By Sophie Oberstein

An evening out with my young neighbors at Pho & Banh Mi Eatery Café was a hit. Before we even get to the food, 10-year-old Harrison and 7-year-old Brayden asked me to mention the friendly staff. April opened the Café a year and a half ago with her husband, Chris, as the primary “chef, husband, father, and worker.” The couple have three children, ages 12-22 and each family member is represented by a cartoon character on the fun mural featured on one of the restaurant’s walls. Presumedly because of his role as parent, Chris was extremely accommodating to Harrison and Brayden’s special requests (He asked repeatedly, ‘Are you sure you only want plain shrimp on a plain taco shell’ for Harrison. We were.)

Surprisingly, the winning dish of the evening was neither the Pho nor the Banh Mi for which the restaurant is named. The birria soft taco was awarded “15 out of 10 points” by my companions (“The meat has lots of juice” reported Brayden). Of course, we tried both of the namesake dishes, with chicken and with shrimp. For anyone unfamiliar, Pho (pronounced “fuh” (rhymes with “duh”) is a Vietnamese noodle soup whose signature broth is simmered for hours and is the heart of the dish. It’s definitely a distinct flavor, which some people will appreciate and others less so (hence the request for shrimps in a taco shell). Banh Mi (“bon me”) is a sandwich on a light airy baguette (interestingly, AI informed me the origin of using a baguette is the French Colonial period of Vietnamese history) filled with seasoned meat, pickled daikon, carrot, cucumber, cilantro, etc. It’s considered one of the great street foods of the world. The flavor of the banh mi was delicious. Just watch out for some very spicy peppers (or ask for them to be omitted)! 

The menu also features poke bowls and drinks. Lots of drinks – Milk teas, fruit teas, smoothies, slushes, and fresh fruit lemonade, all with about a dozen options for toppings (from honey boba to mango star jelly or Oreo). We tried the brown sugar milk tea, strawberry slushies, and strawberry lemonade (“If you like a sour/sweet combination that’s mostly sweet, then you’ll love this,” says Harrison). The boys intend to return for refreshing, delicious slushies as the weather heats up. 

Chris used to sell healthy and vegetarian foods from a food truck in Clarendon. When the location for a restaurant became available, they took the opportunity to open a business here right away. The couple live in Woodbridge and drive the two hours round-trip each day because this is a great neighborhood and a great location. The Eatery employs 3 additional cooks and about 6 cashiers. 

Give Pho & Banh Mi Eatery Café a try. And, if you mention you read about it here, the owners will give you 20% off.

Pho & Banh Mi Eatery Cafe (3000 Washington Blvd): Hours of operation 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Monday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–7 p.m. Sunday. Phone number: 703–489–8212.
Visit https://eaterycafeva.com for additional information.