Hello, wonderful people! This time, I ventured out to my ol’ stomping grounds. I’ve spent at least 1/4th of my life in Little Saigon in the Garden Grove/Fountain Valley/Costa Mesa/Westminster area, and I always love coming here to eat food, whether it’s my parents taking me to the next “greatest” rice or pho joint, or just to go to dinner at my grandparents’ house. Anyway, here’s my first time at this spot.
Walking into Pho 79, my eyes followed the red dragons which they had put up for Chinese New Years, and then the multiple accolades they had achieved on the wall behind the register. Then there was the very boldly yellow wall, and black ceiling/floor. This being a Vietnamese restaurant, I knew it would be a little bit tacky. That’s just how they all look, the good old ones, at least. The place itself was pretty clean, and the guy who took our order used an ipad for it! That was something I’d never seen at a standard joint like this before. How progressive!
I ordered a Pho Dac Biet (Special Pho), and, besides the broth, noodles, and garnishes, that comes with rare beef steak, beef flank steak, tripe, and tendon. I could never get enough of any of these items by themselves, so I always tend to go for the special. Now I know I’m gonna get some heat for this next part, but I do in fact enjoy putting sriracha and hoisin sauce directly into my broth. I feel that it can enhance the broth, rather than overpower it. I do make it a point, however, to sample the broth first, before putting anything in. Now, on the side, a pho restaurant always gives you your traditional greens/veggies. I like to put em all in: bean sprouts, basil, mint, lime, you name it. It really adds a freshness to the dish. Onto the food now, the pho really packed a punch for me. I loved the aroma of the broth. It was strong, bold, and it supported the noodles very well. I’m one of those people who ends up drinking a majority of the broth after I’m finished with the bowl. Each of the types of meats were of textural excellence as well. When it comes to a lot of Asian food, texture is key, and you can’t go wrong with tripe and tendon. Vietnamese food tends to take you on a journey in this way, and this bowl of pho was no different. The quality of the beef slices was lovely. I thought the overall taste was quite similar to what my grandmother would concoct up in her kitchen about, oh I don’t know, 2 or 3 miles away :).
Though tasty and flavorful, I probably won’t come back here for a while, just because there are SO MANY different Vietnamese hole-in-the-wall restaurants that I’d love to try all over Little Saigon. This is a kind of place you take your friends to when they say they want to eat pho. Hearty and warm, Pho 79 gets a…
7.5/10
It does feel low on the scale looking at it now, but when you’ve eaten pho at least twice a month for 18-19 years, the clear winners just stand out. Maybe I’ll take a look at those guys another day, but this experience was, without a doubt, satisfying. I hope this place keeps getting awards, because it certainly bears a standard!
Pho 79
Price: ~$8
Bui Eats 
That looks like a great place to try pho sure.
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Looking good —
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