Welcome to Phoenix, home to 120 degrees dry heat summers.
Dry heat is a great marketing scam. Here’s what Phoenix really feels like:
Picture getting into your car only to be burned by the metal of the seatbelt, drenched with sweat from an air conditioner that blows marginally cold despite being on full blast, all the while wondering how you ended up in this sunny hell.
What goes better with a broken thermostat than a hot bowl of pho? The answer is another bowl of pho.
If you are looking to enjoy the benefits of a steam room while enjoying some of the best pho worldwide, come to Phoenix in the middle of July. You have two quality choices for pho, both equally refreshing during a scorching hot day.
Noodles Ranch is located in Scottsdale and is my home away from home when I am in need of a quality bowl. My usual booth is informally reserved for me at the back left of the restaurant. Here you will find the friendly owner André doing it all- prepping the pho in the back to waiting on guests in the front. What sets Noodles Ranch apart from all of the pho mentioned in this Top 10 list is the focus on healthy eating. The beef cuts are lean, the broth is not oily, and the flavor is not lost.
2. Pho Thanh
Pho Thanh is a traditional pho restaurant. You won’t find any frills or anything fancy in this place. What you will find is a jam packed room of pho lovers including the local Vietnamese community, the curious first comers, and me, the pho king himself.
Pho Thanh serves as a much needed pho detox following a night out on the town as it is both casual and inexpensive. The authenticity of the pho is tough to beat and the lack of AC only enhances the genuine pho experience.
Fortunately, Pho Thanh promptly opens at 8:30am; no doubt due to the unbearable Arizona heat. Actually, because of a similar hot climate in Vietnam, pho, unknown to most, is a breakfast meal.
