Pho La Jolla Reviews

Cheap, but unimpressive. The Pho was a bowl of noodles with a few other ingredients sprinkled in. The server was not attentive, despite the restaurant being slow. Nothing about the food was memorable. Would not go again.

We took take-out sandwiches (vegetarian and chicken) from this restaurant today. The bread (baguette roll) was mediocre, but otherwise the sandwiches were very good, with very fresh vegetables, well-made chicken, good tofu, and a delicious dressing. The sandwiches were ready on time and the take-out service was very good. It was a good lunch, and each 12 inch sandwich was enough for two people. Recommended!

Our home is in the Los Angeles, Southbay area, but everywhere we go, we have to try out the local Pho restaurants. We've been to so many, but wind up always rating our favorite as Huong Vi restaurant in Lawndale, but I digress. Pho La Holla is not bad, but I would probably not return. My wife tried the Pho, while I had a bbq pork dish and my son ordered fried rice dish. As far as the bbq pork, it was average. Perhaps their sandwiches are better. I guess there aren't many Pho places to chose from in that area, so that's why they were rated the best Pho in La Jolla. You might give it a try, but if you are one of those people who know your great pho from your average pho, you may be disappointed.

Rare steak pho was excellent, and awesome value considering the size of the portion! Beleive me when I say there is no need to go for the 'larger' portion!

I used to come to this place to have their pho. Being tired of selection, I always ordered the combination bowl though I didn't like the meat ball. Then a friend recommended their Bánh mì, the Vietnamese sandwich. OMG, they were so good! Grilled pork Bánh mì is my favorite! They have good business in La Jolla, it is crowed most the time. If you have a large party, you always need to wait.

It is a watered down version of the Vietnamese foods catering to La Jolla population. I'm not going to come back here again.

We have been going to Pho La Jolla one or two times a year for several years, and have always really enjoyed the Bun. This time we were extremely disappointed. Although prices have risen, this is still not an expensive place. But the Bun, which used to be an 8 or 9, was about a 5. It had bits of lettuce and walnut (?) in it, but no cilantro, peanuts, or cucumber. The pork was OK, but had little flavor. In fact, the whole dish was flavorless. There was not enough fish sauce, so we had to doctor the dish with various sauces that sit on the tables. We have never had to do this before. Will not go back

I did take out, so I didn't realize it till I was already home and was pouring the contents of the plastic containers - and floating IN the plastic container .. a black hair. I Will never go back and it still bothers me when I think about it. I live over 30 mins away (this is the closest Pho place to me, unfortunately) so taking it back or going back was out of the question. Really disappointed - to say the least.

Pho is still hard to find with us in the Uk, The here food was quick and good the restaurant was always busy which can never be a bad sign, service wasn't bad. Portion sizes were good and was cheap for the area.

Wide selection of pho. From traditional to vegetarian. Very busy place where you see a variety of people from the college kid to the local. The chicken pho was good even though I had to use all of my additives to have the flavor I am used to.

This Vietnamese restaurant is superbly located in La Jolla and amazingly popular - and I can see why given authentic food, efficient service, an enormous menu, and outside seating. And yet the prices are very cheap.

Great little place near the hotel, quick/easy/affordable takeout. Decent hours, open late, pretty typical of SE Asian food rest.

We stopped for lunch. We each ordered barbeque pork and rice. The marinade on the pork was very different, sweet and not what we are used to. We ate it though! The portions were healthy and reasonably priced. Service was excellent.

we ate here 3 times in 2 days. parking can be a little tight in this neighborhood which is the only downside. pho here was as good as anything i had when i lived in seattle and ate pho weekly. other options were also good and authentic. the menu is big and a little intimidating but all entrees we had were very good.

sitting outside was great. the PHO was incredible. the staff was friendly and accommodating. we each ordered a type of PHO, the rare beef, the combination, and the rare beef with meatballs. we enjoyed them all.

here is closed California University of San Diego, we had retreat at school, but in lunch we find this Vietnamese Pho restaurant very good, good food and taste good, nice service big parking lot 這家餐館靠近加州大學聖地牙哥分校, 吾等來此退修會中午出校發現這家越南式餐館, 很多人用餐, 典型的越南口味, 好吃價格中等, 停車方便, 很好的餐廳

We are picky on Vietnamese food.There pho chicken/vegan soups are superb.The spring rolls are ok.We have ok service.The people that work there are nice

We like this place. It is near the UCSD campus so always full of university people. The pho broth is good and the spring rolls and Vietnamese sandwiches always hit the spot. They also have boba drinks and Vietnamese coffee. The decor isn't fancy but I prefer simple and reasonably priced for this sort of thing, and there isn't much down-to-earth Asian in this area. I would definately recommend it if you are looking for Asian comfort food in La Jolla or near UCSD.

Lots of Asian customers. Great noodle dishes and soups, full bar. Great for takeout too. This was an oasis after a busy travel day.

The restaurant was full of people. The price in the menu looks very reasonable. I ordered the rice noodle. It was very delicious. The waitress was very friendly and nice.

I have nothing to compare this to, but I found this experience fun. I got the shrimp with tofu pho and enjoyed the meal very much. The spring rolls were hot and fresh.

I have a place I frequent in Vegas so I am just very critical... The Pho wasnt bad and my boyfriend thought it was great. The only thing I was bothered by was the fact every pho dish was a large only... and it was $9 for pho

We finally hit this place. We've driven past it probably over 100 times over the past several years but we never ate here. We were hungry for some good Pho this past weekend so we headed over there. One thing that is a big eye opener is just how busy this place is with Asians. It is full of Asian clientele which is usually always a good sign. In fact, when we went there was a line to get in. This place has several tables inside and outside as well. It's a hoping place on the weekend. There are many employees working and they were very friendly and efficient. Mostly American college age looking guys. We ordered some spring rolls which were good. They have a smaller order with 3 or a larger order with 6 rolls. I got the well done beef Pho and it was good. My wife got the Chicken Pho and the soup is different and was very oily. I guess they cook it in chicken broth if you want the chicken. My wife didn't like all the oil in the soup and we asked if we could order a Beef instead and they said no problem at all. We didn't try out any of the sandwiches but we will on another visit but the Pho was good. I actually preferred the Pho in the other Vietnamese restaurant in La Jolla. (Pleiku Cafe). It's newer but I thought the food was a tad bit better, especially the Pho. But this is definitely a place you should hit if you're in the area and want some good Pho or Vietnamese food.

I love to eat Pho. It is really light and has a lot of nutrient. However at this place I found it very plain and weak. I might have to give another chance and try a different one, but the one I had wasn't really good.

We did visit Pho on a Saturday afternoon and it was very crowded. We did order the combo, shrimps and ribs were very good, the eggrols less. The noodles were almost cold! It is cheap but the waiter told us every meal was 50 cents more than listed.

This place is always crowded but the wait is not bad. Great food, I prefer the rare steak pho. The egg rolls were also very good, Fast service and freshly prepared food.

We were staying a close by hotel in La Jolla and found this unpretentious Vietnamese restaurant filled with university students. We are always happy to find vegetarian options at restaurants and we had delicious vegetarian pho (soup) and tofu salad rolls. There were many other vegetarian options for us and the portions were large.

Pho La Jolla is an excellent place for pho. The pho was absolutely delicious, in fact, the best I've ever had. They are msg free and take pride in the quality of their food. This restaurant is located near UCSD in a strip mall. A favorite with college students living nearby.

A VERY CASUAL place but roomy and with ver sympathetic staff. For the ones who don't know Vietnamese ingredients are very similar to Chinese BUT more delicate with a lot less grease / frying / sauces. Tastes range from the exquisite pho I had with tripes, tendons, rare meat to very light chicken braw wit vegetables my daugther loved to tasty beff/tomato noodles my son had. Choices of Phos (soup), rice and noodle dishes. We will make us return. Rather than expensive fancy places, we prefer home made delicacies at any price.

I am hesitant to write this, as the place is getting more and more popular, but the Pho is so good, they deserve the recognition. Tucked away in a small building behind a shopping center, this small Pho shop serves up a fantastic bowl of happiness. The key to great Pho is the broth and they have perfected this. It is a strong, but simple concoction that warms you from head to toe. The noodles are done perfectly, as are all the ingredients in each of the choices. The decor is simple and the the parking can be a challenge, but the pho is worth the trip!

Was walking distance to UCSD and located in a busy strip mall. Went for lunch with my son while visiting. Busy but well staffed so service was fast and attentive. Has outdoor seating if desired. Food was tasty, authentic and reasonably priced. Will go back to try other choices...

We came here for lunch on November 26th. We were shown a table but after 10 minutes of trying to get a server, we ended up leaving. Tables near us were getting served but the waiters avoided us and left us at our table for 10 minutes. We are an interracial gay couple, both professional and well dressed. I have never suffered such outright discrimination.. We ended up walking out after 10 minutes of being ignored.

Busy, fast service and good quality ingredients. This is a no nonsense place and we loved every bit of our dinner. They have good portions, nice taste , food was slightly on the sweeter side but hot sauce was provided on the table. Relatively cheap and walking distance from UCSD. I do recommend it.

As soon as we were seated a server asked us if we were ready to order. We had not yet had a chance to look at the menu. He said he would come back to take our order. After 10 minutes or so he still had not come back. This would not have been so bad if it were not for the fact that people seated after us were waited on. After trying to get another server's attention to no avail, we finally just got up and left the restaurant. No one on the staff seemed to notice that we left.

We passed by this little shop like 100 times before we wanted to be spontaneous and try something new. We both ordered pho, hers was all veggie and mine was the house special with all meats. Both were good, I'm rating it a 3 star because this place help me decide that I'm just not a pho fan. It just not my go to food. Plus the decor is terrible here. Bleh.

We used to go there for years because we lived near by. We sought pho la jolla whenever we needed comfort food, a light meal or just some really sweet boba tea as a pick-me-up. Although some asian friends were not that convinced by the broth and the veggie option, we just loved it because of their generosity with vegetables and their approach to make it lighter. Unfortunately we don't live there anymore. We really miss the food and the friendly manager.

This is NOT your run of the mill, hole- in- the-wall diner. Although it is found in a simple strip mall near the UCSD campus, it is ALWAYS a treat iodine here. We have been going for 6 years or so. Never disappointed.

Ate pho all over the places and this is one of the good one I have. Good noodle and broth, with nice portion of meat.

Casual, low key, kind of a hole in the wall (good sized hole), average service.... But I'll keep coming back for the great pho, Vietnamese sandwiches, rice dishes, fried noodles, and refreshing drinks. The quality of the food is very good and the prices are incredibly reasonable. Good hangout place - they have some seating outside for those nice LaJolla days. They have big screen TVs showing sports if you're into that. I'll be back! Side note: there is the lady manager that works the register. She doesn't seem like the nicest person or the happiest person in the restaurant but I'll overlook that for the awesome and well priced food!

This restaurant is a little bit hidden, but as we love Vietnamese Pho, we sought it out. It did not disappoint! Like I said in the headline, the price is really affordable and the menu is also quite large. They have outdoor tables that are only OK (facing the parking lot) and they had Monday night football on two TVs inside, so the boys were really happy! Totally recommend.

Food good but not ad flavorful due up limited use of sauces.

We had a great dinner at the little spot! I just randomly picked it and I am glad I did. We all had the vermicelli noodles with chicken, shrimp & eggrolls. We also ordered the pork dumplings. All of our food came out hot and fresh. The dumplings were loaded with pork and our noodle dishes were loaded with chicken and nice sized shrimp. The flavor was great and the bowls were so big, none of us finished our meals!

I'm not a pho connoisseur so you have to take this review with a grain of salt but every time I've been to this location (which is been quite a few times) I've always enjoyed myself; the food is always fast and fresh the service is great and comes with a smile. When I was doing the vegan thing for a couple months this was a great place to pick up a nice bowl of pho (vegetable broth) with fresh veggies and maybe some fresh spring rolls. You could fill up without filling up. And it didn't break the bank. This place is always tasting great and now that I'm thinking about it I feel like a bowl!

This restaurant is situated close to a major hotel in a small shopping area. It was filled with Asian patrons, and luckily a table was open. The constant flow of customers for sit-in and takeaways is sign that food is good. Menu is vast and has a selection of 5 daily specials at an afforably priced ($10 and below). Service was efficient, courteous, and fast. Food was excellent, tasty, and well balanced. No liquor served.

I think pho is just wonderful and after spending some time in Vietnam and to be honest this is a reasonably accurate reproduction of a number of restaurants from the homeland. Trouble is, this is La Jolla and a smile Is always welcome, but rarely appears. The food is good, the interior pretty basic, but then again so is the price. If you're on a budget or in a hurry, it's certainly a decent choice as you'll probably be in and out in 20 minutes.

This spot was super yummy and walking distance to the Sheraton La Jolla. No wait and the menu was fairly priced given the area. Recommend very highly!

Tucked away in a court near UCSD, this place is a hidden gem! Open 7 hours a day 11 am - 11 pm, it serves great Vietnamese food. It is packed starting from 6 pm especially on Friday and on weekends. You may have to wait a little before being seated. Now the food: great selection of pho from traditional to vegetarian. Portions are huge, prices are reasonable. Last I visited, I paid 7,95 for a large size traditional beef stew pho. Very good appetizers and drink choices as well from beer to smoothies. Highly recommended!

I was surprised at how fast the service was here! We ordered our food and it came in under five minutes. Lots of options and the taste was very authentic. Great prices for the large portions that we got. Definitely recommend it, especially if you are looking for a different yet quick meal.

No wonder this place is popular. The menu is extensive, prices are very reasonable and the food is delicious. I was disappointed that they were out of Vietnamese beef stew so went completely opposite and had the vegetarian Pho. It was very traditional and delicious. The portion was huge. My husband had the bbq pork egg roll bun and enjoyed it. Well, he polished off most of it and said he couldn't complain for $7.50. They don't sell wine but beer is available. Service is quick.

Some of the best Thai I've had. Very simple and straightforward restaurant. Parking can be a bit challenging depending on what time of day. We went during the week just after watching sunset multiple nights and not a problem. Food was awesome.

We were very pleased with the taste and quality of the food! It came out quick and piping hot! The Pho with shrimp was very good!

Close to campus where my hubby was attending a conference - we were starving and couldn't pick a restaurant. Then we saw this gem! Simple, fresh, and fast! Delish!

We are regulars at Pho La Jolla, and our friends are as well. The food is always good, and we were happy to see the restaurant expand shortly after opening! If it's cold, hot, anyone is sick, or healthy and hungry...we always end up at Pho La Jolla.

Ok, so my opinion may be a little biased since this was my first ever pho, but WOW was it amazing!!!! I had the rare steak, tendon and tripe pho. Smooth, perfectly chewy (not too much or too little). My husband on the other hand has had plenty pho before and he was very impressed. They are voted best pho in la jolla 2 years in a row, and they are reasonably priced! I'd recommend trying them.

It's a good place if you don't mind the salt and MSG. The staff were really friendly and quick. I do like their spring rolls, it comes in 4.

This is one of those places near the UCSD campus so it's filled with students. The waiters aren't going to pamper you, just take your order, quickly, without smiling and back at ya when the food's ready. It's almost like an episode of Seinfeld and the Soup Nazi. And like the Soup Nazi, the pho is really good! If you're in a hurry, want a cheap yet fulfilling meal, you can't go wrong at Pho La Jolla. Just a bit of a warning: it's located in a small mall in the shadows of the La Jolla Village shopping center. Parking can be sucky.

I was staying in the nearby hotel for a few days looking for food options. Urbanspoon and locals recommended the sushi place right beside this shop, which makes no sense to me - it was unremarkable and expensive. This pho place is clearly the best place to eat on this little strip. The soup is great, the ban mi is delicious. And two people could have a very pleasant meal here for the price of one "meh" sushi dinner next door.

Large menue, very reasonably priced. We were happy with the helpful service (considering it was our first Pho experience), and liked the food.

We were here for lunch and the place was hopping. The decor is unassuming. The focus is on the quality of the food. We had the pho with beef and it was one of the best pho dishes I have had anywhere. The portions are large, and the ingredients are very fresh. The ice tea was delicious. The service is prompt and professional. You come here for the quality of the food, not for the ambiance, although we truly enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the lunch crowd. This is a gem for good food.

We've eaten here close a dozen times, each time hoping it will be better than the last. Alas, it never fails to disappoint. The pho noodles are overcooked and clumpy. The broth is bland. The bean sprouts look like they've been recycled from other tables' leftovers. The "meat" that comes with the vermicelli is oddly artificially colored bright red and is indiscernible in content. The prices are ridiculously high, and they charge you for takeout containers, which is outrageous.

Pho La Jolla specializes in--well, Pho. But we have had the Bun, and the # 83 or # 93 Vietnamese/French sandwich. On our first visit we ordered Bun with pork; the Bun could have used more fish sauce, but the pork was absolutely delicious. We also ordered a baguette sandwich, which came with the classic mix of vegetables, cilantro, pork, ham, pate, and a fried egg--in my case, hold the jalapeno. We took the sandwich to a friend because we were full after the Bun. We have subsequently ordered the same sandwiches several times, and they are heavenly and inexpensive. We want to go back and have the same pork Bun, also the spring rolls. Pho La Jolla is always busy, and the service is a bit odd, but it is well worth the trip from Coronado to La Jolla.

We came here for dinner on a Friday night expecting it to be crowded because it's usually crowded for lunch. However, this particular Friday it wasn't crowded. Maybe because it's summer and UCSD isn't in full swing. Anyway, we really like the menu selection here. They have good choices for pho, rice dishes and noodle dishes at a reasonable price and good portion sizes. I had the lemongrass pork noodle salad. The taste was good. The pork was a little on the tough side. My husband ordered the grilled chicken noodle salad and really liked it. One of our friends who never had pho before ordered the rare steak noodle soup and really liked it. I have had their noodle soups before and like how the soup is seasoned. Not too salty. Just right. The food came fast and service was good. No constant checking on how we are doing which is what we prefer. The only thing I don't like about this restaurant is the tv's that are showing different shows. It's distracting.

We came to this restaurant one evening, ordering some rice and beef, and BUN CHA GIO THIT NUONG. (supposed to be rice angel hair noodle with egg rolls and grill pork). NEVER ORDER THIS. It was the worse food I ever tasted. The egg rolls were OK, but the supposed to be grilled pork was nothing grilled. The meat was raw, and wet, slimy, and old. We let the waiter know the matter with the dish. He looked skeptical. Then later, an old woman came out with a nice looking piece of meat, trying to defend the dish. She came to our table arguing with us, look, this is how the meat is, it's not raw. We did not want to make a scene, but that woman did. We had to tell her straight out, thanks for showing us how nice it looks, but it tasted horrible. That was not enough for her. She then argued that she never had a complaint before about this. Well, there's always a first time. Maybe she should learn from it. But no, she looked offended, wounded, and argumentative. Needless to say, we will not return to this place. The waiter was apologetic, politely saying sorry to us. We understand sometimes they make a bad dish. It happens. Just learn from your customers and do better. Why would we go through much trouble to tell them if we enjoy it? Because it was horrid and was not cooked. Wet and slimy pork? Not appetizing nor healthy. We did not try their Pho/ noodle soup. So we can't say if it's good or not. But beware, if there's a problem with your meal, that woman from the kitchen will come out and argue with you that her food is fine. They did remove that one particular dish from our bill. They should. It was only fair and logical. We wouldn't want to have to pay for horrid food. The whole experience left a bad taste in my mouth, and all of us kind of lost our appetite that night.

I was staying up the street at the Sheraton for a few days last week. Got takeout twice from Pho La Jolla. Really good fresh spring rolls with peanut sauce (I'm vegetarian and chose the tofu/veggie option), and I had a wonderful tofu/vegetable cold noodle salad with a peanut dressing and sriracha packets. Also loved the jasmine iced tea. Portions are very good and prices quite reasonable. Staff very friendly and professional!

I had my first pho here and since then, I have been going from time to time. Great food, and their Thai Iced tea is delicious! They have good prices and great portions!

This is in a strip mall near UCSD, the Sheraton, And not near Mira Mesa or Kearny or University where a lot of amazingly ethnic pho exists. in the middle of La Jolla it is good pho. There is a dominos next door with a bento sushi place incase you companions don't like pho or the other selections. There are also specialty drinks.

Most of the items were already in the Pho bowl when served and water wasn't that hot. So broth never quite made it. Salad or sandwich options were plentiful, and better.

Pho broth was good along with the pho assortment of options. Grilled shrimp was great. Whatever the pork with the pink edge and sticky rice, was a really nice change. Beef fried rice took a LONG time to come out. The Pho with meatballs, broth was good, dog loved the meat balls, me, not so much. Other than the beef fried rice night, food came out really quick.

Food was good - you may end up sharing a table with strangers but... who cares?

We were looking for a place close to the Aquarium, and found this place in what is essentially a strip mall. Fantastic. We had Pho with beef stew, chicken, and shrimp plus spring rolls with peanut sauce. It was all delicious, with a platter of fresh basil, bean sprouts, mint, etc. to add to the soup and chili sauce for spice. It was also incredibly reasonable.

They were very generous with the meat, and noodles in my bowl. Broth was excellent. Definitely not the best I have ever had, but it was very good. Price was excellent. Staff was very hands off. Let you eat your soup in peace.

We went for lunch guided by our usual criteria of seeking out busy places which seem frequented by locals. The place was fairly full but service was efficient and fairly quick. The beef Pho was very tasty, the ingredients were fresh and the spicyness scale was closer to what is probably found in Vietnam. My wife asked for a 5 out of 10 level of spicy and she found it quite hot! Very recommendable and reasonably priced. The decor is un assuming and the clientele seems dominated by young students.

This is slightly programmed Vietnamese food but it is very cheap and very cheerful. Service is excellent and very fast. I prefer sitting outside. My only complaint is that they don't serve wine (they serve beer, but only indoors - probably some strange licensing thing). My favourites so far are the mixed grill and rice and hen and rice.

Awesome good! We ate here a more than once. I had the beef stew pho! Super yummy. My only complaint is it was super cold inside. I was unable to sit inside and had to move outside.

I enjoy Vietnamese food. I ordered a plate containing a variety of sea food. Everything was overcooked and a bit rubbery. The service was pleasant, but I would not give it another try when there are so many good restaurants in the area. I may just of had a bad experience that was a one time only event, but first impressions are important to me.

I wanted something light for dinner while traveling for work so I stopped into this pho shop on my way home. The restaurant was clean smelled great. They were super busy but I was seated right away. I asked about a spot to plug my phone in (it died and I needed my gps to get back to my hotel since I'm unfamiliar with the area). There wasn't a table near a plug but as soon as one opened up the waiter cleared the table and asked if I'd like to move which was a considerate gesture. I ordered the beef bun (noodle salad) and a Thai iced tea. My order came super fast and was beautifully presented. It was absolutely delicious and the serving was generous. The waiters kept up with the bustle with ease and were upbeat and friendly. I left super full! I'd definitely recommend this place to anyone in the area!