Pho Noodle House serves up some delicious Vietnamese soup and more.
By Molly McClennen
HQ 99 | AUTUMN 2017
While downtown Huntington is becoming known as a culinary destination for the region, fans of Asian food may have noticed there was something missing. Until recently, there was no Vietnamese restaurant in downtown Huntington. This changed in June when Wren Nguyen and her family opened Pho Noodle House at 1501 Third Avenue. Now, Huntington’s residents can enjoy a full menu of authentic Vietnamese cuisine.
“Huntington only has a few Asian places to eat, so we wanted to give the town more variety,” Nguyen said.
The restaurant’s namesake specialty, pho, is a soup made with richly flavored broth and rice noodles, with different kinds of meats added.
“When you think of Vietnam, at least in the bigger areas, the first food you think of is pho,” said Nguyen, manager of Pho Noodle House. “It is our main food. In America, you think of hot dogs or hamburgers. For Vietnam, it’s pho. Your basic pho is a bowl with the soup and noodles. The only thing that is different between the kinds of pho we serve is the type of meat. It comes with steak, chicken or shrimp, depending on what you like,” Nguyen said.
Vegetarian guests have the option of ordering vegetable pho. In addition to pho, guests can enjoy bánh mì, a Vietnamese hoagie stuffed with Vietnamese bologna, pâté, meatballs, cold cuts or pork. They also offer lo mein, and dishes made with rice, bun (vermicelli) noodles, or bánh canh (big and short) noodles. Guests can enjoy appetizers like spring rolls, hot and sour soup, and steamed or fried dumplings.
“Our specialty is the noodle soups, but there is a little bit of everything for everybody,” says Nguyen.
Right now, the restaurant offers a few Vietnamese drinks for guests to try, like Vietnamese iced coffee, but they plan to expand their beverage offerings to include popular bubble teas. At the request of their guests, they are planning to eventually sell beer. Nguyen says when that happens, they hope to include some Vietnamese beers on the menu.
The restaurant, located a block from Marshall University’s campus, is popular with Marshall students and staff, who have quickly become fans of the restaurant’s pho. Nguyen said in the short time they have been open, they have already developed a loyal customer base, with some people dining in the restaurant several times a week.
“People are very happy that we opened. We get at least a couple people a day say how glad they are that we are here. We actually had some people say our cooking is like their grandma’s cooking. That’s really high praise for anyone,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen and her family, who have lived in Huntington for five years, are happy to be offering Vietnamese food to the community they call home.
Nguyen said, “We want to thank the people of Huntington for warmly accepting us. We hope you will continue to support our restaurant.
PHO NOODLE HOUSE
1501 3rd Avenue
Huntington, WV 25701
(304) 529-2707
OPEN Mon. – Thurs. 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Fri. – Sun. 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
