One of the newest restaurants to open in Cypress, Texas is Mr. Pho. Located at 13621 Skinner Road and Spring Cypress, Mr. Pho is co-owned by Kenny Pham, a retired Senior Vice-President of Sales and his partner Yen Lang, a successful Vietnamese entrepreneur. Together with their spouses, Francine Nguyen and Van Lang, they’ve developed a winning team that provides delicious signature Vietnamese dishes and an exceptional dining experience at a reasonable price. The real emphasis is in the quality of the food, the detailed preparation, and the desire to provide clean and healthy dining options to the Cypress community.
Kenny and Yen share a passion for cooking. Yen specializes in cooking Pho. Kenny loves to cook steaks and together, they would invite friends and family over to enjoy their creations during cookouts. That’s when they decided to open their first restaurant. In a year’s time, Mr. Pho’s Bellaire storefront built a tremendous following with excellent reviews, before deciding to relocate to Cypress. It’s all about teamwork. Yen works his magic in the kitchen while Kenny, the friendly and outgoing salesman, makes sure the customers are taken care of in the dining room.
Just four days into service, I stopped in to try many of their highly touted dishes. The Pho is like no other. Cooked from 16-20 hours, knuckle beef bones are boiled in salt water to remove debris, then simmered overnight in filtered water. Every morning, Yen comes in and adds seasoning and simmers the broth at a low heat. In my opinion, this may very well be the best pho broth you’ve ever tried.
We started with spring rolls. The shrimp, chicken and beef spring rolls were super fresh, nicely rolled and came with excellent complements of a peanut and a fish sauce. Next up was Banh Mi, a Vietnamese sandwich, (grilled pork), made on a crisp roll. It definitely had very good flavors and a delicious mayonnaise. During my next visit, I’ll order the Combo of pate, French ham and chicken. We tried the Vermicelli noodles with chicken and beef. The large servings of fresh ingredients were impressive, and made to order.
The Shaky Beef and Korean BBQ Ribs were my favorites. The tender and juicy Beef Tenderloin literally melted in my mouth. The ribs were sweet and basted in a homemade oyster sauce. Each plate came with rice and a fried egg on top. A beautiful presentation, ample servings of fresh high-quality food at a modest price made these dishes some of the most popular items ordered. No MSG is used in their dishes.
Mr. Pho is putting finishing touches on a final menu. Customers are ordering family style and sharing dishes; the kids love the noodles. Francine, a pastry chef, looks to add light desserts. An outside patio is in the planning stages. The dining room is well-staffed to ensure great service, and with three to five cooks in the kitchen, the food comes out fast, fresh and hot. There are plenty of tables in the dining area where smooth piped-in piano jazz music adds to the laid-back relaxing atmosphere. Community conscious, Pham and Lang have plans to support local schools with spirit nights. Lastly, Mr. Pho has a BYOB policy. I can’t wait for the opportunity to relax on the patio while enjoying a delicious meal and a nice bottle of wine.
Craig Hoffman
Fat & Happy Foodie
Days/Hours of Operation:
Sunday – Tuesday 10:30 a.m. – 9:00 p.m
Wednesday – Closed
Thursday – Saturday 10:30 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Telephone: (281) 246-0161
