I’ve had pho from maybe over a dozen different Vietnamese places here in the states and have gone to a bunch of peoples’ favorite pho joint because every time I mention that I don’t love pho to somebody, they insist that I just haven’t had good pho and we usually go to their favorite joint and I’ve always been a little disappointed.
I love soups, I love broth, I love noodles, I love different types of food from different cultures from all over the world. I don’t think pho is that good.
I’ll take a mediocre bowl of ramen over a “good” bowl of pho any day. Miss me with that branch of basil and a giant bowl of broth.
IMO, the best kind is beef tendon. I can take or leave the other flavors, but a quality beef tendon pho is every bit the equal of a good ramen.
But yeah, it’s not for everyone.