Phở Ca Dao & Grill — Restaurant in San Diego

A Flavorful Journey to the Best Pho Spot in San Diego

My recent visit to Phở Ca Dao & Grill was nothing short of delightful. Having heard rave reviews from friends and scouting through glowing recommendations on Google, I decided to embark on a culinary adventure, and boy, was it worth it!

Arriving just past the lunch rush at around 2 pm on a Saturday, we were greeted by a bustling atmosphere, indicative of the restaurant's popularity. Despite the crowd, parking was a breeze, nestled conveniently in a shopping center. A short stroll from the parking lot was a small price to pay for the savory goodness that awaited us.

The only hiccup in an otherwise smooth experience was the initial slower-than-usual service. The older gentleman who seated us seemed preoccupied, but once our waitress took charge, everything fell seamlessly into place. Within moments, we were sipping on refreshing glasses of water and perusing through the menu.

Now, let's talk about the star of the show – the Pho. We opted for the No.2 Steak and No.12 Chicken Pho, and let me tell you, it exceeded all expectations. The aroma alone was tantalizing, and the first spoonful confirmed what all the hype was about. The meats were tender, the broth rich with flavor, and every ingredient perfectly balanced. It's hard to articulate the sheer delight that comes with each slurp of noodles and savory broth.

As we relished every bite, it became evident why this spot has garnered such acclaim. The quality of the food speaks for itself, and coupled with the reasonable prices, it's a win-win situation for any food enthusiast.

In retrospect, the minor hiccup with service paled in comparison to the culinary delight that followed. So, if you find yourself craving a hearty bowl of Pho in San Diego, [Pho Spot Name] should undoubtedly be at the top of your list. Trust me; the flavors are worth the wait and the short stroll from the parking lot. After all, a satisfying meal is best enjoyed with a side...

I've been eating here for many years and never before today have I felt the need to leave a review. In short, the food is amazing, but the service is bad or nonexistent at best.

Today I wanted to do a take out. I enter the restaurant at 1:15pm to wait 20m for the two groups ahead of me to get seated. When I finally think it's my turn, I get skipped for another large group. That's fine, turns out there's a sign up sheet. So I do that, and after another two groups get seated I finally ask what I'm supposed to do.

Turns out, if you're doing a to-go order, there's an unspoken rule where you just walk to the front of the restaurant and order from the counter, despite the "Please wait" sign. Fine. In the past, whomever is hosting would say something. No, that's fine, I'll figure it out myself.

I go to the front and order. Easy, and I let the cashier know I'd be sat at the front next to the "to-go" orders table. 10 minutes later, the person who ordered before me gets their order. 20 minutes after that, the group who ordered AFTER me gets their food. These two orders were brought by the cashier to the people waiting by the "to-go" orders table, where I was sat waiting.

At 2:30pm, I give up waiting. I go to back the front, and get back in line. Turns out, my food had been sitting on a cart near the counter and there's yet another unspoken rule where I'm just supposed to rummage for it, on this unmarked cart, look for my name, and take it.

I'm done. I love the food, so I'll order delivery or pick another Pho place going forward. This is not the first time ordering to-go from here has been ambiguous at best. But this is, however, the first time I spent over an hour in the restaurant going...

CHECK YOUR ORDER UPON PICK-UP!!!!!!!

I went here against my better judgement and I won't be coming back again. I used to come here a lot years ago when I still lived in San Diego, so when I read the more recent reviews for this restaurant, I ignored the criticisms and came back to get the dishes I always used to get because I thought "there's no way it could be that bad."

The service has plummeted, the flavor is gone, the portions have shrunk, and the prices are far too high for the quality & quantity of food.

I'm very glad I read the reviews and knew to check my order before I walked out the door. I only had 3 things on my order: two pho bowls and the tofu spring rolls. When I opened my bag, I immediately noticed the spring rolls were missing considering the small and simple order. Come to find out, they had run out of tofu and just opted to not say anything to me whatsoever. I placed my order at 1pm on a Wednesday, so it's pretty wild that they would already be out of tofu considering that's staple item on the menu and they still had 8 more hours of business to go. To then not say anything to me upon picking up my order is super frustrating, too, especially considering the spring rolls are ~$10 for TWO rolls.

The flavor has disappeared from the pho broth and meat. It tastes incredibly watered down and is super unsatisfying. I've been dumping hoisin sauce into it and there doesn't seem to be any saving the dish. If it weren't for the fact that 2 pho bowls and 2 spring rolls cost me $40+, I probably would've just tossed this food and called it a loss.

Overall, super disappointing and will be going elsewhere to satisfy my future...