Restoblog

I love Pho 88 (map). In this pho-mad city, no pho is more delicious, no service speedier, no portion bigger. So when they closed down for renovations I had a difficult time. I tried a few others, but they weren’t the same.

2 weeks ago I stopped by again and it was open. Gone are the shitty low-rent Asian tables and chairs. Gone are the friendly but brisk waitstaff. Gone is the Asian un-décor. As the new waiter put it: “It was all a bit ghetto.”

It’s black and stone and teak and ultra-stylish. I couldn’t believe I was still in Chinatown. The wait staff are all young and good-looking and speak english very well. They’re still pretty fast. It’s still full of Vietnamese, and now a lot more “foreigners.” Apparently the ownership changed, and my guess is that the crackdown on the Dragon City food court and it’s health problems prompted them to redo the place and step up their game.

It no longer has that authentic roadside low-rent Vietnamese feel to it any more, but the food is still great, it’s still dirt cheap, and it has an authentic downtown L.A. Asian chic feel to it now.

Take your friends, they’ll think you’re cool.