Lac Viet Market

I'm a pho (vietnamese beef noodle soup) freak. I've eaten pho all over the country but mostly in LA. I've eaten at Lac Viet hundreds of times now. At first I thought it was only a decent pho. Like a 7/10. But after being in the Columbus for a while, I would rate this pho a 9/10. It's only $5. Always hot, fresh, and delicious. Served super quick too (like 90 seconds). The people who run Lac Viet are a total pleasure as well. All told: although it isn't as good as west-coast pho, this is one of my favorite pho restaurants. I'll miss it when I leave Columbus. Watch out for the long lines of locals at lunchtime. \r \r You might be tempted to go to Saigon Palace, which is only a few blocks away. DON'T. That place is horrendous (I had to send my pho back after one bite, and I have never sent food back at a restaurant before). Terrible experience. Stick with Lac Viet. Pros: Super cheap, super delicious, super fast, super friendly, what more could you want? more

Located inside the North Market, this family own etablishment reminds me of a road side noodle shop back in Vietnam, where you would eat your pho at the counter. Although a very limited menu, it is very good. Their pho broth is probably the best compared to anyone I've tasted so far, but their portions make me yearn for more later on (you can't expect too much when you're only paying $5 I guess.) They have an interesting lunch/dinner plate of a grilled meat with broken jasmine rice and rice vermicelli with pickled carrots and daikon, shredded romaine and cucumbers, that I've never seen anyone done before, but is quite tasty, with the different textures you taste as you eat this particular dish. They are quite fast in getting the food out to you, catering more to a lunch crowd in this downtown location. Pros: Pretty tasty pho Cons: goi cuon (they call it a summer roll here) is lacking more