Visiting the area, I looked up a decent pho spot and found Joe's Pho. The food itself is decent, similar to any other pho I've had, but the service definitely needs improvement. There was one guy hosting, seating you, and taking orders, and he would forget what you asked him for, which made for a difficult experience. I asked for an extra bowl and some toppings, but I ended up having to get up myself and ask the table bussers, who were bringing water and picking up plates, for assistance with what I needed. Service: 0 stars. Food: Maybe 4 stars. But when you combine the food and service together, I'd give this place 3 stars at best. read more

Had a pho Tai last night and while the South Bay Vietnamese restaurants is no comparison, I will comment that between San Leandro through Fremont and Dublin, this is probably one of the top spots in the East Bay. I've been here a handful of times and for whatever reason last night broth was enhanced, protein was better quality. No wonder they have business at 9 PM whereas other places are closed or have limited customers You don't come across a lot of Vietnamese restaurants that is spacious for strollers and upgrade their drink menu. I think these are two of many reasons why this place is successful. You see multiple strollers at 9 PM, babies who definitely should be home in their crib at that hour lol. Every other table has a soda, a coffee, or a smoothie drink to accommodate their entrée. This establishment is also good at marketing themselves online. This is probably one of the few if not only Vietnamese restaurants where you can do online ordering. Overall, spacious parking lot, excellent service. They have also expanded their menu to other Vietnamese entrées that you would normally only see in South Bay authentic restaurants. overall a decent spot in the East Bay. read more

Joe's Pho Original - Pho Tai - Vietnamese Near Me - San Leandro, California

Second time here, ordered the bun Bo hue it wasn't as good as I expected it to be. the soup was very bland, tendon wasn't as soft as I like it to be. not really spicy. read more

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Needing a light dinner. This is a great place just for that. The employees was great and very helpful. As soon as you order, you food was delivered to you. Fresh and hot. Shrimp Rolls #1 - Comination Meat Pho Place was very large and clean. It is a must visit. read more

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The food here is always great and the customer service is also always wonderful. Popped in today for lunch with my family and even our Vietnamese food newbie loved her grilled beef and vermicelli (kids menu). I ordered a grilled pork báhn mí and was pleasantly surprised that it was BOGO today! I ate one sandwich at the shop. Baguette perfectly crisp, pickled veggies fresh and easy to eat, juicy tender pork, fresh cilantro and a generous slather of the creamy pate. It was just perfect to feel full but not gorged. The BOGO sandwich was just a great 6 hours later! No skimping on the filling because it was to go, and the bread in both sandwiches was so fresh. Glad I got to pop in today! Even the music and vibe in the dining area was lively and cool to beat this summer heat. read more

Joe's Pho Original - grilled pork báhn mí (the BOGO one at home) - Vietnamese Near Me - San Leandro, California

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I can't say enough good things. Good quality is top tier at all 3 locations service id spot on and the restaurant is always clean The beef stew is my fav soup, and rice, please I love the grilled beef and broken rice. I like the highlight that they do have broken rice, which isn't available response that should go to. So it's definitely a treat to be able to get it whenever I want. Prices are good for what you get, high quality delicious food. Period. read more

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I went to Joe's Pho for a late lunch and was positively overwhelmed by all the delicious options and great service. Because it was so close to dinner time, I tried to go for something "light" and went with their pork, shrimp, and eggroll vermicelli with an egg cappuccino. Vermicelli was delicious and pretty large! And their egg cappuccino was really good. I was initially going to order their egg coffee, but the waitress recommended the egg cappuccino because it's sweet and not as bitter as the coffee -- I am so glad she recommended this because it was perfect. Strong and sweet (not too sweet, just how I like it). I'd love to come back and try their pho and the many other tasty-looking drinks on the menu. I also noticed that there's a complementary ice cream self-serve area, which is pretty awesome, especially when you have kiddos at the table. Lastly, the ambiance was great. The restaurant is quite spacious. As soon as I walked in, I was seated immediately, given sufficient time to review the menu, and received my meal within 15-20 mins. read more

Joe's Pho Original - Vermicelli Bowl with Shrimp and Pork - Vietnamese Near Me - San Leandro, California

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No AC, it's hot, and some elderly woman at the cash register gets up and closes all the doors? That's insane, does she want to suffocate the customers? Food and service are good. read more

The food was really good. You will not be disappointed with the quality and flavor. The only downfall is the prices. I got a vermicelli bowl, banh khot(an appetizer) and my bf got a bowl of pho amd and an avocado smoothie which came out to $80. Quite absurd for a Vietnamese place but nonetheless the food is always good. read more

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Joe's Pho is a casual restaurant with a huge dining room as well as a huge menu of Vietnamese eats. The selection goes well beyond your typical pho and banh mi and includes a number of regional specialties too. For example, the Cha Ca La Vong (a Hanoi specialty) was boneless pieces of lightly fried turmeric-coated white fish, served on a hot plate with onions, dill, peanuts, and fried shallots, along with a plate of lettuce leaves, herbs, cucumbers, pickled carrots/daikon, rice noodles, a crunchy rice cracker, and fish sauce, all for making individual lettuce wraps with the pieces of fish. Though I loved the presentation of this dish, the fish was surprisingly bland and flavorless. From central Vietnam, the Mi Quang was a noodle soup made with thick rice noodles in a savory broth, along with chicken drumstick, shrimp, quail eggs, a rice cracker, and greens/herbs/bean sprouts on the side. While this was a tasty dish, it was missing a core defining element: yellow turmeric rice noodles. Hailing from southern Vietnam, a highlight dish for me was the Xoi Ga Da Don, featuring a mound of green (pandan) sticky rice, surrounded by a plethora of savory toppings including fried chicken skin and shredded meat, pickled carrots/daikon, fried shallots, and Chinese sausage--a delicious combination of crunchy textures and umami goodness to pair with the chewy green rice! Finally, the Bun Tom Thit Nuong Va Cha Gio was a classic southern Vietnamese vermicelli bowl with rice noodles, greens, herbs, cucumbers, bean sprouts, picked carrots/daikon, peanuts, grilled pork, grilled shrimp, and an egg roll, served with nuoc cham (sweet fish sauce). This simple dish was executed nicely, and the meaty, seafoody, earthy flavors all came together with the rice noodles and fresh vegetables. As tasty as all the dishes were, there was one more surprise waiting at the end: a complimentary self-serve dessert bar. Granted, the selection wasn't huge, but they had a soft serve machine (which turned out thick, sweet ice cream), fruit cocktail, and freshly made pandan waffles. Not a bad way to finish off our meal! read more

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I've been here quite a few times and always enjoy. While I do appreciate a good pho I end up getting the BBH every time! I wish it had more of a lemongrass flavor but It's still very good. I've come to realize large just means more broth, not more noodles, so get the small and get extra noods if that's your thing. They have a free ice cream station, and che and waffles, don't sleep on that. I apparently missed the che and waffles so I'll need to go back for that. Last time service was friendly, they forgot about our BBH but she apologized and got it to us soon after, no worries we came with patience. All in all a good meal and I will be back read more

Joe's Pho Original - Short Rib BBH Soup - Vietnamese Near Me - San Leandro, California

We got seated immediately. Orders came quickly and servers helpful and pleasant. Beef roll delicious and well flavored. White chicken breast roll very bland The bread is fresh with pickled vegetable and mayo. Very generous size. Báhn mi sandwiches are buy one get one free. We ordered grilled pork bánh mi sandwich and a grilled chicken. Both large and filling. Restaurant is in a shopping center, easy parking. They open till 9:30 at night. This place is well lit. Restrooms are clean and well stocked. Will be back. read more

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Was expecting a bit more from this place. Ordered the banh beo and bun bo hue. Banh beo didn't have the typical chewy texture that I'm accustomed to, and the bun bo hue seemed watered down with meat that wasn't too tender. I did appreciate that your meal came with complimentary dessert such as a pandan waffle or soft serve ice cream. Also, came with a party of 10 and their customer service was great, so they get some love for that. read more

Joe's Pho Original - BBH - Vietnamese Near Me - San Leandro, California

Pretty good pho in a pinch, but definitely not comparable to OC or LA. I ordered Pho Tai, which usually uses the Eye of Round cut for a lean and clean flavor. This place only has Filet Mignon as the meat option for this. I think that cut is better used as a steak since it's a bit minerally in flavor and can use a good sear to enhance the flavor. read more

Joe's Pho Original - Vietnamese Near Me - San Leandro, California

We came here for my cousin's birthday, but if I'm being completely honest, this wouldn't be my go-to spot for pho. I have a very specific pho order--I always get a seafood combination--which Joe's Pho doesn't offer. That said, I'll review them based on what they do have and on their service. One thing I absolutely loved is that they give you shrimp chips at the table. Those are one of my favorite things and something I always look forward to. I also liked that their menu offers a wider variety of items to choose from. I originally wanted the bone marrow pho, but I ended up ordering the combination bánh mì instead. The bánh mì was good, but I only ate about half because we had also ordered the shrimp fresh spring rolls and a new item I hadn't tried before--the salmon fresh spring rolls. I really enjoyed the salmon ones. The shrimp rolls were also good, and I loved their peanut sauce. Honestly, I think I filled myself up on shrimp chips and spring rolls. It didn't help that they were also making pandan waffles as part of their complimentary dessert bar. The restaurant didn't look very crowded since there were quite a few empty tables, but there were a lot of employees walking around. I understand everyone has specific roles and sections, but it still took a very long time for our food to come out. I know hot items take longer to prepare, but they brought out the three bowls of pho first, and my cold bánh mì came a minute or two later. What really bothered me was the way the hot food was served. Servers reached over guests to hand off bowls of hot pho. As someone who has worked in a restaurant, I was always taught never to reach over anyone with hot food--you either go behind them or walk around to the front. They reached over me twice, and I helped because that's the server in me, but what if the bowl had slipped or been dropped? That could have ended badly. We also had to ask another server for water refills, and they said they would let our server know. There was no need to tell us that--just communicate with them. Every time we needed something, it was always "let me find your server." I understand sections, but the restaurant wasn't packed or overly busy. We came on a rainy Thursday. When we were ready for the check, our server was nowhere to be found again. However, there was one server from another section who was constantly walking around. We asked him to find our server because we were ready to leave. It was frustrating that this one server was visible and attentive while ours barely checked on us. We consistently had to flag someone down if we needed anything. It's unfortunate because the food itself was very good. My cousin loved the bone marrow pho. My uncle enjoyed that his pho had a slight spicy kick. The pork chop was very flavorful. The food was solid, but service is a key element of any restaurant experience, and that's where things fell short for us. read more

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The pho is the clear standout: a deeply aromatic broth with real depth, clean yet rich, clearly simmered with care rather than rushed. The chicken is tender, portions are generous, and the noodles hold their texture all the way through the bowl. Fresh herbs arrive crisp and plentiful, and the balance of flavors means you don't have to aggressively doctor the soup for it to shine. Beyond pho, the supporting menu items are solid and reliable. Service is functional but minimal. Orders are taken efficiently, food comes out promptly, and mistakes are rare--but warmth and attentiveness are hit or miss. Don't expect much check-in or engagement once your food arrives. It's not unfriendly, just transactional. If you're coming for a quick, satisfying meal, it gets the job done; if you're looking for hospitality-driven service, this isn't that kind of spot. The dining room is clean, bright, and comfortable, with a relaxed, casual vibe that suits the menu well. It feels welcoming without trying too hard, making it equally appropriate for solo lunches, family meals, or casual meetups. Overall, Joe's Pho delivers where it matters most: the food. With excellent broth, dependable execution, and a comfortable setting, it's an easy recommendation for anyone craving quality Vietnamese cuisine in San Leandro. Slightly elevated service would push it into standout territory, but even as is, it remains a strong local favorite worth revisiting. read more

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To preface- Joe's Pho used to be my favorite pho spot, but we stopped dining here after that scandal they were involved in a few years ago. Decided to come here recently after we found out that our current fave pho spot was closed that day. We ordered: Special combo pho, regular ($19) - solid; came with a good amount of meat. Could've been hotter. The regular size was pretty big, I couldn't finish all of it. Beef stew noodle soup ($18) - my partner enjoyed it. The large beef chunks were tender. Shrimp spring rolls ($12) - fresh, good. Jasmine milk tea w/ boba ($8) - too sweet; not enough tea flavor; skimped on the boba. Gold Dubai chocolate smoothie/ drink ($9) - not sure what we expected it to taste like but it was more of a chocolate milk w/ a sprinkle of kataifi and a crumb of pistachio. Our server was attentive and friendly. Our water cups stayed filled and at the end of our meal she mentioned free dessert toward the back (soft serve). We shared a small vanilla cone, but it was ok. Joe's Pho didn't really hit the spot for us, drinks were a miss, and we felt like things were on the pricier side. I wasn't sure how to feel about the receipt since it only provides four checkboxes for tipping (18%, 20%, 22%, & 25%) and purposely excludes the line to add your own tip/ total. read more

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The best part of the San Leandro surgery center is its proximity to Joe's pho. I have never had a dish here that I wasn't fully enamored with. The service is great. It's always quiet and clean. And every dish I've had there has been better than the one before it. read more

Pros: Springrolls were good! Love the mango sauce that came with it. (Sweet taste) I also love their strawberry&banana smoothie!!! They use fresh fruits! Cons: The oxtail pho had some kind of plastic in the bowl and we had found it (Picture taken). The soup base was salty without adding any condiments. read more

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I heard the pho here was really good. It was late night and decided to order from here. They did not disappoint. Food was good especially the bbq chicken bahn mi. One day we will make it to the restaurant for sure. read more

Joe's Pho Original - Vietnamese Near Me - San Leandro, California

Did they change owner or cook , food is real bad. The roll skin is hard . The pho soup base is Luke warm. Pho sticks together . And only a few tiny piece of beef!!! What happen??? read more

Ordered Bun Tom Nuong: Mostly lettuce & vermicelli. No carrots. no red perils (or tia to or perilla) no peanuts, no basil no shallots, no sesame seeds. A few bean sprouts, couple of mint leaves, few chunks of cucumber. Fish sauce had no flavor. read more

YUM YUM YUM! great pho for rainy weather. i ended up getting the P1 and it was fresh and delicious. i usually never like the meatballs when I get them in pho, but I could not get enough of these ones. definitely will be back here when I'm on this side of town! read more

Joe's Pho Original - p1 - Vietnamese Near Me - San Leandro, California

All this hype about the bone marrow soup. I just got some fat scraped in the bone with zero marrow and some tough meat. read more

Joe's Pho Original - All fat no marrow. - Vietnamese Near Me - San Leandro, California

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Came here on a Sunday afternoon and seated immediately. Service was fast snd staff pretty pretty friendly. Its a large space, would definitely come back since we often have big group outings. The pho was 8/10. Flavorful and hearty. Sauces are available right at the table, but beware the hoisin comes from unmarked bottle which had a suspect smell. Salted cream cheese iced coffee 10/10. I didnt realize how strong Vietnamese coffee is, kept me awake and alert for a solid 12 hours! Will come back soon to try other items, the Boba selection looked great! read more

Tried the Hoi An chicken rice plate. Didn't take a before picture but came out looking like something slapped on a plate and microwaved. Chicken was dry and tough to chew. Should have known better to order rice at pho place. Joe's should just stick to pho if they cannot meet the quality needed for other common Vietnamese dishes. read more

Joe's Pho Original - Dry microwaved chicken instead of freshly steamed. - Vietnamese Near Me - San Leandro, California

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Overall it was okay. This restaurant has a lot more variety of Vietnamese to choose from, which was great! I like that I can try different things besides just pho. I ordered the Bun Bo Hue--it was not what I expected. It did not taste umami and hearty like it's supposed to be. The broth was also super watery...definitely threw me off. I'd give this dish a 2/5 in my opinion. My bf got the beef pho and same thing--it was so watery and lacked the rich umami flavor of the beef broth. On the side we ordered the Hue Style Dumplings which also didn't taste very flavorful. Overall food here was tolerable but not hitting the spot for me unfortunately. Besides that, plenty of seating available and pretty clean. read more

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This place is great! Lots of options- all looks delicious on their colorful menu! Super fast service- place is simple yet clean- but good food and bid portions. We especially like the fresh egg rolls ( they have a variety of what you want inside the roll). read more

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Wow. Huge menu with both classic and hard-to-find items. We started with one Bahnh mi beef sando and one lemongrass tofu vermicelli bowl. Service-- two items arrived at quite different times The tofu: not lightly fried. It's deeply fried. And the oil is either not fresh or not a good type. Too oily tasting! Good approach to lemongrass tofu though with tons of lemongrass and ginger stuffed into slits of the tofu. But there is also a surprise spiciness that I did not like and is not what I experienced in north Vietnam. Perhaps they are adding more jalapeño for California tastes The sauce was terrible. It's just soy sauce. It should be a vinegar sauce type, slightly sweet. Sides of fried taro ( meh) and spring roll ( bulk purchase type?) were unappealing. The beef bahn mi : arrived deconstructed. That's not terrible. More herbs would be nice but pickled veg was plentiful. Soup was ordinary. Bread was toasted. Beef was fine and not gristley but the amount was small All told I'm not impressed enough to return. There is a large vegetarian menu, large overall menu, and lots of seating inside and out. Close to Target. read more

Joe's Pho Original - Bahn mi -- assemble yourself, could use more meat and herbs - Vietnamese Near Me - San Leandro, California

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A solid 4 star Vietnamese restaurant in the greater south alameda area. My husband and I visited Joe's pho today for an early dinner. We left satisfied and with a full stomach. Parking: huge lot shared with other businesses. There are plenty of parking spots even on a weekend evening. Ambiance: open, and industrial vibe. A good place to hang out with friends or enjoy a dinner with family. All table seating. Service: average. Our water glasses were full but we were taken to a table near the window when we arrived. The sun was shining right in the area and it was hot. Despite the restaurant being empty at the time and there were other tables in the shade, the waiter seated us at a table in the not so desirable area of the restaurant. Food ordering to arrival time was decent. When my husband asked one of the waiters to clear our pho bowls from the table since we were already done, to make space for the other dishes we ordered, he just walked away. Also, you are expected to walk to the register to pay (not as bad as a waiter shoving the card machine in your face at other places I guess) Food: 4.5/5. We ordered the three kinds hue style dumplings, the filet mignon pho large and the self roll with thin rice paper sheets + grilled chicken. The filet mignon pho had a lot of meat which we really appreciate and the noodles were chewy. They provided us with just the right amount of bean sprouts so we didn't have to waste much of it. Portion size was generous for each dish we ordered. The highlight was the self roll. The grilled chicken was a bit burnt which I hope they will improve in the future but everything was flavorful after it was wrapped and dipped in the sweet fish sauce. I wouldn't order the three kinds hue dumpling appetizer again--it was just ok. We will return again. The self roll and the filet mignon pho is worth the return trip and hopefully, the quality of the pho will stay the same and the grilled chicken will not be burnt next time around. read more

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We ordered the pho, and it was really good. The broth was flavorful, not bland, and very comforting. The serving was generous with lots of meat, which made it totally worth it. Overall, great value for the price. Definitely a good spot if you're craving a satisfying bowl of pho. Would come back again. read more

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Joe's Pho is my favorite phở joint in the east bay. The service is quick, there is plenty of parking and seating, and the menu is expansive: phở, bún bò huế, cơm tấm, bánh mì... whatever you're craving, Joe's probably has it. There are even enough drink options on the menu that there's basically an in house boba bar you can order from. Each table is served a complimentary plate of bánh phồng tôm (shrimp crackers) which I appreciate, it's the perfect light snack to nibble on while waiting for your meal. The steak here is very tender, probably the only east bay phở restaurant I'd recommend ordering extra steak from. My main gripe with Joe's Pho is how expensive everything is. $20 for a bowl of pho, and some of their boba drinks are $8-9. Because of the prices I don't come as often as I'd like to but it's a great place to take friends and family who are visiting from out of town and don't have the best phở options to choose from. It's pretty much an all in one Vietnamese restaurant that will satisfy and is reliable. read more

Joe's Pho Original - Vietnamese Near Me - San Leandro, California

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Avoid this place at all cost. Their food does not look like the nice pictures in their menu. Food tastes like crap. They spilled fish sauce in my bag. Customer service is terrible. They are tip hungry. read more

Lots of parking as it is a huge parking lot area. The ambiance was chill and casual. Lots of tables. I have gotten pho in the past and BBH and both were very delicious. Broth is flavorful and noodles cooked to par. They give shrimp chips in the beginning as appetizer and they also give some kind of sweet corn at the end of dessert. Probably why the prices here are a bit pricer than other pho places. This time, I got a banh mi cold cut. Love the shirmp paste and all the flavors. My partner got the fried chicken with rice plate. He said the fried chicken was nice and crispy on the outside and juicy in the inside. read more

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I always come back here for some good bun bo hue. Fast and attentive service, good soup every time, and generous meat portions. :) There's always a good amount of seating when I come. I also love the free (shrimp?) chips they give us! I do this slightly weird thing where I dip my chips in my bbh soup and I am obsessed with doing that. I also like that each individual bowl of soup gets their own veggie bowl! Usually it's shared at pho restaurants but I kind of like that no other hands are grabbing at my basil and bean sprouts. :) I will be back (& I always do end up coming back!) read more

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Called in 40 mins ahead of pick up to place a pork chop rice plate order. Was told over the phone that it would take 10 minutes. Arrived and paid. Order was never sent to kitchen because I was told 10 more minutes after I asked how much longer since I wasn't given my food right after I paid. Wasn't even offered an apology or discount for their error. Meat was tougher than before in texture, would not recommend this place anymore. Sent an email to bring to management attention and was ignored. Will not be coming here anymore. read more

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Please be aware when your order BHH1. They give you nearly 1 piece of beef and the rest few pieces of pork and 2 pieces ofviet spam. . I asked and the waitess said that it how it supposed to be. That i should read menu. She said the one i ordered everything just have 1 piece. I You pay 18$ for that i think its not worth it. The food was not as good quality as before. So disappointed. Bad customer service also. read more

Very bad services and dishonest people . They didn't tell us the system was down then ran to the nail salon next door charge the credit card . When we wanted the recipe they said they don't have it. Everyone blamed on everyone like Wtf. I go eat food not doing nails read more

Joe's Pho Original - I go eat pho not doing nails they charge my card with nail services next door since the restaurant system was down - Vietnamese Near Me - San Leandro, California

Used to really enjoy this Joe's Pho location, but our last experience was honestly terrible. We were never greeted when we walked in and eventually had to go up to the register ourselves just to place an order. After waiting over an hour with no food, it genuinely seemed like our order had been forgotten entirely. When we asked about it, instead of apologizing or trying to fix the situation, the staff argued with us and told us we "just needed to wait longer." At that point we told them to just charge us for the drinks and we'd leave. The hospitality and customer service were shockingly rude from start to finish. It's disappointing because we love the Dublin location and have always had great experiences there, but this location has completely lost its charm. Definitely won't be returning. read more

Had such a great experience here! We sat on the outdoor patio, which was super sunny and comfortable, perfect for a relaxed lunch. The staff were really friendly and didn't mind at all that we brought our small dog. The matcha latte was one of the best matcha lattes I've ever had at a pho restaurant, with many other selections to choose from if you are not a matcha person. The food was amazing. The pho came out piping hot and flavorful, packed with fresh herbs and tender meat. We also ordered the beef stew noodle soup, and it was rich, hearty, and perfect for a chilly day. Portions were generous, and everything tasted fresh. They even offer a free dessert section with an ice cream machine, toppings, and mini waffles. Overall, great service, great vibes, and delicious food. Definitely one of my new favorite spots and bonus points for being dog-friendly! Will absolutely be coming back. read more

Joe's Pho Original - Vietnamese Near Me - San Leandro, California