I was intrigued by the location, and the high recommendations on Yelp. I ordered bun rieu, a seafood and tomato-based noodle soup. The soup had no flavor except for the chili oil and was really bare. It's supposed to have crab meatballs, but all that was there were a few crumbs! Actually, there wasn't any seafood except for a couple of shrimps. Hubby had the Korea BBQ rice dish, which didn't have much flavor, either. We both left the restaurant still hungry. The service was also bare. One of the servers was friendly, but the other was grumpy, and after serving our food, everyone disappeared into the back area with no way for us to get their attention. The restaurant probably caters mostly to the industrial businesses in the area, because I felt like I was eating in the cafeteria of a garage or warehouse. The walls, decor, and furniture didn't look like they had been updated from the to-go restaurant that was there previously. Everything looked old and kind of dingy. Instead of air conditioning, they had a fan blasting into the dining area. I did, however, really appreciate that they accept credit cards. read more

This is not only an interesting place in the fact that it's on the frontage road in an industrial area off 101, they serve a lot of interesting Vietnamese soup noodle dishes. Mi Quang, bun bo hue, mi hai san, are just a few of the unusual items you dont see at just any pho places. The Crispy rolls and the Mi Quang/Mi Bo Kho all hit the spot. Too bad it was getting warm outside so we were starting to sweat. Service is typical and the place looks like an old run down convenience store. But again, dont judge the book by its cover, there are surprises lurking beneath read more

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This review is for their fried eggrolls! My girlfriend and I were hungry so we wanted to give this spot a try. Even though we there were many items on the menu to pick from, we both opted to share a fried eggroll dish. For about ~$5, you get four fried eggrolls with a red sweet and sour dipping sauce and some lettuce and carrots on the side. The eggrolls smelled soooo good when they came out. They actually reminded me a lot of "king eggroll's" eggrolls! When you bite into one, you will hear that crispy crunchy sound and hot steam will follow.. mmmMMM!! I'll definitely come back to try their other dishes (noodle soup, rice plates, etc) next time! read more

Pho Van - Fried eggrolls! - Vietnamese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Pho Van opened some time last week in the space where PJ's Deli used to be. It's very close to work so I decided to give it a try. I was hoping to get some vermicelli with grilled pork and eggroll, but they did not have any vermicelli dishes on the menu. The menu seemed to be a mix of Vietnamese (pho, spring rolls, broken rice) and Chinese (chow mein, chow fun) and they also offer pad thai. I ended up getting the BBQ pork chow mein and an order of eggrolls. The eggrolls seemed to be Vietnamese style and were served with a light sweet-and-sour dipping sauce along with some pickled carrot, pickled radish, a couple of slices of cucumber, and a leaf of lettuce. They were fried crispy on the outside but there was something mushy which appeared to be undercooked dough on the inside. They were pretty tasty though. The chow mein was pretty good and had lots of sliced pork, although it did not look or taste like it had been barbecued, it seemed more like thin cut slices of roasted pork loin. They are still getting some kinks worked out since they opened so recently -- they do not yet accept credit cards for instance, they accept cash only until they get their credit card machine working. Also, there is no soy sauce on the tables, I requested some and the lady who I assume is the owner brought out a little dish with soy sauce in it. It looks pretty nice, they seem to have cleaned it up and repainted, appears to be cleaner than PJ's Deli used to be. Hopefully they re-did the kitchen as well as they did the dining area. They had both doors propped open (front of store and side door) and a couple of guys with leafblowers came by and were making a huge racket while I was eating lunch. It didn't seem to bother the owner because she didn't close the doors -- maybe she's used to it? They also have the steam table that was in PJ's Deli and when I went up to pay I noticed they had a sign for ordering from the steam table, but all I saw in it was some fried rice, some vegetable chow mein, and a tray of what looked like grilled chicken breasts. Not great but not bad, I'll probably go back in a few weeks to see how they've progressed. read more

Pho Van - Vietnamese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Ok I'm not one to leave a review but this hole in the wall of place is the bomb biggity every time I drove by was concerned but today I walked in seeing it was packed so I gave it a try and what do you know ..... I loved it quick service the people are friendly and was pleased with the plate portion I'm stuffed don't really want to go back to work now lol. Oh did I mention it was under 10 bucks gotta love it. This is my spot for now on so when you pass it by give it a shot cuz I said so ya dig .... Everybody has choices and I chose it read more

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I love this mom and pop pho joint! the pho has a very herbal broth that tastes great. all the dishes have a homemade feel to it, just like grandma made (if my grandma happened to be vietnamese). the locale is in what is basically a repurposed mechanic's garage, but don't let the divey-ness fool you, this place is good eats. read more

#16 Beef Stew with noodles pho king delicious! What makes or breaks a soup...the broth. There's, really flavorful and the meat was not overly phatty.. Fatty :) read more

It's with mixed emotions that I am writing this review. As much as I want the whole world to know how great this place is, I also want to be selfish and keep this hidden gem hidden. This is that family own business that you want to keep on coming back to because the family that own this businss is really a good family. They provide excellent service, always friendly and very fast. This family will always have my business. This place is that hole in the wall place that you will keep coming back to because the food is that good and affordable priced. My favorite is their special house noodle soup... this is the bowl that will hit you in the spot on that cold raining day. If you work in the area, you must try. My only tip is that parking could be an issue. So when I am driving my truck, I usually go earlier so I have street parking. read more

Pho Van - Yum - Vietnamese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

I work nearby and have been meaning to stop in to Pho Van to get some tasty pho. Before I arrived, I decided to yelp. I saw another reviewer mentioned the won ton soup so I decided to order that. Now, I'm not sure if I'll ever order the pho. I feel like every time I come in, I absolutely must have the won ton noodle soup (with egg noodles) because it is so out of this world delicious. The pork was almost caramelized and the green onions were pre-sauteed. Delicious meatballs and the egg noodles were great. You can also order it with rice noodles, if you prefer. The interior is just as you'd expect for a hole-in-the-wall pho joint. There was a random Fleetwood Mac "Rumors" Photo on the wall. That made me happy and giggly. The service was great. I like when a restaurant cares what new customers think. The guy who served and rang me up asked if it was my first time here and if I liked it. I told him it was absolutely magnificent because, in truth, it was. Highly recommended. You need to try the won ton noodle soup. read more

Pho Van - Won Ton Noodle Soup with egg noodles. - Vietnamese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Food: very decent. Good place for lunch. Staff: super friendly Hygiene: store is small and quite old but everything is very clean. read more

Pho Van - No. 36 Egg/Rice noodles with shrimps, beef balls, BBQ pork and fried/steamed wonton - highly recommended - Vietnamese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Good food, clean for the most part but definitely not a place you can easily recommend for a team outing or for a date. Low prices, good sized portions and reasonably good tasting food. I will definitely frequent this place more often due to these reasons. read more

When you first walk in and you notice hot wings (with ranch dressing) on the menu, you might question if this is an authentic Vietnamese/Chinese place or a mediocre Americanized take-out place. Luckily, Pho Van is definitely the former. I ordered the duck bamboo noodle soup, which was basically pho noodles and broth but served with a few pieces of duck and a serving of dried bamboo. The dried bamboo has a woodsy taste that might be an acquired taste for some. The ginger sauce served with the duck for dipping is delicious. Warning though: this is duck with skin, bones, and all, not delicately-sliced duck breast. I'm curious to come back and try their other dishes, since I saw a few other things on the menu that I haven't seen at other restaurants either. Plus, I don't know where else I can enjoy a bowl of pho with a Fleetwood Mac poster behind me. read more

Pho Van - Duck Bamboo Soup - Vietnamese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Bun bo hue here is beyond tasteless here. It was like water with a hint of bun bo hue and the owners claim that's how it's supposed to taste. If I wanted a bowl of water soup and noodles, I would have made it myself at home. Do not order it. Stick to the pho. read more

Went in here and was greeted warmly by the nice lady behind the counter. The place was very clean and plain, which really showcased the cooking. I ordered the Wonton with white noodle special. It had a very rich broth! Great tasting. Not too many veggies and the pork and wontons were both deepfried, which is not something I am a fan of. However, everything else tasted good and fresh! I think next time if I try something else I will definitely be more satisfied because the place has great options! read more

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Came here 2-3 times for a pho and broth/noodles/meat were decent, ingredients fresh and plentiful. At about $1-2 cheaper than other flashy places in high profile areas, one can't complain; however there was less meat than I expected and soup comes in one size. Unfortunately I was lucky enough to get a hair in my soup the last time here and I won't be back. ***Word of advice; Look out for the cook who wears the black French cooks scrub that looks to have not been washed for 5 years, LOL. He was cooking during my last visit there. I sorta had a bad feeling before I even got my food. When the kids or the lady's husband cooks, things were fine..but you never know. read more

I really wish they would open back up on Saturdays. Because the biggest problem with this place is once you have the Pho. Every other place sucks. So when I'm craving Pho on a Saturday and have to go to a different Pho restaurant I'm always disappointed because Pho Van sets the bar to high. Seriously this is better than any other place in San Jose, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale. I've tried any pho place I've seen in the last 10 years and this place is the best Pho hands down read more

For a quick bite and I am in the area, I wouldn't mind giving this place a shot again (it is walking distance from where I bring my vehicle for service) but I have to be really hungry. The place is okay. It is everything you would expect from a Pho restaurant--quick, easy, and no frill. I ordered the Roasted Duck w/ Egg Noodle Soup. Let's just say, I will stick with Pho next time. The duck was really dry and rubbery. The stock was warm, under-developed, and on the sweet side. Overall, 2 stars. But since the owner came around offering some kind of dessert, I am adding one more star. read more

Kind of a blue collar joint in an industrial area. Perfect! Pho was cool I ordered a combination. It look okay based off the picture. Right? Well it was subpar for its location, although great food should be within the restaurant not the area it sits in. Bottom line it's a good spot if you work close or in the area for a spell. read more

Pho Van - Vietnamese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Everything I've tried here is yummy-licious . Pho, wonton soup, chow fun, egg rolls, iced coffee !

I didn't even get to try their food! I walked in and asked for #37 after feeling rushed to order something. The lady said "don't you want to try #36? It's easier to make" I said sure I'll try it. Then i asked for their Vietnamese spring rolls and she said "i can't promise spring rolls cus were busy" Like wtf!? I walked out. Worst customer service ever! read more

I was in the area and was thinking of noodles so found this on Yelp. And what a 'find' it was. The place is not much to look at and it's located on a service road off 101, but yum the noodles. Good menu selections and authentic 'ambiance' of a Vietnamese noodle house. They had bun bo hue which is what I would normally try, but wasn't in the mood today so I had the much tamer egg noodles with fried wontons and roast pork. Really good stuff. I did add a little sriracha for more flavor to the broth but that's a personal preference. I'll be back next time I'm in the area, so get that bun bo hue ready! read more

Pho Van - Egg noodles with fried wontons and roast pork. - Vietnamese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

8/10 good pho a bit shy on the quantity of shrimps (2). broth very light on flavor. so, just pretty good. I will return for a different item. read more

Best everrrr. Fir a little place in the wall this place has alot of big bites. Will recommend this place to anyone.

If you're looking for really authentic Vietnamese goodness, go somewhere else. But if you kind-of live in the area, are craving pho, and are too lazy to drive too far like I was last Sunday morning, then might as well give this place a shot. It's kind of a hole-in-the-wall, cafeteria-looking joint. Very clean, and with friendly staff. In addition to its Vietnamese offerings, the menu also features a slew of other random rice and noodle offerings. Based on what we ordered, the Special Beef Noodle Pho was average, a little on the bland side, but managed to satisfy my Pho craving. The Pork Egg Rolls - I would pass on. The Chow Fun with BBQ Pork, however, was surprisingly good. read more

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They open very early which I love. We were able to get some pho before work after a long night lol. The pho dac biet has real gan that is super soft and their broth is very tasty. My favorite dish there is their mi xao don. Gots to get it with beef! read more

First, you need to beware that this place inflates their bill, so make sure you actually ask for breakdown and not let them add an intentional 20% to your bill for "tip" purposes. I have been to this place twice, once with a friend and another time by myself. For my first time, my experience was much better. The food was decent because I mainly ordered pho, and the bill was correct as it was done by the lady owner of the place. For my second time, I tried their beef cube rice and Vietnamese shrimp roll. The beef cube rice is not good. You can tell that the beef is simply not fresh, and the Vietnamese shrimp roll is also not tasty. Adding injury to the insult, the guy who took my order and eventually did my bill self-added 20% to the bill, and unknowingly, I left even more tip after that. If a place needs to fabricate their bill like this, I would never return again. read more

Parking in their lot is limited. Street parking is advised. I ordered pho tai (flank steak) meat on side and the soup was very bland. Didn't have a dark color, looked very light. Didn't have a complex taste or wasn't very beefy but rather tasted quite peppery. Meat on the side was pretty skimp. A little less than other places. Probably like 7 pieces. The meat was concerning.. some pieces were darkish in color while others had a slight pink. Usually meats should be bright pink. I should have smelled and examined it first. During eating, I came across pieces of meat that smelled spoiled. This was a piece I so happen to not dip in sauce. Others I have so who knows how many spoiled pieces I eaten. Eater beware when odering flank steak. I told the lady and she was receptive to it and told the cook. She asked if I was okay which was nice. I'll be sure to call them from the toilet if I'm not feeling well later. read more

Three of us came here on a Sunday for lunch. My only impression is one word- Dirty. Dirty dining area and dirty food with flies attacking customers' faces. Service was awful and they acted like they didn't care (busboy was nice though). The wait was much longer than normal pho places. We all ordered #1 and the soup broth tasted less than mediocre. My all felt very unpleasant overall. read more

Pho Van - Vietnamese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

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There are some delicious dishes, there are some very good dishes in Mi Quang. pork ribs rice

I would give this place 1.5 stars because technically the food was edible, it was just REALLY bad. Not sure how they got such good ratings. The location is somewhat sketch..it's in a weird road surrounded by auto shops and storage places. Most of the customers who come here seem to be employees of those surrounding businesses. Anyway, upon entering the restaurant, you can tell it's not very clean. The tables and chairs, floors, doors, etc all just seemed super old and dingy. Menu was pretty extensive. I ordered the shaking beef dish, which I have had hundreds of times at different places. If you have ever had shaking beef, you will know that it's known to be SUPER TENDER. Mine came out so so so so SO SO tough. Like, incredibly tough. It wasn't just overcooked to death. I think the meat was already pre-cooked and they just threw it onto a pan to heat it up and season it when a I ordered it, because it hurt my mouth to eat it. The edges of the meat cubes were tough and hard..almost sharp. Definitely was not cooked fresh. I wouldn't be complaining this much if it was just overcooked. This was painful to eat. I have NEVER had shaking beef that was destroyed this badly before. Shame. I was able to eat half of it and left the rest. I am definitely not coming back. Any other Vietnamese restaurant would be a step up from this place. read more

This is my go-to Pho lunch spot! Place is not fancy or anything but the food is great. Everything I have tried has been great, Pho and chow mein (hard noodle) are my favorite. Good portion size and great price. Knocked one star because parking at lunch time is horrible, it's their fault but still. I work off 1st and Trimble and I can get in and out even when it is busy within my lunch hour. Always great service too! read more

Got here around 11 on a weds morning , got seated right away , was excited since yelp had this at 4 stars. Ordered the pho with rare steak . The soup was good just wish I asked them to cook the bean sprouts so it wouldn't have cooled down the soup. The beef was just ok. Egg rolls were more of a Chinese style I was expecting imperial rolls . We ordered duck on the side and it ended up to be a duck leg and over cooked . Servers were very polite and on point !! read more

Great local restaurant. The pho is very good and the service is quick for lunch. My favorite is the Marni chicken. It has a bit of heat and is very tasty. Don't let the outside fool you. read more

Came here because it was close to my work, and my husband was in the area. He got standard pho bo vien and I got hu tieu in a chicken broth. Both were super bland with an odd aftertaste. Service was a little slow, but I'll attribute that to it being a lunch rush. read more

Terrible! I would never come back here anymore. The staff were rude. The dishes were the worst ones that I have ever tried. I ordered hot and spicy noodles and I had to pay $10 for this bowl with 2 "cha", only 2 "cha" on the bowl read more

Pho Van - Vietnamese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

I came here couple times already, it was good until last time I saw hair in my pho...

This is quickly becoming my go-to lunch place near work. I work off of North First and Trimble and the little plaza with the starbucks, Pho Viet and Thai Orchid just gets way too crowded around lunch time. I'd rather forego the hunt for a parking spot and hop onto 101 and get off the next exit for Pho Van, which offers quick takeout, tasty noodle soups and some Chinese rice dishes. The nice thing about this place is that the moment you walk in, you can get a seat instantly. It's still a little hidden gem that no one really knows about, but thanks to Yelp, I was able to find it and give them a try. The place is ran by a small family who are very courteous to their patrons. You can tell they are really trying to make sure you have a good experience there instead of trying to have you come in and get out (like the other busy places on the N.1st street plaza). The food is not "orgasm in your mouth" bomb-ass diggity but its pretty freakin awesome and I have a great experience there every time. Just one gripe that is slightly superficial - no mirror in the bathroom. How am I supposed to know if something is stuck in my teeth after my meal? :) Other than this "minor" detail, this place is a great place to go to get some good food and escape the lunch crowds on a normal busy weekday. 5 stars for overall experience. I recommend everyone give them a try! Yay! I'm a fan! read more

Good pho for a random place in the middle of darkness. I got the special with fried wontons and chose white noodles. The wontons were flavorful with a little bit of crisp even tho it was soaked in the soup. It also had pieces of pig and pork skin!! Yummmm so much fried in my tummy. The soup and noodles are derpy so def needed that flavorful meat read more

Pho Van - Fried wonton noodle soup - Vietnamese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

A Yelp find. Hidden in an industrial building on a frontage road. Very plain inside. Food was excellent and quick efficient service. I'm coming back again. read more

Hrmmm the pho here was okay. It was actually really interesting... The broth seemed like it was chicken broth, but I order beef pho.. Hm?? The soup was also really really oily. I mean, not complaining cause I love oily foods, it's the Chinese in me. Lol, but for others I can see if they didn't find that appetizing. The eggrolls also seemed like they were from King Eggrolls. So they were pretty good!! Really big portion of eggrolls compared to other pho places. Don't know if I'll be back... Probably going to stick with Pho Viet for pho around work... Shout out to Alex L. for coming with me! Haaiiiiii!!! His beef stew noodle looked weird though. The egg noodles were pink..! Oh! They also hand out desserts for all their customers which I think is really sweet!! No pun intended?? Haha read more