バインミーバーバー川越店 Bánh Mì Bà Ba Kawagoe

Delicious pho, friendly owners

This small Vietnamese restaurant is a gem. While walking down Crea Mall, the modern north-south shopping street in Kawgoe City, I caught the aroma of something completely unlike Japanese food - fish sauce, coriander, and something exotic. And then I noticed the Vietnamese flag. When I stepped into the shop, the owner greeted me in Vietnamese-accented Japanese. She and her partner, a Japanese man, run the shop. I had pho served simply with coriander, a lemon quarter, and pickled garlic. The broth was rich and a little cloudy. The owners are very friendly. They explained a few things about the cuisine - serving Vietnamese brew over ice, savoring the sweetness of the pickled garlic, and finishing my meal with a glass of lotus tea.