Pho Cow Cali in San Diego

Every time I pass by this place, I can’t help but notice the long line of people waiting outside 👫👫—it almost makes me wonder if they’ve secretly added 🍃 to their broth (just kidding, of course!). The sight always piqued my curiosity, and I finally couldn’t resist bringing my family to see what the hype was all about. Even though the line looked intimidating, the turnover was surprisingly quick ⏳. There were about a dozen groups ahead of us, but we only waited around ten minutes before getting seated—way smoother than expected! We started with a boba milk tea 🥤, but the sweetness of the first sip totally caught me off guard…it was really sweet! And I’m not sure if it was just in my head, but that sugary taste seemed to linger on my palate and even affected how I experienced the flavors of the dishes that followed [disappointed]. For appetizers, we ordered the shrimp spring rolls 🦐. The wrapper had a nice, chewy texture, but the flavor was surprisingly mild—almost like "plain mineral water." The shrimp’s natural taste didn’t really stand out, so eating them with the accompanying dipping sauce definitely helped add some dimension. For the main course, we got the Special Combo Pho and the House Special Pho. Both had the same ingredients. I might have let the beef sit in the broth too long—it ended up a bit tough. Or maybe I squeezed in too much lime? Combined with the boba tea’s aftertaste, I even sensed a slight bitterness after a few spoonfuls of the soup and noodles… But! My husband, who’s also Cantonese, absolutely raved about the beef. He thought it was incredibly fresh and tender—so much so that he’d give it 4.5 out of 5 stars 🌟! As for the broth and the noodles, his impression was similar to mine: decent, but nothing extraordinary. So…why does this place always have such a long line? Did we just order the wrong things? [LOL] Next time, we’ll have to switch things up—skip the milk tea and try some of their other popular dishes. Maybe then we’ll uncover what makes it so special! If you’re a fan of Vietnamese flavors, it’s worth a visit—just make sure to avoid the items that didn’t quite work for us! #SanDiegoLife #pho #SanDiegoFood