Cheap Eats: Triangle Restaurants that serve the best pho, hot pot and more
A monthly roundup of ethnic eats, counter service chow and other tasty bargains. This month, we set off on a world tour in search of noodle soups and other meal-in-a-bowl adventures.
Captain Poncho’s Tacos
706 Market St., Chapel Hill
919-697-2237
Rib-sticking rendition of posole, a spicy Mexican pork and hominy soup.
El Chapin
4600-38 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd., Durham
919-908-7975
Caldo de res, a hearty Guatemalan beef soup chockablock with fresh vegetables.
El Cuscatleco
Two locations: 4212 Garrett Road, Durham; 1383 SE Maynard Road, Cary
919-401-5245 (Durham); 919-650-2706 (Cary)
Salvadoran take on Mondongo, a popular Puerto Rican beef tripe stew with variations all over Latin America.
Noodle Boulevard
919 N. Harrison Ave., Cary
919-678-1199
Pan-Asian variations on the noodle soup theme, from Japanese shoyu to Bangkok shrimp.
Pho Far East
4011-133 Capital Blvd., Raleigh
919-876-8621
Pho (Vietnamese beef noodle soup), as authentic as it gets in these parts.
Shanghai
3433 Hillsborough Road, Durham
919-383-7581
Shrimp-stuffed tofu hot pot: an earthenware dish laden with egg-battered shrimp-and-tofu bites in an umami-rich sauce.
Tacos y Mariscos Vallarta
3177 Capital Blvd., Raleigh
919-790-2696
Siete mares, Mexican seafood soup that lives up to its name with a bounty of fish and shellfish in a chile-spiced sea.
Vit Goal Tofu
2107 Allendown Dr., Durham
919-361-9100
More than a dozen variations on Korean tofu soup, from kimchi pork to clam.
This story was originally published December 21, 2016 at 11:00 AM with the headline "Cheap Eats: Triangle Restaurants that serve the best pho, hot pot and more."