Monster Pho 2

Not only are they consistently the best pho in the East Bay, they have incredible service. Tonight a manager from the restaurant helped my wife carry her takeout order to the car 2 blocks away because she was holding our baby.

Seriously impressed with everything this restaurant has done and gone through during COVID. We loved coming here before and came again recently and they had set up mini plastic tents where you can enjoy your meal safely. Their decor, service, consistently good food, and contributions to the community are what bring us back again and again. They put out fresh produce for people to take, which I thought was thoughtful.

Love all the monster pho decoration too!

I have eaten pho here more times than I can count. By far best bowl of pho in the bay. The owner has a lot of care and respect for both his restaurants. You will not regret making this restaurant your number one choice for pho.

Additionally, great appetizers and awesome green tea waffle with coconut ice cream dessert. Thai tea and Vietnamese coffee are awesome.

I've been to this location a couple times, one time pre-covid and one time during covid recently. Right now they only do take out. Pre-covid I was not a vegetarian and since covid I've made changes to become a pescatarian. To be honest, there isn't a wide range of selection here in general and on top of it, being pescatarian, they didn't have much either. I ended up getting a spring roll, and tried a bit of their pho. They portions are huge here. I asked for 2 large pho's and we ended up splitting it between 4-5 people. My boyfriend ordered a vermicelli bowl with a variety and he liked it a lot! He says the pork was nicely grilled and not dried/overcooked. The other time I went to this place and ate in - I ordered their pandan waffle with ice cream and a vietnamese iced coffee. Both were amazing and I highly recommend it!

Portions here are huge. Parking isn't the best here, although right now during covid it's easier. They have a shield in place for covid reasons so it's very safe. Order takes about 15-20 min in general, so you can easily call ahead and arrive to pick up. Prices here I think are a bit higher than the other Pho places I've gone to but portions are bigger. Great service for the two times I've gone.

Pho was average, per reviews O was expecting better, $15 for 3 items and $18 for special combo. The special combo was actually worth extra $ but at $18 not cheap. (If Pho was $10 & $12 then it's more aligned to taste and I would give them another star.). The soup was meh, doesn't have enough fat. They don't offer fresh noodles - all rehydrated dry noodles. The sprouts and basil were clean and fresh - definitely caters to American crowd. I prefer more authentic traditional Pho. Service was fast and efficient. I liked how they packaged things to go but the noodles gets stuck together at bottom of bowl.

COVID review -
Ordered the monster pho and a rare steak, tripe and brisket pho and their portions are HUGE. Definitely could have shared one between 2 people. The meat they give tastes fresh and they don't skimp on it at all. The broth could use a little more flavor but other than that everything else was delicious. Included on the takeout bag was even a cute little note to remind you to wash our hands.

They've also recently started to give back to the community by offering free pho to those who need it with no questions asked. What an amazing way to help out the community!

Definitely recommend especially since your money is going to a great restaurant who's giving back to their community.

Came here on Thursday evening and it was quite busy. Seating was a bit more limited than I imagined, so reserve ahead if you're coming with a big group during dining rush hours.

I ordered the monster pho bowl that has everything. Bowl was gigantic, monster indeed. Brisket cuts are nice and tender. Flank cuts are little bit more tough and chewy. Meat balls are alright, not bouncy as I was hoping.

Noodles were good, not soggy or tough. Good texture. Now let's talk about the broth. I loved the broth, strong savioury flavour and I didn't even get too thirsty afterwards, so no MSG? But way too much CLOVE flavour for my liking, it overpowered everything. I can still feel it on my tongue after every single bite.

A large size seemed to have similar amount of food, but with less of the meat. Maybe I'll opt for that next time. Although monster def was a big portion for me.

My girlfriend lives in the area & she always raves about this place. First of all it's the cutest little establishing on a corner of an apartment building so parking is a little hard to find. Limited seating and it gets packed so make sure to put your name on the list on the side of the door once you enter. Great decor on the inside. Service was a little slow (had to wait almost 30-4mins for someone to recognize we were ready to pay).

But the food was delicious. I must say for a pho spot this is the only place I've seen that doesn't lack on the noodles, i always have to ask for extra noodles in my pho but this place was different. The broth was yummy & the menu was simple- which i liked. Regular pho was $9.50 and you get a lot.

Next had the ban minh chicken sandwich cause it just looked so yummy. Only $9 and it's two sandwiches cut in half so four pieces all together.

Really enjoyed the food here, only took off a star for the customer service but other than that def a must try pho spot!

Monster Pho 2 is a hip Vietnamese restaurant with lots of appetizers, Pho, and Vermicelli bowls. I live a few blocks away from this place, and was excited when they were building it. The original name of this place was Banh Mi Joint, I remember the first meal I had here with friends. We ordered banh mis, wings, and they had a Ginger Cider on tap that was refreshing.

They changed the name to Monster Pho 2 and changed the concept and menu a bit. The Pho is good, the noodles have good bite, and they offer generous portions. I do think the broth lack depth compared to more good Vietnamese places. The flavor is not as developed, needs more star anise or something.

Overall the food is tasty here, the decor of the restaurant looks modern and inviting. They have very clean and good smelling bathrooms, you know what they say about restaurant with clean bathrooms! Might not be the most authentic Vietnamese restaurant in the area, but you will enjoy your meal at Monster Pho 2!

I like this place for its atmosphere.

Food: Lots of appetizers are available, but I usually opt for the regular sized pho and a Thai iced tea. I like the texture of their pho a lot, it's not soggy like a lot of other places. Their veggie pairings are so fresh, especially the bean sprouts!! The broth is good without the onions, they tend to add A LOT. I like squeezing two limes into the sauce dish and then adding some siracha and hoisin sauce - perfect dipping for my noodles. The meats are delicious - I usually get rare steak, meatballs and brisket. The flavor is pretty typical, but I like how it's not too heavy. The Thai iced tea is good but VERY sweet.

Price and portions: VERY. GENEROUS. portions for the pho!! The large, for just $1 more, is enormous. It's $10.50 before tax, while the regular is $9.50! I'd say that everything else here is over priced, an appetizer ranges from $7-11.

Ambiance: I love the little bar section!! You can ask to sit there and watch the sports games that they always have on TV. it's def very hip and modern for a pho restaurant. They play very upbeat music and it lightens up the mood. Lots of outdoor patio seating and the employees are very kind!