Time for lunch. I eat here for lunch when I'm I. The area. The service is pretty cool and decent and the ambience is laid-back. The food comes out pretty fast. I love it here. read more

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And came on a busy Saturday afternoon at 1:30 ordered salt and pepper fest for an appetizer and egg rolls along with the popcorn, shrimp and spicy basil fried rice and a Thai iced tea. The service was slow because they just had a rush and I didn't get my food till about 2:40 so it was about an hour and a half wait for my food. I did get my appetizers so I had something to munch on other people were waiting longer sat alone at the bar and it was a pretty cool experience. I would probably go during the week when it's not so busy plus they went viral on social media so you know how that goes. Just be prepared to wait . read more

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Love it here. Always has great service and the pho is key. Only place that has and actual young coconut.

TLDR; perfectly decent option if you're in the neighborhood and hungry Food (of 5) Tai Pho 3.5 Expected accoutrements of thai basil, jalapeno slices, lime wedges, bean sprouts. The red chili sauce had a nice kick beside the usual Sriracha. Service (counter order / table delivery) Fast and friendly. Ambiance A bit of refuge from the light industrial area this sits within. I'm not a very adventurous Pho fan so mainly judging the broth and the rare steak. Compared to some of the better Peninsula options I thought the broth wasn't quite as rich and the steak was a bit overcooked and tough. Still very decent though if you're in the neighborhood. read more

Ordered from here via a food delivery app. Got the bun bo hue (spicy beef noodle soup), hu tieu with clear noodles (combo meats noodle soup), bun rieu (tomato crab flavor noodle soup) and pho dac biet (combo beef pho with multiple cuts of beef and meatballs). The delivery order came with a big bag of herb garnish (thai basil, mung bean sprouts, sliced cabbage, lime wedges, cilantro, culantro, rau ram, and mint) as well as some hoisin and sriracha sauce packets for the variety of noodle soups that we ordered. Taste overall was fair and pricing was affordable/reasonable. Preferred dishes from that selection were the bun rieu and hu tieu. read more

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I love their bbh here and also the fried chicken wings. Fast service here and the food is always fresh. The cooks here are great and they work as a team. It's a decent place. I am a regular customer here. read more

Mekong Restaurant - Outside dining and they have a huge place for inside dining as well. - Vietnamese Near Me - Oakland, California

Chicken meat in pho was so dry it reminded me of jerky. My son ordered the chicken vermicelli and his was also over cooked and extremely tough. Pho broth had a decent flavor, however. My son enjoyed his flavor also. read more

A well deserved review, I've indulged in this authentic pho house since 2016! No matter the time or distance I go I always come to my home pho house. read more

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Mt friend recommended this place we tried a variety of pho and some rice plates I was satisfied with my chicken flavored pho. The broth had a sweet gang to it. The shrimp pho had large portions and a hefty amount of shrimp. The shrimp and beef had about 3 pieces of shrimp and several thin slices of beef .. the item I did not expect to enjoy was the filet mignon.. Filet Mignon was served with rice and vegetables the pieces were cut into small bite size pieces which I appreciated. We received all the typical toppings for our pho . Bean sprout cilantro lime and the sauces I would eat here again read more

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It was Pho! Nominal!! Brought me back to my childhood soups... teardrop! Awesome chicken wings!!! The staff are attentive and nice. Loved the food! Drinks were good. Very little ambiance A little parking lot with a lot of dining spaces inside and outside! The outdoors are right next to street, so loud vehicles and such. No music, but there are lights at night! Nice place! They do pickup! I'll be back!!! read more

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Great portions, and the taste is always great. Friendly staff and they have a decent size parking lot. Tables are usually clean and they have outdoor seating. read more

Haven't had a chance to try out the other Vietnamese restaurants in Oakland's Little Saigon but I started with this one for its indoor seating (a lot of Asian spots are still to go only) and affordable prices (as listed here on Yelp). Of course, the menu prices have since increased about $3 per item (so $13.95 to $16.95) but surprisingly their fruit smoothies and Thai ice teas are still $5 each (great price IMO). Keep in mind that the fruit "smoothie" is more like a fruit slushie. Or just boba slushie. The portions here were great. The staff was kind enough. We had plenty of leftovers and we were satisfied with the taste. Some places have very special soups and here we have the standard pho taste that our family is accustomed to. Atmosphere wise it has indoor and "garden" seating, but it does look run down. There's enough space for a party though, which I imagine would've been a plus in its glory days. Now, although the restaurant does serve beer, they also close at 8pm so I'm not sure if the drinks are for day drinking or what lol Overall I'll be checking out other spots in the area to compare and contrast but was satisfied with this Mekong. read more

Mekong Restaurant - Beef stew noodle - Vietnamese Near Me - Oakland, California

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Food: 6/10 Service: I did takeout, there is out door seating available but be careful Portion: small- medium (I'm a petite person but can eat an x-large) Value: 7/10 I usually love this place! Its normally my go to spot of pho. I get the pho tai and my hubby gets the pho combo (pho dac biet). I believe they changed chefs. The broth of the pho was not as flavorful. I didn't get as much meat as I normally do either esp since we both order the x-large size. There was also a lot of peollw there, so give it a try and see for yourself! Just be careful with covid. There were people who came inside without wearing a mask and none of the workers said anything. The staff wore masks but all of them did not have it covering there noses.... I'm also a 4'9" person and usually I struggle to finish my x-large but this time I finished easily. I will try this place again when covid is over because maybe it was just because I did to go? read more

Mekong Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Oakland, California

The nicest people you could meet. Pho is amazing, food is amazing highly recommend!!

The soup was so good. Unfortunately the server was having a hard time understanding me and my family. My mom husband was adamant that the food was good so we stayed. We got the food and yup it was good. We came I wanna say an hour before they closed and we were finishing up I wanna like 10 minutes before closing everyone had left the restaurant. I didn't finished my food, and wanted to take it home but no one was around. The person was in their car waiting for us to leave... like I understand as a server wanting to go home, but she didn't even check up on us since she has dropped the food on the table which I found weird. And you shouldn't have left customers in the restaurant alone? read more

I really love their portions. The broths and rice plates are good too, but when I pay to eat out sometimes, I just want a lot of food but budgeted. So I come here. I've ordered many noodles soups from here and many rice plates and I've never been disappointed. Food comes out quick and hot. They are always delicious and I always leave with a food coma. Order take out or dine in. Either way, you'll always leave satisfied. read more

I stopped in for some pho since it's raining and this is my first time at this location and the first thing I see when I'm about to be seated is the employee clearing the table and coughing right next to me and proceeds to hawk up a big globe of a spit and spits it in the trash can when there are customers eating around him. It was completely disgusting and on top of that there was a bird flying around everyone too. This place needs to be checked to make sure they're update with their cleanliness. I would not recommend read more

I having been coming here for over 20 years. Never have I ever been so disappointed at the service and especially at the meat to noodle ratio. Never received my vietnamese iced coffee. Will not be coming back here. read more

I've passed by Mekong hundreds of times driving down 8th and 12th. Just from a glance it looks like an old school drive-in burger joint with all the parking out front. But surprisingly when I walked in the restaurant for the first time today, it's a decent sized diner inside. At least 25 tables, some large for bigger parties, as well as small ones for groups of four. The menu is a little more extensive than other pho joints in the area. At Mekong they offer a beef stew, fried chicken, and other options I don't see everywhere. My wife liked that they also have beer available as well. Prices are all fairly reasonable. Since it was our first time coming we ordered the basics: Imperial rolls: these little fried tubes of joy were average. It's kind of a mandatory thing to order when coming to a pho restaurant. Kind of like how French fries are mandatory when ordering food at McDonalds. Steak and Flank Pho: My wife thinks this is one of the better Pho bowls she's ever had. She loved the broth without anything added. I also thought the broth was very good but the Sriracha looked cold and lonely in the corner of the table, like an orphaned child. So I added some, just so the sriracha felt needed and appreciated. Sriracha has feelings too... Pork and Shrimp Vermicelli: this was on par with everywhere else. I guess it's a hard dish to mess up but also a hard dish to make stand out from the others. Pour some fish sauce on cold noodles and it's basically gonna taste the same across the board. Food and service was excellent. Food came out extremely fast so it's a great place if you are hungry. Mekong will be a regular spot for me to eat now. read more

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Went to Pho Mekong restaurant for the first time tonight. My daughter has been there many times and said they had good noodle soup. Got there at 6:30pm on a Friday night and they had patrons, but still plenty of open tables. The place is long and feels like it used to be a diner. It makes it easy that they have a decent sized parking lot in front. I ordered the beef noodle soup and hubby had #55 pork chop with chicken wings. Since we're both watching our carb intake, he asked if he could substitute the rice with more veggies. They were kind to oblige and filled his plate with salad. My beef noodle soup was good, had a lot of flavor, and I liked how tender the meat was. The carrots in the soup were tasty. The soup was a little on the oily side but you can taste the flavor and know that it had been cooked for some time. Hubby thought his pork chop was very tasty, and he had a good portion. This is a small family style restaurant that is great for a quick, fulfilling and tasty meal. read more

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Delicious pho and excellent service at a reasonable price - what's not to love?! Our party of three was seated immediately. The wait staff was not only patient answering our questions, but super friendly and passionate about what they do. Tin (sp?) was especially awesome. He was very knowledgeable and educated about the culinary arts and was very happy to share what he knows with us. I had chicken pho and enjoyed the heck out of it. The broth was flavorful and they had some very delicious sauces to put in it. The chili lemongrass was perfectly spicy and really elevated the soup to an even tastier level. One person in our group could only eat clear liquids at the time and just ordered broth. Even he said he enjoyed it. I feel like the ability to make a flavorful, delicious broth is what sets apart good soup - so this speaks to the quality of food here. Pricing was awesome for the amount of food you get. I was only set back $10 for a massive bowl of pho that left me happy and full. Will be back to try more of their delicious Vietnamese eats! read more

Mekong Restaurant - Yummy chicken pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Oakland, California

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Service was great she was super sweet, food was so flavorful especially the hu tieu also the grill chicken plate was good also. The BBH has so much meat... read more

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I came here on Valentine's Day with a good friend as we were partying hard the night before. We were delighted to see this place open. We got the combination pho. The service was good and they also give free hot tea. Parking is also good and they have outdoor seating spaced out with heaters. The only reason I am not giving this a five star is because I have had better pho in my life . It wasn't bad but not the best I have had. The spring rolls are great though. read more

Been going to this pho spot for about eight years now , they never seem to disappoint every time I go in. Service is always on point they basically know my order every time I go in. The seafood pho is my go to but the combination is always a good choice , can't go wrong with this spot ! read more

I've been on a Bun Mam (fermented fish broth soup) quest, looking for a soup with similar funk I find in the Bun Mam at San Jose joints. Mekong's was a low point . . . Things seemed to start well with delivery of a decent garnish plate - rau ram (wasted on me. tastes soapy, like cilantro), mint, lime, jalapenos, banana blossom, cabbage (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mekong-restaurant-oakland-2?select=EdZWR7EHhI-XTkEbnIJVQQ) The bowl was delivered and I could see a light, cloudy broth and toppings of fish, pork, shrimp, squid and a smattering of garlic chives (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mekong-restaurant-oakland-2?select=Nst_6bu0bo5-XDHuyCCAwQ). Spaghetti sized rice noodles are like you find in bun bo hue. I dug in and found the cloudy broth to be pretty bland with absolutely no fermented fish funk. Strike two were the noodles which were broken up and overcooked / super mushy. The proteins redeemed things a bit with tender pork and shrimp (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mekong-restaurant-oakland-2?select=tfc7DW6ODI8iKmmC-lusuA). The shrimp were the best protein and nicely cooked. Oddly, they had tails removed, but still had the end of the shell attached . . . I didn't mind . . . extra fiber ;-) The fish pieces were OK, but bland in flavor and the squid were on the tough side. Fung Wong Bakery (aka Bun Mam Mien Tay https://www.yelp.com/biz/fung-wong-bakery-oakland-2?hrid=bA1Xw3lXVKQzgPKIuJXlMw) doesn't have anything to worry about from this entry into the Oak-town Bun Mam rotation. read more

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Bbh horrible with no taste. How is that possible ? I ate some of the beef shank and walked out. Went to pho ao sen down the street

This is actually one of my go to pho restaurants. The staff is friendly. I like how they keep their soups piping hot. The way it should be. Some other pho places have a hard time with understanding what hot soup means. Mekong Restaurant is very consistent. I normally switch off from pho dac biet to bo kho noodle soup (beef stew). I really appreciate you guys for the hot read more

Mekong Restaurant - Bo kho noodle soup... Piping hot love it - Vietnamese Near Me - Oakland, California

Worst experience I have had in a long time. Sat down with our family and waited, and waited and waited. Finally one of us went inside to ask for service. We then waited again. Went in a second time. The waitress finally came out with more menus. We explained we were ready to order and she spat out "tell me what you want then". After ordering we waited and waited some more. Did I mention I had children who were very hungry? Water never came. Eventually about 20 minutes later soup arrived for 3 of the 4 adults. Food never came for the other 4 people in our party. Meanwhile the continued to bring food out for other patrons and ours still didn't come. I pulled out bananas and bars for the kids at this point. When we went inside they had a line of people they we were serving and when I asked if someone could bring us our food they said they would look into it. Still more food came out to other tables. We finally had to leave without food ever coming for me and my children. The food that was brought to the other three people in our party had a gross oily film on the top of the soup and my MIL's dish was overly spicy making it inedible. Do not eat here unless you have endless amounts of time, like gross pho, dirty tables and rude service. Worst spot in Oakland. read more

Best porkchops I've had. Service is pretty good. Bathroom is pretty clean. Overall good. read more

Mekong Restaurant - #50 two porkchops, fried egg over rice - Vietnamese Near Me - Oakland, California

Just ok pho place. Not great but not bad. Good for a quick fix, but I'd go to other options in the same area. FOOD I got the shrimp vermicelli. The shrimp was really orange for some reason, maybe I'm not cultured enough?? I'm used to normal-looking charred shrimps. The dish as a whole was pretty subtle in flavor, and in my opinion there wasn't enough noodles. There were a total of 8 shrimps though which isn't bad. My dad got a pho with all the meats. I tried it and the broth was more medicinal that what I'm used to as well. MOOD The interior is definitely on the grimy side. Decorations are pretty old, and the busboy didn't do a great job wiping the tables. 'TUDE Workers weren't amazing or anything, just very standard Asian restaurant service. read more

Solid and cheap. Dirty, slow service, and delicious broth. I'm used to quick Pho, but this place took a good 20+ minutes to get our orders out and the place wasn't even that busy! When my brother and I entered, we were quickly ushered to a table that they just wiped clean a few a seconds before (literally, you can even see the wet wipe residue). I got the Hu Tieu and I had little to zero regrets. It was so good and flavorful. Each bite was filled with so much flavor - loved the seafood - from the fish cakes, imitation crab and large shrimps. Overall, solid place. I'd go to this place again even if the servers and owner (I think) were bickering loudly in front of their customers. read more

Mekong Restaurant - Hu Tieu with wide noodles - Vietnamese Near Me - Oakland, California

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Plenty of pho places in the area to check out. It was a busy on Sunday afternoon. Like a lot of other pho places, service was non existent after getting our food. Had to go to the cashier to order another dish. The pho was good, not too oily with decent portions. It came out fairly quickly. Small, medium, extra large sizes available. Had the 2 pork chops with shredded pork as well. The pork chops weren't too sweet like other spots. They were tender and a good size. I wasn't a fan of the shredded pork though. The usual sauces but they also have a lemongrass sauce that's good that is different with a little heat. They have a small parking lot but fills up quickly. Otherwise, street parking. Pay at the cashier for bill. read more

Delish pho in simple settings. I pass this place regularly and there is always a packed parking lot. I decided to give it a try. Service is rough. Like first I had to wait to get the tables bussed, then for the menu, then finally to order. Another patron flagged down the server to take my order. DWB, I dunno. I got #8 which is a medium bowl the flank, brisket, the works. The broth was niced nuanced and rich. The basil and lime improved it along with a shot of chili oil. So many beef meatballs, no tendon or tripe (my faves). Yet it was still delish. This place is better the most popular pho spot Aen Sen (guessing on spelling). Friendly vibe but you won't feel catered to. Who cares. You're there to slurp. read more

Mekong Restaurant - Standard pho place kinda of a dive but I'm guessing the food is good - Vietnamese Near Me - Oakland, California

Mekong for sure was holding it down during the pandemic! A lot of places were closed during this crisis. My friend and I ordered two large bowl of pho and one orange which adds up to about 30$ which is consider a ittle expensive during this tough times. It was nicely packaged and the broth was hot inside the container. There were a few tables outside where we can sit & wait for our food. Considering the cost for the pho, the portion was a little skimp. They don't really give that much meat. The broth was decent, not salty nor was it bland. It was right in the middle where you can add your hot sauce/hoison sauce to kick up the flavors. I would say this spot is decent if you're looking for something quick with couple outdoor seating. read more

Mekong Restaurant - Pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Oakland, California

Really delicious hole in the wall place definitely will go again! Will try more than one Dish next time

Very solid bun bo hue. Rich and a little fishy. The workflow inside is a little chaotic between covid protocols and language barriers but I was able to get my noodles with relatively little trouble. read more

Best pho in town I have being coming this place over 9 yrs still taste same and good! Lunch hour is pretty pack in small parking lot . Careful to not get ticket but try go there . THE BEST PHO EVER!! I hope they have keep succeeding Buisiness long long time . read more

Mekong Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Oakland, California

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Honestly pretty pissed, I caught the cashier try to take advantage of my girlfriend by palming her exact change (palmed a 20$) , telling her it's wrong, she was too shocked to really feel comfortable with calling them out for it. Also the chefs were walking around with their masks off, also not cool. I don't think I'd want to support them ever again. read more

After spending a windy and somewhat wet day doing pursuit driving on an airport runway, I wanted something hot and soupy for dinner. I also wanted to try a new place in the San Antonio neighborhood of Oakland since that's been my latest area to explore. After checking Yelp, Pho Mekong was the first restaurant on the list. Done. I picked up my family and off we went. We arrived in the vicinity at around 1820 hours. Although there was still daylight, the neighborhood was eerily quiet. There were only a few people walking around and a few cars on the road. I parked the Harvmobile in Pho Mekong's parking lot. As soon as we got out of the car, I noticed a small group of suspicious subjects loitering around a car a few spaces away. With my hand on my trusted Austrian friend Mr. Glock, I quickly whisked my family inside the restaurant. We were greeted by a very polite young lady. She seated us at a table inside the main dining area. It was obvious that Pho Mekong had gone through some major renovation recently. The interior appeared clean and spacious. There were only a couple tables of people eating. A couple flat screen TV were showing different programs. The same young lady brought us hot tea and water. After perusing the menu, we ordered the following: - Ch Giò (deep fried egg rolls stuff with ground pork and vermicelli, $5.25) - Bun Bo Hue (spicy Hue style beef noodle soup, XL, $9.25) - Đc Bit Xe La (special combo beef pho, XL, $8.25) - Pho Tái Nm Gân (beef pho with thin slices of steak, flank, and tendon, regular, $7) The deep fried egg rolls were first to arrive. They were hot, crispy, and delicious. They didn't skimp on the ground pork filling. It was a nice way to start the meal. The bun bo Hue was below my expectations. It had slices of beef shank, pork, cha lua, a couple pig knuckles, and a couple cube of pig's blood curd in it. The beef shank and pork slices were on the tough side. The pig knuckles were tasty but small in size. The cubes of pig's blood curd had a little off taste to them. The broth was quite spicy and had a slight hint of lemongrass in it. MSG was definitely used because I was thirsty throughout the meal. Noodles were a little overcooked but acceptable. Garnishes (small amount of shredded cabbage, bean sprouts, sawtooth coriander, and lime) were fresh, but not much sliced onion/cilantro/diced scallions was seen in the dish. I asked my brother about his special combo pho. He said the broth was so-so and there's MSG in it. He thought the portion was on the small side for an extra large. He also mentioned the different meats were tough in general. I asked my mom about her pho. She told me she thought the meats were tough. She also said she likes Pho King better (we went there a couple weeks ago). The service was excellent. As I mentioned earlier, the young lady who took our order was very polite and helpful. The gentleman who brought us our food was also very kind. He dropped off a jar of his homemade pickled sliced jalapenos and garlic for us to try. We tried some and it was excellent!! We were all very thankful for their hospitality. From a straight food standpoint, Pho Mekong scored three stars in my book. I am giving them an extra star for the excellent service we received. With other options in the area, I probably will not return to Pho Mekong for a while. However, I'd suggest you go try them out and form your own opinion. BONUS MATERIAL: - Small parking lot on site. Street parking also available. - Major credit cards accepted. - Go during daytime. read more

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There's a lot of great pho places in Oakland especially in the Eastlake Area. This place has worked its way into my rotation. They have their own parking lot. The place is pretty large and can fit a good number of people. They offer free wifi. Username "Pho Mekong", Password: "donaldnancy" The broths for their pho or bun bo hue is flavorful and doesn't have the big MSG taste. I usually go for their broken rice plates or bun vermicilli with their grilled pork/pork chops. Their pork chops are grilled very well. They offer this chilli lemongrass sauce, the only other place I know that has it is Pho Ao Sen a few blocks down the street. That sauce is addicting although one of the last times I went I think I overdid it, there is such thing as too much of a good thing. read more

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