Absolutely incredible bánh mì thịt heo quay! From the first bite, you can tell this place knows exactly what they're doing. The roasted pork was perfectly crispy on the outside with juicy, flavorful meat inside--every bite had that satisfying crunch followed by rich, savory goodness. The bread was fresh and airy with just the right amount of crispiness, holding everything together without being too hard. The pickled veggies added the perfect balance of tangy and refreshing, while the cilantro and jalapeños gave it that authentic kick. The sauce tied it all together beautifully--flavorful without overpowering the star of the sandwich. You can really taste the quality and attention to detail. This is hands down one of the best bánh mì thịt heo quay I've had. Definitely a 5-star experience--I'll be coming back again and again! read more

Pho Lien Noodle House is a tiny place located in a small strip mall on Old Oakland Road. Ceiling fans and possibly A/C. Inside dining only has several small tables for no more than 2-4 per table. The service was sweet and friendly. I was looking over the menu and she was patiently waiting. I settled on the... Pho Dac Biet: Rare steak, brisket, flank, tripe, meatball, tendon [regular] (3/5). The soup came out hot and a decent amount of meats. The broth was clean, yet didn't seem to have the depth of flavor i was hoping for. Vietnamese Ice Coffee (3/5). Strong flavorful expresso, but had that mocha/carmel flavor. If that's your taste. Convenient location for local workers who want to stop in for a quick bite. read more

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The pho was good but the garlic noodles w steak bites were the main star owner was very nice !! This place is definitely a whole in the wall there's also one in Morgan Hill as the owner was telling me gonna have to try it out soon to see what more items they have over there read more

Pho Lien Noodle House - Pho and garlic noodles - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

The menu is expansive and has something for everyone. The herbs were very fresh, and the service was very fast. They served water and an extra bowl for the kids without being asked. My bowl of bun rieu had a lot of noodles, and the meats in the difference dishes my family got were pretty good. Unfortunately, the bun rieu tasted like a bowl of lightly seasoned water. The large pho bowls were mostly soup, which were also lightly flavored, and scallions. Otherwise, the toppings, although pretty good, were sparing. The fresh bean sprouts were wilted and brown. The chow mein was undercooked. When we left, the owner walked us out, which was very kind. The restaurant has been around for about a decade, maybe more and has survived through COVID. Perhaps there are other items on the menu that are amazing. I do hope that they continue to survive, though. read more

Got a pho Bo there just an hour ago. Their soup keeps getting down graded. This time all I tasted was fish sauce n salt in the soup. HORRIBLE! Instead of staying true to their craft, they're trying to rip people off. Very ungrateful to their customers. We're not stupid! This seems to be the trend among most of the pho joints. I know what a good bowl of pho tastes like. Just tired of it. I don't mean to just pick on them but today it hit me hard. Accumulative affect. It's going on too much across the board. Don't need smiles from you; just produce a good product! read more

Their Pho is .... umm I don't know what to say. Soup is just warm! not even Hot! If werent for my daughter that's hungry , she'll probably won't eat it. I didn't even finish mine. Sorry..I got disappointed on the chicken wings. I looked at the menu picture. It looks nice. The server says it's good but when it arrives.. man, totally not what it looks like and the chicken wings are old hard, kind old reddish in the inside and doesn't taste like wings! it taste like old 5 days old fried chicken with no flavor they just put fish sauce. Plus, it's two dollars a piece and gave me five skinny small pieces of wings! their menu is a little too expensive too. so I got disappointed on, specially that chicken wings part. Will not come back. sorry.. Still left some tips.. The Lady Server is ok and even felt kindy of bad.. I were suppose to go to Tung Kee but its CLOSE!! read more

This review is just for their bahn mi via delivery. I want to make it clear I have not tried their pho or other rice / noodle dishes. Overall, the bahn mi was not good, probably one of the worst I've had given the ratio of the meat and vegetables to the baguette. Ironically, the extra star is because the baquette was decent. However, there was almost no meat or vegetables in it. I'm not sure if this is because I got this as part of a corporate order, but there was very little meat and very few vegetables inside the roll. While I wasn't hungry afterward, the ratios and taste were completely off. I felt like I was mainly eating a baguette. For what it's worth, people who got pho said the flavor was good, but the amount of meat was really lacking. It seems this restaurant unfortunately seems to skimp out on the non-rice and non-noodle ingredients... I'd like to support a small restaurant, but given my experience and what I heard, I'll unfortunately go to other Vietnamese places first. read more

Small restaurant in a little plaza with easy parking. Ordered a banh mi with combination of pork to-go and it was ready in about 10 minutes. It wasn't as stuffed inside compared to other banh mi I've had, but what stood out to me was the baguette! It was very very crispy and light. It was $7 but they charged an extra $0.50 for orders under $15 (I used card). Would come again for a quick to-go meal! read more

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OK Southern Pho, casual hole on the wall spot, nothing special. It's a bit dirty. I saw baguette touching the wall behind the cashier, not good. Very attentive service though! If you are in the area, want a quick fix Pho, but it doesn't worth a detour! read more

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amazing service. loved the vegetarian options. SPRING ROLLS WERE WARM AND FRESH. SUPER nice spot to come and have a nice dinner with ミ** read more

Pho Lien Noodle House - Veggie Roll - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

Decent small pho place. I would go here again to get pho tai large. They vegetables they use for the plate is fresh. read more

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I had the Pho Tai, which is my calibration at any Pho House. I call it a solid 4 for fresh, good meat served rare to cook on top. Broth is not quite up to my favorite Oho Kim Long. So, a 4. Fast service. Cleanliness is average for a small pho shop - you know what I mean. My coworker had bun bo hue - which she thought was OK, but a bit too salty. Maybe a 3.5. But, since I'm writing the review, PL gets a 4. Summary: gonna try the Banh mi next time. Convenient decent pho in N SJ industrial district. read more

Pho Lien Noodle House - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

I ordered their bun mam noodle dish via delivery on doordash. This is the only place I see on doordash that will deliver bun mam so I decided to try it out. Honestly, it wasn't that good but it wasn't the worst. There was hardly any meat in the soup other than a couple pieces of fish and squid. The broth just tasted a bit off/different compared to when I get this same dish at other restaurants. I understand this is a pho place, so maybe their pho is better. I wouldn't order bun mam from here though. read more

Ordered this via doordash and was highly impressed. The flavor of the Pho broth is excellent on it's own. The broth to noodle ratio was perfect as well. I also ordered the "grape cake" which is essentially a crossaint but it was very buttery and delicious as well. For the pho I ordered the chicken. It came with white meat and was everything I want in a bowl of pho. Thank you!! read more

Pho Lien Noodle House - Chicken Pho - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

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I've ordered soup to-go here once before for a sick daughter-in-law and wanted to try it myself this time. We chose to dine at the tiny restaurant. There are so many noodle houses in the area it's hard for someone who knows nothing about what's good or bad to distinguish a clear opinion. It's close to home which is how it won my vote over others. Either way, I'll give my honest review. I had to go to the restroom, but with the place so small I wasn't sure if a restroom was available for customers so I did what any woman would do. I held it. The owner, I take it, was really nice. He took our orders and chatted with the other customers. The tables are stocked with hot sauces and fish sauce which I loved because I personally like to add it to soup to get that salty flavor. I was a little thrown off by our drinks. I saw they had a refrigerator stocked with canned drinks, but I was a little disappointed when I ordered hot tea and they brought out what I will call a "water glass" filled with warmed up tea. Very odd, but I'm not going to make a big deal out of it. The other guest ordered iced tea and what do you know...his glass was the exact same as mine, except cold, with no ice. Hmmm. Okay whatevs... I'm a big wing fanatic so whenever I see wings I always want to try it. The wings were fried and bland, with no kind of breading or coating. The sauce that was drizzled on the plate was the only seasoning. I was hungry so I ate it without any reservations. Having soup when you feel really tired and a sickness coming on is a real comfort. My order was the combination and his was the chicken. Both were decent. I'll be honest, that night we finished our food, paid our bill and thanked the man. What I ordered was good enough, being okay, but nothing outstanding. Service was fine, but we just weren't wowed or left with any real impression by any of our food. I would prefer to go to a different spot for noodle soup. read more

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I've been here twice now and maybe it's a different style that some people may like. It's a cute little place and they are very efficient. I ordered beef pho both times and the broth was very light, not that beefy. Which is fine. The meat was tasty and you can order different sizes. Their lemonade soda is great! But for me there was an overwhelming amount of cinnamon and star anise flavor, rather than the balance I've gotten at the many other places I've gotten Pho. It's not my cup of tea, but maybe others like very spice heavy pho. I'd like to come back and try the non-pho dishes and update my review. read more

Pho Lien Noodle House - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

Came here for lunch today because I was craving pho and this was the closest restaurant. I was greeted by the adorable owner as soon as I walked in. It's a small and simple but clean restaurant (you can tell because the condiments don't have all the dried up residue stuck to the lids and sides). Ordered a pho tai and it was soo flavorful and palatable - just like homemade pho. It's not overly salty like other places so you can still taste all of flavors deconstructed - the beef bone soup, the herbs, slices of meat, and the rice noodles itself. Wish I had taken a decent pic of the bowl but I was too hungry!! read more

Pho Lien Noodle House - Soo phoking goood! - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

Dropped by twice and both times they were closing before their stated closing time. Tried again the third time. We decided to catch them before they close early! I'll be damn if I don't try their food that week. It's a very cute place. Small and they do not offer my glass noodles and there was a major language barrier. Food is meh. I had the chicken bamboo pho. Pretty pricey too. $7.25 for size small. But if they don't close early again I might just give them another go. read more

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While I don't want to write a terrible review for small businesses during this time, it was hard not to be annoyed by receiving a wrong order - twice. I ordered through grub hub and upon opening my lunch, I received pho with beef balls instead of the combination pho. I called the restaurant and the lady was willing to correct the order as long as I could go pick it up (totally defeating the purpose of getting food delivered). I was happy to pick it up even though this place is not very close to my house. When I did, the lady reassured me that the order was corrected. However, when I got home, I didn't have any rare beef in my order. Although disgruntled, I enjoyed my food. The soup is a little salty but it fixed my craving for pho on a rainy day. However, I will not order from this place again as the location isn't super convenient for me if they were to get my order wrong again. I would definitely recommend pick up instead of delivery. read more

Pho Lien Noodle House - 10. Pho Tai, Nam, Gau, Gan, Sach which should include rare beef but did not get any. - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

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This place is a joke. I suspect they have fake reviews on Yelp and Google Maps. Read the supposed 5 star reviews and see for yourself. We went here thinking it was a good hole in the wall place due to the reviews. Nobody else was in the restaurant, and all I could smell was bleach. We stuck it out as we were starving and ordered two pho bowls (1 Tai, 1 Combo) and a rice plate. Rice plate was a joke and was something I could have made at home by myself. They stuck 4 shrimp on it which were flavorless. The vegetables were from one of those Safeway bags of peas and carrots. There was some Chinese sausage in it too but it was just chopped up. The pho tai had maybe 4 slivers of steak. Broth was bland and tasted like water. Combination pho had one piece of meat for each type that was advertised. So one piece of steak, one piece of tripe, one piece of tendon, and a literal half beef ball. Also bland and tasted like water. We picked up a pizza on the way back home and scarfed it down because we were still starving and didn't want to pay another dollar to this place. Never, ever coming back here. It just goes to show how easy it is for people to fake reviews. read more

This place is tiny but very well kept and clean. Service is prompt and the food selection offers a variety from sandwiches to pho to rice dishes. I tried the grilled pork dish with shrimp, rice, vegetables (cucumbers and pickled carrot) and fish sauce. Their presentation is nicer than the average Vietnamese shop. They butterflied their shrimp and it had a nice charcoal grill flavor to it. I also tried their tamarind peanut drink which was really interesting. I love tamarind but thought that the peanuts made it weird to drink (could have choked sucking up those peanuts in the straw!). I would order the tamarind drink again minus the peanuts. read more

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Just had their grilled pork sandwich and have to say it hangs with the best, I've come here two days in a row for my lunch break and look forward to becoming a regular here. The bread on their sandwiches takes me back to my childhood, I haven't had proper banh mi in years with a crunchy exterior and fluffy interior. They mix mayo with egg yolk for added oomph and it really sets them apart from others. Their grilled pork had just the right amount of char and sweetness, and the vegetables were crisp, flavorfully pickled, and super refreshing! I'm having to stop myself from ordering another huge sandwich for my upcoming break at work, but I'll definitely pay them another visit soon! Maybe when the weather cools off just a bit ill come in for pho, but these sandwiches are a hit in this heat wave! read more

Pho Lien Noodle House - Their grilled pork sandwich! - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

I wanted some Pho. I yelped this place and went here because of the 4 star rating. However there is no chicken pho served here. So I got this fried rice. This was THE greasiest fried rice ever. I tried to get as much grease off the rice, but after 7 napkins later, you can see the grease is still at the bottom of the container. So I'm still not done taking the grease out of my fried rice... Perhaps diners are just not as picky about greasy fried rice, but my rating will be a 1 star because of the subpar food. I will not be back. read more

Pho Lien Noodle House - Seven greasy napkins so far and it's STILL greasy. This is gross. - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

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We wanted a light, cheap and quick dinner after a long day of moving and found this place. I got a combo banh mi as I wasn't that hungry and he got the pho. The banh mi was okay. The bread was okay and the filling was okay. It was kind of small as well. The pho was okay. It wasn't super good, but it wasn't bad either. The service was really good though. The staff is really friendly. Overall, the food was quick, cheap, but just okay. read more

Pho Lien Noodle House - Sandwich - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

Authentic, legit Pho. No MSG. Really good beef broth. Haven't found another place in the bay area that is comparable. Owner's super friendly and on top of her game. read more

I love the sandwiches and noodle soup here! The place is pretty small. Luckily we got there early for lunch because it filled up quick. I also came once to pick up a grilled pork sandwich. It was so good! Baguette was crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside. Grilled pork wasn't too sweet either. It was such a good quick lunch. I also came another time for noodle soup because of the cold weather. I got the combination egg noodle soup. Tasted almost like how my mom makes it. Perfect convenient place to get a quick lunch during work. Parking lot is a little sketch though, make sure to lock your doors! read more

Pho Lien Noodle House - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

Never coming back to this place anymore, my first time as a last. Today brought my kids in for some soup, I saw on Yelp people been saying their Bun bo Hue is the best... yekkk . Bun bo hue is the worst of the worse, they used Pho soup pastes not the real Bun bo hue soup plus so much MSG. After eating couple pieces, I felt thirsty right away; then I know they put MSG in their soup paste. Only 2 pieces of meat and 3 small ham, the rest are all water and noodles... no flavors at all, all you can smell are the chilly lot chilly. Very pricey for this crap soup. :(( Let's talk about the services: Horrible. We came in there was only 1 guy eating, we sat down, the lady in the kitchen saw us and just starring at us... no greeting or bring menu out for like 3-5 min. After order they nearly mix up my order, luckily I heard it and told them what I had ordered. If no star, I would give them a 0 star. These people had lack of kitchen experiences and cooks. Don't go here, you will be disappointed like me. There are some worse restaurants around too but this one is the worst of the worse. Yuk. read more

Pho Lien Noodle House - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

When I pulled up to this location I was really sketched out. However, upon entry, I was delighted to see how clean and well kept the inside was. One thing to note though is that you have to go through the kitchen to use their restroom, because of this I got to see how CLEAN their kitchen is. Really a huge plus! Durian smoothie was delicious. Thai tea was exactly what I'd expect it to taste like--nothing super special but still tasty. Neither of the drinks came with boba. I ordered the chicken pho (pho ga) and for some reason it wasn't on the menu. The size small bowl was actually really small, so if you're used to a "normal" pho serving I'd go with the large bowl for an additional one dollar. My friend ordered their spring rolls & liked it so much she got another order to go. The spring rolls came with chicken and shrimp. Everything was fresh. The people who works here, an older woman and a man in the kitchen were both really friendly. Seriously thought of them as the Asian version of the couple in Up. read more

This place has some AMAZINGLY tasting Vietnamese classic and even some new creations. Let's start with the Lotus Flower Root salad: just get it. Paleo all the way, and super fresh. Then the pho's... all perfect amount of flavor, not salty! But my fave: anything grilled, either as a rice plate OR over vermicellis. Get'em! We got the prawns/pork vermicelli bowl. so yum. The prawns were grilled to order (took a little longer), but so tasty. They cook everything to order, no "pre-made" stuff. And the owner is such a motherly host, she took care of us, and even came out to say hi. Ambiance wise: Don't expect anything fancy though. Restaurant has a basic, almost rustic feel to it, and it's in a strip mall that has a few other restaurants, liquor store and the like. Remember: you're coming here for the food! Incredible. read more

Pho Lien Noodle House - Anything grilled... yum! - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

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A hidden gem! You'd never think to find a delicious restaurant stowed behind a shell gas station. But low and behold you will find this little hole in the wall. It only has 8 tables inside, but don't let this small restaurant fool you. It has a large selection from pho, to vermicelli, to banh mi, rice plates, and a variety of noodle soups. I decided to be adventurous today and got the chicken and bamboo noodle soup. I wasn't sure what to expect but I like chicken pho and I like bamboo so how could I go wrong? It was DELICIOUSNESS!! If you don't like bamboo, then this is NOT for you. My fiancé had the vermicelli since most people posted and ranted about it. He inhaled his food. Enough said. YUM YUM YUM, I can't wait to go back!! read more

The chicken pho has a very bland broth. Tried to increase the flavor with extra hoisin sauce and sriracha and it didn't help. Won't be back!

This has been my to go place recently to satisfy my Vietnamese food cravings. This place is quite small. I believe occupancy may be like 20. You may take a look at the plaza and think twice about heading in here for lunch, but do NOT judge this gem due to it's ugly exterior. The inside decor is nice and simple. It looks like the employees keep it pretty clean and tidy. I've had the salad and chao tom off their appetizer menu and I would say it's pretty tasty. Looking forward to the spring rolls and egg rolls next! Heck, maybe on my next trip I'll try both of those and a banh mi! The bun rieu and pho is average but the bun bo hue, like my friend Ben H. mentioned on his review is DELICIOUS! I usually go here for the bun bo hue now instead of Bun Bo Hue An Nam. The broth is lighter than An Nam, but more spicy and minus the "huyet" aka blood sausage. Be aware that they only give out ONE size (large) even though the menu lists small and large. Customer Service is pretty good but keep in mind that on some days there might be an employee that does not speak English. I am SO SO SO glad I live close to this place. LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I wish they would took debit card though! But like any other Viet place, it's cash only. read more

I was in a hurry and just came by to pick up some lunch. The food was prepared very quickly and the people here were very friendly and greeted me with a smile. I ordered the shaking beef rice plate (Com Bo Luc Lac). The beef was very tasty and came in generous proportions. I'll definitely be back to try other items. read more

Pho Lien Noodle House - Shaking Beef (Com Bo Luc Lac) - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

place is pretty small but the food is GREAT! And they open on Sunday too Tony is really helpful, i work really close by call in an order fast and friendly service. !! i don't know the name of what i always order.. and tell tony # 6 and he know lol :) read more

Pho Lien Noodle House - Number 6 - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

Loved this place! Clean and owner is wonderful. She makes you feel welcomed. I can't do a place that's filthy which is why I repeatedly order from here. Pho Filet Mignon is amazing, and their shrimp and pork plate with noodles is too die for! read more

I pass by this place everyday going to school & back so today I decided to try it with my boyfriend since we were craving Vietnamese food. The place says PHO, but the menu only has ONE pho item, & the pho item was called Pho Lien. This place was small, but it had a pretty cozy feeling to it & there's about 7 tables there? The menu wasn't that big, like the place itself, but I thought the food wasn't bad at all. I got the pho lien, & the soup base was actually flavorful unlike other places that barely have any flavor to it at all. My boyfriend got Bun Bo Hue, which is the vermicelli noodles with a spicy soup base & it wasn't bad either. Some places make the bun bo hue either too spicy or not spicy at all, but this place was just right. I liked how my pho was loaded with meat too! I'm giving it 4 stars just because the name of this place totally deceived me! read more

Spring rolls are kinda pricey. $6 for three with shrimp but they did taste really fresh. Bah minh are $4 but they are bigger than other places so maybe the price is indicative of that. I was only able to eat the bah minh and one spring roll and I was stuffed. Service is interesting. Meaning that you may or may not actually get acknowledged when your walk in. The server is really soft spoken so I had to keep asking her to repeat herself. Only saw two people in the kitchen so it's not fast food and a wait is expected. I have tried their bun which are pretty good too. I get the shrimp and pork and it's enough to share or make another meal out of. The place is really small but very clean. read more

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Great mom and pop Pho restaurant. Prices are very slightly higher than average, but the quality is great and very consistent. The appetizers here are really well done - the lotus root salad appetizer with hot mint is super fresh and really flavorful. read more

Nice little spot. Pho and Bun are good here. Great prices for a lunch time sandwich as well. read more

Pho Lien Noodle House - #31 shrimp and pork - Vietnamese Near Me - San Jose, California

Food was ready, staff was very friendly, place was very clean, and it was best banh mi sandwich I've ever had!! Definitely only coming here from now on even though it's on the other side of my side of SJ. So worth it. read more