The Return of Phobruary

For the fifth straight year, three Thai and Laotian restaurants in the Silver City neighborhood on Milwaukee’s South Side are celebrating the Vietnamese soup, pho.

The restaurants participating are Bamboo at 3427 W. National Ave, Thai Bar-B-Que at 3417 W. National Ave, and Vientiane Noodle Shop at 3422 W. National Ave.

Sponsored by Layton Boulevard West Neighbors, each restaurant is offering $5 bowls of pho all February long. There is also the Phobruary challenge, where participants have the chance of winning a $25 gift certificate to Asian International Market at 3401 W. National Ave.

The challenge is to finish a $5 bowl of pho at each restaurant in one day. To participate, you should pick a restaurant to start with and order pho. After you finish your dish, send a photo of yourself with your empty bowl and your receipt to Celia Benton, economic development director at Layton Boulevard West Neighbors. She can be reached at celia@lbwn.org. The first three people to complete the challenge will receive a gift certificate. All other champions will win a certificate of achievement and be entered to win a gift certificate. The winner will be announced on March 1.

The three restaurants are located within a block of each other, making this challenge a daylong event and an opportunity to check out other attractions in Silver City between meals.

in a row, I would say that’s going to be a little too much to chew,” said Jay Benaderet, the first person to complete the challenge this year. If eating three bowls of pho one day is too daunting, taking advantage of the $5 meal is still a great option.

This story was originally published by Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, where you can find other stories reporting on eighteen city neighborhoods in Milwaukee.