Pho 08

This business is now closed and has become Phở Thuong.

This was the very first Phở restaurant I went to, and here I first experienced my now one-​of-​my-​favorite-​dishes which is Phở (but their phở here is not my favorite though). I didn’t know how to eat Phở then! I needed to ask for a fork. LOL Gosh, those were the days. But now I’m an expert with chopsticks!
I guess the reason why I’m giving it two stars is because I’ve experienced better places than this. I guess the fault is part with me for not using the sauces at that time coz I ate the soup bland. But service needs to learn more English and be patient with dumb-​about-​phở-​customers like me (ouch!). I was asking a lot of questions about the menu but I guess I was too nosey for them to even bother answering. So, yeah, I ate a bland phở coz they were impatient to answer me about what’s in their menu. I’m not saying it’s all their fault. But hey, I’ve learned… and now I know where to go if I want phở. Not here though. That was my first and last visit here… way back years ago.

Alright. I’m not giving it a 1 star because my wife and I used to go here often. But the reason we’ve stopped going: My wife and I ordered lunch. Restaurant was quiet, maybe 3 other tables of customers. Food came out. Wife started eating her Phở and noticed a dead bee in her soup. Nice folks here so I quietly took the soup to the lady at the register and showed her the dead bee. She looked at it and then said IT WAS AN ONION AND PICK IT OUT. I blinked at her, pointed out the LEGS and WINGS of her «onion». She offered to bring another bowl out. Still not apologetic or disturbed. We just paid our FULL bill (no, she didn’t even take the soup off the bill) and left. Makes you wonder what else is in their food if the staff can just shrug off a bug. Never again.

Excellent customer service and attentive to customers’ needs. I appreciate the fact that they placed all the eating utensils (including forks) on the tables. I had a sore throat when I came here and the waitress was kind enough to provide warm/​hot water instead of regular tap water.
This place is modernized and nicely decorated. Roomy as well. The price seems a bit expensive for phở, but I don’t mind paying the extra bucks for a nice setting to enjoy a meal. However, the food was average at best, but not as good as many other phở places that I have been to.
Parking was easy to find and spacious so don’t worry about getting your car dinged in the lot.

This place is goooooood. Lately, I’ve been feeling as thought the quality of phở restaurants has gone downhill. My parents took me here a few weeks ago, and I loved it! I ordered a small phở ga, and it was more than enough for me. The meat was fresh and yummy. The store was clean, the plasma TVs were nice, and the service was extremely attentive. Sure it may be $ 6.15 for a small phở, but it’s only a few more cents than the equally-​sized «medium» bowl that you paid $ 5.95 for elsewhere.

As other reviewers have mentioned, this place is clean with a stylish décor. I discovered this restaurant a few months ago and have become a regular customer. The following points stand out for me:
— They focus on a few dishes and do them really well. Of course their signature dish is Phở. The first time I tasted their Phở I knew that I found my new favorite Phở place (I’ve tried virtually every Phở place in san jose). But, friends have raved to me about their other noodle dishes like the hu tieu. The Bun Bo Hue has quickly become my favorite non-​phở dish. Their rice dishes are also very popular.
— They are family run restaurant and it shows in the little things. The quality of the food and drinks aside, the service is very attentive. The owner is friendly and quickly remembers you if you come back again. They check up on you and make sure your drinks are refilled, and that everything is ok. In short, this restaurant strikes me as the owner’s ‘baby’, and it shows up in the little things.
— Most of the noodle dishes come in three sizes: small, large, and extra-​large. The small bowl is more than enough for me and it’s a deal at $ 6.15.
— They are open late. OK 10pm isn’t really late, but given that most vietnamese restaurants in the area closed by 8pm, it’s nice to have a place to go to for a later than usual dinner.
— They don’t use MSG. I am sensitive enough to the stuff to know if there is MSG in the soup. I have never had a reaction to the food here even though I eat here as often as once a week. I have brought people here who are hypersensitive to MSG and they didn’t light up either. Plus, the owner confirms they don’t use the stuff.

This place is cute and quaint. The place is fairly new and the ambiance helps makes the food more appetizing. The food here is great.
Foods I have tried here:
Phở Tai Bo Vien:
Size: The Phở bowl is large and the meat and to noddle ratio is perfect. This place does not skimp on the sides: such as freash bean sprouts and basil leaves.
Taste: Their Phở is delicious and reminds me of homecooked phở. The type with all the goodies, pork leg bone with the gooey marrow.
Bun Bo Hue:
Size: For $ 7.25 I think this place has the best price in town, with regards to meat and noodle ratio. Bun Bo Hue is my favorite dish. And this place is the place I go for it. I been to many spots in San Jose. I have tried them all. Good size and good price.
Taste: Like I said, this is my favorite place for Bun Bo Hue, now.

This phở place was super clean compared to other phở places and it looked like it was built not too long ago. There were 2 flat screen TVs hanging on the wall across from each other. I think other phở places should put some flat screen TVs in their restaurant but then again, maybe not everybody watches TV when they eat.
I ordered a small phở tai ($ 6.15) and my friend ordered something else. A large phở was $ 6.95 and a super size phở was $ 8.95. I can’t compare the different sizes since it was pretty late; therefore, only a few people were eating.
When our orders came, the guy gave me the wrong order. He actually gave me my friend’s phở order and my friend received mine. We didn’t find out until I was scooping my food around and saw the extra meat that isn’t included with a phở tai. Of course I could’ve traded with my friend or ask them to exchange it but I didn’t. My friend was sick and he already began eating so no go there. I was hungry so I didn’t ask to exchange it for the right order so I began eating it. The phở’s broth tasted pretty light (flavor-​wise) but everything was good. My friend agreed that the flavor was light.
Their hours:
Sunday — Tuesday: 9am — 10pm
Wednesday: closed
Thursday: 9am — 10pm
Friday — Saturday: 9am — 12am

I went here because of all the raving reviews.
To be honest:
— This place is WAY over priced for such a small bowl of phở.
— The sizes are barely any different. So the 3 different sizes is a bust.
— Why is there so much MSG in this stuff? I mean come onn.
Besides that, the place is really nice. Everything’s more quaint than your average phở place and you will see a lot of old men coming in to prowl on the cougars. So don’t be surprised if your waitress is off gallivanting with some guy flirting with her about the 3 different phở sizes.
It’s not what it’s worth for it’s money. There are plenty of better phở places in San Jose even down the street.
But I guess you need to sacrifice taste for a better looking place.

In da Phở 08… it looks better than most phở joints in this area code. Went here a couple of times and felt welcomed with the Food Network (or CNN) on two flat screens, 80’s light rock music in the background, and nice dishware.
This place ranks up there for their contemporary look, cleanliness, and friendliness. You know they’re clean when their tables are spotless, chopsticks aren’t sticky, and doormats are replaced everyday.
Their phở isn’t the best I’ve had, but still good. I usually get #2, which has everything from beef brisket, tendon, tripe, steak, etc. I expected their broth to be more hot, as in piping. They serve enormous rice plates and phở bowls with great presentation.
I gotta represent… I will return to da Phở 08. *Looking for Phở-1−5 in San Francisco*

I must admit, I only came here for the name. I had to see what was representin tha Phở-0−8. The name made me laugh every time! I did not like the phở that much, and I noticed my steak had a green tinge to it. Having a major that emphasized in microbio, the fly-​butt-​green bore a striking resemblance to Pseudomonas cultures I grew in lab. I was informed that the green tinge was harmless and was not an indication of any harm. The broth was bland and the service was the usual.
The restaurant itself is small and looks clean. Didn’t like the food that much, but the bowls were very pretty!

Clever name for a phở restaurant in east side san jose haha. Phở-​oh-​eight. 408. get it? haha
Anyway, I went here a while back with my boyfriend. I’m not a phở expert, but I think this place was fairly good. I followed the Unilocal reviews and ordered myself a mango shake, but I didn’t find it the best shake I ever had. I give the shake here an A-​OK. Service was good, but perhaps because it was 30 minutes before close. Like many asian restaurants, they barely check up on their customers, but I was surprised that they checked up on our table every now and then.
I haven’t tried anything else here, but I’d go here again to try things out. The place is nice and looks clean too, so I can trust this phở place.

Thank you for being open until midnight on Saturday, you allowed the boyfriend and I to have a late dinner after driving many hours from Los Angeles. We got there at 11:30 pm and it was pretty empty, except for a guy that looked like he may have been a friend of the owners, and a little boy playing on a laptop.
The large television was showing SNL, but they muted it once it started to get annoying (ha). The boyfriend ordered phở, I had vermicelli, and shared egg rolls. Egg rolls were large and came with plenty of leafy greens. Vermicelli wasn’t bad, nothing to complain about. Boyfriend said the phở broth was ok.
Thai iced tea was GOOD… actually I’ll say it’s one of the best I’ve tasted. Nice balance between tea and condensed milk, and not watered down. Iced coffee was good, too, although it already came mixed in a glass.
Service was prompt and friendly.
The negative — the boyfriend found a hair. Eh.

Had dinner here with friends yesterday. I found the place clean and the people very friendly. Parking was not a problem and the place was very easy to find. I had the oxtail soup and vermicelli noodles. The broth was great but the oxtail in my opinion needed to tenderized a little bit more. I like my oxtail falling off the bone. Overall the dish was ok.
My friends ordered a combination «broken rice» plate with korean beef with eggs. Man… it looked good! It was served in a large rectangular plate and the food covered the whole thing. Made me regret my small order of soup. Maybe next time, I’ll order the combination and give this place a 4 star.

Small restaurant with nice settings, and plenty of parking since it’s in a big plaza where FoodMax is on Tully/​Quimby.
Gave this place a try after seeing advertisement from friends with my mom, nephew, and boyfriend. We went in the afternoon and it wasn’t crowded. I like how they have a good taste of keeping the restaurant looking nice, modern, and simple. The phở was a bit pricey than other phở places, but I was okay with it. The phở seems to have a lack of flavor in their soup, so my mom told me to put some sauce to enhance the soup. I wouldn’t mind dining here again, but I have other preferable phở places of my own.

Had the chicken phở. The broth lacked flavor and the noodles seemed pretty old.
The spring rolls were also bland.
The lady was super nice.
2.5 stars.

I think i ordered the Beef Phở with Oxtail? I dunno but it was really good. NO MSG? Wow, that’s a super win. And everyone has to try their Thai Tea! It’s THE BOMB​.COM. No joke. Haha
The restaurant was really clean, the furniture was really nice and cozy with a different style compared to other Phở places. The waitress was really nice also, she recommended me the bowl of Phở i ordered. Delicious!

I went here with my mom and sister. Then went here with a bunch of people. Every time I come, they are always happy and cheerful. the location is a bit off but the inside looks great.
Pros:
A lot of seating with a big fat screen tv.
It’s beautiful inside.
Waiters are nice.
Food comes out quick.
There are a varieties of drinks.
Quite spice tray.
Avocado is okay.
Cons:
Location.
My mom makes better (personal taste).
Cash only (maybe it changed?)
Beef taste kinda funky.

Not that many nammers would care but the décor was definitely unorthodox — it’s nice to eat some phở in a well furnished atmosphere. Another plus is that I’m always torn to eat at some place good versus some place with service. Luckily, this place has both and while it might b-​slap you in the face as a shocker, you’ll appreciate it more when it comes around more often.

Actually it should be a 2.5star, but since there’s no option for that, so it’s bumped up to 3.
Me and gf ordered chicken phở. Broth was tasty, a bit on the oily side. But the chicken comes with bones. It’s like chicken just chopped into pieces and dropped in the soup. Some part of bones was in pieces and poky when we bit into it. It’s very hard to eat it. We ordered chicken phở at other restaurant before but none came like this.
Other than that, the goi cuon was actually freshly made which was a plus. And we noticed that the furniture and also décor was different from typical phở restaurants. Tables and chairs were dark shade and tables were actually made of real wood. Owner said that they opened August 2008.
We would probably go back if we happened to be in the area. But we would try the beef phở instead.