If the I.D.’s outside your door, Vietnam Restaurant may not be worth a side trip. But above the Lake Washington ship canal, this minichain is one of the best options for pho. Vietnam is demonstrably better than Than Brothers—in fact, it reminds us of what Than Brothers used to be, and that’s saying something.

The broth is rich and redolent of anise and the noodles are pliable but not mushy. Beef in its various forms is, of course, the way to go; try the pho tai, or the “everything” varieties. Naturally, the chicken pho is nothing great, but the vegetable-and-tofu version is surprisingly good for a place that otherwise relies so heavily on beefy goodness to give weight to the soup. Freshly made spring rolls and complimentary cream puffs help to round out a meal, and there are also bubble teas (not great) and Vietnamese coffee (better).

As far as feel goes…it’s just a mom-and-pop pho joint. If the table’s clean, that’s about as much as you can ask. Maybe wait until you get home to go to the bathroom.