Phở Filet — Restaurant in South El Monte

My sister was in the mood for some pho, but wanted to try a new restaurant besides our go-to. I ended up asking my friend for some recommendations and she highly recommended Pho Filet. And after trying this place out for ourselves, wow - we were blown away and I can definitely see why it came with high recommendations.

With the current situation, a lot of places have been raising prices and cutting down on costs, which I can totally understand. But the prices of Pho Filet have not changed, and it seems like the quantity and quality have not either. We were stuffed from all of the food and even had extra noodles, meat, and soup for a meal the following day - and this was with just a regular sized order!

I recommend calling in your order ahead of time - they prepare all the food super quick, in under 15 minutes. The workers don't speak English too well, but they can speak Cantonese and Vietnamese. Even though there was a language barrier and some confusion over the phone, our order was correct and packaged by the time we arrived.

I ordered #15, pho that comes with everything including meatballs. The small size is $8.95 and was more than enough for me. There was a large amount of noodles and so much meat! And the meat was super good quality - I felt like after digging into the bowl of noodles, I still kept unraveling more and more noodles and meat. I especially enjoyed the tendon and the meatball.

We also ordered #16 ($7.95 for small) and #17 ($7.95 for small); not sure if the amount of meat differed because some bowls had fewer items, but we all thought the quality and quantity were much better than a lot of the other pho restaurants that we've had.

And got an order of #71, grilled beef with vermicelli ($8.50). Came with a huge amount of vermicelli, pickled veggies, fresh veggies, and a good amount of grilled beef. There was a very fragrant and pleasantly grilled smell coming from this dish that made my mouth water. My mom enjoyed it and said she would not hesitate to order this again.

The pho dishes came with huge amounts of beef soup that we were able to save (and use for our at-home pho dishes the next day). The flavor wasn't oily, had a deep and rich flavor and did not leave us feeling thirsty after drinking it.

Honestly, I feel like this is my new go-to place for pho from now on. They accept card and prices are super affordable for the amount of food (and quality) that you get! There's another location in San Gabriel, but it seems like more people prefer the El...

I came here after researching pho places to go, well good pho places. And out of all the places, this place did populate. The plaza is a bit packed for a parking lot, so do come early if you want to find parking - street parking in an option.

The restaurant inside is a bit dated, and doesn't seem like they really clean the inside. The tables are a little sticky, the wall is a little dark and got some gunk, does feel slightly unpleasant inside when sitting down i am not going to lie.

However, i reminded myself, I came here for the food - although you know they do say that whatever the bathroom looks like you should reflect it to the kitchen. Although I didn't go to the bathroom here, if the outside is already looking a little gunky, i don't want to think about the inside

The food was pretty great though despite the craziness of all descriptions above, and their price is quite reasonable for their noodles. We all got rice dishes because it was kind of a hot day, but the Pho does look good and would probably be my next attempt in trying, given i have to first work up the courage to be okay in sitting in a slightly dirty place.

I mean after all, its hard to find good food, and I guess the food isn't good unless the rating is like a C from public health? (Or so that's the meme). But I probably wont come back here for a 'date night'...

A proper pho experience. Many of the good places you see around the SGV have definitely had a fall from grace. As someone who had always sworn by pho hien mai, when it left, there left few alternatives that could tame that craving.

My biggest gripe with many pho shops (and it may be just me) is that they over-spice their broths. Oftentimes to the point where you need to add a whole bottle of sauce to change the flavor just a little.

Pho filet is different in that regard. The broth is just as aromatic as the nearby competitors, but you can craft it to your liking a lot easier. A little bit of fish sauce, a little bit of Sriracha, chili sate, anything. If you add just a bit, you notice the flavor profile change. Thats what makes this place a top tier joint to me.

I'm not saying that other broths are bad. What I am saying is that Pho filet's broth is great on its own, but it also can be crafted to your liking much easier than it's competitors. That is a trait that is very welcomed...