GREAT service, depth of flavor, and beer on tap selections! I'm always little hesitant to dine in, but they kept the place CLEAN, workers had their mask on, and good distance between tables. LOOKING TO TRY the rest of their menu! read more

Pho Le - Shaken beef, mouth watering Pho, and crunchy egg rolls - Chinese Near Me - Berkeley, California

We ordered the general's chicken and the sesame chicken. I know, not terribly adventurous for us, but I wanted to see what the baseline for them was. It was just okay, quite a letdown for the price. The chicken wasn't crispy as the heavy sweet sauces had thoroughly congealed throughout. One sore spot for us was that this meal didn't come with rice. I mean, $13 for 1lb of batch-cooked and syrup-soaked chicken ladled into a plastic container and you can't spot me $0.30 worth of cooked rice? Rough. You could tell that the chicken was probably more than 2hr old and had been reheated a couple times based on the jerky-like texture of many of the smaller pieces. Overall it was pretty underwhelming. The sauces were not very flavorful except for their sugar content. TL;DR:. Very costly for not very good chicken. read more

Called in to get broth.. apparently they don't fill up the whole container... thanks for letting me know... cheap read more

Pho Le - Called in for broth and this is what I got. I guess I should of asked if they actually fill it up - Chinese Near Me - Berkeley, California

My wife and I had a craving for pho after watching a cooking competition show on Netflix. So we decided to give Pho Le a try. In the four years I've lived off Gilman St., I've seen the 1301 San Pablo Ave location change names from Tea Fragrance House to Crave Asia and now Pho Le. My hopes were somewhere between tempered and high, especially after reading the positive reviews on Yelp, and taking a few passes through the menu. We ordered to-go: the Pong Pong Chicken Wings, and the Beef Pho with rare steak and well-done brisket, subbing in ho fun noodles. The good: wings had an interesting, addictive flavor and mouthfeel, almost like food court Asian chicken. Pho had a bright, beef-infused broth. I would order both items again. The bad: paid $11 for seven (well, six full-sized chicken wings and one baby wing, but I'm feeling generous enough to round up from six and one-half). For the portion I received, I should have been charged for the appetizer (six pieces) rather than the entree. Pho came with two jalapeño slices. Had we dined in, we probably could have rectified the situation timely, but it wasn't until we walked home that we discovered these shortcomings. Overall: I'll go back, if only to try a few more menu items. I get the impression that the cooks here know what they're doing. read more

Pho Le - Ping pong chicken wings - Chinese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Discovered this place last year during covid and now has become a thing to do for my girlfriend and I . (Order soup and head out to the nearby Marina to enjoy it) I picked up some soup the other day and noticed that indoor dining is back, I will have to sit through it sometime. The speicy soup combo is amazing, likewise with the beef combo . My girlfriend loves the potstickers and the chicken noodle soup . I am more than grateful this place survived covid . Great food read more

Delicious food and quick service. We have eaten at the restaurant and we have also ordered to-go... both experiences are great! Love the chill vibe bere. read more

5/18/22 There are definitely those things that just don't make sense. Like the multiverses of the foodie world. It just don't make sense. So don't ponder it. Just eat it. .....the irony is that I JUST wrote a review for a sushi place in Berkeley a few days ago where I basically said Berkeleians should be barred from posting reviews on Yelp, because basically any ethnic food restaurant in Berkeley is drastically overrated and clearly people living in this region are genetically disadvantaged in the taste department... .................*cough*.... I might... have been a little bit... employing hyperbole.... maybe. I mean look, the signs outside scream crappy strip mall (except it's not in a strip mall.) And Vietnamese don't do dumplings as far as I know. (And yes, I later confirmed, everyone inside speaks Mandarin, so no.... even the visible staff, probably owners, are all Chinese.) I mean, Vietnamese pho and Chinese dumplings??? This can't be good.... no way..... But I was hungry and in a rush, and it was there standing in my path, so f it. 4.5stars on Yelp, cool, I get to write another overly negative review of a Berkeley place. ... ...except I can't. They got me. Their pho is better than 90% of the REAL Vietnamese pho I've had recently, including stuff from the Little Saigon area in San Jose. W. T. F. ...So, opening the menu, yeah man, it's more like 10% Chinese food, and maybe 20% Vietnamese and other, and 70% American-pseudo-Chinese food. NO WAY this can be good right???... 1. Special Combo Beef Noodle Soup [they mean Pho] $13.50 "thin slice of rare steak, well-done brisket, flank, tendon, tripe, and beef ball": #1 First off..... I think it's definitely a trend now. Maybe to cut costs, be quicker with less staff, I dunno what. But the last several pho places I ate at had REALLY short, broken noodles. Like pieces ranged from 1"-3" long, and not much more than that. Like they cooked all the noodles this way in advance, over stirred, and just jammed all the balls of noodles into some corner somewhere. Well, I'm happy to say, the noodles here are the proper length and not broken!!! Seems like a thing we should be able to take for granted, but nowadays, the bar's super low. #2 the soup is really remarkably rich. Usually Vietnamese broth is lighter, with a taste that is very round but not particularly striking of any specific flavor. This broth is definitely heavier in the animal flavor department. The beef flavor is heavy, almost like they mixed Chinese beef broth with standard Vietnamese broth. Definitely the most likely Chinese chef's preference showing through. And okay... I'd say the meat itself isn't remarkable, but I am happy to see all the typical cuts offered in this special. I also had a few recently where they left out stuff like tripe. Good sht here. If their meat quality was perfect, and if they had actual rare beef, I'd give it a 10, but for now 9/10 2. Original Pong-Pong Chicken Wing (6) $10.75: And this...... yeah man. This is that mystery essence that's missing from the darkest recesses of our big bang that scientists have been looking for this whole time. This shouldn't have been as good as it was. I mean, sht, "Pong-Pong"??? This just screams white-washed marketing, like mushu this and that. Or "secret noodles" from Crustacean (also Vietnamese in origins I should add.) ........ let me tell you, put aside your prejudices............. this chicken will BLOW YOUR MIND. Soooooooooooooooo crisp, crunchy, even smothered in sauce. Like frickin' Captain Crunch! Relatively juicy winglets (alas, that's all you get--none of the mini drumsticks). And even the sauce wasn't distracting despite being sweet and tangy, and smothering the whole thing like butter-lovin' humans of significant gravitational pull would with said sauce. I mean, seriously, maybe some of the best "sweet and sour" sauce I've ever had. MUST TRY. 10/10 Alright, so sometimes I'm wrong. Berkeleians got this 4.5 stars right... sorta... cause I'd give it 0.5 stars more... 5/5 #berkeley #americanchinese #friedchicken #asianfriedchicken #vietnamesefriedchicken #chickenwings #pho #vietnamesefood #vietnamesecuisine #star read more

Love this place :) My family and I have been going here ever since their grand opening, and we have stayed loyal customers since then! D and his family harbor such a kind and welcoming atmosphere in their restaurant, and it really shows in their delicious food. Their pho broth is to die for! Always tastes so warm and full of flavor. I also highly recommend the house special dumplings that are handmade every night; they are sooooo yummy with the sauce they provide. Unfortunately with the ongoing pandemic, it has been hard to not dine-in and enjoy the pho fresh out of the kitchen, right then and there. But, even with takeout, their food never fails to satisfy my pho craving :) read more

The beef Pho and the butter garlic chicken was AMAZING! Would highly recommend everyone to come here when they can!

Food has delicious taste and price is not that expensive. The server was very friendly although I had to wait to pay for my bill because the server was just by himself. The ambience was fine. I liked that their restroom was clean and smelled nice, although one of their two restrooms was not working. Whenever I'm in Berkeley, I won't hesitate going back there again! Thumbs up for this one! read more

This place is 5/5 when you are comparing it to any other pho place in Berkeley. Service is extremely quick and the food was great. It seems to be a Chinese - Vietnamese fusion but it was difficult to read the menu cause it was in either English or Mandarin which threw me off. The food was great and meat was tender and it's definitely my go to place for pho in Berkeley. read more

They had amazing options of food and it was also very delicious but unfortunately the service was really bad. No customer service manner. When I arrived at the place it looked really nice and comfortable but there was a really weird smell that was unfortunate. I may go back but not so sure. read more

This place serves large portions of their pho and maintain great quality while doing so. Definitely my new favorite pho place. 10/10 recommend. read more

Super nice and friendly Pho Restaurant. They have in-dining patio seating which is covered. A luxury these days!!! They prepped the table with disinfectant spray. Their two bathrooms are also very clean. Outdoor plants and a few of the passing cars. Love me some Berkeley! Most of the tables were taken which is a good sign, and we found a lovely two-top table. Ba Bam!!! No 86B spicy beef. Wonderful with fresh veggies basil, lime, sprouts, ans jalapeños. 5 stars from Phish!!! read more

Excellent pho and dumplings! Affordable. And super clean!!!! Love it here! Don't forgot your masks. Glad they are enforcing it still! read more

Pho Le - Pork and leek dumpling. The dipping sauce is lovely! 12 pieces for $10 - Chinese Near Me - Berkeley, California

This pho restaurant is awesome. Delicious pho AND delicious dumplings?! It is a two-in-one situation that always leaves us horribly full and rolling home. read more

Sooooo good and yummy Vietnamese food for our family, this place is unique I love every single plate that I order always!!

This is, without hesitation, one of the best soups i've eaten in my whole life. The price is perfect for what you get (it can't get any cheaper in Berkeley) The service is great, very kind people. Would totally recommend to try it!!! read more

Pho Le - House Style Spicy Noodle - Chinese Near Me - Berkeley, California

pho's legit. what else can you ask for. authentic, plenty of da noodle and da meatbawls.

Large and varied menu. . My favorites: seafood pho, dumplings, fried tofu. Reliably good service. Great vegan/ vegetarian choices.

Very good menu options with both Chinese and Vietnamese food. Food was served freshly cooked with very little oil and promptly, absolutely delicious. Also the servers were good and nice. I would definitely return again. I ordered the prawns with broccoli, won ton noodle soup with egg noodles, the shrimp fried rice, and pork and vegetable dumplings. read more

This place is great. We love the veggie pho and spring rolls. They have an extensive menu. I think we tried the Pad Thai and fried rice a few times, but it's mainly been the veggie pho and spring rolls. They are the best at those. We made the mistake of going to another pho place because Pho Le was closed. I won't name them. Ok you talked me into it. It was Super Super. Writing a review for how bad they were inspired me to write a good review for Pho Le. I took off one star for Pho Le because they don't check vaccine cards even though they're supposed to and say they do. read more

Delicious home made food. Family owned we always go there to support local business. Wor wonton soup & shrimp egg rolls are a must!

Great food, nice vibe. Good taste overall, not too spicy for the chicken that we order even though it was written spicy on the menu, which is what suits our taste. The noodles taste great, but a little less with the ingredients considering the price. read more

See all

Ah one of those places I never thought to try based on the menu but the pho is super legit. It's more of the light/clearer broth with less aromatics which is my preferred style. The rare steak in the pho is also tasty and I never leave it behind (which I tend to do a lot). I've been here for 3 years and am super mad at myself for not trying this spot earlier. We have had their dumplings and egg rolls as well which are delish. Also kid friendly! Really thankful for their pho in the area! read more

This is a great place and their food hits the spot every time. I haven't had a good bowl of pho anywhere else in the San Francisco Bay area besides my mom's, San Jose and Orange County. This place is a pleasant surprise and their pho is delicious. Their pho ga comes with this amazing green sauce and I request each each time I'm visiting. A local gem and I'll be back many more time! read more

THE WORST-- I rarely treat myself to going out and we took a chance on this place and were sadly disappointed. The Pho was lacking in flavor and I had to ask for everything, including spicy green peppers which were not spicy all, I think they were just bell peppers. These are basic condiments served with pho. No bean sprouts either. My friend got a different dish and it was obvious they were cutting corners by leaving out obvious ingredients with hers, too, and skimping on everything. Alright, I know it is pandemic time, and there's inflation, but your ingredients don't cost all that much in the first place! Ugh. read more

Best. Authentic and clean. The staff is very personable and kind. Don't judge the place by the area if your out of town. It's actually safe and the inside is clean. read more

My very picky hubby and I have gotten take out from this place twice so far, and I plan on taking my friend here soon as well. Portions are unfinishably huge and everything has tasted great! Heres a little run down of the food we've tried so far. Common themes were balanced and satisfying taste, large pieces of accent vegetables and good bite size pieces of meat. The Orange Chicken was so good that I got it both times. Sauce is sweet and tangy just the way it should be. No horrendous gristle bites like you sometimes get, so you know the chef is careful and attentive with the meat. Comes with big pieces of crunchy white onion and red bell pepper that are not over or under done, a great addition that balances out the sweetness. Add a little brown/white rice and its very, very good. UPDATE!: Dumplings are ahh-mazing!!! Ive tried the house special and the classic pork and leek, and I gotta say, the pork and leek dumplings are way too reminiscent of the dumplings my dad used to make as a kid. So delicious! Will be a regular thing for me. Tried the Pong Pong chicken too and personally I like their Orange chicken better. Hubby got the Beijing Beef and liked it a lot. Compared to Panda Express it has a thinner coat of breading (def. a good thing) and less syrupy-sweet sauce. He got Mongolian Beef last time and liked it too, maybe not as much as at other places but he even ate the leftovers, which is actually saying something. He's not really a leftovers person. Our friend got the Cashew Chicken, and liked it as well. Lots of nuts which was great but the green bell peppers were just a touch over cooked. It wasn't sweet or breaded and deep fried, very lean for the more calorie conscious crowd. We got the Pineapple Fried Rice to share, which was surprisingly huge. I think the container with the fried rice was like three pounds- there was seriously enough for like four people to each have a big bowl and be full after just that. Another suprise- lots of thinly sliced chicken in there too. It wasn't the best fried rice I've ever had, I prefer more veggies in it I think, but everyone else liked it. Not too salty. The pineapple pieces were reasonably small and sparse so you didn't get sweet pineapple taste in every bite. Not too much egg, and it blended really well with the rice, if that makes sense...it wasnt over done, just nice little pieces here and there. Overall it's good food at a good price that satiates our occasional Chinese food cravings. Despite me being the type of person who finds something good and gets the same thing over and over, I bet I could order a random number off the menu and have it be delicious. I'm looking forward to trying the noodles too! read more

Very fast service and has been my go to for amazing perfect portions of pho. Located near near parking and has a cozy atmosphere

Today Rinky, Terry and I had lunch here. It was my choice. I had been reading the reviews and was curious to try it myself. Lori was stuck at home having some important fire abatement yard work done and couldn't join us. Rinky and I found a parking spot close by on San Pablo. Terry was waiting for us when we arrived. We were given menus, metal glasses of iced water and a carafe of water for refills. I suggested an appetizer of pong-pong chicken wings to start. We all ordered off the lunch specials menu, pong-pong beef for Terry, sesame chicken w/ added broccoli for Rinky and two mushroom shrimp for me. Lunches come w/ a bowl of soup, today a delicious and well balanced hot and sour. They also come w/ a choice of fried rice, steamed rice or chow mein as well as an egg roll. The space is bright w/ natural light and clean. There are two all gender bathrooms contained in one bathroom area, each w/ its own locking door and sink. To our surprise my lunch was brought first, then the wings and then Terry's and Rinky's lunches. The egg roll was tasty and crisp, w/ a little bit of sweet sauce. My shrimp and mushrooms were a generous portion w/ lots of quartered and halved crimini and shiitake mushrooms, sliced carrots and a large number of fresh tasting shrimp. The sauce was tasty, although I couldn't tell you what was in it. The fried rice was undistinguished, w/ no wok hay and no vegetables. It wasn't bad, but I might try the chow mein next time or the regular rice. The chicken wings were fabulous, 6 to an order, which made for 2 each for each of us. Rinky and Terry both took home leftovers. I didn't. The check came w/ fortune cookies. We were all pleased w/ our experience and agreed we'd come here again. read more

For years, I felt that Berkeley needed a good pho place for all the hungover students who partied the night before or the people who randomly craved pho and didn't want to go too far. That's where Pho Le finally comes in. My girlfriend and I came here on a Saturday morning and as we pulled up, there were already people waiting for a table. The restaurant space was small and quaint, and gave us a nice lowkey vibe. When we finally sat down, I ordered a pho with rare beef and beef balls and my girlfriend ordered a combination pho, and let me tell you, their pho was AMAZING. The broth was extremely flavorful and you could taste the many hours that the beef bones had been cooking in the broth with each sip. The noodles were cooked perfectly, so they had a bit of a bite to it and was not soggy at all, which was perfect for us. The meat was pretty tender and it didnt feel tough at all. Also, the portions were huge and the amount of meat and veggies they gave were more than generous. We also got the Pong Pong chicken as everyone else had that on their tables and it looked delicious. My girlfriend is a chicken wing lover, and when we took our first bite, we both looked at each other like we fell in love all over again. These wings were lightly breaded and fried, tossed with a sweet and tangy sauce that made you want to lick your plate afterwards. It's crispy on the outside, but tender and juicy on the inside. All in all, this is a great addition for Berkeley and I think I'll need to stop my review here, as I'm salivating just thinking about the food again. Will definitely come back and try out other things on the menu! read more

This place is so good pho is delicious they have the chili oil which is hard to find when eating pho they have the best dumplings I've ever had!! They were so gooooood I highly recommend them you can taste the quality in the food read more

We ordered togo and our order came with this. We had just poured the soup, noodles and veges in, and lost appetite seeing this little guy inside. Makes me question the condition of their kitchen. I have heard positive feedbacks about this place (on taste), but if i do return, it will be in a long while. read more

Pho Le - Chinese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Food was excellent - everything from the pho to the dumplings. Absolutely will go back.

Tried last week with the family It was pretty good (only tried Vietnamese dishes) My son and wife had the seafood Pho combo, daughter tried the reed beef Pho and I tried one of their beef combos They were all pretty good. The broth tasted fresher than other places I tried before and the vegetables were all crispy fresh, which is what drives me to Vietnamese restaurants in the first place Prices were also very reasonable read more

I popped in and ordered the House style spicy beef pho, #32, for lunch, and it was excellent. The rice noodles were some of the best I've had, and the broth was rich and velvety, but balanced in spice and flavor. Service was quick, prices were reasonable, and the place was clean. What's not to love. Easy 5 stars. read more

Very authentic, tasty and affordable Vietnamese and Chinese food! I'm so excited they're in Berkeley and I'll be a regular . read more

Pho Le - Chinese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Food is amazing. Place is always packed. Great service. Whenever we are in the area, we pick up dumplings to go. We tried the pho last time and it was also amazing. Dumplings are solid and come with a delicious sauce. read more

I've been here a few times, I can say I honestly really like what I've tried here. That includes the fried wrapped shrimp, the pho, the Tom yum, & salt and pepper shrimp. I frequent this place due to the proximity to my work place, I don't think I would go out of my way to visit this restaurant but it's certainly a new fixture in my lunch rotation. The prices are fair for the area, I recommend this place. The staff is also friendly and professional. read more

Pho Le - The salt and pepper shrimp lunch special - Chinese Near Me - Berkeley, California