Pho Ca Dao Restaurant

We wanted to try another pho restaurant in Santee as we were running errands. Pho Ca Dao hit the spot for a bowl of customized pho. We sat at a table by the bar by the front entrance and waitstaff took our orders quickly. There was a steady flow of customers coming in to eat or to pick up orders. It appeared that the restaurant got one to go order wrong and the poor customer had to wait for his order over 15 minutes long. He got an apology from the waitstaff but with no compensation. Pho was standard, decent and filling and service was quick. We will probably not visit this restaurant again as the soup base was somewhat bland.

Enjoyed the food here. Flavor was on point and staff were super friendly. Love that have a lot of vegetarian options.

Ordered through Uber eats and I was quite disappointing. It only allows me to post 1 picture but meat was so hard and all fat that I wasn't able to eat it. Very chewey. The chicken from the Chicken pho was also very hard. Chicken Pho didn't have any flavor.

Service and staff are wonderful but the food I had House special pho and the soup smell did not test like pho and noodles more then soup.

Timothy was our waiter and served in a very professional demeanor. He was very attentive and courteous. He met our special request without hesitation. Gave several follow ups. He may be working at a high end restaurant if the owners don't meet his needs. Oh yeah, the oxtail and filay mingon pho was excellent without the noodles.

Fantastic service. Our waitress was fast, so so kind. We had never had pho before and were excited to try. We got the lemon grass beef pho, the brisket pho, and a Bahn mi sandwich. The broth of the pho was so incredibly flavorful. Rich, hearty, hot. It soaked into the noodles perfectly. The meat was tender and juicy. The real star of the show was the Bahn mi sandwich. I'll go back just for that. It came with broth to dip it in and honest to God, it's probably my favorite food on this planet now. The portion was huge, the side vegetables fresh and crisp. I highly recommend putting the cold cucumbers in the sandwich. It gives it such dimensional flavor. The restaurant was clean, no sticky tables or torn up seating. No straw wrappers or forgotten veggies under tables. Diverse patrons, ranging from laborers on their lunch breaks, to families with small kids and babies, elderly groups and couples. Seating is plentiful, options for both booths and tables available. Window seating was prime. Inside temperature was nice and cool, clearly air conditioned, a welcome change to the heat outside. Workers were prompt in service. Waters and drinks always topped, check-ins minimal, but not too infrequent. Staff seamed happy to be at work. When the food was brought out, each dish with its garnished acknowledged and explained if we had a question. Parking was plentiful. Large parking lot, restaurant location in an accessible, easy location to spot with nice bright lettering. Building well maintained and clean. 10/10. This restaurant gets a perfect score from me.

Normally Pho Ca Dao is an easy 5 star, but over the years I’ve noticed a distinct lack of flavor and quality. The staff is always delightful, the menu much shorter and a bit more expensive. But all in all, in an already competitive Pho environment that East County is, Pho Ca Dao isn’t the top dog anymore.

Unfortunately, there was miscommunication between staff & I. I believe I ate some form of animal-based product that made me sick later that night. Apart from that, the food was okay. I ordered Tofu Pho with vegetable broth & Crispy Tofu as an appetizer. I wasn't too impressed, but I was hungry. The broth was bland for me. Even tho they were close to their end of the day, the place was clean & customer service was okay. I asked my friend what she thought of her House Special Pho. She said it was okay. I don't recommend this place if you don't eat meat. There are probably better options nearby.

The reviews on this page speak to a bunch of completely insane people! I just ate the best pho ever here. I asked for the combination without noodles (for my carnivore diet) and the bowl was still overflowing with meat and herbs. The salt and pepper wings were also terrific. The servers were friendly and the room smelled of good food. What more can you ask for?

We just got seated, served water and then ignored for 15-20 minutes without so much as a menu, while watching others come in, order, get appetizers in the same timespan. Super weird experience... wouldn't recommend.

This review is solely on wait times when doing a pick up order. If I can give zero stars I would. Both times I have placed a pick up order it has taken over an hour after it states it is supposed to be ready. As I am writing this review at 6:58pm my husband is still waiting for our order that was supposed to be ready no later than 5:50pm. I just called him and told him to cancel our order and get a refund. Their food is good but it's not that good for us to have to wait so long. I don't understand it. We will be taking our business and money elsewhere. Never again.

Very disappointed of this restaurant. I used to love coming here with my family and enjoy some real pho. I don't know what change but definitely it changed for the worse. The lady that took our order was not very friendly or helpful. The food had a bad taste. The pho noodles had a plastic taste. The orange chicken had artificial over top orange chicken sauce that's taste like artificial flavor, lastly the spring rolls were stale, the pork inside was so dry that I was not able to chew. Please don't waste your money in this place, there are better options in the same area where they do care about their food and their clients.

Enjoyed the food here. Flavor was on point and staff were super friendly. Love that have a lot of vegetarian options.

Normally Pho Ca Dao is an easy 5 star, but over the years I've noticed a distinct lack of flavor and quality. The staff is always delightful, the menu much shorter and a bit more expensive. But all in all, in an already competitive Pho environment that East County is, Pho Ca Dao isn't the top dog anymore.

Most places put shrimp in their egg rolls, but I am severely allergic to shellfish. Here I can have egg rolls with chicken or tofu! So happy. We drive across town so I can be safe.

Our favorite item on the menu is broken rice with either grilled beef, grilled chicken or crispy shrimp wrap. You can customize your own broken rice. Egg rolls are crispy but they don't have any meat inside, just veggies. Pho was not as flavorful. Good service and it's spacey inside.

This seems to be one of the IT spots for pho in Santee. The food was of great quality. I had a rice vermicelli plate of shrimp, beef, and chicken. It was fresh and delicious. The pho bowls look great also but I am gonna have to wait for a colder day for a bowl. They do have beer and wine here. I enjoyed a cold Saporro beer on my trip here.

When visiting the Pho Ca Dao & Grill Santee location, you are getting the Pho Ca Dao taste that is synonymous with brand. I got the Super House Special Pho and it was as expected, im almost certain the beef rib is stored at around room temperature because the middle was not warm and made the broth cooler than what im used to, piping hot. Still the taste was great. However, and a huge HOWEVER! The service here is failing. Based on the recent reviews (I visited 12/29/24), a lot of diners are also experiencing the same terrible service. Once I arrived I added my name to the yelp waitlist to which I was 32nd in line. I was confused because there was only one other party waiting so I figured they were not paying attention to it. A group that came after myself and another group got seated before us. They took our order 15 mins after we sat and food took another 15 mins to arrive. Their online ordering including delivery services were down, they turned down about 10 drivers, and multiple people who called in their orders via phone citing that their systems were off. I walked up to the register as it was taking an extra long time to receive our check. On the way out, there were three parties waiting outside for who knows how long because they put their name down on the yelp waitlist. I told them it was defunct, to which one group got up and left, and the others went inside. I paid $48 without tip for two bowls of pho and an order of spring rolls. I won't be returning to this certain location as price-wise does not match the quality of food and customer service I received. Other locations are much more efficient at every single aspect.

I liked the food. It met all the check boxes I would like to experience in a pho restaurant. It was nice because there was that premium beef pho. Mist pho places don't have something out of ordinary like that. I don't mind paying a little extra for upgrades quality of the beef. And it was well worth the money. I would definitely come back again.

Very impressed with this Pho restaurant in Santee. Living on the coast of North County I'm used to $15 a bowl for the basic Pho. Small egg rolls and a very basic dip for the egg rolls as well. Very different here. Basic Pho here is $12 and the egg rolls are the largest I've ever seen. The dipping sauce is much more complexed and shows this place cares what they serve their customers. We were very well taken care of and checked on that everything was to our liking . Waters topped off without asking . I ordered their most expensive Pho bowl. $16. ( See photo". Beef rib and slices of filet mignon. Incredible.

I used to come here a lot when I lived in SD, but something has radically changed. They must have changed ownership. The pho tastes different and they served it with old, wilted basil. Their hoisin sauce also tasted off like it was somewhat fermented. I won't be coming back after that.

Came here with the family for dinner...Was my first time here and not to sure about going back. We were seated quickly and then rushed to order. The food came out quickly... I ordered Shaken Beef with Garlic noodles...the beef had a great taste but the noodles were still hard. But we went from being rushed to no one coming back around. I can understand if it was crazy busy but it wasn't. I hope they listen to the reviews and work on the customer service because my family thought the food was pretty good.

I tried calling to give feedback, but you all never answered. We ordered the food at 5:06pm and were told by Grace it would be 20minutes. We arrived at 5:46pm, and were told it would be another 20minutes. We asked to be refunded but were told it was not possible, something about Grace and the account... we finally got our order at 6:04. Grace was also absolutely rude to my mom and overall is incompetent with her duties (as she forgot to put in the order).

Best damn Vietnamese food ever. Quick service even though they are always busy. Great staff that is happy to take your order (rare these days). Hot food cooked to perfection. Clean spot with a chill vibe. Love love love this place. Recommend - sizzling short ribs, egg rolls, filet pho with and taro smoothie on the side Thankyou Pho Ca Dao employees!!

The food is good however the service needs work. I called multiple times during business hours to order food while I was at work but no one answered, ended up ordering from another place close by

Went in for lunch with my picky kiddo. The spot is bright and clean, it wasn't crowded but there was a steady stream of diverse customers and lots of pickup and food-delivery people. While it's obviously a pho shop, I was in the mood for a lunch sandwich so I got the pork banh mi. At $10.50 for the sandwich and a side of meatball soup, the price was more than fair. I'm not a banh mi expert by any means, but I appreciate the toasted roll and they served it with the veggies on the side; I assume the veggies on the side kept them fresh/crisp until I was ready to put them on, also allowed me to choose which and how much to put on. The veggies were fresh, the jalapeños were very crisp but not overpowering. I was beyond impressed with the kids rice meal. I was expecting chicken fried rice, but it was a LARGE chicken thigh(?) with a large ball of white rice; a great deal at $9! Also, my picky eater (who's hit-or-miss on eating the chicken thighs I make) couldn't get enough of the chicken; I tried it too and I could see why, it was quite delicious! We also got a strawberry smoothie, another fair price at $5, imo. Wasn't special, but was tasty.

Unfortunately, there was miscommunication between staff & I. I believe I ate some form of animal-based product that made me sick later that night. Apart from that, the food was okay. I ordered Tofu Pho with vegetable broth & Crispy Tofu as an appetizer. I wasn't too impressed, but I was hungry. The broth was bland for me. Even tho they were close to their end of the day, the place was clean & customer service was okay. I asked my friend what she thought of her House Special Pho. She said it was okay. I don't recommend this place if you don't eat meat. There are probably better options nearby.

Highly recommended! Ordered through delivery this past weekend, and LOVED everything we got! Ordered 2 different Pho's, egg rolls, fried rice and a pork banh mi. Everything was awesome! This will be my go to for delivery from now on, and looking forward to eating there person now as well!!!

Their pho is what gives them a 4.5/5 rating. The service is so slow and they definitely take a while but understandable because understaffed & always packed. Anyway the only thing I'm getting here from now on is the pho. Today I ordered the rice plate with grilled beef, steamed egg loaf, and my fav the fried shrimp paste. I received: OLD egg loaf literally it was so hard and tasted days old. Came on my plate cold? Took a bite and spat it out in a napkin. They give me four pieces of grilled shrimp when I ordered the fried shrimp paste- took forever to even bring it out literally 20 min so I just said cancel it. The veggies on my plate were not fresh. Saving grace was that soup on the side they gave me and the beef was actually tender compared to the last time I got it. I also got the Vietnamese coffee and you can't go wrong with that lol anyway I'm only here for pho next time I dine here. Their eggrolls are solid too. No more rice plates for me.

I decided to give this Pho Ca Dao another chance, but unfortunately, it will be my last. I ordered the BBQ chicken and beef with rice, and the beef was so hard and dry it was almost inedible. When I asked one of the staff about it, their response was that it's because they cook it well done. I've had BBQ beef at many other Vietnamese restaurants, and it has never been this dry or tough. To be fair, some of the staff are nice, but the food quality just doesn't measure up. Tried to give them the benefit of the doubt, but they've lost my business for good.

Don't underestimate Santee Pho ! Come across this cute pho place in Santee and the service and the delicious pho will for sure have me back :)

best pho ever! get it at least once to two times a week. always great service. especially from erica she is awesome. Also like the older man that waits tables he's quiet but very kind the soup and the food are outstanding. front door needs some fixin

The food was very delicious here and I'm glad I finally tried it out. The grilled beef lemon grass pho was great and the salt and pepper wings weren't too bad. I don't think I got what I was expecting, but it was good. After placing my order I arrived at the restaurant about 20 minutes later as they indicated it would be ready then. Upon asking about my order they seemed confused, but then told me it wasn't ready so I had to go sit in my car for another 20 minutes. I checked my order when I got to the car and my order was mixed up with another order, and missing several items. The people were kind and quickly fixed the issue, but it was a little annoying after waiting so long.

Love this spot! I always order the rare steak pho and it's always so good. The service is excellent and the staff is so kind. We also love to order the salt and pepper wings and the spring rolls!

If I could give this place -5 stars, I really would they don't even deserve a star in my opinion! I always like to give restaurants chances, but I can no longer give my business to pho ca dao and I will make sure to let everybody I know stay away from this place as well. 3rd time they got my order wrong and overcharged me! They are scamming people out of money and stealing from people! I let this slide twice and I refuse to let it slide anymore! I want to be reimbursed for for being overcharged for 6 eggrolls this time and only being given 3. I originally asked for three a girls and then told the girl to change my order to six and was charged $10.25 after tax. Last time I was shorted a plate. The time before I spoke to Timothy Campbell and was told Manager told come in at a certain time for manager Erika to reimburse me and never did come back and I let it slide. I can't keep letting them get away with this. I am so sick of being overcharged and missing items. On top of that, I specifically explain to the girl I didn't want fish sauce in my food as someone in my party is all allergic and she still put the fish sauce in there. I need the manager to reimburse me this time I'm not going to let this slide anymore. I still have the other food from last week, as I have a photo of the food I was given today as well of being charged for six eggrolls, and only given three. I want to be reimbursed. I need the manager to contact me ASAP!

this place used to be great but now I will never come here again. First when you try to order online the system fails. Then I tried to call in to order and they don't answer the phone. So I went there to get food. As I waited, they sat 2 other people that arrived after me. Finally after 20 minutes they finally put me at a table. I waited 15 minutes and no one came by to take my order so I left. If I could give zero stars I would. Save you self time and avoid this place.

This is by far my go-to Pho place. The people are great, and the food is amazing. The price for what you get is alone worth it! Every time my family dines here, we are blown away by how fast our food arrives and the great taste of each menu item. Sure, we have had nights where we waited to get a seat or had longer than average service, but that's what you get when locals know this is a gem of Santee!

Overall pretty good experience, food was tasty and the decor was very fitting. It felt homestyle cultural environment which was welcoming. But, the true highlight of the night was the service from my waitress Sienna. Sienna had an exemplary attitude, and was one of the better servers I've had in the past 10 years. I would be sure to go back again, and we'll do diligently to request the service of Sienna again.

WORST SERVICE EVER!!!! I will NEVER come to this place again! We waited over an hour to eat. We were 4 people, and the food came at intervals of 20 minutes apart. By the time the last person on our party got their food, all others were done. Food was not good. Servers were rude and they were closing the store right under our noses. It gets an F!!!!! WORST DINING EXPERIENCE IN MY LIFE!!!!!

Well, that was a disaster! First the good part. Food was well prepared and tasted great. Now the bad part! Just shy of an hour from time of ordering food to receiving our meals. With little to no interaction from staff. The table behind us ordered a few minutes before us and managed to eat and be out the door before our food even arrived. No manager came over to explain what happens. No discount applied. But the worst part no apology! I asked to speak to the manager and got the person who described herself as second in charge. That interaction was lame. What a shame because the food really was tasty with a nice sized portion. Won't be planning any trips back to this establishment.

I really wish the service matched the quality of their pho, but unfortunately after tonight I'll have to find somewhere else to go. I placed an order for pick up at 6:15pm, was told it would be ready at 6:40. At 6:30 I got an updated pick up time... now for 6:50. At 7:15 I asked if they could check the status of my food, and was told to wait a little longer. At 7:40, after asking three different people where my food was, the nice gentleman told me they had no order with my name in it, even though I was charged $41 and now have to dispute it with my bank. Both the women who "helped" me were incredibly rude to me and everyone else who inquired about the 90+ minute wait time with half a restaurant seated...

Love the food. Definitely gonna order again dining in might not happen again though survives wasn't bad but the yelp app thing at the door want working and we did not know and was waiting in the car for literally an hour. However the food was good and changed our moods . But from observation noticed that is a great place for family.

Love this place, Been eating there for about 10 years now . I used to eat it at least four times a week when I was pregnant.

Walked into the restaurant which was less than half full. Two people saw me from behind the counter, but didn't acknowledge me at all. Waited about 3 to 4 minutes, but still no hello or acknowledgment that they were going to see me. Ended up just walking out. Such a disappointment because I really enjoy the other locations in Miramesa as well as in Rancho Bernardo. Terrible.

This was my favorite place but lately the quality of food has diminished. The noodles were extremely soggy and my chicken was cold . I waited an hour to get my food because they kept forgetting. The waiters were nice and tried giving me a discount but the owner refused. The owner needs to take accountability and understand if service isn't meeting what it's suppose to they need to compensate with a discount at least.

Currently have been waiting for about 10 min NOBODY has greeted me or even noticed I'm here , theirs about 5 people behind the counter, so unsure what's going on . first time here and possible my last time comming here . VAK WAS THE ONLY PERSON TO GREET ME. All the rest did not . This place was recomended by multiple people but after this incident I don't see myself coming back . A pity because I live down the street and eat our daily ;)

This place is always busy, so we decided to try it. The staff is friendly. We had no problems. We just weren't crazy about the filet Pho. It's a casual restaurant. There is an IPad to check in at the front & they will call you. If you check in on Yelp you get a discount on milk tea.

Been here a couple of times and very delicious broth and decent portions of beef. Service is good and glad they are really consistent here. They also have a robotic server there that is sometimes working and other times not. Will be back!

This place needs to be at least 4.5 stars . Been coming since I was 19 years old and they never fail me ! Service used to be kind of bland/borderline rude , but they hired a bunch of different people with different characters and to be honest I always leave like "I wanna tip them they are cool!" Wasn't the case always but they fixed it on A dime ! No pun intended !(: love this place , quick 20 $meal and they keep my drink fulll . Will stay loyal to santeee location for a very long time ! Just due to their fire quality .... period !

Ambiance and food is amazing! Love how they grill the shrimp! However, the bathroom makes me not want to eat. The sink is rusty and corroded, the floor is filthy and sticky, the walls are yellow, and it's just very gross coming from a restaurant. Makes me not want to eat and loose my appetite. So, I go there only to pick up food or make sure I washed my hands and used the restroom. Makes me hesitate to choose that place to dine because all I can think about is the disgusting bathroom. Hope they put money aside to have a decent bathroom for customers.

The service staff is always friendly. The pho is yummy and comes out quick and hot. The space is clean.

Back in the day this was my family's go to place for pho. Recently, the quality has gone downhill very quickly. Flavors aren't as good, noodles are hard sometimes, just overall not as good as it used to be. Along with that the service is now terrible. Rarely get refills on my water, and I have to go up usually to pay because no one comes around to ask for a check. Unfortunately I can't recommend this restaurant anymore. There are many better options nearby.

Wow! We went today remembering how good the food was and it sure wasn't the case! They must have new owners because instead of getting seated we got dirty looks from the staff as if we were supposed to know what to do after we first walked in. It was really awkward, even my daughter was uncomfortable. When we got our bowls there was no space for the noodles to expand since they changed the type/size of the bowl; let alone have any juice and only 2 pieces of meat. It had no flavor, as if it was only oiled noodle juice. During our lunch not two words were said to us, not hello or goodbye. They just seated us and I even had to hunt down the waiter to give us our check. I found him outside of the restaurant, sitting on the cement bench counting his tips. All I can say is we won't be back.

Service is worst. The manager at this location is so rude.? Not a customer service-oriented. Doesn't know how to apologize for the mistake done by her people. Instead, she accused me of taking the order when in fact I asked the staff if the bag was my order. He said Yes. She should have said something if it wasn't mine. Since she said she was there. I asked to get a hot soup for the noodles since it's been sitting on the counter for 4 hours. I can see she's in a tantrum, cold and careless. When she returned with the soup, she didn't put it in the bag just left it on the counter. I told her I could talk to the owner. She said to go ahead with bragging. She needs more training

TL; DR (-) Long wait (-) Banh mi lacks flavor I was craving banh mi and Pho Ca Dao was nearby. I called ahead and was told my order would be ready in 15 minutes. It took 30 minutes for me to get my banh mi! I got banh mi thit nuong (grilled pork) and was very disappointed. The meat was dry, chewy, and lacked flavor. There were barely any carrots and overall, the banh mi had no flavor.

Amazing food. Crowded for a reason. Pho is the best. They have eggrolls, wings, boba, and the beef sandwiches.

DELISH!! I've been coming here for years and it is BY FAR the BEST pho in east county!! I'd argue in San Diego since there are multiple locations, but we'll stick to this particular one ;) So fresh! So worth the price! So friendly! I always get the chicken or veggie pho; it's so good I've never wanted to venture out! Today I tried lemongrass beef pho and OMG it's awesome!! Egg rolls are always crispy killer apps! It can get really busy during cold or rainy days, CALL AHEAD! Walk in and pick it up- it's the best sitting at home watching a movie! The take out is just as delicious as eating in the restaurant... that's no always true ;)