Cancel

Open app

Search

Harumama Ramen + Sushi - Encinitas

4.5 (757 reviews)
ModerateRamen, Sushi Bars, Poke
Open • 11:30 am - 9:00 pm
Loading...

Order Harumama Ramen + Sushi - Encinitas Takeout or Delivery

Harumama Ramen + Sushi - Encinitas Photos

Business Info

HARUMAMA RAMEN + SUSHI - ENCINITAS ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Hipster
Casual
Trendy
Intimate

More like Harumama Ramen + Sushi - Encinitas

Recommended Reviews - Harumama Ramen + Sushi - Encinitas

Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
Yelp app icon
Browse more easily on the app
Review Feed Illustration

Reviews With Photos

Inside
Andrew L.

I tried this ramen place recently and enjoyed my experience. The menu offers lunch combos . Food: I shared a lunch combo. I chose the flying pig ramen with a pork belly bun. The ramen broth tasted rich, full of flavor, and a hint of spiciness. The pork chasu was also very tasty. It was just how I like it. The price is very reasonable. Service: The host and waitress were both friendly. Ambiance: There is plenty of seating inside.

Vegan noodle soup- the spinach noodles and creamy coconut broth and so many yummy veggies are the best way for me to get my daily veggies!
Kathy D.

The food was sooo good, tasty, flavorful. Vegan noodle soup- the spinach noodles and creamy coconut broth and so many yummy veggies are the best way for me to get my daily veggies! The adorable chicken bun was delicious. Service was friendly and efficient! Ambiance was perfect for the 5 of us, including a baby. We sat in the back section with other families. Definitely will go back!!

outside
Kim C.

My family and I have been to different Harumama locations. So far it's been consistent wherever we go. Food, service, and ambience has been great. Each location has its own flair. Some offering different things at their location such as happy hour, lunch deals, and adult drinks. Others have a bigger menu. They offer different cute merch. Locations: Carlsbad Encinitas Little Italy Ocean Beach La Jolla Vista Carrollton, TX We have visited all the locations except the Texas and Vista location. Food: Of course I get the cute CHARACTER BUNS. My go to are the pig and cow. The pig is filled with ground pork and caramelized onions. The cow has ground bbq beef, carrot and shiitake. There are seasonal character buns that I liked such as the panda bear and unicorn filled with ube. My kids like the bunny filled with nutella. I venture out when it comes to the RAMEN BOWL but my favorite is the FLYING PIG it's shoyu sesame tonkotsu broth, topped with pork chashu, brussels sprouts, fried garlic, sesame seeds and scallions. Service: Great, attentive and helpful. Parking: Free parking! It has parking in front of the restaurant. If we are in the area we will be back. Our family really enjoy the food and concept at Harumama. Can't wait to try the other locations.

Power Protein Poke
Tasha H.

Poke bowls - these are huge with a ton of toppings, maybe even too much of the tempura bits. I honestly think this is not bad value for how much you get. Chicken buns - very cute and fun. Wrapper is nice and soft, but overall the bun lacked flavor. The chicken bun is supposed to have cheese, but I couldn't detect any cheese flavor - you definitely need to douse it in the sauce they provide.

Christel L.

Went here for a quick bite. Storefront and shared lot parking. I've been to Harumama before but at another location so I kind of knew what to expect, and it did not disappoint. Plenty of seating, clean, and attentive staff. Got the chicken buns and mama's fries (loved). Hope to come back for a full meal sometime.

Danielle G.

I've heard about this spot from so many people and so glad I finally got the opportunity to try it out! I got the salmon poke bowl and it was the best poke bowl I've had in a long time! The portion and price is unbeatable! The salmon was fresh and the rice cooked just right! I love seaweed salad and this bowl has tons! The sauce was delicious! My coworker got the Flying Pig ramen bowl that looked absolutely amazing! I wish I would have snapped a pic but I was too busy enjoying my poke bowl! I had the spicy edamame appetizer and they were so good I couldn't stop eating them! Service was excellent and the restaurant super clean and spacious! The parking lot was pretty busy on a Friday afternoon for lunch and parking is tight, but if you can find a spot and don't mind driving around a few minutes it's worth it!

Haru
Marjan N.

One of the best ramen and udons I've had in San Diego! We ordered the pork potstickers, the Haru ramen, and the bulgogi beef udon. It was hard to decide which soup was the winner; both noodles had excellent texture and were perfectly cooked. I normally don't finish my broths, but here I couldnt get enough. The Haru had a delicious, creamy tonkotsu broth that was both comforting and satisfying. The chicken was flavorfull and generously portioned. I was especially surprised by the bulgogi beef udon. The broth was irresistible; slightly sweet yet packed with bold flavors. The generous portion of beef made the dish hearty and filling. The potstickers were the hf weakest link, but only because the soups were truly outstanding. I saw adhacent tables ordering the Boa... I will be back to also give these a try.

Garden Party
Karen L.

Traditional with a twist. Love coming to Harumama anytime we are in the San Diego area. It was our first time coming to this location. We had the vegan ramen, corn cheese and the bulgogi fries as well as the mama's French fries. The vegan ramen was just okay. Corn cheese and Bulgogi fries were delicious. Only issue was they ran out of cheese for the bulgogi fries. Without the cheese it just felt like fries on top of bulgogi, nothing to tie the dish together. For desert we had the cute bunny Nutella buns and their special polar bear buns with pistachio and matcha. These were so yummy, a great way to end the meal. Service was friendly. Restaurant was on the smaller side but had plenty of seating during a weeknight at around 5.

Bunny bun redemption!!
Irene Y.

We had the best experience here thanks to Anh who is an amazing server and was running everything here all by herself. I had a previous review about a prior experience at a different harumama where they got our order wrong and our kids ended without the Nutella bunnies. They've been asking about it since (a year ago). When I saw there was a harumama 10 min from where we were staying we had to check it out. Came at 1 pm, it was decently busy but we were seated quickly. All the food was amazing. We started with edamame and the cow beef buns, delicious. We got a combo including beef bulgogi udon, chicken/salmon teriyaki, and several rolls. Everything was fresh and yummy. Bunny buns came out quickly and were well received. So happy we now have Bunny bun redemption thanks to Anh. She was running the show all by herself and was so nice, efficient and helpful.

Sheila K.

I can't speak on the restaurant because I got a ramen to go, but the ramen was really good! Broth was flavorful, pork was tender, and the brussel sprouts were perfectly crispy.

Spicy Garlic Edamame Crispy Chicken Katsu Cow Buns Sapporo
Aneth H.

Food was amazing and very feeling. The food didn't take long to come out which was a great plus because I was starving!!! The staff was great too.

Tina T.

This is a fusion ramen shop and everything was delicious! I got the Flying pig and it was a creamy broth with roasted brussel sprouts that gave the ramen a smoky flavor. My boyfriend got the Me So Hot which had a peanutty creamy broth and it was on the spicier side. This wasn't authentic ramen but it was great. We also got the buns and the pig bun was a little dry but the cow bun was delicious. It came with a Yuzu sauce that was sweet and paired well.

Crispy Chickie
Bartosh S.

Fantastic food and an equally as fantastic server. I got the crispie chickie, wife got the garden partie Without naming names. A few other ramen chains in San Diego had their quality drop off quite significantly but Harumama is staying strong

See all

2 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Raquel G.
17
30
32

24 days ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Dave L.
1460
472
1371

3 months ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 3
Oh no 0

3 months ago

Helpful 4
Thanks 0
Love this 4
Oh no 0

4 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 1
Photo of Kim C.
1095
591
6165

4 months ago

Helpful 5
Thanks 2
Love this 5
Oh no 0
Photo of Cindy L.
2504
2274
5399

6 months ago

Business owner information

Photo of James P.

James P.

Helpful 5
Thanks 1
Love this 1
Oh no 2

7 months ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

4 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

16 days ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Golf R.
701
55
28

4 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

10 months ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 1
Love this 3
Oh no 1

9 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

10 months ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 1
Love this 1
Oh no 1

1 month ago

Ramen is great! We always like coming here. The poke is good too and so is the chocolate bun

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

6 months ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 1
Love this 1
Oh no 0

7 months ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

4 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

8 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

8 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 1
Photo of Jina L.
346
155
1881

1 year ago

Business owner information

Photo of James P.

James P.

Helpful 3
Thanks 1
Love this 3
Oh no 0

8 months ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 2
Love this 1
Oh no 0

11 months ago

Business owner information

Photo of James P.

James P.

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 1

2 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Diana L.
5
189
65

6 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Business owner information

Photo of James P.

James P.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

6 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of RC R.
0
315
0

2 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Business owner information

Photo of James P.

James P.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Business owner information

Photo of James P.

James P.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Business owner information

Photo of James P.

James P.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of R R.
0
3
1

6 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Business owner information

Photo of James P.

James P.

Helpful 1
Thanks 1
Love this 1
Oh no 1

2 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

7 months ago

Went for lunch while in the area with colleagues. Sushi and noodles were great! I will definitely be back for the great sushi!

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

8 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

Page 1 of 19

Harumama Ramen + Sushi - Encinitas Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Harumama Ramen + Sushi - Encinitas

Do they take Apple Pay?

Yes!! We take any kind of tap and contactless payment.

When is opening day?

Right now according to the website, April 11th 12pm-8pm is their soft opening.

Is this location open now?

Yes!

View All 6 Questions

CHIKO - Fried rice // ribeye & rice cakes // spicy soy wings // potstickers // orange-ish chicken

CHIKO

4.4(747 reviews)
2.1 mi
•$$

for nearly two years, Scout, my orange, husky-looking mut and I have been driving by their…read morenow-shuttered Encinitas location four times a week after playdates at Power Lines Dog Park. every time we do, I think "we gotta back there for another visit." pretty sure CHIKO has aged out of my draft queue. now that I've finally gotten around to finishing the review, they've been closed for months. in the draft, I suggested CHIKO might not be a destination restaurant, but if you happen to be in the neighborhood, it's definitely a place worth stopping by for eats. if you wait long enough, like I did, the nearest ones are in the DC area and probably not worth a cross-country trip. sad.

Post-mortem... I was sad to hear that CHIKO permanently closed their doors at the end of last year…read more It's rare for an East Coast based Asian chain restaurant to migrate to California, but that was what CHIKO did. As noted by its name, this place served a fusion of Chinese and Korean cuisines. Their Encinitas location took over what used to be a roadside diner along N Coast Hwy 101. The seating capacity was less than 40 people which included a few high-top counter spots. At my last visit, I came for a late dinner before their closing time. A large menu was posted on the wall behind the service counter that listed about two dozen food offerings. The items seemed to be comfort food like pot stickers, spring rolls, fried rice, and chicken wings but flavored with unique combinations of seasonings and spices. I started my meal with the Marinated Beef Tri-Tip Skewers which came as a set of three and a Chinese mustard for dipping. The meat was very tender and well-seasoned. I also ordered the Cumin Lamb Stir Fry which the cashier said was medium spicy. After tasting a couple of bites of the noodles from the serving bowl, I agreed that the heat level was moderate, even for my palate. I thought the portion size should have been more for the price. That was my main criticism for both items, otherwise the food was solid for an Asian fusion eatery.

Photos
CHIKO - I love chiko-lada! Soju is deadly (good).

I love chiko-lada! Soju is deadly (good).

CHIKO - Pork and kimchi potstickers

Pork and kimchi potstickers

CHIKO - Sesame custard

See all

Sesame custard

Ichitaru Ramen - Mushroom Bomb

Ichitaru Ramen

3.7(196 reviews)
5.0 mi
•$$

This place left me disappointed. I came here because I thought I would give it a shot. I was…read morethoroughly disappointed with their ramen. Their chicken karaage was okay, and everything else was ok. Their garlic ramen lacked the depth of flavor and was just oily. I ordered the garlic ramen expecting great flavors of garlic. Instead it was fried garlic and added to the soup. But the garlic was burnt and it made the soup taste bitter. The service was fast and friendly. The server continued to check on us. The decor was cool, utilizing their brand for tshirts and cute drawings within the restaurant. I honestly wouldn't come back here as the food wasn't good

Conflicted between 4 star and 5 star. Here is why…read more Fried chicken amazing. Fried jalapeno poppers, high satisfactory. Fried rice good. Noodles high satisfactory. Chashu, amazing. Only problem was the ramen soup. My wife tried the chashu miso Tonkotsu. I tried the tsukemen. First of all, the salt content of the soup was not properly adjusted. Like I don't think it was intentional because some people prefers low sodium. It was way out of the range low. Second, the soup felt watery. Like when I eat tsukemen, I need the soup to get better entangled with the noodles and it fell off thy noodles. And my wife's soup felt a bit flat. I still settle for 5 stars cuz everything else except the soup was awesome. But soup just fell short for me.

Photos
Ichitaru Ramen
Ichitaru Ramen
Ichitaru Ramen - This was $19. Chicken Teriyaki Bento lol

See all

This was $19. Chicken Teriyaki Bento lol

Birdseye Kitchen - Thai basil fried rice with chicken!!

Birdseye Kitchen

3.7(916 reviews)
2.6 mi
•$$

READ THIS BEFORE READING OTHER REVIEWS…read more Yelp has incorrectly combined reviews from TWO DIFFERENT RESTAURANTS under Birdseye Kitchen. Many if not most of the negative reviews are from Pho-Ever, which used to be next door to Birdseye and is closed - Birdseye expanded into their space. You can tell because every now and then people refer to Pho-Ever in negative reviews. If you see reports of cabbage with brown edges, rude servers, etc, that's Pho-Ever, NOT Birdseye. We figured this out because, despite some negative reviews, we Just chanced it with Birdseye and it was great! They were quite slammed, yet the servers still chatted with us and gave us recommendations. We had the Summer Rolls, Pineapple Red Curry, and Thai Basil Stir-Fry and all were very good, especially the Summer Rolls, which had a ton of fresh herbs. Only regret is that we ordered 7 out of 10 on the spiciness scale and it was spicy but not enough for us (but that's because I've eaten with locals in Cambodia, Thailand, India..). If you are used to spicy food, go at least 8, maybe 9. At the end of the meal, we mentioned the Pho-Ever reviews and got the backstory, so I had to share!

I am not sure even this place has so many starts. I get that we came on a busy night so the wait…read morewas expected and we planned for it. We looked at the menu while waiting so we knew what we wanted to order, food and drinks. Once seated, our server went to get us waters. We told them that we were ready to order. He said he'd be right back. So then we wait again. 5mins go by, 10 mins go by. We tried to flag him down but he was busy with other tables. When he came back, he took our drink order and ran off again. We were upset at this point because we told him as we were sitting down that we ready to order. We tried to flag another server and noticed that there were only 3 servers for the entire restaurant. 45 mins in we finally got to place our order. I was really turned off by the service. Their food is good but the service is just awful. Maybe they ought to hire more help.

Photos
Birdseye Kitchen - Too cute

Too cute

Birdseye Kitchen - Beef Pho, and drunken noodle

Beef Pho, and drunken noodle

Birdseye Kitchen - Inside

See all

Inside

The Crack Shack

The Crack Shack

4.1(2.2k reviews)
1.6 mi
•$$

We were on our way home from a quick stay in La Jolla and found this place, so we stopped - boy are…read morewe happy we did! The food was awesome! The service was stellar! The ambiance....super cool! We went with the recommendations of the counter gal, who was super friendly, she did not steer us wrong! Hubs had the firebird sandwich, and his verdict...delicious! I had the little pecker which came with 3 chicken tenders, biscuits (with THE best honey butter) and fries (sooo good)! Dogs are welcome at any table (both inside and outside), which was a huge plus since we had our pup with us. The location is easy to get to, pretty much right off the 5 freeway. We will definitely be back!

It saddens me a bit to write this review because I've loved Crack Shack for years, but…read moreunfortunately after my most recent visit, I feel like the food quality has gone down. My usual order (to share between 2 people) is the half bird (5 pieces of chicken) and the mini biscuits with miso maple butter. The mini biscuits are tasty and moist, and the miso butter complements them well, adding the perfect amount of sweetness! However, both of the chicken thigh pieces were quite dry. The restaurant provides a self-serve sauce bar with plenty of sauce options. They also provide large paper towel rolls at each table as well as multiple sinks located around the restaurant so that it is easy to clean your hands after eating! The servers are very attentive.

Photos
The Crack Shack
The Crack Shack
The Crack Shack - SoCal Cobb Salad

See all

SoCal Cobb Salad

East Village Asian Diner - Frontage

East Village Asian Diner

4.2(604 reviews)
2.1 mi
•$$

Wow! I really loved my food here!…read more I had just come across the street from the candle making place & needed to kill some time, but this was a wonderful surprise! I ordered the fallen monk (pulled pork) stone pot & made sure to make it spicy. I opted for noodles in mine & my bf got the beef over rice. We both added eggs. We tried each others & loved them both quite a lot. We ordered Oolong hot tea with honey & it was such a beautiful pairing for the food. Their tea + honey were both a nicer flavor than usual. Our waitress was pretty cool. She had a chill, sweet vibe about her & really helped us make great decisions. We got seated at dinner time on a Saturday, but somehow managed to beat the "rush." It filled up mostly, yet wasn't crazy, which is nice.

Still love East Village!…read more The rule here is you place your order, always get an app if your dinner is the monk pot, because you'll have to seriously wait 10 minutes after the food comes or your lips will melt off. It's SO worth it though. My go to is the fried spring roll which are rolled up fat boys filled with fresh vegetables that are then deep fried and served with a sweet chili dipping sauce. I then always order the monk bowl with ribeye. The blend of crispy rice on the bottom of the pot, mixed with vegetables, the protein of choice and the egg on top creates a masterpiece. Add the two sauces that come to the table and it's a dream come true. The hubby added chicken this time but said he much prefers the steak, salmon, or shrimp. We've had their dynamite fries a few times and sub out carnitas for ribeye instead. Their fried coconut shrimp is a delight as well.

Photos
East Village Asian Diner - Space Invaders

Space Invaders

East Village Asian Diner - Chinese Mandarin Salad

Chinese Mandarin Salad

East Village Asian Diner - Frontage at night

See all

Frontage at night

Tabu Shabu - Carlsbad - Scottish Salmon and Angus Rib Eye

Tabu Shabu - Carlsbad

4.5(436 reviews)
5.6 mi
•$$$

I wholeheartedly agree with a lot of the yelpers on here. I got to take the team out for a great…read morelunch here today. It was absolutely amazing. For $25 you get a starter (think edamame, marinated cucumbers, dumplings, etc.), a choice of Chicken, Pork or Beef, and a soft drink. It also includes all the dipping sauces, broth, rice and vegetables. Everyone loved that you could customize it to their own liking and it was just a fun experience cooking together with everyone. Definitely will come back and it was an awesome value at only $25 a person.

I want to start by saying that I very much enjoyed eating at Tabu Shabu. It's very fair to state…read morethat my three star experience is mostly my own doing more so than the restaurant itself. Our server was fantastic, the setup clean, and the menu was fairly easy to navigate. Where it fell apart for me all came after that. This is not my style of cooking. So many places I've been to, where you cook your own food on a grill or hot plate at your table, you're mainly dealing with thin cuts of meat, salt and pepper, and possibly a dipping sauce. This makes the cooking simple, a quick sear, a light crust on the beef or pork, and the finished product is basic and delicious. Shabu, though ... it's boiled meat. That's not to say that Tabu Shabu isn't good, but unless you're really adept at making soups, it's easy to be completely out of your element. And I can safely say I was a bit over my head at this restaurant. You start with your broth, where I am ashamed to admit that instead of opting for the Tonkostu with its deep and rich fatty flavor, I chose the basic umami of the White Miso. Because of that, I spent most of my meal mistakenly chasing flavors I would normally find in a Ramen Shop. They give you a plate of chopped herbs to add and some basic instructions ... I like garlic, so I added the whole thing, radish sound alright, so add in the whole ball, what was the last thing I put in? They give you a few squeeze bottles of oils with paper labels ... this one makes it more sour, this one makes it more spicy, this one has sesame, and I'm too timid to add enough of any to truly add to the flavor of the broth, so it just keeps that basic umami flavor without being as salty as it should be. Then you have a plate of vegetables to steep in your creation. Cabbage, broccoli, spinach, bok choy, tofu ... all of it serves as a way of soaking up that broth you've made. Other options, like the carrots, mushrooms, and squash, become sweet and tender after taking their turns in the pot. And they're nice as they offer a different flavor other than that umami. And then there's the meat. A wide variety of options ranging from salmon, to chicken, to pork, all the way down to multiple versions of beef. But, all of the meats we ordered seem to differ only in texture after spending some time in that broth. Some fell apart on the tongue, some still had a nice chew, but all shared that umami from the pot, with an aftertaste of beefy flavor before swallowing. After a few initial pieces, I found myself thankful for the dipping sauces to distract me from how boring I had made my broth to be. You also get a choice of rice, which I don't think you really need. You get a choice of noodles, which they give you a good amount where it doesn't fill you up with carbs. And anything left over is readily bagged up to eat at home after the flavors mix together and mature. In the end, it's a very filling and fairly healthy meal. I think it's difficult to not compare this to eating a bowl of Pho or Ramen. All the ingredients are there, just instead of eating it with a spoon, you pull out the individual bits with some chop sticks and pretend you're not eating boiled beef and spinach. If I were a better cook, or had another ten visits worth of practice, Tabu Shabu could easily be 4-5 stars. As it is, though, I think I would rather just go to GONZO and get another chef's creation to be sure of the flavors I want. Regardless, I want to come back here and try again one day. The variety of options and the wait staff alone are enough for me to learn more and expand my Shabu options, as well as recommend this place to others.

Photos
Tabu Shabu - Carlsbad - Spicy Miso broth and condiments

Spicy Miso broth and condiments

Tabu Shabu - Carlsbad - Free mochi with Yelp Check in

Free mochi with Yelp Check in

Tabu Shabu - Carlsbad - Chicken breast and ribeye

See all

Chicken breast and ribeye

PhoEver Encinitas - Lunch Special is happening at Pho-Ever! Enjoy the best value Vietnamese lunch special in town!

PhoEver Encinitas

3.8(689 reviews)
0.2 mi
•$$
Family-owned & operated
Free WiFi

Love this place. Have been going for years. Not too expensive and the lunch deal is amazing!read more

long time regulars at the PHO-EVER in Vista. we were in Encinitas for an event and excited about…read morefinally giving this location a try. very disappointing experience. really one-and-a-half stars generously rounded up to two. it was Wild Card Weekend and the Rams-Panthers game was playing on the TVs. couldn't help but wonder if that was always the plan or if PHO-EVER inherited the space and kept the sports bar feel. that and the two guys running the front of the house were the two pluses. the kitchen was definitely on the way downhill side of the experience. don't usually count so heavily on the photos to tell the story, but in this case the pictures really are worth a thousand words. the Nước Chấm was the sorriest excuse for a dipping sauce I've ever had in a restaurant. all that's best about Vietnamese cuisine, the bright, fresh, balanced flavors was AWOL. sweet, spicy, tangy, salty, and umami were all absent. would you guess the sad little veggie strands were carrots and daikon? the orange color's the only hint. the Chả Giò (egg rolls "filled" with ground pork, carrots, jicama, and taro) were under stuffed and undercooked. the wraps were mostly hollow inside and the wrappers soggy in the middle like they were fried in old oil that was too hot and when the ends were done, the centers were not. the BANH MI (baguette sandwich with grilled pork, cucumbers, pickled carrots. daikon, cilantro, jalapeños, and pâté aioli) described as "loaded" on the menu, would be more accurately characterized as skimpy. the grilled pork had the flavorless taste, texture, and appearance of being lightly poached in water. the PHO GA (chicken breast meat in chicken bone broth) was the most disappointing dish of all. the "soup" part (described as a rich chicken bone broth on the menu) had less complexity or richness than dish water. the "chicken breast" had the flavor and texture of a congealed and formed rolls of chicken in a deli case. sad. sad. sad. ps: the "leftover" pho was on the kitchen island when our nineteen-year-old got home from work. he finished it after adding a heaping spoonful of Better Than Bullion chicken base without either of his parents saying anything. yeah, it needed that much help ...

Photos
PhoEver Encinitas
PhoEver Encinitas
PhoEver Encinitas

See all

Harumama Ramen + Sushi - Encinitas - ramen - Updated October 2026

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...