Sunrise Noodle House

Phở, great under-​the-​weather lunch. The service was exceptionally quick and a great cheap spot for lunch when you want phở. Also, I didn’t have a wait here like a couple other places close to here.

Probably closer to 3.5 stars… But I’d rather be over than under (3 just has a very average feel and this one is just a little better than average). Good attentiveness, they’ll make the dish however you want it… spicy broth for me please, thanks!
Usually I do take out, but when I’ve sat down, service has been a 4. A little salty on the broth, but that’s how some people love it. My close to home Phở choice, and I can walk here.
Note, it gets REAL busy during lunch time. Get here at 11:30 or 1.

GREAT place for your phở fix or Bun Thit Nuong at lunchtime. It may not be Phở Queen II, but it’s still worth stopping in, especially cuz Phở Queen always has a huge line and it takes forever! This place is HUGE inside and you never have to wait for a seat. I’ve been coming here for like 8 yrs and they always recognize me and greet me and my friends with a warm smile as they quickly seat us. You never feel really rushed in this place, which is unique for a phở or noodle house, but the service is quick once you decide what you want.
The food is good, but not blow-​me-​away excellent. Always solid and reliable though, if ya know what I mean!
Prices are great! We used to come here once a week when we worked down the street. Good people. Support local business!

Just another Phở place in the area. It is decent — nothing special. Easy to get in and out pretty fast as it is one of the larger Phở restaurants. The people who work here are nice and the food is pretty average.

Ate here today for lunch and this place was packed! I ordered the Phở Tai (steak) and thought it was pretty good.
The broth is yummy, the beef was decent, but the phở noodles were kind of clumped together in a big ball, I needed to separate the noodles. Once I did, it was delicious.
I had an egg roll and a spring roll also, both were pretty good.

Kind of cheap and generous portion. The taste of phở is OK, though not quite impressive. Some pot rices are good. The portion is quite big compared to other phở places. Maybe the only reason I’ve been here for lunch is it’s not that busy during the lunch time.
I’ve heard that this place has been there for more than one decade… So it’s not too bad, right? :)

Walked into an empty restaurant at 11:30am on NYE.
Ordered the phở tai (rare steak) and Vietnamese coffee.
The coffee came out iced. I wanted it hot but I guess I can’t blame them since I didn’t specify but then again, they didn’t ask.
You have to break up the clump of noodles as soon as you get your bowl because it’s like a rubber band ball. The steak was really thinly sliced but ended up clumping together like the noodles so breaking that up is also a must. The broth comes with green onions, white onions and of course the sprouts/​basil/​jalapeño/​lime plate. I was pleasantly surprised as it was not my idea to come here but the phở was pretty good. I would get it again.
They have a large menu and can pretty much get anything but I’m not sure how the rest of the dishes are since the people I came with all had phở.

This place is really close to my house and serves pretty decent Vietnamese food. We usually go to other places for Viet food, but you just can’t beat how close this place is to us. We could even walk if we wanted to (but we don’t of course… laziness).
Anyway, I’ve been getting cravings for phở lately, but of course there is not very good phở in Texas, so when I visit home, I always want it. I met up with friends this time, and one of my friends got bun that was pretty good too.
Good local place.

I’m always excited to stumble upon Vietnamese restaurants. Especially the ones that look «authentic». Yes, as mentioned in other reviews the place smells a bit when you walk in, but I’ve eaten great food in similar places.
We ate here for dinner on a week night. The service was very friendly, but there was no one in the whole place. I’m always a little worried when there aren’t any customers.
The food was just okay, not the best and not the worst. The Phở was a little below par on sides and sauces. I was a little disappointed.
My wife ate the special clay pot rice. It was too hot (temperature) to eat! We let it sit for 10 – 15 minutes and it was still too hot. We finally had to spoon it out onto a plate and then wait 5 more minutes to cool down. Who knew that clay pots were so hot?! The flavor was pretty good and I loved the crispy rice in the bottom of the bowl, but overall 20 minutes is too long of a wait to eat your food once it hits the table.
The price is right, but if you’re in the neighborhood try out Phở Nam, it’s a bit better.

Too lazy to write a full review. This place has bland broth. Zero flavor. It just looks like murky brown warm water. This place looks quite interesting. A fat phở restaurant with sea foam green walls. Cheap prices thought: $ 5.50 for a small bowl of phở, but it is quite small.

I feel as if I’m being a traitor when writing this update but I must be honest and upfront. Not only has this happened once but twice already.
Recently, I’ve been finding bugs in my soup. The first time this happened, they gave me a replacement soup but still charged me. It was pretty weird, because I went with a group of 5 people and my soup was the only one that had bugs, or at least I was the only one that searched hard enough.
The second time I went, within in the first spoonful, I spotted a little bug. I didn’t want to make a big deal of it, until i found more lurking in my soup. I was offered another bowl of soup and MORE bugs ended up in my bowl. They offered me a THIRD bowl and to tell you the truth, I REALLY didn’t feel like eating it. They blamed it on the vegetables (Vegetable Tofu Noodle Soup).
I’m pretty bummed because this was my favorite noodle spot around 9

Some hole in the walls are just that… hole in the wall. This hole in the wall is a gem. An otherwise ghetto looking military style cafeteria may not look like much, the food was cheap and delicious. The service was quick and we finish the food just as fast. I ordered a beef phở with extra tendons. It definitely had one of the better soup bases I have had. I envy the folks who live or work around here. I wish I have access to more restaurants like this back east.

This is by far the worst Phở restaurant either that my parents and I have been to. The worst Phở restaurant ever. Like several others, our group of six family members decided to try this place as all of us gave up on Saigon Seafood next door. Turned out to be the worst decision ever made.
The Phở was bland. Not adequate, even for the regular size. Needed more noodle.
The service was another negative. One of the worst service ever. I’ll get to why in the next paragraph. Never took up on anything that the female owner suggested.
The first thing that was downright bad was that no one gave us the plate with basil, jalapenos, bean sprouts, and lemons. And the sad thing was that there were many plates laying on a table at the front of the place. One of our family members had to go get it ourselves.
The second thing was that when we got the bill, we were overcharged. Overcharged by a few dollars. We also did not realized that our drink order was wrong. Apparently, the female owner had put two orders of their combo drink or Halo Halo. Wrong! What we had ordered was two Suong Xa Hot Luu (jello, green bean, and coconut milk).
The third and final thing was that our entire party was even charged for ice water. Yes, not kidding! A charge for ice water. What other place charges for ice water? Nowhere that I can think of.
Obviously, we will not be coming back. Ever.

I really like this place. I’ve been here twice and the food is good.
I got the Phở seafood the first time. Word of advice: only get the large if you’re REALLY hungry! Second time I went with the rare steak Phở which I liked much better.
It gets really busy for lunch, so go early. But, we’ve never had to wait.
Service was good and you can generally get in and out quickly.

The broth was SOOOOO yummy!!! I cant believe its been in this shopping center for over 15 years. GEEZ — where have I been?
I tried the #25 Phở Ga — with egg noodles. I was hesitant at first because the older woman taking my order told me to get the fried rice. Just because I am white — doesn’t mean I always want fried rice… but maybe it is good here :) HAHA! Anyhow… the soup comes out and first thing I do is dip my spoon and taste the broth. Hooked from there out. The basil and veggies were fresh and the lime was perfect for squeezing.
They were super attentive and also refilled our drinks several times throughout the meal.
For two people, large phở ga with veggies (cabbage, bok-​choy and broccoli) two iced teas the total including tip was just over $ 20.
I cant wait to try something else next time.

In the past few months I started a new job, so I am always looking for new places to eat. Sunrise Noodle House (a.k.a. Phở Binh Minh) is a place I visit at least once per week with my co-​worker to talk about sports, girlfriends, and of course, work.
Quick Tip #1: The place is always packed at noon, so make sure you come at 11:30 A.M. or 12:30 P.M. to ensure you avoid the lunch rush.
Once you are seated and order, the phở comes out fairly quickly. This is a good thing, so you don’t have to notice your surroundings. It’s not the nicest looking noodle house, but at least they painted the walls a fresh bright green color. For some reason, it reminds of me Asian candy.
As for the phở itself, it is «un-​phở-​gettable» for various reasons. For starters, the broth here is outstanding. It’s pretty much the main reason I keep coming back. It’s always piping hot, flavorful, and full of green onions, slivers of white onions, and cilantro leaves. Add some basil leaves and a pinch of black pepper, and it’s freaking phở-​ntastic!
Added bonus: Mediocre phở joints with MSG broth will make you feel like a ran a marathon in 100-​degree heat. It sucks. But here, you can slurp down the whole broth and you still won’t feel thirsty enough to drink a 32 oz. Gatorade. It’s phở-​king awesome.
Unfortunately, as much as the broth rocks (and the noodles), they are super stingy with the meat. They are barely any pieces. And if you do find any, the meat here is really mediocre. I am not sure if it’s beef, brisket, flank tendon, dog, cat, squirrel, or tripe.
Also, the plate with basil, jalapenos, and bean sprouts always looks really sad. The leaves are wilted and the jalapenos are rarely fresh. They need better produce.
Quick Tip #2: Bring cash. The minimum credit card purchase is $ 10, yet they they don’t have a sign for this anywhere. So don’t get trapped into buying a $ 3 drink like I did.
Anyway, in the end, as much as I love the phở (for its broth and noodles) here, I can only award them 3.49 stars. They need to step it up a notch when it comes to their meats and produce if they want that fourth star.
If not, then phở-​king phở-​get-​about it!

I’ve been spying this place out for a while, mostly during the times I had to stand in line at the other place in the same strip mall waiting for a table. I’ve been tempted to just get out of line and try Sunrise Noodle (aka Phở Binh Minh), but my instincts told me not to.
I’m used to Phở having two sizes — medium and large, with the medium usually the side of a wading pool. This one failed me. Also, it’s the broth that makes the Phở; all other ingredients are usually the same. Sadly, the broth disappointed me too.
One thing they do have is the cheerful owner who greets all customers, which you don’ t usually get at other places.
Next time I’ll trust my instincts and stand in line at the other places.

I just got back from an impromptu lunch with Eladio, my honorary Viet. We normally hit up Phở Kim Long, across town… but since I looked super ugly today he took me to an «ugly date» spot. The untrendy phở spot that most would take their ugly dates to.
Although this phở spot isn’t THAT popular with the trendy Viet kids (do I still get to say that at 30?), you will still occasionally run into a scenester, clubber, dj, dj hoe, etc., where you have to pretend you’re all more cool than you really are. In the course of our 45 minutes there, I saw 2 older viet ladies w/​fake boobies and Gucci sunglasses walk through the door. Enough said. :)
We were seated quickly, and warmly greeted by Eladio’s friend, who’s family owns the restaurant. I was debating over the Hieu Tieu Dac Biet (rice noodle specials is the best I can translate that) and Chicken Satay over rice. The friend/​waiter/​owner suggested the Chicken Satay. Eladio ordered a Phở Tai (small).
The food honestly came out in less than 60 seconds. I have NO idea how they did it, because it takes me longer than that to plate food… but less than 60 seconds, barely time for us to do the ritualistic cleaning of the spoon and chopsticks with our napkins (like THAT will really kill flesh eating bacteria), takes it from 2 stars to 3 stars for a 1 hour lunch rush on Lawrence Expressway.
Eladio’s Phở Tai was TINY. Like smaller than kid bowl sizes at other restaurants. Next time, he will super size it. He said the broth has improved a lot since last time, and left a happy camper. (and as Mexicany as he is. he is the biggest Phở snob this side of the world)
My chicken satay was pretty good. I asked for a sunnyside up egg on top of the rice. The curry rice was one of the best curry rice I’ve had in a while. It had a light curry taste, soft chewy texture, and some kind of fat in it… like coconut milk, that made it to die for. The chicken was ok. It was a TINY bit bland. but with fish sauce added, it was good. The peanut sauce served with it was gross. It tasted really old and outdated. Kind of like the random jars of mystery sauce you can find at your Asian Grandparent’s home.
Close to work, yes I eat here once in a while, especially when the dim sum spot next door has a 2 hour wait. There’s never a wait here and the restaurant is HUGE. The food comes out fast. It’s decent. Nothing I would crave or drive across town for… but when I’m feeling ugly… I guess this is the spot to be. :)

The whole Sunnyvale tech industry must eat in this plaza during lunch. Every place is crazy packed and the techies just walk in to whatever place is least busy.
I tried the Hu Tieu with seafood and the broth was straight chicken bullion. They must use this same broth for the Phở Ga, who knows what they’re using for the beef Phở.
The egg noodles were the really tiny ones, with no chewiness whatsoever. The seafood came with imitation crab, squid (probably frozen), shrimp, and fish balls; all of which were substandard.
After my lunch, I contemplated whether it was worse to be a techie or eat in techie land. No offense, but never again.

I have to show some love to Binh Minh.
Yes. It has crappy service. Yes. Its raunchy in there. Only thing is. I have fond memories of lunch time with the senior dba’s when I was just a wee techy trying to make it in the world. (circa 2000)
It has changed a lot in the past few years. No more Ansel Adam’s on the wall. They changed it to bright colors and even added a water fountain in the back corner.
I actually ate here today. Phở Queen had a line out the door and I was freezing my ass off in the rain. F-that.I knew this place was near by.
I had the Chicken Satay w. Shrimp Lunch special that comes with Yellow rice and Pork. I asked for NO pork. (peanut sauce was not bad. odd but not bad!) Today was a soup day but this caught my eye!
My lunch came HOT and actually pretty tasty. We were annoyed b/​c it took the waiter forever to take our order but our food came in less than 10 mins. I felt bad for the table next to us b/​c it seems that they were waiting forever while we got lucky and were served exceptionally fast.
I kinda feel like this is the mc donalds of Phở/​Vietnames restaurants. VERY hit and miss. Take your chances and you might end up liking it!