Editor’s Note: Fork & Dagger is 828newsNOW’s anonymous restaurant review series, written by our independent Grub Scout—no freebies, no press perks, no agenda. Grub Scout pays full price, visits unannounced, and takes notes on food, service, atmosphere, and value. Each review reflects a recent, honest experience rated on our 1‑to‑5 fork scale. We aim to help you discover standout dining spots—from casual diners to white‑tablecloth affairs—one bite at a time.
It was another one of those cold nights where I desperately craved hot soup, so we made the trek to South Asheville for Wild Ginger Pho. I’d not been there in several years, so I didn’t know what to expect post-COVID/post-Helene.
They’ve drastically changed their decor. It used to be a boring white hole in the wall, a la big city. Now, it’s pretty flashy urban chic, with kitschy pho puns on the wall and a Korean cooking channel playing on a big TV in the corner. There’s even a self-serve cotton candy machine. It’s pretty ridiculous, and I enjoyed the absurdity of it all.
They seated us quickly and were very friendly, as always. We both ordered the classic Kirin Ichiban, a delicate Japanese-style pilsner that never disappoints when paired with any Asian food.
For food, we began with the Cha Gio, fried egg rolls stuffed with carrots, jicama, pork and bean thread noodles and served with sweet chili sauce. They were stupendous.
On to the pho … I had the Pho Doc Biet, the house special, which is the only entree I’ve ever gotten there, because it is consistently incredible. It’s essentially the meat-lover’s pho. The broth is loaded with meatballs, flank steak, beef brisket, beef tendon, eye of round steak and tripe. This is all served with a giant bowl of fresh basil, jalapeno and mung bean sprouts on the side. Make sure to pile it on. It really makes a perfect dish even more delicious.
She went with the Pho Ga, the white chicken breast pho, the broth of which was lighter than the beef and somewhat creamy, and it was quite delightful.
Surprisingly, every aspect was good as it ever was. Somehow, Wild Ginger has not fallen victim to the degraded quality of product and service that many other restaurants in Western North Carolina have. I’m not even sure they’ve raised their prices. Two entrees, an appetizer and two beers was a mere $50, very reasonable for dinner these days.
This is definitely the best Vietnamese restaurant in WNC, and at this point, I’m guessing it always will be.
