Pho San Jose

Vincent Tang

This spot offers a generous selection of toppings and plenty of seating—great for groups of any size. Food: What stood out to me was the variety of toppings available in one pho bowl. Options like chicken, meatballs, and beef brisket were combined by default, whereas most places typically serve them individually. Definitely a unique touch! Service: Service was fast—our food arrived in less than 10 minutes. Atmosphere: Spacious seating both indoors and outdoors. The space was clean and had festive Christmas decorations, adding to the charm. Overall: I’d definitely return. The portion sizes were satisfying, and I appreciated the variety of toppings.

Reed Chavez

After a long week, popped inside here at the end of the day. This is a Pho place that does it right. Nice open atmosphere inside and out. If the locals are here, you know it’s good. Fast and very friendly service. Easy menu options with appetizers, Pho bowls, rice plates and a variety of beverages to choose from. I enjoyed my egg rolls and Pho San Jose bowl, and peach iced tea. Very filling and comforting and good. I easily got some food to-go to bring to my daughter. Step inside, walk this way, you and me babe …..

Suzanne F

You really couldn't get a waiter to come and help you at all. The only thing I didn't like was they keep the shells on the shrimp.

Ty Tran (Mr. Ty)

Been going here since they opened because I work right around the corner so I accumulate a lot of photos from all my visits. I’m not one to review much but once I seen the cowboy pho recommended on YouTube by “simply dumpling”, I decided to write a review as an I told you so to my friends who prefer other pho spots in San Jose. Don’t get me wrong there are a few good pho places but to fit my taste buds, Pho San Jose is the only one that does this. First off the pho is rich and flavorful. I always drink a spoonful of a pho before adding anything to it. That’s how I grade my pho first. The bowl was piping hot each time I come here. My go to meal is the pho San Jose with a side of bone marrow and a beef rib. I haven’t seen anywhere else around here that serves bone marrow with pho. I have seen beef ribs but never riblets or smoked brisket. I’ve notice as I’ve grown I use less and less condiments and just enjoy the pho as it is so there’s NO masking anything here to compensate for a bland broth. The decor is unique with the grass wall, trees, neon sign, and giant mascot painting. It doesn’t look like your traditional pho place. It has a modern twist to it and isn’t cramped like other pho restaurants. Everything feels spaced out and organized. The service was fast and you get seated down fairly quick but expect a little wait on weekends but not crazy long as other locations. Come try it out! Also they have beers! Cheers to them

A “SubZero XT” L

Ordered the “Smoked Brisket Phö”… OMG!!! So Smokey and so yummy!!! Best of both worlds, BBQ and Phö. The broth was on point, none of the seasonings overpowered the others, just good broth! The Spring Rolls were really good as well. I added fried tofu and meatballs to make it custom…

Jia Huang

This is now my favorite Pho place! Out of all the pho restaurants I've been to, dare I say this is one of the best in the country. The meat quality is on another level. Soft, fatty, and full of flavor. To top it off, the beef riblets and beef rib is in a league of its own. I can tell the effort that went into stewing the meat. Most delicious pho experience I've ever had.

V N

Some of the best pho I had in a long time. I ordered the Pho San Jose and the short rib was a wonderful addition. I tried their smoked brisket and bone marrow on the side and it was fantastic!

came here for the first time last night around 6pm. no wait, but it was a bit busy. service was good, the servers were proactive about water refills and took our order rather quick. Food came out in about 10 minutes after ordering. Solid pho here. The one downside to this spot was a homeless man walked in and was just yelling randomness until one of the female workers kicked him out. other than that, would definitely come back and recommend.

The restaurant is spacious, and we were seated right away in a comfortable spot away from the sunset glare. We came for an early family dinner and enjoyed a smooth dining experience. Service was quick. We ordered the Pho San Jose and the Braised Pork Ribs Rice—both were flavorful and satisfying. The pho broth was balanced, not overly salty or heavy with MSG. My toddler especially loved the braised pork; it was tender, easy to chew, and not too salty. The plaza has plenty of parking, which makes it very convenient. Overall, a pleasant meal and we’ll definitely come back again.

Pho San Jose has one of the best pho around my area. The broth is rich but light in the stomach. The egg rolls are savory and crunchy, I love the smoked brisket pho bowl with fresh noodles. Our server was very polite and friendly, I recommend this place and will keep coming here.

Came here to try bone marrow pho for the first time. Met my expectations there with a very rich broth. I just wish they served the marrow with the bone separately so I could taste it better on its own

The bone-in beef rib on the orange color highlighted “premium” add-on menu we ordered today, needs another hour in the pot because according to my daughter’s experience, the meat should just fall-off the bone, which not my case today. This is the reason for only four stars! The restaurant is clean, the inside seating area with lots natural lighting and seems like very comfortable, few outside tables also very inviting. We ordered our food to-go and was quickly bought to us and go through what we ordered to make sure no missing or mistakes! It is a nice way to ensure no disputes later on! We enjoyed our to-go dinner very much at home and May visit them again for other menu items.

The Pho San Jose was pretty good, especially the broth. Food came out pretty fast. It was disappointing that they didn't have any bone marrow or spring rolls left though.

Serving of noodles were large with generous portions of meat. Soup is decent it could be a little more concentrated. Lots of seat inside and out with a quiet atmosphere. We went before the dinner rush so there were only a few patrons at the time. Would definitely go again.

Yoke Chen - Jaane Abidog

The restaurant is spacious, and we were seated right away in a comfortable spot away from the sunset glare. We came for an early family dinner and enjoyed a smooth dining experience. Service was quick. We ordered the Pho San Jose and the Braised Pork Ribs Rice—both were flavorful and satisfying. The pho broth was balanced, not overly salty or heavy with MSG. My toddler especially loved the braised pork; it was tender, easy to chew, and not too salty. The plaza has plenty of parking, which makes it very convenient. Overall, a pleasant meal and we’ll definitely come back again.

Ian Aguinaldo

Pho San Jose has one of the best pho around my area. The broth is rich but light in the stomach. The egg rolls are savory and crunchy, I love the smoked brisket pho bowl with fresh noodles. Our server was very polite and friendly, I recommend this place and will keep coming here.

Laura Dang

Came here to try bone marrow pho for the first time. Met my expectations there with a very rich broth. I just wish they served the marrow with the bone separately so I could taste it better on its own

Steven Cheng

The bone-in beef rib on the orange color highlighted “premium” add-on menu we ordered today, needs another hour in the pot because according to my daughter’s experience, the meat should just fall-off the bone, which not my case today. This is the reason for only four stars! The restaurant is clean, the inside seating area with lots natural lighting and seems like very comfortable, few outside tables also very inviting. We ordered our food to-go and was quickly bought to us and go through what we ordered to make sure no missing or mistakes! It is a nice way to ensure no disputes later on! We enjoyed our to-go dinner very much at home and May visit them again for other menu items.

Khoi Pham

The Pho San Jose was pretty good, especially the broth. Food came out pretty fast. It was disappointing that they didn't have any bone marrow or spring rolls left though.

Ed Yu

I came here because someone recommended their bun rieu to me. I actually came twice and first time their bun rieu was sold out. I'm glad I was able to finally try it the second time around. Disclaimer I'm not Vietnamese but I'm Asian so I can't vouch for authenticity. I'm also not a white guy who thinks he is an expert in Vietnamese food just because he married/dated one. I was first introduced to bun rieu from Pho Kim Long so I'm used to their version. In comparison there are no periwinkles in Pho San Jose but you get 2 pieces of pork ribs. The minced crab balls are more like balls here whereas pho Kim Long is more minced. The noodles are the biggest difference as this version the noodles are thinner. My verdict is that they not are bad but I prefer the Pho Kim Long version myself because I prefer thicker noodles and the stronger tomatoes flavor. I think next time I'll order the regular beef pho or pho ga (chicken). I do think this place is pretty good hence the 4 stars. It's clean and modern. The service is quick and the place can get crowded at peek hours. There are some outdoor seatings too. Parking is easy to find and I'd say it's my 2nd choice for pho in the area. Oh you do have to pay at the counter afterwards.

James Fong

Serving of noodles were large with generous portions of meat. Soup is decent it could be a little more concentrated. Lots of seat inside and out with a quiet atmosphere. We went before the dinner rush so there were only a few patrons at the time. Would definitely go again.

pho was good! but service kind of felt like they were rushing me to order and finish my food even though it was a slow day, as i went to go pay and ask for a to go box but left my bag and things at the table to make sure im still at that table but once i paid i walked back to my food being cleaned up and put away (it was still pretty full of food/soup) i also was going to go up to ask for water as no one really came by, but with the whole cleaning up our table i just decided to leave after paying.

Overall an ok experience with good tasting food. However, we weren't given utensils and had to ask for them, and when they were given to us the spoons had remnants of food already on them. We also ordered spring rolls that never came, so we ended up just canceling them because we had already mostly finished our food when we realized they were not coming. The food itself is tasty and served freshly prepared and piping hot. The broth tastes well seasoned and rich. However, the restaurant seats also were a bit dirty and there were so many flies bothering us while we were eating indoors. The overall experience wasn't the best, but the food was good so I may prefer to get a take out option next time!

Edit: service was terrible last time I was here. Server forgot one of my order and some of them seem to have an attitude. Rice dish wasn't great either and pho have the same feeling as the below review Saw this because of an Instagram post. I thought I had to go and try. Went during the lunch rush (approx 12:30) and had to wait for like 30 mins. Definitely on us. We sat down and they our table was the only table that didn't have utensils and condiments. Requested it twice and it eventually came. Took our order and we got the pho dac biet, pho San Jose, side of bone marrow and beef rib. It came out fairly quickly. The first thing I noticed was that the marrow was in broth which I didn't mind. The marrow was great on the first bite, after that it just decreased. The beef rib was on the thinner side compared to other places I had but wasn't a deal breaker. What I like about the pho is that the noodles wasn't too starchy. Some pho places, the pho would be starchy and would over power the broth. The broth tasted fine. Nothing to write home about. This pho place is fine. There are some pho places that I would rather go to and there are some pho places that San Jose pho beats. That Instagram post was over hyping it a bit though.

Daniella Tolibas

pho was good! but service kind of felt like they were rushing me to order and finish my food even though it was a slow day, as i went to go pay and ask for a to go box but left my bag and things at the table to make sure im still at that table but once i paid i walked back to my food being cleaned up and put away (it was still pretty full of food/soup) i also was going to go up to ask for water as no one really came by, but with the whole cleaning up our table i just decided to leave after paying.

Nicole D.

Overall an ok experience with good tasting food. However, we weren't given utensils and had to ask for them, and when they were given to us the spoons had remnants of food already on them. We also ordered spring rolls that never came, so we ended up just canceling them because we had already mostly finished our food when we realized they were not coming. The food itself is tasty and served freshly prepared and piping hot. The broth tastes well seasoned and rich. However, the restaurant seats also were a bit dirty and there were so many flies bothering us while we were eating indoors. The overall experience wasn't the best, but the food was good so I may prefer to get a take out option next time!

Christina

We were recommended to try the pho here by a friend and the option for a side of bone marrow motivated us to finally eat here the other night. As soon as we walked in, despite the servers making eye contact and staring at us, it took over 5mins for someone to finally acknowledge and seat us. The restaurant was packed so I can understand that the staff are busy but I just felt it was awkward that they all just blankly stared at us for minutes without saying a simple “hello” or “we’ll be right with you”. Once we were seated, it took another 15 minutes for a server to take our orders. We both ordered the Pho San Jose bowl with a side of bone marrow. Although the portions were good, the broth was honestly very mid to me. Not bad but not amazing either. I appreciated the generous portion for the bone marrow at only $3 for a full bowl and adding it to my pho did enhance the broth somewhat. I will give them credit that the restaurant has nice aesthetics but with the combination of mediocre service and average food, I don’t see myself returning anytime soon unless improvements are made.

Steven Trinh

Edit: service was terrible last time I was here. Server forgot one of my order and some of them seem to have an attitude. Rice dish wasn't great either and pho have the same feeling as the below review Saw this because of an Instagram post. I thought I had to go and try. Went during the lunch rush (approx 12:30) and had to wait for like 30 mins. Definitely on us. We sat down and they our table was the only table that didn't have utensils and condiments. Requested it twice and it eventually came. Took our order and we got the pho dac biet, pho San Jose, side of bone marrow and beef rib. It came out fairly quickly. The first thing I noticed was that the marrow was in broth which I didn't mind. The marrow was great on the first bite, after that it just decreased. The beef rib was on the thinner side compared to other places I had but wasn't a deal breaker. What I like about the pho is that the noodles wasn't too starchy. Some pho places, the pho would be starchy and would over power the broth. The broth tasted fine. Nothing to write home about. This pho place is fine. There are some pho places that I would rather go to and there are some pho places that San Jose pho beats. That Instagram post was over hyping it a bit though.

This pho place is good overall. We liked the broth—it was flavorful and well done. The service was okay, not bad but not great. Unfortunately, we found two strands of hair in the soup. That said, the staff handled it well and were willing to replace or exchange the dish. In the food industry, staff should ensure hair is properly secured to maintain sanitation standards.

I'm sorry I love Vietnamese Pho and tried countless, YouTube said this place was a top 5 so I went there. I ordered a Pho bowl and the Pork Chop Rice dish with Garlic tomatoes rice rather than the white rice. The Pho was average if not a little less than, the broth surprisingly had little flavor and the meat was nearly non-existent, 3 out of 5 and that's being kind. The rice plate, first mistake was the rice, the tomato garlic had ZERO garlic taste and overwhelming tomato taste, the Pork chop was breaded which ruined it for me and if not for the dipping sauce would have been very bland, also a generous 3 out of 5. If I had to be totally honest, overall I would rate the food a 2.7 out of 5, because a 3 is average and to me this was slightly below average. The place itself is nice looking but felt cold, not as in temperature, but in atmosphere.