Island’s Pho & Teriyaki

Five stars for ordering to go pho. Like wow. Packaged nicely and easy to assemble at home. Check out my photos to see how I did. Flavor wise. I think maybe if I'd ordered something other than chicken the broth may have been more flavorful but for me, on this order it was good. The accompaniments helped flavor wise. The veggie egg rolls were crispy and delicious. Service was fast and friendly. The restaurant was clean and well organized with a nice vibe. Loads of other menu items as well. Looking forward to trying more.

I was visiting Mercer Island for the day and found this restaurant on Yelp. It seemed to have good reviews, and I was particularly drawn to the fact that they use fresh rice noodles in their pho instead of the dried. When we got here, we were able to get seated immediately which was nice, though the entire restaurant was quite smoky. We ordered a combination pho and a noodle salad with grilled pork. The pho noodles were thick and chewy, definitely different from what I'm used to bit pretty good! There was also a good amount of meat, though I thought the broth was lacking a bit. The noodle salad was delicious though. The pork was well seasoned and cooked and the sauce with the noodles was great! I'd recommend this spot for some pretty good Vietnamese food in the area. I'm curious what their teriyaki would taste like though!

I can't speak for the other food here but their pho is simply not good. The noodles tasted/looked like they were from an instant noodle pack and the soup was just "okay."

Every cloud has a silver lining, and when one thinks about the tragedy of the Vietnam conflict, the silver lining was all the Vietnamese who came to America and introduced this country to the joys of Vietnamese cuisine in general, and Pho in particular! Mercer Island honestly isn't a particularly notable culinary destination, but this modest little pho house really punches above its weight and is worth a visit.THE ROSES: Ample parking. Super clean. Friendly and efficient staff. Very nice pho. On thing that makes this place stand out is that they make their own pho noodles. They are a little softer than the rice noodles that most other places use, but they have great flavor. If you want a more al dente noodle, ask for the store-bought rice noodles, which they offer as an option.THE THORNS: None worth mentioning.THE VERDICT: Let's face it, Mercer Island (aka 'Poverty Rock') is a pretty bland place, and its dining scene is pretty bland as well, from the rather overrated Roanoke Inn to chains like Starbucks and Pagliacci. Happily, Island's Pho & Teriyaki is a real pleasant surprise, and well worth a visit! Recommend.

I've only had takeout from here a few times, but it's been delicious! This retail space has been occupied by a few pho spots over the years, but I think this one may be my favorite.I'm not a vegetarian, but their veggie broth is amazing; it has great flavor and richness without being heavy. I have called in my order and service is fast and friendly :) Their menu has good variety and pricing gives great value. Can't wait to try more of their dishes!

Wow, finally pho that is the real deal! Pretty much every pho place in Seattle I have been so far uses the ubiquitous stick rice noodles whereas here, they actually use the fresh rice noodles. There is a heat wave, 90 degrees outside, but because I was in Mercer Island and this caught my eye, I just had to try it. I got the Pho Dac Biet (combo). Broth is relatively clear and refreshing, and the fresh rice noodles texture is a little bit softer than the stick rice noodles that are more chewy, but they cooked it well. Tripe and tendon were very good, though the steak is a little bit overcooked, but that is not too big of an issue relative to the overall quality of the pho. I have told my Viet friends and they are happy to make a trek here as they too struggle to find these fresh rice noodles elsewhere. Bonus is that they are made in house!

I have become a bit of a Phò snob since I discovered this delicious soup 4 years ago. I am a builder servicing the greater Seattle area, and when on Mercer Island I found this place nestled in a corner next to Right Aid. I didn't have high expectations, but was I surprised! Home made wider rice noodles? Awesome! Broth was flavored well (not to heavy or light, and not too oily). Every ingredient fresh. My favorite is Phò Tái (rare steak with noodles). I do tend to like stronger spice flavors (slightly darker broth), but theirs has just enough to keep it light and interesting.Plenty of fresh basil, lime, sprouts and peppers for my large bowl. Generous amount of steak, too. Certainly one of my top 5 in the State!

My boyfriend and I stopped here after failed attempts at going to Mioposto and Pagliacci. So glad that we did!We have been on the hunt for good pho, and we've finally found a good place that's not too far from us! Pho dac biet: broth was very flavorful, tasted homemade, and without any fillers or shortcuts. My boyfriend prefers really light broths, but I prefer richness of flavor - which this pho had. Had little bit of oil at the top, but much less than some places. The handmade rice noodles were a bit thicker than commercial rice stick noodles, but were quite enjoyable! Certainly better than dong thap.Lemongrass chicken vermicelli: overall great! The chicken/onions were perfectly seasoned and really flavorful, but just a tiny bit too oily. I really appreciated that it was made using chicken breast instead of thighs. I find chicken breast to have a much cleaner flavor, and heartier texture. Good portion of noodles and veggies. I would have liked there to be more herbs (cilantro, basil), and more fish sauce dressing.The owner is really nice, and was eager to know how we liked the food, and if we had any feedback. Please support this business if you're in the area!

Island's Pho has been on my Yelp bucket list for a couple of years now, and I just never seemed to find myself on the island around meal time. In fact, I almost didn't go yesterday because, even though I was hungry for lunch, it was a warm, sunny day, and a hot meal didn't really sound appetizing. But since I was there, I went anyway!This tiny little restaurant is tucked into a dark strip mall corner next to the Village's one and only Rite Aid. Inside, I was impressed about how bright and clean it was, but a little surprised to see the tables so empty at noon. By the time I sat down and ordered, though, it was starting to fill up with locals who didn't even need to look at the menu to know what they wanted to order.Considering the warm weather, I opted against a bowl of pho, and instead got one of my fave Southeast Asian dishes: vermicelli noodle salad. They even offered my very favorite variety, grilled pork with egg roll. And, unlike my last unfortunate experience ordering this dish at a restaurant far away, this one included the requisite dressing/sauce that makes this noodle salad so delish.But it wasn't just the dressing that made it good. The noodles were tender, the meat delicious, the eggroll hot, and the veggies on top super fresh and crispy. I was most impressed by the garnish of fried garlic that took this dish from a 10 to an 11!The prices were super reasonable too. The salad was less than $14! I will look forward to a cooler day when I'm nearby and can try their pho on the next visit.

First, service. Non-existent. Second, I asked help for finding something gluten free in the menu, and was told that they checked with the kitchen and everything was gluten free. I couldn't believe my luck!Well... a very unpleasant and painful afternoon later, let me tell you that they had no idea what gluten free even means. For example, the server said their chicken teriyaki is gluten free, because you can eat the rice. ‍ (Yes, there is GF teriyaki, it's just made with Tamari instead of Soy sauce). I told them they will put someone in the hospital. I usually give one starts only to places that will actually give you food poisoning. This comes close, but giving it 2 because they won't kill non GF folks.