Pho King Good — Restaurant in Auburn

Sometimes on the way home from Reno, we like to eat pho, normally we drove to Sacramento for pho but this time I was hungry so when we got to Auburn, my wife googled this restaurant. It’s a small local restaurant sitting by itself, family owned with a few people working. We’re the first customers there. The first thing we saw at the door was “cash only and ATM inside”, we didn’t feel good already but we’re already there and I did have cash from the casino. We had some small talks with the owner, and since it’s a local restaurant therefore not many VN customers eat there. We ordered Pho special bowl that normally comes with everything but since there are no VN customers, the meat selection was quite minimal. There’s no tendon, no stripe, fatty brisket although the owners told us up front, we’re hungry and we would enjoy anything good. We’ve never tasted any pho this tasteless anywhere. The soup was salty, like water and salt, no pho flavor at all. The bowl was big but there’s not much food in it. We did order the large bowl for everyone. We’re sure it’s our mistake for eating pho here because when we asked if they have all the authentic meats that come with pho and they confirmed not all were available. When we checked out, the bill included service charge because of 5 people, I thought it was suggested tips but they actually charged us for it, naive me, I put another 20% cash in the table. Anyhow, I’m sure the place has great reviews, the customers must liked the food and service very much, the other dishes from the menu must be great but we haven’t tried, but pho for us was a NO, NO. My wife and kids said next time hold off until Sacramento if we really want pho. I would prefer Burger King but was...

We used to Love the food last year and the year before, but this year the pho has gone sparse, almost tasteless, and inedible as if the previous day's/week's leftovers are being saved and reheated after being out in warmers. The meat portions have also been reduced by 1/2 to 2/3. We always get the king and the seafood pho and spring rolls and calamari. Today everything was old and half rotting. Wilting/rotting/falling apart veggies and rice wraps, dead calamari, the meats and seafood were stale, the noodles were noticeably aged, and the broth was weak and off. The portions of seafood looked like it had been counted out at 2 of each item in each of our two seafood pho orders to the point that the tiny items looked like garnish more than the subject matter or the dish. The spring rolls were gluey and disintegrating. The calamari seemed microwaved now. And all that for $60+.... We ended up throwing out most of the food and are wondering if we're going to get food poisoning. Also, Good luck getting them to answer the phone for a pick-up order if they are busy as well as they only take cash. We are now...

Warning:The cash only, they do have an ATM s but it charges 3 bucks so come prepared. About 20 a person should cover it unless you like to a bunch of appetizers. Food is amazing, wait staff friendly and responsive, and the space clean. If you want super sized portions and Americanized Oriental food it might not be for you. But if authentic Pho is something you enjoy I highly recommend this little out of the way place. Portions are generous, expertly prepared with high quality ingredients. The wait staff was incredibly responsive. My two old granddaughter fell and bumped her head so we were high maintenance upon walking in the door. Staff didn't skip a beat, provided I've for her bump and brought us out rice quite quickly to assist us in getting her comfortable. I have to admit, all while laboring under a bit of a language barrier. But the kindness and attentiveness of the staff was beyond the call of duty. We will genuinely make Pho King Good Noodles a regular stop...