This place is pretty good overall. As soon as you walk in, there's a strong odor. I'm not sure if it's because there aren't any windows or if the ventilation isn't working properly, but the smell is noticeable. The imperial rolls are excellent, and the pho is flavorful and satisfying. One tip: be sure to review the menu carefully, as the server will ask you to refer back to it and provide the item number when placing your order. read more

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This place will charge you for everything!!! First of all, when you order pho, a side of bean sprouts, mint leaves, cilantro, jalapeños and lime should be given to you when you order. When I asked for cilantro, cause there wasn't any given on the plate, I was given 2 stems. After I paid my bill, I didn't realize I was charged an extra $2 and was never told!!! This place is a joke and that's why it's always empty! Never coming here anymore!! read more

I've come in a few of times due to convenient location to the business in King Plaza. While the ambience isn't incredibly remarkable (with consideration of the business turnover in this space from the past), I am very appreciative of the flavors of the proteins in the vermicelli and rice plates, as well as the kindness of the staff. The downside is that the amount of proteins and ingredients that you get in the dishes is pretty limited and not in alignment with the prices compared to what you can get at Ben Tre and Kevin's. But if you happen to be in the area or need a quick Vietnamese fix, this place isn't too bad. read more

Pho Cafe - Vermicelli bowl w/grilled shrimp - Noodles Near Me - Daly City, California

The food here is so delicious and authentic. The owner and his wife, Elle, run this place. They are very hard-working and just great people. The imperial rolls, pork and vermicelli noodles, laksa, and everything else I've tried is absolutely fantastic! The prices are very reasonable, especially considering how expensive rent is in the Bay Area. I love supporting mom & pop shops and will keep coming back! Highly recommended! read more

Late night pho?!? Woot woot!! Yes please!! And thank you!! Love having a pho option available until midnight! This is a rarity!! The menu is robust and food was decent. We enjoyed the cute booth area, giving us lots of room to spread out. The portions are also very generous for the price! We did notice the meat may not be as high quality as other restaurants; the pho tai meat had a strange color and texture. I'd also say the pho soup isn't as flavorful as Gao for example but actually tasted quite good after adding all the jalapeños for heat. The large was gigantic and a great value, especially if you're not picky about the meat. Good late night pho option! read more

Pho Cafe - Cute booths! - Noodles Near Me - Daly City, California

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We ordered the phở đặc biệt, but two of the bowls came out without meatballs while one had them. After we pointed it out, they brought us one order of meatballs instead of two. We also ordered flat noodles, which ended up being an extra $1 that we weren't told about. I'm not sure if that's standard, but most places I've been to don't charge extra for that. The broth was okay, but it tasted pretty watered down. The positive, it wasn't overpowering in any one spice or flavor, which is a common problem at some pho spots. It just lacked depth. Adding fish sauce, hoisin, and sriracha helped a bit. I'm not sure I'd come back, though I might try a different dish. read more

I haven't been to this place in a while now. I loveeee how they're open later than other restaurants. Pretty good pho to satisfy cravings late at night. Service is pretty good, but the food took awhile to come out. The restaurant inside is okay, nothing too special with the ambiance. read more

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We ate here for dinner on the evening of July 4th. It wasn't too busy when we arrived, so we were immediately seated. The ambiance is quite bright with some contrasting colors against the wall. The interior can be mistaken as a karaoke bar, but it's a cozy place to eat some warm pho. I ordered a rare steak pho with meatballs (number 46). The pho orders are available in medium or large bowls. My mom ordered a Pho Ga (Chicken Pho) and we shared an order of imperial rolls. Our food was ready within 10 minutes. The presentation of the pho matched my expectations in flavor. The broth had a therapeutic taste with the sliced onions, green onion and cilantro, while the rare beef slices were tender. The noodles were fresh and the meatballs were spongy, meaty and tasty. The imperial rolls were crispy and not greasy. They go well with the provided noodles and crisp pieces of fresh lettuce. Service wise, don't expect too much. You may always ask the waiters if you need anything else. They do charge 3% more if you use your card and extra cents for to go containers (in case you don't finish). This place was not bad at all. I'll come back for their pho. read more

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Literally the best pho I've had in a long time. The food is always delicious, the portions are good, the server there is soo sweet and its very clean there too!! Our favorites are the number 1 (combo) and 45 (rare steak)! Honorable mentions, laksa and the vietnamese waffle! read more

Not bad for Daly City. The restaurant was mostly empty on a Monday evening. The menu has a big +$1 price adjustment on top. My Five Spice Chicken garlic noodles $16 tasted OK. The chicken was a bit dry. Luckily they have fish sauce on the side. The pickled vegetables were served on top of leaf lettuce. The garlic noodles had a hint of butter and a mild garlic taste. The disappointing part was that some of the noodles would break apart due to them being flimsy. Service was fine as I received a water refill. I was left a bit hungry still and had to get some popcorn chicken and a Thai iced tea next door. One more thing, Internet service in this plaza is terrible. My suggestion would be for the restaurant to offer WiFi to customers. read more

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This is our go-to Viet pickup spot. They have a wide noodle dish that I LOVE and haven't really seen at other spots. They're very consistent and have yet to disappoint me! read more

The server in the restaurant cannot comprehend basic common sense of listening and taking our order right.We did not ask for a drink and was giving us unnecessary attitude when asking if it was for our table.She was not accommodating on how to solve the problem.Giving us passive aggressive attitude for no reason.Customers should never be afraid to ask for something so disappointed. read more

An okay place for pho, the broth has a very strong beef taste if you're into that. I prefer something more light. The portions are definitely very generous and the service is good. read more

Pho Cafe - Noodles Near Me - Daly City, California

Food is good, service is ok not the greatest. The lady doesn't seem like enjoy what she does. Theres also a strong smell of cleaning products! I do like that they close pretty late. read more

Right across from classic bowl Friendly staffs and decent food. Easy and quick to order over phone. -1 star they should disclose 3% credit card payment charge. Give your customer the option to bring cash for pick up. read more

Pho Cafe - Grilled Pork & Fried Egg Rice Plate - Noodles Near Me - Daly City, California

Came here with high hopes but left disappointed. The broth was not very flavorful, which is kind of the whole point of pho. I ordered brisket and rare beef, but the proportion of meat was sadly lacking. To make matters worse, there were no bean sprouts provided at all. The wait time was also an issue: it took about 30 minutes for our pho to arrive. While the bowls themselves were large, the actual pho serving felt surprisingly small. Overall, it didn't live up to expectations. One and done for me -- not coming back. read more

Overpriced and rude service. Asked for a reference for how big the sizes are for the bowls of pho and was asked if I'm hungry. That's not helpful. Just show me the size so I know what to order. MUCH better pho places down in south bay where we're from. I don't think I'll be back. Everything was really dirty too and I find it odd it's not even vietnamese owned. The waitress was speaking Mandarin which I'm fluent in and she called me big. I should've just not ordered and left. Humiliating experience. read more

Everyone in my party was black or latino/latinx, and they accused us of trying to skip out on the bill when two of us were just getting up to use the restroom. Won't be dining here again. read more

Daly City, the peninsula, gets chilly often. And when it does, you sometimes crave noodle soup! Yum. And what's what we did on a chilly fall day, we went to get pho soup! Located inside a busy, busy strip mall with plenty of parking, Pho Cafe is a small restaurant with some unique seating arrangements and some comforting Vietnamese food. The service was nice, the vibe seemed to be a mix of club mixed with sports bar atmosphere, which was a weird combo, especially given that the color way was very red. Either way, the food was good, the egg rolls were good, just got food all around. read more

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Pho Cafe is located right across the street from Classic Bowling Center in King Plaza. This is not my preferred choice for Vietnamese food, but it was the most convenient the day we went (when my go-to, Oasis Vietnamese Cafe in Pacifica) was closed early. The waitress was SO nice and SO friendly, but the food was just... alright. I ordered the shrimp rice platter, and didn't expect 6 pieces of shrimp with a heap ton of rice. I wouldn't mind coming back for the service, but would rather go to other restaurants for better food. read more

The bun rieu here has the best crab meat balls, theyre better then vietnam or san jose. Theyre always extremely nice and I rarely finish my food but I literally always finish my bowl here read more

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Pho Cafe is a hidden gem for Vietnamese cuisine! I came here one day because I was craving Vietnamese and this was close by. Can't believe I never tried it before! The food that we had was great! Every item we got was flavorful and well presented! The restaurant is well kept. Ambiance is casual. Everything was super. Service was nice! Parking is fairly easy as it is in a plaza with a shared parking lot. I do plan on revisiting and bringing my family next time. read more

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Nasty tasting. Service sucks I'd rather go somewhere else for pho. Place inside is small

This was one of the worst dining experiences I've ever had. I ordered pho with raw beef and simply asked to have the beef served on the side -- they forced me to pay an extra fee for that. Then, when paying the bill, they added another fee just for using a credit card, basically trapping customers into paying cash. After living in San Francisco for so many years, I have never seen such a dishonest and greedy business practice. Absolutely ridiculous and exploitative. Avoid this place at all costs -- it's a total scam. read more

Pho Cafe - They charge extra just to put raw beef on the side, and add fees for credit cards to push cash only. Extremely dishonest avoid this place! - Noodles Near Me - Daly City, California

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3.5 stars, but since we cannot give half stars, boosting to 4 because of their banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich). I have been on a search for the best banh mi nearby my house for years. Seeing that Pho Cafe serves Vietnamese sandwiches, I had been eyeing them for some time before I finally got to try them out for the first time on Friday, May 10, 2024. Located in King Plaza, the eatery is located within a shopping center with a private, but crowded and cramped parking lot. Park with caution here - even if you find a spot, it can be a challenge to get out of it because the layout of the lot jams in spaces within narrow areas. The restaurant is on the small side as well, likely with maximum occupancy of no more than 75 persons. Lacking windows, unless they turn up the lights, the venue appears a bit dim. Due to the televisions that they turn on, I assume that they keep lighting low. When I went in to pick up my order, the place appeared decently clean and tidy. Below are items that we have ordered: Vietnamese Iced Coffee w/Condensed Milk - Ok. The cups could be bigger for a more generous pour, though. Fried Egg Rolls (4 pieces) - Actually, these are only two egg rolls, cut in half, so you feel cheated by the skimpy portions. They use the wrapper that bubbles and becomes chewy instead of the other kind that delivers a nice crisp. I wish that they would switch wrappers and give truly four pieces. At least they give you some mint leaves with this. Tofu Rolls - When we ordered this, they forgot to pack the peanut sauce which was a MAJOR bummer and downer on the experience for this Appetizer. Grilled Pork Fried Egg Roll with Vermicelli - Unfortunately, Pho Cafe does not offer a vegetarian version of this dish, so DJ opted for this pork order. It was meh, according to him. Pork Loaf & Pate Vietnamese Banh Mi Sandwich - My search for THE best banh mi in my neighborhoud has been found here at Pho Cafe, YAY! Their version of this sando is so deliciously tasty that I have returned specifically for it at two more occasions in less than a month's time. I suspect that they make the cha lua (Pork Loaf aka Fancy Pork) in house which makes a big difference. The meat has visible peppercorns within the loaf slices which provide extra flavour. I always order this sandwich with extra pate, but learned that from here, you need to pick up and eat the sammy shortly after it is freshly made or else all of the pate almost completely melts. Even if that happens, though, the banh mi remains robust in flavour. I haven't stayed to dine in here yet, but every time I call, telephone service is very friendly. In person, when picking up take-out, they are just as amiable. Pho Cafe is not DJ's first choice for Viet food, but they are mos def my new favourite neighborhoud joint to get banh mi, which I crave quite often. read more

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The worst Restaurant in entire bay area. This place will charge you for everything Tea, to go Container, anything small things. Pls don't go to this horrible place. read more

Delicious Vietnamese food! We ordered the chicken salad, grilled pork egg roll with vermicelli, and the raw beef salad. Great service, staff was really nice. Inside isn't too big it is clean and nice. Total: $45 for all 3 dishes read more

It's too bad, I really wanted to like this place. The menu is a little bit limited for pho, even though it's called Pho Cafe. There is a lot of other style soups like bbh, bun rieu, and laksa. Also lots of non-soup dishes on the menu. We got the pho bo. It did not have much meat, mostly noodle. The broth had something about it I can't put my finger on, but it's different than the pho in the area. I grew up in ESSJ and have picky pho taste buds, and there was something different (not necessarily bad) about this broth. The banh mi was great. I got the cha lua and poked out the peppercorns =P The interior is small, but clean with some roomy booths. The service was lovely, a lot better than many pho restaurants I have been too. Another review mentioned the 3% cc charge, and that would have been nice to know about but also...I rarely carry cash so I wouldn't be able to use that option. I am interested in how the rice plates are and other soups taste, but not planning on getting pho here again read more

This place isn't my go-to for pho, but a good substitute when I can't trek all the way to San Jose. Especially on rainy days, you want to keep the drive as short as possible while feeding your inner beast with hot soup and noods, it gets the job done. The restaurant isn't packed, but the parking lot is a pain, it's small and crowded. They also have a bar and TVs, which are not as common at pho places. What's great about this place is that it closes at 10pm, portion sizes are decent, their laksa is actually pretty good. I'm a bit iffy about ordering large here though, while the bowl is bigger, it doesn't look like everything else but the soup portion increased. I love my soup, but not all soups are made equal. Their laksa soup was good enough for building a second meal with, if you're going to add in your own toppings and noodles. That's another thing, if you do bring home soup, you're unlikely going to carry your own containers, be prepared to pay that extra 35 cents per container. Menu options are more limited here than say Kevin's Noodle House/Pho Huynh Hiep or Ben Tre, but they definitely edge out on having that laksa. read more

Pho Cafe - Five spice chicken bun bowl - Noodles Near Me - Daly City, California

Ordered the Pho. Vegetables only, as that's my favorite. Came out fresh and hot. Great flavor. Everything about it was delicious. The staff was friendly, even though we came in 30 minutes before closing. We were hungry after being in the bowling alley across. I'll definitely return after this really good first experience. read more

Pho Cafe - Pho. Vegetables only. - Noodles Near Me - Daly City, California

Clean restaurant that's not very busy so easy to get seating. Price is also relatively lower than other pho restaurants. I didn't taste mint in their spring roll so good news for non-mint fans. The peanut sauce was also simply peanut, no other flavor detected. But they provide oyster sauce on the side so you can add that in if you would like. The combination beef noodle soup had 2 pieces of pork belly which was pretty interesting. Overall very light refreshing flavors which is nice for breakfast. read more

Pho Cafe - Shrimp Rolls 4 pieces 虾卷 - Noodles Near Me - Daly City, California

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Food was great. We ordered a couple of phos and spring rolls. Soups were very flavorful and comforting on a foggy day. The spring rolls were nice and freshly made. read more

Food looks larger than it really is. So we got the large beef pho, pork with fried eggroll and noodles, and a vietnamese coffee. The pho looked super big, but when you start eating it, you realize how shallow it really is. See the picture attached. Here's the thing, the pho wasn't that great. Mostly, the soup tasted oily and watery to me, the beef was chewy, and I felt that it lacked the richness of a well made broth. The grilled pork was good/decent, the eggroll was lukewarm like it had been sitting there for a while, and the vietnamese coffee with condensed milk needed more condensed milk. Service was more like self serve. She wasn't interested in helping and I even had to walk up to pay the bill. To go boxes are extra, and judging by the sign outside it looks like this place will switch businesses to become a Japanese place in the near future due to lack of business. read more

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For takeout. Went to pick up on time but had to wait extra 30 mins and people who arrived got served before my Togo order. The rice plate had only a few slices of meat. Got ripped off. Everything was pretty salty and soup were oily. Also charge fee to use credit card now. read more

Pho Cafe - That meat is only a few slices. So much empty space - Noodles Near Me - Daly City, California

Thank goodness for Pho Cafe and its proximity to my home. There's really nothing else in Daly City so Pho Cafe is a lifesaver! I've been here with my partner probably 4 times at this point, and each time we leave feeling full and satisfied without breaking the bank. It's a pretty unassuming place, but clean and organized. We typically order #1, which is $13 for a regular size and $15 for a large. For the price, the value is really good. A generous portion of noodles and meat. My only gripe is that the broth is not as rich and full-flavored as some other pho places I've had. One time we went, the broth was extremely fatty like it hadn't been strained which was obviously distracting. I could also use more bean sprouts and lime than they give. Overall can't complain though, decent bowl of pho. I also really love the #1 banh mi ($10). I love that they load it up with carrots and radish, but it could use more cilantro and cucumber. I do love the pate and whatever shrimp paste or salty goodness they use. Soooo good, especially on soft warm bread. Service is friendly and prompt. Parking can be a struggle in this lot so make someone else drive. I will definitely be coming back when the craving hits, approximately once every 2 weeks. read more

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Pho ga I had was no different than Kevin's, my review however, is not on the good which is basically your average Vietnamese food in many of the restaurants one would find in the Bay Area, not too bad, not too outstanding. I'm a little disappointed that they pass the credit card charge to costumer. They are very clear with if you use credit card, you pay a fee (3% of the bill. I can't remember exactly) but if you use cash, you don't. Will not be going back. There's plenty of pho places around!! read more

Food was decent. but not worth it $20.76 for a fried egg roll (the lettuce was dirty)and a vietnamese coffee that is 3 sips and full of ice. the menu clearly said $9.50 for imperial rolls $5.00 for vietnamese coffee i'm ordering take out no way it would sum the total to $20??? i ordered take out with a DEBIT card but she charged me 3% credit card fee and TAX. when i questioned her about the price she snatched the receipt. This is unacceptable. read more

Pho Cafe - Noodles Near Me - Daly City, California

Maybe it's just me (read: it probably is just me), but I always seem to forget this complex exists, let alone what businesses call this area home. In my defense, it's not exactly close to where I live, but I can also count on my hand the number of times I've been here before midnight. Sorry, but I've never had much of a reason to come out here, unless it's to bowl at Classic! That is, until my friend uttered the words "really good laksa". After that, you can bet we wasted no time in coming out here to check out Pho Cafe! Now, as a couple of other Yelpers have already mentioned, Pho Cafe is a bit of a hole in the wall. Squeezed in between a small boba shop and a dim sum restaurant, the space isn't all that big. However, unlike the rest of the plaza, which looks a bit dated and worn, the inside of this place looks rather clean and new(ish). The menu is also decently interesting, though it does betray their name in that their pho options aren't very extensive. That being said, they aren't necessarily lacking in variety, as there's still a decent mix of apps, salads, vermicelli bowls, rice plates, and banh mi to choose from. -- (#8) FRIED EGG ROLLS (4pcs)...$9.25 (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/pho-cafe-daly-city-7?select=4YPDa_0GrNY9BXLEvoW9GQ) Not amazing, but not bad either. On the plus side, the rolls were crispy, not overly oily, and perfectly golden brown. On the other, I wish the rolls were bigger/plumper and that the filling was more flavorful, as these weren't all that filling. -- (#4) LAKSA with Vermicelli Noodles...$15.95 (Regular) (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/pho-cafe-daly-city-7?select=tp61Tllidfrr_KACKz72gA) My friend recommended this to me and I have to say...it was surprisingly solid! This thing was so chockful of seafood (shrimp, fish balls, fish cake, etc.), it threw off the ratio of goodies to noodles. I just wish the soup had a bit more coconut milk and sambal, as it felt a little on the thin and mild side. -- (#10) GRILLED PORK ROLLS (4pcs)...$9.25 (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/pho-cafe-daly-city-7?select=d7zSuwIGrBK-VZvcP9Wxgw) Like the imperial rolls, these were also kind of small, but better. The veggies were really fresh, but I wish was more pork inside. In part because there was only one piece in each roll, but also because it was just so juicy and flavorful! -- (#1) COMBINATION PHO with Well Done Flank, Rare Beef Steak, and Beef Balls...$13 (Regular) (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/pho-cafe-daly-city-7?select=sWE7rWT8A8ySz4w7iWjxVQ) Not bad, but I disagree with the claim that it's one of the best out there. The noodles are well cooked (though there wasn't much), and there is a good amount of meat, but the broth didn't have much depth to it, was a little fatty, and had a hit of acidity (not bad per se, but certainly unexpected). -- (#32) GRILLED PORK & FRIED EGG RICE PLATE...$15 (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/pho-cafe-daly-city-7?select=kmopXx_bqlmwmUPg_Cyx1g) Rather underwhelming, to be honest. I came back one last time just for this based on how much I liked the pork roll and I was left wanting (literally). The pork was still decently tasty, but the portion was really light. Plus, I didn't care much for the random pile of boiled cabbage... Beyond the food, Pho Cafe actually has quite a few things going for it. The staff is very friendly, they always seem to have tables free, and parking in the lot is easy (at night, at least). Yet, their most appealing feature just might be their late night hours, as they're open until 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays (9:30pm on other nights). Which isn't necessarily a huge deal in and of itself, but great when considering how there aren't a ton of options around here, let alone ones that stay open past 9pm. All in all, while I wouldn't make a point of coming out here, I wouldn't object to coming back to Pho Cafe if my friends and I were already out this way or looking for a bite before hitting the lanes at Classic. Personally, while I can see why folks like this place (they do a ton of to-go business), as well as an argument for rounding up, I'm rounding down from THREE AND A HALF STARS for now. read more

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I want to preface by saying I want to support local and give what seems like a good mom and pop establishment some productive advice. At first, I thought I had walked into the wrong restaurant because it looked like it had the decor of a Japanese restaurant, but I looked again and I saw the Vietnamese food reference. There is booth seating and some standalone tables. I came with my wife and two small children, and as usual, we said table for four and we would need a high chair. I thought I would get seating at the standalone alone, but instead they offered to clean a booth and give the following guest the table. I thought I would get seating at the standalone alone, but instead they offered to clean a booth and give the party of four adults after us the standalone table. I was like, okay, but that meant it took longer for us to get seated, and that meant the little kids would be more antsy. Well we got the booth, which was cute, but the issue with us with kids in the booth is the table is too small for the size of the stationary chairs, so with my other small kid on the booth we had to scoot the table closer to her and my kid in the high chair sat at the open end meaning I had to sit next to her. I think for most adults, they could scoot the table to the middle or to one corner and adjust the table accordingly without worrying about the open end, but since I have a kid in a high chair, we wouldn't just sit in a corner. So I spent the entire meal with a 12-inch gap from the stationary seat and had to really reach to eat. Kinda annoying, but you do what you need to do to make the kids comfortable to eat. One dish we really wanted to try was the Bun Rieu, which is featured on the outside window, but unfortunately, they didn't have any that day, which was a bummer. We ordered the Banh Uot, which was fine, but the annoying part was that the pork meatloaf was the kind with the tendon and the whole peppercorn. Which I don't mind, but since I had kids, I had to pick out each peppercorn. Ideally, you would either call out on the menu that it will be that type of meatloaf or let the customer have a choice. The Pho Combination had decent flavor, but the large bowl was huge, and the portion of noodles and meat was lacking. I typically don't like to leave a bad review, but these types of experiences make it harder for me to want to come back. I hope these insights from a family with kids elevate the experience for the next family. The food is still good, but the portion size could be a bit larger. read more

Food was great. However, customer service was really bad. Unfortunately, we were served by a rude and dishonest waitress (who claimed to be the owner of the restaurant) during our visit. Me and my partner went there on Nov 1, around 10pm. Everything was going well until it was time to leave. The waitress was charging us for to go containers for our leftovers, which is fine, to be honest. But when we asked to get just 3 containers instead of 5, I guess that upset her because she had to revise the bill. The revision then included a service fee of $8 and convenience fee of $2 which wasn't there in the first bill. I asked her what the service fee was for and she said it was for tip. I asked for it to be removed because tip is not legally mandatory, and service charge is only usually for 5 people or more. Then I asked if I could speak to the management but she said she's the owner.. So it's just safe to say I wouldn't be coming back to a place with dishonest servers trying to scam you into paying more. Check your bill before you pay. Make sure everything is correct. I was kind of upset because I really liked their Laksa, but lowkey scared they might put something in my food. PS. I always leave a tip for servers. What I didn't appreciate was the server doing it behind my back thinking I wouldn't notice. read more