Pho Banh Mi

When I read exceptionally harsh reviews (like the one below mine... you know who you are,) I take them with a large grain of salt before I myself have had a chance to sample the cuisine, service, and ambiance.Never having had a Banh Mi before (yeah, what planet am I from, right?) I decided it was time, and went with the recommendation from my server: Pork Belly. I am SO GLAD I did. When it came, I added a large squirt of Sriracha on each half, and began mowing. Crispy/buttery hollowed out bun, of course. The flavors inside: mint, carrot, and a sweet/salty hint of fish sauce, were ON POINT. The pork belly itself: super tender/crisp and melt-in-your-mouth good. I could barely put the sandwich down long enough to take a sip of my Vietnamese coffee, which was also dee-lish.As we were paying, the incredibly affable cashier (also our server,) recommended getting the combination Banh Mi next time, which is exactly what I'll do.LOVE this place and hope it sticks around for years!

I got bamboozled by the pictures on the sidewalk menu. We were craving for popcorn chicken and didn't feel like walking over to O2, especially since Pho Banh Mi looked more comfortable with more tables and such. Zero wait time during lunch hours, but our 2-persons table was the only one remaining, located at the edge of the walkway. I don't think that spot was intended to have any seating arrangements. There were hardly space for us to get into the seats without moving the table, my seat was backed against the walkway where there was a lot of traffic with hot soup being carried in and out. If I don't sit still and crouched up, accidents may occur. We ended up ordering popcorn chicken (what we came for) and added on a Vietnamese chicken salad to counterbalance the unhealthy dish. You can definitely get better ones elsewhere, probably at a spot that is walking distance from here. If you have a thing for dino nuggets, you might enjoy the popcorn chicken here. There's more popcorn (breading) than the chicken. They're all of the same size, just like those frozen nuggets. They taste JUST like the frozen nuggets too. The breading was soft, just like frozen nuggets. As for the salad, the dressing was light and wasn't too salty. The shredded chicken breast on top of the salad was bland and dry. They had these wonton strips/pieces in the salad, I was only able to identify them by taste, they were so soggy, it's the same texture as you left your cereal in the milk too long. This gotta be my saddest meal in a long while. One must remember, never choose ambiance over food quality in Palo Alto.

Went here with Hubby today. My Hubby order the pho special, the broth is too sour and old meat.I order the sizzling plate (Bo ne), they gave me (shaken beef) Bo luc lac, I am to hungry to returns the food.Went to the cashier and pay, the guy told me that I would get a discount since my plate was out of pate and eggs. The price on the menu was $21.95, he so called discount is charging $26.95, in other words, no discount but an up charging, and yet they refuse to admit they gave me a wrong dish. We still pay for the overpriced and left because I don't want waste time arguing with him since is definitely a first and LAST visit to this place.

Solid place to get Vietnamese food. It's definitely a little cheaper than Pho Ha Noi down the street, but it's also not as fancy. The food is still good though and I like how they have many classic Vietnamese dishes.I like to get their Vietnamese pate pork banh mi. My partner likes their popcorn chicken. I also like their grilled pork with rice. And recently we ordered their grilled chicken and it was surprisingly good tooI also like that this place's usually not too busy for dinner so you can usually sit wherever and order fast. They serve food pretty fast. We waited less than 10 minutes when we ordered 3 entrees and 1 appetizer. I also like how they have a utensils box at the table so you don't need to flag down a waiter for a spoon or fork. Also they make the water so fancy here! They give water in a large mason jar with citrus and add citrus and cucumber to the water cups. I like that touch. It makes the water feel fancy.Also want to mention they auto-add a 10% service charge on the bill. The inside feels new and clean. I think they've redone the restaurant a bit because I don't remember it being like this before, but I really like their new decor. It feels modern and warm.Parking: There are many parking garages in Palo Alto so it's not too hard for us to find parking

Food:Food was tasty, they had good bread and peanut sauce. Their spring rolls & portion of meat were a bit skimpy. Service:Service was good. They were quick with my takeout order. They charge 10% automatic tip with billAmbiance:They have both in door & out door seating. Casual ambiance

My partner and I ordered the grilled chicken banh mi to spilt just as something to tie us over until dinner time. The serving size was good and did the job we needed it to. The flavor was so fresh from all of the veggies and the sauce was sweet which I quite enjoyed, my partner, not so much. The inside is a very cute decor with plenty of seating both inside and outside. The restaurant had a very strong chemical smell which let me know it was clean but was pretty harsh to smell throughout a meal. Make sure you bring a card to pay as this place does not accept cash. Also, keep in mind that a 10% gratuity is added to every bill automatically.

After trying it 3 times, I cannot recommend this place. Walk 2 minutes to Pho Ha Noi instead.The first time (~2 years ago):I came here for a Banh Mi per the name. After I got seated I found out they had no bread. "Okay, I'll try the pho", I thought. It was alright but nothing special.Second time (~1.5 years ago):Pho Hanoi was not in Palo Alto yet and I was craving Vietnamese food. There was 1 other table here yet somehow they didn't bring my drink out until I was walking up to pay. The food was still average, and the service left a bad taste in my mouth.Final time (today):I thought I'd give it another try to change things up. The new waiter was really nice to us but the rest of the staff was rude. For some reason they had us join two nearby tables into 1 as we were seated. This part was fine though we didn't ask for this. Somehow this would cause problems.After we began eating (maybe 10 mins later) they then had us stop mid-meal, get up, and move tables to reclaim the extra table they gave us (???). They pulled the conjoined table away. Ironically, there was no demand for this table as it sat empty while we finished our food. They didn't even clean it for someone else. I think the older woman here just didn't want us having this second table while another staff member did. Why make it our problem? Why not wait until we leave to resolve it? Between this fumble and them conducting awkward interviews a couple tables away, I felt really underwhelmed by the environment. To top it off, the people next to us left with nearly full plates on their table, and my drink came out super late like the previous time. The meat tasted freezer-burned according to my girlfriend.This place is a mess -- skip it! Go a couple blocks down to Pho Ha Noi to get better food and better treatment. The price is not that different and yet you get a better experience with better quality food 100% of the time.

This is really a fast-food stand kind of restaurant located in the busy University Avenue. We tried the Lemongrass Banh Mi and the Grilled Pork Rice. The bun was lightly fried to add the flavor. All ingredients were good except the bed was too salty. The grilled pork was on the greasy side, but it's not salty but sweet as it should be. My order came with/ the drink and fries. As it turned out, the freshly made fries save the day. The waiter forgot our orders and came back to confirm. The waitress just couldn't remember that we needed a doggy bag for the fries. BTW, the internet speed was good and the 10% service charge was included in the bill. So what can I say, it's a fast-food stand alright.

Legit so GOOD! Very cute place! Nice workers very fast service! Loved the food! Thai iced tea was to die for so good!!!!!!!

Placed a to-go order for a tofu banh mi with no mayo - 30 minutes later I received a cold pork banh mi with mayo :(