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Pho Zen

3.5 (263 reviews)
ModerateVietnamese
Open • 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
Updated over 3 months ago

Pho Zen Photos

Business Info

PHO ZEN ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Quiet
Good for groups
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - Pho Zen

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Jando S.

As one of the few pho options in the deep suburbia of Happy Valley, Pho Zen has one of the most attractive interiors on the west side. There is plenty of seating and parking, the service is on point, and the prices are on par with most full service Asian spots in the neighborhood. Sadly, the food is where they miss the mark the most. Until they get that straightened out, I'm really just hoping for something more. As noted, the ambiance and interior is next level. There was a lot of thought put into the decor, with the "windows" above the booths, the stylish ceiling pattern, the heavy emphasis of red through the lanterns and paper cranes, and even the lion head at the entrance is a true catcher. The bathroom situation is clean and the Vietnamese pop music playing over the airwaves is a nice touch. Unfortunately, my group and I were not feeling most of the food. While the fried spring rolls (cha gio) were crunchy and somewhat hearty, the summer rolls (goi cuon) were a disappointment. The dedicated pho section has been a $15-16 bowl for several years at this point, but the lowlight was the most important part of the dish: the broth. It was murky, bland, and even a tinge on the sweet side. For my dac biet (special) bowl, I had a handful of tasty cuts (primarily the tendon and fatty brisket) but the rest of the meats were a tinge too touch for my preference. Their vermicelli (bun) with grilled pork (thit nuong) and egg / spring rolls (cha gio) was solid but hardly outstanding. The excess lettuce at the bottom of the bowl is usually to be expected but this was a bit much. The char of the thit nuong was nice but the fish sauce (nuoc mam) needed some extra funk that I wasn't getting from the bowl. The Vietnamese coffee is pre-made, so it's already in a cup loaded with big chunky ice cubes for folks on the go. Overall, the food was a let down, especially given the price, but everything else (service, ambiance, parking, etc.) was on point. There are some tweaks that can be made and Pho Zen has the potential to make significant improvements on a food front. If they manage to correct this aspect of their business, they are no doubt a top contender for the neighborhood and beyond. ___________ (#1) Somewhat expensive.

View from the booth adjacent to the yellow kitchen wall.
Nikky B.

Nice space, decent service, but the food misses the mark. I appreciate that the women's restroom is the closest to the hallway and comes equipped with toilet seat covers, a small but welcome detail. The other restroom is gender-neutral. Service was prompt and sufficient, and the ambiance is clean and pleasant. But unfortunately, that's where the positives end. The food was mediocre at best. If you're craving quality Vietnamese, you'll find much better options within a 15-minute drive toward SE Portland. One dish I can't forget, but wish I could is the Mì Xào Giòn. The noodles were stale, clearly store-bought, and soggy under a bland, flavorless sauce. The combo meat and seafood felt like an afterthought, cheap cuts, no seasoning, no soul. If you're here for aesthetics, fine. But if you're after flavor, you're better off zen-ing away from this place.

Is this tendon?

I always strive to deliver a honest review not for the customers but for the owners of the restaurant , to give them a chance to change their little flaws and continue to thrive in their business... I will start with the cleanliness of the restaurant. It needs a good scrubbing... everything is stained and dirty. We ordered pho with tendon and beef , there was a lot of white stuff in the soup looking like fat not tendon and a little meat. Just to put everything together it was kind of hard to swallow my food trying not to think what is happening in the kitchen...

PH3 with beef and tendon.

NO CLUE WHAT THEY PUT IN THIS PHO BUT THIS IS THE BEST. I have been going here for years, this place is clean, fast, the staff are very friendly. And most importantly the food is amazing. Especially the pho. Pricing is great, there is never a wait, and the atmosphere is great. Very calming and great for a peaceful lunch. I keep coming back because of how good it is.

Brisket Pho
Zordone O.

Hello Yelpers, New to me, very nice decor with real wood, friendly prompt service. The origami is very neat up on the lamps. We ordered our favorite Pho with brisket and tempura prawns appetizer. Peace & Many Rich Blessings

Average garnish plate
paul s.

Been wanting to check this place out for awhile now. I was the only one there when I arrived right before noon, was seated promptly, and decided on salad rolls because they didn't offer crispy egg rolls. I wanted tendon tripe and brisket pho but that also wasn't on the menu. I asked if I could have that combo and she said ok. I asked for salad rolls but she didn't ask me what kind lol then it kind of went sideways, I got salad rolls with neither shrimp, pork or tofu lol, and my pho came out immediately but they gave me the special pho with everything in it instead of what I asked for lol. Portions are good sized, broth is bland and the tendon was like nothing I've ever had it was like jelly snot so gross lol salad rolls were tough like rubber but veg was fresh. Garnish plate was meh only 1 tiny circle of jalapeño oh well, I probably won't go back and now know why I was the only one there

Beef Pho, lemongrass chicken and shrimp salad rolls.
Joe Y.

My wife and I stopped in here after watching a movie since she had craving Pho. We walked in and were very pleased with the atmosphere. The restaurant has a beautiful decor and is very relaxing. We were ordering our meal within 5 minutes of being seated and eating within 10 minutes of that. Our meal tasted amazing and the portion sizes were just right. We ordered the salad rolls, lemon grass chicken and beef pho. All of it was great. We only had water to drink and even though we were there talking for 3 hours and they still kept our water glasses full. We will be making this a regular for us!

P8: tendon and tripe pho; shrimp salad roll
Vanisa K.

I frequently visit this establishment because of the speedy service that the servers always provide. The pho has a consistent flavor each time, but definitely needs seasoning/sauces and isn't as flavorful as other pho restaurants in Portland. But because it's locally in Happy Valley, it's a convenient lunch spot that isn't too packed, has lots of parking, and offers pretty decent pho, for the price. The servers are attentive and the food comes out very fast! My go-to order is the P8 (tendon and tripe pho) with the shrimp salad rolls. Their salad rolls are YUM!!

Pho and Vietnamese coffee

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11 months ago

Nice hidden gem. It's a good place for a quick bowl of pho. Salad rolls are pretty big. Usually isn't too packed.

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Noodle is good soup is hot, service so so, this place looks good, will come back again for the noodle.

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2 years ago

We love going to pho zen. Pho is a staple in our house! Perfect for a rainy day! We love the chicken pho and the Thai iced teas

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Phở Gabo Happy Valley - Grilled Pork Salad Rolls

Phở Gabo Happy Valley

3.8(62 reviews)
4.1 mi•Southeast Portland

We were in the area and looking for dinner to go after a long day. In this shopping center, this…read morewas the third of three businesses that we visited. I walked in and then up to the counter. I placed an order for an Oxtail Pho and an order of Egg Rolls. I paid and then stepped aside and sat at a table to wait. I don't know if it was because I was tired, but I felt like I was being inconvenient for placing an order. When my order was ready, it was plopped down where I sat. I took it and left. As I was leaving someone thanked me for my business. We ate two of the Egg Rolls sitting at a table in front of another business. They were served with Fish Sauce and were delicious. Hot, fresh and crunchy. We took the other two and my Pho back to our hotel. When I opened the Pho, the soup was in one container and the noodles and oxtails were in another. Jalapenos, basil, bean sprouts and lime were in a plastic baggie. The flavors were good. The oxtail was cut in an unusual way but had the right flavors. Whoever packed my order failed to ask me or include utensils.

Lots of Portland pho places are pretty much pho 1st and a few filler dishes just to round out the…read moremenu. What I love about Pho Gabo is that the lesser known Vietnamese specialities really get a chance to shine here. These are items that a majority of Vietnamese places don't necessarily serve and can be quite rare throughout a the many pho restaurants we have in Portland. On this day I had the banh canh cua which is the crab udon noodle soup. Despite being a smaller restaurant with a lot of various dishes/soups....I was worried that the broths would taste "stale" since they might not have much turnover. However everytime I've dined at Pho Gabo this has never been a problem as if they cook everything regularly in small batches sorta like how Ha VL does it It was a very good rendition at BCC, especially for Portland only 2nd to my mom's version (no seriously my mom's version is S tier). Lots of crab and other ingredients like quail eggs, mushrooms, and a very very good pork loaf "cha." The cha here is really really good and that's saying something bc it's not something I gravitate to. My suggestion if you're new to Pho Gabo whether you are a beginner or veteran of Viet food is to stretch past your comfort zone and try something you've never had or don't regularly order and you'll be pleasantly surprised.

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Pho Zen - vietnamese - Updated October 2026

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