"What's this thing with you having pho for breakfast every Saturday?" Asked the Missus. My reply; "well, some of these errands I have to run for you mean a bit of a drive and pho is always easy, plus these places open rather early, 8 or 9 am, and aren't crowded at that time."
Which is how I came to have two bowls at almost opposite ends of the map the last two Saturdays.
Pho Hung Cali: 
I'd heard some good things about this place from folks who live in the South Bay. "Buddha" who often comments also mentioned the place to me in an email. So since I was in the area, I thought why not?
the place was very easy to find; basically katty-corner from Aqui es Texcoco. Strange, I'd never even noticed the place before.
The interior is much larger than it looks from the outside….though a lot of the space is empty.
The service is typical pho shop…perhaps a bit more friendly, but mostly all business.
I went with the #18 – Rare Steak, Flank, Brisket, Tendon, and Tripe ($5.95).
I think I've had too many bowls of pho…I recognized the pattern on the bowl; it's the same as the bowls at Pho Cow Cali and Pho Hiep and Grill. Sheesh. The broth though, being on the "sweeter" side reminded me of Pho Fifth Avenue. It wasn't quite as beefy, though it had some anise tones. A decent broth, a bit too light, but not overly salty. It was also a bit on the cloudy side.
I appreciate the generous amount of nicely prepared tripe; though the rare steak was totally cooked by the time the bowl reached me and rigor mortis had set in. The rest of the meats were meh……tasteless, much of it falling apart, the tendon tougher than I prefer.
The noodles were overdone and mushy.
Overall, not a bad bowl, possibly the best I've had in the area. If I were in the area, I'd stop by again. The broth wasn't bad, the prices decent, and one other thing….the hot tea was free….I know, it's usually only a buck…..but for some reason I appreciated an ok pot of tea gratis.
Pho Hung Cali
1060 Broadway Chula Vista
Chula Vista, CA 91911
Hours:
Mon – Sun 8am – 9pm
Pho Saigon and Grill:
**** Pho Saigon and Grill has closed
This place is located right across from 24 Hour Fitness on Carmel Mountain Road. The place I needed to be at wasn't open until 10 am so I decided to grab some breakfast here.
The folks here were really nice.
I got the Pho Dac Biet (small – $6.95), which arrived super piping hot. The presentation reminded me of Pho Paradise.
The broth was highly defatted, but had a nice dark hue. It didn't quite deliver on it's color being very light in flavor and quite salty.
The tendon, as you can tell was good, as was the brisket, which had kept a nice beefy goodness. The flank was too tough, the rare steak cut too thick, and the tripe MIA.
The noodles were dead on perfect. Not sure why all places can't do it this way?
Overall a nice experience with regards to the staff. The pho was decent, but nothing worth going out of my way for.
Pho Saigon & Grill
9975 Carmel Mountain Rd
San Diego, CA 92129
Hours
Mon – Sun 9am – 9pm
Of course, the underlying question is; which of these two bowls did I enjoy more? I've got to say Pho Hung Cali, based on the broth, which was more complex and had more flavor.
we’re headed for another cold snap, a bowl of pho sounds good!
I remember seeing this melamine dinnerware at an Italian restaurant – in London. The weather is cooler in San Diego this week, so a bowl of pho sounds good, too.
Hey Kirk, what would you say are the top 3 places for Pho in SD?
In Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos (Indochine) Pho stalls open at the crack of dawn & stay open thru the lunch hours. The’re all closed by 2PM
It is a breakfast / lunch thing so your Sat AM Pho intake is spot on !
Hi Kat – It’s on the cool side here as well.
Really Sandy! That’s funny.
Hi KW – So, my two favorites are:
– Pho Lucky for the broth, noodles, etc.
– Pho Cow Cali for the protein
As for others you might want to try – Pho Paradise, Pho Fifth Avenue, The Pho Shop, Pho Hiep and Grill, Pho Ca Dao (City Heights), Pho Paradise come to mind. Be aware that typical San Diego pho has quite a bit of salt/MSG. It just seems like that’s the style. Thanks for taking the time out to comment!
Hi Frank – Thanks so much for visiting. I’ll agree that soups are typical breakfast items, though it’s khao piak in Laos and num banh chok in Cambodia. You see, I’ve been to all three countries you mentioned. You can see all the places we’ve travelled in the category list.
That Pho Hung Cali just popped up out of nowhere it seems. There’s a few more Vietnamese places on the west side of CV now. It used to only be 2 (remember Pho 888).
It’s nice to have non clumpy noodles.
Hi CC – Yeah, I remember Pho 888…. It’s nice to have more diverse choices in the area! Hopefully, more good than bad…..
So true Billy!