Phởholic — Restaurant in Costa Mesa

Craving pho and nothing more? You’ve found your spot.

Nestled deep in South Coast Plaza (just kidding, it’s downstairs underneath Paradise Dynasty), lies PhoHolic, a Vietnamese restaurant that serves pho and pho only (and drinks).

Craving pho, my girlfriend wanted to give this place a shot. For a Friday night, it wasn’t that busy and we got seated immediately. We took a few minutes to look at the menu and made our decision. She ordered #11 Pho Tai, Nam, Gau, Gan, Sach, and I ordered #13 Pho Tai, Duoi Bo as well as a side of extra steak (rare).

It wasn’t long before we received our food, maybe 6 minutes at most.

How was my food?

#13 Pho Tai, Duoi Bo: This was pho with steak and oxtail. The bowl was moderate in size and had a good amoint of noodles and steak. The oxtail was tender and big. The broth had good flavor. My extra side of steak was good and rare (I requested it rare).

Prior to receiving your pho, a dish is brought out with bean sprouts and white onions. The white onions are DELISH.

Parking was somewhat difficult considering it was a Friday night.

There’s seating in the front and back of the restaurant. The front seating has dividers in case you’re eating alone.

Customer service was okay, nothing special.

Not as good as other restaurants in Little Saigon, but it’s...

Least pho tasting pho I have ever tried. I have tried many pho places, and never thought I could be disappointed this badly. Service was great, atmosphere and seating was fine—honestly a good setting for introverts (dividers and blinds to separate bar seating), but food was not it. The price is not bad, $14.50 and visually it looks like just a bowl of soup—80% of it is just soup, 15% noddles, 5% meat. My bowl literally had 4 thin slices of beef, soup was not great, pretty bland, and the amount of noodles was close to three bites. I understand that’s it is a small business within a shopping mall, but I genuinely am confused on how this pho lack this badly. With this price, you can easily eat somewhere else and actually be full. I went with a group of friends, and everything thought the same thing, we were literally fishing in the bowl of soup for food, yes there is that much soup. We all left the place feeling hungry. Considering this is Irvine, a lot better places within the mall to eat, and within the general area. Food...

Location: Look for the corner building that says “Collage Culinary Experience” at the corner of Bloomingdale’s. Go downstairs and it’s a bunch of food stalls. Phoholic is to the right. Or you can go inside Bloomingdale’s entrance.

The dining room has individual bar seating separated by dividers for solo diners. Or sit in the back if you have a group at the tables.

The pho here is mediocre. I find the broth better at other locations because It’s more flavorful and beefy. Although servings here are generous and in a plastic bowl not in stainless bowls like other locations.

I like that it’s one price ($14.50) for whatever pho you pick, thick or thin noodles. I also appreciate that our sever was attentive to our little one. We asked for an empty bowl and scissors. He came out w a small bowl w a tiny bit of pho noodles in it! Enough noodles for a 2 year old.

I normally walk out smelling like pho from head to toe but didn’t here. Which was another indication for me that there isn’t much aroma and spice in...