Classic dishes from longtime Los Angeles restaurants remain a welcome sight, especially from a place like Pho 87. Open since 1987, the Chinatown staple serves traditional Southern Vietnamese dishes in a minimalist dining room with remarkable consistency that keeps it among Los Angeles’s favorite icons. It endures as one of the region’s best destinations to slurp rice noodles submerged in deeply rich phở broth, sip condensed milk–lightened coffee, and eat refreshingly crisp spring rolls in rice paper. Though many head to Pho 87 for its namesake dish, the menu features nearly 60 items. Don’t miss the imperial egg rolls, more commonly known as chả giò, stuffed with wood ear mushrooms, pork, and glass noodles, and accompanied by a bowl of savory-sweet sauce of chilis, sugar, vinegar, and fish sauce. If you visit Pho 87 for its phở, you will find no less than 26 different types. If you need extra broth, beef balls, or additional jalapeño, onions, cilantro, mint, lime, or Thai basil, the team happily brings some to the table for more personal customization.
Peek inside the indoor fish pond at the entrance, just below multiple television sets. If the Dodgers or a local team is playing, they will have it on while you eat. The restaurant’s walls are lined with kitschy vintage art and a jersey of Major League Baseball (and former Dodger) player Ryu Hyun-jin. Note that Pho 87 gets busy during Dodger games. Baseball fans typically sit for less than 30 to 45 minutes and clear out long before the first pitch.
Chinatown parking is notoriously challenging. Though there is a small lot in the rear, drive slightly north of Pho 87 on North Broadway to locate a good amount of metered and free parking.