Phở Nam Restaurant — Restaurant in Sunnyvale

I cannot claim this a best kept secret, although the location is rather secluded. But they have enough return customers like myself who can't get enough of them.

Food: Top pho in the area bar none. Their meat is always well selected and prepared, no cutting corners like so many others. No tissues that are hard to chew. No corners and edges that taste stale. Cooking is consistent whenever you visit. And taste simply has no competition locally. (I still think Pho Bang New York of Montreal the best, though I haven't visited them since coming to know Pho Nam.) Portion is also very generous compared to local competition. (Again, Pho Bang New York easily tops.)

Interior: Furnishing is adequate, well maintained although rather basic, except the carpet. Carpet is rather undermaintained. I believe that's what gives the unpleasant interior smell. Tucked into a nondescript strip mall, they always keep otherwise large windows shuttered. This may have added to the smell. Although Pho Nam restaurants use similar decorations, the one on El Camino looks much better. This one perhaps has the most faded wall decorations, although the intricate interaction between artificial lights and whatever sunlight that escapes the shutters can make the space feel cozier than a fast food place. Right, this is a sit-down fast food place. Seating is typical train couches.

Service: Even though they seat you and take your orders, your pho usually comes out faster than In-and-Out burger if you know what you wanted in advance. (My favourites are #1 and #4 from the menu.) On the other hand, they do have dishes, sides, and specialty drinks in addition to some 20 phos. (I really just go there for pho so I cannot comment on food other than pho. (I only tried spring rolls. Although I am fond of Vietnamese rolls, theirs is not the best.) Like in many oriental restaurants, they serve complimentary hot tea if you don't want iced water. (Nothing fancy about the tea but better than many similar restaurants, some of them would gladly charge you for this.) After the meal, you go to the counter to view your bill and pay. (They used to accept credit cards, but no longer.) Servers' are cordial and prompt, just don't expect much in food recommendations. Warning: They can be swamped during weekday lunches.

What else? Oh. Do not use the restroom unless you have to. (OK, this applies universally to similar establishments, even applies to some trendy Chinese restaurants.) However, the restroom is reasonably clean.

I've been to two other Pho Nam's in the area (as well as many other pho places). This one is the best among them, and serves the best pho in the area bar none. Their bill shows they are shop #4, so they must have at least one location that I...

5/17/2023

It’s been a while since we’ve come here for lunch. The place is still the same with old attentive service, delicious pho and great price. The pho broth is always flavorful and plentiful with meats and noodles. The prices have gone up but still less expensive than many restaurants around. For lunch with time is the essence, the food delivered quite quickly. I love this place and only come here if I need a hot bowl of pho. For 2 people is less than $30 including tax. Can’t beat the price anywhere. It may not be as fancy and romantic for dates, but the food will make your date happy LOL.

9/14/9022

It’s been a long time since I’ve been here for lunch or dinner. It’s a small restaurant in a small shopping complex in Sunnyvale. It’s been here since I’ve started working in this area in 2000’s. This place is a clean restaurant, the service is excellent, attentive and quick especially good for lunch since we don’t have much time. The pho is tasty and inexpensive, other Vietnamese dishes are great too. My mom and sisters loved this place. Even now with the inflation, I can still have a wonderful lunch with a bowl of delicious pho for $12 while everywhere else could go up to $17. I like the atmosphere, simple and friendly. The business people are friendly and pleasant. They accept credit cards, which is nice. This Pho Nam is just a great restaurant.

If you call a little restaurant hiding in a small bland old shopping center a hole in the wall restaurant, this is the one, but the pho is quite tasty and inexpensive compared to all the pho restaurants around Sunnyvale, less then $10 for a small bowl and as plenty as many big ones elsewhere. My mom and my sister love this place, simple, tasty and not pretentious, great food for a great price. The servers are also simple and attentive, fast and efficient. If you come after 12pm, chances are you have to wait because the place is limited with both seating and parking. The smart and savvy people actually know this place well. We come here and talk every time we get together with mom, we do talk for a long time, to not blocking their business, we come later so the crowds have been gone after 1pm or so. The bowls look old, small but packed with good noodles, tasty meats and excellent soup, real pho, not fake one with no msg or fusion pretend, it's cooked like what pho is supposed to be and smart people here do know it. We did try some other dishes and they're quite good too, although I've never tried myself, but my family members did. It's close to the Big Walmart super store, Mercado, hard to find but it's there. Google is your friend. BTW, they accept credit cards with bill more than $10 excluding tax, it’s...

I've tried countless pho spots across the Bay Area, but I always found myself going back to my all-time favorite—Pho Kim Long. Even after checking out numerous places recommended by my Vietnamese friends, none of them quite hit the mark when it came to satisfying my pho cravings—until now.

Since moving to Sunnyvale, I decided to explore local options and stumbled upon this unassuming pho restaurant near my home. The exterior isn't flashy, but it gave off a very authentic, Vietnam-street-vendor vibe that immediately caught my attention.

To my surprise, this was the only pho place I've come across in over 30 years in the Bay Area that also includes Korean language on the menu—a rare and interesting find.

Even more surprising? The pho here was not only delicious but also more affordable than Pho Kim Long and most others in the area. The quality held up just as well, if not better.

Honestly, it was very good. So good that I no longer feel the need to drive all the way to my usual spot. Why pay more when you can get the same (or better) flavor closer to home?

I’m beyond happy to have found this hidden gem. Highly recommend it to anyone in the area looking for top-notch pho at a great price.

Service was good and quick...