should have turned me away at the door.
I got an iced coffee, fresh summer rolls, and Phở with beef flank and tendon. The coffee was perfect, sweet and strong (just like I like my men too!). The summer rolls were crunchy and clean, the hoisin dipping sauce was so close to perfect it was almost mind-​blowing. Make it a touch spicier, and it’s just like the dipping sauce I make at home.
The Phở. Okay, lemme get this off my chest first. I love Phở. I dream about it, I judge all of my friends by their like/​dislike of Phở, and I will stop dating a man who judges me for my Phở-​addiction. I have eaten Phở from what I think was a converted hot-​dog cart, and I’ve eaten Phở in upscale joints that easily wiped out a paycheck.
Phở 99’s Phở… kicks ass. I don’t know what the rest of these hooligans are talking about when they say Superior Phở is better. First and foremost, Phở 99 is clean, their broth is deep and rich with a velvet mouth-​feel and not overly salty/​seasoned, and the tendon (the only part I really care about) is phenomenally gelatinous and gooey.
The only downside is that I didn’t get a bubble tea. And now I wish I had. But there is always next weekend!

Stars: 4–
Pros: The broth. Tasty. Light. best of all it is NOT heavily ladened with spice.
See? thats an off-​rhyme
The broth for Phở should not depend on spice to carry its flavor, imo.
Delicious and in good portion. 8 for a regular and 9 for a large bowl (something like that).
This place is better than Superior Phở in terms of the Phở (quality of broth and noddles) and the cleaniness/​environment of the restaurant. The meat however, is not as good as Superior Phở in terms of quality and quantity.
Cons:
The menu items are somewhat lacking. Besides the Phở (which comes with combinations of 6 various slices of meat), there are only a few apps and rice dishes. BUT you are here for the Phở, right? ;D

Wow, a place with great Phở that is almost as good as Superior Phở. Like all reviews, what REALLY makes this place good is 1) the broth and 2) cleanliness.
The broth at Pho99 is soooo delicious and very smooth. However, one of the reason I might still pick Superior Phở over Pho99 is because of the price. I really can’t say which Phở tastes better– superior or 99, but I can say superior phở is cheaper and because of that, I will probably go to Superior Phở alittle more often.
Nonetheless, Pho99 is a must try because this place is delicious!!! YAY to new Phở Restaurants!

Wow, this broth is fantastic– it needed nothing (although there are bottles of sriracha, another hot pepper paste and hoisin on the tables). The problem was that while the price was higher than Superior Phở, the bowls were smaller and there was far less meat in the bowl– only a few small slices. And it was salty– but take that opinion with a grain of salt (hah!) because I like only the most minuscule amount.
Still, despite that, I would go back again and again for the lovely taste of the broth, and the fantastic, attentive service.
The banh mi (a special) was really great. The bread was an airy, incredibly crispy baguette, or more of large epi bread roll. The pâté was delicious and very evident– not a thin smear. The pork was good and the jalapenos were hot. OK, another tiny complaint– I would have liked more pickled veggies. There were only a few strips.
The sudden profusion of phở places in town can only be a good thing. Soon Clevelanders will be able to go to California and write snotty Unilocal reviews saying «Oh well, the phở was OK– for California. But, I’m from Cleveland where we know good phở.»

Phở 99 is going to give superior phở a run for its money.
Ditto to what everyone else has said about the broth! It’s really really good. My friend said he could taste a lot of the flavors in the broth without a strong basil taste at other restaurants. (I on the other hand, like the basil-​heavy broth flavor.) They’re a little pricier than superior phở but not by much.
They only serve phở, 2 rice dishes, and a few apps. Looking forward coming back!
Owner is pretty cool. We had a little bit of trouble communicating with the server but the owner got our message across.
How funny is it that there are 3 phở restaurants on one street within ²⁄₁₀ of a mile? You have #1 phở, phở 99… haha.

Go, phở, go! Mmmmmmm… definitely a YUM. I had heard from others that a new phở restaurant had opened, so I grabbed some coworkers and off we went to Phở 99.
What a convenient location. Hidden away in Asian Town Plaza– it sits right outside the Asia Food Co grocery store. Why, how convenient– you can grocery shop and grab dinner! Glorious.
The broth at Phở 99 is quite good. It’s lighter than the other phở places in CLE, and it’s super flavorful… and just good. Nice and light– and super flavorful. They had three specials of the day, and I and one of my coworkers ordered the first two specials: the banh mi sandwich and hu tieu nam vang.
The hu tieu nam vang was soooo good. It came with the clear rice noodles (a little thicker than the thin Chinese clear noodles), squid, shrimp, and bbq pork… and that broth. Man, that broth was good. Usually, I don’t even finish the broth because most broths are filled with MSG and what not… but not at Phở 99! Yay! Finally. The banh mi was also really good as well.
My other coworkers ordered the #1: phở with all the different types of meat. I tried the broth of theirs… and yes, once again, it was good. The sizes were a good size– not too big, not too small. So definitely a go for the phở! We did try the spring and summer rolls beforehand as well… I wasn’t too big of a fan of the summer roll, but they liked it.
And an added plus… they had an avocado drink!!! MMMMMM. I had first tried an avocado drink through my Indonesian friend… and loved it… and once I saw it on the menu for Phở 99, I just HAD to try it… and yes, once again it was good. mmmm.
Definitely a go. Go, Phở 99, go!

The restaurant is inside the Asian Town Center. It’s very small with about 6 tables. No matter which viet restaurant we go to, my man always orders phở. He says the phở portion is smaller, yet it’s competively priced. I had the rice with pork chop combo… the meatloaf cake thing that comes with it was definaltely nuked because the top was rubbery. The phở was good, the rice was okay.
The menu is limited to mainly phở, rice, and staple apps.
On the plus side, you can go food shopping or grab some pastries at the grocery store.

Phở 99 is graced with a nifty logo, decent parking, an edgy menu and relatively brisk service.
I actually like the broth to Phở 99, it’s lighter and the balance of flavours is actually pleasing to my palate. Not a fan of the white chocolate vietnamese coffee. Portions are a little smaller, but reasonable for the price.
I think it gives the other Phở places a decent counterpoint to their respective styles.
Bön Appetit!

The service is good. The menu is simple. They really need to time fast to work out the bugs. We ordered the Country Salad Rolls, oho and Vietnamese coffee. The food is ok. The summer roll has pork and its fairly dry, also they must have added the pig skins in it along the lettuce and mint. The fish sauce dipping sauce is a little strong. The phở broth is not even close to Superior Phở. Its beefy but lack of that sweet aroma of spices like cinnamon, star anise and other secret spices. The meat is good. Just the lack of the Chinese celery in the soup when presented. The side condiments presented had some nice bean sprouts, basil, lime, culantro and jalapenos. The other disappointment is the coffee. It lacks the strong roasted coffee and not enough sweet condensed milk.
Give it time. I guess that pot of Phở broth need some TLC time to develop a good flavor. I hope they will be able to make adjustment and changes.
Next day, I had to go to Superior Phở for a proper Phở and Vietnamese coffee.