The Vietnamese restaurants along Federal Boulevard are like hermit crabs exchanging shells for the best fit. No sooner did Wonderbowl shut down at the corner of Federal and Kentucky Avenue than Pho Duy shed its two-decade-old shell, shuffling one address north into the bigger, more modern space — where it's now serving pho to a packed house nightly.
Pho Duy's original home didn't sit vacant for long, either. Newcomer Thuan Viet Restaurant opened there last week; it specializes in bun bo Hue, a beefier cousin of pho. Coincidentally, Wonderbowl made our list of noodle soups for a tasty version of bun bo Hue — so if that's the calling card of Thuan, it should be a welcome addition.