Pho King

RIP

On the search for good Vietnamese on the Peninsula so we tried this spot. We both got phở, mine with shrimp and my BF had phở with chicken. Both were excellent. I also had one of those really good coffee/​milk drinks just like the ones you get over in Hanoi. Service was a little spotty, but the food and price were perfect. We would definitely go back.

Unfortunately, the Vietnamese restaurants in this area are not very good. Go North, to San Jose. There are plenty good ones there.

This place could be better if they could swing more consistently. The first time I went here, it was mediocre. The place looked a little grubby and the waitress seemed a little indifferent, and my noodles were weirdly greasy.
Second time I went (yesterday), the waitress was very pleasant and eager to help us, and the food was amazing. The phở was amazing! Great, delicate flavor and delicious noodles. I had the chow mein, which was also positively delicious, with really fresh vegetables. If you like phở, go grab a handful of cash (it won’t cost much, under $ 20 for a bev and two main courses), and get yourself some chow.

The Phở was good: tasty and not too salty. The wings were of the best I’ve ever had. The only reason I’m giving it a 4 star is the «cash only» business model. It is just inconvenient in this day and age.

I honestly come here and eat only two things: the chicken wings and the PHO! Why else do you go to a place that has phở in the name, right?
Anyways, I only have great things to say about this place. I’d consider myself a regular, coming here at least once a month (more like once a week) for a long time now. The phở is excellent, the service is great, and everyone there simply has a great attitude. And the chicken wings are great too, but usually very hot when they come out!
Definitely the best in the area, I can’t recommend them strongly enough.

This is an excellent Phở restaraunt. Great food, prices and service. Had the shrip rolls which were excellent and big bowls of delicious Phở.
Bottom line: Good Phở Yo Belly and Good Phở Yo Wallet! :)

Very disapointed. I ordered #16 beef and noodles. I should have Orderd what my friend did which was # 20 pork and rice hers was a huge pile of pork rice and salad. I tasted the pork and it was very good. I got mostly vegtables noodles and a TON of mint. with 6 slivers on beef on top. I was mad about getting like no beef and on top of that 3 of the 6 pices were fatty and uneatable. I wanted meat and I really didn’t get any. I am sure if I ate something else maybe I would have liked it better. Her husband got a bunch of meats in a soup and got a lot of meat IDK WHY mine was like meatless almost.
The porkbuns were good though, and the crab wontons were good (even though they were way over fried)
I shouldn’t come home from a resurant still hungry.
I think the menu is really hit or miss they would probably do well with a picture menu so I know what NOT to order

I have only been once but wish I was still living in the Monterey area so I could go again.
Reading other reviews of this place concerning bad service during my visit the two waitresses I dealt with were nice, and service was good.
Can’t say I’m a phở expert but the food was good to go for me. Good enough for me to remember to post a four star review a week or so later after eating here. Additionally, I wouldn’t say the portion sizes were small.

I’ve eaten here several times and the food is satisfactory if not inspiring. I can’t agree with what some other people have written about the portions being small. They seem to me to be on a par with other places I’ve eaten.
Depending on the server, the service can vary from excellent, friendly and polite to almost surly.
Recently I’ve been doing take out because of the inconsistency of the service.

Clean pretty little Vietnamese shop with tasty dishes! Friendly, efficient service is always a plus. Last night, I enjoyed delicious BBQ shrimp skewers and mom likes the Phở. Most dinners are less than $ 10: a real reasonable meal these days. Flavors were wonderful.
Nice that they accept credit cards here. Thanks!

YUCK!!! (i hate to give bad rating but…)
1. not authentic Vietnamese Food for sure
2. greedy as can be ! (i hate greedy people… YEs customer like me does NOTICE the portion that is giving out) (i ordered a large bowl that look like a XS), instead of giving you a few meat balls they literally cut ONE meatball into 5 slices… they even do that w/​the beef! plus you most see nothing but broth in your bowl… who does that?!
3. Not tasty.
4. I was NOT full !
5. they got some great looking photos up on their business but sure dont look like that in real life.
you might be fool if your not Asian or Vietnamese, but if you want to experiment real good Phở then you should try San Jose /​San Francisco, or they have another spot around Gilroy Premium Outlets.

I’m not Vietnamese, so I can’t judge on how authentic the food is, but I like the tastiness of the dishes. I’m near Watsonville where the only phở place is Tran Noodles, and while it’s tasty, I know it’s not authentic. The prices are far more than Phở King and the portions are smaller.
My husband and I ran in at 8:30 PM and were almost turned away because they only allow take-​out orders that late despite the hours saying that they close at 9 PM. So we grabbed a table and ordered. I ordered a small phở while my husband ordered bun (cold noodles) with garlic shrimp. The shrimp was really garlicky, which was great because we both love garlic. Next time I will try that. My phở had a very nice rich broth. I did not find the small phở too small in portion, but I have a smaller appetite than some people. I found the prices OK with what I am used to in Oakland and LA. Maybe in comparison to SJ it is too expensive, but it’s similar to prices that I see in Southern California.
The décor in the restaurant is basic. There are some Chinese artwork pieces hanging up on the walls, Formica tables and basic chairs that you see in a lot of Asian hole-​in-​the-​wall restaurants. There is definitely brisk take-​out business as we saw several people come and go as they picked up their orders. It’s always a good sign when you see Asians frequenting the restaurant, especially in an area like Monterey Bay where the Vietnamese presence is much smaller than San Jose or Westminster.
Service was very good. The wait staff were attentive and courteous. I will have to come back and try other menu items.

Once you’ve eaten phở in the Bay Area, this phở can’t compare. The portion was so tiny. It’s like twice as small as the one you would get in the bay. The broth wasn’t so great either.
The only reason this place deserves two stars was because the salad was really good. It was my first time ordering a Vietnamese salad and it was pretty delicious. There was raw beef and this sauce with a bunch of different vegetables. I recommend anyone to try this salad if he/​she has not.
I would never come back. Good thing I did not pay.
If you want real phở, don’t eat here.

I’m a fan of this phở restaurant. They always have good broth and noodles.
The peanut sauce is amazing!
Downside: The spring rolls could use a little something more.

This is the first place that I have ever tried Phở. It has also been the BEST place I have ever had Phở. It is just amazing. The broth. The tender meat. FLAWLESS.
I’ve sampled bits of the chinese food some of my friends have ordered and they also tasted great. The fresh spring rolls are amazing and so are the dumplings or potstickers. (Jiaozi!)
Prices are right and so is the food.

Ordered the Lunch Special-​Lemon Grass Chicken which comes with rice and salad for $ 6.95
For the price, the portion is good but in comparison to other local Vietnamese places Phở King might have some stiff competition, if not already. Putting aside the cost, it boils down to the food quality and flavor. While Phở King isn’t suffering in either, it certainly didn’t excel.
Overall Thoughts
Better options out there at a more reasonable cost.

So this is me coming from having phở in San Jose and San Francisco… so imma try to take it easy
Phở King… i know… funni name, you have sold me there buddy!
got there and they were closing but they let us in and served us still (we had a group of 6)
menu is pretty basic but kind of cute, a lil overprice for phở
i ordered a small bowl of phở with the beef and tripe… it was really small and the broth didnt taste like the typical beef broth… there was something there that just wasnt right… the noodle was in the size of my fist… not much =(…but its alright… i wasnt too hungry
if you ask me, i wouldnt go out of my way to eat here again… nor would i wanna come back =T unless im desperate for a bowl of phở =) so its not SOOOOO bad where i will NEVER COME BACK… but i wouldnt want to

Wanted to bring my gentlemanfriend something home since I had enjoyed a hot bowl of phở solo (which is super relaxing btw), I chose the Shrimp fried rice. Not your typical Chinese-​style (good because this is a Vietnamese joint) and it was Superb.
Big sized plump and juicy shrimp (none of that baby stuff), smaller grained more succulent rice — Jasmine would be my guess and a lot of garlic. In fact almost too much but the garlic was well don’t almost carmelized so it gave the dish a hint of sweetness.
He ate it out of the take-​out box which is so not his style and he ate it all very quickly even though he said he wasn’t hungry. He probably just wanted to eat some before I ate it all.

Had the garlic chicken, fried rice, round eye phở. Everything was very good. I liked the flavors, very full. The portions are good for the cost.
Service: Very nice people. Though very slow and it was not that busy — about ¹⁄₃^rd the tables were full. We had to ask to be helped. One of the dishes, out of 3, were wrong but quickly corrected.
I will be going back to try more dishes.