Pho Mai Cali — Restaurant in Santee

As a second-generation Vietnamese American, avid home cook, and someone who takes a lot of pride in the nuances of our cuisine, I’m usually pretty selective about Vietnamese restaurants I recommend — but Pho Mai Cali absolutely earned its spot on my list.

Walking in, I immediately noticed that their menu goes well beyond the standard offerings you usually find at sit-down Vietnamese spots. Sure, they’ve got the classics — but they’re also clearly not afraid to showcase the range and depth of Vietnamese flavors, regional dishes, and small plates that don’t always get the spotlight.

We started with the chicken wings and fried bánh bao, which came out hot, crispy, and full of flavor. The wings had that perfect balance of sweet-savory glaze with a bit of a kick, and the fried bánh bao — honestly, not something you see often at all — were golden and satisfying, kind of like the Vietnamese answer to a stuffed donut. Total comfort food.

For mains, we had the phở bò viên and bún chả Hà Nội. The phở broth was rich, clear, and deeply aromatic — clearly simmered with care. The bò viên were springy and flavorful, and I appreciated that the herbs were fresh and plentiful (because yes, I do judge a bowl of phở by its herb plate too). As for the bún chả — it brought me right back to eating on plastic stools in Hanoi. The grilled pork had that smoky, caramelized char I’m always chasing when I make it at home, and the dipping sauce struck that perfect harmony of sweet, tangy, and umami.

What stood out to me most, though, was that this place feels like it’s for us — for Vietnamese folks who grew up on this food, who know how it's supposed to taste, and who are excited to see it represented with both authenticity and creativity. Pho Mai Cali nails that balance, and as someone who cooks Vietnamese food regularly, I left both full and impressed.

Definitely coming back to explore more of the menu — especially if they keep putting out dishes like that.

Let me know if you'd like a shorter version or something you can post on Yelp or Google!

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Saw review of 4.8 so thought I would try it out, especially since I saw their menu online I figured I give it a try. I have not been to this restraunt for 10 years the update is nice. However, it felt unwelcoming for me and my mother as we sat down to eat. We saw the menu is scan only no biggie saving paper is cool. I ordered the wonton soup and she ordered veggie and tofu no tofu pho and dumpling. We got the dumpling first to our surprise it came with sweet and sour sauce no gyoza sauce we asked if there was any gyoza sauce they said no and I checked the menu and read that it came with sweet and sour sauce, which I thought was weird, but ok. I had the wonton soup it tasted off I could not get this feeling that the soup was heat up in the microwave it has this taste to it and my mom found her pho contained flat noodle not regular pho noodles which is more off, she also found that her pho tasted watery. As I finished my wonton soup I decided that I wanted to order another appetizer for the table the grilled pork spring roll with peanut sauce the gentleman asked 1 or 3 I said 3 and he said 10 mins. By the time I got my food it ended up being in a to go bag and the waitress gave me the check literally asking me to pay mind you it was only 1 pm and they weren't closing anytime soon their hours show they close at 2pm. And I ordered the food to eat the table not to go. It felt as if they were trying to rush us out , I paid and the waitress said sorry and tried to give a sample of their matcha latte. Service was not good and unwelcoming. Menu is limited. You're better off going to Pho Van 2 worth the price and the wait, I only came here because they were closed on Wednesdays. I do not plan on...

This place has been opened for 4 years and can’t believe we just discovered it in Santee.

I haven’t found a place that offers northern pho in SD. They have it here! It’s the P3 Ha Noi style beef w fried garlic pho.

We ordered:

P1 Pho Mai Special ($19.99): Each item came out separately. A plate for meat, a bowl for broth, a plate for noodles and a plate for veggies. You pour the broth in yourself. Cool to try this once but I’m lazy and prefer it in one bowl.

We also ordered a side of Dino bone ($15.99): Huge bone marrow which was all fat and tough cartilage. Looks good for show, but nothing for the tummy.

P4 filet mignon pho ($17.99): We really enjoyed the pho broth which is better than most places. The filet was soft and thin. You get choice of large or thin vermicelli noodles. We got large.

We always eat the bagel twists ($2.99) to dip with the pho broth.

R1 Special combo rice plate ($16.99): pork, chicken, beef, shrimp, egg rolls was all flavorful. I just wished it was broken rice.

N4 Special combo stir fry flat rice noodles ($16.99): This dish was average. I prefer more char but the protein portions were generous.

The drinks looked tempting so we got marble coffee and taro coffee. Both are too sweet for my liking but very rich and creamy in coffee.

They gave us a complimentary mini bottle of Martinellis apple juice on our way out.

Plenty of parking in this plaza. We will be back to try...