Eating Vegan at Pho

Fairly recently a branch of Pho opened up in town, and I finally got to try it out. They have a load of vegan options (as well as a lot of options for dietary requirements such as gluten free - there’s so many they actually label what isn’t gluten free) and a really useful allergen menu online. 

I was a little sceptical that I wouldn’t be able to have a soya-free meal but thanks to their allergen menu I found a couple of options that were either already soya free, or were indicated that they could be adapted to remove soya. I ended up being able to essentially have three courses which was great!

I’ve listed the vegan options, and labelled which ones are gluten free and/or soya free. SFO means soya free option - as in the allergen menu says you can ask to remove the soya element.

What is vegan at Pho?

The following dishes are labelled as safe for vegans by Pho:

• Summer rolls (GF, SF)
• Spicy salad rolls (GF, SF)
• Spring rolls 
• Vietnamese Pancake (tofu or vegan chicken) (GF)
• Lotus Stems (GF, SF)
• Morning Glory (GF, SF)
• Stir Fried Chinese Leaf (GF)
• Veggie Salad (SFO)
• Tofu and mushroom Pho (GF)
• 3 mushrooms Pho (SF)
• Super Green Soup (GF, SF but the spicy version DOES CONTAIN SOYA)
• Hot and Spicy soup (tofu, 3 mushrooms or vegan chicken) (GF)
• Tofu and mushroom curry (GF)
• Mushroom fried rice (GF, SFO)
• Tofu or vegan chicken rice bowl (GF)
• Spicy tofu curry (GF)
• Spicy Vegan Curry (GF)
• Tofu & mushroom or vegan chicken noodles (GF)
• Bun tofu & mushroom (vermicelli noodles)
• Prawnless crackers (GF, not listed on the allergen menu so can’t promise they’re soya free - please check before ordering!)
• Chinese leaf (GF)
• Crispy banana fritters (GF, SF)
• Fresh fruit sorbet (GF, SF)

I opted for the vegan prawn crackers (which I shared with a friend as there were more than I expected!), the 3 mushroom Pho and their banana fritters.

We started the meal with a portion of vegan prawn crackers (which were also GF). I’ve never tried them with sweet chilli sauce before but I’m really glad I did as they went together really well. 

For a main I had the Mushroom Classic Pho. This didn’t contain soya, but despite that the broth was incredibly flavourful. It came with a tray of herbs, beansprouts and chilli which means you are fully in control of the spice level and the flavours you want to add. This was so filling and comforting - like a big hug in a bowl 🍲 

For dessert I had the banana fritters. This portion was amazing value for money - it was such a large portion I couldn’t finish the entire thing! They’re vegan, gluten free and of course soya free, and the banana had sort of caramelised to go really well with the batter. I would recommend sharing this dessert!

The atmosphere of the restaurant was really lovely as well - it fit the theme of the restaurant nicely and wasn’t too overwhelming. The servers were also excellent - they were so knowledgeable about allergies and more than happy to help with any questions. Overall I definitely recommend a trip here - it wasn’t cheap, but in my option it was well worth the money for good food that I knew I wouldn’t have a reaction to.