Pho Tan — Restaurant in Poway

Pho Tan: “B” or "3.8 stars" meaning “Good: a solid choice if in the area, but not a destination restaurant.”

Executive summary: If you live in Rancho Bernardo, Poway, or the east side of Scripps Ranch, I think Pho Tan may be your best bet for Vietnamese food without having to drive further. Bright, spacious, easy parking, friendly service and good food, definitely a happy discovery for me.

Sunday night last week, we didn’t feel like cooking and craved Vietnamese food. I noticed the new Vietnamese restaurant on Yelp a few days before, so this was a great opportunity to try them out.

The decor is neighborhood Asian style - not fancy, but comfortable, and better than many. Lots of windows, spread out seating, and something I love about Vietnamese restaurants, all you can use cutlery, napkins and sauces. Pho Tan currently has a special - free coffee with $20+ order. The owner, Julie, served us, and she kindly substituted a lime-aid for me, since drinking a Vietnamese coffee at dinner time would have easily kept me awake until 4am.

Pho Tai Chin (Rare beef & lean brisket) “ B ” : I ordered the rare beef to be on the side, but they forgot. Nonetheless, the broth had good beef flavor, a hint of sweetness balancing the savoriness. I could taste it wasn’t just msg in boiling water, but broth that had been boiling and reduced for some time. The beef and bean sprouts tasted fresh, with a good portion of noodles and protein.

Com Thit Nuong (Grilled pork with rice) “ B ” : One of my favorite dishes. The bad places, one bite of the pork and you can tell it’s not fresh. Definitely not the case here. A very good blend of smoke, sweet, and savoriness. If the pork had a bit more char and was served hotter, it would easily get a “B+.”

Canh Go Sot Dac Biet (Fried chicken wings) “ B- ” : I expected the more traditional, non-breaded style of wings (like from Ngon Ngon To Go in Mira Mesa), but instead, the breading made the wings feel a little like from a pub with sweet & spicy sauce rather than from an authentic Vietnamese restaurant. They were still pretty good. Nicely marinated and fried, with the meat still tender and juicy.

Soda Chanh (Lime-aid with club soda) “ B “ : I like my lime sodas really strong, with lots of lime juice and a good amount of sugar to balance it out. So this wasn’t the best I’ve had, but it’s still very good. The lime tasted fresh, and the club soda had good fizz. And, it was free (sorta)!

Overall, Pho Tan easily makes it to my “revisit worthy” list. And if you’re in North County, not wanting to deal with Mira Mesa or Convoy traffic, this place is it. Hands down, better than any of the Pho Ca Dao’s in the area. Food Grading Scale:

A+: Life changing. You remember these bites for the rest of your life. Occurs very infrequently and when it does, you’ll know it. You don’t even know how to further improve it with a magic wand. A: Wow! Excellent. You felt happy biting into it. You’re considering whether it’s life changing, but know it misses the mark. A-: Very very good. Whatever it is, it’s one of the best, but you can think of further improvements. B+: Very good. Very enjoyable, not to the point of “impressive,” but worth revisiting. B: Good. A solid example of whatever it is, offering enjoyment, but not enough for making an effort to get. B-: Not bad. If in a pinch to eat something, this offers some enjoyment and is a reasonable option. C+: Mediocre plus. Pretty average, but with one or two positive characteristics you can identify. C: Mediocre. “Meh”. Very average. Not bad enough to make you angry, but nothing good about it at all. C-: Bad. You recognize it for what it is, but a very bad rendition. Your foodie self is a little pissed, and feeling like a dummy you ordered it. D: Awful. Whoever cooked it should be ashamed of themself. Somehow, you still managed to swallow a bite. F: WTF is this? Inedible. One chew, you had to spit it out....

Pho Tan took over Pho Poway. They just finished 4 weeks and still in soft opening. Plenty of parking in this plaza.

We ordered:

-Summer rolls ($6.25) came w 2 -fish sauce wings ($13.25) -pho filet ($15.50) -broken rice grilled pork, steamed meat loaf and shredded pork ($13.99) -Custom Pho ($13.99)

The food here was average, could be better. Nothing special with summer rolls. The pho broth tasted diluted and not much beef flavor or aroma. I feel like it contained msg because I’m sensitive and I was having dry mouth and thirsty throughout the night.

The pho filet was sliced a bit thick for being filet but it was very soft and chewable. Both pho had lots of meat.

Wings were okay. Had better but I enjoyed the sauce.

My favorite dish was the broken rice dish. Great price for the portion you get. On the smaller side but perfect for me. The steamed egg loaf was moist. The grilled pork was a bit salty but had a lot of flavor. Wasn’t as tender but still good.

I like how the prices are kept low. I think Pho Tan has room for improvement. I would much rather dine here and support a small business than to eat pho at its competitor down the street at the...

I recently dined at Pho Tan, and it was an amazing experience! The food was fresh, flavorful, and authentic. I tried the egg rolls, spring rolls, and BBQ short ribs with rice—each dish was absolutely delicious. The egg rolls were crispy and perfectly seasoned, the spring rolls light and refreshing, and the BBQ short ribs tender with rich, savory flavors.

For drinks, I had Thai tea and Vietnamese iced coffee. The Thai tea was sweet and creamy, while the iced coffee was bold and smooth, balancing sweetness with strong, robust flavors.

Beyond the food, the restaurant was very clean, and the atmosphere felt warm and welcoming. Friendly, attentive staff made the experience even better. If you're looking for great Vietnamese food, I highly recommend this place! I'll definitely be...