Pho T Cali

When you’re moved to write a review because you’re Vietnamese American who knows something about the food– and sure had better than this and even better than this at this same restaurant. It’s a «Phó» shop so I ordered the usual standby chicken Phó — it was tasteless and I was sure that they just poured a can chicken broth on some phở noodles. And the side veggies (bean sprouts and basil) were limp and not fresh and crisp. My husband had the banh xeo, a crêpe with pork and shrimp and veggies. It was a monstrous crêpe but filled with all bean sprouts and 3 pieces of pork and 2 shrimps! …say what? I don’t recall our previous visits to be this bad. But I guess we will return to Phoung Trang on Convoy (Kearney Mesa), which has more grit and grime to it (I always smell like a Vietnamese kitchen when I leave) but ya know it’s always consistently a good meal (when you can’t eat your sisters home cooking).
My apologies to Phó Cali, where I originally posted, this review is for a similar phở restaurant on Claremont Mesa (across from the 99 Ranch Market).

Have been here numerous times — usually there is great service (e.g. fast delivery of food to table) but after our experience on Sunday we’ll never set foot in this place again.
The waitperson was non-​existent. When someone came to our table and gave us menus, took our appetizer order and asked if we wanted water, of course we assumed he was our wait person.
Apparently not. When after 15 minutes we still hadn’t received all the waters we requested and yet to have our order taken we flagged this gent down — he first said he wasn’t our waiter but that we could ask anyone that worked there to take our order. Ooookay, dude, we’re asking you.
He didn’t write anything down and proceeded to talk over each person before we could finish ordering — we were skeptical he was going to get our order right and still hadn’t been given our waters. Simple task, or so we thought.
We became really concerned when there was a big mix up of orders at the table behind us (yep, taken by our ‘not-​your-​waiter-​but-​you-​can-​give-​your-​order-​to-​anyone-​waiter’) and then lo and behold, our orders were jacked up.
Simple salad order was made so spicy it was inedible, orange chicken was nothing but overfried batter bits in an orange sauce, and the phở order was wrong, but for the life of me I could never get anyone to confirm WHAT specifically was in that bowl — asked two different wait people «Is this the brisket and rare steak or well done steak and something else?» «Yes.» «Wait that isn’t a yes or no question — is this brisket?» «Yes number 12.» «Well wait I didn’t order 12, I ordered 18.» «Yes 18.»
WTH.
Never had another waitperson come by the table. No napkins — no luck flagging down someone to provide napkins so we had to get our happy asses up and ask someone at the front («What? You need more napkins?» «No, we have no napkins.»)
As the meal wore on we became more and more displeased with the quality of the food and the service. No one came around to provide the bill or see if we wanted to box anything up so I went to the front to talk to the Manager. I wasn’t looking to get anything comp’d or taken off but I would have expected that he at least apologize. As I’m trying to box up the food at the table our ‘not-​your-​waiter-​but-​you-​can-​give-​your-​order-​to-​anyone-​waiter’ came up and LITERALLY started arguing with us that we should have ordered differently, that we should have said something, that this that and the other. I told him we couldn’t flag him over and that he not only screwed up our orders but the table behind us (well within earshot) — at which point he started arguing with me about how we put our orders in wrong. Ummm… ok. I told him we were done, we were leaving, and that I didn’t care to discuss this with him any longer. He stayed there arguing with me. I finally told him to leave the table — I didn’t want him around my kids or any of my tablemates.
Got an opportunity to talk to the manager before walking out and the waiter started arguing with me AGAIN about how we should have ordered differently. WTF. It’s a freaking number on a menu. We gave you the dang number and you jacked it up and then you are going to argue with us that we ordered wrong (including making a non-​spicy dish inedible with all the peppers added into THE WRONG ORDER)??
Needless to say, we’re never going back and we’re looking forward to taking our business elsewhere. Cheaper does not equate to better and there are much better Phở places within driving distance that don’t have the service and quality issues this place has.

I love phở and can’t really distinguish if one phở place is using msg or not. My friend took me here and will only eat here because they do not add msg to their food. I personally loved the phở msg or not. It was very fresh and, they had many other options besides phở. Next time I will try sometime else.

I have been here a couple times and I always get their chicken soup. It’s pretty good. I love all the toppings you can put in the soup. It is never to crowded and the restaurant itself is pretty nice. They have a large selection of food with pictures on their menu which makes it easier to choose something since I am not very familiar with Vietnamese food. Oh and they have imported beers from China Thailand and other Asian countries. Will be going back to try other delicious meals that they have to offer.

Food
Overall this is a place I like to return to occasionally. I usually leave feeling super sleepy though.
I ordered the special combination (large). Noodles were pretty al dente (might be a bit hard for some people but I liked it), steak was tough (usually phở places leave it on top of the noodles but mine was buried and fully cooked on arrival), brisket was a little chewy (along with the fat), and the tendon was still a bit hard. Soup was good as usual and there was a good amount of noodles and meat!
Service
Pretty good. Took my order quickly and food came out quickly as well. Getting the waiters attention to get me the check took a bit of time however.

Too much MSG! Why do they load the phở with MSG!!!
Good service and nice ambiance, but they need to not use MSG!!!

This place is just ok. The phở broth is not as good compared to the phở shops in my Mira Mesa area (phở Cali and phở ca do.) The broth just isn’t too appealing, some odd bitter flavor. Ordered egg rolls, but again, nothing in flavor that sounds out about it. I was happy with the Vietnamese stew though. All I have to do is add sate n peppers.
The only problem was that I was expecting bread, instead of noodles. The waiter and I forgot to tell each other that. But I didn’t ask them to take it back. There was a lot of beef in there, so I didn’t even really eat much noodles anyway.

Phở T Cali use to be one of my go-to’s for phở… but I think there are just better options on convoy.
Food
–
Bun Thit Nuong
The flavors of the thit nuong was very tasty: juicy, sweet, savory… but you only get a few pieces and a bazillion pieces of noodles. Quite delicious, but for the price you pay you only get like a few pieces of meat. They are actually quite skimpy on their meat in general this place. The nuoc mam that comes with it is pretty flavorful, nothing too special, but is pretty solid. If i’m craving noodle salad I’ll order this, but the lack of meat makes me never want to.
Bun Bo Hue
One of the more disappointing thing’s ive tried at this restaurant. They don’t even give you purple cabbages either. Honestly, one of the most untraditional bun bo hue’s i’ve ever had, but I think it’s to have it catered to non-​asians. No Pork feet/​knuckle, no blood cakes… sigh. Really sad. The soup wasn’t deep in flavor, very watery and not filling.
Phở
It’s always hit or miss with their phở. Sometimes the meat is super tender and fresh. Other times, it’s been sitting their for quite a while and tougher than leather. The broth has MSG in it because my mouth feels tingly and i’m always really thirsty after eating here… Needs more meat too.
Service
–
Typical phở restaurant service. Always mediocre at best, sometimes workers stand idle and i’m trying to get their attention, and nothing works to get it. Have to wave them down for water refills too…
Parking
–
The highlight of this place; one of the best parking lots in the clairmont/​convoy area! HUGE! EASY! what more can you ask for?

Disclaimer: I’ve only been here twice.
BUT DAYUMMM… what a beautiful phở joint! As an iPhone user, I love all things aesthetically pleasing. Yea, I’m not afraid to admit it. I like pretty things. THERE. Sue me.
It’s even better when the pretty thing is functional. Phở T Cali is delish, has good service, is reasonably priced AND is pretty! #WINNING.
RICE VERMICELLI (no soup)
Ordered the rice vermicelli bowl with veggies, pork, chicken & shrimp. Whoa. Juicy slices of pork and SO FLAVORFUL. Generous portion of chicken which was surprisingly juicy too. My pet peeve is chicken tasting dry. And I assumed the shrimp would just taste grilled/​kinda smoky/bbq’ish. But the shrimp was just as juicy and had a sweet and savory taste. YUMMAY with the noodles too. I like this dish because it’s not as salty as the typical phở, and you get the premium meats!
EGG ROLLS
Got this as an app. Like how crispy, hot and fresh it was. BUT, not really into the texture of the minced pork inside.
SERVICE
Sat down, got water within just a few minutes and after we ordered, got the egg rolls out in less than 5 minutes. Rest of the food came out probably in like 10 mins after that. Actually had our water refilled without even asking. Say whhhaat?!
OVERALL
Good food, service is decent, and it’s pretty! Plus, I didn’t smell as much as I normally do after eating at a phở place. Yay!

I came here with my friend to order some to-​go food to eat at home. We pretty much walked in, without being greeted or anything (but I guess that’s pretty typical at most Vietnamese restaurants), and went straight to the cashier to order. It was during the lunch peak hours so I understand why they weren’t paying too much attention to us.
We ordered and sat at a nearby table to wait for our food. Usually, the food comes out pretty quickly, but this wasn’t true in our case. It was sort of true, except our food was actually ready but no one told us or brought it to us, so we kind of just sat there and waited. Not until my friend got up and asked that he realized our food was done (what a fail).
The food was packed nicely for us to eat at home. I don’t really have much complains or compliments about the food because it was just decent. My friend got the typical phở and I got the rice vermicelli with egg rolls and grilled pork. Growing up in the Bay Area, I was pretty privileged with the Vietnamese food I’ve had. It was kind of what I expected, just the usual and decent phở. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t the best either.
Overall, I had an okay experience. Since I was only visiting San Diego, chances are that I probably won’t be back.

Came here early Friday afternoon. It wasn’t busy at all, and the staff seemed happy to get me seated and take my order.
I went with the small chicken phở bowl. It was pretty good, just a tiny bit saltier than what I’m used to, but it was still delicious.
It came out hot and steaming. I like to let it sit for a minute while I add all my extras, and to let the noodles soak.
Overall, it was a good experience. I liked the food and the service

This is probably the worst vietnamese restaurant that I have been to… and I’ve been to many. It disappoints me because the staff is nice yet the food is so bad and expensive!
I was craving Bun Bo Hue and didn’t know where to go since the places I wanted to go to was closed on Monday. Came here, ordered it and it came out looking and tasting like Phở… I called over the waiter and asked him if he gave me the wrong dish and he said it’s their version of Bun Bo Hue. I was so shocked. I have ordered Bun at other Phở places before and they would give me the authentic version!!! This restaurant is so cheap that they just give me phở broth, some meat and tendon and let me think its bun bo hue??? Very disappointed. And the prices here are super expensive!
I recommend:
— DONT GET BUN BO HUE

I’m writing this review on my second time here. The place is clean and modern and they have four big TVs with sports and news on.
The food last time was excellent. I had phở ga, and they brought it out with plenty of veggies and jalapeños as well as a little bowl of ginger nuoc mam. My girlfriend had the combination com tam (broken rice) plate, which came with a little bowl of phở broth as well! She praised that the broken rice was «how it should be.» This time we got the chicken curry and grilled shrimp on sugar cane dishes, both of which were delicious.
The service was prompt and courteous both times. We will definitely return. I’m giving five stars because I think this place deserves a much higher rating than it has right now!

Went here on a chilly Friday night, for SD standards, for a bowl of phở to warm me and my roommates up.
Pleasant to see this place to be pretty packed so we knew we were at a good phở place. When our phos came out, I was extremely disappointed to see how greasy and fatty the phở broth was. My roommates ordered the rare steak and I ordered the beef stew. I wish I took a picture of it, but imagine half a cm of fat just laying on top of the bowl. It was pretty gross because the fat was unavoidable and would stick all over my chopsticks, hands, and spoon. The worst part was that the pieces of meat were layered with that clear gelatinous fat, which means it’s been sitting for awhile, if not scrap pieces.
I was super disappointed about that because the flavors were there, but they were hindered by the layer of fat and quality of meat. Overall, I wouldn’t come back again.

UPDATE
Came in on a Friday night with minimal wait. I didn’t like this place before but I tried it again cause it was close by.
AGAIN the noodles were undercooked and my soup was warm, not hot.
Usually you can expect to pay for a good bowl of phở around $ 6-​$ 7. Small bowls here cost $ 7.99 or $ 7.49 I forgot. I’m Vietnamese so this phở wasn’t to my standard.
I asked if they has fresh coconut juice so I ordered it. It was just ice. I literally took one gulp and it was all gone so I was left with a whole cup of ice. I could just buy the can down the street at Zion that comes for $ 1 and comes with more. So it felt like a rip off. Not only that but it tasted watered down.

This place has improved! It’s been renovated on the inside and looks much better. Over the years I’ve been here many times but not for the last year. It was a surprise to see how much nicer the inside is!
The food quality, and staff seems to be the same. I would describe the food and service as good. If you’re craving Phở it should do the trick.
The particular area they are in is extremely competitive as far as Phở goes. I know of a few places close bye I prefer, but still this place, food, and staff are enjoyable.
They are also right off the 805 and Claremont Mesa Blvd, so major quick access. Also this place is extremely quick in serving you (Like 5 – 10 minutes from ordering.).
So if you are in a rush, I can’t think of a faster place to fuel up on Phở :)
Happy eating!!!

Definitely one of the nicer Vietnamese restaurants in San Diego.
They have a huge parking lot, tons of tables.
Cool waterfall scenery right when you walk in and other decorations.
Their prices here are slightly more expensive than most viet restaurants as well.
But they offer almost every Vietnamese dish you would want.
Some of my favorites include:
+Grilled Beef & Shrimp on Sugar Cane Tiny Rice Noodle Dish
(Banh Hoi Chao Tom Bo Nuong) $ 9.25
+ Special Vietnamese Crispy Crêpe
(Banh Xeo Dac Biet) $ 7.95
+ Spicy Vermicelli Beef Soup
(Banh Mi Cari Ga) $ 7.45
+ Viet Beef Stew with Rice Noodles
(Phở Bo Kho) $ 6.95
+ House Special Seafood Stir-​Fried Rice Noodles
(Hu Tieu Ap Chao Do Bien) $ 8.25
+ Grilled Beef & Egg Rolls Rice Vermicelli Noodles
(Bun Cha Gio Thit Nuong) $ 6.95
Definitely recommend you guys trying those dishes above!
Great place to go for any time of the day, especially if you want other dishes other than just Phở!

Had dinner here with family and friends. We ordered a variety of dishes which were all pretty good. I rarely if ever order phở when I come here. I prefer phở from Phở His in Linda Vista or a good phở place in south east San Diego. For me, the phở just isn’t as tasty here. The rice and noodle dishes are good here though.
Service is good. The servers are friendly and I’ve never had any problems here. We are seated promptly and the place is clean. During mid day they close off sections of the restaurant to mop the floors.
Our order is taken in a reasonable amount of time and our server is attentive filling water or asking if we need anything else. The food comes out hot and fresh. The prices are fair for the quality and amount of food.
Overall, good place to go for Vietnamese food in the Clairemont area. Plenty of parking and they have a couple of large screen televisions. There is also a Tea Station in the same shopping plaza if you want a boba fix.

After going to a car place to drop off our vehicle a coworker and I headed down Clairemont Mesa for something to eat and phở sounded great for a cold day. Phở T Cali was the nearest place, it sits in a shopping center directly off the road with plenty of parking in its lot. As you walk in you will notice how clean and well kept the interior of the restaurant is (
) which is always a good sign. We sat down at one of the tables and they handed us water right away. Their menu consists of the typical phở dishes, along with some Vietnamese dishes. But we were in the mood for phở, and phở is what we got here.
I ordered the small size Phở Gai (
) which is basically phở with chicken breast instead of rare flank steak. As you can see the broth has a light color to it which doesn’t mean it has any less flavor because the flavor was good. There was no over abundance of salty taste to it and it went perfect for the cold day we were having. I also liked that they used skinless chicken breast instead dark meat with skin like a lot of phở places do to phở gai. Made for a small warm tasty lunch. The table setup was nice (
) with your chopsticks stinking up (they were clean too) with squeeze bottles for the pepper sauce and hoisin sauce.
A typical small bowl of phở here runs you about $ 7 bucks and some change, not too bad for a bowl of phở, it wasn’t really that small either. Good service here, the servers were quite prompt about refilling our drinks and were very friendly. Quality broth and clean restaurant, what more could you want from a phở place?

This is my favorite phở place.
I’ve been coming here for years with my Dad.
We both used to work around the area and this was our favorite lunch spot.
Yummy, healthy and very fast service!
My all time favorite is the rare steak phở and the fresh spring rolls.
I pretty much have ordered the same thing all the time. This is one of the few places where I stick to what I like.
Now a days I don’t work near the are not do I live near it, so when I do come here it’s because I crave the same phở :-)
Luckily I have always received great service and fast.
The place is very clean and so are the restrooms. They do take cards.
Plenty of parking space.
Walking distance from Tea Station for dessert afterwards!