On the Pho Plus side

Charlotte, NC

Uptown

Hi fellow foodies!  Markus here with the newest restaurant in Latta Arcade.  Located right across the street from Romare Bearden Park, Pho Plus is a great place to re-fuel while spending a day in Uptown or if you are leaving an event in the park or a Knights game.

This restaurant has been teasing Petchi and I for months.  There was a sign posted last year saying they were opening soon.  Due to delays, that predicted opening date came and went.  We waited patiently for the restaurant to open and when it finally did, we stopped in for a Vietnamese treat.  

We were promptly greeted by the waiter as soon as we stepped through the door.  We decided to dine in and had a seat on the main floor dining room.  This restaurant is deceivingly large.  The main floor had a large counter where the lunch and to-go crowd can wait in line and make their orders.  The other half of the floor consisted of seats at the window counter and a few tables scattered on the rest of the floor.  If you head upstairs, you'll find even more tables.  I don't think there will be any issues finding a place to eat here during busy hours.  

So what to try first?  Everything on the easy to read menu was so reasonably priced for Uptown and Vietnamese food in general so we really excited to try anything on the menu.  We asked our waiter about the sandwiches a.k.a Banh Mi but were sadly informed that the sandwiches were their most popular lunch dish and sells out rather quickly.  Of course, we were a bit disappointed, but these are the growing pains of a new restaurant so we went with some rolls for appetizers, a bowl of pho, and some grilled chicken to get the largest sampling of the menu.

The appetizers came out quickly.  We ordered one order each of the Summer and Spring rolls.  Both were your standard rolls.  Nothing special about them but they were fresh and tasty.  The dipping sauces were also good.  Not too salty or too sweet.   

The pho was also pretty standard.  The broth was a bit plainer than I'm used to, so it did take a bit of the table condiments to spice it up to my standards.  I guess this is good for a location that serves a wide variety of people throughout the day... some people like it saltier, some sweeter, so a plainer broth that can be customized is not a bad idea.  I personally added some fish sauce, lime, and hot sauce to get to my desired tastes.

Petchi ordered the grilled chicken.  It was served with some fresh veggies over white rice.  The chicken was juicy and had a great flavor.  You could taste some lemongrass in the seasoning rub.  A lot of Vietnamese restaurants grill the chicken to the point that it is burned and crispy, but this was just shy of that but still had a nice char-grilled taste.  

Petchi and I really like this place.  It's convenient when you are in Uptown, and it is very reasonably priced.  It's a nice break from all the fancier restaurants that you find in a downtown setting.  It's a very casual place with friendly service.  

Overall, How Nuts Are We about Pho Plus?
Food: 4.5 coconuts. The food was just what you expect from a Vietnamese restaurant.  No surprises here.  Just hope that we will be lucky enough to get sandwiches next time!    Service: 5 coconuts. It pretty empty for dinner on a weeknight so we had great service.  The waiter did everything he could to get us what we needed.Repeatability: 4 coconuts. The menu isn't large but the price is right and if you are looking for a fast casual restaurant that doesn't serve burgers or pizza, this is your place.