Pho 5 Lua, Tip-Top Pho and Beyond

Pho 5 Lua is a long time favorite predating the omnipresent Steve Dolinsky's pick for best Pho in Chicagoland. Clean, quick, great value, near my house and most importantly delicious. Pho 5 Lua is a regular in my rotation and, along with Nha Hang, my favorite Vietnamese in Chicago.

Pho* and Bun Bo Hue are mainstays, along with plump Goi Cuon, though I go through streaks where I wander. For a while it was bone in chicken salad with ungestated eggs and lately its #58 stir fried chow fun with nicely charred veg and a combo of shrimp/beef/chicken.** Vietnamese plate lunches are solid, though a rare order for me and fried rice seems popular.





Pho 5 Lua, Count me a Fan!

*My typical pho order at 5 Lua is a combo of meatball/tendon with egg noodle sub but the bone in chicken pho, also with ungestated eggs, is terrific.
**As they included the dreaded baby corn in the #58 I always ask for it to be left out. Baby corn scares me to death.

Pho Nam Lua (aka 5 Lua)
6261 McCormick Blvd
Chicago, IL 60659

Nha Hang
1032 W Argyle St
Chicago, IL 60640

Gary-- Perhaps, if you thought of it as ungestated corn, you might find a new tasty treat?

G Wiv wrote:**As they included the dreaded baby corn in the #58 I always ask for it to be left out. Baby corn scares me to death.

I'm glad it's not just me! I always pick them out and refuse to eat them.

This is Mi Ga Xe Sate - Shredded Chicken with Egg Noodle Spicy Soup -28. Not as spicy as the Bun Bo Hue, but still with a bit of a kick. Very tasty. The entire surface of the soup was covered with chopped (lightly fried?) garlic. Included 1 chicken egg yolk and 2 quail egg yolks. I will order this again and it certainly is worth considering in the event of an impending cold or flu.

We also had Ca Long Ta Rang Muoi - Salt and pepper fried smelt - 73. Rather small smelt with not much salt and pepper spicing. This did, however, come covered with the same chopped garlic that was in the chicken soup. The effect was like eating explosively crunchy garlic fries. This was different than we expected when ordered, but still enjoyable.


Mi Ga Xe Sate

Flaky mung bean pastry from Simple Delights, across the parking lot.

bw77 wrote:This is Mi Ga Xe Sate - Shredded Chicken with Egg Noodle Spicy Soup -28. Not as spicy as the Bun Bo Hue, but still with a bit of a kick. Very tasty.

I see Mi Ga Xe Sate in my near future, thanks for posting!

bw77 wrote:This is Mi Ga Xe Sate - Shredded Chicken with Egg Noodle Spicy Soup -28. Not as spicy as the Bun Bo Hue, but still with a bit of a kick.

I used to live just west of both Pho Lua and Hoanh Long. I've had takeout from each probably 15-20 times.

Ironic given their names, but I would order pho from HL, with Bahn Xeo b/c PL doesn't offer the dish. But at PL, Mi Ga Xe Sate was my absolute go-to, usually w/ their spicy chicken wings (I like their quail too). Nice part of the Mi Ga Xe Sate is that the egg noodles are just plain better than the rice noodles of pho. But the broth is what makes the dish.

May not be for everyone, but I enjoyed all the garlic.

bweiny wrote: Nice part of the Mi Ga Xe Sate is that the egg noodles are just plain better than the rice noodles of pho.

When I order pho I sub egg noodle for rice noodle about 80% of the time.

This may be of interest if, like me, you were not familiar with Sate:
glebekitchen.com/2018/01/14/vietnamese-sate-sauce/

bw77 wrote:This is Mi Ga Xe Sate - Shredded Chicken with Egg Noodle Spicy Soup -28. Not as spicy as the Bun Bo Hue, but still with a bit of a kick. Very tasty.

When ordering I remembered #28 which was terrific and seems to be what you picture though #27 at Pho 5 Lua, at least on the menu I looked at, is Mi Ga Xe Sate (shredded chicken w/egg noodle spicy soup) and #28 is Mi Ga Chat (Chopped chicken w/egg noodle soup)

Either way I very much enjoyed #28, tender bone-in chicken, bits of offal, a few ungestated eggs, egg noodles, toasted garlic and a hit of spicy heat.






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Sorry to mislead. I actually double-checked on line before I posted above to make sure I had the correct number. There is menu on Zomato that seems to show the shredded chicken with egg noodles as 28. I suppose that on line menu is out of date. Anyway, glad you ended up with a dish you enjoyed despite that.

Carried out an order of bun thit nuong for lunch today. Nice to have a decent rendition of this nearby for a lighter lunch option

bw77 wrote:Sorry to mislead. I actually double-checked on line before I posted above to make sure I had the correct number. There is menu on Zomato that seems to show the shredded chicken with egg noodles as 28. I suppose that on line menu is out of date. Anyway, glad you ended up with a dish you enjoyed despite that.

No worries, and you are 100% correct, Zomato does not match the current Pho 5 Lua takeout menu I have sitting on my desk. They also have the hours wrong and don't show they are closed on Tuesdays. They do, however, show the correct restaurant in the pictures.



Above is simply for reference, I enjoyed my meal regardless of number, thanks again for introducing me to a new menu item.

Stopped in for a #27 last evening. We went later in the evening than we normally do, eating around 9:00. Hate to say it, but the broth was not up to its usual standard and tasted a bit watered down. Hopefully, it was just because it was late and they had to stretch it.

bw77 wrote:Stopped in for a #27 last evening. We went later in the evening than we normally do, eating around 9:00. Hate to say it, but the broth was not up to its usual standard and tasted a bit watered down. Hopefully, it was just because it was late and they had to stretch it.

No idea as to cause, but I'd guess anomaly pure and simple. I've been to Pho 5 Lua many (many) times, mostly before noon most recently Saturday morning with the bride after a Home Depot run, and its been consistently tasty.

Chicago Food Stories posted an enticing Pho 5 Lua plate lunch pic on FB and Instagram, tasty. #lowslowbbq #countmeafan

Pho 5 Lua, spicy crispy wings, lightly charred veg including jalapeno, tasty and a reasonable $7.


Pho 5 Lua, count me a Fan!

G Wiv wrote:Pho 5 Lua, spicy crispy wings

I can't not order this every time at Pho Lua. I'd say it's a severely underappreciated offering of theirs, but not offering banh xeo is a problem of their own making.
Spicy Wings, Quail, Mi Ga Xe Sate have never failed me.

G Wiv wrote:Pho 5 Lua, spicy crispy wings, lightly charred veg including jalapeno, tasty and a reasonable $7.

P5LP4.jpg

Pho 5 Lua, count me a Fan!

Anybody else worried that Gary hasn't been sleeping very well?