Pho on 38th (167 Good Days in Tacoma: Hot Soup + Rainy Day = Good)

A leisurely lunch at Phở on 38th made our rainy day a little brighter. Tacoma has wonderful Vietnamese restaurants, and this is one of our perennial favorites. Phở is a simple soup made from rice noodles, broth, beef (typically) and an assortment of herbs and bean sprouts you add yourself. It's an amazingly addictive dish, and I've always thought it has some sort of magical healing property.

Phở on 38th has a more expansive menu than a lot of small phở restaurants, although they hadn't yet finished cooking my favorite dish on the menu, a carrot and beef stew that is an out of this world cross between traditional Western-style beef stew and Vietnamese standards. I had to make due with the perfectly tender brisket soup, which improved with every bite as the serrano chilis, basil, and lime I sprinkled on had time to percolate throughout.

The girls had their usual bubble tea (which contains neither tea nor bubbles, but is tasty in a super-artificial tasting kid sort of way). Bubble tea is a strange frosty blended concoction of dairy, flavoring, and tapioca pearls (optional). Phở on 38th has a wide assortment of flavors, including things like lychee and green tea, although my kids were more interested in strawberry and banana. Mostly, we find it keeps them occupied while we eat. My six year old also likes to graze on the bean sprouts (which she insists on calling "green beans") that come with the soup.

My husband chose a Korean rice dish that was good, but not anything to write home about. They have a small selection of Korean dishes on the menu that I haven't had a chance to sample yet, as well as some tasty looking Vietnamese sandwiches. He also decided to order a basket of fries, which took some time to cook and probably weren't worth waiting for. I was too busy happily slurping soup to notice.

Phở on 38th

3815 S Steele St # G

Tacoma, WA 98409

(253) 475-3700

dining, Vietnamese, Vietnamese map, South Tacoma

A leisurely lunch at Phở on 38th made our rainy day a little brighter. Tacoma has wonderful Vietnamese restaurants, and this is one of our perennial favorites. Phở is a simple soup made from rice noodles, broth, beef (typically) and an assortment of herbs and bean sprouts you add yourself. It's an amazingly addictive dish, and I've always thought it has some sort of magical healing property.

Phở on 38th has a more expansive menu than a lot of small phở restaurants, although they hadn't yet finished cooking my favorite dish on the menu, a carrot and beef stew that is an out of this world cross between traditional Western-style beef stew and Vietnamese standards. I had to make due with the perfectly tender brisket soup, which improved with every bite as the serrano chilis, basil, and lime I sprinkled on had time to percolate throughout.

The girls had their usual bubble tea (which contains neither tea nor bubbles, but is tasty in a super-artificial tasting kid sort of way). Bubble tea is a strange frosty blended concoction of dairy, flavoring, and tapioca pearls (optional). Phở on 38th has a wide assortment of flavors, including things like lychee and green tea, although my kids were more interested in strawberry and banana. Mostly, we find it keeps them occupied while we eat. My six year old also likes to graze on the bean sprouts (which she insists on calling "green beans") that come with the soup.

My husband chose a Korean rice dish that was good, but not anything to write home about. They have a small selection of Korean dishes on the menu that I haven't had a chance to sample yet, as well as some tasty looking Vietnamese sandwiches. He also decided to order a basket of fries, which took some time to cook and probably weren't worth waiting for. I was too busy happily slurping soup to notice.

Phở on 38th

3815 S Steele St # G

Tacoma, WA 98409

(253) 475-3700