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    Pho Tám Cali

    4.0 (237 reviews)
    Closed • 10:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

    About Pho Tám Cali

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    Order Pho Tám Cali Takeout or Delivery

    Pho Tám Cali Photos

    PHO TÁM CALI ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Outdoor seating
    Happy hour specials

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    Recommended Reviews - Pho Tám Cali

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    Minelie A.

    We dined in here. The lady who helped us was very sweet so she provided great customer service...She was very careful with our table and approached eventhough we didnt need anything and that service is 5 star for me. The ambiance was chill. Lay back decoration, clean and cozy. The food was missing the protein portion. The spring shrimp roll had very tiny shrimps so i didnt get the taste of shrimp. About Banh mi, the same thing as you see in the picture the meat portion is too little in compare to bread. Most of each part was bread so tasting mostly like bread If not the meat itself was delicious when i tried separately. They didnt offer jalapeños or lemon. For me jalapeños is the most with my spring roll. Also, i didnt like the peanut dipping sauce....It was too sweet. There is also bunch of parking lot outside...

    Menu
    Jim V.

    Good Vietnamese food in Lake Forest! Ordered the thinly beef belly with fries and egg 4/5. I also ordered a Vietnamese ice coffee, 5/5. Strong coffee that can keep you awake for days!! Service was good and fast.

    Tamika J.

    Very little meat I paid for extra pate, which I did not receive as soon as I picked the bread up. It was so soft at fill apart not what I'm used to, but the atmosphere seems nice inside. Also I noticed by reading the comments that you don't wanna order your food to go at this place

    Garlic Noodles w/ Shrimp
    Rachel T.

    It was a hot day and we found this Viet restaurant served other options beside Pho. All the dishes were delicious. Very authentic flavor. I grew up eating Bun thit nuong - vercimilli with grilled pork and it is rare to find a restaurant that can nail this exact flavor .The rice noodle was not overcooked, they incluced pickle, chopped veggies and egg roll, every condiment was on point . The star of the dish was the grilled pork and it was perfectly seasoned. Such a refreshing dish to eat in the summer. I also tried their Garlic Noodle with shrimp and the shrimps were giant! Not overcooked. Very nice seasoning. I'd like the green sauce to be condensed but their version is on the liquidly side. Overall, I will come back next time to try other dishes!

    Nikki N.

    This review is specifically for the banh mi. I had photos from a visit last year, and comparing them to what I received this time, the difference was noticeable, especially in the amount of pickled carrots, which felt reduced. The sandwiches themselves were on the smaller side, so at around $12-$15 each, they felt a bit overpriced. The pork was slightly dry and lacked flavor, and the braised pork belly, though cut into large chunks, also fell short in seasoning. The biggest issue, however, was the bread. It tasted a bit stale, which really affected the overall quality of the sandwich. I used to enjoy their banh mi, but based on this recent visit, I would probably pass next time.

    Garlic Parmesan fries
    Stephany M.

    I postmated a large chicken pho. It came in a bowl large enough to pour the broth into. Usually you have to get a bigger bowl to have it fit. To be fair tho, there wasn't much noodles. There was a lot of chicken and broth. I asked for extra hoisen sauce and I got it! Usually I don't. The soup itself was good. 9/10. Chicken wasn't my favorite. I order garlic Parmesan fries and maybe it was the delivery time, but they were a little hard by the time they got here. 7/10.

    Variety of meats and fixings to spread on your sliced baguettes.
    Karen A.

    We love ordering their charcuterie. Love all the details to arrange all our customized charcuterie. Our guests were impressed by the arrangement and the food is of course delicious!

    Kelly C.

    5 stars for the unlimited pho noodle refills. They have a lot of specials daily's. The pho is not bad but not the best. The beef bone meat is really tender and soft. The other rice and dry noodle dishes are ok. The kids meals are really lacking. The drinks are ok. Everything is not bad, but not the best either. The service is so so too. Pretty slow. HAPPY PHOING!!

    Iver N.

    Small little restaurant that offers a menu with a little of everything ranging from rice, noodles, and pho. Service can be a hit or miss but we had great service recently. The restaurant is small with less than 20 tables so come early if eating with kids. They have a big screen tv that plays random images and/or screensaver so that can distract little ones. I ordered their vermicelli bowl with lemongrass beef but felt like the beef was either sour or bad? I left the meat behind since I don't want to chance getting sick. Hubs got the lomo saltado with beef belly which had sad soggy fries. It tasted ok. The only great deal is that kids eat free on Tuesdays. I would stick to the pho here.

    Pho Rare Steak,  Crispy Tofu
    Chrissy L.

    Pho Rare Steak broth was very good. The noodles broke into small chunks very easily. The Crispy Tofu wasn't crispy. The Wintermelon Green Milk Tea straw was thin for the lychee jelly, making it difficult to drink.

    Shaken Beef Banh Mi - the meat had a slight smell and ended up throwing away the sandwich.
    Ynneb O.

    My wife frequently dine here because their food is really good but today, my wife picked up dinner for us (Shrimp Pho, Shrimp Spring Rolls with Peanut sauce and Shaken Beef Banh Mi) and we were very disappointed. Except for the spring rolls, we ended up throwing away the pho and the bahn mi. The pho had a variety of issues from the taste to the shrimp and didn't taste good as it usually is. The meat in the sandwich had a funky smell that I couldn't get past it. The meat has a slight smell as if the meat had been sitting out or maybe expired. Nevertheless, we will continue going but will be eating in the restaurant so if this happens, we'll be sure to address it. TY!

    Vietnamese Lime Soda (Soda Chanh)
    Natsumi C.

    Great food, smooth experience, and friendly service! Visited Pho Tam Cali in Lake Forest around 12:30pm on a Saturday and had a great experience. The restaurant was almost full, but there were still a few tables available and we were seated right away with no wait. We ordered spring rolls, vegan pho, and rare steak + beef back rib pho--everything was flavorful, comforting, and nicely portioned. The broth was especially satisfying and felt very authentic. Service was another highlight. Our waiter was friendly and attentive, and when I asked for a to-go box, he kindly packed my pho for me, which I really appreciated. They also have daily specials, which is a nice bonus and makes it easy to come back on different days. Overall, a solid dining experience with good food, thoughtful service, and a relaxed atmosphere.

    Betty T.

    Decided on Pho for lunch and wanted to try a new place in South OC. FYI - Pho Tam Cali looks to be one of the 2 decently recently reviewed places in Lake Forest. They are located in a plaza with a bunch of other restaurants so there's a good amount of parking available. Ordered the special, regular size. Good amount of meat and the broth was pretty delicious. Only minor complaint I have is the amount of vegetables they give you to add into the bowl could be more. They do offer unlimited noodles and they have various daily specials per the little menu card on the table (see photo). If you're looking for a good deal, pay attention to the daily specials!

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    Page 1 of 6

    Ask the Community - Pho Tám Cali

    Use pork [bones] for the broth? Thx.

    Hi, we only use beef bones for the broth. Thank you!

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    3.8(658 reviews)
    3.2 mi
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    Grew up with extended family who opened up pho shop, bakery, seafood to go- AND have been to…read moreseveral other pho shops in Orange County, including Pho 79. Their pho here is comparable (except they have their own style that makes it distinctly unique). Mainly, it's the oxtail bones that they use? Broth is delicious! Spring rolls are EXCELLENT. I love their peanut sauce!! And I love how humble and friendly these people are! *No need to drive to Little Saigon for authentic pho. You got it ALL here!! Tasty. Fresh. And honest, all around good business. (Most of ALL, they actually *care* how customers FEEL).

    This review is strictly for the beef pho. Service and ambiance are standard Asian vibes, still that…read morejust comes with the territory. At first taste, the broth was fatty (supposed to be clear broth), lacked depth, and didn't have enough sweet to balance the salty. When I finally dug into the contents of the bowl, suddenly the broth was almost flavorless. This tells me either they're recipe just sucks or they're watering down the broth. I BARELY dressed the broth with a little bit of sriracha, so there's no way it would have stood up to my usual routine. Speaking of dressing, wtf is a lemon doing on the plate of accoutrements??? Always lime, never lemon! Meats were fine. The red onion instead of white onion was weird, but not blasphemous like the lemon. They fail miserably on the broth, which is the most important part of this meal!

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    Inside decor

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    Little Sister - Seafood black rice

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    3.7(1.8k reviews)
    2.3 mi
    •$$

    This place is located in the Irvine Spectrum. The entrance was located on the side closer to the…read morefountain rather than the parking lot on the side with the Target. The other members of my party didn't realize that and walked around to the other side to find the entrance. I had notified the other members of my party that there were discount gift cards available at Costco, but the Little Sister website did not dictate prices so we were not sure if we should have bought them. For a party of 3-4 people, I would say $100 of store credit would be used up in one visit. It was slow food. We sat down and ordered, and they brought out the food more or less at the same time for all of us. Some weirdo kept taking pictures next to us, so don't expect too much privacy. Either way, going here satisfied our curiosity, and the food was noteworthy. My friends had a better sense of taste than me and noticed the taste was different than what one could order the same thing at another restaurant was, but I didn't notice too much since my sense of taste is different than theirs.

    We visited here for the first time and unfortunately this will be our last visit…read more Service was excellent - the first impression you get is that this is a fine dining restaurant....the tables and table settings look like the finest appointed restaurant we have seen. Also the service is very attentive and professional so again a "fine dining restaurant." We tried a number of things from the appetizer and main course menus so we could get an idea of the range....we had not hope of eating it so we simply grazed.... Everyone was well-prepared. I had an issue with the salmon filet but that is the hardest to prepare across the entire menu....I have had better prepared salmon but everything else was well-done. The ambiance is were the issue is....as I understand it the owner is the chef...TIN VUONG ... and he has a particular vision that includes the music that is playing as background....to us, it's a deal breaker....kind of a 60s RAP-sounding soundtrack that apparently is not subject to objection. I understand that Chef Vuong grew up in the local area and got his musical taste in southern California. This feature alone will be the reason we won't return.

    Photos
    Little Sister - Cool ambience

    Cool ambience

    Little Sister - Seafood rice

    Seafood rice

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    Lemongrass chicken broken rice

    Pho Tám Cali - vietnamese - Updated October 2026

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