Iowa Pho

This is my third time eating pho. It was definitely the best I’ve had. I got the ph2 which I would recommend. The meat and broth and noodles were all really delicious. So many flavors. By the end I was basically drinking it out of the bowl. I definitely want to come back. Staff was really kind as well. The photo is after I added a bunch of chili sauce so it doesn’t usually have that reddish color

Had the P4 pho brisket and the cashew chicken, both were very good. I haven't had pho since I love Pho closed. We got our food quickly and the place was clean and peaceful. The iced Thai tea was great!!!

Ordered:
-P4-Pho Beef Brisket: Overall, not my favorite pho, but probably the best pho in town given that there’s only two Vietnamese restaurants. Broth was a little in the sweeter side, but had a good balance of beef and herb flavors. The amount of brisket was small, but enough to be satisfied with.
-Fried Rice with Chicken: Deep umami flavor with a generous amount of chicken.
-Fried Chicken Wings: Crunchy outside with a steamy, juicy inside. Amazing batter and flavor on the chicken alone. It was served with your choice of sauce, and we got the house sauce, which tasted like their version of a yum yum sauce.
-Beverage: water (the infuse it with lime)

Vibe: Industrial feel with some decor to bring in warmth. I thought the hats hanging from the ceiling was a cute touch.

Parking: Parking in the front and back of the restaurant.

Would I return?: Yes! The food was good but on the pricey side.

I had a wonderful experience at this restaurant! The ambiance is beautiful and colorful, the place is spotless, and the staff is incredibly friendly and attentive. The food was absolutely delicious; personally, I loved the fried Vietnamese spring rolls, but everything we tried was fantastic. The prices are very reasonable, and they have ample parking space. Highly recommended.

Note: This is a genuine review. I paid for this food with no discount.

Since Sun Cafe left the area, it has been significantly harder to find quality combination pho with flavorful broth. Iowa Pho popped up a few months ago, but there was no indication when it was for sure opening. I checked today, and unironically it was their first day.

Going in, first thing I saw was a cleanly restaurant. Not too much decor was scattered, but I do like just a little bit decor that gives environment but doesn’t collect dust.

Today I ordered the P2 to-go (I just call it combination) where all the meats you would typically see in pho are used vs select. It was $18.95, which granted, is the highest priced pho I have seen in this area. This typically at most pho restaurants include: meatball, tenderloin, brisket, tripe, and tendon. This P2 only included meatball, tenderloin, and brisket. I would like to friendly push the restaurant into introducing eventually tripe and tendon into their Pho Dac Biet.

I additionally ordered Oolong jasmine tea for $6.25, which let me say, I am not a tea person. But damn, it’s REALLY good. They asked if I wanted 100% or 75% sugar, which I did 75%. It was perfect. The jasmine really shined, while the tea itself was not too sweet, but enough to taste the flavoring.

With all this information, how was the food though? Shockingly, superb. I actually did not have surprisingly high expectations to how the broth was going to taste, but it’s almost identical to Sun Cafe with the richness in flavor, not too sweet, but not too bitter. It’s literally just right. Which makes me think them adding tripe and tendon to their combination pho will actually solidify this restaurant to be best pho in the area at this time. I will even go the distance to say it’s better than some costal areas I’ve ordered pho from like San Francisco or DC.

Now, with all that in mind. $18.95 is a lot for pho. There was another option for stone bowl served pho, which was $25. Granted I did not try it since I got my P2 and tea to-go for this review. Again, I do suggest and push the restaurant owners to add tendon and tripe, because I do think at $19, it is justifiable, and I think the restaurant will see regular business with that.

In conclusion, this is a fantastic addition to the area to fill the void of recent closure of a lot of pho restaurants in Johnston county in general.

Would I go back to Iowa Pho? Yes I would without question. This pho broth is what pulls everything together, and again, to the restaurant owner, adding tripe and tendon will solidify this business being best in the area for pho. Please keep this in mind, and I genuinely look forward to going again and probably making this my “pho spot” to just go every single time when craving pho.

P.S. I tried to call the phone number listed about 3x and it did not go through. That’s okay for the first day, but I will check in a week to see if the call from google goes through.

Best to this restaurant and welcome to Coralville,
-Levi (Food Network Critic)