BoPho To-Go opened about as quietly as its predecessor closed in the Coldwater Centre shopping center at Coldwater and Wallen roads. But that was sort of by design, because the now-defunct Bambu and BoPho were owned and operated by Fort Wayne native Son Ngo and his family.

Bambu was a Vietnamese drink spot with bubble teas and coffees as well as specialty Asian waffles. It was a chain brand, which Ngo became a part of while living in San Jose, California, and which he thought would be a hit back home. He opened Bambu in December 2019, and then the pandemic happened.

BoPho To-Go is his own creation, so there is no chain cutting into his profits. And though it, too, has a nice selection of teas, coffees and much of what Bambu offered, the center of its universe is pho – the traditional Vietnamese noodle soup that has grown vastly in popularity over the past decade.

BoPho’s pho was fabulous and is now firmly entrenched as my favorite, thanks to the care taken to make it. You will understand why it is so good if you listen to Son talk about how he spends at least 12 hours nurturing the beef, chicken and vegetable stocks that are the base of the soups.

There isn’t much to choose from. The appetizers consist of chicken or tofu summer rolls and Vietnamese chicken and cabbage salad. Six styles of pho – four beef with brisket, meatballs, steak or the special combination of all three; chicken; and vegetarian with tofu. That’s it, and that is fine.

The brisket was my favorite of the beef offerings because it had such a pronounced beefy essence, which lifted the already delicious beef broth to amazing levels. It was also surprisingly tender and had that yummy fat around the edge. I will be getting the combo with all three most of time and may even be bold enough to ask for extra brisket.

The meatballs were also better than the norm, and the only problem I had with them was that they were cut in half and really needed to be quartered for optimal eating.

I had no problem with the chicken pho, which was better than chicken variations I have had elsewhere.

Its broth may have been even better than the nearly perfect beef. It was perfectly seasoned, and there was no mistaking it was homemade. I would gladly buy this stock to take home so I could put basically anything in it and have an amazing soup.

The shredded chicken – farmed from the meat used to create that stock – was tender and plentiful. It was joined in the stock with the standard cilantro and green onions, but it also had shredded cabbage, which added a little texture and made it seem even more homey.

When it came to all the soups, however, there were a few things missing. Each pho included mung bean sprouts, jalapeno circles, lime wedges and fresh basil, but there could have been a little more of each. It wasn’t a deal-breaker by any means, and I am fine with asking or even paying a little extra to have some more, but it was noticeable.

I was also surprised by the lack of condiments. Though sriracha was provided, there was no hoisin sauce or any variety of hot sauces – most pho shops also offer a house-made chili paste to really fire things up. Though the broths were seasoned nicely, there was one time I wish I had access to a little soy sauce to liven things up as I got near the end of my bowl.

I also needed more napkins – something else that wasn’t readily available without asking – because pho can be a drippy affair.

The dark house-made peanut sauce that accompanied the summer rolls was fantastic, and I didn’t need anything else to liven them up. These raw specialties were fresh and tightly wrapped for easy eating. The stringy chicken came off as a little dry, however.

That same chicken had no dryness issues in the Vietnamese chicken and cabbage salad. One of the best things I ate last year, this unique original concoction has the same shredded cabbage and stewed chicken as the pho along with herbs, and it includes enough of Ngo’s spicy fish sauce dressing to coat all of the fixin’s so it is almost like a slaw.

That sauce has some punch but won’t knock you out by any means, and it would probably make any salad great.

And, no, Ngo hasn’t given up on desserts, even though he had traded his dessert spot for a soup kitchen. The café sua da and the brown sugar milk tea at BoPho To-Go are just as good as they were at Bambu, but the waffles have been traded for little Nagasaki cakes.

These Asian sponge cakes are much lighter and fluffier than their American cousins. There are original or milk versions offered, and I found the milk ones – no surprise here – to be a little more moist with a creamy finish that I really enjoyed with my coffee.

BoPho didn’t change much aesthetically since it switched from Bambu. Though it is dubbed as To-Go, there are plenty of tables to dine in, and it is clean and streamlined like a good fast-casual pho shop you would find in any big city. The walls feature attractive, bright photos of commonplace soup ingredients in their natural state, and the brightly lit menu board adds some pizazz.

If you do dine in, you will be properly waited on. The soup will be delivered to your table, and Ngo and his family will check on you from time to time to make sure there is nothing you need and, more importantly, to make sure you are enjoying his food.

Restaurant: BoPho To-Go

Address: 8812 Coldwater Road

Phone: 755-7548

Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Handicapped accessible: Yes

Alcohol: No

Kid-friendly: Yes

Menu: Summer Rolls ($6 for 2), Cabbage Salad ($6), beef pho ($15 for special combo, $13.50 for brisket, $13 for steak, meatball, chicken or vegetarian), Nagasaki Cake ($1 per slice; $9 for package of 10)

Rating breakdown: Food: 3 (3-star maximum); atmosphere: ½ (1 max.), service: 1 (1 max.)

Ryan DuVall is a restaurant critic for The Journal Gazette. This review is based on two unannounced visits. The Journal Gazette pays for all meals. Email DuVall at [email protected] or call at 461-8130.