Pho 84 — Restaurant in Oakland

I've been wanting to come here on Sundays but found out they are closed on this day. This place was actually recommended by the owner's nephew who I know. Good thing tonight I happen to be nearby and decided to come in. The restaurant is clean and has got a good decor. Food and service is quite good. I ordered the grilled pork vermicelli. To my surprise it is not your typical Vietnamese vermicelli. I would consider it fusion Vietnamese. Instead of a bowl the meal is served on a plate. It looks like they are trying to accommodate the Western taste in every way. I was most impressed with the egg rolls. I normally don't like the standard Vietnamese egg rolls which are stuffed with some unknown mushy meat. However, the ones here are stuffed with ingredients that you can see and know what they are. Overall the food experience was good. I can't wait to find out how they serve their Pho and rice plate on my next visit. A couple of things to watch: parking is awful around the area. It's better to come at night. During the day it's all metered parking so that will add cost to your meal. Secondly, prices at this restaurant are about 50% higher than your standard Vietnamese restaurant. I normally pay $10 somewhere else but here I paid $16 plus tips. Still a...

I can only speak for the chicken pho. Heads up, it comes in beef broth; I didn’t notice any veggie pho options. The beef broth was great, really flavorful. The large comes with a good amount of chicken. The prices seemed a bit steep for what it was, but if you check the menu and you’re willing to pay the prices, it tastes good. I enjoyed the food, but I’d probably want to try something else first before going back. The menu seemed a bit mushroom heavy, which doesn’t thrill me, so I’d not be too interested in trying other dishes. The beef in the pho didn’t look great even in the menu pictures, so I passed on that. The staff were friendly and helpful. The seating area is pretty large, and on a weekday evening there was space available.

There’s a decent amount of parking around in...

Not really sure why it's called Pho 84 when it only has 4 types of pho on the menu. Also, the 4 star rating is a bit misleading. Yes, I must agree that it probably is one of the better pho joints in downtown (financial) Oakland, but there are sooo many more better, cheaper and authentic pho places just a mile out near International or Chinatown.

I'd say the food here is more "clean"...if you know what I mean. The beef pho didn't have brisket or tripe in it and only a fork and napkin was set at the table...eating pho with a fork just felt so wrong! $10 for a small bowl. The broth cold have been stronger/ more flavorful and the meat cuts were rough, but the meat balls were actually bouncy and...