Phamous Cafe — Restaurant in Goleta

Man this place isn't like how it use to be. I went in today for lunch. First time back in about 2 years. Same set up, menu is almost the same. They did remove some items off of it (unfortunately). Anywho, I came in on lunch break, the young man with the glasses approached us with a terrible attitude. Immediately as we walked in he gave this disgusted look and was slightly rude. I thought maybe because my entire uniform was dirty? I mean I work on cars for a living. That's my occupation. I thought maybe it was just me. No, I guess it isn't. Other customers came in as I was waiting to be helped, they too were given terrible service. I even spoke to those other customers and we all agreed how this dude had not provide excellent service and how bad this place has gotten over the years.

Before I use to give this a 3.0 out of 5. Now it's just a 0 out of 5 for me.

I see many others on this review portion can agree.

IF YOU WANT GOOD PHO IN THE 805, AL PHO SANTA MARIA ♡ SUVANS...

This is what you need on an overcast day. The broth was excellent as far as restaurant broths go. I got the P4 - rare steak and beef meatballs (with tiny chewy tendons in the meatballs). This is authentic, not watered down pho, served the proper garnishes (Thai basil and bean sprouts). It’s a light soup, despite the beef and the smaller portion was more than enough for me.

Does the broth have msg? Probably, but you have to realize that a dash of msg in a giant vat of broth is different than msg sprinkled into every dish at a Chinese restaurant. I’m sensitive to msg but didn’t get a headache here.

The service was super fast and my pho came out within 5 minutes of arrival. Is the staff super friendly? Not really, but they’re not rude. My people have been through A LOT. 😅 The restaurant was very clean and the pho...

I used to love this place when they made their own bread for bahn mi. They were the only Vietnamese restaurant in town that served bahn mi, giving them an important niche. Now they've switched to using La Brea baggett's it's just nowhere near what it used to be. Unfortunately, their pho is kind of one-dimensional as it is dominated by onion while lacking the anise and other flavors I associate with good pho. The rice dishes are good on occasion. For alternatives in pho and plated meals, try Noodle City and Saigon Noodle House.

The staff is quite friendly. There are nice high tables by the window where you can read while...