Phở Nhy — Restaurant in San Jose

Pho Quest Stop #77

It’s been awhile since I’ve tried a new pho spot

My favorite spot Pho Ha Noi now has locations in San Jose, Cupertino, Palo Alto and Fremont and is a successful chain

Today was a chance to try a mom and pop shop

Pho Nhy is on McKee Road and the options here are sparse. The prior pho spot was one of my lowest rated pho spots I had tried

But I heard this new establishment and the nearby Duc Huong sandwiches had renewed food cred of the area

Their signature is the beef stew which I really enjoyed with flat rice noodles and the pho oxtail

Soup flavors were solid and both fresh flat and regular rice noodles are available

The Hainan chicken was a bit lean but overall this is a surprising find for the area

📷 Bo Kho $16.50 Beef Stew, Large, Rice Noodles / Pho Tai Duio Bo $15 Large Pho with Flank Steak and Oxtail / Hainan Chicken with Rice $16

📍Pho Nhy (San Jose, CA)

My Pho Quest Rankings: [San Jose, unless noted]

1. Pho Ha Noi - BEST Pho (Overall & Northern Style)
2. Pho Cong Ly - BEST Oxtail Pho
3. Pho Y1 - BEST Pho (Southern Style)
4. Pho Kim Long - BEST Chicken Pho
5. Turtle Tower (SF) - Pho Dac Biet
6. Pho Ga Hung - BEST Cau Bun Rau Muong
7. Pho 79 (Garden Grove) - Pho Dac Biet
8. Pho Papa - Pho Dac Biet with Special Beef Short Rib
9. Pho Tick Tock - Pho Tick Tock *10) PHO NGUYEN (Milpitas) - Pho Nguyen Dac Biet w/ fresh wide noodles

Dining is indoor only and credit cards...

Terrific "Family-style" Phở house that meets most―if not all―my criteria for a 5-star Phở spot:

1. Hole-in-the-wall? Check! This place is seriously tucked away in the deepest recesses of the Chavez Market shopping center. The interior only has enough seating for the a half-dozen tables, as well as a few dog-friendly tables outside.

2. Friendly service? Yes! Much like the coelacanth, it is a rarity in the Viet dining scene, but if one looks hard enough, it does exist.

3. Fresh noodles? Yes! Not many Phở spots have them but if they do it's usually one of the good 'uns.

4. MSG-free? Eh... it's debatable. A lot of reviews claim it is but I disagree. I got a bit of the MSG dry mouth, but way less than usual.

5. Ox-tail? Yes! In fact their broth is oxtail-based, so double-yum!

6. Inexpensive? Fairly. $11 for a large is somewhat towards the upper-middle but good value for a high-quality product.

7. Clean? Yep, yep. I dare say even spotless. They're a shining light in the drab, ahem, "rustic" East Syde shopping center they're located in. Def the ying to its yang. Or is that the other way around? I always get those confused, but I digress...

8. Punny name? Not sure if it's done on purpose but pretty original irregardless.

All those factors play into a solid 5-star spot. So, despite the name, Phở Nhy is anything but. Take it from the self-appointed Phở King:...

I had an early morning crave at 7am. My usual spot wasn't open yet so I took a chance with this place. What a delightful surprise. I've been slurping phos for the better part of the last 3 decades. I have never had a pho dac biet with actual ox tail bones in the bowl. I had two pieces in my bowl. My dad's had only one but his was the big piece. Their regular size is $11 so I think it's a dollar or two more than other places but those ox tail bones are expensive! Aside from meats on the bones, they give deeper, richer flavor and aroma to the soup. I'm not sure everyone would appreciate this difference in flavor. But having grown up eating ox tail soups, it hit the spot right on! One issue I will point out, though, is that the soup temperature wasn't as high as I'd like. It's still hot. But, if they were to lay a few pieces of thin rare steaks on top like some places do, I'm not sure the soup will be hot to cook the meat. Interior was standard pho fare. Service was fast and friendly. There were some outside seatings. All in all, I recommend this place for...