Pho So 1 — Restaurant in Gardena

Usually dine at Tompopo which is in the same plaza. Decided to come and check out their food here.

I've been to plenty of Vietnamese restaurants and this place (from what I can see) specializes in Pho. Wifey, kiddo, and I didn't get that for our first time here.

We ordered their beef fried rice, egg rolls, grilled pork with rice plate, and beef vermicelli with shrimp paste. The food here was not bad however not all that impressive.

Now when I order any shrimp paste (in bean curd) it's actually wrapped in a bean curd skin then deep fried to a golden brown. Pho So 1 doesn't do that here. They simply roll it in a light breadcrumb type of breading then pan fry it. I know that different regions of Vietnam will have their own versions of cooking and styles will vary, however I didn't quite enjoy my shrimp paste here.

The restaurant was clean & organized, service could have used a little cheer here. The vibe was on the dismal, low low. May come back to actually try their pho however may not.

I didn't feel it completely here to give it a 4 star rating and up, so a three it...

First off, I'm Chinese. I'm no pho connoisseur. And I always get Tai Nam Gau (aka rare steak, flank, fatty flank/brisket), with very few variations. And I'm pretty easily pleased. BUT I know an awesome meal when I have one, and this one counts.

TASTE AND QUANTITY Having gone here several times for lunch, these guys are the best I've had thus far in my casual pho eating. Decently generous in the meat, large bowls give more food and not just more soup, meat tastes real good, broth is nice and beefy instead of excessively salty. Solid! Man, that fatty flank/brisket sure does the trick... like bacon but far better.

SERVICE Really fast! Can't say that about all pho places, but these guys are quick! As it should be, since pho should be quick. And they walk around and fill your water. More bonus points.

ENVIRONMENT Clean, well lit, attracts a decent crowd during lunch, in an Asian plaza with plenty of other Asian eats.

Yep, 4/5 stars, since I save 5/5 for only the most absolutely awesome food that's very...

Food handling is atrocious here. I have read that this place was closed once or twice for vermin infestation in the newspaper as posted by the health department. When new, this place was my number one spot for pho as the beef bone broth was very tasty. However, through the years this place has gone downhill. It is their food handling practices that has turned me sour. I hate being served my bowl of pho with the servers fingers inside my bowl. Why do they have to grab the bowl with their thumb inside the bowl? Then I watched an older gentleman preparing drinks at the counter who grabbed each glass by placing two fingers inside the glass and his thumb outside and ladel the drink into the glass with his other hand. He did this to about 25 to 30 glasses, during which time he was wiping his shirt, opening drawers, and touching his face. All this makes me wonder what goes on in their kitchen. Never going back here. Too bad cause the soup is good, but...