Ba Bar Restaurant in Seattle

beef ball pho

Yesterday I got to check out a Vietnamese restaurant in the Central District, Ba Bar.  Their claim to fame is the pho, as they cook the broth for days.  According to their website, they believe that "life is too short for five dollar pho."  I definitely noticed a difference in the broth; it was rich and not watered down like some of the cheaper joints around town.  And Ba Bar's beef ball pho still comes out to a reasonable eight dollars.  But in the end, to me pho is still pho, and I like my food to fill me up.  Enter the next dish, which was a real winner: the grilled prawn vermicelli.  It was hearty, the prawns were meaty and grilled to perfection, and the crispy imperial roll was the perfect contrast to the soft vermicelli noodles.  I slathered my noodles with the delicious sauces that came with the meal; one a bright hot sauce, and the other a sweet plum. 

grilled wild-caught prawn, crispy imperial roll, vermicelli, peanut, mint

We closed off our meal with key lime macarons baked daily by their pastry chef.  The key lime was a refreshing end to a excellent, affordable meal.

 key lime macarons


Ba Bar is located at 550 12th Ave. in Seattle