A new Asian restaurant is bringing an authentic Vietnamese option west of Fort Worth. Called The Holic Pho, it's now open at 108 S. Ranch House Rd, # 13001, in the Willow Park area west of Aledo, next door to Railhead Smokehouse BBQ, where it's serving pho, stir-fries, and Vietnamese favorites.
The Holic Pho is from Huy "Kevin" Ngo, a native of Vietnam who resided in California before moving to Texas, seeking better economic opportunities. He opened the first location in 2020 in Abilene, of all places, because he saw the town was in need of Asian food. That was his inspiration for Willow Park, as well.
"When I would drive to obtain supplies, I would stop for gas, and could see there were no Asian restaurants," he says. "There are plenty of Asian options in Fort Worth, but not so much, once you get out of the city. I felt like we could bring something out to that area."
Ngo and his wife are not afraid of challenges; after all, they opened an Asian restaurant in Abilene during the pandemic. To open the Willow Park location, they spent 10 months "pouring our hearts into every detail," he says.
The space reflects their efforts: It's tasteful and modern, with pale wood appointments in a bright and cheerful space, along with a patio.
"The patio was important — it's a major draw for us at our Abilene location," Ngo says.
The Holic Pho in Willow ParkThe Holic Pho
The menu features 11 kinds of pho including rare steak, short rib, brisket, meatball, spicy pho (with brisket and meatballs), chicken, shrimp, and seafood (with crab, shrimp, and fried fishball), plus a vegan pho with tofu, most priced at $14. There are also rice plates with grilled chicken, shaken beef, and even shaken shrimp.
Appetizers include egg rolls, fried dumplings, popcorn chicken, and pork baos with the ingredients of a banh mi including pickled carrot and cucumber.
They added a few dishes exclusive to the Willow Park location including stir-fried steak with rice and shrimp garlic noodles — a little more sophisticated to fulfill local palates, and they're already earning raves.
"In Abilene, we do a lot of fried rice, but for this location, we wanted to offer something for big-city tastes," Ngo says.
The name is as one might guess — referring to the suffix that means "a person who has an addiction to or obsession with something." Which maybe makes it ironic that they do not serve alcohol — but they have a huge menu of beverages including boba tea with many flavors of fruit tea and milk tea, plus smoothies in 13 flavors including strawberry banana, pineapple coconut, matcha, and Oreo dream.
