In a city renowned for its Vietnamese cuisine, with an Asian District practically wafting with pho spices, it takes a special noodle to stand out from the fray. In Chisholm Creek, the rapidly developing northside OKC area that has recently seen the arrival of Gordon Ramsay’s first Oklahoma restaurant and a new location of burger-slinging Spark, “stand out” is an understatement at Twenty Pho Hour, an Orlando-bred brand that holds the distinction of being America’s first 2-D noodle bar.
It feels almost a misnomer to label Twenty Pho Hour a mere restaurant, considering the sheer artistry, immersiveness and originality of the concept. After the original location opened in Orlando right before the pandemic, the establishment’s original owner and native Oklahoman decided to bring the striking eatery home, with the goal not only to serve exceptional pho (and other Asian dishes) and be part of an evolving foodie community, but whisk guests into a world of whimsy and imagination.
“We want to have customers feel like they’re walking into a comic book,” explained the owner. “That’s why we have all the windows wrapped, so we can exclude it from the outside world.” Once inside the discreet door, customers are met with a dining room unlike anything else in town—one that’s entirely black and white, right down to the monochrome soda machine and trash can, the walls brimming with illustrations and characters woven together via stories and settings.
“Black and white is very simple, but we try to paint a story,” added the owner, highlighting pho and boba “characters” throughout the enchanting room—all hand-drawn by the same artist who illustrated the Orlando original. “It’s not just a drawing, it tells a whole story about how we make pho and boba.” The story is depicted through whimsical characters and place-making icons, including imagery from Paris, Oklahoma City and Vietnam. “They (pho and boba) go around the world, gathering ingredients, and then come back home to make the perfect pho.”
And perfecting pho is precisely what they’ve done. In addition to other pan-Asian dishes, like stir-fries, pad Thai, and dumplings, the menu is anchored by inventive pho bowls, like the T-Rex Pho with eye round steak, short rib and brisket, and the Pho-Let Mignon, with brisket and four ounces of sliced filet—each option slow-simmered for 24 hours (hence the name), with broth poured tableside through teapots, and enriched with onions, cilantro, scallions, bean sprouts, basil, jalapeño, lime and redolent spices. “Most of the Vietnamese restaurants are very traditional,” says the owner. “We want to modernize that.”
Operating almost like a gallery-restaurant hybrid, the 2-D component is designed to invite curiosity, and the fast-casual format was intentional to encourage guests to explore the space and take pictures after placing their orders. While there’s certainly no shortage of high-quality pho in OKC, there’s nothing like Twenty Pho Hour. Said the owner, “We don’t just sell food, we sell an experience.”
Check out Twenty Pho Hour OKC at 1332 W. Memorial Road, OKC or at twenty-pho-hour.com/okc.
