Pho Dien

Wtf. Now my new favorite phở place besides Phở Binh and it’s so close to it. Lololol. Their broth was flavorful and the meat and veggies were definitely fresh. Any phở place can make an awesome broth but what makes this place stand out is their Tai… wowww. Whenever I ever order the dac biet (special which has a mixture of everything) phở… I always ask for it without tai. My mom suggested me to go ahead and get it on the side like she always does. I was all skeptical because she always suggests me to get it. She whispers to me «this place is known for their tai.» So glad that I listened. The tenderness of the meat just melted in my mouth. I was surprised how much meat and flavorful everything was. Whatever they’re doing… They’re doing it right and definitely hope the quality won’t change over time! Will be a regular that’s for sure :)

One of the best phở in Houston! Had to come here earlier in the morning to make sure they don’t sell out. We got the phở dien special, beef was marinaded and so tender!

Of course they deserve 5 star… come and see why. just finish my XL bowl of Phở Tai Bo Vien… all I have to say is MORE PLEASE…

Best place for phở in Bellaire; however the place is alway crowded during rush hour and expected wait time.

Wow. This place is my new go-​to spot for when I’m craving phở… which is actually every day. Phở is hands down my favorite dish so I know what constitutes good phở, and this place has got it down! I always add in some hoisin and sriracha but there was no need to taint this incredible broth with it. But the broth was especially complimented by the most tender meat I’ve ever had. Even my grandmother raved about this place, and she is a phở snob considering she was raised in Vietnam and makes her own phở all of the time. The bowls are a little on the small side compared to the usual but they do have various size choices.
Basically, go to Phở Dien!
PS this place gets super busy and will sell out so try and go early.

The phở is alright. Nothing worth the wait or terrible customer service. It’s very crowded in this small place. If you’re hungry, order an XL bowl because the portions are not what you would expect. You’ll leave hungry. Definitely won’t be returning.

This is supposed to be the best phở in Houston? We came at 9AM and it was packed. I’m sorry but phở in Dallas is a lot better. This place was alright at most. I’m being generous with 3 stars. I got phở with meatballs and rare beef. The beef was good but nothing I can’t find in Dallas (aka Kobe beef at phở bac is better). The meatballs were not good (try phở bang and you know what good meatballs are like) so I don’t really recommend that here. I was not happy with how small the portions were. They were stingy with the noodles.
Htown peeps, come to Dallas if you want some good phở!!! Also know your table number when you go to the back to pay, or else it’ll be a long process trying to explain to them where you sit.

I still think their phở is good, but I sure did feel ripped off ordering a large and they only give me a handful of noodles! I barely had any left once I shared some with my baby! For charging 7 something I should get more noodles! Stop being shiesty!!! That is all.

Traveled to Houston to eat all that we can. My husband and I love phở and was told this was the best phở in Chinatown/​Houston area. The beef is seasoned so well and it is very tender. I suggest ordering the beef on the side, if you enjoy medium rare steak. I ordered a small because where we are from Philly/​Nj area, which I thought was not enough for me. My husband ordered a large and it was the size of our small phở up here. I suggest ordering a size up! Their bowls seem to «run small». They have XL and XXL bowl sizes!
I believe it could be very busy during peak hours.

Phở Dien is one of the many phở places in Houston/​Chinatown. I have been here a few times, and can say the phở here is pretty good. It can get very crowded here, especially during the typical eating times.
The broth has a great taste and they have different size options (man that XL bowl is huge). They give you a choice of steamed bean sprouts or fresh sprouts. The Café Su Da here is good too.
Not sure what else to say… good service, great phở and good prices.

4 starts out of 5… Why? because momma’s phở will always be 5+ stars! lol! Phở Dien is probably one of my favorite restaurant to eat phở aside from Phở Binh on Westheimer… I always get the phở tai chin and my fiancé always get the dac biet. We literally always finish the bowl. It is better to come here with two people rather than a big group. We went here Sunday and it was packed, but we were seated at a 4 top within like 20 minutes. The good thing about Phở Dien is that people come here to eat and they leave when they are done. The café sua da is always super strong and good! I will be back!

Phở Dien is absolutely PHO-​bulous & PHO-​nomenal! If a place only serves phở, you can pretty much guarantee they have seriously delicious phở cooking up in the kitchen. You can judge the quality of a phở place based on the taste of the broth and freshness of the meats & herbs. Hands down, Phở Dien serves one of the best bowls of phở in town (a close tie with the original Phở Binh trailer, right behind my mom’s #1 homemade phở)!
Start with the most potent, highly caffeinated café sua da (Vietnamese iced coffee) because I said so! And now you may embark on your journey of ravenously devouring a perfectly executed bowl of phở. I had the phở dac biet and was happy to see they offered a variety of bowl sizes to cater to your appetite level. The broth was flavorful (and not laced with loads of msg) — you could even get away with being a purist and foregoing the hoisin and Sriracha altogether. You can tell how much heart & soul went into the slow simmering of this mighty authentic broth. The fresh meat was tender, soft and melted almost like butter with each bite. You can tell they clean and cook the meat properly. There was a generous portion of fresh herbs, with the option of steamed bean sprouts. The meat: noodle ratio was fine and dandy (many places skimp on the meat and load up the bowl with noodles).
The only cons are mainly the long wait around lunchtime and the Sunday brunch crowd. Since it’s a small place, everyone waits their turn outside. Just be sure to let their staff know your name and the number of people in your party. We waited about 20 mins on a Sunday morning. Avoid going too late in the day, since they sometimes sell out of phở on the weekends. Run to Phở Dien and enjoy one of the best bowls of phở in Htown!

I’ve attempted to eat here twice but they were either closed or they ran out of phở. I was finally able to eat here on Saturday for lunch, I guess third time’s a charm.
I’m Vietnamese-​American, so I usually have high standards for phở (My mom makes the best homemade phở) I’ve tried a handful of phở restaurants around Houston and most of them were disappointing.
There’s typically a wait because the restaurant is pretty small. They also have second location but I heard it doesn’t compare to this one. My boyfriend and I only waited for about 15 – 20 min. until we were seated. It’s a nice little family owned restaurant. The staff is pretty friendly, I mostly spoke to them in Vietnamese. I ordered a large phở tái. WOW. One of the phở I have ever had. The beef is perfectly seasoned, tender, and juicy. I’m glad it’s not too chewy. The broth is incredible! Hey Hoison sauce lovers, you do not need to add anything! It’s already great as it is. (Unless you’re a sriracha fanatic and your food always has to be spicy like mine). The only downside is that their meat to noodle ratio is off. There’s a loot of meat and not enough noodles (although you can order extra noodles for an additional $ 1.25-.50) Honestly, I don’t mind too much because their beef is so good. At least they’re not cheap with their meat like other phở places.
Highly recommend! Phở Diên is legit. This is what authentic Vietnamese Phở is supposed to taste like.

it was a good Phở… supremely better than many other places i have eaten.
Not perfect score because the place is crowded and i sat next to this woman, whose was about to hack out her lung (very unprofessional; shes freaking cough ceaselessly without covering her mouth while staring at me… OK…)
however, i did not give them perfect stars because i had mild headache; which means there are some MSG or of sorts in the soup.
Overall, the portion is good. I ate a Large and it was not overwhelmed… not really sure what others are talking about «the huge portion?»

I came here with my mommy for our mother-​daughter date and when we entered, our nostrils were immediately filled with the aroma of phở. It smelled so good and made our tummys growl with hunger and our mouth water. The service was prompt and quick. Our server got our order and immediately brought out our drinks and side veggies.
The broth was nice and flavorful. I love that the tai was placed separately and it was really tender. I got a small bowl because at other phở establishments I always get filled up, but surprisingly I felt myself still hungry when I finished my bowl. The noodle to meat ratio was off. For the first time, I ate a bowl of phở where this is more meat than noodles. I was really surprised. I’ll be back for more real soon.

Was recommended by Houston friends to try their famous Phở. Since there’s so many Phở restaurants in this area, it makes the decision much more difficult to decide. We were advised they sell Phở until it runs out which occurs pretty often. Possible chance the line is out the door. I have never seen any Phở restaurants this busy but that tells me their Phở is legit. When you enter the door, you can smell the Phở aroma. I usually get the Phở with beef and meatballs. Beef was so tender and tasteful I could go for another bowl. In case they do run out, you can visit their second restaurant at Phở Dien 2 which is down the street. I will definitely return on my next Houston trip!

I grew up in a Vietnamese household that used to cook phở every week, so believe me when I tell you that Phở Dien’s phở is not only authentic, it is probably one of the best phở places in Houston. The plaza that it’s in is pretty spacious, so there shouldn’t be too many problems finding parking (though during lunch and dinner it gets pretty crowded). That being said, this place is always packed with people, and there is no waiting room, so you have to wait outside in the grueling Houston heat. Also, it’s not unheard of for them to run out of phở before closing time. However, if you endure the wait and they still have food left, it is SOOOOO WORTH.
Phở is what this place is known for, and to further this point, there is no other food (including spring rolls) on the menu. My favorite phở is phở tai. The meat is marinated well before being served, leaving a juicy, tender, and sweet umami bite when you dig in, and Phở Dien gives you a TON of meat to boot. This goes perfectly with the broth, which has a ton of spices yet still keeps a sweet flavor.
All in all Phở Dien is a solid place for authentic, cheap, and delicious phở.

Came here for lunch around 1:30pm on a Tuesday. There was no wait.
I had the Phở Ga without chicken. The broth very flavorful and tasty. The noodles were not too mushy and not too hard. I really enjoyed it. Because I don’t eat beef, I wasn’t able to try the majority of the phở options, which this restaurant is known for. I can say that the broth smelled amazing.
I really enjoyed the phở here, but given how far it is from where I live and the fact that I have a closer and equally good option, I probably won’t be driving all the way out here that often. When I’m in the area, though, I would definitely like to come back.

Best phở place in chinatown and all of Houston. I SAID IT, YAH. I love Phở Dien because:
— their broth is always consistent, never wavers in taste, and doesn’t make you want to slurp down 4 cups of water afterwards.
— they have 4 different sizes for your level of hunger (Baby, S, L, XL)
— they don’t skimp on the meat and you can get your rare steak on the side. Speaking of the steak, it is the most tender piece of meat that I’ve had at a phở place that you know they beat that ish hard.
— they will ask if you want your bean sprouts steamed! I prefer this so the broth stays warm.
— they take credit card, NO MINIMUM.
If you come right around 12PM, except to wait a bit cause there will be a friendly gathering of people outside the door greeting you in line awaiting the delicious phở.

Highlight of my time in Houston. Like most places in the area, located in a shopping strip mall.
A entire page of phở options on the menu, I had #3. The meat was some of the highest quality I have had in phở and the large is a very generous portion– enough to share between two should you have some rolls or apps to split as well.
You don’t get a ticket, simply go to the counter when you are done and they have your table number for you to check out. Thanks Hong for pointing out they accept credit cards!
Service was efficient without being curt. Bean sprouts are offered several ways– I elected for the crisp fresh ones.