Pho Lovers

Love this place for the food. They have literally every type of phở and snacks that I can sometimes only find at other places. The parking is slightly off… not always the best… and they could improve their drip coffee… if you can provide a hot water for the drink instead of the customer asking often would be better.

EVERYTHING TASTES AMAZING!!! Best phở place my boyfriend and I have ever been to!!!
We ordered:
1) meatball phở soup
2) grilled pork and shrimp vermicelli
3) grilled pork spring rolls

Veggie noodle soup
Grilled shrimp bbq pork vermicelli #40
pretty good food.

Phở at this particular place is more savory more than any I’ve tasted. The décor is typical, booths, tables and chairs. When my boyfriend and I walked in, we had to sit at a table because the staff was eating lunch and the all booths weren’t cleared. Bad timing I guess but at a good time because right when we ordered our Phở, it got busy quick.
We had a good view of the small TV they had on the wall. I could see that it was a popular place with the locals. Anyway, the flavor is awesome, the grilled onions is a great touch, gives it character.

First timer! I order shrimp sprig rolls and phở nam Bo vien! They are not stingy with their meat, the soup is good and the bo vien (beef balls) were so soft and tender… Love itS service was good too :) friendly staff! Had a little conversation with them as I paid and I like friendly staff :) I’ll be here next time after class!

I am a huge fan of Phở-​Lovers. Whenever I go, I’m greeted with genuine smiles all around. Last time I came (and was seated and ready to order), the only waiter working was busy, so the manager/​owner headed straight for my table and didn’t hesitate to take my order instead (and hence keep me waiting). Small gesture, but I really appreciated it. :)
Good portion and reasonable prices too. As a non-​meat eater I absolutely LOVE their tofu! Their tofu is perfectly crispy and full of flavor (whether it’s their lemongrass tofu plate or in the phở). As a nice touch, the rice that comes with the lemongrass tofu plate is shaped like a heart.
The restaurant itself is spacious and has a nice ambience. The bathrooms especially are kept very clean (and well decorated)! I’ll always go back to Phở-​Lovers for my Vietnamese fix. :)

Fam bam’s go-​to phở joint!
I love the veggie broth here — it’s super flavorful and not oily AT ALL. Spring rolls are made to order and the fish sauce for the vermicelli bowls aren’t super syrup-​y tasting! AND THEY ACTUALLY HAVE SERVICE HERE! Good service at a phở joint? win win win!

I had the nem nuong (appetizer roll), phở number 8 (the phở lover special) and the com thit nuong (grilled pork rice plate) and they were all okay.
The nem nuong was on the leaner side. they were kinda like brodard style with the crunchy eggroll in the middle. The meat was lacking that meaty fatty flavor. The sauce was ok too although I think it should have more nuc mam.
The phở broth was a bit too under seasoned. I like the broth to be deeper in color and flavor. This was a milder broth. The ox tail was a lot of work. The large bowl is HUUUUGE.
Com Tam thit nuong didn’t have enough veggies in my opinion. I think that the meat was also lacking in marinade. I think the reason behind a lot of the low levels of flavor is the nuc mam is very weak. I like my nuc mam pungent and powerful, man!
overall the place is good because it has a range of things to select from but everything was on the blander side. Café sua da (vietnamese iced coffee) was very much on point though so def get that if you’re tired.

If you do not respond well to MSG laden foods. please do yourself a favor and do not eat here. My usual phở place was not open early enough this morning, so I decided to try a different place that was on the way to SF since I needed to head up there. Seeing that the ratings were quite high, I decided to give it a try.
The broth was what killed me. It was really light in color and did not really look like boiled beef bones broth that had been cooking for hours and hours. It looked like it was made that morning with pre made powder flavoring. I was hungry so I just ate it anyways.
The nightmare happened as I was leaving and driving up to the city. I had a splitting headache and uncontrollable thirst that would not go away. I drank like 4 bottles of water to flush it and I feel a little bit better but not 100%. My headache is still pounding. I don’t know what these people put in their broth but it’s bad.

Don’t order #8, the bowl with ox tail. The flavor is OK but the meats are tough.

We went here for lunch on a saturday. The place was not crowded, though we were a bit past prime lunch hour.
Parking is pretty good. It is in a strip mall shared with a Hispanic grocery store and some other small businesses. I can imagine that parking might be a small challenge during busy times, but not sure.
Service was excellent. We were seated right away. We were thanked for our patronage on the way out. Water arrived at our table in about a minute after we sat down. During the meal they came by twice without asking to refill water. Delivery of food ordered was prompt as was order taking. Absolutely no complaints.
Cleanliness. Again, no issues or concerns. Everything was clean and neat throughout the restaurant. The bathroom was clean and neat and clearly had been attended and cared for. The walls were freshly painted and free of splatter or dirt.
Ambiance was quite nice. Their were attractive wall hangings and decorations as well as a somewhat unique one on the ceiling. It was thematic Vietnamese, done tastefully and presented well. The tables were glass top with a nice tablecloth underneath. Again, very nice and clean. Nothing to note here except praise.
Ahhhh… the food. Well, in short excellent. We had the Lovers appetizer, Phở, and ice café. EVERYTHING was excellent. The ice coffee and Phở had no particular presentation, but then their isn’t much to do there, you just bring it out and your customers eat it. The appetizer, Lovers something, had excellent presentation. The taste was excellent for absolutely everything… no exceptions! Really good food here. Flavorful and rich in taste and seemed to be made of good quality ingredients. High praise here for the food taste, quality, and presentation.
Price is reasonable. Right in line with what I would expect. I was comfortable with the pricing.
This place is the gold standard for Phở. Best of any places I have rated on Unilocal.I would and will return here many times. Show these people some love and go eat here!!!

There are so many phở places in the Santa Clara/​Sunnyvale area that I never venture out to anywhere new. Found this place on Unilocal and decided to give it a try based on their reviews. I arrived on a rainy Sunday a little before 1 P.M. and was seated immediately. Plenty of seating indoors and the place is bright with a nice, modern feel.
Warning: this review is not for their phở since funny enough, no one in my party ordered it. Next time! We tried the vermicelli, one of their rice plates and the grilled pork rolls (nem nuong). The vermicelli portion was huge! The rice plate was decent and their grilled pork rolls weren’t the best I’ve had, but tasty. I love that they have tons of options to pick and choose from. Parking in the lot is scarce, but street parking is available. Adding an additional star for the staff who were very friendly and attentive.

I came here with the parents for an early lunch. I was honestly surprised to see a phở store open in this area, since there generally isn’t much vietnamese food west of SJ. But at least it is convenient for us since it is a much closer drive to SJ.
The place has a more modern vibe to it, I could see it trying to attract the employees nearby for lunch. The food itself was pretty average. Nothing really stoop out, but it was decent food. I will say presentation was rock solid, especially with rice dishes having the rice shaped in a heart. But in turns of the phở, if you have ever tried phở before, what you remember it tasting like will pretty much be what’s in the bowl in front of you.
Not the most spectacular vietnamese places out there, but for the convinence of where its located, I will probably be back.

It’s like realizing for the first time that the love of your life has been right in front of you this whole time. You were just too blind to see!
In my case, I didn’t use Unilocal properly to discover this place sooner. Leave it to my friend visiting from out of town to open my eyes. I sure am grateful for that because now I have a go-​to phở place.
FOOD:
— — -
* Nem Nuong — These rolls are my favorite! Packed with grilled pork, lettuce, and a thinly rolled crunchy egg wrapper, this is a great appetizer to kick off your meal. I usually have to order this every time I’m here, even if I’m not too hungry.
* BBQ Pork with vermicelli noodles — With lettuce, cucumber, and carrots, this dish is very fresh and delicious. The slices of pork are super lean, tender, and marinated ever so perfectly. You can get this bowl with either an egg roll or grilled shrimp. I prefer the shrimp as a healthier option, or I ask for more meat instead of the egg roll.
* Phở Tai — Tasty beef broth and great proportion of meat and noodles. The flank steak is thinly sliced and the soup is very hearty. This is the ultimate comfort soup.
* Phở Ga — Their chicken phở is unique and perfect on those cold days or when you’re feeling under the weather.
* Shaking Beef — Delectable cubes of steak, so tender and juicy! Stir fried with onions and bell peppery goodness, and comes with fresh cucumber and tomato slices, as well as tomato rice. On our visit it came in a heart shaped formation.
* Fried Chicken Wings — This is the only item anyone I’ve visited with has tried that was mediocre. Definitely not comparable to the crispy garlic chicken wings you might expect at other Vietnamese restaurants, but decent enough for me. They’re less greasy so that’s a plus.
SERVICE/​AMBIANCE:
— — — — — — — -
Exceeds expectations in both areas. You know that love you always deserved was waiting for you all along! The servers are all polite and friendly (what?!? Totally unexpected in a Viet restaurant) and the place is clean with tasteful décor.
Where have you all been my whole life? It doesn’t matter, because we are together now and that’s all that counts.
TIP: Pay at the counter at the end of your meal.
DATE TIP: Phở Lovers, you’re everything I want and more. I don’t know how any dates could ever compete with you.

This review is based on the phở tai with meatballs. I found that the broth was super flavorful and the noodles were prepared perfectly. For being a non-​san jose phở joint, this place is pretty solid!
Minus one star for the parking or lack thereof! Get here early during the weekday lunch rush… or you’ll end up circling the proximity for street parking which is also rare!

Came by for dinner the other night and it was a surprisingly decent experience! Parking was challenging on the street as it appears that the restaurant is in a residential area. There are a few dedicated parking spots for the restaurant in the private lot. …I was greeted to Hispanic music from the market next door upon exiting my vehicle though?!?
Interior ambiance of the restaurant is quite nice. Staff was very friendly and professional.
Started off with small oxtail beef noodle soup which was decent. Broth was flavorful and noodles were perfectly cooked. Meat balls and rare steak on the side came out well!
The nem nuong fresh rolls were okay. Brodard in So Cal is much better.
They take credit cards.
~$ 17/​head after tax and tip for dinner.

This is my favorite phở place! I always get a small phở with rare steak, beef fish balls and ox tail. In other phở places, I’d usually spray hot sauce all over my bowl of phở, but in this place, I don’t do that for some reason… I guess the reason is because their soup is really good! However I do use hot sauce and hoisin sauce on the side to dip my meat in. Try my kind of phở and I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do!
PS– They don’t allow you to pay with your credit card if purchase is less than $ 10.00. You’ve been warned…

Vietnamese food is easy to find in the South Bay, but there is something special about Phở Lovers.
If you come during the lunch hour you’ll quickly forget that Phở Lovers is located in a dingy strip mall. The place fills up quickly and caters to all kinds of patrons. Families, construction workers, business men, and techies were all fully represented during lunch on a Tuesday. With such a diverse crowd clamoring in, you know it has to be good!
So, what lead me to Phở Lovers was a) my craving for fresh spring rolls, and b) awesome Unilocal rating.
What I LOVED about Phở Lovers: a) delicious vegetarian spring rolls, 2 per order only $ 4 and b) the fact that you can order a side bowl of phở broth for only $ 1.50! Note, this is broth only… so, if you’re like me and aren’t crazy about rice noodles (don’t judge me), you can still get a bit of the phở fix without being wasteful and without breaking the bank.
Other offerings (phở, noodle and rice dishes) looked fantastic and the large size phở is HUGE. Mad props to anyone who can get to the bottom of one of those bowls.

I don’t usually ever rave about phở outside of San Jose, but I reallllyyy like this place! Quite possibly even be my new favorite phở restaurant.
Phở Bo Vien w/​Rare Steak on the side is always my go to order at any phở restaurant, and this place is phooonomenal. The broth is tasty and has just the right amount of MSG (if any) leaving you anything but parched. You’ll want to slurp all that deliciousness up! The small looks small, but after you finish eating, you’ll be surprised at how full you are with the amount of stuff they put in that bowl. You won’t even know what hit you till you feel the food coma settling in!
The spring rolls are also super fresh with just the right ratio of veggies, meat, and vermicelli. It’s surprising how many restaurants could do this simple dish wrong, but Phở Lovers, nuh uh dude. The spring rolls are GOOD. Dipping sauce? JUST AS GOOD. Complements perfectly!!!
What I also like about this place is that they actually care about service with their patrons. On my first visit during lunch, they were extremely busy and we had to wait about a half hour before our food was served. Our special requests (i.e., cooked bean sprouts, rare steak on the side, extra green onions) were all forgotten leaving us very impatient and hangry. But in between our wait, the waitress came by and genuinely apologized about the delay, explained why, and thanked us for our wait. And alllll was let go because of our nice waitress. Easssyyy. You don’t get that often at phở restaurants! My second visit was perfect though, no delay in our food and all our requests were met.
Overall, I’m a happy camper! I know where I’m going for phở next time I’m around the area and the thirst for phở is phooooreal.

So when I was looking for a new place for the continuation of «What’s that Phở» and saw Phở Lovers was at a vaguely familiar address, after driving up all the memories came flooding back to me.
Unfortunately Phở Lovers did not even come close to the previous incarnation.
We got there early as it filled up for lunch pretty quickly. Get there early as the parking lot is very small and you have to compete with patrons for the Hispanic market next door.
When we walked in we were met by large murals on the walls and it was a lot brighter than the previous incarnations.
A large dumpy girl waited on us not knowing we knew what we wanted. I noticed some of the items on the menu had already been lined out by a marker. My former work associate being more adventurous ordered the Phở #1 with everything but the kitchen sink and I had the brisket and flank in mine.
The Café Su Da appeared to be premixed (again).
When the Phở arrived, we were served by some kid with a ‘V” for a name tag, and he got our orders switched. So only after I was pulling out long strings of tripe and other and chopped meatballs floating around did I figure out I got the wrong order.
I was over a third of my way through, and there was not much that could be done.
Another star off for that. We still joke about how much we liked each other’s orders, not!