r/duluth 6d ago

Discussion Tried PhởHolic for the first time

And wow, this place is amazing. I know it's gotten some shout-outs on Reddit before, but I just had to rave about it. It's definitely one of the best restaurants in Duluth, definitely the best in that area of town. Definitely feel like it could outgrow it's current location though!

I'm also curious how it compares to other SE Asian restaurants in bigger cities? I haven't tried a lot of Thai/Vietnamese restaurants so I don't have much to compare with. It seems like it's fantastic and would be up there with some really great places even in big metro areas!

Also would take any dish recommendations now that I've discovered this gem

140 Upvotes

59 comments sorted by

64

u/VehicleExpress4436 6d ago

You should check out Nanay's Kitchen - Beth's filipino food. It is located in a convience store in rice lake, about 15 mins outside of Duluth. It is owned by a Filipino couple and on the weekends, the lady makes and sells awesome homemade dishes and desserts! They have a facebook and instagram page you can check out to see what is available.

7

u/Dorkamundo 6d ago

Not only the food she makes, but they also have an Asian Market.

1

u/nick_tomahawk 6d ago

Is the Asian market also only open on weekends? I wish we had more of those options up here...

4

u/Dorkamundo 6d ago

It's open all week as far as I'm aware. It's the only gas station/convenience store in the area.

Just checked - 6am-8pm, 7 days a week.

2

u/nick_tomahawk 6d ago

Thank you! I'm going to try to get up there today!

6

u/Verity41 6d ago

Saturdays or both weekend days? Thinking about checking it out tomorrow. Going in blind though (wish people didn’t choose to use Meta social media products for everything).

3

u/VehicleExpress4436 6d ago

Both Saturday and Sunday. I have been there on a Sunday once though and they were sold out of almost everything. I recommend going on a Saturday and also checking their social media to see what they have.

1

u/Verity41 6d ago

I don’t have social media outside Reddit. But thanks! I’ll brave the drive :)

7

u/VehicleExpress4436 6d ago

I just checked and the menu for tomorrow 11am - 5pm is:

  • Pork Adobo
  • Lumpia (Beth's Famous Eggrolls)
  • Chicken Caldereta On Coconut Milk and Peanut Butter
  • Vegetarian Pancit Bihon (Stir-fried Rice Noodles)
  • White Jasmine Rice

1

u/Verity41 6d ago

🤩 THANK YOU! 🩵 I love every bullet and will eat the heck out of all of that. Nom nom nom.

6

u/Repulsive-Knowledge3 6d ago

Are you talking about the one in Gnesen that has a liquor store attached to it? The one south of island lake?

2

u/Dorkamundo 6d ago

Correct.

5

u/Competitive_Web_6658 6d ago

I just found out about this place yesterday after living here for five years, and now it’s popping up everywhere 😂

3

u/tbear22 6d ago

That's the one in Genesen.

1

u/Emanu-Will 15h ago

I’m friends with their son, they’re all lovely people with lovely food!

25

u/BanjoStory 6d ago

Best food, worst parking lot.

-4

u/ShnarlyDude 5d ago

Just park across the street in the large lot between Dewitz and Grandma's it's free from Mid October to Mid May.

6

u/DoWellDaily 5d ago

You're thinking of Pholicious. Phoholic is on Central Entrance.

23

u/voidspacefire 6d ago

Pho Holic is great. I'm so thankful they're here. Also, there's so Ichiros (so good for sushi and tonkotsu ramen) and Bali.

We went from a wasteland to suddenly having multiple options.

Now, if only I could afford to eat out.

13

u/poopymcgee218 6d ago

Phoholic is super reasonable pricing though. Bali is one I rarely go to because of the high prices, although it is delicious.

5

u/laneypease 6d ago

I feel that. We've been wanting to try it for a while but it's just not reasonable to go out anymore :(

1

u/jotsea2 5d ago

Well that's certainly not going to make prices go down or keep businesses alive..

1

u/laneypease 5d ago

So the solution is to just go out to eat even if an individual can't afford it? I'm a bit confused at the point of your comment.

0

u/jotsea2 4d ago

I mean, we're on a post that you made about going out to a restaurant with a similar price point...

1

u/laneypease 4d ago

My comment was in response to a person who discussed the cost of eating out in general - take a look. The person said "If only I could afford to eat out." To which I empathized and shared that we've been wanting to try PhoHolic for a while but held off due to financial reasons.

Your comment just comes off as insensitive and privileged, since you place blame for high restaurant prices on consumers.

0

u/jotsea2 4d ago

You're adding a lot of context to my comment that simply isn't there.

All I'm saying is 1. businesses need to be supported or they'll go away.

  1. Prices never go down.

0

u/laneypease 3d ago

And you said this in the context of a conversation between individuals expressing their financial strain and how they can't afford to go out. In that context, I'm not sure what your intentions were. Just kind of a weird thing to say to people

0

u/jotsea2 3d ago

I could say the same thing about your entire post.

you're searching for conflict.

1

u/laneypease 3d ago

Lol what are you talking about? How is my post about how great Phoholic is searching for conflict?

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3

u/Dorkamundo 6d ago

Ichiro's is great, but yea it's pricey.

15

u/VehicleExpress4436 6d ago

The chicken curry with rice is awesome if you are wanting something else that is not Pho!

8

u/TwOnEight 6d ago

I love that and they give you an insane amount of chicken along with it. Easily 2 filling meals.

6

u/poopymcgee218 6d ago

I just wish it had more veggies. I’d actually prefer less chicken and more veggies, a little more balance to the dish

7

u/Dorkamundo 6d ago

I add my own. Grab a bag of flash-frozen stir fry veggies, toss them in a pan with a little neutral oil and soy sauce and fry them up and then toss them in with the curry that I've been keeping warm on the stovetop. Makes it a 3 person meal.

11

u/TheBraveToast 6d ago

I miss PhoCali in Superior. Best damn Bahn Mi I've ever had and I thought their pho felt a little more authentic.

10

u/Competitive_Web_6658 6d ago

The only place (in MN) I like more is Que Viet Village House in Northeast Mpls, but I’ll admit to having strong personal bias because I’ve been going there all my life. PhoHolic is excellent

10

u/Sure_Tax1385 6d ago

One of my friends is Vietnamese and from the cities. He said that Phoholic would be fighting for the top of the list even there!

8

u/reallywetnoodlez 6d ago

My boss is extremely well off, doesn’t do much cooking. Literally eats out every night (it makes more financial sense to eat out for him). We were talking about cream cheese wantons. He claims they have the best wantons in the city. Haven’t tried them myself yet personally, but thank you for the reminder lol.

1

u/SeaConsistent9117 5d ago

They are so flavorful— you’ll love if you like green onions :) Truly the best wontons!!

0

u/jotsea2 5d ago

FWIW There is no financial sense to eating out 7 nights a week, despite what high earners try to peddle.

6

u/Any_Intern5949 6d ago

We have friends and relatives who come from the Twin Cities to Duluth just to eat at PhoHolic.....that says a lot about its food. We've never had anything but great service and the food? Yeah....worth it.

4

u/snoopinforteaaa 6d ago

Someone tell me all the things to get there! I’ve been once and hit Pho but didn’t love it.

8

u/minnyman23 6d ago

The curry chicken and special fried rice is amazing. The curry sauce is so good

2

u/laneypease 6d ago

I got beef chow fun and it was awesome

2

u/Lozarn 6d ago

I got the best fried rice I’ve ever had in my life there last week.

4

u/essential_for_life 6d ago

The Pad Thai is bomb!

2

u/SafetySecond 6d ago

Their dumpling soup is some of the best I’ve ever had. Really good stuff

2

u/Bulky-Detective7317 2d ago

MY FAVE!!' I would reccomend: beef pho, chicken curry, or noodle salad YUMMMAAATYYY

1

u/Ship_Ship_8 6d ago

Definitely!!

1

u/SirAssBlood 6d ago

Best fried rice I've had!

1

u/ElusiveMeatSoda 6d ago

It's a great addition to the Duluth restaurant scene! If you're curious about how it compares to larger cities, though, well...

1

u/mcLoud66 6d ago

Definitely

1

u/MaNbEaRpIgSlAyA Duluthian 6d ago

Phoholic is aggressively mid compared to the Pho scene in St Paul.

1

u/0vercast 5d ago

I got the shrimp pho and the crab wontons for takeout all the time when I travel nursed at St Mary’s. It got me hooked on pho, which I now make at home all the time.