The Pho Shop

After almost eight months of nothing but a «Coming Soon» sign, the Phở Shop (PS) finally opened in August ’15. With the promise of Phở *AND* Bánh mì made PS to be my potential dream girl. I was eagerly anticipating their opening, as my love for Phở and Bánh mì is great and their location being less than a half-​mile from my house, this seemed like a marriage made in heaven. I made several stops at PS before finalizing my review in my head, as I needed to give their menu a once over.
Bánh mì:
I ordered the Honey Pork and the Rib-​Eye Bánh mì, and honestly neither one was a standout. I think I’m a little spoiled by ESSJ spots as I was not impressed and the price/​size ratio was off.
Bread– The bread was OK, but a little Cap’n Crunchy. Their bread is a little longer than the standard Bánh mì bread, but not as wide. 2.5*
Veggies– The sparsely distributed veggies were standard, but they needed more… 2.5*
Meat– Both meats were chewy and just way too sweet for me; in fact, from the taste alone, I was having a hard time discerning one from the other?! They were both missing a little something, something… 2*
Phở:
Broth– I really like PS’s broth, as it has a clean, beefy taste with a nice hint of Star Anise to sweeten it. They were missing some of the subtle nuances a great Phở broth needs, but the bright, fresh flavor was a winner. 4*
Noodles– Standard Phở Noodles, but they need to come up with a better system of figuring out how much to give you. Sometimes it’d be a shit-​ton, and other times it would be just barely enough. 3*
Meat– I really liked their Phở Shop combo (AKA Dac Biet) best, as they give a nice sampling of several cuts of «meat» (i.e., rare filet mignon, flank, brisket, tendon, tripe, meatballs), but again they really need to figure out their distribution system better. Their meat portions also fell into the feast or famine area much like their noodles. 3.5*
Service & Ambiance– I never actually dined-​in at PS, and only got my food to-​go, but the interior décor looked clean and very modern. Service was always fast, friendly and efficient but that’s just through minimal interaction. 4*
Value– I knew just based on location that PS would be more expensive than what I’m used to paying at most Phở joints; the prices started at around ±$ 10 for a large bowl of Phở and ±$ 6 for a Bánh mì, but after only a few months of being open they did a ±20% price hike across the board and now at almost $ 12 for a large bowl of Phở is pretty no bueno in my book – especially if they’re going to be chintzy with the portions! 1.5*
Had I written this review a few months ago I would’ve been at 3.5-stars –and probably rounded to to 4– but now I’m realistically looking at 2.5-stars and only rounding up because there’s a slim possibility I *might* go back. What had the promise of a marriage made in heaven, is now teetering on the brink of divorce. I guess that’s what happens when your mail-​order bride turns out to be a bit schizophrenic…

So this was our third visit so we can say we have it a good go. Service was mediocre (slow, unfriendly, forgot stuff) and food was mediocre (one dimensional taste, greasy broth). Cherry on top was charging $ 2 for a few cubes of tofu in the kids phở because my kid is vegetarian and can’t eat the meat offered for that option.
I know the kitchen staff is trying their hardest but the recipes themselves need a major boost. The staff seem overworked and under motivated. The owners just sit in the back booth looking at you.
We’ll be going back to our only other phở place in Almaden, House of Phở, in the future. At least the food is on point and consistent there and the staff are always on top of it.

After doing some Christmas shopping on a cold and rainy day… Phở was a great selection. This was the closest one next to the mall.
Great service and attention especially when I ate solo. Phở was on point, extra lime was given, and food came out in a timely manner!
Helpful tips: to use your debit/​credit card… There is a $ 10 minimum. There’s a full boba/​tea menu! That’s a plus. No dessert though.
Will be coming back!

When it comes to Phở, it is my opinion that it is extremely difficult to find a restaurant that has both great food AND the other aspects (service/​ambiance). This place is very high on ambiance and the service was decent, but the food is just lacking. My test for a great Phở is a combo of flank, brisket, and tendon. To get all 3 cuts done right (rare, medium, done respectively), it takes a little bit of skill. What I got was done, done, undercooked. And the broth was meh. The restaurant is fairly new so maybe they are working some kinks out.

Definitely won’t be coming here again. Horrible experience.
First of all, my wife tried to order a passionfruit smoothie. Our waitress told us they were out of them (although we later figured out that she was mistaken). I tried to order jalepeno poppers. She told us they don’t serve them anymore. I tried to order an avocado smoothie. She told us they were out of them. At this point, I was actually laughing just trying to make the best of the situation. I tried to order potstickers. Out of them. Is this some kind of joke? We were here at 7 PM on a Friday night, not some weird time or anything.
I finally end up ordering a Vietnamese pork sandwich, which turned out to be pretty mediocre. I’ve had these sandwiches elsewhere and they usually have strips of actual pork and are somewhat warm. But this one was cold, the bread was soggy along the edge, and the meat on it was sliced deli ham, not pork they cooked in house, so it ended up tasting a little too much like a Subway sandwich.
On top of those issues, we had to wipe our own seat down before we could sit because there was a noodle and some sticky sauce on it. We also had to ask for water three times before we got any, and the waitress slammed them down when she finally brought them even though we weren’t rude to her in any way.
So yeah, don’t go here.

WHY WE WENT HERE:
— my boyfriend and I have been here a few times to explore the new establishments that pop up in South San Jose
THE LOOK (FROM THE OUTSIDE):
— located in the plaza off of Blossom Hill and Santa Teresa
— plenty of parking
THE LOOK (FROM THE INSIDE):
— very new
— very clean
— very bright
— there’s the restaurant sit-​down area throughout and also a boba station by the front entrance in case you wanted to just pop in and order boba to-​go
WHAT WE’VE ORDERED (over the past 2 visits):
— fresh spring rolls
— one of the beef phos
— chicken phở
— Bo Kho — Vietnamese beef stew
— boba drinks
THE TASTE:
— fresh spring rolls were ok, but the peanut sauce made them good
— the beef phở and chicken phở lacked something in their broth, but I can’t put my finger to it
— the bo kho was much blander than I anticipated, but it was nice of them to toast the baguette that comes with it
— the boba drinks were made OK, I felt like I didn’t communicate enough with the drink maker to make it exactly what I wanted
CUSTOMER SERVICE:
— always nice
— pretty prompt
— somewhat attentive

Just worst customer service and food ever. Hes bring my phở there is no meat in my dish only 3 piece of meatbol and 2 slice of brisket. After i complain shes telling me that sorry we cant do that. Do what i pay fucking 12 $ for only noodle. Hell no i ask for my regular phở meat your food getting worst day by day. What the attitude. You are new here you have to built your costumer not make them fill so shitty to came here and spend money here. Im going back to my lovely place house of phở. Keep you attitude for your self. Trust me you not going to survive at your biz

First off, I’m only giving it a 3 because they seem to be attentive.
I checked out the spot earlier today around 12:40PM. Immediately, I was already concerned about their organization. The place was not full, but about half the tables needed to be cleaned up. They kept insisting I and another diner to find a seat, they then cleaned the booths after we sat down.
The food:
I ordered a large of their special and was immediately let down. The «large» serving is more like a small serving you would get at other Phở shops, but in a large bowl. They probably consider their «extra size» to be their large and my large was more of a medium. The broth was very oily and too sweet. Normally, to accomplish this many places add a lot of msg, but I think they just used way too much rock sugar.
They forgot my onions that I asked to be placed on the side. This is when I noticed someone there was paying attention. A man who appeared to be the floor manager or owner walked up to me and asked if I was waiting on anything. This is the sole reason why I bumped their score up. He asked if I was waiting on my veggies, turns out they don’t automatically provide you the bean sprouts, Thai basil and lime, you have to request it. Eventually, I got all my veggies and was ready to eat.
This is when I noticed my miserable flank steak… All three pieces combined wouldn’t be equal to a single piece you get at other shops.
The service:
Sub par. They are slow and forget drinks often. You will be done with your food and receive your bill before they give you your drink. This happened to me and another person who sat by me. They ordered a Vietnamese coffee that they didn’t receive until after their check arrived and he was the one who had to remind them. My Sprite cost me 2 bucks! They handed me my bill and I asked for my soda, she responded with, «Really? You ordered it?»
Yes, its on the bill you just handed me…
Cost:
My lord, for this price, I would be able to afford a steak for lunch. My «large» (small) bowl of Phở and a 12oz can of Sprite costed close to 15.
Would I ever go back? No, definitely not. This place lacks the core essentials of a good Phở shop: good Phở, cost and efficiency.

Pretty good shop in the Lucky’s center. Newer store with a nicely decorated interior. Food is very tasty and fresh, I ordered the traditional spring rolls, pot stickers, and chicken phở. All items were very good and freshly made.
Only item is customer service could use some polishing up, our water was never refilled, plates for appetizers were not brought out, and had to call there server back a few times to bring forks/​chopsticks.
Worth checking out.

I can’t believe the customer service I just got from this place!
First the website menu is different from the actually menu inside. So we couldn’t get ‘Pork belly buns’ cause they don’t have it… ok…So when I went to order my husbands sandwich ‘Pork belly sandwich’ the lady with short hair and wearing red lipstick said NO we don’t have that pick another sandwich in the rudest tone! I looked at her and walked out the door! Who the hell do you think you are???
This Phò restaurant is the WORST place I’ve ever been too. I highly suggest you go to HOUSE OF PHÒ that might even have a wait but let me say it is worth the wait then coming to this place and receiving such pricey items plus the attitude!

One stars because the food was decent.
As we were sitting there eating our dinner, the most nauseating, wretched smell took over the entire restaurant. I had to run out of the restaurant. Multiple couples also left due to the smell, it was a combination of dirty feet and rotting fish; it was very unappetizing and we couldn’t even finish our meal. The staff didn’t offer an apology or discount our meal, even though we couldn’t tolerate staying inside to eat. My husband offered the solution of allowing us to finish our meal outside and they ignored him.
Additionally, none of the staff offered to help bag up our food and my husband had to ask for to go containers. Apparently once they have your money you’re no longer a valued customer.
Needless to say we will not be back.

We stopped in to get lunch while waiting to pick up watches at Watchcare. We both had the regular Phở Tai Nam. The broth was very flavorful not fatty, meat was lean. The service was great, server was nice,
polite and courteous. The restaurant was very clean. I wasn’t aware you needed a key to use the restroom. A gentleman brought the key to me. This was a kind gesture. We will definitely be back.

We stopped in for lunch while waiting for my wife’s watch in the same shopping center.
We were greeted by a pleasant guy and were seated right away. There were quite a few people already seated that seemed to be really enjoying their Phở!
My wife and I just needed a Phở fix so we both ordered the No 18, Phở Tai Nam steak. (beef with no fat).
The broth was very good and very hot which is what I like! The meat had zero fat, another reviewer complained about fatty meat. So if you do’t know the types of meat be sure to ask about it before ordering as there are many choices with different types of meat.
The noodles were cooked just right, firm like they should be. I liked that the beef was thinly sliced and cut into two inch sections, just right. Of course there are onions, a plate of bean sprouts, jalapeño’s and Thai basil. Of course they also have Sriracha and Hoisun sauce, soy if you need it as well.
We didn’t try their tea or other drinks but a lot of people came in while we were there and got a lot of drinks to go.
We’ll come back again to try some of the other items on their menu.

Stumbled upon this spot randomly as I was looking through Unilocal.
Came in the waitress behind the counter was very sweet, we took our seats and as we were discussing our orders the manager or owner, I think it was came by and asked us how we heard about the place. Told her through Unilocal and she seemed a bit surprised since she said some of the reviews were a bit negative. But that didn’t seem to phase us. We ordered anyways.
First thing I noticed was that the drinks menu was displayed just on a wall near the entrance and none on the tables, they should really try adding a drink menu.
I ordered Bun Thit Nuong & a coconut drink because sadly their sugar cane drinks were not quite ready.
My brother ordered the Korean BBQ short rib with a coconut drink as well.
And as for my mother she pretty much got the same think except her drink was a lychee milk tea with lychee bits.
The coconut drinks were fresh out of the coconut itself, literally. It came out that way, so refreshing for this hot day.; the guy who took our order who I believe may also be the owner came by to ask how everything is & also suggested that we can add in toppings. Which was awesome because now I want to try adding boba or lychee bits.
The lychee milk tea was just perfect as well, not too sweet or overwhelming with the ‘artificial’ flavors. It was refreshing as well.
The Bun Thit Nuong in my opinion lacked meat, I mean there was I suppose a good amount just needed a bit more & maybe add another shrimp because at the end I was stuck with noodles and vegetables. Also the sauce could’ve used a bit more fish sauce. But other that that it was delicious.
The Korean short rib in my brothers opinion was good but could’ve been better sauce wise.
Were used to more of the authentic Asian style where you can taste the fish sauce but other than that it was good.
Definitely would be coming back.

Nice staffs, nice/​clean restaurant lay out.
We both had phở special — we thought it’s not flavorful enough & skimpy on the meat.
The hoisin sauce is a bit vinaigrette instead of sweet, when adding into the Phở, it killed the whole flavor.

It’s the best phở in the area. Period.
My wife and I just moved to the area and this is our go-​to Phở place. Everything on the menu is very delicious. The staff are friendly. We loved the promo of buy 1 milk tea get 1 free deal. We would get the Taro Mill Tea. You can measure the sweetness and House Sweet was perfect.

Vietnamese Iced Coffee = ³⁄₅ stars
Service = ²⁄₅ stars, standard for a phở place
#18 Steak Phở = −3÷5
Broth has no flavor, brisket is mostly fat hardly any meat,
Will not be back.

This review based on my current and last two visits.
Previous two visits after the first week opening:
Customer services are OK, very friend but slow and still disorganized after my 2^nd week visit. I did order Vietnamese original sandwiches, I specific asked no green pepper in the sandwiches but when I got them still has it. I shouldn’t even request. We also ordered the #1 large phở, it was good but the broth was not hot.
This visit was awful, I ordered three sandwiches and two without chili pepper. They even asked me did I order two without chili pepper and one with it. I replied yes, but no use because they all have chili pepper (AGAIN)! The sandwiches size also shrink, breads are smaller, ingredients are also less than previous when they first opened.
I am very disappointed, that I have no choice to come here if my kids are craving for Vietnamese sandwiches.

The food was great when they first opened went back to full fill my craving but that didn’t happen. I ordered the pork belly sandwich the boyfriend ordered the honey pork sandwich. Little meat and bread was different. We were told that the specials on the menu were all out but 2 items. Either the food is really good and they can’t keep enough or they don’t have enough.
Hoping they get it together because I doubt we will b back unless for phở.

This review is for dine-​in Friday ⁹⁄₄
2 stars for the #22.
Customer service: NEEDS IMPROVEMENT!!! took them 25 minutes to sit a party of 1 when at least there were 4 empty tables. After 25 minutes, the waiter sat me at the bar instead, which was empty the whole time I came in (like wtf??? Why did you make me waitttt???) There were only 5 tables occupied when I was there, around 8~9pm ish. During the whole 25 minutes, I spent a lotta times watching the restaurant. There were 3 waiters & 1 waitress rushing around the floor taking orders, serve food, serve drinks, cleaning tables,…they are probably new so they definitely need more time. After seating down at the bar table, Took them another 10 minutes to give me a menu when they were talking behind the counter.
Food: phở broth tasted good and that was it. My bowl of phở came before condiments & beans sprouts. Phở didn’t come with basil leaves, only came with bean sprouts. Since I sat at a bar, there wasn’t any condiments and the dipping sauce plate provided for me. I had to ask for the dipping sauce plate and bean sprouts and condiments. The waiter walked 3 times to my bar table getting 2 different things to me. The dipping sauce plate never came though. I got my bean sprouts pretty late so when I put it in my bowl, my phở was luke warm. How disappointing!!!
Overall: Management should organize their business better than this. There were a lot of tables but waiting time is too long. Maybe hired more workers?