Pho Cali Restaurant

Negatives:-ambiance, the place is a little dirty. The floors are sticky, the tables and chairs are old. It's probably better to order to go than eating there.-taste, my hu tieu soup had the wrong noodles and the soup was a little bland. My wife got pho ap chao, the noodle was crispy though oily. The sauce was a little salty for me too. The veggies tasted like they were from a can and the shrimp tasted frozen. Given the price, I would not expect too much quality from the protein.-service was very basic. They took our order and brought us our food that was it.Positives:-the prices were very cheap. Their most expensive dish was $12.50 Overall 3.5/5Given how cheap this place is, I'll give the food a pass. It's nothing amazing, but not bad either. I would go here if I wanted cheap eats without breaking the wallet. At the same time, it's still better than going to Panda Express or Jack in the box.

I made the mistake of ordering the pho xe lau for $11. There's a reason it's so low. The broth has no taste. The meat taste like it's been boiled in water. I couldn't even finish my bowl. At least the service is fast.

Looks like I won't be coming back.... Female employee left restroom without washing her hands (sink was dry), bathroom was sooo dirty, almost all condiment servers were dirty, egg rolls were served room temperature. So disappointed as this used to be our spot when coming to Santa Ana.

Get yourself 6-8 egg rolls, order some pho, make sure to add some sauces from the table, enjoy!

The food needs to be improvement. Negative stars. Soup is bland and my brother bowl had bugs. Check your food before eating.

So this is our usual go-to spot whenever we want the sandwiches, but this time was disappointing, to say the least. My order was incorrect, and to top it off, I couldn't even order dessert because they had an extra ingredient I do not like. I hope my next visit is better so I don't need to find a new spot.

Still one of my hometown favorite places to get banh mi! They do swindle you into get more than what you wanted because their sandwiches and deserts are buy 2 get 1 free. We came solely for the sandwiches and ended with 6 sandwiches and 6 deserts ... so they won. Still worth it though! You have food for now and later. I would also highly recommend stopping by if you're looking to get some fresh bread!Their prices have risen since the pandemic and my last visit which was many moons ago, but it's still a steal if you order in multiples of 3!

Pho Cali is located on 1st and Harbor, neighboring a Dunkin Donuts. Parking is typically open unless you come on weekends for dinner. They have a lot of items on their menu, such as hot pho, rice dishes, banh mi, and bubble tea. If you're in a rush, they also have premade hot food such as egg rolls and meat pastries. All of their bread is made in house and are sold daily. I came in for a quick lunch and got the shredded chicken banh mi, three pork pastries, and a customized milk tea with rainbow jelly and tapioca pearls. This meal ended up being around $16 which is pretty affordable considering how big the portions were. I didn't have to wait too long for my food, which was nice considering the fact that it was a busy lunch hour. The food was good! The pork pastry was fresh with a butter flaky texture. The chicken banh mi was really filling, and the pickled veggies were fresh. I was also really happy with the milk tea and it's toppings. They also have a buy one get one deal on their milk and Thai teas everyday, which is convenient if you want to get a quick drink with your friends. As for their customer service, they're really nice! I used to frequent there a lot growing up and had a kind server that always had my order memorized. There is a language barrier but that isn't an excuse to be rude to your server. I think people forget that service workers are people too. Kindness goes both ways! The only issue I have with this place is it's cleanliness, as it doesn't appear properly maintained. I've even had an instance where I've found a fly in my soup. This is a big factor in a restaurant success and I hope they take this into consideration in the future.

The food is good but the service is FUCKING TERRIBLE. Over the last few years they never come and check up on you and the the main guy I see there is usually just sitting down looking around and sometimes talking to one of the other servers but doesn't seem to ever hear me when I call him to the point where it seems like he's just ignoring me straight out. On more than one occasion I have asked for some limes and he wouldn't bring them. It's a damn shame because the food is good but not worth going with lazy servers.

Pretty good food.Service is quick and friendly. Price isn't too bad either. I had the grill pork banh mi.