PhoEver Encinitas — Restaurant in Encinitas

My love for Pho Ever’s 1st location in Vista gave me high hopes for this spot as it filled a void of good Vietnamese Pho south of Oceanside down to Shallots in Sorrent (Le Bamou doesn’t count as it’s way too pricey and fusion with no real pho). Lots of people are opposed to coming North or even South to more authentic pho.

Tam did a bang up job working diligently to keep service, food and customer experiences uber consistent. There is good reason why it’s never empty and rarely a wait ever. I waited a long time for this to open and came here a half dozen times before I decided to write this.

If you want something done right, sometimes you have to do it yourself. I’m sorry to say this but the staff, work ethic is a disservice to the great name and great food they put out. Service is inconsistent ranging from meh to bad with a good/excellent sprinkled in. Décor is good, kind of predictable, clean, a little too stark, but ultimately not modern, just new. Prices are comparable and downright cheap compared to Le Bambou.

Com Bo Nuong is a good value, perfect rice, moist meat well marinated, not too much char. I ask for extra fish sauce for dipping to keep it traditional. Bo luc loc has filet mignon and is soft, beefy, but to me not worth the up charge. Fried rice is great seeing that beef is the same price as chicken and shrimp varieties. I like the Shrimp, but perhaps the rice is too light to be filling. Egg rolls are crisp, dense, flavorful. Spring rolls are tight, light and fresh, again ask for fish sauce to add to your peanut dipping sauce as you can barely taste it. Vermicelli is fresh, light and goes better with the bolder pork dishes versus fish, beef and chicken. Beef stew is hearty, but needs extra bread. Cari Ga is great over vermicelli noodles, the rice version is too predictable, but the noodles provide an unexpected surprise. Mi Hoanh Thanh is the gem of the meu, filling, fresh, not too bold, a bit of a secret if you ask me. Bun Bo Hue is a tad heavy on the shrimp paste, but I love the blood cubes and tendon, the broth is probably better for hangovers than people think pho is.

Their pho broth is still one of the best, rich, not thick or oily. The noodles are never bricked. No thumb in bowl syndrome, the steak is still filet mignon. The meatballs could be more herbally bright. They do kids sized for $5 which is actually nice for smaller eaters. Large is very filling, Medium is probably good for...

Consistent quality, an impressive menu, and a casual, laid back atmosphere.

The menu features many well-known dishes from traditional Vietnamese cuisine. The food is well prepared and packed with flavor. Prices are reasonable. Serving sizes are huge. You can never go wrong with the Pho. I've tried it several times, and each time it definitely hits the spot. The rice dishes are delicious. It is served with Steamed Rice, and BBQ Pork, Beef, Chicken, Meatloaf, Pork Chop, Shrimp, and/or Egg, or a combination thereof, and with a light, fresh salad. It's the perfect combination of flavor and ingredients, which leaves a memorable, delightful taste on the palette. Exotic specialty dishes are also offered, like the Bún Bò Hué (Spicy Beef Noodle Soup) and the Quàng Noodle Bowl. Several sauces are available at each table and/or upon request to increase flavor or complement the taste are offered. My favorite is the fish sauce.

Service has dramatically improved. In the past they made some small, innocent mistakes during their busy hours. One time the servers forgot to put in my mother's order. Another time they spilled water on our table as they were refilling our water glasses. But the servers made up the mistakes with their kindness and generosity: on both occasions they picked up the tab! That's what I call great service.

The place itself is not a "Fine Dine" joint. It's great for a quickie. Not the best to impress a date or your boss. But it's perfect for a later date or if you want to casually hangout with friends and family. It's a laid-back, super casual eatery, with seating inside. No outdoor seating. Waiters take your order at the table and bring you your food. Restaurant offers take-out. Food is brought out pretty quickly (within 5 min during non-busy hours and 10 minutes during busy hours). Inside is pretty loud. Catch sports games on their 2 big flat screen TVs inside.

Overall, great bang for buck. Food is good. Service is good. Pho-Ever has Noelito's seal...

This was my third attempt with PhoEver over 8 years and I really wish there was a better outcome. I'll say that for service, it was friendly if not short-handed. One person working the front of restaurant, so was taking care of register and all of the tables. The best thing I've ever received from their kitchen is the French baquette roll for their Banh Mi, which I'm pretty sure they source and then neglect to cut in half when specifically promised. The accouterment is tragic, liver globs/ not spread, veg sparse and not really pickled. And they leave all of the seeds/pits in their peppers and cut them really thick so just be mindful of that. Both the chicken and pork in the Bahn mi was dry, rock hard and all fat, tendons and cartilage. As far as the pho is concerned, the regular size for $19 is a waste. As many people have mentioned in their reviews, the pho broth is bland and the chicken was dry. Unfortunately, I'm calling it at 3 attempts and won't be going back and could never recommend so sadly have to rate 1 star. Not the place to go when craving Vietnamese food. Wish Kim's was...