Pho Nhat Minh — Restaurant in San Jose

Went here when we saw the review rating was great when we wanted Pho. It was close to 101 and 680 so it was a convenient stop over from our travels. The Wagyu beef was awesome, but I noticed the broth was a bit sweeter than I am used to. The server unfortunately was probably tired as he had a little attitude when interacting with us. There were three occupied tables during our visit so I don't know why he was short tempered with us. Other than the service, we had a pleasant experience.

Q&A for the owner: I'm new to this review platform so I don't know if my response to the owner's question should be posted elsewhere. But to elaborate on the service, there were two Asian adult males working that night, Sunday the 9th of March. The taller one took our orders and served our food. He did not introduce himself or greeted us so I do not know his name. We asked what he recommended and he said one and three in a semi-tone voice. We obliged on his recommendation. When the food arrived, my wife asked for an additional bowl and he responded in an annoyed tone asking, "anything else?!" Even with my back towards him, I felt his rude response through his tone of voice. My wife felt disrespected with her simple request. I attempted to lighten up the room by joking with her, but she seemed to have taken the servers attitude in a bad way. It was an awkward experience from that moment on as we just wanted to finish eating dinner and leave. I did not even ask to refill my drink as I did not want a confrontation with the server especially with my children around. The other worker (shorter one) was observed smiling all the time as he cleaned up the tables. I hoped he would have served us instead. I then waited outside for some cool air while waiting for my family to finish eating. Nothing...

The main criticism, which applies to almost all the restaurants in Little Saigon, is the annoyingly stubborn penny-pinching reliance on plastic for everything relating to the take-out orders. If only these restaurant owners and managers would once and for all break away from the plastic! There are hot soup cups and lids made from waxed cardboard, there are to-go bags made from paper, and there are hot-food utensils made from plants, and they all biodegrade. Regarding the specific establishment of Pho Nhat Minh: there are no shortages of pho restaurants in Little Saigon, San Jose. Those who are fortunate enough to call this neighborhood home will become quickly habituated not only to the Buddhist temples managed by nuns and the yellow flags with three red horizontal stripes, but also to the discovery of certain coffee shops and indoor shopping malls effectively functioning as Vietnamese senior centers. Only when one leaves this part of the universe and visits some other place like Pittsburg or Saint Louis or New Orleans is the appreciation for a restaurant like Pho Nhat Minh fully conceived. Although nothing remarkable from the exterior, or interior for that matter, this is the place for the best soup --including vegan batches --to thaw the winter chill, or warm the grumpy invalid home in bed with the flu, or, for most of us, just to eat lunch. It is not easy to convey the flavors of this pho, or any cuisine for that matter, via a written online review. Perhaps the best clue, in this case, is the steady flow of Mexican-American families dining here. Some will understand this clue readily. For those who do not, the only other clue can be found in the many positive recommendations and five star reviews...

Finally able to come here after being invited by a co worker to try it out since this new pho restaurant just opened.

First impression was great, appreciate the atmosphere, location has enough parking spots, we came during lunch on a weekday so probably less busy at the time, we noticed that their menu offers unique items I have not seen in other Pho restaurants we've been to. One of it is the Wagyu Beef hotpot. Something we'll want to try for the next time.

Since it is our first time here, I opted for the basic one which is the "Pho Nhat Minh". Which is their version of "combination pho" Then my wife tried the Brisket -Meatball Pho. I loved my Pho Nhat Minh, noticed that soup has some sort of a unique taste as compared to other Pho restaurants we've been to. Wife also enjoyed her brisket - meatball pho. My wife who loves Spring Rolls loved it, she like the peanut sauce or should I say paste that went with it. Wife also ordered a mango shake and it was topped with whipped cream, also something we typically do not see in other Pho restaurants as well. We will try their other unique items next time then will update this review accordingly. But overall we enjoyed our visit and we really loved...