Pho Today is a popular Vietnamese restaurant located in Jacksonville, Florida. Here are some key details about the restaurant:
Location and Contact Information
Pho Today is situated at 9700 Deer Lake Ct, Jacksonville, FL 32246. You can contact them at (904) 551-7367.
Menu Highlights
Pho Today offers a variety of traditional Vietnamese dishes, with a focus on their signature pho (Vietnamese noodle soup). Some popular menu items include:
- Pho: Available with different meat options like rare steak, brisket, and meatballs
- Spring Rolls: Both fresh and fried varieties
- Bun Bo Hue: A spicy noodle soup
- Shaken Beef (Bo Luc Lac): A flavorful beef dish
- Rice Vermicelli Dishes: Served with various toppings like grilled shrimp or pork
Atmosphere and Dining Experience
The restaurant has a simple and sparsely decorated interior, offering a casual dining experience. Customers can either dine in or place to-go orders at the front counter.
Customer Reviews
Pho Today has received generally positive reviews, with a 4.2-star rating on Yelp based on 496 reviews. Customers praise the food quality, particularly the pho and appetizers like spring rolls and cheese wontons.
Additional Information
- Price Range: $$, indicating moderate pricing
- Services: Offers delivery
- Amenities: Takes reservations, offers takeout, and has vegan options
Pho Today is known for its fresh ingredients and flavorful dishes, making it a popular choice for Vietnamese cuisine in Jacksonville
What are the must-try dishes?
Signature Pho
Pho Today is known for its flavorful Vietnamese noodle soups. Some popular pho options include:
- Rare Beef Pho: Featuring thinly sliced rare steak that cooks in the hot broth
- Pho Special: A combination of different beef cuts
- Oxtail Pho: A rich and hearty variation
The pho comes with a plate of fresh herbs and vegetables to customize your soup, including Thai basil, cilantro, bean sprouts, lime, and jalapenos.
Appetizers
- Deep-Fried Cheese Wontons: A crispy and savory starter
- Vietnamese Egg Rolls: A classic appetizer
- Spring Rolls: Available in both fresh and fried varieties
Other Popular Dishes
- Bo Luc Lac (Shaken Beef): A flavorful beef dish, often ordered with fried rice
- Bun Bo Hue: A spicy noodle soup with lemongrass and shrimp paste flavors
- Rice Vermicelli Dishes: Served with various toppings like grilled shrimp or pork
- Charbroiled Beef Short Rib: A savory grilled meat option
Vegetarian Options
Pho Today offers a variety of traditional Vietnamese dishes, with their pho being a standout menu item. The restaurant is known for using fresh ingredients and offering customizable options to suit different tastes and dietary preferences.
How does the Shaken Beef at Pho Today compare to other places?
Based on the available information, here’s how the Shaken Beef at Pho Today compares to other places in Jacksonville:
- Pho Today’s Shaken Beef (Bo Luc Lac) is considered one of their popular menu items and has received positive reviews. It’s described as a flavorful beef dish, often ordered with fried rice.
- While Pho Today’s Shaken Beef is well-regarded, some other restaurants in Jacksonville are also known for this dish:
- Bowl of Pho, which is highly recommended by many locals, offers Shaken Beef that some customers travel 40 minutes to get.
- Vietnam Palace near the Orange Park mall is praised for its consistent quality and fantastic broth, with reviewers mentioning that their other menu items (which likely includes Shaken Beef) are “top notch”.
- One reviewer on TripAdvisor specifically recommends the Shaken Beef at Bowl of Pho, mentioning that they order it extra spicy (though it normally comes non-spicy).
- Pho Today’s Shaken Beef is listed among their popular dishes on Yelp, indicating that it’s a customer favorite.
How does the tenderness of the beef at Pho Today compare to other places?
- Pho Today is praised for its tender beef. One review specifically mentions that “The beef in this bowl was tender and simply mouthwatering”. This suggests that Pho Today does an excellent job with the tenderness of their beef.
- While Pho Today receives positive comments about their beef, other restaurants in Jacksonville are also known for quality beef in their pho:
- Bowl of Pho is highly recommended by many locals, with people traveling up to 40 minutes to eat there. This implies their beef quality is likely very good, though specific comments on tenderness are not provided.
- Vietnam Palace near Orange Park mall is praised for its consistent quality and fantastic broth. While not specifically mentioning beef tenderness, the overall quality suggests their beef is likely well-prepared.
- In a review of Pho Today, the author mentions that compared to its nearest competitor (unnamed), Pho Today’s broth was “lighter with slightly less depth of flavor”. While this comment is about the broth, it suggests that Pho Today may have some differences in preparation compared to other local pho restaurants.
- The original Pho Today review notes that even the small bowl “provides a healthy portion of protein”, indicating generous meat servings.
Bun Bo Hue
- Bun Bo Hue is listed as one of the popular dishes at Pho Today, with 8 photos and 11 reviews mentioned.
- Bun Bo Hue is a spicy Vietnamese beef noodle soup that originates from the city of Hue in central Vietnam.
- The dish typically consists of:
- Key ingredients in traditional Bun Bo Hue include:
- While not mentioned specifically for Pho Today’s version, authentic Bun Bo Hue is known for its complex, spicy, and robust flavor profile that balances savory, sweet, and spicy elements.
- Bun Bo Hue is often considered a spicier and more complex cousin to the more well-known pho.
Rice Vermicelli Dishes
- Rice vermicelli is listed as one of the popular dishes at Pho Today, with 17 photos and 13 reviews mentioned.
- One specific rice vermicelli dish offered is:
- The rice vermicelli dish with grilled shrimp received praise for its fresh vegetables and plump shrimp.
- While not specifically mentioned for Pho Today, rice vermicelli dishes at Vietnamese restaurants typically include:
- A bed of rice noodles
- Various toppings like grilled meats, seafood, or tofu
- Fresh herbs and vegetables
- A fish sauce-based dressing
- Crushed peanuts
- Rice vermicelli dishes are often served at room temperature or slightly warm, making them a popular choice for warmer weather.
- These dishes are generally customizable, allowing diners to mix the ingredients together to their liking.
Oxtail Pho
- Oxtail Pho is listed as one of the popular dishes at Pho Today, with 6 photos and 8 reviews mentioned.
- While specific details about Pho Today’s Oxtail Pho preparation are not provided, oxtail pho typically features:
- A rich, beefy broth made by simmering oxtails for hours
- Tender, fall-off-the-bone oxtail meat
- Rice noodles
- Traditional pho accompaniments like bean sprouts, herbs, and lime
- Oxtail Pho is generally considered a more indulgent and flavorful variation of the traditional beef pho, due to the rich, gelatinous nature of oxtail meat.
- At Pho Today, pho is served with a large plate of fresh greens for the table, including lime, jalapenos, Thai basil, cilantro, and bean sprouts.
- Customers can customize their pho with various accompaniments offered for seasoning/flavoring, including hoisin sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, and various chili pastes.
- While not specific to the Oxtail Pho, the review mentions that even the small bowl of pho at Pho Today ($7.95) provides a healthy portion of protein.
- The broth at Pho Today is described as lighter with slightly less depth of flavor compared to some competitors, but still delicious.