If you are willing to drive out a bit, there are surely better Vietnamese options than Pho Saigon. However, as one of the few restaurants I frequent regularly, it is honestly a solid middle of the road option that provides reliable and decent experience, even if not a great one. Because it is located in the Pacific East Mall with 99 Ranch, Pho Saigon has become a regular option I turn to when the weather (or my stomach) calls for it. You will find it near the back of the mall, and the place feels a little dated like an old school Asian family restaurant. It hits the spot when you are in a pinch for Viet staples like pho or vermicelli rice dishes, but as stated earlier, it's not where you go if you're looking for standout Vietnamese food. The value is decent, especially if you get the large pho. The service is generally pretty quick and friendly. While not my favorite, I still want Pho Saigon to be an option I return to, I'm giving it a slightly higher rating knowing full well that negative reviews can hurt business. read more

Pho Saigon Restaurant II - Beef Vermicelli Noodles, Bun Thit Nuong - Vietnamese Near Me - Richmond, California

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We enjoy coming to eat whenever we come to this plaza. It has been our little family ritual. My kids enjoy the food, we 98% end up ordering the same thing. Our com suon and pho dac biet, we would ask for bowls for the kids because they like to eat a little bit of both. My kids starts with the pho and ends with the com suon. My bf and I like combining at 3 sauces as our dip, the hoisin sauce, Chili oil and Sriracha. The parking here is easy, there's always seats available, food comes out pretty fast, servers are nice, and when you are done, you pay at the cash wrap. Whenever you try to switch our typical order, the other stuff on the menu is just okay. read more

Pho Saigon Restaurant II - Our go to pho and com suon - Vietnamese Near Me - Richmond, California

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I had one bite and immediately regretted spending money here. The food arrived cold, bland, and somehow both greasy and dry at the same time. The chicken tasted stale, the rice looked like it had been thrown together in a rush, and the drink was flat. Service was slow even though the place wasn't busy, and the staff acted annoyed whenever we asked for anything. read more

A pho spot in a shopping center! I stopped by while running errands. The food was delicious. The service was neither great nor bad--just average. The atmosphere has a nice Asian vibe. read more

Pho Saigon Restaurant II - Vietnamese Near Me - Richmond, California

Solid, quick, exactly what you expect for a casual pho spot. Located in Pacific East Mall, there's plenty of parking (but don't leave anything in the car!). Service is quick and food was good. My grandma wanted a small pho with just tendon and they easily accommodated. I got a large combo. Spring rolls seemed fresh fried and tasty. Plenty of seating. Hits the spot! read more

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Went to Pho Saigon for a quick lunch and it lived up to that, food came out in like 2 minutes. Pho was pretty standard. The broth was on the lighter side; not super rich, but still comforting. Noodles were cooked well and they give you a lot of meat and noodles for $16, which honestly makes it a solid deal. The spot has that familiar family-run feel, you know it's authentic when there's a kid working the register. Nothing mind-blowing, but if you're in the area and want something quick, filling, and classic, it does the trick. read more

Pho Saigon Restaurant II - Pork Vermicelli Noodles with egg rolls - Vietnamese Near Me - Richmond, California

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Came in at 7pm on a Tuesday. The service was quick, not too many tables seated so it was pretty quiet. The chicken pho was underwhelming. The noodles were good and chewy. The broth was light and flavorful. The chicken was extremely dry which ruined the overall experience. I would not order this dish again. It was not worth $15.50. read more

Pho Saigon Restaurant II - Chicken pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Richmond, California

30 dollars for a bowl of the combo pho with just scraps of meat and an order egg rolls... needless to say just go to any other restaurant, like ANY other one. The garnishes were also not fresh and they charged me for one cup of tea lol GO SOMEWHERE ELSE YALL read more

Out of all the restaurants inside Pacific East Mall this location has been there since the beginning. It has been years I have dine inside Pho Saigon. Thankfully they now accept credit cards The pho at this place is great! The price is alright (not pricey). I wish I had tried the Fresh Spring Rolls but I was craving for pho. Lots of selection to chose from. The service inside Pho Saigon is amazing! I was seated right away when I came inside. read more

Presentation was good and the food looked good but taste was not good. Rice noodles were way undercooked, and hard, obviously rehydrated and no fresh. Pork had an off taste but nice char. Side soup had a very strange taste. Not sure how to explain but but taste was just really bad for me and I've had this dish hundreds of times in my life and hundreds of times in Vietnam. Wouldn't return. read more

Pho Saigon Restaurant II - Vietnamese Near Me - Richmond, California

Worst Pho restaurant I have been to. Twice I went there. Last time now. Ordered the Steak and Tendon Pho. barely and Tendon. Only bits and pieces, three bits to be exact. And i think the guy overcharged me. $18.12 for a large PHO. He first rang it up on the register and it popped up $16.12. Don't know where the $18.12 came from. No tip for you, not coming back. read more

July 9 24 My last review from 2011 is still spot on except they now accept plastic. Someone called in sick and the hero in the picture is running Front Of House by herself. read more

Pho Saigon Restaurant II - Looks like someone called in sick and this hero is running the entire show. - Vietnamese Near Me - Richmond, California

This is a super solid, fast, and cheap vietnamese option. I wouldn't say it's anywhere near the best, but is great if you are in the area and want something quick. Decor and seating hasn't been changed in here in years if not decades, but menu prices haven't changed much either. Service is straight forward and not necessarily there to be friends, but it gets the job done and food on the table. I personally love their egg noodle soup with wonton and bbq pork. Their beef pho is quite flavorful, but not as light as some places that care a little more. All in all, this is a regular spot for us if we're in a pinch given it's proximity, price, and quality. read more

My family's 'go to' pho spot for decades now. #1 with extra noodles and extra tripe with a Thai iced tea. The portions are the biggest I've had in the east bay and the broth is OH SO delicious! Service is fast and food comes out even faster. No frills spot. The food speaks for itself! read more

Been coming here for years and it always hits! I love the pork chop over rice and their pho is good too

Portions were good, and the service was attentive. Unfortunately, it stopped there. The smells of the cleaning chemical were strong in the dining area. Appreciate the efforts to keep things clean and sanitized. But, could have used products that smell better (the clorox smells were just too strong). We ordered a special pho and a BBQ pork chop. Both came out in hugh portions. We could not finish them even though we went in hungry. However, the flavor was quite bland. The only way to save the dishes was to add plenty of hot chili peppers. read more

Pho Saigon Restaurant II - Special Pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Richmond, California

When you see the green chopsticks....iykyk. Solid and reasonably priced pho spot! It is hidden in the back of the Pacific East Mall. My friends and I each ordered staples: beef pho, seafood noodle soup, and beef stew noodles. I got the seafood noodle soup and quite enjoyed it. We all got the large size and the portion sizes are indeed large. My only gripe is that the noodles were really entangled and made it a bit hard to eat. The soup got a little salty toward the end so I ordered the three bean dessert to-go. Seems like most people get up and pay at the counter. Take note of your table number on the utensil holder - they asked for it. read more

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We've been coming to Pho Saigon in El Cerrito for years. This time, we ordered the beef pho, pork chop rice plate, and a taro shake, and everything was just as delicious as we remembered. Service was quick and friendly, tables clean and the food was delicious. Definitely one of our favorite spots for Pho and Vietnamese food! read more

Pho Saigon Restaurant II - pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Richmond, California

No-frills Vietnamese restaurant. Their Pho Dac Biet unfortunately isn't all that, but their rice plates are phenomenal. The proteins that they put on them always hit. You just have to disregard the slight cleaning agent smell of the restaurant when dining haha read more

We frequently visit this restaurant for a casual meal. We are always seated and served quickly. The food tastes great and the price is good as well! read more

Pho Saigon Restaurant II - Vietnamese Near Me - Richmond, California

Good pho! The broth was light and flavorful and the meats were what I was expecting. The noodles were a little soggy and stuck together at the bottom, but not too much to complain about. This place is tucked away in a corner of the 99 Ranch Market building. It was pretty quiet for a Saturday night. I would definitely make the trip back for some pho and groceries! read more

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Fast service, good food. I came for a weekday lunch with a colleague. They were able to get us in and out within half an hour. We both had pho so that probably helped. The menu is relatively large and most items are customizable. Prices are reasonable and the staff were attentive if needed. Because it's inside Pacific plaza, there's ample parking. I would recommend for a quick meal. read more

My parents and I came here on a weekday when we were craving pho. Service: The staff was very kind and attentive. We were seated upon arrival and received our food quickly. Food: I ordered the #3 pho which had the rare steak, well done flank, brisket, tendon and tripe. The soup was very hot in temperature, which I love. The beef was tender and the noodles were cooked well. This was a size small, which was the perfect size for me. They have a larger size if you prefer a bigger bowl. I recommend coming here if you are craving Vietnamese food. They have a wide variety of items that include appetizers, beef noodle soup, rice plates, seafood noodle soup, and rice vermicelli. read more

Pho Saigon Restaurant II - Pho #3 - Vietnamese Near Me - Richmond, California

I've had worse pho and I've had better. This restaurant has been around for about over 20 years? This place is just okay. The pho broth wasn't as clear had I hoped it to be. Service was good and quick. Prices were reasonable. read more

Even after my friends hyping it up I wanted to like it but this pho was just as disappointing as I thought I would be. It was just overall so bland. Little to no salt, the broth didn't have one distinctive taste more just water than anything else, and the chicken was so dry I was struggling to swallow it. I added a shit ton of chile with lemon, cilantro, and bean sprouts and it was still bland. I'll try to go back to see if I like a Chicken plate more but this was a big miss for me. read more

Pho Saigon Restaurant II - Large Chicken Pho with Egg Noodles - Vietnamese Near Me - Richmond, California

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Customer service is hugely lacking from the lady with short red hair and black glasses this last time I stopped by. The young male who works the cashier is nicer. 2 stars customer service and food is a solid 4 stars. Just don't expect much on customer service. read more

Situated at the very back corner of Pacific East Mall, Pho Saigon has been around for as far back as I can remember. Despite the age, the less than prominent location, and the variety of competing dining options within the same mall, I still see a steady flow of customers coming to this establishment whenever I happen to pass by. Last week, during one of the colder evenings, my parents happened to stop by to drop off some stuff. So we took them out for some warm pho at Pho Saigon, as they had not eaten yet. When we arrived at 8pm on a Friday evening, the restaurant was surprisingly devoid of any patrons inside. We were seated promptly, but one thing that was immediately evident was just how STICKY the entire restaurant was. The table was sticky, the seats were sticky, the floors made sticky, clinging noises as we walked, and even the chopsticks and spoons were sticky. Despite this, we made the best of the situation by wiping down what we could, and the hand sanitizer at every table was appreciated. The portion sizes were pretty good, however for those at our table that ordered small sizes, the noodles came in an overflowing small bowl. The size of the bowl unfortunately left very little room for them to mix ingredients and eat effectively. They should really consider just putting small size orders in the same bowls as medium orders, and just add proportionate amount of ingredients. The pho itself was ok, but I felt the broth to be rather light in taste. MSG usage was definitely heavy, as I could definitely feel it after the meal was done. You'll need to go up to the cash register to pay, which was a little confusing for us initially. As we were the only table dining in, but no one was coming to bring our check. read more

My favorite pho place in this area. The environment isn't great and it's not a whole lot of service, but this is what to expect and I'm 100% fine with it. Can't speak to entrees other than pho, but seems like they have a pretty extensive menu. Have tried most of the pho in the menu by now, always fresh ingredients and always generous with the portions - the size small pho sends me into a food coma each time. I have to give a special shout-out to their chili sauce/paste that comes at each table. Absolutely delicious and honestly 70% the reason I come here rather than settling for some other closer places. I will have to deduct one point for the "young coconut" I ordered - my understanding is that fresh young coconut is juice from a freshly cracked opened young coconut - what I got was a plastic cup of sweetened coconut water, with ice cubes, and clearly sweetened slices of the pulp. Not sure if this is a Vietnamese cuisine-only thing, but am too much of a fresh young coconut fan to be okay with this... Anyways, come for the pho! read more

Pho Saigon Restaurant II - Vietnamese Near Me - Richmond, California

Pacific East Mall has some good ass food options, Pho Saigon definitely being one of them. This is your classic mom-and-pop Viet spot, with allllll the classic dishes. Sometimes we stop by before making a 99 Ranch run... To avoid the dangers of grocery shopping while hungry lol Located near the back of the shopping center. The restaurant is very well-loved, more humble, and always has a stream of customers. Yet their service is consistently fast regardless of crowds-- you can expect your dishes out within 20 mins flat. I usually grab some sort of rice plate while my bf beelines for their seafood noodle soups. Solid, flavorful dishes every time, with great portions. When I do get pho, their #1 has never failed me. The steak is sliced generously, brisket and flank are fresh, and other bits are tasty as always. Broth is decently good. NOTE: Hot tea is complimentary~ read more

Pacific East Mall has been around for almost 25 years now, and one of the few vendors still around from that very first day of operation has to be Pho Saigon Restaurant II. Located in the very rear of the indoor shopping center Pho Saigon Restaurant II has been serving traditional Vietnamese entrees that have enticed locals for generations. In walking around the Mall searching for the latest Asian eats from Cantonese to Hot Pot to Ramen to Japanese cuisine, and not a visit goes by in which Pho Saigon Restaurant II has a steady crowd of customers. What brought a group of friends and I here for a recent holiday dinner was the fact that there always tends to be a crowd at Pho Saigon Restaurant II, but nothing so overwhelming that your meal won't take too long to come out, and the relative affordability of the entrées on their menu, all of which are shareable between groups of diners, or to be ordered as a single entree to be enjoyed all by oneself. What we also like is that they smartly have large poster-like photos posted to their front windows of some of their best selling dishes and this is the reason that first brought us in as customers to Pho Saigon Restaurant II, as the pictures made the food served here look really good. The menu at Pho Saigon Restaurant II is broken up into sections such as Appetizers, Beef Rice Noodle Soup or Pho Bo, Chicken Noodle Soup of Pho Ga, Rice Noodle Soup, Egg Noodle Soup, Seafood Noodle Soup, Rice Vermicelli, Vegetarian Dishes, Rice Plates, Milk Shakes and their Beverage menu. As we sipped on our pot of hot tea, we opted to order the number 40, which was called the Bun Tom Thit Nuong, which was BBQ shrimp and pork served with vermicelli and a soup broth; the number 53, which was their Combo Plate served with a grilled pork chop, two fried chicken wings, and one deep fried egg roll split into two along with steamed rice and a small salad; and the number 59, which was Vietnamese BBQ Beef rolled like cigars and filled with onions, served over steamed rice. It took mere minutes for our three entrées to be presented to our table, as the highlights were definitely all of the grilled proteins as the grilled pork chop and rolled BBQ beef were well seasoned tasty delights. The Combo Plate has an especially abundant amount of food with so much meat including two deep fried chicken wings that it was that dish that were not able to finish and wisely took the remaining chicken home for takeout dining, and a day later after a brief toasting, the fried chicken was as crispy as ever. Since we didn't have their signature and namesake Pho on this visit, we had to suffice with their vermicelli which was a decent dish, as they knew we were going to split our bowl three ways and were nice enough to give us three separate bowls of broth so we could each enjoy the flavors of the noodles, broth, and bits of pork and shrimp on our own. Obviously, many more visits to Pho Saigon Restaurant II are in order for us as they have become a local rite of passage to visit whenever we have cravings for Vietnamese cuisine. One thing should be of note is that service is not great here, and I think they kinds of pride themselves on being a no frills kind of place where you have to flag them down to even take your order as they have so much going on at once they really can't tend to every table all of the time. It's clearly a no-frills operation at Pho Saigon Restaurant II and this has served them so well for so long that why should they even consider changing things now? For three large shareable plates our total bill was under 50 dollars, which for this day and age is a pretty good deal, plus we got to take enough food home for another meal, which I consider a win-win. At Pho Saigon Restaurant II they are serving traditional home cooked Vietnamese dishes made with fresh quality ingredients, the fact that they have survived and thrived during all of the turnaround at the Pacific East Mall after all of these years. This hidden gem is something that should be celebrated and partaken in especially if you love an occasional bowl of Vietnamese noodle soup or rice plate like I sure do! read more

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Saturday, 3/20/2021 - Eating good at Pho Saigon II in Pacific East Mall, Richmond, CA. This restaurant is clean! Love it. Workers are in masks. Service quick. Server professional. Water, hot water, tea, liquid came out fast. Food brought out fast. All the utensils, plates, bowls, cups were all super clean. They bring to you. This restaurant smelled so clean. The pho broth was good. No need to put condiments in it. You get a lot of noodles for your pho. The shrimp spring rolls were good. Peanut sauce a little on the sweet side but still good. Try this restaurant if you haven't. I like this place. read more

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Oh no. I don't enjoy writing negative reviews, but this might have been the worst pho I've ever had. There was a big party of us, and they were able to seat us without any problems (though it was also pretty empty for dine-in seating). There were a variety of orders and the wait staff made sure that they had recorded everything correctly. They were all very friendly and helpful. So why the low review? The broth. The star of the show when it comes to pho is the broth, and this broth tasted like barely flavored hot water. Tea steeped for 30 seconds has more flavor. The noodles were standard fare. They had a nice texture and body to them. The meat was fine. But the broth! Everything in pho is meant to compliment the broth, and it was just... not good. I'm hoping that this restaurant just had a bad day and that their typical fare is more representative. Speaking for myself though, I don't ever intend to return here given the option. I'm still a bit sad about it. read more

Not coming here any longer. Been a customer for over 10 years. If you walk By anytime, they're always empty. There's a reason for this. Last two times they messed up my order. Clearly they don't give a damn bout what they've doing. Hard pass!! Find someplace else to eat!! read more

I would give this place 3.5 stars but yelp doesn't allow that. Food is average, but portions are big, price is good. So 3 stars feel too harsh, however 4 stars seem too generous also. I tried the special pho. Points to them for separating out noodles, soup, meat and veggies in a takeout box so nothing gets too soggy and overcooked. I was able to bring the ingredients home, heat up the broth to boiling hot and plate my own pho. Soup was quite heavy on the salt and MSG. Big portion of noodles and generous slices of meat. With cold days like this, it is a hearty meal. I also tried fried chicken wings. Wings are definitely very big. Most of the flavour comes from the fish sauce and tastes quite good when dipped. Wings are juicy and crispy. Would recommend if you're craving something fried. read more

Pho Saigon Restaurant II - Special pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Richmond, California

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Came here with my bf to eat before shopping at 99 Ranch. We ordered egg rolls for the appetizer. I got the rare steak & tripe beef soup w/ shrimp. BOMB!! My bf got pork rice plate which he also finished. I was so hungry I didn't get any pics :( Price is good and the food is really good too. I would recommend to try it. We'll be back. read more

In the same mall as 99 ranch, really convenient. The environment is just like most of the other pho places I've been to, nothing fancy but good enough to just eat a meal, like if I lived near here and really wanted pho, I could picture myself wearing pajamas walking into the restaurant Food wise, I like pho in general, not the best place I've been to but it's still pretty standard I like how they have smaller portion sizes instead of just one size, it's a lot more manageable for me, usually I can only finish half of the portion at other pho places Shrimp spring roll was ok, pretty big shrimp, the dipping sauce was good The avocado smoothie is my friend's favorite, would recommend it if you like avocado read more

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Every time my family and I have a hunger for pho, this is the place we go. We've been to several pho places, but this one we repeatedly return to time and time. I highly recommend this place. read more

Stopped by here for lunch. It's my first time here and my boyfriend said this place is legit. I ordered a small #12 and ordered a large #2, egg rolls and two Vietnamese iced coffee. Food came out quick! The beef broth here is flavorful. Probably the most flavorful one I had. Other places are kind of bland compare to this place. Everything else was standard. I'd come back and try a different dish next time. It's located inside the plaza. Plenty of parking spaces. read more

Pho Saigon Restaurant II - #2, egg rolls and #12 - Vietnamese Near Me - Richmond, California

I often buy your "fresh" shrimp spring rolls with extra peanut sauce. Over the years you've reduced the quantity and quality of this sauce, necessitating that I order extra sauce. This time, I took it to go, ordering extra sauce, and you have now reduced the amount so much that there wasn't enough for both spring rolls. I'm talking from ordinary dipping. Shame on you! read more

The food here is incredible. I go out of my way to visit and order the beef pho every time I'm in Santa Rosa. It's my favorite pho in Sonoma County, and actually anywhere. read more