Conveniently located near Texas Christian University, i-PHO is a hole in the wall Vietnamese restaurant with a few Chinese options.

The restaurant is owned by Tue Nguyen and has only been open for about five months. His staff is very small, with only six employees, Nguyen included.

You will find a variety of Vietnamese dishes, including eight different types of pho: beef, beef round eye, meatball, chicken, veggie, shrimp, seafood and the special, which combines brisket, round eye and meatballs. These range from $8.25 to $9.25; other entrees range from $3.95 to $9.95.

When I first walked to the open dining area, the aroma of the restaurant hit me a little hard. It’s not that it was bad, it’s just that I have never smelled anything like it. A few seconds later, however, I became quite accustomed to the smell.

One thing that is different about i-PHO is that you walk up to the register to order and pay for your food before you sit and eat it. This is probably due to the fact that most of the business is from takeout orders.

After I sat down, it took less than five minutes before my food was at the table.

I ordered the sesame chicken ($7.75) because it was something I was familiar with; one of my friends ordered the chicken pho ($8.25), which is one of the more popular dishes at the restaurant.

My chicken and steamed rice with broccoli was great. Everything was cooked precisely, the portions were exceptionally large, and because everything I needed to eat was on the table — silverware, chopsticks and condiments – I did not have to rely on a waiter or waitress; I got my own beverage refills.

I could not have asked for a better meal, and my friend said her pho was delicious.

The atmosphere in the place is very relaxed; it is a very good restaurant that is inexpensive and makes you feel like you’re just lounging around kicking it with friends.

Pho restaurants have become very popular in Fort Worth. i-PHO is a place I would recommend to anyone who wishes to try something new. Instead of going and spending $20 at a restaurant everyone goes to, why not go to a place where you will spend $12.50 max for the same or better quality food?

i-PHO is located at 2817 W. Berry St. in Fort Worth. The hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The restaurant accepts all major credit cards and is wheelchair accessible.