Annoying boat-shaped bowls! I know we Vietnamese are often referred to as Boat People, however, don't you think having Vietnamese clientele, most of which are boat people, eat out of boat shaped bowls is cruel and unusual punishment? My meal was strangely metaphoric: Dumping nuoc mam into the boat, squealing helplessly as occupants of my boat-shaped bowl flew helplessly overboard - just out of reach of the saving grace of my chopsticks. It might have been mitigated had the food been up to par, but I've never seen such emaciated cha gio (egg rolls) in my life! Perhaps the owners were also trying to further their metaphor? The beef was too dry, not quite tender enough, and goddamnit, mixing the ingredients was impossible given the shape of the bowl!!!! Never before have I had such a traumatizing bowl (or should I say boat-full) of Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio (Vermicelli Noodles with Beef and Eggrolls). If watching bean sprouts and lettuce shreds fly out from all directions because the bowl was so impractical wasn't traumatizing enough, the bill was the final straw. $7 for bun thit nuong cha gio?! Ridiculous! But I suppose that's what you get for eating Vietnamese food in Irvine... gentrified utopia. read more

Five stars for taste and portion Minus one star for slightly high price. Minus two stars for giving all three of us a headache within ten minutes of finishing dinner. Coincidence? Not when all three of us ordered different things. Probably a result of too much MSG but not sure. All I know is I want an Advil. read more

Their pho is decent, but their eggrolls need revamping. Service is often curt and abrupt, but the limitations of respectable pho in Irvine makes me frequent Pho Bac nonetheless. Their Vietnamese coffee is prepared ahead of time - as I have observed glasses upon glasses of coffee prepared to maximize efficiency rather than the observance of quality. Cheers! read more

I've been to this location twice and have not been disappointed. The customer service is great and the staff are super friendly. Portions are on the smaller side. The drinks are okay but boba is really soft. They're usually pretty busy during lunch each time I've visited but was seated pretty quickly. read more

The service is fast. Ordered pho which came out within 5 minutes. The herbs and veggies are fresh. The bean sprouts that come along with it were bright yellow. Nothing spoiled here. Most importantly, the pho is good! The broth was steaming hot, just the way I like it. And the tripe and tendons was cooked perfectly, just chewy enough. No complaints! Probably the best pho in Irvine. read more

One of the best pho places I've been to in Orange County. I love to get their spring rolls with shrimp and the #12 on the pho soup menu. They prepare the food very fast and everything is so fresh. Customer service is super! I've been coming here for pho ever since I discovered this place. read more

I ain't going to lie. When the weather is cold, I think of pho and I want one. It must be the hot flavored soup with its tendon beefy meat and rice noodles. It has to be it, right? Their service could be it too. He takes the order, goes back to the kitchen and within 3 minutes he comes back to my table with the hot boiling noodle soup. Was it microwaved? I come here because it's the closet Pho place I can go to in Irvine or closest to my office. But sometimes the lunch hour rush can be dramatic, a long wait and after all my lunch hour is only an hour. Oh, why does it cost more here when I can get a bigger bowl at a slightly cheaper price price in Westminster? Hmm... and I wonder. read more

I am suprised that this place had 3.5 stars.. I have never been disapointed with this place. I've been to every Pho place from Westmister and back, but still I find myself coming here. I am a purist, so the broth, as is, is on point. *and Guy Fieri says - something something, flavor-town.. *fist bump. read more

I've ordered food to go here four times now so I feel I can write an adequate review. The reason why I would even write a review is because I think there's a difference in what you get when you eat there versus the take out. First, being Vietnamese shouldn't make me an expert but I hope it gives me an advantage on knowing the difference between good and bad Vietnamese food. I've had enough of it! Overall, food is less than stellar. I ordered a large Mi. Got a decent amount of broth but paltry noodles, meat or veggies. Last time, I bought extra soup and got the wrong kind. The time before, again, small portion for "large" order. Just not consistent enough. In desperation for Vietnamese food in Irvine, I'd come here. Otherwise, I'd make the trip to Bolsa. read more

I've been here (reluctantly) a few times with co-workers, when there were very few pho options in Irvine. But now that decent alternatives are available, we've all stopped coming here. The main reason I stopped coming (and the reason for my 2 star rating) is that their water smells and tastes like bath tub water. And that's what ends up in your pho broth. You won't be able to tell from the soup due to the spices and seasoning, but if you order a plain glass of drinking water, you'll see what I mean. Moreover, the price for their mediocre food is just too high. If I'm going to pay $7 or $8 for pho (which I can get for $4 - $5 in Westminster) then I expect something at least as good as what I can find in Little Saigon. Admittedly, the bath water issue didn't bother all of my co-workers (they have a higher disgust tolerance than I), but even they admit there are far better pho places in Irvine. They no longer dine here either. read more

Food was great. Service was ok. But they charged me sliced of onions without saying anything... So sad it was almost $2! next time I will bring my personal veggie kit. ‍ read more

Talk about fast service!!! The place was packed, but we managed to score a window seat:) The seating is nice here because of the optional front patio area. The location was in a nice area with good parking. To the food... This was a good Pho broth, one of the best flavored soup bases I've tasted!!! Very fast, literally by the time we turned around our food was being served... now that's service! McDonalds can't even hang with that speed:) They also offer a return visit card so after nine entree's ~ you're tenth is free... How many places offer free food??? If you are in Irvine, and want a nice spot to stop~ check it out! read more

Good pho and excellent charbroiled chicken lettuce wrap app. Pretty sure there is some type of happy hour because my pho at 5pm on a wednesday was $7? great deal. read more

My husband and I are creatures of habit. We always go for an order of the fried egg rolls and pho. The craziest we get is sometimes going with the roasted pork (which is to die for and served on the side) over the rare filet. The pho is always consistent, absolutely delicious, and a regular size portion is perfectly filling. They give plenty of garnish for the pho, but my only complaint is not providing enough lettuce to roll the egg rolls up in. We often get 3 leaves with our order of 4 egg rolls. I also appreciate their service; they go for the team effort system and I never feel weird asking anyone for whatever it is I need. Beware that the food comes out SUPER quickly so if you want to enjoy your egg rolls first, order your pho after you're done! read more

The people are super nice! Just waited only 15 minutes for our food and it was so delicious. The Pho and spring rolls!

eeek, I found receipt paper in my water, I thought it was the straw wrapper but rather a wet chunk of receipt paper. Thats super gross. I expected better from OC's best rated vietnamese Pho establishment. Overpriced and nearly impossible to find parking. Orange County has one of the largest Vietnamese populations than anywhere outside of Vietnam. I can go anywhere for better and cheaper Pho! read more

Pho Ba Co - Pho menu - Vietnamese Near Me - Irvine, California

Voted best in O.C. Register??? When did this happen? Have the reviewers and writers of that vote not been to Westminster or Garden Grove and know there are WAYYY better places (and cheaper mind you) than this establishment? *sigh* We ended up here for dinner this past Sunday because the girlfriend and I were craving some pho. My first pick and suggestion was Pho Pasteur Hien Vuong in Garden Grove but she wanted to stay more local and swore by this place, so I figured I'd give it a shot even though I haven't been wowed yet by Irvine's selection of Vietnamese Cuisine (see my review of Thuan Kieu Noodle & Grill). Here's a breakdown of what we got that day: Duos Appetizer (1/5): I originally was going to opt for just eggrolls, but we ended up getting this dish as an appetizer since it seemed more "bang for your buck" (which I may add isn't really the case if you're going to eat here for Vietnamese food). The eggrolls were just alright, it's nothing extravagant or mind blowing and to be honest I felt like you could have bought the ones they serve here at your closest Asian market for way less. However, I was very disappointed and a bit offended at their definition of a "Spring Roll." First, it looked like they skimped out on the shrimp and in addition, the veggies seemed to just look wrong for a spring roll... I thought, "well maybe it'll taste good... especially with the sauce..." WRONG! Even the sauce didn't seem like it was anything close to anything I've had before (and I don't mean this in a good way either). Now don't get me wrong, I wouldn't be so upset if they charged me around $5 for this dish, but it was around $9-$10 for sub-par appetizers. Even Brodard doesn't charge anything close to that and they're WAYYY better, cheaper, and more generous with their portions! In my opinion, this dinner was off to a bad start already. Pho Dac Biet (2/5): I've had Pho at many different places before and all types of Pho for that matter. I'm not saying I'm a Pho snob but... I know good Pho when I've had it damn it! Unfortunately Pho Ba Co is NOT one of these places that serve bomb.com Pho. The broth itself tasted as if it was prepared that morning for a few hours instead of letting it simmer and collect all that delicious fat and meat taste one would expect. And then there was the meat, to which in my opinion, was too chewy and overcooked. Even with a lot of Hoisin sauce and Sriracha, everything tasted just mediocre. On the bright side, at least they didn't mess up the noodles... Cafe Su Da (2/5): I have a problem... a major caffeine problem and every time I step into a Vietnamese restaurant or establishment, I HAVE to try out their coffee. You can even say I kind of judge a restaurant based on how well their Cafe Su Da is. Hoping that this item could have AT LEAST redeemed this establishment for something, I decided to give it a whirl. I should have known better when I saw on the menu that they captured this drink to be served in a daqri glass of all other glasses. Low and behold, my instincts were on point and right after my first sip I sensed that they used WAY too much condensed milk which totally took something that should have been more strong and bitter with a subtlety of sweet to something full on diabetes level. The only reason I ended up finishing the drink was because my Asian side kicked in and didn't want to throw money away by wasting the drink. Overall, two large Pho bowls, a Cafe Su Da, and the appetizer totaled up to be roughly $35. I think this is the most I've ever paid for Vietnamese food where I thought the quality wasn't authentic and didn't leave me walking out with a content stomach and big smile on my face. Trust me when I say this people, there are MUCH MUCH MUCH better Pho places in the OC that are MUCH cheaper than in Irvine. For the most part, this establishment is more oriented to catering to White people who don't know any better and willing to pay top dollar for a dish that usually would cost a few bucks if you drove out a little bit more. I justify this statement not to be racist but with the evidence that the majority of the customers when we were there we're White and that the menu stated all their items with English first and Vietnamese second. Now tell me, when have you ever been to a good and legit Vietnamese, or any Asian restaurant for that matter, where the menu has English first? If you're trying to find a good and cheap Chinese restaurant to eat at, by all means, stick within the Irvine vicinity; but do yourself a favor when it comes to Vietnamese food and drive out to at least the Anaheim area for decent quality Pho and avoid this place if you don't think "Pho is Pho anywhere you go." read more

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Just missed it by 30 minutes! Pho Bac has a happy hour Monday - Fridays. You can get Pho, egg rolls (4), spring rolls (2) at a happy hour price. Seems like a good deal! For a Thursday night dinner, I ordered the #21 Special Combo Pho and egg rolls. Delicious egg rolls! Their Pho is not bad either, but like many other reviewers have mentioned, Garden Grove and Westminster is the place to find really good Pho. In Irvine, this is one of the few spots that serves Pho. This place also serves more than just Pho. They have rice platter combos and other dishes. I've ordered the platter combo on previous visits. They are pretty good. I like that it has a bit of everything. It usually comes with a small salad, small soup, egg roll, spring roll, flavorful rice and your choice of meat. read more

Really awesome pho, not so much awesome service. The broth is delicious and sets up the flavor for the whole soup... as it sohuld be. The meat is fresh and the noodles just right. Comes with plenty of sides as well. The only problem I have with this place is their service. Really hit or miss. Some of the staff don't speak English, but they don't let you know abou tit. So if you have one of them in your sitting area and ask them for something, they will nod their head as if they're acknowledging what you ordered, then never bring it to you. We found out the hard way after asking for some extra lemon and waiting for about 10 minutes thinking the guy is actually bringing it to us. Anyway, I'll definitely be back here because I love the food... hopefully the service will improve too. read more

This restaurant has lots of seats so there's usually no wait. Service is fast and efficient. Food is good but not great but it's better than most Vietnamese restaurants that I've tried. Parking is hard tho as it's limited... you're competing with the people going to the other shops in that small area. read more

My favorite Pho spot in all of Orange County. Great customer service, excellent prices and favor, you can't beat that!

Recommend this place. The best pho I've ever had. Spring rolls are fresh and crispy. Food is just amazing.

I love me some pho. And this is a decent place in Irvine to get it. As others have stated, it's no frills, and can get hot inside, so when the weather is nice I suggest taking advantage of one of their many outdoor tables. No matter what, your hair is still gonna smell like pho, but at least sitting outside will help minimize the effect. Lunch time can get a little crazy and you'll have to sign your name on a piece of paper to get a seat. But usually you can get a seat quickly. The pho is what you would expect - no weird broth or extra seasonings, just your standard pho, just the way I like it. Service is actually pretty good here. I can't seem to resist ordering the avocado smoothie - it's cold, sweet, thick, and creamy. And it's green. Can't forget to mention that it's green. It's a weird thing to crave with pho but when I'm here, it's my go-to drink. Sometimes you just get the pho craving and you can't eat anything else. Luckily for those in Irvine, Pho Bac will satisfy that craving. Yes, there may be better pho if you're willing to drive out to Westminster, but Pho Bac is just down the street and satisfies my pho needs just fine. read more

A good bowl of Pho. I've said it before in my many Pho reviews, it's hard to mess up Pho. What I liked about this bowl of Pho was that the broth looked really clean. Does that mean watery? No. It just had a crisp look to it and tasted good, unlike a Zima. I also liked that it had a lot of meat. The Spring Rolls as mentioned in other reviews are larger than most places. I liked them, although with them being so large, it would be cool if it had one more shrimp in them. The restaurant is pretty small and the main waiter, like all Pho places, is sitting and doing stuff like putting place settings together in between seating people and taking orders. He was really on his toes and was efficient. More or less, more towards a three than a four star rating, but gets a full four because of when I got the bill. I didn't see it anywhere about the Pho I ordered being on special, but when the bill came, it was three dollars less than what it was supposed to be and it said Promo Special on it. Yes! read more

Business is good here, thanks to Nicole M. they do have 'non-publicized' happy hour after 2pm & after check with the waiter, it's #3, 11, 20 on the menu only. Food is okay. Also according to Nicole M, Thai Ice Tea suck, so I ask for my 2nd favorite, Coconut Juice, Sorry, They don't server that here. ^^ read more

Best pho soup base in Irvine! I also recommend the appetizer platter. The tofu roll appetizer was yummy. The pho soup will warm your heart. If you don't want to drive to Westminster for pho, this place will be my pho recommendation in Irvine. Try the tendon pho noodle soup. Very tender tendon :) read more

Irvine's Pho scene isn't so great, but this is one of the better restaurants around! There's nothing to really dislike about pho bac, but nothing in particular that stands out. I don't think I've ever had an issue with this place, though sometimes random ingredients (like noodles) are majorly skimped on. But it tastes good, service is awesome (the waiters are very attentive and respond quickly) and prices are pretty good. read more

i think some people are being way too critical of this restaurant. Yes you can find better Pho in or around Westminster for a bit cheaper but it's in Westminster. Do I want to drive there? No? Do I want crappy service? No. Do I want to dine with vietnamese wangsters/fobs? Haha no. Pho Bac/Pho Ba Co is definitely the best pho place in Irvine. I've also tried some of their rice dishes and they were all good. The pho broth is great, it's not too strong and if i want a bit more flavor i put in some hoisin sauce. I've always experienced fine service here, the dudes are very polite. When you order to-go they pack it well! read more

Pho Ba Co - Vietnamese Near Me - Irvine, California

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They have the best pho and spring rolls. The food comes out so fast. I never have to wait long for my food. The staff is always friendly and courteous. I can't wait to come again! read more

Greetings all... Pho Bac... Food was excellent. I had the Pho with meatballs. I have to say that i was very impressed with the service. Except when trying to pay the bill the staff was non existent. Trying to pay for the meal was a headache. People we are trying to give you money!!! Please take my money. My country for the check!!! But that was my only issue. During the meal they were very attentive. Never was left waiting, food was brought out quick. Drink were replenished on a frequent basis... quote from my sister "I liked that food. I am full, but not the gross full. " read more

Disclaimer: In no way shape or form am I claiming that Pho Bac is authentic Vietnamese pho in any way. In fact I should not be the person to go to when wondering what good pho is. I'm Chinese. The heck if I know. What I DO know though is if it taste good or not....and that my friend, is the only advice you can get here. Location Location Location Being the creature of habit that I am, I've been to this Pho Bac about 30 times for 2.5 years. The quality is very consistent. Service is prompt and the utensils are clean. This pho joint isn't one of those shady dark places with the sticky yet greasy tables. I like that it's clean and that the waiters aren't picking their noses in front of you. What I LOVE most about this pho joint compared to any other ones I've been to my entire life is that they offer outdoor seating. I almost NEVER sit inside. I love that the sun beats upon my back as I slurp a bowl of pho. I love that I can go next door to Tapioca Express and get a large viet coffee with boba and put it on my table without having the waiters glare at me for bringing outside food "in". I LOVE that it's walking distance to where I live and whenever I am jonesing for some noodle soup it's a mere 5 minute car ride away. Thoughts on the food - three things I always get here: - eggrolls (thumbs up) - rare steak with well done brisket pho (thumbs up) - beef salad (the beef is a bit salty but with rice it's ok) Pros: Food is fresh and quality is consistent Parking is ample Clean Service is good for an Asian place OUTDOOR SEATING so you can bring your pets/children (LOL) They offer kid's size meals that comes with a drink (and you don't have to be a kid to order it!) Cons: Not authentic, but who cares. It taste good regardless. Pricier than normal but that's to be expected when living in Irvine. p.s. I added an extra star because of outdoor seating. Or else it would be three stars for food. read more

This place is delicious. Service was a bit slow, but every table in this place was filled with a line waiting outside in the cold so you know it's good. It was a bit crowded with the tables so close together, but this is definitely some of the best Pho I've had in a while. I think seating would have been better if they opened up outdoor seating but it was just too cold and windy to even entertain the idea, though hot Pho was perfect for the occasion. The prices were fine to me and the spring rolls were awesome. I'd definitely come back here and/or recommend this place to friends. read more

COMMUNISTS! The girlfriend and I decided to try this place out with the help of all the reviews here on Yelp. Service: Sucked. Had to wait a good 10-15 minutes because the staff were too busy fooling around to clean up the tables after people left. I watched from the outside as they took their precious time. If you got people waiting outside, I'd expect a quicker turn around. Also, during the actual meal, they were constantly yelling and laughing about random shit. The only thing I heard in the entire restaurant was the staff's constant talking. Didn't like how they didn't hook it up with one of those little sauce dish bowls either. Refill my water next time, damn it--you can do a water round through the whole restaurant in a minute as the space is super puny. The person who brought our food out was an idiot and could not transfer the bowls from the tray to our table. He needed the help of one of his "bros". Food: Serving size was average and quality was below average. Nothing special about this place. I counted 4 pieces of steak to go with my 4 pieces of brisket (4 pieces of tendon for the girlfriend) and this was a large bowl. The soup was completely MSGed up the wazoo! We passed out after we got back as the lethal doses of MSG just completely fucked up our internals. Vegetables were not fresh and not enough for two. Crappy noodles stuck together and would not cook with their lukewarm broth. The list of sub-mediocrity goes on forever. Price: $7.50 for a large steak and brisket and $6.50 for a small steak and tendon. $3.50 for an avocado drink. Not worth it. Overall: People keep reiterating that this place is "good enough for Irvine". No, it's not. There's plenty of better places along Jeffrey so take your business there. This place is overly hyped probably because it's one of the closest to the UCI campus that's not named Saigon Basil in the Albertson's plaza. From my experience, the 10-15 minute wait could have been put towards to the drive out to Little Saigon for some legit shit at a way cheaper price and value. My first 1 star review. read more

I've been to well over 10 Pho restaurants in search of the epic pho, and they've got it. Best Pho this side of the Mississippi. They are the only ones which have a "Charbroiled Chicken" Pho, not the plain steamed chicken (thats good too), for tastiness it can't be beat, #27. They've got pretty good drinks too with good boba, the kind that breaks down after one chew and non rubbery soft goodness. A good drink is "The Black Sea" sweet, green, diced boba, if you want something to tickle your palette, the "Fresh Plum Soda" I've eaten here for about 5 years, its consistently awesome. read more

Great place to grab pho if you're in Irvine and don't feel like making that trip to Westminster. Pho Ba Co has a lot of options to choose from even if you do not feel like getting pho. There are egg noodle soups, rice dishes, and dry noodle vermicelli dishes to choose from! You can't go wrong with ordering the pho here. The broth is good, not too bland or salty, and meat is soft. I usually get the pho with rare beef and well done brisket. Portions here are big! A small bowl of pho will have lots of noodles and get ya full. Rice dishes are big American sized portions and hard to finish. The Service here is really good. Waiters are quick and get your order out fast. Pho Ba Co is always crowded however there is outside dining available. There is a wait for those ordering Togo as well. read more

Great service, super good pho definitely will be coming back. The people who worked there super nice and on top of everything when we needed something read more

On First visit , there was hair in my pho tai. On my second visit, I was left there unattended for 10 minutes w no menu when the place was less than half full. Maybe third time would be the charm? read more

Solid Vietnamese food and they let me bring my own wine and drink it outside for no charge. Will be a go to place for me now that I live in Irvine again. read more

HAPPY HOUR-- 2pm-6pm You can get pho for like $4!!!!!!!!!!!! and eggrolls and something else at discounted prices. For some reason this isn't well advertised on their signs but just ask for it and they'll give it to you. Their rare steak pho and julienne pork/charboiled beef is super NOMMY The garlic butter rice is heavenly. GET THEIR BOBA---------------Black Sea! THE BEST BOBA I HAVE EVER HAD! It tastes like a mixture of mint ice cream and brown sugar boba! It's better than the boba next door at Tapioca Express !! The atmosphere is quiet and peaceful and the service is attentive and speedy. I have no complaints. If you're looking for affordable and authentic Vietnamese food, LOOK NO FURTHER. :) read more

Happy hour: Monday-Friday from 2-6pm. $4.99 for regular pho tai and $3.49 for 4 Vietnamese egg rolls. Pretty good pho. I usually get the #10 and a regular is plenty big. I like that their pho broth is flavorful and not too oily/greasy. I wish the beef was a little more tender. The Vietnamese egg rolls are also very tasty. Service is quick and friendly enough, and they are on it with the drink refills, which I've found to be an issue with other pho places. read more