Pho Cow Cali

The pho here is absolutely amazing! The flavors are rich, the broth is perfectly seasoned, and the ingredients are always fresh. The service is friendly and fast, making every visit a wonderful experience. Highly recommend this place to all pho lovers!

Arrived to see a very busy restaurant and just a short wait. Tried the veggie tofu pho, it was delicious! You can tell the ingredients are fresh and the flavor was perfect. My companion ordered the shrimp vermicelli and loved it. The food came out quickly and all of the staff was very nice and accommodating. Highly recommend!

This place is THE spot for pho and other Vietnamese dishes. -Cheap Prices -Great food -Efficient Staff Tonight was my second time here and these guys were on it! Yes there’s a bit of a wait time but that’s because Everyone knows the quality of this place. I actually got my food almost within 6 minutes of sitting down and is fresh not pre-cooked. Can’t believe I’m saying this but 5 stars guys

The best Pho in town, Here’s our favourite Pho restaurant and we always ordered Big bowls w loved Beef stew,Rare steak pho tai and Tofu fresh rolls also the food came fast but if you go early or afternoon wouldn’t wait for long time however this place always busy every time we visited!

Egg rolls with the Nuoc Cham sauce was simply amazing. Special Combination Pho came in a really big bowl, soup was delicious. A little bit of a wait at the door to be seated but I can understand why.

Filet Mignon Pho is really good. Prices are reasonable and quality is good.

Delicious mom-and-pop pho joint in Mira Mesa, San Diego! This place is a local gem, evident from the Yelp reviews and high ratings. When we arrived at 5:40 on a bustling Saturday evening, about five parties were ahead of us. Being just a party of two, my sister and I, it took roughly 15 minutes to be seated. The menu offers fantastic value for the incredible food quality. We shared a half-order of spring roll pork and tofu, complete with generous servings of peanut sauce - so yummy! I opted for the regular-sized vegetarian pho, while my sister ordered #11. The service was lightning-fast and highly attentive. They handled the rush with ease, promptly taking our order and delivering the food. Checking out was a breeze, no waiting around. Overall, it was a perfect 10/10 experience, and we’ll definitely be back for more.

From Seattle: Best place we’ve been to in the area. Delicious, hot, fast! Great prices and amazing people service!

I came here with my mom and since we were a table of 2 we got seated quickly. We already had an idea of what we were going to order therefore ordering was fast. At first, we were sitting at a table. They asked us if we could move to the booth so we did. I noticed they wanted to make the space available to a man who had a leg injury-- great quick thinking of having us move. The servers were really kind and interacted with us well. The service (food) was so quick! As soon as we sat in the booth, I noticed a man coming out of the kitchen carrying our food. We ordered a large pho with the soft & semi fatty meat and the rare meat. This came with a plate of beansprouts, some mint, and a lime. I do wish we had more veggies, but it was still a good and significant amount for the two of us. The noodles weren't in a clump at the bottom of the bowl and it wasn't overcooked. It was really tasty. The broth was piping hot and tasted clean. I loved it before even having a squeeze of lime juice! The utensils are already on the table and they are clean. Different sauces can be added if you like that (hoisin, sriracha-- lighter color, sambal paste, chili oil, etc). In addition, we ordered the shrimp and pork spring rolls. This came with a more hoisin-forward sauce rather than peanut sauce. They wrapped nicely. A good amount of chew to the rice paper (not dry or overly wet), a nice amount of veggies (lettuce, mint, beansprouts), and a well-balanced amount of rice noodles. The shrimp on the other hand was a bittt thinner than I liked...and I wish there were 1-2 more added in the roll. But it was cheap $$ and tasted delicious!

This place is quite cheap. About 13 dollars a dish and isn't small or bad. There is a line, but it moves quickly. Wouldn't recommend the pho, the broth is not rich or flavorful and the noodles are cheap quality. The rice dishes and appetizers are good though. Not too greasy.

This is probably the best pho in the Mira Mesa area. Expect to wait for a seat regardless of the time that you go. Otherwise, service is quick and the food is delivered quickly as well. The pho is ALWAYS piping hot. Their specialty house fillet mignon pho is bomb. I recommend their to-go option as well - they offer you uncooked noodles, and I swear they give you A LOT of rice noodles to enjoy at least 2/3 servings worth of pho. Their appetizers are good, with the egg rolls being my favorite. Their drinks are also delicious, with their iced coffee being my go-to. I'm giving it a 4/5 because their success and accuracy rate with the food is a 90%. Every once in a while they will get the order wrong, or worse, the food just tastes a little bland. But honestly, I don't mind since most of the time the food is A+ Huge plus that place opens at 8a since most pho places in Mira Mesa do not open till later - your future hungover self will thank you for this early opening time. This spot is on my rotation of good pho places, but this is at the top of my rotation for pho in Mira Mesa.

I grew up in Mira Mesa and this will always be the best pho shop in town! The service is always excellent and the food always comes out fast! The place is super big from what it started out with, so even tho there's always a line, it goes by fast!

i love pho, this place made me so happy on a rainy day. I also brought two of my friends who had never had vietnamese food and I just-- we all left so happy. The broth is so flavorful, there's a good quality portion of meat on each dish, the broth is hot and fresh, good amount of add ins available, the inside is traditional vietnamese style with decorations and stuff. The rice with chicken was so flavorful and tasted authentic, the picked carrots just added the right flavors. Back to the pho but we got pho chín and man it was so good i left the place with a smile. seating was really easy, you just put your name on a paper and we only waited like 10 minutes on a saturday night and the food came out FAST!! Always a plus. Amazing price point for the quality of food will be coming back again!!!

Not-so-hidden gem in Mira Mesa serving up delicious, affordable, and quality Vietnamese food as it's done in OC! This is my family's go-to spot for phô bộ (beef pho) and bún thịt nướng (cold rice noodle). Eggrolls are just ok, wish there was more filling -- we have grown used to Golden Deli eggrolls in the SGV that generously fills their large eggrolls with lots of meat and veggies. Be prepared to wait in a long line if you go during dinner time, however, it moves fast. Other notes: - Has a shared parking lot with other establishments in the plaza - Has bathrooms, single room stalls so you might have to wait - Indoor seating only - A bit packed, but allows for more customers to be seated at a time and for the line to move quickly

One of my go-to places in San Diego for pho - great food, great service, no complaints. One thing to note is that there typically is a bit of a wait if you go during rush hours, but the fast - I mean FAST - service definitely makes up for the wait. I typically order the Special Combo for pho, which is a perfect portion size, and the broth is also super flavorful. Great restaurant to visit, especially if you're looking for a quick, sit-down bite.

This spot was highly recommended by my cousin. My friend and I dined at 12:00pm on a Friday. The restaurant was decorated for Lunar New Year and already almost full. We were seated shortly after arriving. Colorful menus were placed on our table. Our table had melon seeds and Lucky candy for New Year's. Every thing you need is on the table. We really enjoyed slurping up our delicious phos!

Best Pho ever ! My family and I tried different plates and drinks and everything had so much flavor! Customer service was excellent and staff was helpful. Food came out quick & the wait to be seated was not long. Highly recommended!

One of the best pho spots in San Diego, hands down. Their broth is rich and flavorful. Their broth is top 3 in SD for sure. First time trying their bun bo hue. Love the spice! Needs more noodles, though. This place is always packed. Come before you're hungry because there's usually a wait.

Yep, I will definitely be back! I love their vermicelli meals. Hubby loves their flavorful broth for pho. I will be back for their coconut drink and also their 3-bean dessert, yum!

It's been a while ....Personally I have had good experiences each time I've dined here. It's a popular restaurant in Mira Mesa, usually there is a wait to be seated but today we came early enough that there was a table for us! Service is fast and food is yummy. This visit I chose the vermicelli with shrimp. Yum!! I also ordered some soup, egg rolls, spring rolls to go as well too.

This place feels like it's stuck in pre-covid times in a good way... with the prices for its quality/quantity for food. You can't really beat $12-$13 for a decent sized bowl of pho with plenty of toppings and not too many noodles nowadays. The broth isn't absolutely amazing but it really does hit the spot when you're craving it. The service is... speedy - but they mean well I guess :) They try to get you in and out since they operate on quantity of customers and not high gains from pricey foods. 8/10, would come again and would recommend to a friend for a no frills place.

Arrived and waited in queue. About 15 groups ahead of us, but the wait was only around 20-25 minutes if any. Got seated and our orders came out quick! Service throughout was attentive whenever we needed something. Restaurant gave me very classic Viet pho restaurants with a touch up to it. We ordered the Pho Tai, Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio, and Cha Gio. Pho Tai: 5 pho is just as good as Pho Hoa and my wife thought it almost reached Pho 79 levels (OC classic). Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio: 5 dam good. Fish sauce is great. Meat was seasoned and grilled well. Fresh veggies. Texture and everything tasted great. Cha Gio: 5 dam good. Comes with 6 and they are flavorful egg rolls. The inside fillings were great tasting and you could taste each individual one. My only gripe, ask them for more leaves. Before I came here, I would only recommend Pho Hoa as a true spot to get Pho in SD, but now I'd be confident to say I can recommend 2 joints with Pho Cow Cali in the mix.

I've been waiting forever to eat here because the line is always really long to get in. You would think that means the food is really good, right? Well, apparently not. I didn't enjoy my experience here pretty much at all. They sat me next to the kitchen wall where I could hear everything. For a bit there, the staff was knocking something soo hard into the wall that my table was shaking from the force. It was loud and impossible to relax. I got their shrimp spring rolls. That shrimp was not fresh and they were pretty small pieces. The peanut sauce was horrible. Very watery and no flavor whatsoever. I got the tai pho (rare steak) and there was literally nothing special about it. The broth had no flavor, the steak was chewy, and the noodles had texture like they were old. I didn't enjoy it pretty much at all. I have tried a lot of pho in SD and I'm pretty sure this is the worst place I've been. I have no idea where these 5 star reviews are coming from, but I will not be returning.

Paid by card. Pho Cow Cali is located next to Somi Somi and offers plaza parking. I've gone here several times for dinner and the line is usually out the door, with at least a 30 min. wait. The last time I went here I ordered to-go since I didn't want to wait. Indoor seating only. The servers are not always the most polite but they try to make things go quickly. The food is good here but not the best place to go if you're hungry and want to eat quickly. I usually order the bun bo hue here. Overall would recommend trying this place if you have time to wait.

I had to try this local favorite in Mira Mesa. Thankfully, I came early enough to avoid the crowds. However, parking can be a challenge since this mall is shared with multiple busy businesses. It was close to 8 pm when we left, and the front door was thick with customers patiently waiting to be seated. Why is this gem so popular? Well, because they're super fast and delicious! This tried and true restaurant has been a staple in the community since 1989! When I used to work near 52nd Street in the College area, I was blessed with many hole in the wall Vietnamese restaurants that got your food out before you had a chance to warm your seat! I'm glad to see the same philosophy here, where speedy service equals authentic, comforting food. The restaurant is unassuming with tables and booths all around. There are some Charger's football photographs and memorabilia on some walls, with a signed Rivers jersey next to our booth. Once we placed our order, literally within 5 minutes our order arrived! Appetizer: Spring rolls. It was fresh, and I loved the dipping sauce. Main: I had the pork skin and BBQ pork with broken rice. They give you an ample amount of pork. It was so much that I had to take it to go! The side soup was flavorful, hot, and delicious. Despite the muggy heat, the soup was a welcome addition to my meal. The service was friendly, and I didn't feel rushed. Loved the experience here and definitely will come back when I'm in the area for authentic Vietnamese food.

Delicious mom-and-pop pho joint in Mira Mesa, San Diego! This place is a local gem, evident from the Yelp reviews and high ratings. When we arrived at 5:40 on a bustling Saturday evening, about five parties were ahead of us. Being just a party of two, my sister and I, it took roughly 15 minutes to be seated. The menu offers fantastic value for the incredible food quality. We shared a half-order of spring roll pork and tofu, complete with generous servings of peanut sauce - so yummy! I opted for the regular-sized vegetarian pho, while my sister ordered #11. The service was lightning-fast and highly attentive. They handled the rush with ease, promptly taking our order and delivering the food. Checking out was a breeze, no waiting around. Overall, it was a perfect 10/10 experience, and we'll definitely be back for more.

The spring rolls and peanut sauce were delicious. The grilled beef with egg roll vermicelli was also delicious however I did feel like the beef was a little chewy and tough for what I normally would go for. Regardless, I was quite hungry and still enjoyed the meal. It can get pretty busy but I can see why people wait.

I really love the pho here. Most importantly, you won't feel thirsty after. The protein and noodle portion is also good. The only problem is long waiting lane, plus too much icy in the vitamin coffee.

As a longtime patron, I'm happy to report this is still some of the best pho you can find in a restaurant in Mira Mesa. What's their secret? Good food and prompt service. - Good food. Prepared well. You know it's good because there's always a wait during peak times, rain or shine. - Prompt service: You get a menu and your seat simultaneously. Never seen an exception. Ever. Quick turnover of tables is key for any restaurant and this place trains staff to know to always seat people and give them a menu so they can place their order, dine, pay and leave. Someone is ready to take your order within 5mins of you being seated. Even when it's crazy busy, you can probably set a timer to it. And if it doesn't happen it may be because you didn't make eye contact with the wait staff that literally stand and stare at their tables waiting for you to order. With few exceptions, like large groups, the food here comes out quickly. And it's always hot--which is the way pho should be served! But this is true for other hot food orders as well. I've burned my tongue on many an egg roll here in my haste and hunger. Haha. The bad? Parking. There is a shared parking lot in a busy plaza with other restaurants, a bank and salons. And some spaces are larger than others. Bring some patience and your defensive driving skills. Nuff said.

I love coming to this place! It always hits home and there is always a line to get a table! When you enter, you are welcomed with a fresh aroma of pho! With the space they have, they are very sufficient! You are greeted and five minutes later, they are ready to take your order. So trust me when I say, put those appetizers in right away and wait to put your food order in because the pho comes out piping hot after two minutes of order. Definitely fast casual dining! But the food is good and flavorful! I'm always back here for more!

Definitely my favorite photo restaurant in San Diego - North county-ish. The price here is great and the food is always tasty. I always get the pho ga (chicken pho) or the bun ga nuong (grilled chicken vermicelli bowl). These are my two go two and never disappoint. Coming from someone who grew up eating home-cooked Viet food, finding a good Viet restaurant in the more northern area of SD was kind of difficult. My family also loves this restaurant and love their Bun Bo Hue as well! There is almost always a wait during lunch and dinner on any given day but the wait typically isn't too long because the service is super fast!

*Note: review for take out only* I called ahead of time to place my order to go, and when I arrived, the food was by the door, waiting to be picked up. The process was so quick and easy. Plenty of parking outside, but can be quite busy during peak lunch/dinner hours because it shares a parking lot with Somisomi, Mochinut, Best Pizza and Brew, and Gongcha. We ordered: -1) Special Combo Pho: comes with slices of rare steak, well done brisket, flank, tendon, and tripe. The broth was flavorful and I was given the option to have cooked noodles or uncooked noodles. I chose cooked noodles and when I was eating the pho, the flavor/starch from the noodles overpowered the broth a little bit. But it was still a good bowl of pho. -Vietnamese coffee on ice: this is a strong coffee, perfect for a pick me up.

We arrived around 11AM on a weekend and joined a wait-list with at least 10 parties before us. Overall, the pho was good but not much different than our usual destination (Pho Ca Dao). Additionally there were no banh mi, and I usually like to buy an extra bahn mi with my pho so I can eat half with my meal and bring the other half to work for my lunch. - Special combo pho ($12.95) - Filet mignon pho ($13.95): The meat was much more fatty and tender than in the special combo so I would recommend that you try the filet mignon pho The restaurant is spacious and clean. Parking is the free lot, but it was remarkably crowded.

Absolutely delicious pho and really good bun thit nuong cha gio as well! There are many servers/helping hands inside and the food comes out really quick. It's a no-frills type place but there are some nice decor touches of Vietnamese and San Diegan culture.

Incredibly quick service, delicious food, and kind waitstaff. Pho Cow Cali is highly rated for good reason. We visited here on a Saturday night, and we had to join the waitlist as a group of five. Although it took a while to be seated, groups moved through relatively quickly on account of the quick and efficient service. We were seated with about 30 minutes until closing. Although the staff were quick to take our order and bring our food out, we didn't feel rushed at all. We got three of the pho specials, which were a great amount of food with a range of cuts of meat. The tripe was especially delicious! We also got eggrolls and tofu spring rolls as appetizers, which were great. The broken rice plate was also a highlight - the BBQ Pork was flavorful and tender. This was my first time having steamed meatloaf, which was also delicious!

My parents were in town and wanted some pho so I took them here. It was about a 35 minute wait at 7:00pm on a Sunday. We got the special and rare steak pho; they provided all the usual condiments that you would get at a pho spot. Service was extremely quick & we were in n out in about 40 minutes. I loved my pho & it's my go to spot here in San Diego. However, my parents said the portions were smaller than they expected (as compared to the pho places they go to in San Jose), and being Vietnamese themselves, they said the broth was just okay!! Beef was a bit too chewy (tastes old, per my mom). Regardless, this is a pretty decent spot for pho in SD! Inside is a bit noisy, but that's to be expected. I'd say the tables were clean enough but some spots were missed when cleaning. I'd definitely recommend anyone to come here for some comfort food!

This is now me and my family's top favorite pho restaurant! Satisfying bowl of pho, yummy cha gio for an appetizer along with efficient yet excellent customer service. From now on, this would be only the pho place I'd go to when I'm in Mira Mesa!

Came for the first time a month ago and this time we brought hubs to try this spacious restaurant with tasty pho. This time hubs had an xl bowl of pho. Doc had a combo plate and I got smart er. Once again I ordered the Bo bun hue without the pigs feet and omit the pork blood, I enjoyed it way more like this. Lots of beef, tendon and ordered a #25 ice coffee with boba so yummy!

Perfect for a cold rainy day! Their phos are delicious with the tender meats and light broths. There's all kinds of cuts of meats that can be included in your pho. I really enjoy their rare steak which cooks nicely in the hot broth. They give a generous amount of fresh veggies that you can add to your soup. We also got the egg rolls as an appetizer. They're really crunchy and come with lettuce which pairs well with the fried egg roll. Their phos are reasonably priced and portion size is great. This definitely makes for an easy enjoyable meal

Delicious broth and crunchy egg rolls is all it takes for me to come back to this establishment. Service was quick and attentive! Came here in the morning when it is not busy and we got to enjoy all the yummy goodness .

Small wait of maybe 10 minutes for a party of 6 plus a baby in a stroller. Food was really good, came out quick. No real complaints about the pho (majority of the table order Pho Dac Biet which probably helped with getting the food faster). But I do remember my aunt trying to position the baby stroller so it wouldn't be in the way... and they still served over the baby.

Soooo delicious!!! I came here with my friends and saw a big wait of people outside the restaurant which meant you knew the food was going to be good. We put our names down and walked around the plaza for a bit, by the time we finished walking around, our table was ready! I decided to get the house special filet mignon pho. This was my first time trying filet mignon and let me tell you it was SOOO damn goood. The meat was so flavorful yet so tender and juicy. The pieces were a good thickness and were pretty big. If I'm craving pho, I will definitely choose this spot!

This is one of my go-to's for pho! The prices are affordable and fairly cheap. The place is clean enough but kind of loud. I got the number 4 pho, the broth is delicious and I would say it's pretty authentic. Service is fast on the weekdays during off hours.

Came here for lunch. Staff were so friendly, professional and dedicated to customer service. The food was phenomenal! I ordered a chicken vermicelli bowl. It was fresh! Egg rolls were on point. The place was clean and decorated for lunar New Year! All in all a five out of five experience!

Cheap meal but food quality was good, I like the broth a lot and pho came with a lot of meat. Fast service and the iced water tastes good here. Nice paintings on the wall serve for a good ambiance.

We've ordered takeout from Pho Cow Cali multiple times but today was the first time I've actually dined inside the restaurant. As always, the food is consistently delicious with big portions and very affordable pricing - definitely one of the best Viet pho places in terms of value/quality even after many years of checking out great cheap Viet places in NYC. I was also pleasantly surprised by the fast service (literally all our food - apps & pho - came within 5 minutes of our ordering). Definitely order their egg rolls - each order comes with 6 but I can easily just eat 3-4 by myself because it's so crispy and delicious. For those who like pho, definitely got #1 Special Combo which is a XL pho that comes with rare thinly cut steak, beef tripe, and brisket. Their beef broth is also delicious and something that I'd happily just drink by itself.

This is one of the best Vietnamese restaurants in Mira Mesa. They have one of the best prices in town and their portions are absolutely generous. They offer a wide variety of Pho, Vermicelli, and Rice dishes. During peak dinner time, you'll see a huge line waiting (which is a testament to the quality of food at the restaurant). But the line moves very quickly and you never have to wait more than 15 minutes to get in. The servers are very quick to take your order, and while you won't get those fancy 5 star services, this is not the place for you to expect such. It is a very authentic Vietnamese restaurant run by local Vietnamese, so if you know the standards of typical Asian services, you'll be just fine. There's plenty of in lot parking space and if you feel like some dessert after dinner, there's Somi Somi, Mochi Nut and Ding Tea right next door to it.

Came on a Saturday night recently and wow it was super crowded. Seems like its well known how good this spot truly is. When we got there, twelve parties were in front of us. But they move so fast inside, that we only ended up waiting around 25 minutes! Probably the best pho in San Diego that I have been able to find! Not only is it delicious, but also it is worth its price! There are a number of options to get, but I typically get the chicken pho which is so flavorful. Their beef options are also great!

Went here with my kids and their friends for a late lunch. It took awhile to be seated even though there were a lot of empty tables. The food was ok. Nothing special compared to other pho places. They take your order and bring your food out pretty quick. After that, the servers never come back to check on you.

Best broth! Pho is comfort food for me. I've tried a lot of places, mainly Toronto and San Diego. Some places are OK, some deviated too much with their fusion style, but this place, solid! I always get the number one, special combo pho. I guess many would agree that this place is amazing as this is the only pho place I've ever seen that has regular line ups or crowd of people waiting outside to be seated.

I really think this place is like..."fast food", and before you scrunch your face and think otherwise, hear me out. The wait typically doesn't take terribly long and once you're seated and order the food, the food comes out extremely quick. Hence the "fast" part. Plus it's relatively a cheap meal no matter what you order. It's the best bang for your buck, plus the food is actually so freaking delicious. Love the place, love the efficiency of staff, love that there's parking in the plaza, and I love coming here :)

Been to this place for over 10 years and I'll keep coming back. Last time I was here (within this year), had to wait 30 minutes in the paper waitlist. But they give you your food FAST. Like you order then your food is out within 10 minutes. One of the best Vietnamese places in San Diego. Trust me, it's worth the wait.

You can never go wrong with pho, and Pho Cow Cali has some of the best I've had. Light, flavorful broth, and a bowl full of meat and noodles. Service is quick and efficient, with a quick turn around being seated for dinner

I'm not from SD but I was in town to visit friends and they took me to their "spot." The restaurant is large and there's a good amount of seating. We came during a Saturday afternoon and it was busy but our party of 7 was seated quickly. The menu includes Com Tam as well as Pho and other Vietnamese dishes such as spring rolls. I ordered the Pho Filet Mignon which turned out to be good! The broth was well-balanced, light, and delicious. I also enjoyed the noodles!

This is THE spot in San Diego for pho. Good price for the food you get, and it's always delicious. They give you all the classic things you need to customize your pho bowl (lime, bean sprouts, hoisin, siracha) and special combo pho never fails to fill me up. Be prepared for a long wait when you arrive. However, the food is somehow prepared at fast food speed so the line goes quick!

We always wanted to stop by here several times but due to the long wait, we always go elsewhere. We decided to come this time much earlier on Sunday before 6pm. We got seated within 10-15 minutes. The service was great and super fast. Overall, the food was ok. Only thing we enjoyed the most was the appetizer roll.

Came to Pho Cow Cali Express for dinner. There was a paper wait list that was outside of the restaurant as there was a good amount of people waiting to be seated. Pros: -free parking lot in front -the line moves fast -the staff are friendly and efficient -everything I tried was delicious. The Pho's broth was outstanding, the egg roll was fresh and was a good portion size, and their egg yolk drink was delightfully sweet. Cons: -n/a Overall, this was the best pho that I have had in San Diego. Looking forward to coming back and trying other items on their menu.

Great place for a quick bite to satisfy your pho or Bun Bo hue cravings! This is also one of my top pho spots in San Diego. I love getting the large pho portion for to go because they give you a lot of meat and soup. I usually save it for two meal. If you're taking it To go, ask for the noodles to be separated from the soup. I love pork bloom in the BBH and they let you order an extra side of pork blood too. Get their paring rolls! They come with lettuce and they're always perfectly crispy.