Pho' Nomenal Vietnamese Noodle House is aware of the fact that many people in northwest Oklahoma City like to eat Vietnamese soup and noodles, but it is not always convenient to travel to Classen Boulevard where the majority of pho restaurants are located. Pho' Nomenal is a little more expensive than most of the Vietnamese restaurants in the Asian District, but not when the extra gas and travel expenses are factored in. I am one of the ones who benefit from having Pho' Nomenal closer to me than the Asian District restaurants, and I am very glad it has opened.

Pho' Nomenal is located next door to a Japanese restaurant on May Avenue south of Wilshire, and the two restaurants are connected by what seems to be a common kitchen (and I have heard the two restaurants have the same owner). Both of these restaurants have upscale interior, and seem to be following the trend of most Asian restaurants that have opened recently to have a nicer decor and to be somewhat more expensive than the small neighborhood "hole in the wall" restaurants. In the case of Pho' Nomenal I found the high prices to be mainly on the drinks rather than the food. Regardless of how they do it, though, I end up having to pay more than in the typical Asian District restaurant.

Many consider Pho' Nomenal to be the first pho restaurant in far northwest Oklahoma City, but I have actually been ordering pho at Kim Wah, about a mile to the north on May Aveune, for quite some time. Kim Wah has a giant Chinese buffet so their Vietnamese food tends to get overlooked, but my feeling is that it is probably better than Pho' Nomenal (although this is relative, since both are very good). The problem with Kim Wah is that they only sell one kind of pho, while Pho' Nomenal has a large variety of beef and chicken soup, as well as rice and bún noodle dishes (although Kim Wah also has several varieties of bún).

Chicken & rice noodle soup

If I could get over wanting reasonably priced hot jasmine tea with my meal I think Pho' Nomenal would be one of my regular stops, but unfortunately I look for more than just good food. I did enjoy both of the meals I ordered, however.