Pho-Qs

Ngon Vietnamese Bistro: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Peter and I headed to Ngon Vietnamese Bistro in St Paul for lunch on a Sunday.  Ngon Bistro is not a hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese restaurant. It’s a little bit upscale, serving some non-traditional dishes, local beers, and 100% grass-fed beef.

We struggled to decide on an appetizer, they all looked amazing.  We selected the Sweet Potato Shrimp Croquettes. We both had the Phở Tái Ribeye with a couple of beers – I tried a porter that I’d never had. The beer selection was great. If you’re here in the summer, note that you can’t order soup out on the patio!

The pho was delicious. The flavor of the broth was nice and it had what we refer to as “floaty bits” – the little bits in the pho that give it all the flavor. If the broth is just too clear that is not a good sign. We requested a little extra lime and doctored up our pho like normal. However, I didn’t feel the need to add a lot of sauces to this broth, it stood on it’s own quite well. The beef was good and much better quality than the usual, but for me, it was a little too fatty around the edges. I don’t like to be able to pull strings of fat off of my meat. That was my only complaint about Ngon though, and some people might like the beef that way.

The croquettes were also delicious so in terms of appetizers (though we didn’t try our usual spring rolls) this place gets 5 stars in my book. We gave it overall a 4.5 out of 5, which is quite high, but not quite perfection. Great appetizers and beer selection, very nice atmosphere, clean restrooms, and a very nice broth and high-quality beef.

The pho was around $10 a bowl so be prepared to spend a little more than usual, but it’s worth the extra couple bucks – don’t miss this place!

Contact:
http://www.ngonbistro.com
799 University Ave, St. Paul
651.222.3301
Hours:
Sunday to Thurday: 11AM to 9PM
Friday to Saturday: 11AM to 10PM