Seattle has great Vietnamese food. There is no shortage of quality bowls of pho, but even in this wonderful food landscape, there are some standout spots that visitors (ahem, me) flock to, and locals return to. Pho Bac is one of them. The family owned business has been around from the 80s and currently operates a few restaurants around the city. Over the decades, it’s become an institution, a reliable, comforting haven from the likely wet and cold elements, where you are enveloped by the aroma of simmering broth that fills you with warmth even before you take the first sip.

Pho Bac manages to balance the traditional and contemporary, the flavors are authentic to the family, and the space feels distinctly Vietnamese American, with homey cultural aesthetics feeling natural in a bright, industrial space and trendy, internet era friendly graphics (I mean, “phocific northwest” in a neon sign form is peak Instagram era). Seattle serves up soup weather year round, so on any given day there’s likely a packed house and a bit of a wait. But they dole out steaming bowls of soup and plates of herbs efficiently, so it’s well worth popping in to fulfill a craving (or cultivate one).