VIET NOM — Restaurant in San Diego

I give VIET NOM ~4.33/5 stars. The service is great, the atmosphere is a notch above basic, and the pho is pretty good, though options are limited and the broth is quite specific.

First, the pho options. They only have 3: Bone-in short rib and meatballs, boneless short rib and meatless, and boneless short rib. So, no chicken pho for all the lovers of Vietnamese chicken soup.

Second, the broth. This is a very specific kind of broth that is beefy, star anise-heavy, and completed with fish sauce. If you’re into lighter broths, don’t like sweeter broths, or not a fan of fish sauce, you might be disappointed.

My experience of the boneless short rib pho? It was good, but I wasn’t super into the broth. Noodles, meat, fixings were all on point. They also have plenty of hoisin and sriracha for you at the table.

The atmosphere is pretty simple and basic, which is fine for a strip mall pho spot. They’ve got colored lanterns hanging from the ceiling and big colored fans on the wall, which is reminiscent of Hoi An in central Vietnam, where they have the lantern releases on the river.

My server was Kennedy, a friendly and easygoing young woman. She was nice to chat with and was quick to offer me ice water when I accidentally inhaled sriracha down my windpipe.

All in all, VIET NOM is pretty good, especially for lovers of short rib pho and fish sauce/sweeter broths. I still prefer other spots like Pho Sao Bien in Pacific Beach and Pho Minh...

I don’t usually write reviews, but I couldn’t keep this one to myself.

I went to Viet Nom on a whim, craving something comforting—and ended up having one of the most unexpectedly beautiful meals I’ve had in a long time. I came alone, sat quietly, and ordered what felt like a mini feast: bún thịt nướng, shrimp spring rolls, and chili tamarind wings. I fully intended to save some for later… but I didn’t. I ate every single bite, and I don’t regret it for a second.

The bún was everything I needed—fresh herbs, tender grilled pork, and that light, savory sauce that ties it all together. The spring rolls were delicate and bright, the kind of thing you eat slowly because they deserve your full attention. But the wings? The wings were insane—sweet, spicy, sticky, a little smoky—like they had a story to tell with every bite.

What really made it all stick with me, though, was the kindness of Trinity and Kim, my servers. They didn’t just bring food to my table. They made me feel at home. They checked in like old friends, smiled like it was sincere (because it was), and reminded me how rare it is to feel cared for when you’re dining solo.

Viet Nom gave me more than a good meal. It gave me a pause—a moment of warmth, flavor, and genuine connection. I’ll...

They do offer perks for reviews, so just be wary of the higher rating.

The food itself was good, but I have to mention the most notable thing about my visit was how severely understaffed this restaurant was. I came on a Friday evening at peak times, waited about 15 mins for a table. Once seated, noted that there was only 1 server that was working the ENTIRE restaurant, serving 9 tables + a full bar, taking orders, bringing out the food/drinks, running the check, preparing several take-out orders, even washing dishes. The entire time I was there, there was a steady wait. The waiter did a phenomenal job for being on his own, but of course - service was slow given the obvious, but not his fault at all. For the amount of customers and size of restaurant, I feel that management should really reassess staffing needs and be more fair to the workers. The 1 server was really overworked and I felt so terrible for him; it actually really dampened the dining experience because of the situation.

Aside from that, the broth was good and the portions were good. Definitely on the pricey end for a pho restaurant. All in all, would really suggest that management...