absolutely the best phở. bo luc lac and curry was always good too! so sad that they closed — do any Unilocalers know if they have reopened elsewhere?
Not m.
Place rating: 5 Los Angeles, CA
We love the beef tendon phở here, and the chicken curry is stellar. We’ve been regulars for over four years. Sadly, the restaurant looks closed for good. Furniture is gone and phone number disconnected. We hope they have merely moved and hope Unilocalers can help us figure out their fate.
Christine L.
Place rating: 2 Monterey Park, CA
My mom likes this place for the Vermicelli dish. I don’t. The Bun(vermicelli) is served with fat noodles, not the usual thin one you’ll find at other restaurants. So this depends on your preference of noodles. The pork was dry & salty. I ignored it for most of my meal. The herbs/veggies were dry & old too. Kinda sharp on the edges and wasn’t chopped finely enough. My sister ordered Phở, which didn’t taste like Phở at all. I can’t even remember it to describe it to ya’ll. All I know, is I wouldn’t order it nor would I recommend anyone else to either. Don’t come here for Phở. Pros? Interior is nicely decorated, good food presentation and comfortable restaurant environment. Food isn’t horrible… just not what my taste buds are accustomed to when I think of Vietnamese food. So I wouldn’t call this place authentic. And I have no desire to run back to try it again.
Nancy N.
Place rating: 2 Fullerton, CA
Seriously, I’ve experienced better. The only reason I go here is because it’s accessible, and quick. I have been a handful of times trying to like it, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. The service there is mediocre, but seriously who’s at a Vietnamese restaurant for service? Just beware this restaurant has a B health department rating, and their food really is B at best. The phở is unauthentic, the rice noodles are big and really the broth is bland and does not taste like any phở I’ve had before. The only thing I can say I enjoy is the fried egg rolls. You’ll need to eat them right away before they get soggy and disgusting. But really, if you’re on the way to the 710 and need to grab a quick bite, stop by, if not just keep driving and you’ll do yourself a favor.
Tim E.
Place rating: 2 Brea, CA
Talk about crappy service. Like they weren’t really all that busy. My Phở Tai came out first before my buddies dish. Almost a whole 8 minutes I was squeezing lime into the watered down broth. My Phở really had no flavor what so ever. Our side order of egg rolls came out before his #40 dish came out. Not sure this is under new management or not. The workers look all the same but the food and service has taken a hit. For this kind of service and food quality I’d go somewhere else. The only thing I like is the flat noodles they use otherwise that cannot keep me coming back because for the cost of the food it ain’t worth a come back.
Malachi B.
Place rating: 5 Alhambra, CA
Oh service, service, service. Why are you so bizarre here? Year after year, the food at this place continues to blow up anything you compare it to. Fresh, flavorful, good portions and dirt cheap, man my mouth is watering right now thinking about the onion/mint beef dish. holy jesus. I will see you soon !
Karen C.
Place rating: 4 Pasadena, CA
Great atmosphere! Been going here for years because of the convenient location to me. Also if you are coming off the 710 North it’s not so bad either. The price is average for the food provided. I haven’t had any problems with the quality, it’s not amazing OMGWTFBBQ but it does the job in satisfying the craving for Vietnamese food. I appreciate the pot of hot tea provided. Not going to go over all the menu items because it’s your standard Vietnamese Restaurant, but I usually order the Bun Bo Hue. The side order of deep fried rolls is pretty tasty too. I guess the main attraction here is the atmosphere, CLEAN! This place doesn’t feel cheap at all even with the average pricing of other places. Tablecloths are laid out under glass with unique tableware, it’s that attention to detail that gives you a feeling more care is taken with your. Service is relatively quick and you get seated immediately, the location isn’t crowded so seating feels spacious. No lunch specials, but I recommend this place for lunch with a friend. You can sit and talk for a bit and not get rushed out.
David A.
Place rating: 4 Newport Beach, CA
Met up here with a colleague who suggested it. Thought it was simple and good. Got the green papaya salad and the Bahn Xeo– pan fried rice crêpe w/shrimp, pork, bean sprout served w/lettuce. Both were awesome and hit the spot. Too bad it was a work day and I got distracted at the end by business. Would have enjoyed it much more. Its a nice place and has some great dishes. I recommend.
Damon L.
Place rating: 3 Montebello, CA
I’ve been here several times and the food is pretty consistent. It’s not great, but it isn’t bad. Other reviewers are right when they say you should not come for the phở. That’s not their specialty. After reading some of the other reviews, I thought i’d try the Chicken Curry and while it is pretty good, nothing really stood out. It was a medium sized bowl of yellow curry with a couple chunks of potato and 4 pieces of tender chicken with bone in. The restaurant itself is quiet, clean, and nicely decorated, unlike a lot of hole in the wall Phở restaurants. I would only come here if you’re shopping in the area and want Vietnamese food, but don’t want to drive further out.
Carolyn N.
Place rating: 2 Sacramento, CA
Um. the food here is disgusting. I ordered phở and my noodles were overcooked and the beef was old. The soup wasn’t flavorful; I pretty much poured the whole bottle of hoison sauce up in the mix. My boyfriend’s food was pretty gross too. :(The only reason why I gave it 2 stars is because the staff was nice.
Joanne T.
Place rating: 4 Hacienda Heights, CA
French Beef Cubes — Excellent, tasty and not fatty, try it wrapped with lettuce, garlic, onion and tomato: p Bahn Xeo — My first time trying it, I thought the rice crêpe was hard and not all that flavorful… but maybe it was just cold by the time I got a chance to try one? Egg rolls — wrapped in lettuce and dipped in fish sauce were delishh
Annie L.
Place rating: 4 Monterey Park, CA
I have been coming here for over a year now and nothing has changed about this place. The dishes I order the most are still just as good as the first time I try them. I always order the catfish soup and the sauteed prawns. The soup is tangy and spicy which definitely satisfies my cravings. The prawns are seasoned perfectly and the onions and garlic that is use cooked with the prawns help also flavor the white rice you eat with the dish. Service is ok. The dishes come out considerably quick, and the waitresses are very nice and prompt at getting the check for you and refilling tea and etc. Final Verdict: Nothing can keep me away from this place, because this is the only place that I know of that has the catfish soup in the area. So until I find somewhere else that’s good, I am going to be a loyal customer to this establishment.
Gabriel M.
Place rating: 4 Griffith Park/Los Feliz, Los Angeles, CA
Love coming here on a cold day. I’ve only had the Veggie Phở, so I cant comment on the rest of the menu, but it is the best Veggie Phở I’ve had. The vegetables are extremely fresh. I order it with chicken broth. They can do no broth, or a beef broth as well. Parking is easy, friendly staff, and its location is near the 710fwy for those coming from the south. Enjoy –G
Yi Z.
Place rating: 3 San Francisco, CA
This place smells funny. I can’t put my finger on exactly what it smells like but it’s odd. The fried chicken wings were delicious! Just the right amount of flavor and crunch. The chicken curry was also very good. The chicken pieces were tender and the curry was well-seasoned. The rice with pork chop, pork skin, and steamed egg was a total failure. I loved the texture of the rice but the pork chop was average, the skin was disgusting and the steamed egg looked better than it tasted. Service was also really slow even though we were one of only 3 parties. Maybe if I were in a good mood, I would even consider bumping this place up to 4 stars. But I’m feeling grumpy, so 3 it is.
Chanel C.
Place rating: 2 Los Angeles, CA
let me just say that I WOULDRATHEREAT A HAPPYMEALFROMMCDONALDS, and that is saying a lot. I was feeling a little under the weather the other day & came here to pick up some phở to-go. It was about 8 bucks for a bowl, which is kinda pricey compared to alllllllllllll the other dirt cheap phở places you can find on Valley Blvd(and there are A LOT), so i expected this phở to be BOMB.COM. After I paid and was waiting for change, the man awkwardlyyyy(and let me stress the word awkwardly) handed me back me my change. I shrugged it off and walked out the door to realize that he shorted me on my change. I turned around and called him out on it, and he was really nice about it. I don’t know if he really miscounted or he was just trying to give himself a bigger gratuity. ok, on to the food. the phở broth was really weird. It actually didn’t taste authentic at all. actually, it didn’t even taste like phở. It was a little watered down, but i also didnt have a lot of grease in it(which i guess is a good thing). I have to give them 2 stars, instead of my original 1 star, because their quality of meat is really good. sorry Lee Kam Kee, i will never be returning. actually, i might return when i loose my taste buds, and when i don’t mind spending a little extra on what could have been a 6 dollar bowl :) peace out!
Maggie C.
Place rating: 3 Los Angeles, CA
Yes this is a Chinese-Vietnamese place. I went here at least 3 times already and enjoyed my meals there. The dishes I tried: Bo Luc Lac: yummy shaken beef served with bread. The bread is already buttered. It’s not your typical rice dish. 4 stars. Curry Chicken: also served with bread. It was very good the first time I went there but not the second time. 3 stars. Banh Cuon: Rice paper stuffed with meat and served with pork sausage. 3.5 stars. Soda Chanh: Not as good as your typical soda chanh. We had to get the waiter’s attention for service. 3 stars for Lee Kam Kee. Lee Kam Kee’s Bo Luc Lac is yummylicious!
Nick H.
Place rating: 4 Anaheim, CA
Chinese-Vietnamese with Soda Chanh. This place is under the category of Vietnamese. but is more like Chinese. I ate here with YM Maggie C. Kudos to showing me this yummy Chinese Twist on Vietnamese Cuisine! ~Bánh cuon 3.5 Stars Bánh cuon is a crêpe-type dish that is made with a thin rice sheet stuffed with stuff on the inside. usually pork. This one came with pork sausage(cha lua) and bean sprouts with the dipping sauce nuoc cham. The version I had was similar to a dim sum dish I have had. ~Bo Luc Lac– 4 Stars For sure this was a first for me. The dish is prepared differently than any bo luc lac I have had in Bolsa(Little Saigan). The meat was very delicious. but way different. Also, it did not come with rice but bread. Even though this is not like any I have ever had. it was pretty darn tasty. Soda Chanh. large serving. It was average. 3 Stars. I would come here again. Just make sure you are expecting a Chinese version of Vietnamese. Yummylicious!
Katherine W.
Place rating: 1 Los Angeles, CA
Overpriced flavorless schlock. Harsh? Ok, in the name of full disclosure, I was not able to order anything spicy for this meal, nothing with a little chile next to it on the menu. But if a restaurant depends only on chiles to flavor their dishes, then someone needs to re-acquaint themselves with salt. Seafood phở. Broth was bland. The phở was almost mush. Seafood consisted of two fish balls, some tilapia, a few shriveled overcooked shrimp, and krab. All these lovely ingredients for $ 7.50. The bean sprouts were blanched. I guess this saves them effort and a little bit of money, to not have to get fresh bean sprouts every couple or few days. Lemon grass chicken wings. It was not possible that the lemon grass and the chicken wings were ever in the same room together. There was zero lemon grass flavor or hint of it. There was also no salt or flavor of any kind. There were also a ton of those little hairs, left on the wings. $ 8.25 Crispy crêpe with shrimp and pork. This was disgusting. A very thin egg omelette filled with giant handfuls of bean sprouts, a few pieces of flavorless boiled pork belly(this is the only way to ruin pork belly), and a few overcooked shrimp. No flavor whatsoever. Only grease. $ 7.50. Their table cloths are these very heavy pieces of fabric cut too big for the table, so that that damn piece of tapestry was resting on me through the meal. Our waiter was unfriendly. The other waiter seemed to be very friendly, but we got stuck with the baddie.
Sean B.
Place rating: 3 San Francisco, CA
I wasn’t blown away by this unassuming place right by CSULA campus today when I went with a cool co-worker to check it out. Nothing was bad; it was clean enough, ample parking, seated promptly, and a decent menu with many options. The food just didn’t blow me away. My friend’s phở looked good, and he seemed to enjoy it, though he didn’t rave about it. The summer rolls(goi cuon) were pretty mediocre. Lots of mint. Could have been fresher. I ordered the banh xeo and it was just so-so. Plentiful shrimp, which is where many go wrong, but the texture was off a bit to my tastes. I like my crepes like I like my men. Wait, I’d better not finish that sentence. Suffice to say, mine was a little soggy, a little bland, and just nothing special. Would I go back? Yeah, I would. I have nothing against the place. Don’t see myself becoming a regular though. It was cheap, convenient, ‘okay’ Vietnamese food.
Ellen C.
Place rating: 4 Durham, NC
My friends and I went to a birthday lunch celebration. Because of the mixed reviews, I was kinda, «ehhh» about it, and went there with low standards. However, after eating the food, I think the people who rated it low went in expecting a vietnamese restaurant. CMON people! You know how asians do it! Everything they name is RIDICULOUS… ie: Golden Deli(phở restaurant, but sounds like a sandwich shop), Dragon [insert restaurant name here], [Insert Chinese last name here] Noodle House. Anyway the curry with bread was very good because of the extra kick it had in it. It was kinda weird not eating curry with rice. Ordered the phở(#3 on the menu priced at $ 5.50) that didn’t have vermicelli noodles. The noodles were a mix between vietmanese soup and chinese noodles. The fried chicken wings were good also. Overall I think the food is pretty tasty, but it’s not good enough to warrant a trip from a far away place just to try this restaurant. Good place to stop by if you’re in the area. However, if you’re the type that doesn’t like experimenting, you probably won’t like this place. This review is for your Ross. Damn you and your Unilocal hatred!