Traditional Vietnamese specialty pho served in contemporary new Modesto restaurant
Mention Vietnamese food and many people automatically think pho and spring rolls. So, that’s exactly what north Modesto’s The Pho is giving them.
The new Vietnamese restaurant on Oakdale Road in The Marketplace shopping center opened last week after more than a year of construction and delay caused by the pandemic. As its name would suggest, The Pho specializes in the popular noodle-based soup and has a small selection of other menu items.
Owner Thuan Do already owns four Kung Fu Tea cafes in the region — in Modesto, Turlock, Manteca and Stockton. But the 31-year-old Modesto resident wanted to branch out into restaurants because, in part, he was tired of going to other Vietnamese restaurants and not liking their pho or decor.
“Usually when I go to Vietnamese restaurants, they’re very small, with an old design. It doesn’t look very modern. I wanted to create something very modern,” he said. “Also, Vietnamese restaurants sometimes their menus have 100 items. I wanted to do something authentic so I’m just focus on pho and spring rolls. I’m trying to narrow the menu to make it good.”
That desire for a contemporary restaurant with clean lines led him to pick his spot in the newly constructed retail strip next to the city’s flagship Save Mart store, which opened in fall 2019. Work began last April, and between starts and stops and delays caused by the pandemic, the build-out for the 3,000-square-foot space took longer than expected.
But the result is a sleek restaurant with high, exposed ceilings and an open design that can fit about 100 people. The menu offers nine kinds of pho, either beef or chicken broth based, with various kinds of toppings and add-ons ($10.45 for a small bowl, $11.64 for a large). It also offers two kinds of spring rolls, barbecued beef and shrimp ($5.95 to $6.50).
Do said the key to any good pho (pronounced “fuh”) is the broth. They make it from scratch, cooking each batch the day before and simmering from 10 to 12 hours. All the pho comes with traditional sides of Thai basil, bean sprouts, lime and sliced jalapenos to customize to taste. Add-ons include beef, brisket, meatballs, tripe, tendon, flank steak, chicken and egg.
The only other offerings on the intentionally slim menu are chicken rice — which comes with the aforementioned rice, chicken, a bowl of chicken soup and accompanying dipping sauce ($10.45) — and a variety of Vietnamese iced coffees, bubble teas and other specialty drinks.
Do, who emigrated from Vietnam a little over a decade ago, earned a degree in finance and economics from the University of Washington. But after working two years in the finance industry, he left because it was “boring.” Still, since moving to Modesto three years ago to be near his wife’s family, he has put what he learned to good use in his businesses.
The restaurant has hired a staff of about 10, who all wear neat matching uniforms. Do’s wife, Taty Phan, also works at The Pho, switching off with her husband on chef duties.
The eatery had its soft opening June 7 and had lines out the door, in part because of a free meal promotion Do had advertised on social media. Due to overwhelming demand, and because his staff is still in training, he halted the giveaway until he celebrates with a grand opening event. That will likely be in about a month, so stay tuned, all you free food lovers.
The Modesto location will be the first of what Do hopes will be a mini-empire of The Pho restaurants in the region. He has signed a lease for a location near March Lane in Stockton that he hopes to open by the end of the year. And he is also in talks to open a northwest Modesto location in the Kiernan Business Park across from the Kaiser hospital sometime next spring.
The Pho, at 3401 Oakdale Road, Suite 515, in Modesto, is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. For more information, call 209-857-5951 or visit www.facebook.com/Thephoca.
This story was originally published June 11, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
