Pho Play

Bun bo hue - good size, broth decent, decent amount of meat, veggies fresh. Get some pickled jalepenos near counter.

Pho Play is a mom and pop vietnamese restaurant located in a Castro Valley strip mall away from downtown. It is located by Safeway and its the only non franchise restaurant in the area.We had a banh mi, the grilled lemongrass beef with vermicelli, and their chicken pho. The food was average at best with good portions. The service was good, the staff was friendly, and the ambiance feels new with a recent remodel. However, the bathrooms and the back of the restaurant does give a bleach smell, which gives a weird scent. Overall, I give it an average three stars and recommend folks to at least try it once.

Food - 2/5 Service - 1/5 Ambiance - 3/5 I usually go to another spot for Vietnamese food, but since it was closed today, I decided to check out Pho Play. First impression was that the space is clean, so things seemed promising. My husband and I ordered the beef brisket & tendon pho, egg rolls, and pork vermicelli. The food came out quickly, which was nice.We were pleasantly surprised by the generous portion of the pork vermicelli, but the disappointment hit hard when the pho arrived. The large bowl of pho came with just six tiny slices of brisket and four pieces of tendon. At $16, regardless of the type of protein or combination, I expected much more. A better pricing approach might be to charge more for combos while still providing a decent amount of meat. I was honestly shocked by how little meat was included.As we started eating, things got worse. The pork in the vermicelli was way too salty, and the noodles were dry, as if they had been sitting out for a while. The brisket in the pho was mediocre, and definitely not enough to make the dish satisfying.Then, I found a short black hair in one of my tendons. When I alerted the waitress, her immediate response was, "Oh yeah, it's super normal to have hair in tendon." Um... even if that's the case, shouldn't it have been removed before serving? I've ordered tendon at many Vietnamese places and have never found a hair in my food.The waitress took the tendon back to the kitchen, but instead of an apology or an explanation, another server came to our table and asked if we wanted them to cook a new bowl or offer us something to drink. By then, I had completely lost my appetite and declined. I was a bit thrown off by the lack of any apology or real concern over the situation.At that point, it was three or four strikes, and I knew I wouldn't be returning.

We loved This restaurant , súper fresh and delicious, . Good price , pho play is the best

Great local area for Vietnamese food. I especially love their vermicelli bowls and salads here. It's a cute interior great for dinner and hanging out. Staff are really helpful as well. Overall definitely recommend

I've been to Pho Play a few times, and this last visit was honestly fantastic! I definitely over-ordered this time though. I got the kids' chicken pho with all the veggies, and it was loaded! Way more food than I needed, especially since I also got a chicken rice plate. I couldn't even finish the pho--I was totally stuffed. The portions are super generous, and everything tasted great. My wife really enjoyed her brisket pho too, so no complaints here!The place is clean, there's plenty of parking, and you can either dine in or order to-go. Even the bathrooms are generally clean. If you're craving pho, I definitely recommend this spot!

I didn't like the overall experience at pho play. It's not what I expected. Pho broth is on salty side (way too much that my mom who usually finished that last drop didn't seem to be able to take any). The taro drink I ordered was a good thing after the hot day. I haven't tried the rice plate yet. Might swing by and get more drink. Price is on the high side which I can get more from typical tastier pho elsewhere. The challenge might be what people interests to be there.

Nice sit down Pho restaurant. The vibe is a little more modern and comfortable than traditional joints. The menu is on the wall when you enter, and you pay before sitting down.I got the pho with steak and tendon, steak on the side! $16They told me a table #, I sat down, they immediately served water and the dish came out very quickly. About 2-3 minutes later. The pho was good, although the broth was definitely too salty... I'd probably get a non-pho item next time.The food was an overall 3 but the nicer vibe and quick service makes the overall rating is probably closer to a 4.

We were in the area and had to stop at our favorite pho spot! Still so tasty and fresh! Everything was great and service is friendly. Love that they have a couple tables outside because we had our dog with us :)

When the weather is cold outside, pho play is my go to for pho. When it's warm outside bao buns is a go to...