Pho Fusion

I’ve been going here since I was a sophomore in high school. I’m now 22 and I love it more than ever! The family environment is fantastic and the food is amazing. They have great boba too! And the price is so reasonable

Not bad but not worth a second visit either. The phở broth was really salty, and despite getting a large size bowl, there was very little meat. The few strips that were there were really tough. The phở in the Zion market food court is way better.

#12 of 100 Unilocal Reviews 2016
I want to provide a big disclaimer at the beginning of the review to start off. If you are looking for an original phở restaurant experience, this place is not what you searching for. The name of the restaurant itself gives the potential diner an impression that there may be going to be some menu items that are novel in nature, and unheard of in your usual phở place. With that being said, come on over with an open mind and an empty stomach to witness a unique setting.
Sharing the parking lot with one my favorite Thai restaurants and dessert place, I can see how parking can be a headache in peak times. I like to avoid such nonsense and come when it’s slow.
Greeted by staff, I was seated right away. The décor was clean and not cluttered. I was one of three parties here, and it was not busy at all. The menu is pretty much phở, rice dishes, noodle dishes, and appetizers. They also serve boba tea, and they got a special for 1.50 with any entrée purchase.
Asking the waiter what the fusion element is, he explained that they serve atypical dishes like teriyaki salmon, spicy chicken phở, and other noodle variations that you won’t see at a regular phở restaurant. I usually order phở dac biet special or chicken ga to gauge their broth, noodles, and meat. I ordered the spicy chicken phở large bowl, as I had just done a heavy training session prior. Well, it took them about 15 mins to prepare and send, which was not the quickest in the world. I’ll take it though.
So here comes the phở. Right off the bat, the broth is steaming. Great, that’s how I like it, hot and steamy. I previously requested them to steam my bean sprouts prior to getting my phở. The noodles are separated nicely and not sticking together (which happens when you don’t put noodles in hot enough water.) The chicken amount was fairly decent in proportion to the rest of the bowl. What makes this phở spicy is that the cook put the chili flake oil inside the phở already. Whooaa there, time out! I didn’t realize this was going to happen, and I was afraid that I would not be able to enjoy my 8 dollar phở! So I backed up for a second and reassessed the situation. I took small steps with this bowl, and I took a sip of the broth that didn’t have flakes in it… The taste was light, mild in flavor and the saltiness was on par with most phở places I have been to in SD. Then I took a sip from the chili flake broth side, and bam I reached for the water pretty quickly. The spiciness was pretty moderate (⁶⁄₁₀) but I could still taste the underlying chicken broth. I concluded that this item would be too much for a person that does not want to their first time phở expectations at this restaurant. If someone really wanted to add spice to it, just add it from the side. There’s no reason to serve it with the chili flakes inside on the first try.
It took me about 45 mins to eat that bowl of phở because of the amount and spice level. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed my phở. It is just that this bowl was a process, in where I had to make sure I fully embraced each bite. I didn’t finish the broth, as it was too much spice and preservatives.
I ordered a Taro boba tea with the promotion. The tea was mediocre at best, because mine tasted pretty plain and powdered. If Muscle Milk made a Taro version with their light protein shake, the boba may taste like it. It needs to be more blended or shaken. I mean it’s cool and cheap for the price, but I wouldn’t buy it on its own.
The waiters/​waitresses are young and helpful to customers. It’s just that you gotta speak up and raise your hand to get their attention. For my water, my glass was empty for awhile, and the staff member keep passing me without addressing my water. This was before I got the boba as well. So yup, ask so you can receive.
I would give this place another shot, because I like innovation and going against the norm. Definitely I would like to try the phở dac biet and the bun thit heo nuong for rating the dining experience more. I will update later.
3.5 stars
Cam on Phở Fusion!

Great food. Excellent service. The server went above and beyond to make sure everything was fine and was genuine about it. Placed his hand on my shoulder and asked, ‘You okay there?’ Probably I was eating too fast lol. Great food except its serving is a little bit smaller than the others. But will definitely go back.

Great customer service! There’s always a good vibe when I go to this place. Whether it’s busy or calm. I’ve been going to this restaurant since August of 2014 and haven’t stopped since. My family loves it. Especially my daughter. And they seem to have a good relationship with their customers. When I go I’m normally remember. Definitely great customer service and food!

Our new favorite phở restaurant.
Fair warning: If you’ve been used to the typical type of phở restaurant where all your favorite Vietnamese uncles are the staff who take your order only after 10 seconds of you looking at the menu, you’ll notice this isn’t that type of place. Not that there’s anything wrong with the other type because I personally don’t take a ton of time to look at the menu before deciding what I want. And there’s also an oddly pleasant charm with the environment I’ve grown up with in those other phở restaurants. It’s just that the staff at this one are much much younger, and I believe the difference in the feel definitely starts there.
They have a deal. If you order an entrée, you get a boba drink for $ 1 or $ 1.50 depending on the section in the menu.
Here’s a unique little backstory:
The first time I came here, it was with a large group of people. We came here very often, and it was our hangout spot for a while. It had to be over a decade ago when it was Fusion Café, and it was strictly a boba shop. As soon as our group dissipated, we stopped coming here for no particular reason at all. That had to be an entirely different period of time and ownership.
Fast-​forward to 2015 and 2016, we decided to come here and try out this place now that they serve phở. Turns out it was really good.
I’m glad to know that they maintained that boba aspect after the huge transformation.
My girlfriend says it tastes a lot better compared to other phở restaurants in San Diego. So it really isn’t just the drink special that sways us towards liking this place. It was so good that we even came back, and will probably continue to go back. I imagine we’ll also order the drink with our food every time.
Prices are fairly average. A large order of phở runs you up between $ 7 – 8.
Service is attentive. They’re cool. Younger guys, much more inviting.
Parking might be a bit of an issue since surrounding businesses in the same plaza are also fairly busy. Usually, there’s available parking by the Chase ATM.
#1 and #51 are my favorites.
Authenticity: Now, I don’t know how touchy of a subject authenticity is in San Diego, considering 1) there’s not a huge community of Vietnamese people outside Linda Vista and parts of El Cajon Blvd. and 2) not many businesses stay open or consistent to their current brand and identity long enough to be considered a San Diego institution. As long as clientele remains diverse and non-​Vietnamese, you can’t really expect much authenticity. As a result, you’ll find certain items that are purposely catered towards what the clientele likes, which are non-​Vietnamese items, like cream cheese wontons, which even Chinese people don’t even want to claim. Let’s face it. That’s the nature of many restaurants in San Diego. We always find those odd things on the menu that «authenticity-​seekers» should know not to order, and those items should not be held against them if authenticity isn’t even their primary goal.
Then what is their goal? I contend that it’s to provide excellent service, serve the best possible product in a reasonable amount of time, improve as needed, and give you a positive lasting impression as you leave.

Came here and got their grilled chicken with a sunny side up egg, ($ 6.79) and mango green tea ($ 1)
The grilled chicken was pretty good. It wasn’t overly seasoned and it went well with the fish sauce that came with. Also included with the combo are lettuce, carrots, cucumber, tomato, fish sauce and a side of soup plus the sunny side up egg. I wish the rice was actually broken rice not regular rice.
But overall, I enjoyed my meal. Pricing of this meal is fair inexpensive for the amount of food they gave you. And you can’t go wrong with the $ 1 tea when you order a meal there! Service here was really nice. They didn’t rush me when I was trying to figure out what to get.
Btw parking can be difficult especially during rush hours and this place is pretty small too so expect to wait during peak time also!

I’m still a lil new to phở BUT this is some of the best phở I’ve ever tasted and it’s a plus that u can get it spicy. I was greeted as soon as I walked in and their fried chicken dumplings were awesome. I like that if you are eating here you have real chop sticks. I will be back!!!

Taste– ****
Service– ****
Ambiance– ****
Parking– ***
Great little place to grab some no fuss food. After helping a friend move he treated us to dinner and we picked here. Grabbed some of the standards– eggs rolls, phở etc and all dishes were delicious. We also ordered a fried calamari and was pleasantly surprised. Good service, good food and nice clean open seating areas. There are a lot of Phở restaurants in SD, this is defiantly another good one.

Second time here last night and glad I came back! The first time I had it was Togo and pretty good so had to come back to try it fresh.
I had the chicken phở Togo, and was pretty impressed — which is hard to say for something that, in my opinion, is hard to mess up (in comparison to beef phở). It was loaded with chicken, the broth was clean but flavorful, and the lady that took my order recommended I cook the fresh noodles myself for the best experience. She was right, which is why I came back the next opportunity I could.
Fast forward to last night: had the popcorn chicken appetizer, #11 phở, and milk tea with boba. The phở was good, broth wasn’t too oily, but a bit skimpy on the meat (perfect for me, bad for the hubby). The popcorn chicken and $ 1.50 large milk tea is what is gonna get me back! So good!
Will be moving closer to clairemont soon and so excited to become a regular here!

Phở Fusion a great place to get more for your money. You can get a lot of food for half the money you’d spend at other phở restaurants. That however, doesn’t mean your getting lower quality food.
Despite what my check-​ins say, the wife and I have been here numerous times and every experience was great. The servers are attentive, the food was delicious, and the prices are really hard to beat. I usually get phở with brisket along with the egg rolls. Everything taste great.
If I could nitpick one thing it would be to update the menu. It’s a little old and sometimes we get one that is falling apart. A little sad they are closed on Sunday’s too, but I guess everyone needs a break :)
If you haven’t tried Phở Fusion, it’s better to check it out for yourself. You won’t be disappointed with food and the value.

Been coming here for years since 2010 and felt like this review was overdue.
If I’m in the mood for a quick phở meal (with their egg rolls which I really like), this is my go to place. Service is friendly and fast, with a TV that usually plays most major sporting event going on at the time.

Phở Fusion is phở-​damentaly delicious. It’s clean, fragrant and almost always crowded. Come early so you can beat the crowd and avoid having to fight for a parking spot.

The phở was decent, but definitely outclassed by many places I’ve tried in San Diego. (Phở Ca Dao!)
The shop is clean which is nice (but seriously unimportant for Phở).
The service was quite slow.

I’m new to SD. So naturally I needed to find a phở place to go every wk to remedy my hangovers, cold nights and general cravings. So far I’ve been to several of the many phở spots in this area and this one has been the best. Phở fusion has earned my business for their excellent service and their great tasting product. The staff was very friendly and THEY SPEAK ENGLISH. How about that? They check up you too, which is obscure at a Vietnamese establishment. They have a great variety of drinks similar to what you would find at a boba shop. Recommending the peach black tea for $ 1.
I tried their pork spring rolls and they tasted fresh and delicious. They noticed my spicy preference and offered me their primo spicy oil which I must say, was indeed spicy.
Closed on Sundays, knocked off a star

If you’re in convoy and is looking for a place to enjoy phở with boba, come here! One of the better phở’s around convoy. The decorations that make up the restaurant is pretty hip and modern. The only downer about this place is the space. The store is small but i wound’t let that get to you. On to the staff, they are very friendly. When you need something, they try to accommodate it.
The pros:
–phở is really clean and doesn’t feel like it’s filled with any msg
–workers are friendly
-$ 1 boba if you get an entrée
–popcorn chicken is great
–fried calamari is fried perfectly
The cons
–nothing really! Only because it’s closed on Sunday!
Overall, if you’re in convoy, please stop by here for phở and boba!

Service is excellent, however the veggie fried rice was a little disappointing. I wanted a fried rice with veggies and they were not able to do it so I had to order a separate side of steamed veggies.

4.5 stars!
I used to frequent this place on the regular, and I’m honestly not sure why I stopped going so often. However, I recently rediscovered. or rather rekindled my addiction.
The vibe here is definitely more modern than your typical Vietnamese place. It almost has more of an Americanized feel to it than an Asian restaurant. Their menu is expansive and they have plenty to choose from. My favorites are the rice plates and I usually opt for #54 (grilled chicken with fried egg) and substitute fried rice for an extra $ 1. The food is simple, but great quality! The plates come with a soup/​broth and fish sauce (or dipping sauce with popcorn chicken for example) which complement the meal well. The portions are well sized and generous for the pricing.
OH, and did I mention $ 1 large boba with your entrée?! Oh man, they definitely appeal to the boba addict in me. Although I will admit it tends to be more hit or miss (hence the minus half star). The boba itself is sometimes flavorless or too chewy, but other days it’s on point! I mean for just a buck, you really can’t complain though! They have plenty of drinks to choose from to tickle your fancy from slushies to milk teas.
The prices here are inexpensive, and I feel like you really get the best bang for your buck! Also, the staff is always super friendly and very personable. They definitely make it feel like a fun laid back atmosphere.
I highly recommend giving this place a shot. Great prices, great staff, and great food!

For a place that has an overall 4-​star Unilocal rating, I was severely disappointed by their food. If you are looking for authentic Vietnamese food, this is definitely not the place for you. My boyfriend and I ordered cream cheese wontons and a bowl of phở each.
Cream cheese wontons: DO NOT ORDER THIS, WHATEVER YOU DO! Wontons were not crispy at all; they were chewy and coated with oil. Cream cheese was skimpy and had an oddly … like watered down consistency. They were gross and we didn’t finish them.
Phở: This place will not let you do a custom order. That is absolutely unheard of for a phở restaurant. My boyfriend wanted a large bowl with tai, chin, sach. Our server told us that we could only order the pre-​set bowls from the menu, and that there were no substitutions because the kitchen «wasn’t used to handling custom orders.» I’m sorry, but how hard is it to assemble a bowl with 3 ingredients? We were eventually able to order what we wanted, but not without a huge hassle. I asked for my tai (rare beef) on the side and it came with only 3 pieces. To top it all off, my boyfriend’s «large» bowl looked like a regular bowl from any other phở restaurant, and my regular bowl looked like a child’s size. The broth was not flavorful and our phở was mostly noodles with very little beef.
Servers were super nice and friendly though, and it’s not their fault that the food sucked. Two stars on this review is just for the stellar service only.

Phở Fusion is different from the other phở restaurants in San Diego.
First, it’s clean. And they’re very welcoming. And they speak English, which is why I was kind of worried that I wouldn’t be getting real Vietnamese food. But, everything was delicious!
They also have a deal where if you order a meal, then you can get a drink (boba) for cheaper.
I’m not sure how much cheaper it was but you can have that deal anytime you go.
I ordered the chicken plate with rice, and it came with a side soup. My friends ordered the popcorn shrimp (really good!), bhan mi, and phở. Everything tasted really good! Pricing isn’t all bad either.