Pho Crystal Is Fairview's Best-Kept Vietnamese Secret

Is it a crime to say one of our favorite bowls of pho in North Texas is in Allen?

Or should we say "One of our favorite bowls of pho in the suburbs north of Dallas" is at Pho Crystal? Better? Cool.

This little Vietnamese restaurant on Stacy Road is its own IFYKYK moment. It's squished between a cleaners, Edible Arrangements and Palio's Pizza Cafe. Three spots that don't exactly have you craning your neck to see what you missed.

But if you've ever driven by and wondered why the parking lot is full, you just discovered what you've been missing.
We stumbled into this spot for the first time over five years ago and have raved about it ever since. It's family-owned. No-frills. Killer pho. It nearly tops the cons list of moving south of I-635, but we'd get cut off and honked at any day to eat from their menu.

It's advertised as a pho restaurant, but whatever Vietnamese dish you can think of, they probably have it on their menu.

When you go, beef noodle soup (pho bo) or chicken noodle soup (pho ga) is the way to go, but have your way with all the starters, vermicelli plates, banh mi's, and fun drinks. The Vietnamese coffee is for strong coffee lovers and the taro smoothie is the perfect dessert that's not too sweet.
We've tried a bunch of different things on the menu, but on the most recent visit, we ordered the round steak spicy rice noodle and the taro smoothie.

Before you start eating, you need to ask for two things: chili oil and chili sauce. The tables come fully stocked with utensils, hoisin sauce, siracha and soy sauce, but the two aforementioned sauces are crucial to the bowl, but you'll get them only if you ask.
It's not that the soup needs the two sauces to be good. Trust us. It's fantastic, but the toppings and sauces are a crucial part of any pho experience. The chili oil and sauce are extremely fresh and enhance the rich, herbaceous broth.

Every bowl comes out quickly and piping hot with perfectly cooked noodles, tender meat and plenty of toppings. Don't forget to be generous with the lime, basil and bean sprouts.

Apart from the food, the service and consistency are what draw us back to this specific pho shop time after time. Even after five years, the quality of the food never varies, and the employees are always so friendly. Many people who come through here are greeted like family.

It's a small shop, so when a full house is gathering it can feel snug, but that should be the real testament to their food.

To the city of Allen (really Fairview), it may not be so hidden, but in an area full of dining options, mom-and-pop restaurants like these can fall under the radar for a lot of people. Not on our watch.

Pho Crystal, 431 Stacy Road, Fairview. Monday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.; closed Sunday.