Pho Cali — Restaurant in Town of Elma

I can confidently say my experience at Pho Cali was deeply underwhelming and frankly, "whacked." For a dish as revered as pho, especially a combination bowl often referred to as "pho dac biet," the fundamentals must be respected – and Pho Cali failed on nearly every count.

The most critical component, the broth, was woefully light and lacked the profound, aromatic depth that defines authentic Vietnamese pho. It felt like a hurried product rather than a lovingly simmered, rich foundation. This alone is a major red flag for any true pho lover.

To compound the disappointment, my bowl, priced at a steep $17, was shockingly sparse. Key elements of a typical pho combination – tender sliced beef brisket and delicate rare steak – were noticeably absent. Furthermore, the essential accompanying fresh herbs, crucial for customizing and enhancing the flavors, were also minimal.

When you're paying top dollar, you expect a bowl brimming with flavor and all the traditional fixings, including meatballs, tripe, and flank steak if it's truly a "dac biet." Instead, Pho Cali delivered an expensive, diluted, and ultimately inauthentic imitation. It's clear this establishment prioritizes pushing out volume over delivering a genuine Vietnamese culinary experience. Save your money and your taste buds; this is not the pho you're...

Updated 8/11/22 We ordered spring rolls with basil in them. Last time we ordered had no basil. We also ordered Asian chicken wings. On line it says 8 wings. We only got 7 I called to complain and the lady yelled at me saying sometimes 7 some times 8. I should come in and eat next time. Well this is unacceptable. Although spring rolls are good I don't appreciate getting treated like this. Your dinning room was hot and has an odor. Who'd eat in a place like this? You don't deserve my business or anyone else.

Only 3 stars because the Pho's flavor was decent but not great. The XL bowl should of had more noodles in it as well. It's a tiny hole in the wall, good service. Spring roll was good. Could of easily been 4 stars if a few adjustments were to be made..........UPDATE JUST VISITED 7/14/19.......XL bowl of Pho had decent noodles but lacking in flavor in comparison to other local Pho restaurants. The woman working the dining room was awful and if I come back with her working I'll just walk out and go to Altons (30sec up the road) I had to get up and ask for to go containers and my check...

Abysmal service.

Food was mediocre at best. We ordered 3 kinds of Pho with 3 different meats. One with Beef, another with Brisket and lastly one with chicken and were given the choice of egg or vegetables. We chose vegetables and when the bill came were charged an additional fee that she never told us about. The beef wasn't too bad but there hardly was much if it to begin with.. The color in the brisket was looking super funky. And was quite rubbery. The chicken was exactly as you would expect... a little serving of shredded chicken. All 3 tasted the exact same way with just different meat. Gobs of noodles to make up for the lack of protein.

We paicked up the left overs and when we asked for a bag to put the to go containers into. We were told that they don't have any bags. Which is funny cause they had a takeaway order while we were dining there and the food was ... in a bag!

The best thing about the whole meal was the freezer burnt kulfi (Indian ice cream) they had in a corner freezer ... do you hear the sarcasm?

Did I mention they had...