Pho Than Brothers (Dinner Under $15, no Frying Involved)

Due to the generosity of the fabulous Girlfriend in Tacoma, Tacomadaddy and I found ourselves unexpectedly without children last night. All night. (Sweet!)

Except....we're totally broke. And we did want to actually leave the house and maybe eat something. Something gluten free, cheap, and not served in a paper basket. That pretty much leaves Pho. After debating all other options and finding them wanting, we ended up driving down South Tacoma Way and eventually stopping at Pho Than Brothers, the mega-chain of pho restaurants, with 10 locations including one just over the Lakewood border at 85th and South Tacoma Way.

Pho Than Brothers goes the minimalist route of most truly great soup joints: that's pretty much all they do. Menu items include pho, with more pho, with or without a selection of various meats. Also on the menu, veggie pho, for which the Seattle-based chain has developed a bit of a following. That, some tasty sounding cream puffs (three for $1.50!), a few beverages, and you've seen the whole menu.

Pho Than Brothers has four sizes, from small to extra large. We both chose "medium" and for less than $5 got as much soup as we could really eat in one sitting. I chose a variety with tendon alongside rare beef and brisket, and found the tendon to be cut thinner and easier to eat than at some other places I've tried.

Tacomadaddy wolfed down his rare beef pho with no complaints, and was very pleased with the bill: $13 with tax and tip.

Pho Than Brothers has a pleasant white interior, a little shinier than the average pho joint. If you're taking out someone unfamiliar with Vietnamese cuisine and would like to give him/her a nice introduction to pho, (or want to take a date somewhere cheap but not depressing) I recommend Pho Than Brothers for its grit-free setting. Let them be your gateway pho, then explore all the fabulous little neighborhood soup spots Tacoma has to offer.

Pho Than Brothers

8515 South Tacoma Way

Lakewood

253-582-5120

Also: (not yet tried)

10435 Pacific Ave S.

Tacoma

253-548-8886

Vietnamese