Pho in Huntington Beach, CA

Our broth starts with marrow bones (femur) and leg bones, and it runs for 22 hours before a bowl goes out. Nothing about that clock is a marketing number; it's how long it takes collagen and marrow to break down into something that coats a spoon instead of just filling it.

Before the bones ever hit the pot, we parboil them: a short boil, then a rinse, to knock loose the surface impurities that would otherwise cloud the broth or turn the flavor sharp. Through the full 22-hour simmer, we come back and skim it, pulling the fat and foam that rise to the top. Skip that step and the broth turns cloudy and heavy; do it right and you get something clear enough to see the bottom of the bowl through.

The aromatics go in roasted, not charred over an open flame: onion and ginger, given real color and sweetness in the oven before they hit the pot. Roasting builds depth without the bitterness char would add.

Spice is toasted whole, not powdered from a jar: star anise, cinnamon, cardamom, clove, coriander seeds, and fennel. Toasting wakes the oils in each one before they go into the broth. That's the difference between a spice you can point to and a broth that just tastes vaguely "spiced."

Every bowl starts the same way: 22-hour beef bone broth, rice noodles, and a garnish plate of bean sprouts, thai basil, cilantro, jalapeños, and limes. What changes is how many proteins you want in it.

Spark ($13) is one protein. Kindling ($14) is two. Flame ($15) is three. Fire ($18) is our signature bowl: brisket, rare steak, tendon, beef ball, and beef ribs, all five in one. Pick from brisket, rare steak, tendon, beef ball, chicken thigh, shrimp, or tofu; go premium with filet mignon or beef ribs for $2 more.

Veggie Phở ($14) swaps in bok choy, broccoli, mushrooms, and tofu, but it's made with the same beef broth as everything else on this list, not a vegetable stock. It isn't vegetarian, and we'd rather tell you that here than have you find out at the table.

Noods & Soup Only ($9) is the bowl for when you want broth and noodles and nothing else.

Everything past the pho — appetizers, garlic noodles, fried rice, drinks — is on the Fire Pho menu.

The noodles are dried rice noodles, cooked to order right before they go into your bowl, not left sitting pre-cooked in a warmer.

The rare steak is thinly sliced and already cooked before it reaches you. It doesn't finish cooking in the broth at the table. That's a different dish, and not what we serve.

Your garnish plate (bean sprouts, thai basil, cilantro, jalapeños, and lime) arrives on the side, not already in the bowl, so you decide how much goes in and when. Most people add the herbs and sprouts early, so they warm through, and save the lime and jalapeño for taste as they go.

The broth itself isn't spicy. Any heat in the bowl comes from what you add: jalapeños from the garnish plate, or a spoonful of our house chili oil, which we serve on the side rather than mixed in.

Phở and bún bò Huế are both Vietnamese beef noodle soups, and that's close to where the similarity ends. Phở is the clear, aromatic bowl on this page: beef bone broth, roasted onion and ginger, toasted whole spice, mild until you add heat yourself. Bún bò Huế is spicier and heavier, built on lemongrass and fermented shrimp paste, with thick round noodles instead of flat ones.

Want something mild that lets you control the heat? Order phở. Want a bowl that's already spicy from the first spoonful? Try our bún bò Huế in Huntington Beach.

Fire Pho sits on Edinger Ave between Golden West College and Bella Terra, with free parking in the lot out front. If you're coming from the Westminster and Little Saigon corridor, it's a straight run west on Edinger, no freeway needed. Exploring the area? See other restaurants near Bella Terra.