This is the best bahn mi I've had in the area. The grilled is LEGIT. A few things could improve this place though. 1) pate on the bahn mi. This is a personal preference though. And it's better than other places I've been that do have pate so not a major lose. 2) better music. Holy crap, the light jazz muzak was KILLING me. 3) service. Had to ask twice for a water refill. Annoying at the best of time, but especially rough when you're eating a salty, spicy, crusty sandwich. All that sad though, it was DELICIOUS and 100% worth checking out. read more

Worst vietnamese sandwich ever. They use sub rolls and fill it with lettuce. The bread was still cold and the meat tasteless. read more

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I used to drive 30 minutes for their spring rolls when they were in Springfield and when their parents ran the business. Since the new opening, spring roll isn't the same. It's under cooked, not as crispy and tasty as before. Why change something when it was perfect? Bahn Mi sandwich is too inconsistent, sometimes you get the right amount of meat and sometime, you'd be lucky to get a bite of meat. Why are they using cheap bread? Horrible! Pho is just ok, not as good as before. Would I recommend this place? So many better Vietnamese places around town with much better Pho, Bahn Mi and spring roll, why bother. read more

This laid back restaurant has good service and tasty food. Whenever I am here, I go for the pho. I prefer the cong ly special large pho. It has eye of round, brisket, tendon, skirt flank, tripe, and beef meatballs. All of the meat is tender, and juicy. The meatballs are normal size and the other meats are cut a little larger than other restaurants in the area - which is awesome if you love meat! Your normal veggies are served on the side like onions, jalapenos, cilantro, Thai basil, and bean sprouts. The broth has a delicious flavor and the noodles are cooked perfectly. The summer rolls are also very good here as they have just the right amount of noodles and veggies. The shrimp and pork inside the roll have a good flavor and definitely go well together. The sauce is also flavorful, especially with the peanut bits inside. Overall, a fresh and delicious appetizer. The service is good as someone always greets customers right when they walk in. My table has always been checked on throughout meals. Moreover, all the staff has consistently been nice and respectful. The restaurant is nicely decorated and very clean; creating a comfortable and casual atmosphere. You will find the prices to be just about as equal to other Vietnamese restaurants. The food definitely does not disappoint. So, do not hesitate on trying Pho Cong Ly Noodle & Grill! read more

The decor is beautiful but I feel like the pho is overdone. There's too much going on. Pho is supposed to be simple and hearty yet delicate. The staff is also very rushed. read more

SPRING ROLLS! That's all you need to know about this place. They are amazing. (The pho and vermicelli are pretty good too. The food and service have really improved since they first opened. I'm glad I didn't give up on them.) read more

I've been coming here since I was an awkward teenager hanging out at Time Out at Springfield Mall. It's been awhile since my last visit because Springfield Mall has become so crappy over the last few years. This is one of the better places, if not the best pho place, in Springfield. They know how to serve pho here, with the meat still raw and the noodles still a little raw. This ensures that when the pho gets to you, you provide that final element of mixing that gets everything cooked in the nice hot broth right in front of you. This is much better than getting an overcooked mess. The side veggies were fresh. Also, I'm a big fan of the cha gio (egg rolls) here. The wrapper has a nice chewy quality to it and the filling is tasty. The service was really quick and I got water refills. This is one of the few times that I can remember that I got my water refilled in a pho place. One of my pet peeves is crappy napkins. The napkins were so thin that I was basically blowing snot into my hands. The smart ass reader in you might be saying "grab more napkins, dumb ass". To this I reply, I would have if the napkins weren't stuffed into the holder tighter than tissue in a high school girl's bra. Also, like any other good Asian restaurant, CASH only. And I dedicate this review to that 3rd fan who popped up recently. You could be a psycho stalker for all I know, but you read my reviews, so I can't complain. read more

Ai yyai yai. Total disaster. Being that this place opened right around the corner from my house, I had to try this place out. I was overly excited and was very hopeful that the opening of this establishment would mean that I wouldn't have to drive to Eden Ctr for a nice bowl of pho.... I was so excited my bf and I took my family who came to visit from out of town to visit them on their opening day. Due to time constraint, I had to leave after waiting an hour for food. I inquired about t the food -whether it will come within five minutes. They looked unsure, so I had to tell them to cancel my order. Mind you, I came @ 2:30pm and there were only 5 other parties there. It was definitely after the lunch rush. So I returned a couple days later, and the verdict is that they are lacking in the Pho department for a restaurant with Pho in their name. Odd. I ordered their "Special Cong Ly Pho" priced @ 9$. I was thinking that it's a little pricey for pho, but I don't mind paying more if it had the works. There was nothing special about their house pho; it lacked flavor and the amount of meat/toppings was nothing spectacular. Quite frankly, I've had 'ordinary' or ' non-special' pho bowls at other establishments that tasted better =/ and was much more generous with their toppings. I was utterly disappointed that Cong Ly wouldn't be a Pho/Vietnamese option in Annandale. I digress... read more

We are incredibly excited to return to reopen restaurant ... So happy to hear the good news. We can't wait until Jan 2012, do you have a specific date? We missed your Pho noodles and those awesome crispy rolls. Please keep us posted. read more

So I never been to the Pho Cong Ly when it was opened at the Springfield location, so I decided to try it out as it reopened in the new location in the Bradlick shopping center. Upon walking in, I noticed that the decor was nice with vibrant wall colors and picture frames. There were lines of people waiting so I thought this must be the spot. As the minutes passed by, I started noticing little errors, such as a server bringing out 20 pairs of chopsticks to our table when we only had 6 people. The service was slow and the servers were all over the place with no sense of order. We waited quite awhile for our food and they seem to be confuse at what we ordered as well. As for the broth, it tasted bland which needed excessive pouring of the hoisin sauce and siracha sauce. The overall experience was not spectacular due to us going there at the Grand Reopening. I understand the craziness they must be going through, so I shall return there after a month or to check them out again to see if the service and food improve by then. read more

I've been coming to this place ever since its grand opening day years ago. It's not only convenient to my neck of the woods but one of the better pho places in the area, in my book. The key criteria for good pho for me are: - Tasty broth w/o an inordinate quantity of MSG (more on this below) - Noodles with the right consistency (not too chewy but not mushy either) - Decent amount of meat that's tender but not to the point of falling apart - Abundant fresh herbs & basil - And most important of all, it can't make me drowsy and thirsty for hours afterwards from all the MSG that the cook might have dumped in the broth, because let's face it, all pho broth has MSG (and if you think a particular pho place doesn't put MSG in its broth, you're deluding yourself!) Pho Cong Ly meets all the above critiria. Their meatballs (bo vien) are also good. Best of all, the cha gio (spring rolls) are the best in this area, hands down. They're made of real rice paper and not the lumpia wrap that's typical of many other VN restaurants (lumpia wrap is easier to keep and reheat and stays crispier longer, whereas rice paper has to be cooked and eaten as soon as it's done). These spring rolls are perfectly crisp (and very hot, so be careful biting into them lest you burn your your mouth) and the meat filling done just right. Man, I'm hungry just thinking about them! My only complaint is that you only get a couple of pieces of lettuce and a sprig of basil to accompany the rolls. There ought to be more of a variety of mints and herbs to eat with cha gio when it's served VN-style. I'll let you in on a secret: if you want to have quasi homemade pho and are too lazy to concoct the broth from scratch with beef bones, oxtail, grilled ginger, onions, star anis, etc., you can buy a 1-qt container of broth from Pho Cong Ly to go for a few dollars (it used to be $2 but might have gone up recently) and at home, add your own sliced rare beef, meat balls, bean sprouts, basil, etc. Ah, the comforts of a "homemade" bowl of pho! read more

When we relocated to the Springfield area, we were excited to be near one of his favorite Vietnamese restaurants from years ago. Unfortunately, Pho Cong Ly Backlick Road had closed up shop and left before we were able to move in. Imagine my delight when driving to Annandale I noticed a Pho Cong Ly sign in another shopping center off Braddock Road. We scoped it out last week as I was in dire need of pho. True to his memory, the cha gio (fried spring rolls) were still top notch. The goi cuon (summer rolls) rice paper rolls were too wet and breaking apart. Tasty, but broken. Hey, it was 8:30 and they close at 9. I've learned not to expect the best when folks are trying to close up for the night. Their pho was OK, but per usual Pho 75 is still the winner. We'll definitely be back for other dishes as it's closer than trekking to Eden Center for other prepared dishes when I don't want to cook. It appears as though they've adopted a new management style, which means a sparkling restaurant, merchandise (Cha Gio T-shirts, anyone?) and credit card machines FTW. read more

This place has been open around my place for awhile now but this was the first time i ever try it. I couldn't say they're bad but the pho was okay. I mean it is nothing special or extremely catch my attention. I came here on a monday night with my boyfriend, so of course the place wasn't packed. We got our food pretty fast. The service was okay, all he did was greeted us at the door but nothing else. He didn't come back to refill our water or even ask if everything was okay. I didn't like their service much. the only reason I will come back for this place is if Im in the mood for pho since this place is literally like 5 min drive from my house. read more

I come here a lot and the food is always fresh and tasty. The banh mi, pho, and beef on vermicelli are my favorites. The staff is friendly.

I want to see this place THRIVE, I was excited to try it out. I ordered take out and devoured this meal at home. The veggie spring rolls are to die for. The Pho ... a little bland, but satisfactory. However, I woke up the next day and had a yucly taste ... extremely thirsty. I suspect MSG, but could be wrong. I will ask the next time I go. Not too motivated to go back and eat there again. read more

So let's get the major con out of the way: the service. It's indifferent, aloof and can be borderline rude. Sadly, it's the norm in Viet restaurants (Four Sisters and Minh's are huge exceptions and their clientele reflects it) so this is negligent. The food, however, is something else. It's outstanding. When I was growing up and Little Saigon was located in present-day Clarendon, places this good were everywhere. But times have changed and it's hit or miss, especially when you get further away from Eden Center, the Viet epicenter. So this place is a gem. Yes, the pho is wonderful and packed with flavor, but one should explore the other authentic Viet delicacies on the menu like the spicy, pungent Bun Bo Hue (which Anthony Bourdain actually holds in higher regard than pho). While it lacks some ingredients that a true Viet household would include, it does come with the requisite pork knuckle. The Cha Ca Thang Long (broiled catfish), the shrimp and sweet potato fritter appetizer, the Banh Xeo are all quality renditions that any Viet would be happy with. So if you haven't, hit up this place. It's damn good. read more

I'm so happy I found this place! I've ordered delivery from here several times and everything I've tried so far has been wonderful. My go-to is the grilled chicken with vermicelli which is incredibly flavorful and a great portion size. I also recently discovered their Bahn Mi sandwich selection - they are the better than any others I've tried at other Vietnamese restaurants in the area, so those will be a new staple in my rotation! I've only ever gotten delivery so I can speak to the service or atmosphere, but the food definitely earns 5 stars in my book. read more

This was the best beef fried rice I've ever had and I ordered it delivery. It was fresh and delicious. I also liked the chicken pho. The spring rolls were just alright. I ordered online through the yelp app and it transferred my order to the newer "yelp eat24" app where I could see that my order was confirmed, see the guaranteed delivery time, watch the timer to see how long ago I placed my order, and it paid for the purchase plus left a tip. Super easy, convenient, and helpful. I definitely recommend both this restaurant and using yelp to order from them pick or delivery. read more

Pho Cong Ly - Beef fried rice ordered delivery was delicious!! - Vietnamese Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

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This place have the worst service in the DMV area. The male server didn't greet us at all (party of 5) n just pointed at the table for us to sit. And our nightmare begun, first we got a stack of dirty unwashed small plates with dirts n hair. He must've grab the wrong stack of plates. He came back twice to give us 5 sets of cutlery each time? Why? To start with we got the shrimp spring roll. It was alright. For entrees, we ordered the shrimp fried rice, shakey beef n seafood crispy noodle. The food was decent but the service is just bad. Never ever he came back and check on the table or refill our water. Maybe it was just a bad night for our server. **I updated my review because the management apologized and I can see that service can definitely be improved in the future. However I stood by my words regarding the dirty plates (it was a mistake n they replaced it with clean plates quickly)** read more

Nice and clean inside. Food was good. Had the vermicelli and summer rolls. Fresh and healthy, and portions seemed to be right. You may find better Pho restaurants, but this is quick for lunch and fairly priced. The staff can improve. Not very friendly nor enthused about the service! read more

Very clean decor, fancy bowls, great service, good appitizer, Only knock is that the portions are pretty small. read more

Pho Cong Ly - Ice coffee - Vietnamese Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

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This is my favorite place to get Pho. The large bowl gets you twice as much for only a dollar more, definitely worth it and makes for perfect leftovers. My boyfriend also raves about their summer rolls!! read more

I only come here for two reasons: the prices and the pho! Ok, I lied. The spring rolls and vermicelli are good, too. Being a new resident in the area, I was happy to find this place somewhat closet to home. The prices are comparable to back home and portions aren't bad either. It was an overall good experience. My only complaint is that when I prepare my pho, I like extra limes. I was kind of bummed when a plate of lemons came out but you know what they say... when life hands you lemons, you make lemonade! This place is worth checking out, but it does get pretty busy. read more

Decided to try this place once with my bf, and another time with a couple of friends. They have the word "pho" in their name but when we order pho, it came out super slow. The service is pretty slow, hopefully the staff can pick it up and work harder. The food is average. I ordered their pork and rice, and the pork came out on sticks and it was a bit hard to pull the pork off the sticks. The pork should be cut off the sticks to be easier for customers to eat. Their bun bo hue was bland and did not have enough flavor a friend of mine that order it had said. And their bun rieu was a little watered down. The restaurant tries to lure in customers with their layout/design and should I even say "hip" well they play hip hop songs as their background music both times that I was eating there. But their service could use a bit more improving, and their food is pretty average. Decent to eat because it's close to home, but I rather go eat at pho golden cow or pho hoa. read more

The food is very good but the service is horrible! The first couple of times my family went there for dinner, we always have to ask for water. The server does not come to check if there is anything we need or if we're ok, instead we have to raise our hand and holler at them to get their attention. Tonight will be the last time we ever come back here. We needed water but the servers were crowded at the front of the room talking with one another. As soon as our waiter came close enough to our table, I said 'Excuse me, can we have some more water?' to which he replied with a "Hmm" sound. So then we waited for him and he came back with a pitcher of water and we were thinking he was going to fill our glasses up. Instead, he put it in front of me and said "Hmm" once again and walked away. We were shocked! We have never had such a rude server before! The serverd does not care if they give good customer service, as they will get the 15% gratuity automatically added to the bill, which they do not deserve at all with these kind of service. read more

I had almost forgotten about this place since moving into the District, where pho comes in the form of really bad at the vietnamese place in Cleveland Park, or passable at Pho 75 in Rosslyn. I don't know how I discovered this place, but I do remember that my ex and I would come here at least once a week for years. Its in a strange location, a random strip mall in Springfield, flanked by an outdated computer repair shop (or at least it was) and an Outback Steakhouse. An unlikely place for savory pho. This joint has a family sort of feel, not the cafeteria-style madness of the typical pho joint. The broth is done to perfection. I can say this confidently, even not being vietnamese, because I spent the better part of two weeks in Vietnam trying to find the most savory pho I could (and in Vietnam, it costs $1 and is traditionally eaten for breakfast!). The broth outshines its counterparts in Vietnam. Blasphemy? Absolutely not. As Carlo X points out, there are also extremely tasty spring rolls here. In fact, these are the only spring rolls I will eat. Sometimes you can walk in and see a couple ladies, with a huuuuge bowl of spring roll filling and the rice wrappers chatting and wrapping the spring rolls up. They are usually sitting at one of the empty tables and is a good sign that your spring rolls are fresh. Make sure you get the fried spring rolls. I know most of us think of the fresh ones when we think vietnamese spring rolls, but these are the best, most perfectly cooked, and delicious fried spring rolls. And I don't like fried food. But I love these. Think about that. read more

This is up there among the best pho experiences I've ever had. The broth was good -- flavorful and salty. Make sure you order a water with your pho! You'll definitely need it. The noodles were done perfectly, not too mushy, and not clumping together. The beef was high quality, and not too tough. They put cilantro in their pho as well, which is a treat that I dream of when I dream of pho. There are also plentiful pho condiments. Note: cash only. It looks like someone voted that they take credit cards, but there's a big sign up front that says "cash only, pay at register." We also ordered lemonade sodas with our number 15s. Those were so yummy and refreshing! Definitely a must. We'll be heading back to this place in the near future. read more

Based on the Pho and fried Spring Rolls, this is my favorite Pho restaurant. I was introduced to Pho for the first time here about 10 years ago, and this place is always consistently good. I totally agree with everything that was said in the other reviews with the exception of the following for service and water refills. In my 10 years of going to this restaurant, I have never ONCE had a water refill without drinking the last drop of water and having to call the staff over to refill it after waiting a little while. Not good if you put a little too much hot chilli sauce in your pho. A little story about the service: this may have been a one time thing, but it is definitely worth telling. There is one older vietnamese lady with shoulder length hair that is there almost every time I visit, and her customer service skills definitely need some work. I can remember vividly one night my girlfriends and I went here, and we stayed and talked a little while as we were finishing up our food. It was an hour before they close, but this lady yelled out from the cash register "OK YOU HAVE TO PAY NOW!" - ??? Obviously very rude to customers, but because the food is so great, I'll let that one slide. Also, I'm not a fan of CASH ONLY, although this is common for Pho restaurants. Kinda inconvenient if you never have cash on you. read more

My roommate and I had dinner here tonight. We live in the area and like to try all the pho places around the Annandale and Alexandria area. This place was pretty good. It had a good atmosphere and it was clean. The broth was really good as well as the summer and spring rolls. Their springs rolls were different but really good. We also tried their bubble tea, it was standard. All in all good experience and fairly priced. read more

Summer rolls and peanut sauce is a must try if your not allergic. I usually order the banh mi sandwich and a bubble tea drink. So good

The first three times were excellent. Then one day, gross! Gross broth (tasted like mop water), gross sanitation (the rags they used to wipe the table stunk! and the whole place smelled like rotten old rags!) Too bad because it's so close to my house. Never going there again. I had that smell in my nostrils for days. read more

Food here is so-so, I've had much better Pho. Tried this place twice & 2nd time was as bad as the 1st. I'd drive a little further to Eden center for much better Vietnamese food. Decor is slightly better than your usual Pho place & bit dark inside the restaurant. Service is almost none existence! Read on another post that the owner herself said changes will be made & service will be more attentive, well that was 9 long months ago & I didn't experience any of it. read more

Food is ok, service is horrible... Attitude like no other! And do not order delivery from these guys... I live less than 5 min away and it took these guys an hour and 10 minutes to get me my food! I called to ask if they had my order, the lady said oh he left sorry and hung up. Don't think I will order from them again read more

You won't find much more than pho here, which kind of surprised me since I'm so used to variety at most of the other Vietnamese places that I go to. Usually, a limited menu would be a hindrance in my eyes: but the pho and spring rolls were awesome. The spring rolls were super crunchy, super delicious, and served hot. Hot as in: I took a bite and realized how hot it was and opened my mouth and blew out air in an attempt to cool off the overheated oven that was my mouth. But the spring rolls were so tasty that I was willing to look like a fool while I devoured them. Mmmmm... The pho came out soon after. The broth looked like it had potential: not too light, not too dark, and it smelled delicious. A spoonful revealed a decent broth, that was just made better by a couple dashes of hoisin and sriracha (which I lovingly call "sri-rahrah"). A small pho and springrolls are enough to satisfy a moderate appetite, but if you're hungry then get the large. Decent prices: I think it was $16 for two small bowls of pho and an order of spring rolls. I'd definitely go back, the spring rolls alone are enough to tempt me if I have a craving. read more

Mmmm. This place is old school. It reminds me of the old Pho Cong Ly restaurants in Vinatown (Houston) in the mid- to late-1980s. (They used to have one in Austin too.) Supposedly the businesses are by owners that are all related somehow. Cha gio (spring rolls) and pho are great. read more

I was so disappointed when the first location closed....and overjoyed when I receive word they've reopened! Loved the decor and choice of music (jazz) wafting in the background.... not the normal drab, un attention to detail and downright dirty as you would find in other similar establishments. I had the seafood pho, which was "ok", I've actually had better.....other than that, the chicken wings and summer rolls were awesome.... Definitely will return...... read more

I love the pho here it's full of flavor. However, the staff are unfriendly and aren't helpful. read more

Pho Cong Ly - Well-done beef brisket regular bowl - Vietnamese Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

I would have believed it if I weren't there on the day. As I was waiting for my carryout Beef Vermicelli (probably for more than 20 minutes and I understand it because of busy hour), there was a guy rushing up front and totally cutting the line of people. Such an impatient dude just shouted at the lady whether he could get a table. I could see the gentleman near me who was helped checking out seemed shock about that. The lady quickly turned back to normal (after also being shock) and asigned him his table as well as a glass of water. I can't believe how such a guy coming to a restaurant could be rude like that, but I'm not going to let him ruin such my favorite place. I love to eat there on weekends and hope that I won't have to sit next to those tables with such impolite customers like that. I don't want to mention the name, but I hope he could at least get that message. read more

I ordered Grilled Shrimp on Vermicelli and a spring roll for lunch. My order was tasty and fresh. It was an enjoyable lunch and the service was fine. read more

Pho Cong Ly - Vietnamese Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

This is my new go-to spot for some good Pho. I literally live right down the street - less than a 5 min drive if Braddock Road cooperates! It is soooo very good! It's flavorful but also decently priced! I usually get it to-go but I've eaten-in once before and the service was pretty good! This particular review is for the take-out I get. I walk right in and straight to the counter at the back. I usually don't stray too far from their namesake with my ordering. I get a large bowl with top round and well-done flank. After taking my order and payment, I usually have to wait for about 5-10 mins (sitting at a table) considering the time I come and how busy they are. Did I mention they have Food Network playing on the tv behind the desk? And I always conveniently come when Cupcake Wars is on? Win! Anyways, they bring the order out quickly! When I get home, I get to experience the amazingness that is Pho Cong Ly. If you've never gotten pho to-go then let me explain how it comes. You get a tall plastic container with a lid that holds the savory broth. You also get a square styrofoam container - within this you find all the ingredients necessary for delicious pho. Since I get two types of meat, the well done flank comes as it describes - well done - while the top round comes wrapped in plastic wrap raw. I pour the broth into a pot, followed by the noodles, the onions&cilantro, and the meat. The raw meat will cook within 2 mins since it is so thin and the broth is so hot. Time to EAT! Once I've transferred it to a massive bowl - which you need to invest in as an at-home pho eater - I load it up with bean sprouts, basil, and sriracha and dig in! Really good pho here. I will try other things too - one day! read more