As Saigon fell in 1975 and the U.S. military pulled out of the Vietnam War, a surge of South Vietnamese people who had fought alongside American soldiers made their way to the U.S., and to Texas specifically.
As political unrest continued to rage through their country, they sought refuge, and through federal refugee resettlement programs and the Refugee Act of 1980, many found their way to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Lots of families landed in Garland due to the city’s job opportunities and the lower cost of living. Today, a sizable portion of Garland’s diverse population is Vietnamese American; Vietnamese is the third-most-spoken language in the Garland school district, behind English and Spanish, and the city claims to have the 14th-largest Vietnamese population in the country.
With this influx of Vietnamese people came delicious Vietnamese food, specifically pho, a comforting, slow-cooked soup made from broth, rice noodles and protein. Today, about 20 family-owned pho restaurants make up the Garland Pho Trail, from standalone spots to cash-only strip mall dives. One thing they all have in common? They’re dishing up authentic, delicious pho.
Here are some of our favorite spots along the trail.
286 Noodle House
3347 W. Walnut St., Suite 105
Here, pho choices include filet mignon and beef short ribs, plus pho with brisket, meatballs, seafood and chicken. The menu is large, and other menu items include bún bò huê (vermicelli noodles with spicy beef broth, beef shank, Vietnamese sausage and pork feet), Vietnamese caramelized pork spare ribs, and Vietnamese sweet and sour catfish soup.
Noodlelicious
3212 N. Jupiter Road, Suite 110
Located in the Cali Saigon Mall, Noodlelicious is a noodle house serving pho with steak, brisket, chicken, seafood and more — plus other Asian items, like Korean barbecue, chicken fried rice, black pepper beef and Vietnamese-style beef stew.
Pho Doan Restaurant
3530 W. Walnut St.
Within a strip mall, Pho Doan offers pho and a full Vietnamese menu, but it is BYOB. Choose from brisket, filet mignon, chicken, tripe, meatball, calamari or shrimp pho or vermicelli soups with ingredients like duck, bamboo shoots and Vietnamese ham.
Dong Que
3555 W. Walnut St., Suite 205
Dong Que has hearty Vietnamese plates like stir-fried shrimp and squid with egg noodles, crab rice, and grilled beef ribs with steamed rice. The pho comes with beef or chicken — or both — and you can choose your type of beef: eye of round steak, brisket, flank, soft tendon, tripe or meatball. There are also lots of vermicelli soups, plus Vietnamese porridge with fish, seafood or beef.
Nam Hua
3112 N. Jupiter Road, Suite 305
With a large Vietnamese menu, Nam Hua has pho, of course, but also hot pots, Vietnamese specials, home-style cooking, rice dishes, congee and tasty banh mi sandwiches. You can build your own pho from a large variety of protein choices or choose traditional round steak or something a bit different: oxtail. The steamed ginger chicken, mustard greens and spare ribs soup, steamed wild hog, and beef and seafood hot pot are all worth a visit.
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Hungry for more? Check out our dining guide.
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