I heart Superior Pho: Classic CLE Eats & Drinks

There are numerous places to get pho in Cleveland, and here are a few that stand out. Superior Pho, 3030 Superior Ave #105, Cleveland: #3 Pho tai chin (brisket and roundsteak). David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — What makes something “Classic CLE,” you ask? Well, some restaurants endure not because of hype or reinvention, but because they quietly, consistently get it right.

Superior Pho, tucked beneath the unassuming sign at East 31st and Superior in Cleveland’s AsiaTown, is one of those places. For more than two decades, it’s been a local landmark — a no-frills, all-flavor institution where broth speaks louder than marketing ever could.

The Bánh mì th?t at Superior Pho in Cleveland. (Photo by Scott Shaw / The Plain Dealer) SCOTT SHAW THE PLAIN DEALER The Plain Dealer

When Superior Pho opened in the early 2000s, Cleveland was only beginning to embrace the full range of Vietnamese cuisine.

Its owner, Joseph Nguyen, brought with him the traditional methods of slow-simmered pho — beef bones, star anise, clove and charred onion cooked down over hours — the kind of patience and precision you taste in every slurp. Now retired, Nguyen’s son Chris Nguyen and Chris’ wife Claudine have taken the baton.

Superior Pho, 3030 Superior Ave. (rear entry off East 31st Street), Cleveland, 216-781-7462, superiorpho.com: A good pho -- a fragrant, clear soup that makes use of freshly prepared meat broth, adorned with noodles and meats in various stages of cooking, plus all kinds of aromatic herbs, crunchy bean sprouts and zesty sauces -- is a national dish of Vietnam. Its primo here, in many versions. Fried rice and chicken and cabbage salads are also key choices. $-$$. Most major credit cards. Cuisine: Vietnamese.

It’s nothing fancy, but by the same token, there are no shortcuts. Just the essence of what pho was always meant to be: a restorative, deeply aromatic meal that balances comfort and craft. It’s a giant steamy sigh of relief — the stuff culinary dreams are made of.

Not hip to Pho? You don’t know what you’re missing.

It’s a hearty rice-noodle soup with cuts of tender, thinly-sliced beef veg accoutrements (sprouts, onion, jalapeño) and it will cure whatever is ailing you.

Whether you’re recovering from the flu, a hangover or a really bad break-up, there’s honestly no better cauldron of melodious medicine to soak up.

The broth comes out steaming in deep white bowls, herbs still arrive fresh and fragrant and every detail feels earned through repetition and respect.

The space itself is modest: bright lighting, simple tables, and the low hum of conversation that often spills into multiple languages.

Don’t judge the book by its cover. Superior is truth in the advertising and because of this, regulars have their orders down to muscle memory — pho tai with extra basil, iced Vietnamese coffee, spring rolls to start.

And some of us aren’t leaving until we get an unctuous Banh Mi — a classic sandwich you know I am already fond of and enjoy from Ninja City as well.

If I’m too full, I still get one to go.

You haven’t lived until you’ve eaten one of these over your sink at 2 a.m., after a loud rock show, ears still ringing. Believe me when I tell you, it just hits different.

The crack staff at SP delivers with the same quiet warmth that they always have. But the flavors are anything but mindful or demure.

In a city that’s seen waves of culinary trends come and go, Superior Pho has remained steady, a kind of cultural anchor for Cleveland’s growing AsiaTown district.

Its staying power lies in both tradition and trust. It’s the kind of place chefs and food critics point to when they talk about “authenticity,” not because it markets itself that way, but because it has never had to.

Superior Pho isn’t just a restaurant; it’s ritual — one that has fed generations of Clevelanders, Vietnamese families, students, and night-owl musicians looking for something real at the end of a long day.

While chasing the next big thing is trendy, Superior Pho endures by doing the simplest, hardest thing of all: staying true to itself. Temet nosce, indeed.

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