Phở Ca Dao Restaurant

2024/5 4 guests Flavor is fine Soup is super light. Rice noodles is flat, not attractive Shrimp roll dip peanut butter is weird. But my local friends sag it is the best Pho here

Came here for a quick lunch with the parentals. Just another no frills viet restaurant. Menu is more limited than I hoped but it's got all the basics. Everything was enjoyable but unremarkable... Food: 5/10 Service: 4/10 Experience: 3/10 Value: 5/10

Food is mediocre. Service is bad. We went in and no one said anything to us. No sign to wait or seat yourself. I asked the cashier for a table and he said go to the other side. Found a clean table and sat down. One waiter came by to take our order and walked off since pen was out of ink. A while later another person took our order, we asked about our ice coffee 3x. Came out after our meal. The food was disappointing and not very good.

Food is delicious and authentic (as they say). Service is attentive. They were always busy with customers but still made rounds to check on our table and refill water. Building & signage is a little dated but the food makes up for it!

I come here just for the Tau hu ky (shrimp paste wrapped in bean curd). The Pho special is also pretty good. Broth is tasty and the ingredients seem pretty fresh unlike most places, which are stale. The rice plates are awesome and they have pretty good portions of meat. The staff is really nice and friendly too and the inside seems pretty tidy.

I got the chicken noodle bowl and it was amazing. So fresh, flavorful and light. Excellent food, customer service and very cheap compared to other similar options. Highly recommend.

🛑🛑🛑🛑If you are an African/ African American, don't waste your time. You will be treated well here. I was waiting to be seated and continued to be waived off by two different servers. The n when I was approached for my order, the guy walked away from me in the middle of my order.chad to flag down/ get up look for the guy you finish my order. I should have just walked out. Tired of spending my money where I am not treated as a person. This is not Hanoi style pho 😤 it has a milk barely flavored broth, which they overload with rice noodles and barely any meat. If you are open to the public, you are required to treat all patrons in a nondiscriminatory manner. These people don't appear to know this information. Never Again.

Great value for the quantity and quality for the food. Each of our plates were something like 9.75 per person (excluding tax and tip). We got a table at like 8:30 and we were immediately given menus, we placed the order and was able be given our food like 5/10 minutes later. Great food and service, would definitely come back here!

Great quality, great quantity, and great value. TIP: Ask for the scallion oil as it will add so much flavor and aroma to anything you eat; especially the pho! Also, don't neglect putting the thai basil and mint into your broth! The Pho Ca Dao on El Cajon Blvd is still my go-to pho spot is THE gold standard that I compare every other pho restaurant in San Diego to. I've been to this location countless times and the quality and quantity always amaze me. On my most recent visit, my girlfriend and I ordered the following: Pho Dac Biet Xe Lua: Aromatic, bright, warm, filling. This is THE bowl of pho that hits a little extra after a long night out or a cold cloudy day (or honestly any day). This order features the bright and aromatic broth with a filling volume of vermicelli noodles and a little bit of every meat: brisket, steak, tendon, and my favorite: tripe! On the side, comes a plate with bean sprouts, thai basil, and mint with some jalapenos. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND plucking the thai basil leaves and also tearing up the mint into smaller bits to throw them both into the broth. This adds so much more aroma to the broth you WILL feel like you are in heaven. I also personally really enjoy adding the bean sprouts into the bowl and letting it sit to soak up the broth and soften. This adds a subtle bit of crunch and snap. I have been ordering this dish all my life and this Pho Ca Dao location meets every expectation that I've built up from childhood until now. There is no surprise that this is the signature dish featured at every pho restaurant and acts as a litmus test to how skilled their kitchen is. Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio (Vermicelli Noodles with Grilled Pork and Egg Rolls): Cool, crispy, crunchy, sweet, tangy. If you aren't as into noodle soups or warm broths, this is the perfect dish for you. San Diego has been especially hot these last few weeks and I couldn't stop thinking of this dish. On top of a bed of shredded lettuce and a heaping mountain of vermicelli noodles are the meats of your choice. Thit Nuong (grilled pork) and Cha Gio (egg rolls) were my add-ons of choice as they both add some fatty and meaty taste on top of a flavorful crisp. This dish is also served with some sweet, tangy, and spicy fish sauce on the side which I pour all over my dish. This dish is my alternative whenever I'm not in the mood for a warm bowl of Pho but still want to eat something filling. The service at this restaurant is always consistent and standard. To be honest. I don't think the service is necessarily excellent but I can definitely say they have never disappointed me and that consistency is an important thing for me. I am always tended to and help is quick to come as soon as my hand is raised. The atmosphere at this location is what you would expect from a casual family dining experience. Chatter and joy fills the air and the dining experience is full of good vibes no matter if you come alone, with a plus-one, or a large party.

Best place for pho! I've come here many times over the past 7 years and it never disappoints. The portions are huge & healing. They also offer different cuts of meat which is cool if you're into that! I tend to get the chicken or veggie pho and both are delicious. The beef spring rolls are also delicious and the lemongrass flavor stands out. I usually order for pickup as this place tends to get very busy inside, and it's always ready within 20mins!

Still my favorite pho place, after all of these years and it seems like absolutely nothing has changed since I started going to any of their locations. My order remains the same and I always know what I'm going to get. What is it? Glad you asked! - K6: The chargrilled chicken spring rolls. Love these things but instead of the fish sauce, I roll with the peanut sauce and had a ton of Sriracha. Why? I'll get to that as it plays an important part in my dining experience. Bring on the pho, and I'll admit it, I'm a basic bitc#. - P23: Chicken pho, no noodles. Wait, what? No noodles? You heard the man, I go low carb, ditch the noodles and slurp up that delicious broth. You know what I like to do to make it even better? Remember that peanut/Sriracha sauce? Yep, a few spoons of that into the broth is delicious, to me at least. How about pho for breakfast? Ever done it? If not, this is your spot!

We got P17 & P18. We love coming here to eat pho, kinda the only place we'll go to eat pho in SD. The staff are friendly & they already know our order since we've been coming here for years. We also ordered a bread & sometimes but not today order the Tri-color dessert. The total was less than $30. It wasn't too busy today which was perfect because we got seated at a booth which I like.

A delicious and humble little place that I like to eat for breakfast occasionally. I've eaten any of the soups here and this little local place beats most of them out. Except on the pricing. They're on the cheaper side than other pho restaurants I'd see here. Workers here are mainly elderly Vietnamese men and woman who have probably worked there for forty years, and they're always polite.

I come here frequently. Service is super fast, they get right to it haha. It's a small restaurant but very busy. I love the fried rolls and the soups.

I thought the pho was just fine. Broth came was very little. Getting pho takeout just doesn't hit the same as dining in. The egg rolls were very good and crispy

Good Pho but waiters have limited English . Some difficulty asking questions. I'll be back again for the food.

Had a craving for Vietnamese Food, came here because we used to come here when I was younger and it's always been a solid spot. I have to say this place was lacking sadly! While it was clean (floors, glasses, tables, silverware) and the workers were very friendly and talkative. The food came out looking pleasing to the eye and filled (abundance). The taste of the food was lackluster. I ordered the bun cha gio thit nuong. The nuoc mam that came with the dish was lacking in the fish sauce and sweetness. It had a hint of lime, but was quite bland almost like water. There wasn't any pickled daikon sadly and that's my favorite. Too many carrots. The thit nuong was... texture like no other! I thought I was eating one of the pork chops. It was thick and originally I thought this was that egg like mixture you get on top of com tam. In the bowl, I liked the julienned cucumbers it had great flavor, but I wish they squeezed the water out of it because it was quite wet. The peanuts added a nice crunch. There were lots of carrots. The egg rolls tasted more like lumpia but that's okay since it was yummy and hot! They loaded this bowl sooo much that I couldn't mix this without spilling it. Remember to mix your noodle dishes! My mom ordered the pho tai nam. The rare beef was perfect consistency even after waiting a bit to eat it. I want to say that it didn't over cook because the broth wasn't that hot at all. The flavor of the broth tasted muddled and not very tasty. They gave us a good amount of toppings: sliced onions, beansprouts, herbs, lime, jalapeño.. but the pho just couldn't be saved. Because the broth is usually what makes it delicious. I wouldn't get the pho here again. During the time we came, the workers were refilling all the condiments and utensils. I think that was nice that they were attentive and kept things refilled. My water was even refilled! The slice of lime was a great and refreshing touch. After the subpar food, would I come back here? Possibly. And why? Because the menu is a large one and while those two dishes were really lacking-- maybe I just chose the wrong thing! Next time, I want to try the Bun Bo Hue or ask for a recommendation of what is popular there. Last time I came, I had the iced Vietnamese coffee and it was pretty delicious. (: highly recommend grabbin one with your food!

4/5 for pho. Our go-to pho spot and favorite of the Pho Ca Dao locations. Broth is good and the crispy egg rolls are also solid, but sometimes the pho comes out before our egg roll apps. Service is hit or miss, they used to be very on top of refilling waters and quick ordering but the last few times we've gone it's been really slow. Parking is pretty easy in the plaza.

Despite high recommendations, the restaurant disappointed. Quick service was a plus, but the pho didn't impress. My dad's brisket pho had unappealing fat clumps, and the taste fell short. My chicken pho, with both white and dark meat (ordered white meat only), was just okay. Won't be returning.

Great pho & quick service. If you need something just ask and they will bring it to you. Pho had plenty of meats and it was hearty. The best thing was they have 6 large egg rolls that are huge,crispy & delicious! Will definitely be back!

I like having pho on rainy days and today it hit the spot. The pho broth was rich and flavorful, with a perfect balance of spices, and the noodles were cooked just right, not too soft or too firm. The portions were generous. Though the flank steak was not my favorite, it was still a a good bowl of pho. The service was fast and the ambiance was cozy and informal. Overall, I think it was pretty authentic and tasty pho.

Ordered p.27 ( noodles only pho) and a 1/2 order of egg rolls. Not only did I find left over bits of tripe hidden in my noodles but I also found hair in the broth. Also my pork egg rolls were still clearly pink on the inside! When I brought it up to a server all he said was "sorry" and then I brought it up a second time to the lady at the register and she said "sorry, we're busy". Totally unacceptable. People can get very sick from raw pork but it's also just horrible food standards especially having hair and leftover meat in a noodle only bowl.

This place is very rude! The lady called and told me they weren't going to make my order and I was not going to get a refund as I submitted through door dash! The first one was cancelled via door dash after the food was picked up. I submitted a second order and she said no as they had already made my food and I'm out of luck because they lost money and food on the first one! And to make up for it they weren't going to make my food and not cancel my order so I was out of my money! There is better ways to handle it then yell at me! I order there once a week! Never going back here

Was visiting San Diego and my family suggested we try this pho place. However, they meant the one in Mira Mesa. It was such a disappointment, I didn't even touch it. Pho is always a hit or miss. Egg rolls and the sauce was the only thing I could enjoy there with my group of friends.

I would kindly ask them to not put hair in the food, super gross unless you are into that. I like having hair on my head and not in my food. I will not be eating here aver again, I will pass on the nose hair noodles.

We used to love this place but came back today after two years away and this time the experience was unpleasant. The pho was extremely bland but at least the kids did not complain or seem to notice. Though the kids did say they like other pho places better. The mango smoothie and Thai tea were actually good but the boba added was not that great and felt old. Service was also sub par, but that is consistent with our prior experience there. However, this time they came by rushing me to sign the check after they took my card which I found especially rude. The ambiance has not changed much and now feels very old and dated. This place could use a remodel.

When a place is always busy it's a great hint to what's inside. My go to pho spot leave satisfied every time.

Absolute awful experience. I don't recommend coming here as the integrity of the food and service is poor. My friend was mixing her pho and found a cockroach in her pho!!! I spoke with the manager right away to explain that the pho had a roach. He wanted to only replace the bowl she was eating from, but like most pho places... the broth comes from the same pot. Either way, we didn't end up paying for the pho but he kept insisting on us to pay for the the other pho bowls! I am very diligent in supporting small businesses but there is no exception when it comes to roaches in my food! We left with unsettled stomaches and a gross feeling in our tongues. Don't come here unless you like to eat bugs and be treated disrespectfully.

The food was delicious, there was Root Beer (For anyone who gets confused Root Beer is a soda), the pho was delicious and so were the noodles. My order? Glad you asked! It's actually on the first page of the menu where you can make your own pho, it's brisket and beef in a beef pho.

Really great price for Vietnamese food. The order of spring rolls (2) is $5 and they're fairly large. The rice plate with lemongrass beef ($14ish) is hefty. I could only finish half the plate. They have two dining areas with tables and booths and all the condiments are on the table. Both items I ordered were delicious and I would definitely come back!

the food was actually really good, the service was just a little slow but there were a handful of tables who were already seated, so it was definitely understandable. food came out fairly quick. my only complaint is that when one of the workers was cleaning the floor, he had turned to cough and it just so happened to be in our direction and didn't cover his mouth so that was a little you know lol. Besides that everything else was good!!

Enter, hungry traveler, into the humble abode where Pho Ca Dao resides. A fragrant symphony wafts upon the air, entwining with the bustle and chatter of the eager crowd. I take my seat, a vessel of anticipation, and peruse the menu, brimming with culinary delights. With flourish and command, I declare my desire for Pho, that marvel of broth and noodles. Ere long, it arrives, a glistening cauldron of steaming elixir. The first taste, a revelation! The broth, a marriage of depth and subtlety, awakens the senses like a poet's verse. Its warmth embraces me, banishing all weariness from my bones. Beneath the surface, I discover a world of treasures. Silken ribbons of rice noodles, tender as a lover's touch, entwine themselves with succulent morsels of beef. In this harmonious union, flavors dance upon my tongue, an exquisite ballet of savory and sweet. Sprigs of herbs, like verdant confetti, impart freshness and vitality, transporting me to distant lands where spices bloom. As I partake in this divine feast, I am reminded of life's transience. Like a fleeting sonnet, the bowl diminishes, the broth diminishes. Yet the memory lingers, like an echo in the heart. Pho, thou art a humble marvel, a testament to the alchemy of cuisine. Exit, sated and content, into the world anew, carrying with me the flavors of Pho, forever etched upon my memory. Shiii was bussin.

Finally find the spot for our Pho cravings! Great timing with our current San Diego weekend weather. We ordered: P1 - Phò CA DAO Special (Large Bowl) Generous portion of tender meat, super delicious steaming broth, fresh herbs/bean sprouts. I ate half as is to enjoy explosion of deeply flavorful taste then added sriracha sauce half way through. C6 - Shredded Pork, Shredded Pork Skin, Egg Meatloaf and Marinated Pork Combination. Soft and moist egg loaf, generous amount of shredded pork and tender pork. Ordered fried egg to complete my broken rice order. K1 - Egg rolls - crispy and exceptionally tasty. Great customer service. Food were ready in 10-15 mins. Highly recommended for newbie's and experience Pho lovers. Will be coming back.

Amazing food! The Vietnamese beef noodle soup is wonderful. Excellent service, we come back a lot.

This place has the most delicious food ever , the service sometimes is a bit off , workers are sometimes rude .

I walked in and the smell of the dishes hit me and I had to sit down and try this place out. It all started when I was driving by. I was craving Vietnamese food and so many places close super early these days. This spot had a good crowd of people and I found out why when I walked in. Spring rolls are my jam. But many here are enjoying the pho. To my surprise, they have a large variety of spring rolls and the portions are a nice size. Dine in and and take out super fast.

Pro -right around the corner -Usually pretty quick -Normal Vietnamese fare Con -don't expect stellar service -not to much their fault but bad location. Parking and just area. -not much changes(food/menu wise) so it's just when you want a classic Pho. One con not there fault truly and another is only to say that why reinvent the wheel if it ain't broken? How can you fault someone/business for the the simple things right! No complaints about food here. I do recommend this place. Pho is solid, rice dishes are solid and the other options are just your normal Vietnamese cuisine. If you're in the area and craving a pippin hot bowl of Pho, no where else I would stop at say for there sister location in Mission valley area. Be warned about parking here! Bon appetito!

I started coming here for their bon bue hue and their grilled pork rolls. To this day it's still the reason I come. The language barrier is a bit of a hassle where it feels like there's always an awkward tension with the wait staff, but doesnt affect taste. Give it a try for sure!

Came here earlier today for the first time. Parking lot was packed and place was pretty busy. It took a while for our food to come out. Also to begin, one of the male servers (older guy) wasn't careful when serving the table behind us and poured soup over my wife's back. To top it off the young lady filling up our cups of water spilled water right over our table right after ‍. With that being said, food wasn't good at all and I don't understand why this place is well liked. Seems to be very overrated. I won't be coming back ever.

Came here for a quick lunch with the parentals. Just another no frills viet restaurant. Menu is more limited than I hoped but it's got all the basics. Everything was enjoyable but unremarkable... Food: 5/10 Service: 4/10 Experience: 3/10 Value: 5/10

The food is very good I like the pho there the broth is also good and the sinks are also nice.

Couple times throughout the years I swing by here when I have a urge to have a pho craving (raining days), They never disappointed on my past trips. Yesterday was a bit of disappointment. But based on the packed house and the late of the evening. I think the restaurant has run out of their stews and also the favor of the peanut sauce for the spring roll. These both were watered down. Based on the table service people they were quite overwhelmed by yesterday's groups of people folks to them. My pho didn't have their signatures of distinction of the stew favors. Lesson learned, if I want their tasty pho, better get there earlier then later. Or seek other places after 6pm for those savory pho ...

Not sure how this place is recommended. Pho was very bland, service wasn't that friendly. Waited 20 min and asked 3 times just for a Dr. Pepper. Old food stains on the wall, spider webs and dirt on the ceiling.

This is one of my favorite pho spots. The restaurant is pretty big and you get seated very quickly. There are servers everywhere and everyone helps you. I normally get the rare steak #13 pho. It comes with basil, bean sprouts, another veggie, and some limes. In the soup is noodles, broth, and the meat. On the table is hoisin sauce and hot sauce. You mix everything together and it makes for a delicious soup! I would also recommend the eggs rolls which are fried to perfection served on a bed of lettuce and carrots with a side of sauce.

The food here is amazing. I wish they gave me more of the meat portions but this was satisfactory. The pho here is good too. The food comes in and out really quick. The service is ok if you get their attention. This place is busy during peak hours. It gets pretty loud when it's busy.

This is my go-to pho spot when I'm not at Pho Hoa. I've been coming here for about 15 years or more. The only reason why I betray them and come here is because they have different varieties of food. Although every time I come here I only get pho anyway. Their pho is pretty good but not the best. I usually get P3 which comes with almost everything but in a smaller bowl. I was so surprised after having not been here in awhile their small bowl was like $10.80! It's always cheaper to upgrade to bigger bowls. I always get their spring rolls too which are huge and great for the price and comes with not 1, but 2 dipping sauces. 10 points for that! I've only tried their bun bo hue here maybe once or twice but as far back as I could remember, it wasn't all that. It's bland and oily. But who knows, that was years ago it could've improved a lot within the past years. I will say that their broken rice and dry vermicelli noodle dishes are really good! Any combo you get will not disappoint, whether it be pork chops, shredded pork, shrimp, meatloaf, etc it's pretty good. I'm a salty B so I like to ask for extra sauce lol. Service can be a hit or miss at these kind of places especially where there are language barriers. But once they see you're a regular they pretty much know your order and don't bring out a menu for you anymore which is nice when you already know what you want.

College years favorite! Love coming out to support local businesses. I still try to stop by if I'm in the area. Delicious pho broth with all the fixings! I usually order a pho special #1 and then some egg rolls (non-negotiable!!) Place can get packed at times. Parking is shared in the plaza but I haven't had an issue with parking prior.

My GO-TO pho place. This place heals me the morning after a crazy night out or even just when I am sick and in need of something warm and cozy. This place always hit. This is my go-to or the place down the street, Pho Hoa, but that place has pretty terrible parking so this always becomes my go-to location. It is located right next to an asian supermarket so there is a big parking lot that is a little easier to find parking at. I always get their "make your own" pho as I only like certain meats. They give a good proportion of meats, noodles, and soup and they have a regular and a large size! The broth itself is so good and you can really taste the beefy-ness of it and just overall, a really good pho flavor. Not too salty and not bland at all. I also like to add hoisin and sriracha and lime to it usually and it tastes soooo good. Ive also had their rice meals and they also are pretty good. You cant go wrong with anything here, just depends on your vibe and what youre feeling like eating. Ive even had their beef stew and it is soooo good and savory. Lots of meat chunks. A little oily tho, but still recommend!! They also have smoothies and ive had their avocado one and it is soo good! They use real avocados and sweeten it with condense milk, not too sweet! They have various types of vietnamese drinks and desserts and have really good, but super strong vietnamese coffee. They bring it out to you in a little clear cup with the coffee dripping from the top and condense milk in the bottom for sweetening. Overall, a really good pho spot that you can't go wrong with! If you dont mind terrible stressful parking but a little bit better pho (just a pho menu), try out Pho Hoa a block or two down! They also have good banh mi across the street from this place if youre craving that w your soup :)

Worsts restaurant Worst Service Worst Food Worst ambiance Recommend Pho Mai Cali, Pho Cow Cali, Pho Kitchen, Pho Ban Mai All Those Restaurants better then Pho Ca Dao

I hate to do this, but I ordered pho for my sick friend at 5:10 to be delivered. It said it would be delivered at 6:15, latest 6:35. It is 6:45, I called once and was on hold for 6 mins, now again a second time and the gentleman just said "we busy right now". That's unfortunate. I wish everyone would get up and walk out so you would have time to handle a customer who's been waiting fairly patiently. Just don't advertise on UberEats or DoorDash or any of the other effin platforms if you can't handle it. Estimated arrival currently 7:11.

Awesome value for the amount of food you get. Food came out piping hot. Pho broth was clear and had an abundant amount of flavor from the beef bones and aromatics. Came here to for the food, not the service. And left the restaurant full and statisfied.

Amazing food and service as always. Wanted to eat at Saigon up the street but they were closed and didn't update their Hours of Business. Decided to go here since it's maybe half a mile further on El Cajon Blvd. Had a bowl of Pho, Half order egg rolls, and an order of the Summer roll. Yummy every time I come here. Staff is very attentive. Also Love it that they didn't realized I am Vietnamese and speak it fluently.

The food is always amazing, go here a lot with my boyfriend. We always will get an appetizer of egg rolls with the fish oil sauce it's amazing !! I love the marinated chicken honestly it goes well together with the rice and side soup. I love to cut my chicken and then use my lettuce to wrap chicken and rice then dip it into the side soup. My boyfriend always tried different menu items but this is one of his go to. The Lemon grass beef with egg roll vermicelli, I tasted it and it's full of flavor and very filling !!

There's so much authentic Vietnamese food here , this is where locals eat , the service is fast and reliable, the portions are huge , be ready to eat, be patient it might be busy , if you don't know how to use chopsticks, ask for a fork! And support local businesses

The place was nice and clean. Great atmosphere. Service was fast and Pho was delicious.

Food 3 Service 1 Ambiance 3 The pho was okay at best nothing really special I've definitely had better within this area. The servers were very rude didn't even talk to us or great us just motioned us to the table and stood next to us instead of asking if we were ready to order. We were not served anymore water (I had to literally serve myself). They didn't check up on us at all. At first I thought it was a language barrier thing and then I heard them kindly great a group of Caucasian people, so I knew it had to be them just plainly being rude. Definitely wouldn't come here again especially with so many better pho places around.

I really use to love this place but my last two encounters are making me find another pho place : 1: for seafood pho you get one shrimp , one seafood meatball and a small peice of fake crab 2: last time I went in to pay my phone order , the person helping me had food in her MOUTH the whole time, she was not even done helping me and was helping a customer who came in AFTER me , place use to be very good but they either changed owners or they are not watching their employees, egg rolls use to be good but now it's just full of jicama and noodle , I am not ever going back there again

as a regular customer, I am kind of disappointed with the new automatic tip added without customer noticed. We tipped cash on table as always but we later find out they automatically charged us an additional 20%tip on top of the bill. On the receipt is not showing tip they charged us, just the actually total due, but on the bottom of the receipt there is a tiny number total that included the added 20% tip and that is what they actually charged us as the total. It is kind of intentional confusing customer. I called them and they said that is automatic charged tip 20% if we do not click on "cash tip option". so be carefully check it closely to the tiny number on the bottom of the receipt, not just look at the Total due.