Pho Today is a Vietnamese cafe located in Jacksonville, Florida serving up authentic pho, rice, and steamy dishes full of flavor. I recently had the opportunity to visit, although it was not intentional I’m extremely satisfied with my experience.
Whats the deal with this spot that holds a 4.5 on Google with 1200+ reviews?? I’ll let you know, keep reading.
A Last Minute Switch Up
To be transparent Pho Today was not my first choice for a Friday evening dinner and movie date with my bestie. Truthfully, we were going for Asian but Korean BBQ, unfortunately for us we decided to go to one of the hottest spots in town. The wait time alone would override the time we’d allotted to make it to our movie on time. Bummer… but was it?
I wanted asian and I wanted beef. Period. Lucky for us we were in the area of town that hosts several options for meals. Buuuut on a Friday night it can get janky because of the crowds also looking for an amazing dining experience. It dawned on me I had passed Pho Today several times and they have amazing reviews. 4.5 on google with over 1200 entries. This would make the perfect pivot for our evening. Fast food was not an option but it was a heavy contender. SomeTHING had to shake, lol.
I’m happy Pho Today was the alternative. Here’s why
Experiencing Pho Today
To start, this is a fast casual dining experience. You walk in, you’re seated, and a server comes over to place your order. We were immediately seated. Not because the food isn’t good or no one was there… but because it’s a fast process from start to finish. People are constantly coming and going. In fact, they were packed from wall to wall. It’s safe to say, it was in the cards for us to have an immediate sit down. If we would’ve had to wait I couldn’t imagine having more than a 20 minute park.
The inside is a modern cafe vibe. You will find simple wood tables, lush plants and flowers all around, complete with a high top bar setting in the back. The staff is extremely friendly and the prices are more than fair. The menu is vast but also to the point.. with choices of appetizers, soups, rice and noodle bowls and Asian drinks. There’s something for everyone. Its cute, its chill, and its the perfect spot for a quiet date night or in my case girl’s night with a friend. All of that. But, let’s get down to business. How is the food??? Is it worth the 4.5 Google hype? Find out in the next section…
What I Got At Pho Today
Fried Shrimp Rolls – A whole shrimp wrapped in lumpia. Delicious. How crispy and the perfect crunch. With the sauce 9/10 without the sauce 7/10. The portion was well worth the value of $7.95
Crispy Dumplings – A fried wonton with a meat filling. The outside texture was great crispy and crunchy. But the inside was mushy and lacked flavor. The filling was a miss for us, it just lacked the it factor and texture. Without the sauce 3.5/10 with the sauce 6/10
Rice Vermicelli Sauteed Lemgrass Beef Salad Bowl – This one was a pleasant surprise, not only was it beautiful on the plate; it was packed with flavor, veggies, and thin noodles. The beef in the this bowl was tender and simply mouthwatering. No misses here 9/10
Vietnamese Shaken Beef – Another hit. Although this one wasn’t as colorful and aesthetically pleasing it was amazing. This specialty dish is more of a wholesome meal and broken into sections. Tender well seasoned beef, a nice portion of white rice, and pickled veggies on the side.. succulent. This came with a cup of broth which was well flavored, hot, and good. 9/10
Bubble Tea – I did the Taro flavor. I’m used to taro having a tart taste. This was not the case at all. And I liked it. It was smooth and creamy, however it tasted as if you had eaten a bowl of lucky charms and drink the milk afterward. Soo good and the perfect level of sweetness to accompany a bold meal. 9.8/10
Final Thoughts
The appetizers didn’t wow us. However, Pho Today as a whole was a great experience. Our total dining time was about 45 minutes giving us plenty of time to make it to the show. I also want to note the pricing. It is extremely well priced and you get plenty of food for your buck. We spent less than $100 on all the items mentioned. A win. I would not only return to this spot, it is now being placed on my list of favorite Asian spots to visit in town. If you haven’t you’ve got to check this one out.
Location – 9700 Deer Lake Ct Jacksonville, FL 32246
If you’re into Asian and want some of the best Japanese in town? Try Norikase, I experienced a 17 course Omakase and wrote about it. (It sits directly behind Pho Today)
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