Pho #1 Express & Sandwiches — Restaurant in Pinole

Pho Saigon & Grill 2 has been my go-to Vietnamese restaurant since moving out to the East Bay. I ate there often (pre-pandemic) and ordered a lot of to-go from them. I typically order the Fried Tofu, Vietnamese Beef Carpaccio, Special Combo Rice Plate, and Rice Vermicelli. My family and I really enjoyed the flavors and freshness of those dishes. However, that has now changed.

Several weeks ago, when I ordered the Fried Tofu, they gave me way less than half the quantity of tofu from all of my previous orders, while remaining the same price. During that order, the Beef Carpaccio was still the usual quantity.

Sadly, when I ordered dinner last night, I refrained from ordering the Fried Tofu because I didn’t want to spend the same amount of money for a lesser quantity than before. I did, however, ordered the same dishes I stated above. To my disappointment, they reduced the amount of beef in the carpaccio by a significant amount, again, while remaining its original price.

We’ve also noticed that the Grilled Shrimps and Eggrolls have become way too overcooked. The eggrolls were very thick, hard, and tough to chew, while the shrimps had the rubbery texture you’d get for overcooking them.

Pho Saigon & Grill 2 really had my heart and brought me comfort after moving away from San Francisco, but I think I might have to look for another...

Food was average. Service was horrible. Food wasnt bad, but it wasnt amazing or even really good, just average. Nothing special. As for service, ive had better at fast food places. Guy sat us near the door, my wife was under the weather amd we asked if we could be away from door amd cold breeze coming in. He responded with i can close the door, which we unhappily accepted(the places was more than half empty). And wouldnt you know it, next guests that come in leave the door open. I had to get up and shut the door, doing this eventually gets tiring, how are you suppose to enjoy a meal. I ran out of water half way through my meal amd nobody came by to refill, again how am i suppose to enjoy a meal(spicy) without anything to wash it down with, sure i could have waived somebody down to refill but nobody was walking around. I saw everybody behind the counter socializing with each other.isnt it the job of the wait staff to verify their guests are comfortable, and not mine to remind them to do what they are paid to do. I can guarantee im never visiting...

It was a late Saturday evening after a special event. I was kind of lost and wasn’t sure stopping for food was a good idea yet hunger had made a loud announcement while driving. A sudden frustration came upon me which forced me to turn off in an exit ramp and to search for grub. my usually goto place In-and-Out was super busy during this time. I saw the sign on a street and continued to head towards this Pho restaurant.

Service was excellent . The food came quite quickly. I ordered a pho noodle soup with beef and brisket and a side dish of shrimp wrap. Noodles were chewy with basil and bean sprout on the side. The side dish was the shrimp wrap with vegetables.

Overall, it was a quick meal with quick service. Prices were reasonable. Family came and ate at this restaurant as well.

Couldn’t find time to take fotos. Grab grub and left...