Growing up, I used to come here all the time with my family (so regularly in fact that the cashiers know my mom!). Bolsa is a sweet, family-owned business that will serve up some authentic Vietnamese food--no matter your craving. They have an extensive menu, and some items are better than others. They are one of the few pho restaurants in SD to offer chicken pho. But IMO, pho isn't what they're best at. Their bun tom thit nuong (pork + shrimp vermicelli) is my personal favorite across all San Diego Vietnamese joints--I can easily eat this every day. The banh xeo and boiled ginger chicken are my other go-to's. For those who have a constant craving for the nem nuong spring rolls from Brodard, their version of it can tide you over until your next visit to OC. Overall, this is a no-frills, solid restaurant to visit when you want to venture outside of pho (Vietnamese food is so much more than that!). Oh, and they do Door Dash for those couch potato days.

We love family owned restaurants like this. The menu is really extensive, with lots of dishes I have not seen in other Vietnamese places. Pho is on the menu (briefly) but that is not a highlight. Yelp reviews rave about the pho ga. I thought it was just okay. Loved the egg rolls. We plan to return and explore the menu.

Came here for lunch with a friend today. Parking: not bad when we came by around Noon. Line: no, so we got our table right after we walked into the restaurant. Server, cashier: cool as usual since we are their regular customers. Today, we both ordered the Mi Nam Vang hoac Thap Cam (Kho hoac Nuoc) - Combination Egg Noodle Soup or dry (Large +$1.00): They used crystal noodles for this dish, not an egg noodle as mentioned. I have ordered a separate soup which tasted too salty. There small shrimps were fresh, 3 slices of pork did not taste fresh. My friend got the soup and noodle altogether, and he said the soup tasted salty on his dish as well.

One of my favorite things to do in San Diego is eat good Vietnamese food at the local mom-and-pop establishments in the Mira Mesa neighborhood, including Bolsa Vietnamese Restaurant. Whether it's a bowl of soul-warming noodle soup, a classic rice platter, or a sizzling, specialty dish, Bolsa has been a consistently delicious experience. Located in a shopping center at the corner of Black Mountain Road and Mira Mesa Blvd, this family favorite has been serving up an extensive menu of delicious dishes for years. I can't even count the number of times I've been, which means this review is long overdue! In terms of seating, the space is medium-sized but with plenty of movable tables and gracious staff, it can easily accommodate small to large groups. On a recent visit, my family brought 20 people for lunch and the staff took care of us so well! Ambience wise, it's the kind of no-frills decor one might expect from a modest, family-owned Vietnamese restaurant: fairly utilitarian furniture with the classic utensil holders filled with chopsticks and soup spoons. But, the food and earnest staff will make you feel right at home. Alright, on to the good part: the food. They have a lot to choose from so something for everyone! Rice combo platters, vermicelli bowls, stir-fried noodles, noodle soups, sandwiches, porridge, regional specialties, and national classics. I think just about anything you order from here is good, but a few favorites are their noodle soups as well as specialty dishes like "Bun Cha Ha Noi" ($10.50), a Hanoi-style grilled pork served in broth, and "Ca Thang Long" ($15.95), a turmeric marinated fish pan fried with copious amounts of dill, both served with fresh veggies, herbs, rice noodles, and fish sauce. The menu is fairly affordable with a large majority of dishes under $10 (except for the more specialty items). You really can't beat great food at stellar prices! If you're a lover of good, authentic Vietnamese food, I would certainly recommend stopping by Bolsa Vietnamese Restaurant if you're in the Mira Mesa neighborhood of San Diego!

Bolsa has been a favorite of mine here in Mira Mesa for years. They have familiar dishes but in their unique way. I always come back to #17 Chicken Pho if I'm feeling a little under the weather. I like that they are Owner run like so places used to be in Mira Mesa, rather than Owner absent like many today. But, I don't go to any of those new chain-food places that have come in.

First time at this restaurant. The owners and staff were extremely friendly and nice. Service was excellent! I wanted something different, so I ordered the catfish cooked in fish sauce with steamed rice. It came out piping hot and was absolutely delicious! It went so well with the steamed rice. It even came with a small cup of soup. I was really pleased with the meal. I will be back for sure!

I've been coming here constantly for the boiled chicken rice which resembles Singapore chicken rice with the ginger sauce along with the salmon dish. I haven't been able to find this type of chicken rice across San Diego since I left my hometown in NYC where the rice is cooked with chicken broth along with the sauce going well with the chicken. I highly recommend this place mostly since it offers a lot of home cooked meal variety and I always get the feeling of home whenever I eat those above dishes. I wouldn't recommend the pho since it differs traditionally from typical pho with lots of American styled vegetables (broccoli/sliced carrots). Give this a place a chance but choose wisely based on your food tastes!

Hidden little spot off Mira Mesa Blvd. and Black Mountain Rd. I was looking for a place that had spring rolls and came across this place on google. Figured we'd give it a try, they have plenty of vegetarian options as well. We started with an order of spring rolls that had shrimp and rolled ham as well as an order of the the egg rolls. They were both to our liking... we also got an order of the veggie spring rolls and they were just as good. We then ordered stir fried egg noodles, one was a veggie dish the other was a combination with veggies and an order of the lemongrass chicken with ginger. The crispy fried noodles were something else!!! They soften up with the sauce and soak up all the flavors... the lemongrass chicken was very flavorful and delicious. The staff was great, friendly and attentive.

Possibly my favorite Vietnamese restaurant in SD. Amazing service and defreakinglicious bun bo hue. My coworkers and I, party of 20+, came here to celebrate May birthdays, and although we were an enormous group, and I could see the fear in the waiters' eyes as we stepped foot in the door, they handled us like a FUCKING CHAMP. Treated us with such patience + zeal and got ALL. OUR. ORDERS. RIGHT. And food came out in less than 20 minutes! We were in and out like that and I genuinely appreciated the service so much. The waitresses were so adorable and made me feel like I've been welcomed into their home. They were generous with the garnishes and limes and bean sprouts. And never once gave us attitude about my incessant questions. The iced coffee was dank too. Can't wait to come back!

Was very good and authentic. Price was very reasonable and serving size was great. We ordered the: Bun Bo Hue Banh Canh Eggrolls

Great service, great portion and great price! I appreciate restaurant that don't stuff you with large portion. We finished our brunch and had room for dessert! Ordered: 1) Broken Rice combination: 4/5 pretty tasty! Very authentic and homey. 2) Banh canh cua tom: 4.5/5 YUM so good. The good old traditional strachy soup! Definitely will come back. I love that they are opened early on Saturday mornings. Most places around us open at 11am.

We were looking to have a fried rice yesterday and Yelp took us to Bolsa. What it seemed to be a family owned business ran by women from the cooks in the kitchen to the servers up front. There was also a gentleman, could be the owner, who helped to serve the food and greeted the customers. The place is clean. The porcelain plates and utensils look brand new and spotless. We ordered the spring rolls, shrimp fried rice and steak dice. We very much enjoyed the food. There was a good amount of flavorful shrimp in the rice. The steak was marinated well and the meat was remarkably tender and juicy. The spring rolls were neatly wrapped and everything in it was fresh and crunchy, although, the sauce could use a little more flavor. We loved the music in the background, which made us feel relaxed. We also had a good conversation with one of the servers. Overall we had a great experience and came out full. We'll certainly come back again next time.

The pho is good and satisfying, but nothing special. You should give it a shot if you're craving a bowl of pho!

11.2.17 In between a 3.5 and a 4. Their eggrolls is so bomb here. I love it, it's so perfect there's nothing else I could say about it. Their chicken pho however lacks flavor. The chicken needs to have flavor their sauce to dip needs work, all they did was grated a bunch of ginger. It is actually quite odd to have american vegetables in chicken pho. But it was an experience. Their Banh Cuon is mediocore but the fact that they have it available makes it a plus. I wish they had the fried fish cakes, that would have elevated the meal. Service was pretty abrupt. They guy (looked like the boss/owner) was irritated that I order water for my friend after my friend said no drinks. My friend thought that water was a given which he did want. They gave us a dirty fork, they actually forgotten the dipping sauce for the pho and what else...? Other than that, overall not bad, I would try different dishes next time.

I ordered a "com tam bi cha thit nuong" togo today at 11:43am. The lady answered my phone did not repeat the order, she did not ask my name/phone number either. After my friend came to pick up the order. She said my order was "com tam bi thit nuong" without cha. My friend just ask me to confirm that an I said that's not exactly what I ordered. There was not a big problem but she stared yelling at my friend and said she repeat my order multiple times thru the phone??? ‍. We just picked up the order asap because we didn't want to make argument with her. The Com Tam was good but the way she yelling at us just unacceptable. How rude!!!

I was excited to try Bolsa due to the highly rated reviews but was met with a mediocre experience. We ordered some basics so my review is purely based on the three dishes we tried: egg rolls, spring rolls, and pho. Egg rolls look extremely appetizing in pictures but were smaller than expected in person. They were decent and I enjoyed the crispy exterior but didn't feel like they were that great as a whole. The filling tasted okay but lacked flavor. Spring rolls were mediocre and not memorable. My brother said the pho was a little bland but didn't mind it as he felt like it tasted healthier and lighter than normal pho broth. However, he still preferred a bowl from Pho Cow Cali in terms of portion and overall flavor. The environment was slightly off-putting as the tables, chairs, napkin dispenser, etc., all had a sticky/greasy feeling. It's not good when you are trying to eat and your elbows and arms are constantly feeling like they are sticking to the table. Price is okay, typical for the type of dishes you're ordering and around the same range as other Vietnamese restaurants in the area. Parking lot is shared but it's not hard to find parking since people are always leaving/entering the plaza. Customer service was decent but minimal in terms of service. I can't speak for the other dishes Bolsa serves but the few we tried (which were relatively simple dishes) were decent but did not go above and beyond. Unfortunately, in an area with various options for Vietnamese food, I didn't feel like Bolsa had to do something unique and/or different to stand out. I may come back to try their other dishes in the future but would probably go elsewhere for pho and egg/spring rolls.

There are a lot of Vietnamese restaurants in Mira Mesa but there is only one thing I order here: boiled chicken w/ special rice & ginger fish sauce (#59). Frankly, I would eat this everyday if I could. I've tried to find it at the other places I frequent but this is the only place I can find it and that's okay with me. This restaurant is a couple miles from where I live and accept pick-up (phone in or DoorDash) in addition to being a sit-down. It's not a particularly large restaurant but can accommodate a decent size family. I've also had some of the bun (rice vermicelli) dishes and the grilled pork is bomb. I actually made a mistake and ordered the wrong bun dish once but the pork was so good I wasn't even mad. It's served with a shredded lettuce salad that I also haven't been able to replicate anywhere else. The menu is extensive; if you're looking for basic pho, they have that here too but why when they have so many other amazing dishes?

Ate everything off my plate! Flavorful! I got the Vietnamese vegetarian crepe and the fried noodles with seafood.

Had lunch with the family here nice mom and pop home feel environment. Price is reasonable and portions are great. Order came out quickly and hot highly recommend for your Asian persuasion cravings. If you're lucky you will have one of the workers play a quick song on there piano in restaurant

Never going here for morning cure pho again - I ordered the tofu pho w/ chicken broth and the guy who answered the phone was difficult to understand, asked if I wanted thin noodles, couldn't understand the other option so I just said sure. The noodles that were in the soup ended up being glass noodles and it didn't go well with the pho. The veggies looked like as it was put together in a half assed effort, barely any veggies or tofu at all. Don't recommend this place at all.