pho 501

pho 501 is the best pho resturant in east hartford for it gives very hearty meals and a nice quick bite to eat in a very warm family environment.

great pho soup and the restaurants food is authentic vietnamese, as well, which is always a plus. i reckon they could offer better service, but regardless i consider this my favorite pho restaurant.

i just wish they had a vegetarian option, all of their pho is made with beef broth, and their spring rolls have shrimp. however, i will say that everyone says the food is great, and the sesame rolls are a really tasty treat.

seriously, there isn't a pho joint in this area that can rival the quality of their dishes. though a limited menu which changes mon-friday, pho bo (beef) saturday , bon bo hue (spicy beef) then sunday, mi ga, they stick to what they know and man do they know it. the service is always on point, and willing to accommodate in whichever way they can. make sure you don't pass up on the freshly made spring rolls and grab a "pho-nut," on the way out. keep at it guys!

we arrived around noon on sunday and discovered an almost full parking lot and packed restaurant.  not sure how to order, we approached the counter and were told they were out of pho gia (chicken noodle soup), a sunday-only special, to seat ourselves and someone would be with us shortly to take our order.  shortly turned out to be 20 minutes as one table after emptied before they cleaned them and started taking orders.  several parties arriving after us were seated and then told they were sold out for the day.  as it turned out, we were the next to the last party served.  ordering from the abbreviated menu is simple - 3 size options (small, medium or large) and 2 types of pho (shrimp or beef).  we both chose medium with my wife settling on shrimp and me the beef.  accompanying our bowls of pho was a plate of extremely fresh sprouts, thai basil and lime.  the broth was nicely flavored, but i cranked it up a notch via liberal doses of both siracha and hoisin sauces.  prices are more than reasonable with our total tab $16 plus gratuity less a $15 savenowct coupon.

wow some of the best food in hartford county. only a few things in the menu, but that is all they need. everything i go it is exactly the same perfect. friendly staff, family owned, and a great vibe. do yourself a favor and go check it out when in the area. guaranteed to become your new favorite spot. healthy and cheap.

we love pho501. very consistent quality and excellent service. have been going there for many years. closed on mondays. prepare for a wait or share a table during busy pratt and whitney lunch crowd.

april 8, 2015 fairfield county foodie leave a comment last weekend, feeling a bit ambitious and a bit stir crazy, my honey and i decided to go for a drive and explore the vietnamese food scene beyond fairfield county.  our dear friend “google” revealed east hartford as home to one of the highly rated vietnamese restaurants in connecticut called le’s vietnamese restaurant.  so off we went. it was a long drive but we kept our eye on the prize.  and the whole drive up there, we discussed what we are going to order and in which order we will eat it.  a hearty bowl of pho was a given!  but then we also had our eye on some nem nuong cuon and chå giò (our favorite vietnamese appetizers). we got to the restaurant. we found a great parking spot nearby.  we sprinted from the car to the restaurant entrance.  we felt dismay!   it turns out that they are closed on sundays!  dang it!    our hearts were set on pho!!! luckily we remembered passing a teeny-tiny pho place a mile back.  and it looked like it was open.  so we trekked back to it.  aaah!  pho 501!  a family-owned, family-run restaurant.  a sight for sore eyes. there were tons of people there.  that’s got to be a good sign right?   as soon as we sat down an older gentleman (the dad) came up to take our order.  i said, we’d like to see a menu first.  to which he replied (in a very abrupt tone, i might add), “no menu…. just 2 soups.  chicken or beef.  which do you want”.   i was so confused!  “what about appetizers  do you have any spring rolls”, i asked.  he replied, “no! spring rolls only on weekdays….. beef or chicken soup… which do you want”. i was floored….. or shall i say, pho-loored!  i couldn’t decide if i should laugh or yell.  you just don’t hear of such a thing these days.  specially not in the u.s. of a.! apparently, this teeny-tiny, nondescript, but clearly very popular restaurant has been around for over 20 years.  and they have always offered just one main item on the menu each day.  a different pho flavor ea

best pho ever ! place is small but i'm in love with their pho bowl lol

great pho. i've been several times over the past 3 months and from the first time - impressed! the food is great; staff is friendly. i just enjoy eating there. there is something comforting about the simplicity of the meal.

excellent pho soup!. went on a thursday night. i had their beef pho soup with fresh spring rolls and a peanut sauce dip. excellent, went back the following day friday afternoon for lunch, place was packed with a line to order. line moved fast and i ordered the shrimp pho soup w/fresh spring roll. hit the nail on the head for flavor, fulfilling, taste and quantity. i get the large, roughly a qtr. of soup. to let others know, they only serve 1 item for that day, so if you want chicken noodle soup, served only on sundays. mon-thursday it beef and i think shrimp. beef was not available on friday, only shrimp or no shrimp. best pho soup i have had and i have had this soup in ny & boston, this place is great.

amazing. spring roll was fresh and tasty. beef noodle soup was the best i've ever had. it had huge, tender slices of beef and the broth was perfectly seasoned. i think we'd move here just to enjoy it more often!

one choice here....pho. correction. you pick the size. but, this is the best pho on the east coast.

nasty. unless it has changed i opened the door and almost threw up, cabbage soup yu can eat it good luck

read a lot of positive reviews about this place, went for lunch, and was told they had no beef or beef broth. they don't even have menus, just ask if you want small, medium, or large when you sit down, so for them to run out of beef at the beginning of lunch is pretty damn sad. kind of like going to a steakhouse and hearing they don't any steak today. disappointing.