Pho in La Jolla? When I received an email a few weeks back telling me of a Pho Restaurant opening right off of La Jolla Village Drive, that was my initial response. (Thanks Dan!) But after thinking about it, the location, close to many businesses, and the UCSD campus, made perfect sense.
Which led to me check the place out a few weeks back.
You'll quickly recognize the location as being the home of International Market & Grill.
The interior is clean, but they've sure managed to squeeze in a lot of seating in the place.
The prices on the menu pretty much fit the zip code… about $2 more than similar places in other areas.
Not having eaten here before, I went with the Pho Dac Biet (special – $7.50) so I could sample the whole range of meat. It's been my experience that each Pho restaurant will do different things well, so the first visit is exploratory.
The large bowl arrived several minutes later:
Along with a rather sparse amount of "garnishes", after tasting the broth I asked for, and received with no hesitation more basil. Ngo Gai (Culantro) was a "no go" however.
As for the broth, it had decent oil, but was just faintly beefy, and I mean faintly. There was no other flavor to make this broth stand out in any way. Overall, it tasted watery and bland, and reminded me of Pho T Cali, and not in a good way.
The noodles were in the standard clump, and were on the soft and over-cooked side.
The rare steak was dry and hard, the flank was not bad, soft, but lacking flavor, the tendon was good, but scarce, as was the little bit of tripe provided. Much like Phuong Trang, Pho Cali, and the afore mentioned Pho T Cali, this was MOR (middle of the road) Pho.
As you can tell, I was underwhelmed, especially after paying $7.50. This is Pho not to offend. I'm guessing if you are in the area, and are desperate for a bowl, this would be passable. But I'd be wondering why you wouldn't drive a few miles to Mira Mesa. Since this bowl was eaten just 2 weeks after opening, perhaps things will improve over time.
I heard that UCSD students and staff get %10 off with their ID. So perhaps you'll try it out, and let me know what you think.
Pho La Jolla
3211 Holiday Court #102
La Jolla, CA 92037
Close by (maybe 2 doors down) is one of my favorite Japanese restaurants, the Yummy Maki Yummy Box. I recommend it highly.
We went with high hopes since this is close to our house. I was seriously underwhelmed. My Pho was oily but not tasty. Hubby’s bun was DISGUSTING and we were hungry so you know it must have been bad! I guess I’ll keep driving out to Mira Mesa!
Hi Andrew – Thanks for the recommendation! I appreciate it.
Hi Sharon – Yeow…… that’s terrible! I’m just glad I didn’t get the Bun.
aw too bad, the photos look delicious!
I had high hopes based on your first photo but too bad it was just MOR.
Funny, my wife went to UCSD and said her ex always thought it would be a good idea to open a pho shop near the school.
You’d think that by catering to students, though, the prices would be a lot cheaper!
I was lucky, I went to San Jose State, which borders a nice area of Vietnamese Bahn Mi and Pho shops. Man, those $1 sandwiches got me through many lunches.
Good morning Kirk!
I admit taking convenience over quality often since I’m not a very picky pho eater but the high prices are unfortunate. I guess time will tell (and as my taste buds get more so-pho-sticated..) Ha, what is it with pho and puns??
Anyway, I noticed many older to-go menus at various places with un-updated prices with Pho starting at $4.75 not very long ago..
Hi Kat – It did look good… but didn’t have the fragrance…
Hi Carol – A little less than MOR…
Hi Jan – I think the rent and overhead is pretty high in the area…..
Hi Dennis – I guess the work is just un-pho-gettable…. he-he-he…. Last time Pho Lucky was $4.95.
what’s funny is that they actually sell pho on campus at ucsd at one of the “international” cafeterias, and i’m not afraid to say that what they are doing is morally wrong. it was horrible lol. at least they had it a year or tow ago near warren college when i was there.
i think it’s nice to have a pho place close to campus. while mira mesa does offer a lot of options, it does take a while to get to those places…you have to go down mira mesa for a bit, and sometimes u just don’t want to make that drive. too bad you had a bad experience though….they def. had a good idea opening near campus, but that’s really a darn shame…
Hi Sawyer – I think they can do a lot better. And the prices are not really student friendly.
Has anyone tried Pho Van on El Cajon or University?
Had a pretty good pho-gai there, broth was very tasty and the noodles “al dente” No good when the retaurants cook the noodles beyond repair….
I had a cold, great medicine!
Actually, here is the address
4233 El Cajon Blvd…
I was similarly underwhelmed by the pho there. I was also able to try the banh mi during opening weekend and it was pretty good, although they did not have pate at the time. In all subsequent visits, they have not had banh mi available, which is a bit disappointing. (some sort of supply problem)
The last time I went, service was also rather poor: it took > 20 minutes from order to pho, and I had to ask for a glass of water.
Hi PedMa – Yes, Pho Van – I wasn’t too impressed on my visits though. Too much “salt” in the broth – tough meat.
/2006/12/27/pho_van/
Hi Hao – No Banh Mi… supply problem? That’s strange……
Sparse garnishes make baby pandas cry. =(
Hi CP – “Sparse”…. a good description!
Hey, loving the blog. Wondering what your phavorite pho restaurant in SD is? I’ve tried a few, mostly in the northern part of town. I’m particularly interested in finding the one with the best tendon…
Hi PL – Thanks for the kind words. My favorite tendon is at Pho Ca Dao on El Cajon Boulevard, with Pho Hoa Cali Express second. My favorite bowl of Pho is Pho Lucky on Mira Mesa Boulevard.
All my Pho posts(including VN) can be found here:
http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/pho/
Well I’ll be… Those are the restaurants that top my list so far too. I particularly like the tendon at Pho Lucky, really melts in your mouth. I think I prefer the broth at Pho Ca Dao, though it’s hard to say. I haven’t tried Pho Hoa Cali yet. Happy Phoing!
Hi PL – Well, FWIW, I think you’ve got great taste! ;o) Happy Pho-ing to you to!
Howdy Kirk and gang,
Been to Pho La Jolla a few times (most recent visit was last week); for some reason, my gf likes it a lot. While the meat quality (and quantity) has improved a bit, I think the broth is still a bit too watered down.
My advice? Get a sandwich from IMG next door and a Lavender soda from St. Germain’s across the way and you’ll be more than good to go.
sawyer, thankfully Warren College’s Global Cafe closed this year and is no longer selling their weak attempts at pho or bahn mi.
Hi Raihan – Thanks for dropping by and giving us an update on Pho La Jolla!
Hi Kirk, just had a bowl of Pho here tonight. The soup was on the thin side but they served saw leaf herb. Maybe they read your blog?! I’m definitely going to check out Pho Lucky very soon. Perfect weather for it.. 🙂
Hi Dennis – Thanks for the update but it’ll take a bit more than Ngo Ngai… to make me (N)go back….. at least not for a while.
Hey Kirk,
It’s too bad that a good pho place didn’t move in down the street from my house. My comments on this place were almost exactly the same. On the plus side, Pho Hoa Linda Vista is very good. Love the photos of Laos, looks like an amazing trip!
Hi PRR – Yes, Pho Hoa Huang, when they are on their game, has some of the richest darkest broth. We really enjoyed Laos.
I’ve lived in La Jolla for about ten years now, but I just found out about Pho La Jolla. I’m not sure about how it was when it first opened, but it sure is really good! The beef broth is great because it doesn’t come with the pungent spice smell, which I personally like especially when I’m grabbing lunch in between work, yet it still packs a savory, flavorful, healthy taste. I can tell they don’t skimp on all the beef bones used to make the broth. And their chicken broth is very healthy! I imagine it would be a great remedy for a cold anytime. Also, the owners and staff were very friendly and quick to make me feel comfortable and right at home, a perfect place to take a breather during my lunch break. As far as cleanliness goes, I give it 5 stars!
Hey! Thanks for linking me to your site! Awesome!!
Yeah, I was curious about Pho La Jolla… glad you guys reviewed it so I’ll just stick with Kearny Mesa for pho. Oh, there’s a really good pho restaurant in RB called Pho Hoacali Express. I think it’s on Bernardo Center Dr… have you guys tried it? Crazy fast service (like 2 minutes from placing the order to getting your food) and mouth-watering good food!
Hi Jen – Welcome and thanks for commenting. I haven’t been to Pho La Jolla recently, so hopefully they’ve improved.
Hi SDFoody – No problem, you’ve got a very nice food blog going! Haven’t had Pho in RB, but will check it out when I’m in the area.