Pho Scene in the United States – Part 3
The American Pho Industry
As Vietnamese families made their homes on the great land of the USA since late 1975, they built their own small communities that, over time, contributed significantly to American society in business, education, diversity cultural and culinary offer. Vietnamese pho has become one of those treats.
Aside from pho-based restaurants and shops, and franchises, there are many other Vietnamese restaurants and Asian restaurants that also offer the noodle dish, even though it is not their main dish. Specialty restaurants, by contrast, exist to serve pho.
Although regular Vietnamese restaurants may have helped increase the popularity of the food, it’s the specialty restaurants that show just how alive the Vietnamese noodle soup industry is in the United States. Even with a heavily emphasized focus on just the plate and not many other offerings on the menu, these stores have no problem surviving with many of them packed with customers every day of the week. Restaurants are thriving, even small independent businesses, providing further proof that people really like this food.
Diners flock to these restaurants, not just for breakfast, but for lunch and dinner as well. Vietnamese food experts such as Mai Pham have also predicted the dish’s continued rise in popularity, reflecting the rise to fame experienced by other Asian specialties such as the popular Thai dish Pad Thai.
California is home to countless pho restaurants scattered throughout its many populous and ethnically diverse cities. In the San Francisco Bay Area, which is also home to food expert Andrea Nguyen, the popularity of this dish is described as a fad, especially in the field of healthy eating thanks to its fresh ingredients, very little frying. and healthy side dishes.
At the southern tip of California, in San Diego, there are active Vietnamese communities in several areas, with large concentrations of restaurants in East San Diego, the Kearny Mesa area, and the suburb of Mira Mesa.
Between San Francisco and San Diego are the cities of Los Angeles and Orange County, and Little Saigon, the largest concentration of Vietnamese in the United States. And you know it’s true: where there is a Vietnamese person, there is also Vietnamese noodle soup. There are so many competing shops and restaurants here that one can regularly find half-price and free drink deals. The competition is fierce, there are plenty of customers, and almost all of Little Saigon’s offerings are pretty good. For pho lovers, this is true pho heaven.
The dish also made its way to Las Vegas, Nevada. One could never imagine a Vietnamese noodle soup restaurant inside the famous Treasure Island Las Vegas hotel and casino, but now it is a reality.
These places are not even a shred of all the noodle restaurants you can find in America. Pho is making a name for itself in the United States: in the eastern states, the northeastern states, Michigan, and Illinois, and in the southern states like Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama. With endless potential, the dish certainly has a long way to go before it becomes mainstream. For now it will remain a well-known exotic comfort food. Connoisseurs and restaurateurs recognize this potential and seem quite intent on seeing how much space America can devote to a great-tasting and healthy oriental noodle dish. For a country as large as the United States, there should be plenty of room for more Vietnamese pho.