Taipei East District’s CYCLO LA Beef Pho Elevates Vietnamese Street Food with “Gourmet” Luxury

feature chicken fat spread on the inner layer of rice paper, wrapped with ham, fresh shrimp, rice noodles, cucumber, carrot, and topped with peanut sauce, finished with caviar for extra umami — truly extravagant. (Photo by Yao Shun)

Tucked away in an alley within Taipei East District’s Dinghao Commercial Area, doesn’t reveal much about what kind of eatery it is through its signage or interior design. Yet, it’s actually Taiwan’s first “American-style Vietnamese pho restaurant.” Well-informed food bloggers and friends who’ve studied in the U.S. West Coast all give a thumbs-up, praising its pho as “the best Vietnamese pho in Taipei.”

comes with six types of beef fillings, making it a signature popular dish on the menu. (Photo by Yao Shun)

At , you can freely choose beef from different countries and cuts to enjoy varying textures and flavors. (Photo by Yao Shun)

are made with Vietnamese “rice paper” wrapped around pork, glass noodles, wood ear mushrooms, onion, and carrot, then deep-fried — resulting in a crispy exterior and generous filling. (Photo by Yao Shun)

Heavily influenced by Chinese culinary culture, Vietnamese pho is a national dish of Vietnam. With the increase of Vietnamese immigrants in Taiwan, it’s now easy to find this everyday meal — eaten morning and night by locals — across the country. However, the pho at is “American-style,” and young owner Ye Lixun, who believes in “running a snack shop like a fine-dining restaurant,” spares no expense on ingredients or shortcuts in cooking. As a result, it has carved out a name and built a reputation in the fiercely competitive F&B market. It not only attracts many ABCs (American-born Chinese) for a taste of nostalgia but also frequently sees stylish foodies and even business elites arriving in black limousines to sit on wooden benches and dig in.

Ye Lixun’s family has been in the F&B business for generations; his grandmother was the founder of the iconic Ximending Sichuan restaurant . Growing up in the U.S., he worked at a travel agency after graduating from university and eventually became a manager. When the agency sent him to China to expand operations, he stayed for only six months before feeling out of place and deciding to return to Taiwan to start his own business. Five years ago, he opened Taiwan’s first American-style Vietnamese pho restaurant under the Vietnamese word for “rickshaw,” . The shop’s trendy design and delicious pho quickly made it a hit. It successfully expanded into a chain in Taipei and even ventured westward to open two branches in Xiamen.

, marinated in shrimp paste, coated in batter, and deep-fried, offer a very tempting texture and flavor. Paired with pineapple cooked in cinnamon powder and honey, the sweet and sour combination is delightful. (Photo by Yao Shun)

includes two fresh shrimp, clams, abalone slices, and char siu pork, with a broth made from pork and chicken bones enhanced with shrimp oil — all for just NT$230 per bowl. (Photo by Yao Shun)

features Indian-style curry and beef brisket. Break the onsen egg into it and mix — incredibly delicious. (Photo by Yao Shun)

Success came too fast, and Ye Lixun became solely focused on “scaling up,” pouring all his energy into overseas expansion while handing Taiwan’s operations over to a partner. Without his personal oversight, ’s quality suffered. To maintain standards and protect the hard-won brand reputation, Ye decided to “start over” — cutting his losses by closing other outlets and keeping only one store in Taipei’s Dinghao Commercial Area. His new motto: “Do it well, do it slowly,” as he works to restore the brand’s former glory.

The U.S. is a nation of immigrants, and Vietnamese pho gained popularity there earlier than in Taiwan. Many Taiwanese who have worked, lived, or studied in the U.S. often cite Vietnamese pho as their go-to Asian comfort food. Ye Lixun said he ate Vietnamese pho at least three times a week during his school days. Seeing how widely accepted the dish was among “all kinds of people,” he decided to start a pho shop.

blend the concept of

〈CYCLO LA Beef Pho〉 offers authentic Vietnamese pho with |? various types of premium noodles for customers to choose from. (Photo by Yao Shun)

In order to learn how to make Vietnamese pho, Yeh Li-hsün first worked at a Vietnamese-owned pho shop in Los Angeles. But he found learning that way too slow, so he decided to pay tuition and learn directly from local Vietnamese elders about the ingredients and cooking process for making pho. Only after mastering the craft did he return to Taiwan to open his own shop.

“You can find all kinds of great ingredients in the U.S.,” says Yeh Li-hsün. The biggest difference between American-style Vietnamese pho and traditional Vietnamese pho is that Americans love meat, so local Vietnamese pho shops often use American beef. “When you use good meat, the flavor naturally improves.” He emphasizes that this is also the main reason why 〈CYCLO〉 focuses on “beef pho.”

The 〈Sugarcane Juice〉 at 〈CYCLO LA Beef Pho〉 is made by juicing red sugarcane from Puli, then boiling and freezing it to create a sweet yet not cloying taste. (Photo by Yao Shun)

Yeh Li-hsün’s family runs 〈Qianyuan Sichuan Cuisine〉 in Ximending, and he has had a strong sense of food and cooking since childhood. (Photo by Yao Shun)

Located in Taipei’s Top One shopping district, 〈CYCLO LA Beef Pho〉 features an interior design with fashionable elements, transforming a humble eatery into a trendy restaurant. (Photo by Yao Shun)

Yeh Li-hsün comes from a family in the food and beverage industry, having developed a “food DNA” from a young age. Coupled with his own strong drive for achievement, he “sells pho with the standards of running a restaurant,” pays meticulous attention to ingredients, and spares no effort in his cooking process—so the resulting flavors are naturally beyond comparison with those of ordinary snack shops.

The broth for 〈CYCLO〉’s pho is simmered using beef marrow bones and gelatin-rich oxtail, along with onions, ginger, star anise, and cardamom. For the beef in the beef pho, besides options from the U.S. and New Zealand in various cuts, there’s also the choice of “golden breast meat” from domestic cattle—a cut meticulously trimmed from Taiwan’s fresh native beef. With its fat content, it offers a tender yet firm texture and sweet flavor. Beyond classic Vietnamese pho, the shop also provides |? a selection of alternative noodle types for diners to choose from. It’s this level of dedication that turns what would otherwise be just another casual eatery into something truly special.

Besides serving delicious pho, 〈CYCLO〉 also brings the spirit of California cuisine into the restaurant. On the menu, you can find upgraded Vietnamese street food favorites like 〈Saigon Fried Spring Rolls〉 and 〈Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls〉, as well as 〈Southern-Style Shrimp Paste Fried Chicken Wings〉 paired with caramelized pineapple, Indian-inspired 〈Star Curry Beef Brisket Rice〉, 〈California Meat Sauce Potato Wedges〉 seasoned with cheddar cheese sauce, slow-roasted 〈French Country Pork Ribs〉, and 〈Stone Plate Chicken Skewers〉. It’s precisely because “it’s not just a pho snack shop” that 〈CYCLO〉 has been able to thrive in Taipei’s pricey and competitive East District and win the hearts of food lovers.

(Commercial)