Pho Tre Bien Noodle Bar

7456 Cimarron Market Ave.
El Paso, TX
(915) 231-6866

Pho Tre Bien Noodle Bar

This “Pho Tre Bien” is the fourth one to open out of five in the city of El Paso. Unlike many Asian and other ethnic restaurants, border residents seem to have embraced Vietnamese food. The restaurants here have about half of the menu items served in Oklahoma City, and only a small part of the Vietnamese dishes available in Seattle. Nevertheless, the flavor at the Pho Tre Bien restaurants has been quite good during the years that I have been coming. Pho Tre Bien Bistro has had a Vietnamese cook the times I have gone, and this seems to be a key factor in its food quality. Here I do not know who cooks the food. Since my first visit in January 2023, though, it has become very predictable that the food quality here will be quite high.

I think there are some items at the main restaurant on I-10 and at the Bistro on Mesa St. that are not served here. It is probably just as well though because some Vietnamese dishes seem to be difficult to prepare outside of their home country, and I would rather have a smaller selection if they are all prepared the right way. So far the track record here is pretty good.

Tea

Jasmine tea the way it is meant to be

This restaurant has excellent Jasmine Tea that is brewed with loose leaves, and the price is very good as well. A friend of mine who likes green tea was converted to Jasmine here because of the flavor of loose-leaf tea.

Vermicelli
This restaurant has a Lemongrass Bowl which might be missed because it is not listed in sections of meat selections such as chicken or pork. Here there is a lemongrass stir-fry menu item with either chicken, beef, or tofu and you can choose between rice and vermicelli.

Lemongrass stir-fry with chicken and vermicelli noodles

I particularly like the Lemongrass Chicken and Vermicelli. It has been as good here as the ones I have had at the other Pho Tre Bien restaurants.

The fish sauce (for the vermicelli bowls and other dishes) is “mild” (American) like they have at almost every other Vietnamese restaurant I have visited in the United States.

Pork Chop

Lemongrass pork chop

The Pork Chop here was a little bit different than the one at the Bistro (Mesa St.) restaurant because this one was made with lemongrass and the other had egg on top. I think both are good but the Bistro pork chop stands out in my mind as one of the best things I have had in El Paso. This one stands out because the serving is very substantial and the flavor is good (but I think not as good as good as the one at the Bistro).

Clay pot chicken

I have found the clay pot dishes to be very good here including the Clay Pot Chicken. It is especially good to take home because the reheating process is much simpler than on a dish such as chicken vermicelli.

Clay pot tofu

The Clay Pot Tofu is very good for dining in or takeout. The big draw for me is the sauce which gives flavor to the tofu and lets me eat a non-meat dish that I really like.

Vietnamese crepe

The Vietnamese Crepe is one of the biggest finds I have made in Vietnamese food for something very different and very good. The standard ingredients for this dish in any restaurant include shrimp and pork. Several vegetables are served on the side and you add them as desired. I think the trick is to get the right texture and flavor in the crepe, and the one here has it. This is is one of the few restaurants that use the American names for all the dishes, and I think this encourages some people to try things that they otherwise would not do.

Vegetable side dish

The Vegetable Side Dish has the primary vegetables used in Vietnamese food, in case you want just the vegetables.

Spicy beef soup

The Spicy Beef Soup is interesting because it is a lot like bún bò Huế served at many restaurants, but without the congealed pork blood and some other ingredients that I find questionable. By the way, the authentic version also has MSG, something I found in too many of the Oklahoma City restaurants but which has not been an issue on my visits here.

An Assessment
At first the food and service were a little rocky but now Pho Tre Bien Noodle Bar is one of my favorite restaurants. In fact, I think the only thing missing here is what I have found in Oklahoma City and Seattle where the menu is expanded to include many dishes I have never tried and some that I do not want to try.

The dining room is a lot larger than at Pho Tre Bien Bistro, but the best dining room is still at the main restaurant on Gateway East Boulevard. The Noodle Bar seems to be more consistent than its sister west side restaurant, The Bistro, in having drinks and other items that are supposedly on the menu. I do think the chef at the Bistro is particularly good, and personally cooks some of the more prominent items like the pork chop.

For noodle plates I think this restaurant has it nailed. My friends say the pho is good too.

Crepes are the one item where I still say go to Saigon Taste.

Note:

Pho Tre Bien Bistro is at 3737 N. Mesa

Pho Tre Bien is at 6946 Gateway East

RATING: 24

Asian Food Details

Tea:	Jasmine (loose leaves), Boba
MSG:	Yes
Buffet:	No

 

Special Ratings

	Lemongrass Pork Chop
	Lemongrass Chicken Vermicelli Bowl
	Tofu Clay Pot
	Chicken Clay Pot
	Spicy Beef Soup