Pho Mai Cali

There are just certain dishes that you cannot find at a traditional Vietnamese restaurant; Pho Mai Cali is serving up not only delicious pho, but a whole different menu featuring kitchen specials influenced from northern Vietnam-- if you're in the Santee area, this is your new go-to !Its located in a huge shopping center with plenty of shared parking . The building is up to date, interior looks very modern, and everything looks very clean . We were welcomed by our server Jaden who goes above and beyond to provide the best hospitality-- shout out to him for being so knowledgable and patient as I asked about certain dishes on the kitchen specials list ! Food comes out pretty quick, so get ready to eat !Here's what we ate:Taro Viet Coffee and Marble Coffee are both sooo tasty . I preffered the marble one made with oat milk as it wasn't too sweet for me .Deep fried bao buns: They tasted just like what you expect . Lightly crisp, fluffy inside, and comes with a sweet chili dipping sauce . My kids loved these.Shaken chicken with fries: This was sooo flavorful . Garlicky and gingery . Fries and bell peppers add a nice texture . MUST TRY !Bot Sot Chanh (beef salad): This reminded me of a light version of thai larb, but Vietnamese style ! Tart, zesty, and refreshing . I would love to try a spicy version of this dish !Hai Nam Chicken: If you grew up in an asian household, this will give you nostalgia and hit home soooo hard . Simplicity at its finest ! Highly recommend !Bone in Rib Pho: Broth was very rich and savory . The 3 ribs were huge and were fall off the bone tender . Large portions of noodles are a plus !Dino bone marrow: This is MASSIVE and filled with melt- in-your-mouth marrow and tendons that is such a level-up to add to your pho ! There are gloves and meat scissors on the table for you to use if needed . I definitely recommend sharing . TREAT YOURSELF !Overall, this spot is a solid and I would recommend friends/family to check it out if they're in the area . I need to be back soon to try the rest of their menu out !!

Great spot for Vietnamese food especially if you dont want to drive all the way to Convoy street. I didnt have the chance to try the pho, but I ordered the shaken beef fries, crab fried rice, Hainan chicken, fried bao buns and potstickers. The highlight of the night was the shaken beef fries. It had amazing flavor with onions, peppers, cubed steak and fries. It wasn't too oily or salty. The crab fried rice is made with real crab, but I wished there were more pieces of crab throughout the dish. The Hainan chicken dish came with sweet and sour sauce, and the rice was made with the broth from the chicken. I think if they served it with ginger-garlic sauce, chili sauce and soy sauce, it would be a hit. Im used to eating the fried bao buns with condensed milk for a sweet treat, but it was different to eat this as a savory dish with sweet and sour sauce. The buns were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The potstickers are exactly what you would expect them to be. It's crunchy with meat filling and served with sweet n sour sauce. We tried the marble and taro coffee drinks, but my favorite was the marble. If you like your coffee on the sweeter side with a kick to keep you awake, I would recommend these drinks! Parking is easy to find and service was great. Clean restaurant with soothing decor especially the picture of the water/rock formations on the wall.

Craving authentic Vietnamese cuisine?Look no further than @phomaicali.santee located in Santee, California!Come taste the flavors of Vietnam right in your own backyard.This hidden gem takes you on a culinary journey to the streets of Vietnam. The friendly staff greets you with a smile and ensures a delightful dining experience from start to finish. The ambience is so inviting!We tried:*Crispy Chicken Wings*Fried Bao Bun*Vietnamese chicken salad*Hanoi Style Beef Pho*Beef Rib Pho*Taro Coffee*Marble Coffee*Vietnamese coffee

This place has been opened for 4 years and can't believe we just discovered it in Santee.I haven't found a place that offers northern pho in SD. They have it here! It's the P3 Ha Noi style beef w fried garlic pho.We ordered:P1 Pho Mai Special ($19.99): Each item came out separately. A plate for meat, a bowl for broth, a plate for noodles and a plate for veggies. You pour the broth in yourself. Cool to try this once but I'm lazy and prefer it in one bowl.We also ordered a side of Dino bone ($15.99): Huge bone marrow which was all fat and tough cartilage. Looks good for show, but nothing for the tummy. P4 filet mignon pho ($17.99): We really enjoyed the pho broth which is better than most places. The filet was soft and thin. You get choice of large or thin vermicelli noodles. We got large.We always eat the bagel twists ($2.99) to dip with the pho broth.R1 Special combo rice plate ($16.99): pork, chicken, beef, shrimp, egg rolls was all flavorful. I just wished it was broken rice.N4 Special combo stir fry flat rice noodles ($16.99): This dish was average. I prefer more char but the protein portions were generous.The drinks looked tempting so we got marble coffee and taro coffee. Both are too sweet for my liking but very rich and creamy in coffee.They gave us a complimentary mini bottle of Martinellis apple juice on our way out.Plenty of parking in this plaza. We will be back to try other dishes.

Mom and I ended our adventurous girls bonding day at Pho Maicali. We split a really yummy bang mi sandwich and ginormous bowl of pho tai rare steak. For us this was a real treat as we can't convince dad to join when we eat out.This was the perfect "soup and sandwich" combo for us! There was sooooo much we had to take some home!Inside is quiet so we could have a great conversation and staff was friendly although constantly busy! Overall we enjoyed this soft music quiet ending to a crazy but wonderful day! We'll be back!

The best Vietnamese I've tried! This spot is a must visit! I made the drive to Santee and it was well worth it! This family run spot had the most flavorful dishes! We loved everything we tried! I usually get pho at Vietnamese restaurants but I tried some of their dishes and they didn't disappoint! Highly recommend this restaurant to locals & visitors! The team was friendly & made our visit amazing! The space is perfect for a night out with the family or friends!

I loved everything we tried here. We started with the taro coffee and it was strong and refreshing! We also had the dino bone pho, rice vermicelli noodles with beef and eggrolls, sweet garlic chicken wings, and the shaken chicken fries.The wings were so flavorful and had the perfect amount of spice. The vermicelli noodles were light and delicious as well. The chicken fries came with an egg and were delightful, but the fries were more like potato squares. I really liked the green sauce it came with.The pho with dino bones hit the spot and had a good broth aroma. They even handed us scissors to cut into the meat. Overall, the dishes were great and service was friendly and attentive.

If you love Vietnamese food this is a place to try! Very authentic and each item ordered had so much flavor. They had multiple entrees to choose from and my favorite was the cha ca thang long and crispy chicken wings! Staff were attentive and plenty of parking outside.

First off, there's plenty of parking. Upon entering, there is a nice relaxing, elegant music playing, and the temperature inside the restaurant is just right, even in that East County Summer heat. You receive a warm welcome from a host and are seated very quickly. They have a very large menu, with many authentic recipes, as their chef ha out of Vietnam and brings their favorite dishes to life here in Santee. Check out these pictures of some of my favorite dishes I've tried.! I came back a second time so this was not just one meal. Haha. LOVE IT!!

I'm a huge fan of Vietnamese food and really enjoyed everything I tried here! I like how they have traditional dishes along with modern options. My favorites were the salt and pepper wings, fried bao buns and the Bun Cha Ha Noi. The dishes were all fresh and full of flavor, service was awesome too! I really enjoyed our drinks as well, the taro iced coffee and lychee lemonade, both with popping boba.