Who knew that there was yet another Vietnamese place in Williamsburg? This place is literally right across the street from Brooklyn Banh Mi on Lorimer Street, so it's easy enough to get your casual Vietnamese fill in on this one block. The main difference is that Nicky's has actual seating and they offer a slightly bigger menu which includes pho.
I vaguely remember there being a Nicky's in Park Slope when I lived there but I don't recall them offering pho there, only banh mi. Given that there is such a dearth of nearby pho options, I was willing to try anything that vaguely resembles this dish. It's definitely not an authentic place as they only offer beef, chicken or a veggie option - a more traditional pho place will offer 20 different kinds of strictly beef pho. I went with the beef option and an ice coffee. The "kitchen" is open and right next to the cash register and you can hear them microwaving and heating things up, which I'm sure other places do as well but somehow I didnt' want to actually hear or see it. The pho comes out and it's in this cheap plastic bowl and flimsy plastic spoon. So that was kind of a turn off. But the noodles were actually pretty good and cooked well. The broth was only ok and was missing that simmered beef bone flavor that a true pho base has. I put a bunch of hoisin sauce to give it some more umph. I did end up slurping up most of the broth, so I guess it couldn't have been that bad. The cuts of meat were nice and thin but they were cooked all the way through and not as rare as I would like in my pho. They do give you a nice side of bean sprouts, cilantro and peppers if you want to add more than what's in the bowl.
The place is run by loud Chinese people and I could hear and understand everything they were arguing about while I was eating there. Funnily enough, it entertained me more than annoyed me but I could see how it could be distracting for some people. Overall, the pho wasn't anything I would be excited by but the fact that it's a 10 minute walk from my house and the only real pho option, I could see myself coming here every now and then when I'm really desperate but not willing to trek into the city for it. I am open to trying their banhi mi as that could be a nice take-out lunch option. Total bill: $13 with tax and ice coffee
Photo Credit: Yelp
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