Pho Bolsa

This place now has a new name, and new owners. It’s called Bahn Mi Che Cali Phở. Funny, there were no Bahn mi on the menu. This place is filthy, the phở was filled with very overlooked rubber shrimp and gristly pieces of beef. I used to love the egg rolls here, but today I got a big glop of fat in my roll. Gag!
Not a fan.

I am feeling under the weather today and my voice went several octaves lower that I sound like Barry White. To reemphasize, I helped a customer over the phone and at the end of the call he said, «thank you young man for all your help.» I had to keep it together and let it go since I am not feeling very well to argue with him that I was a female. Anyways…
Needless to say, I needed something to sooth my throat and chicken noodle soup certainly fit the bill. The chicken noodle soup at Phở Bolsa was only $ 3.75, which included tax! It came with bean sprouts, mints, a slice of lime, jalapeño slice and a mini bowl of sauce with minced floating ginger bits floating on the top. I was a little confused by the purposed of mini bowl of sauce but the waitress was nice enough to explain that I dunk my chicken in it to flavor. Hot tea is free with the soup but you have to request for it. The bowl of soup consisted of rice noodle, chunks of white chicken meat, and green onion. This special price is dine-​in only and be sure to bring cash.

2.5 stars.
The place had a slight interior facelift, but they are still missing the mark in general by a pretty wide margin.
I got number 23 soft rice noodle with beef, shrimp and squid, and there was too much sauce, and not enough garlic. The meat and noodles were tasty, but the squid and shrimp were disposable. Egg rolls are pretty much always good here, just not sure if they are enough to keep me coming back.
They painted the walls inside and took down the random ripped up, wrinkled travel posters and appear to be ‘trying’ to update but they still need to increase good hygiene (there were little flies about and sticky tables). Also, they were carrying on construction during business hours, using a grinder on a big slab of filthy glass they were trying to mount in front of a food prep station, so there was no good ambient noise like music or lots of people talking, it was a lil too quiet and the construction noise was annoying.
My impression is that someone told them they needed to change/​improve A, B and C and threw a few dollars at the idea, decided to go the cut rate budget version of ‘improvements’ and then remained clueless while half-​assedly carrying out a few cosmetic changes.
They have some new tableware. Doesn’t help much, but it makes a slightly more professional presentation, especially considering all their plates and bowls used to be plastic. If you ask for an extra plate or bowl you get one of their old plastic ones lol.

What kind of Vietnamese restaurant doesn’t have spring rolls? :(SO SAD
We went to the nearest phở place after a long day of learning how to scuba and I scarfed down a large #1. Weirdly I finished my noodles before my meats, so there was definitely something bad about the noodle ratio. Also got a ca phe sua da (iced coffee) which was delicious.
On the other hand, the menu also has a lot of other Viet dishes so the variety is a nice touch. Too bad I only really ever crave phở…

When I visit my good buddy in Long Beach, I ALWAYS have to come here for my PHO. Up until now I enjoyed PHO in Honolulu but after eating here at Phở Bolsa, I cannot forget the excellent food here.
I am definitely a fan of their PHO GA, white meat and skinless. Unlike in Honolulu, here the Phở Ga comes with sliced up chicken liver, gizzard and heart!!! YUMMY!!! They are so generous with the chicken and comes with a lot of fresh herbs and veggies. I also must have their fresh lemonade when eating here — so refreshing with a great balance of tart, sour and sweet. The spring rolls, fried rice and combination plate are all also very good here.
Prices are very reasonable but I tend to order the small as I tend to drink up the soup which fills up my stomach.
Regardless where I am, every single time I pass by a Phở restaurant I always think about Phở Bolsa…
CONS:
1) this is not the cleanest restaurant but it’s do-​able for me. I’ve been to establishments where it was worse…
2) service is a hit or miss here. because the food is so great, I can handle the bad service as I know it’ll soon be forgotten once my food is delivered to my table

RIP PHO BOLSA. Yes that is right, Phở Bolsa is gone. In its place is Banh Mi Che Cali. A chain of restaurants most famous for their take away sandwiches and baguettes.
I’ll miss Phở Bolsa as my go to place for yummy cheap eats. One day I’ll even become nostalgic about the bad service and uncleansiness of the restaurant. To all my non-​Asian friends that I took here as an introduction to Vietnamese food, we’ll start the search for the next great cheap eats.