Pho Pasteur

This place is amazing. Been going here for about 3 months and it is my new fav spot. Broth is very high quality

Best phở I ever have in America. I always go for phở tai nam duoi bo (phở with raw beef, beef brisket, and ox tail). Their broth is very authentic. This is the closest version of Phở to the ones I had in Vietnam. They use fresh noodles too (you have to request it). Highly recommend this place if you want authentic Phở.

came for the Phở, went for the Bun Rieu when i saw it was listed as a specialty.
Phở Pasteur is the first eatery on the left as u entered Lions food court.
eats: Bun rieu cua dong (8.5, tax included)
–crab paste, tomato soup, ground pork, pork blood, pork cake, bean vermicelli, 2 kinds of fried tofu, garnish: red cabbage, bean sprouts, lemon wedge.
–side sauce mostly chili sauce, not crab paste.
–tasty food, not as great as others, salty broth
take outs:
–meticulous, courteous service.
–may try filet mignon phở sometime, not oxtail (no meat)
–lots of dining space in food court.
–cash only

This is my all time favorite place for Phở in SJ. I usually get the fillet minions and oxtail Phở with a little fat broth added. Beyond amazing. I have to have it once a week lol

I love phở and I’m pretty picky about the broth, but this place totally nailed it! They offer a lot of options, but mostly focused on noodle soups.
The prices are reasonable, and they allow you to pick between big or small sized noodles. I opted for the small rice noodles for my bowl of beef, flank, tendon, and meatball phở ($ 8.50). I think any additional add on is $ 1.00 more. My bowl of phở came out pretty quick and had a good ratio of meat to noodles. I do wish the broth was a little saltier, but that’s not something that hoison and Sriracha can’t fix.
My mom ordered their Hu tieu mi dac biet nuoc (rice and egg noodle special with broth) and complained that there were barely any pieces of meat and that the broth wasn’t as flavorful as my phở. It sucks cause my phở was really yummy and fulfilled my craving. I’d probably just stick with their phở since it’s what they specialize in.

Phở Pasteur is great for a quick and casual Phở stop in a no-​frills environment. They’re located in the food court next to Lion Market on Tully Rd and there are plenty of parking spots available in the huge lot.
The clientele on the way to the food court and in the food court is sometimes sketchy with homeless asking for money and/​or drinking a beer… They do have a security guard that does a good job of monitoring the system… They also have a bus «man» that pushes a cart around to take away dirty plates and wipes down the table while wearing his gloves.
Service is always friendly by the what seems to be a family-​owned joint. #1 with Fresh noodles and rare steak on the side is always a safe bet! The noodles are fresh and the broth is flavorful. The meat is quite fresh too!
There’s a huge jar full of raw onions to complement the soup!
$ 8.5 for lunch, tax «included» and cash only! ;)

My co-​workers and I ate here this morning for breakfast. We’ve ate here many times before, so I thought it was going to be the same good thing as before. We placed our orders and played the waiting game. Everyone’s meal came in with in 10 — 12 minutes or so. I had ordered a small Phở Bo Vien in other words noodles with meat ball soup. When it came time to get our food I noticed that they put my order in a large bowl, so that kind of threw me off a bit, but its okay food is food and it needs to be eaten. The second thing I noticed that the noodles in my bowl were not cooked yet. I have never had a bowl in front of my face and had to still play the waiting game before. So after about 5 minutes or so, I took a sip of the soup first because I wanted to know if anything else was wrong and I could tell straight off the bat that the soup was different from before. My boss noticed it too and explained to me that they had change the MSG they were previously using to a different kind. In the end, I had an OK experience this time. Usually they would be on point, but not today I guess. Word of advice to the cook in charge of the soup, please stop what your doing now and go back to the original recipe for your soup and almost for the person in charge of prepping the food, Please make sure that the noodles are cooked thoroughly next time. Thank You

FYI: Cash Only. There is an ATM a little further down the hall though, but I wouldn’t really want to count on that… I’ve been told half the time the ATM doesn’t even work… luck was on my side that day when needed to pull out some cash haha.
Anywhoo, in all my years of living in ESSJ, it’s only now I hear about Phở Pasteur in SJ… and it’s only now I hear they have phở with oxtail! What?! Lol…
Came here a couple of months ago to buy phở for me and my friends… this place is actually located within the Lions Plaza in the food court area…
I think it’s a family that runs this place, and omg, they are just the cutest people ever… they were so friendly and so helpful cuz I had no idea how to order from their menu lol…
What I like about this place is that they can make some adjustments for you on your order… like for example, they asked me if I wanted to regular vermicelli noodles or the thick ones, if I wanted more meat with my soup and what kind, and if I wanted to pickled onions included in my soup or on the side.
Their soup is BOMB. Lol, great comfort food for cold, rainy days, or simply when you’re feeling under the weather. :)

Really friendly staff, super affordable, and honestly the dankest most authentic phở I’ve had since I can remember. A+++

They have all kinds of meat! The soup flavor is absolutely amazing… I always come here when I have time!

I am the pickiest phở eater out there. I’m serious I have gone years without eating phở because there’s no more good phở places in San Jose. Looks like my phở problems are over though ever since I tried this place.
The first time I tried it my mom bought it to go and I was skeptical to even try it because I’ve been disappointed so many times with mediocre phở. The smell of it being heated up hit my room upstairs and I knew it was going to be good.
Fast forward to today I took my boyfriend here to try it in house. I got the ox tail and steak and he got the brisket and it was beyond amazing. The ox tail so soft and tender it melted in my mouth. The broth was on point! Fragrant, rich and yet still light and not oily. Even my boyfriend agreed that it was the best phở he’s ever had.
If you’re ever in the area stop by and try this place it’s located in the food court in lion plaza. The people working here are super nice too. They do speak English are are more than happy to answer any questions you have :).

Went here for breakfast this past weekend. Was wanting to try this place because my ex-​coworker is the brother of the owner.
We were a party of 4, mom and wife ordered the phở special and my dad ordered some random item on the menu. I ordered the Ox Tail with the wide fresh noodles.
All bowls come in one size, so you can’t pick small, medium or large. It is in whatever bowl they choose for you. I’ve noticed this with pretty much all the noodle places around. They are switching to a one size fits all and at one price. Makes it easy.
My bowl was really not a traditional PHO dish. The broth was different, yet still good and savory. The oxtail was tender and the noodles were absolutely fresh. It came piping hot, so if you know me, I don’t wait for noodle to cool down, I just dig in and burn my whole mouth! haha
I didn’t/t try the traditional phở, but my wife said it was good. The only complaint from their bowl was they give A LOT OF NOODLES! Like if you don’t eat fast enough, it will absorb more soup and get bigger. By the time they finish eating, they bowl doubled in size! It’s funny in a way. I love noodles, so that’s cool with me.
All in all, this is a legit place. You don’t see non-​Asians here. If you are not Asian and come here, expect to be stared down by old Asian people. LOL, but it’s worth venturing out to if you have some kahunas.
Would I come here? Yeh. I would. Not sure when though because it’s across town from parent’s house and there are just soo many phở places it’s hard to not try all of them in San Jose.

** CASH ONLY **
Not sure if this place is related the Phở Pasteur (s) on Berryessa or in Union City, but this food court stall seems to have better food than either of them.
I got the #6 ($ 8.50, oxtail + rare steak (eye-​of-​round)) with wide noodles, steak on the side, and no cilantro. The friendly cashier asked if I wanted some beef fat in my phở. .. don’t remember ever being asked that before.
There’s a tray of condiments next to the register (
), you can’t see it, but there’s a jar of sliced vinegared onions which I added to my bowl when I picked it up.
The garnish plate had the not so commonly provided ngò gai’ (sawtooth herb) which has the same soapy flavor as cilantro for me so was wasted on me, along with sprouts, jalapeño slices, and lime wedge (
). The sprouts were warm and slightly blanched; I like that as they don’t cool the broth as much as adding raw sprouts. The cashier also provided a mix of hoison & sriracha (
) not sure if that’s just for if you get the steak on the side.
As I dug in, I was pleasantly surprised by this food court phở.
The bowl had no cilantro, a generous handful of green onions, and a sprinkle of black pepper (
). The broth was beefy and flavorful (no MSG-​cotton-​tongue here). The wide noodles were a nice al dente.
Oxtail was one large piece with a lot of meat (
) and a couple of small end pieces and there was a generous amount of rare steak that was nice and tender (
).
Definitely the best oxtail phở I’ve had in awhile.

It’s a 3.5.
This place is located inside the dirty Lions food court.
I found the Ox tail Phở quite standard. The portion was large, lot of noodles and the Phở was ready within few minutes. The Ox tail consisted of 3 pieces with almost no meat on it. They use fresh, non-​frozen Ox tail.
I find the broth not to be as flavorful as Chao Vit Thien-​Huong.
It’s a solid phở place, don’t get me wrong. It just doesn’t have any special twist. Maybe it’s just me having too much expectation according to the Unilocal review.
Super friendly staff.

THREE WORDS: BEST OXTAIL PHO.
This place has the best oxtail phở that I’ve had in the south bay. The fresh, thick noodles are amazing! The service (the girl at the register) is always very friendly and she always remembers our order!
$ 10 is a little pricey for a bowl of oxtail phở, but I definitely think that this oxtail phở is worth it! The portion seems small, but you will definitely be full and not overeat with the portioning.
I’ve been coming once or twice a week, every week, just to enjoy this hearty meal!
P. S.- Remember to put fresh onions and a little bit of red chili paste (it’s on the right side of where you pick up your food) into your phở! You will not be disappointed.

I came here the sunday after the thanksgiving weekend with a slight hangover. A few of the friends told me that this new place was pretty good, and of course I had try it out. I’m pretty picky when it comes to phở, esp when i can make it at home and probably better. But, of course you can’t have that high expectations when going out and eating phở. Most SJ places have super watered down broths and it’s very annoying because I don’t like to drown my phở with hoisin or sriracha.
Rule #1 to finding out if the place is good: TASTE THE BROTH!!! If it’s good broth, you can technically eat it without any sauce or trimmings, it should be enjoyable all on it’s own. Don’t expect it to be super thick in flavor (this isn’t a stew) but it should no way taste like those flavored vitamin water drinks. It should be comparable to reduced fat milk, not too rich like whole milk, and not flavorless like fat free milk (eww).
Rule #2: it should be hot, not boiling hot, not luke warm, and definitely not room temp!
Rule #3: they should offer you/​be able to provide all the accessories that comes with phở. Which includes: green onions in oil/​fat, vinegar onions, raw meat on the side (CAUTION, if the meat is not good you are eating at your own risk), blanched bean sprouts, etc…
I walked up to the counter, ordered, waited, grabbed my tray, sat down, ate, slurped up every last drop of soup, and left the place a happy little girl. Would totally come back.
Only complaint is that this place is in Lion Plaza, to which i avoid like a plague due to the crowd, crazy asian drivers/​parkers, and lack of sitting space in the food court.

It’s nice that they asked whether I wanted the regular (thin) rice noodle or thick noodle for my beef phở combination (Menu item #1). I of course, chose the thick ones. For $ 8, I’m a huge fun and will def come back more to try their other dishes.

Okay. Yay. We LOVE this place. Yes the surrounding is not the best and is more like a cafeteria-​style setting, but it’s soooo good here! We have tried nearly everything on the menu here and my favorite is the chicken noodle soup — the soup base is amazing! We have also tried the ox tail noodle soup, beef stew noodle soup and the shaking beef rice plate there. All tops the list! Have to give this place a shot.
It is located inside the plaza. It isn’t easy to find, but once you’re in the area — looks like a ghetto food court — you’re there! The place isn’t the cleanest, but their noodle soup is totally worth it!
The young man and woman are really nice people. Since we have been there more frequently (it’s worth the drive), they recognize us and remember what we want. Nice folks.

My bf and I are always undecisive of where to go eat, and I look for anything to help me try out new places. I got a Groupon email for Phở nearby so I thought why not. My son loves noodles so discount on a bowl, oh yaaaah! Bought it right away and said lets go, but I didn’t know the place was actually located in the Lion plaza food court. My navi kept taking us in the plaza but I didn’t know I had to walk in. By the time I phoned them, they were already closed. It was 7:30pm, and they close everyday at 7pm.
So we came the next day to have lunch. My bf and I both got the ox tail with thick noodle soup. I must say, I really enjoyed it and so did my kids! The thick noodles are soo DELIC and fresh, the broth was really hot (just how I like it) and the food was ready within 10 mins. I agree that the soup did not taste as though it had MSG, thats always a plus. The cashier was very friendly and made sure we got all our condiments. Overall the food/​service was a solid ‘A’ and I would def come back and try their other dishes…
…but why the 4 stars?
–It’s not visible from street view so it was confusing for me to find. (Until I finally logged onto Unilocal and read its in Lion Plaza food court, but the address on Groupon did not state that okaaay.)
–I love my noodle soup hot which Phở Pasteur delivered, but the food court itself did not have AC and it was 80 out. Eating and sweating made enjoying my dish alittle uncomfortable.
–They didn’t offer ice cold water, only $ 1 water bottles. I don’t know if its cause its a food court and maybe that’s why they don’t serve ice water but they do have self serve hot tea.
So in all honestly, I only deducted a star because of the inconveniences of the plaza/​food court itself. I’m not sure if they even had high chairs or boosters for kids since we brought our own anyways. Phở Pasteur itself did a great good delivering hot, fresh, flavorful noodles, just come dressed in your short shorts and bring a portable fan. :-)

**Phở Quest Stop #35**
Slowly making my way through the great food stalls in the Lion Court Food Plaza.
According to reviews, Phở Pasteur is the newest addition to the Lion Court Food Plaza. It’s actually the same name of a chain that I’m familiar with from the East Coast, but I suspect that they are not related.
The notable item here are the availability of ox tail in the phở as well as the option for fresh wide noodles. As a huge fan of the Northern style phở at Phở Hanoi with their fresh wide noodles, it’s my preferred noodle type when I can get it and I’ve always loved ox tail.
My order was available in about 10 minutes and consisted of a generously large bowl of noodle soup. I actually combined two phở types (rare flank steak with beef balls & ox tail) to get a super bowl of phở that cost $ 10. (Thanks to Cuc Crystal N. for the tip)
The flank steak was available as rare steak on the side and the bean sprouts are available steamed if that’s your preference.
The broth, while not as flavorful as Phở Y#1 or Phở Hanoi, was tasty and served hot. I enjoyed the thin slices of flank steak and the beef balls were good too. The oxtail, which is probably used to help make the broth, consisted of two to three small pieces. Very well cooked and tender, but neither as large or as delicious as ones I’ve made at home.
Overall, it was a solid bowl of beef phở with a few interesting variants to make them stand out. Very friendly service and like all food stalls and most shops in the area, cash only.
Phở Pasteur is cash only.