- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Pho Appetit Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Vietnamese Vietnamese [Edit]
6096 Stevenson Blvd(between Albrae St & Balentine Dr)
Fremont, CA 94538
(510) 659-8049
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 10:30 am - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 10:30 am - 10:30 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Trendy, Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
211 reviews for Pho Appetit Restaurant
Review Highlights
"The filet mignon was tender and juicy."
(in 28 reviews)
"Their spring rolls are excellent as well as their pho."
(in 38 reviews)
"Traditional bo luc lac recipes include water cress."
(in 5 reviews)
Loading...
211 reviews in English
-
Review from Kenny P.
2/5/2012
One of my co-workers took us out here for a working weekend lunch. It seemed to be ages since I last ate Pho anywhere near Fremont. Heck it felt like I haven't ever been in this area of Fremont. I didn't know this plaza or restaurant even existed. The place is modern and clean inside like the newer Vietnamese establishments. Strangely, this is probably one of the nicer Pho restaurants I've ever eaten at. I can safely say that the food is very good, the service was a little slow at first since they seemed to not have much staff at the time. Our group of at least 7 all ordered Pho as you really should at a place with this name. Although some of the other dishes look pretty good as well.
The food is presented in a modern fashion with the proper plates and pho bowls smaller than most other restaurants. More importantly, the Pho broth itself is excellent and clean. There was plenty of meat in mine since I ordered the Dac Biet (special), and for others in my group it might have been too much. I'm really surprised one of my co-workers likes Pho so much and really knew how to eat it. The only thing our table seemed to be missing were the full bottles of sauce, which wasn't a big deal for me. The bean sprouts and side herbs were a decent size and fresh. I'm still curious as to the quality of the other dishes... A pleasant modern Pho restaurant that serves a good bowl in Fremont, who would have known?!? -
Review from JAY H.
Florence, KY
1/28/2012
WoW!!! Very impressive on the food presentation. My sister eats here once a week.
We get here on the eve of Chinese's New Years 2012. They had in-scents burning and fruits and veg to offer the the gods, never seen that, very impressive. The establishment was very new and modern and clean.
Onto the meal. First we ordered the spring roll, love the presentation. Cut in half and standing up, instead on its side.The shrimp and the rice roll, very fresh. I love there peanut sauce. Continuing to the main meal. Ordered the Pho Wonton dumpling egg noodle soup. The broth was so sensational. Best pho I had in a long time. It would defiantly order this again. My sister order the grilled sautéed pork. I tried it. Very good. Next time I am going to order it also. My brother in-law ordered the grilled chicken and the red rice. I also tried the rice, yummy. I ate so much, I was in gluttony.
When I move here to Fremont, this will be my favorite Vietnamese restaurant. I would highly recommend this place. Price was also reasonable. -
Review from Jennifer H.
Fremont, CA
1/20/2012 2 Check-ins Here
Love the chairs and table! I want them in my house! Let's see if I can sneak one out in my purse :) kidding.
Loved the white meat chicken pho, we also had the steak with red rice meal. LOVED the red rice. The staff was really nice, the service was great. My experience is NOTHING like all the 3 or less star reviews. Maybe they read the comments and changed. I dunno, but I love it! -
Review from Mark T.
Fremont, CA
2/6/2012
Best Pho in the tri-city (Fremont, Newark, Union City) area for sure. The food is always very fresh, and the broth is perfect when you need something hearty and warm on a cool day. The menu is a little limited if your a true Pho Phanatic, but what's there is awesome. Service can be hit or miss, but is generally very good. I would probably have taken away 1/2 star for service, but otherwise this place is great. If you're looking for cheap Tung Kee noodles, don't come here, the food here has way to much quality and flavor for you.
-
Review from Victor N.
Santa Clara, CA
2/1/2012
I truly think this place has started going downhill. On the upside, you'll find that the decor and general cleanliness of the restaurant is fairly nice in comparison to other pho restaurants. As far as cons go, there are limited selections on what you can have with your pho (which shouldn't be the case, as this is a PHO restaurant), and service hasn't been as good as it used to. The lady with the glasses, who I believe is the manager/owner, is awesome, but some of the servers need to be dressed a little bit better given the general atmosphere of the restaurant. The last person who was our server looked like she had just gotten out of bed and was wearing dirty pajamas and had those hair rolls.
-
Review from Jim H.
Santa Clara, CA
2/3/2012 2 Check-ins Here
NO Msg! Excellent presentation and taste. Quality ingredients. Solid quantity. Perfect brisket, assorted veggies pho combo. (Make your own.) You can see and taste the care and not your typical fast food place. My only regret is that why didn't I discover this place sooner!
-
Review from Jen C.
Fremont, CA
While I'm not a big fan of their pho here, their other dishes are totally worth the drive. Even though there's a closer vietnamese restaurant to me, I'll make the drive to get their grilled pork vermicelli (L5 on their lunch menu and #21 on their dinner menu). The pork is delicious! Literally everyone in my family agrees too. We've tried a few of their rice dishes also and weren't disappointed. But we mainly come here for their vermicelli.
For the food I would just give 4 stars, but decided to give another star for their service. I've come here a few times yet they already remember me (lol). When I ordered for take out for my mom and me, they forgot to give us our egg rolls (which are also really good btw). So I called them to let them know and she said she remembered me and told me to just let her know next time :) -
Review from George H.
Palo Alto, CA
11/29/2011 4 photos
I found this place after eating an extremely dissapoint diner at Com Tam Thanh across the street. We were new to the area and checking out the mall, coming out of the Save Mart Parking lot onto Stevensen, I saw these coollooking hanging red lights and a vietnamese brick wall, and a few people eathing inside at 10 PM. I marked it for next time...
the next day was next time and we tried this place a few times. The food is prepared beautifully, it had some nicer dishes made with fillet mignon, such as Bo Luc Lac and a Fillet Mignon Pho. See the photos i uploaded. As you can see the presentatiosn are picture worthy!
The dishes are pretty traditional, very good but a bit on the pricy side though. Out of the few times we ate there the bill was $27 - $40 and we each had one entre, there was two of us. A to-go order of Pho Ga and Bo Luc Lac was $27 bucks, no drinks.
One thing i really likes was the red rice. i usually dont order that for It never apeals to me, but here i always order as second serving, worth the $2.
Some tiems the service is a bit slow, there is usually one to two people working the front and they run their ass off. I heard tehy were open like 2 years and Sue works 7 days a week, open to close. At that rate shell drop in a couple years. She sweet but definately needs a break. I hope they pay her well. Give her a good tip.
The place is nice, and hella nicer than that Com Tam Thanh dump across the street, I hate tp bag on a place .. go see my review of it over there. -
Review from Sandra G.
Fremont, CA
11/21/2011 1 Check-in Here
I come here for some late night pho. Well, not that late.. But it seems that each time I come here, they never have the desert I want :( The last time I came, I had to settle for coffee gelato. It wasn't bad to be honest, it was actually pretty good.. But DAMN they never have the chocolate bear gelato! Do I have to come here in the afternoons?
Anyways, the presentation of their pho is always nice. Fresh and tasty, too. But one problem with the service. The times I've been here, the waitress is always like, "ohm I'm not suure if we have that... Let me check for you!" Just a pet peeve of mine. They could work on that. The owner is nice though. I mean, maybe they're understaffed?
And is it just me or do they skimp out on their meat? I dunno..
I'm honestly torn between giving them three stars, or four. -
Review from Love to Eat G.
Fremont, CA
Updated - 11/6/2011
Well, the food was average. Not really that great, actually. The service was way too slow. We ordered 2 orders of pho and a rice plate. It took 45 minutes to an hour to get our phos and another additional 10 minutes for the rice plate. There were only 4 other tables in the restaurant. But i bet they had only one person in the kitchen. Our kids got cranky toward the end, i don't blame them for sitting there for 2 hours!!!
The most disappointing moment was when we tried to pay and wanted to leave so badly...it took forever to get our check. We had to walk up to the counter for the check and pay. But the boss wasn't there and the guy said he couldn't ring us up unless we pay in cash. WTF????? Luckily we had cash, otherwise, he would have made us wait for the boss to come back.
Price: kinda on the higher end. I guess u pay for the ambience and cleaniness.
Won't come back for sure!!!!! We were there for over 2 hours just to have a bowl of noodles. c'mon give me a F-ing break!!! I felt like I went to Paris for French food. That is where u would sit through the entire night for a dinner.1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
11/4/2008
Nice and clean vietnamese restaurant. The menu doesn't have too much selection though. Services… Read more »
-
-
Review from Sonam B.
Fremont, CA
12/16/2011
gave this places 2 chances, didn't work out too well. the place is really cold inside.. chairs are super hard and uncomfortable. when the guy is working, service is super slow. if you ask for a lime, napkin, etc.. he literally brings out ONE LIME or ONE NAPKIN. super annoying because you keep having to ask him for things, and he disappears and then comes back and brings one more thing.
the taste of the pho is good, not great. the only reason why i went back here a 2nd time is because my favorite pho place is cash only, and this is right next to my house :(
they also have some other chinese/thai dishes, but they aren't good at all!
so last time we went, we ordered a tofu noodle dish and requested very little veggies, they brought out pad thai noodles (not the ones we asked for) with tons of veggies and no tofu. my friend did not even have one bite and what seemed like the owner came up to us and asked how we liked our food, so we told her that our dish was made incorrectly and we wanted to change it. so she apologized for their mistake and took it back. the waitress BROUGHT THE DISH BACK FROM THE KITCHEN AND ASKED US WHY WE DIDNT LIKE IT!!!! like who does that???? she was scolding us for her mistake and arguing with us, telling us that she got us what we wanted. then, she told us we shouldn't return food we have eaten! like watch your video cameras, no one even took one bite. the owner sees this and comes over to our table and scolds the girl in their language, and the girl runs off.
horrible service!!! bad food!! freezing inside!
dont recommend going here! the only thing they have going for themselves is a nice bathroom and a nice clean Restaurant! twice i have been there, and we have been the only people in the Restaurant.. once was a Friday night. that tells you a lot about a place!! -
Review from Kayla W.
Fremont, CA
12/27/2011
Food was soooo yummy! The spring rolls were the best I have ever ate! I also enjoy the fact I can have a glass of wine with my dinner.. very hard to find at most Pho spots in the area. Would have 5 stars but the service was a little slow with no customers in the building..
-
Review from dale d.
San Jose, CA
11/7/2011
So I took a first time California visitor here last month for his first bowl of Pho ever - needless to say this guy was impressed with our cuisine here in the Bay Area! He had the customized Pho, Veggie Spring Rolls, and the standard Vietnamese "Crack" Coffee. He marveled at the light, fresh, and complex flavors that he had never before experienced in his home state of Minnesota. I sat there and wondered what they ate out there....LOL!
I don't know why everyone's hatin on this place???? It's not expensive, you can get what you want in your Pho, and the decor is "very nice" (enough to make Ali G say so himself). I can see how it can get crazy in here for lunch, but what good lunch place doesn't get crazy at lunchtime here in silicon valley? This place is pretty much a good Pho restaurant with extremely good food presentation - I especially liked the Basil leaf stem in the glass - Very Classy! -
Review from Andy C.
Newark, CA
10/11/2011
Honestly... Atmosphere -- Average. Services -- Bad (my one experience there for lunch). Food -- Average. Portion/Price -- Poor.
I have hesitate coming here due to up/down comments from yelp followers, but decided to take my Vietnamese mother-in-law to try it out for lunch... let's put it this way BAD idea.
Arrive at 11:30am (30 minutes after opening) -- no one's there already a bad sign... plus I have to stand waiting at the sign (Please wait to be seat) for more than 3-minutes before I asked them if they're open for business (I would have left if I were with my friends!).
Food -- Pho nothing special (they don't even have the mint leaf) and to my surprise the waitress lady told my mother-in-law they cater to American... very disappointed. -
Review from David h.
Fremont, CA
Updated - 9/12/2011
3.5 stars really... It' doesn't get a straight 4 only because it's a touch more costly than a lot of the competition. But with that said the food is quite good, and this is a bump up from our last visit which was quite awhile ago.
Last night I had the 4A which was pho with rare, flank and brisket. Quite a bit fattier than my usual simple pho tai, but also with more flavor (naturally). Egg rolls were a bit chewy, but also done nice and crispy like I like them. They also have a decent menu specifically for the kids which for us is a bonus. My wife always gets the filet minon pho here, which I think is a bit pricey ($10), but this is also the only place where I've ever seen that so if you're interested you should check it out.1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
1/20/2010
a cut above most pho places in the area. Attractive dining area and decent service. The food is… Read more »
-
-
Review from Kylie H.
Fremont, CA
7/21/2011
The best pho I've ever had. And I truly mean that!
What sets Pho Appetit apart from other places is their presentation. Your pho is served in cute black bowls, the mint leaves are freshly placed in a tiny vase of water, the spring rolls are artistically placed on a square platter, and so on. Not only does this food look good, it tastes good! And are all priced decently.
I highly recommend ordering the filet mignon ( I think it's #10 on the menu). The beef just melts in your mouth.
If I'm ever asked where the best pho place in the Fremont/Newark area is, I'd kindly direct them to Pho Appetit. -
Review from jackie a.
Fremont, CA
8/27/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Pretty neat place, first time I've ever seen a pho restaurant looking very chic and very open space! Check out their gadgets for taking orders, very cool!
Came here because I was nearby and was craving for pho! I'm a big pho fan and found this place .8 miles away from where I was. Decided to go to this place because of their high ratings and great reviews. Ordered to go and the pho was rrreeeeeeeeeeell ggggeeeeeeeeddd! I'll come back again next time!
Pho Appétit! -
Review from Ruth L.
Fremont, CA
7/26/2011
I don't normally write reviews on Yelp, but I would hate for this place to close down! The unique thing about Pho Appetit is their use of some organic ingredients and the lack of MSG. I'm sure that's a main reason for the slightly higher prices.
Besides the pho, we've tried several their other dishes such as the appetizers, rice places, salads, and rice vermicelli that were also very delicious! So far, we haven't found much we didn't like in the food department. Everything is very fresh and tasty.
The only thing is that they have a few servers that are a bit slow... I think we'll have to mention that to them next time:P. -
Review from Josh B.
Newark, CA
8/12/2011 40 Check-ins Here
This place has the best veggie pho in the area, in my opinion.
One thing I find, as a vegetarian, is that not many places have decent veggie broth (if at all). Most of the time it tastes like they boiled the vegetables for all of 2 or 3 minutes, in other words, tasteless. This place, on the other hand, lets you pick your broth (veggie, chicken or beef) and the veggie broth is usually delicious.
I gave four stars because there have been a few times (I've probably been there about 35 times) when the service wasn't so great (just slow to get order and slow to get check, but always friendly) and two times where I swear they must've ran out of their tasty veggie broth and I got the 2-3 minute boiled veggie broth style. Overall, out of the number of visits, I'm willing to take the risk!
They have free wifi, but I've never used it before. -
Review from Heather Q.
Fremont, CA
7/11/2011
I really love this place! Reasons why:
they do not use msg in their pho
vegetables are never overcooked
food is always fresh
they give you herbs in a vase of water for your soup (so pretty!)
tons of different sauces
waiters are always so nice
their pho is soo good and always hot! -
Review from Lien T.
San Jose, CA
Pho Appetit is pretty appetizing! I did not expect much, because it is located in Fremont, but they sure did impress me with their presentation and taste.
I tried their shrimp and pork spring rolls and bo luc lac (shaking beef). The spring rolls were beautifully presented and tasted fresh and great. I wish I took a picture of the spring rolls, but I was too hungry and forgot. The peanut dipping sauce came out warm and tasted delicious. The crushed peanuts added a nice crunch. The bo luc lac (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) was delicious! The rice was buttery and complimented the flavorful beef wonderfully. I am pretty sure they use some sort of beef loin, because it was extremely tender. Even after microwaving the left overs, the beef was still tender. Another thing that I really liked about the bo luc lac, was that they used water cress (most places use lettuce). Traditional bo luc lac recipes include water cress. Some might not enjoy the bitterness of the water cress though, but I loved it!
I really appreciated the fact that they use quality ingredients at Pho Appetit. Prices are fair for what you get and the staff was very professional and well trained. I work a few blocks away, so I will definitely be back.Listed in: SluUurp, sluuUrp!
-
Review from Steven C.
6/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
I went here with my roommate for dinner and we both ordered the BBQ pork, the one where you wrap it in the clear spring roll paper and eat it. My favorite food!
It took about 10 minutes for us to get the waters we ordered initially with our BBQ pork. At the time of the order, the waiter said, "this will take some time to get out since there are other customers" I said, "it will take 30 minutes?" the waiter said," 15 minutes" I said that was fine.
30 minutes later we get our food. The water he gives us to roll our wraps is warm at best, we had to let the wrap soak in there just to let it get soft.
There is a plethora of sauces on the counter and the sauce that came with the meal was this yellow type. I wanted fish sauce and some chili sauce to dip my roll in, so I went over to the sauce area to get some.
The owner, which is a woman, stopped me and said no, you cannot take any of those. I said i wanted some spicy dipping sauce and she said no, you cannot eat it with that sauce. she then proceeded to talk to us in a condescending manner which made me even more peeved.
I can say a lot more terrible things about this place, but to sum it up
Service - TERRIBLE
Food - bearable
I would never come back to this place.Comment from Peter L. of Pho Appetit Restaurant 6/8/2011
First of all we are sorry for the misunderstanding, Ninh Hoa… More » -
Review from Shubs K.
Palo Alto, CA
10/10/2011
The food at Pho Appetit is really good, and I'm told there is no MSG in their pho. With a group, I ordered their spicy tofu with rice, basic pho, and glass noodles with shrimp. All of these items were hits, and so big too! I came here on a Wednesday night, so the place was fairly empty and we were seated right away. The service was a tad slow, but not as bad as some of the reviews I've read. The only thing that's keeping me from giving this place 5 stars is the price. For a casual Asian restaurant (especially in that location), it's a little more expensive than it could be.
-
Review from Betty C.
San Francisco, CA
5/4/2011
I think I just had the bougiest pho ever. 2 bowls of pho, 1 side order of imperial rolls, and 1 rice plate was almost around 60$! Maybe I'm spoiled by living in the city, but that's not how you rip people off (I forgot we ordered drinks too). In the city by the bay, you can get really good pho for joog! 5$ a bowl! Fremont really knows how to pimp their pho.
Pho itself, was okay. I've had better for cheaper. If this was regular priced, I wouldn't have complained. But the price just doesn't match up the pho. Quality and clean ingredients though.
And lastly, this was the fanciest pho restaurant I've ever been to. Nice, modern decor. Very chic. (Maybe that's what you're paying for as well...). Friendly and prompt service.
Wouldn't come back, though. -
Review from Kimberlee H.
Fremont, CA
4/20/2011
Looking for a local Pho place, I yelped random Fremont locations, since I usually only eat at one Pho place. I should've read the reviews before ordering here.
Majority of reviews are right. Don't eat here unless you're trying to come out the pocket. Came here Thursday night and it was completely dead. Decor is nice, and does look more upscale, but the food was typical. And when I picked up my order, it was ten bucks, for ONE REGULAR sized bowl of Pho (I ordered the Pho Dac Biet). Now I expected five, six, seven tops, but ten bucks? The lady opted to change my order for something "lower priced" but I already had my ten dollar bill out.
Driving home, I'm thinking... "this pho better be damn good."
Common, it's like a Mexican restaurant charging $10 for a regular sized chicken burrito.
Warmed up the soup, threw everything in a bowl, and noticed the soup was darker than usual. More fish sauce I guess? Anyways, ate, and the Pho tasted like most other Phos I've had.
For ten bucks, this location should move to San Francisco or Napa. If I wanted to spend ten bucks on a to-go ordered meal, I would've took my butt to Chipotle for a Carne Asada burrito bowl AND chips&guacamole.
Will not be returning. -
Review from Amado R.
Newark, CA
11/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
Not your traditional Pho place, up beat menu and friendly staff.
-
Review from Herrick L.
Fremont, CA
7/6/2011
Great presentation. Not much else.
This place used to be one of my favorite pho restaurants when it first opened - it had a fresh, clean taste to it that was a lot different from the other pho restaurants I've tried. Now, it just tastes like any other generic pho place, but at a smaller size for a higher price.
I decided to come here with my family to try the lunch special, available for $6.99 between 11am and 2pm. You get your choice of broth, type of noodle, and the typical meats like rare steak and brisket. It was passable, but for ~$7 you can get a larger portion with better flavor at other places.
The biggest problem I had with this place is the service. I have no idea what was wrong with the waiter who served us, but I had to ask for my Coke a total of four times before I got it: Once during the initial order, again when my sister added a root beer and they asked to confirm the other drinks, another when the pho came, and a fourth time after 5 minutes had passed and I still hadn't received it.
My table of four were the only people there. Is it really that hard to remember an additional drink?
When the waiter finally gave me my Coke, he had forgotten to give me a glass with ice in it. By the time I poured it into the glass, 25 minutes had passed since our initial order and I was almost done with my pho.
I won't be coming here again. -
Review from Sunil R.
5/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
I liked this place.
The food had good presentation.
The ambience was nice and modern
Not very crowded
The ribs and grilled chicken were oustanding
Service was good
Good dessert options
Pho was average even though it was filet mignon pho! -
Review from Chris C.
San Francisco, CA
11/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
Love the Pho and good service and solid menu selection.
-
Review from Sarah K.
Newark, CA
3/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
Very nice owners! The food is nice and it's sort of a modern take on the traditional average Pho restaurant.
I Like this place because the atmosphere is so much more welcoming and relaxing than most Pho restaurants I've gone to, not to mention it seems MUCH cleaner.
Thumbs up! -
Review from Delilah B.
San Francisco, CA
5/9/2011
Cute decor. Pretty modern for a Pho restaurant.
We came here for lunch and ordered 2 of their pho lunch specials.
I had chicken breast and my friend ordered rare steak. My soup was pretty decent. Not the best pho that I had but my friends was extremely salty. So salty that it was practically inedible.
We told the server and she actually tasted it as well and agreed. So she gave my friend a new bowl, which was nice. It was slightly better. -
Review from Anna M.
Santa Clara, CA
12/26/2011
Nice clean place. Lacks a bit of warmth and comfort. The seats are a bit hard. Probably sounds nit picky but you'll see what I'm talking about when you get there. Food is pretty good although you do not have the option of choosing a small or large size pho. I've been here a few times already I'd go back. I like the deserts too btw!
-
Review from Hello K.
Fremont, CA
2/24/2011
I was excited to try Pho Appetit but unfortunately was disappointed. I had the chicken pho with white chicken and thought the pho was very bland and not tasty. My bf also did not find his beef pho any better at all. Both lacked flavor.
Service here was okay and fast and the restaurant decor was modern but the food just didn't cut it for me. Prices here were also a little high I felt, some dishes ranged $12 and up (for noodles and rice dishes).
I would prefer to go to La Sen in the Pub next time. -
Review from Tammy C.
Newark, CA
10/18/2011
I love this place. It has a nice setting, perfect place for a date or family gathering. The food is really good, presentation is also good. Even though the service is a little bit slow, there are always someone check on us to make sure we have everything. It is also one of the nice restaurants that is local. I hate to see this place close out, there are not that many good Vietnamese restaurant in Fremont/Newark area. Try their new plate where you make your own rolls, it is delicious!!!
-
Review from Leanne P.
3/28/2011 2 Check-ins Here
This place was very surprising for a pho place. The decor was pretty and the chairs and tables gave the place a great vibe.
The menu is very extensive, and I like how they broke it up into different categories. I was tempted by a lot of the different things on the menu, but I forced myself to try their specialty: the filet mignon pho.
First of all, the presentation of the dish was great. They bring a fondue thingy (with the base still lit on fire) that keeps the small bowl of soup hot. Then they bring you a tray of (I think?) 6 pieces of thinly cut filet mignon. I doused my beef with some lemon juice to flavor it. You cook the meat as you go, so you can control the done-ness of your meat. The pho itself is served in a separate bowl and I felt like the portion was perfect. The noodles were yummy and the broth was scrumptious! I loved taking a bite of pho, and then cooking my filet to medium rare, then munching on that as well.
I did dock 2 stars because:
1) The service was kinda crappy. When we first got there, there was only one other party besides us. The other group left before we got our food. So we're the only ones in the restaurant. Why does it take me 5 minutes to get someone's attention? Why would you serve pho, but no spoon?!? haha. The people who work there are nice, just not very attentive.
2) The place is pretty pricey. 3 bowls of pho and 1 order of spring rolls were about $40... Its not horribly overpriced (see my review on 19 Market... ::shudders::) but its not the best either.
Overall, decent place! We'll probably be back. -
Review from Grace L.
Mountain View, CA
6/8/2011
Solid pho. More of a pho place, which allows u to customize what kind of meat and broth, we got pho, lotus salad, and a special pork dish.
The filet mignon pho was specially prepared and came with it's own steaming carafe of broth. Also, they had grilled pork, veggies, and herbs which u wrap in rice paper ( forget the Vietnamese name) which I search high an low for. Overall an enjoyable meal for a fair price.
They also have a kids menu, which I thought was brilliant. Decor is nice, service was really friendly. -
Review from Eric S.
Chevy Chase, MD
1/11/2011
In another review of a nearby Chinese place, I had said that beef noodle soup satisfied a craving for pho when pho was not nearby. I was wrong, because one day later, I found myself still wanting some damn pho. Pho Appetit was a short walk from my hotel, and damn if it wasn't worthwhile.
I wish I had someone to eat with, because frankly, Vietnamese is more fun when you can try a whole bunch of stuff and share it. Since I was alone, it was merely a #3 (basically all the crap you can fit in a bowl of soup) and a Vietnamese coffee for me. It wasn't the best pho I've ever had [0], but it was certainly up there. The rest of the menu looked tasty, and if I get the chance, I'll be happy to work my way through it. The pho that comes with rare filet mignon on the side looked especially awesome, and I really want to try that. The coffee was great, and while I thought it was a bit weird they pressed and stirred it for me, I'm lazy enough to appreciate that I didn't have to do it myself.
Prices seemed fine for me, but I could see where others would think they're a bit higher. From what I've seen of other restaurants in this area in the couple days of visiting, there's a glut of cheap Asian food, so competition is fierce. They make up for it though in presentation, and crisp cleanliness. While the usual cafeteria approach to pho joints has some charm, I liked the modern look of Pho Appetit. Chopsticks were served individually and wrapped in a napkin, and the condiments were served on a bento box[1] style platter with the plum sauce and the sriracha mixed swirled next to each other yin-yang style[2]. The basil shoots were served upright in a glass of water. All in all, it was a great presentation and the food did not suffer because of it.
Service was also great, and very accommodating. They even asked if I wanted a fork, which is probably because I was the only white guy in the place. In that pho is the reason I originally learned to use chopsticks, I politely declined, but am glad they asked.
All in all, food was solid, and I'd be happy to try more given the chance. If I don't get back here, I ask you do it for me, so that it's still open when I am in the area again. The place is good now, and since they seem somewhat new, I think they have potential.
~EEE~
[0] I live near DC, and am a bit spoiled by a few places in MD and VA.
[1] Yes, I'm aware that's Japanese. It sounds better than "sectioned plate".
[2] See #1 and insert Chinese. -
Review from Lyn C.
1/24/2011
OH...YOU FANCY, PHO?
Basil done, Sauce done,
Everything did
Wow, oh wow, this has gotsa be the fanciest pho I've ever been to! The basil was served in a vase, hoisin sauce and siracha already prepped for use in the mini dish, and contemporary style bowls, plates, & chopsticks.
There is free wifi, the restaurant felt very clean, and no problems with the service.
The menu was very extensive, but of course I went with the pho. As impressive as the ambiance was, the pho itself was on par with average pho quality. I didn't really like the broth and the contemporary bowls were deeper, yet taller than a regular bowl... which felt like it held less.
Very nice and fancy...which makes it a pleasant place to eat, but if you're looking for a hardy bowl of pho-filling pho, keep looking.Listed in: Pho realzzz?
-
Review from Huyen N.
San Jose, CA
4/28/2011
The food was pretty good. I love their papaya and mango salad.
The place was very nice and clean.
Service was better than other Vietnamese restaurants. -
Review from David T.
Milpitas, CA
2.5 stars is my rating for this place
The decor is VERY nice and upscale for a pho place. They got a very big menu and its kind of confusing to order the usual pho. Everything is done up all fancy here and over the top but that isn't what I look for when I go out for a bowl of pho. My rule of thumb is the fancier the pho place looks, the crappier the food taste. My general experiences with hole in the way pho places have always be near 5 stars.
So I come here with 2 of my friends for lunch and it was quite dead. Usually a red flag. When we got inside we were seated very fast in these weird looking wooden chairs and benches. I ordered the usual tai chin bo vien with my meat on the side. It came out pretty quick but it's pho... how hard can it be? This place uses some wierd looking bowls that hold very little pho and broth. They supply with these 1lb spoons that are useless because it barely holds any broth when you try to sip some. I was getting irritated while eating my pho because my hand got tired from supporting this huge ROCK spoon. Asides from my tired hand. I should say something about the pho. It wasn't that bad and it wasnt that good. You can tell they didnt use alot of msg in it. I didn't get MSG coma after i ate it.
The service is decent here but when I asked for chili and black sauce, the lady told me to go get it myself. I was like uhhh... I just paid 10 bux for this bowl of pho and you want me to get my own sauce? What nonsense is that? I would skip this place because it didn't really appeal to me. Theres like 3 other pho places down the street that I would try out.
