Pho So 1 Lake Forest

For what south OC has to offer in terms of vietnamese food, Pho So 1 takes my heart! The store opens fairly late so our friends love to grab late dinner here. Pho is always so comforting here and we also like to order the fried eggrolls. You'll find me ordering here often! Thats it. I think their noodle dishes and soups are all good. I'll try some of the rice dishes next time probably. Service is always good and attentive. Ambiance is good as well, you will see lots of people just hanging out or family coming together to eat. Never a silent moment here.

The biggest complaint I had with this restaurant is the portions. My son ordered the rice with pork chop and egg rolls. The pork chop was paper thin and very small. When I asked the server about the size of the pork chop, she even agreed it was small. And then to charge approximately $18 for this is simply highway robbery. Never coming back here again.

Some friends of ours raved about this place so we caved and gave them a try. Our first time we dined in the restaurant. We were immediately seated. There is a good amount of seating and they seem to get quite busy here. I obviously noticed the cute tables made of stones in resin...I think that's what it was in. Not sure. The second time we decided to do a pickup. Both times we've ordered, we felt very rushed to decide on what to eat. While ordering for pickup, when we blanked for about ten seconds and forgot what we were going to say, they tried to hang up on us and said they're too busy. Like what??? I am trying to order and I'm not worth an extra thirty seconds of your time because I forgot the name of a piece of meat in the meal? I should've just let them go. That was a foreshadowing. What we ordered for dine-in: 1) Garlic noodles with beef 2) Pork chop with fried eggrolls- comes with rice, sliced veggies, pickled cabbage. 3) shaken beef 4) #51 with pork, bean curd stuffed with shrimp - comes with rice, sliced veggies and pickled cabbage. What we ordered for pickup: 1) chicken pho broth only 2) pho with brisket and beef 3) 51 with pork, bean curd stuffed with shrimp - comes with rice, sliced veggies and pickled cabbage. Ordered extra pickled cabbage and extra of the bean curd stuffed with shrimp. 4) Durian shake -1 out of 5: garlic noodles. We didn't like the garlic noodles at all. The noodles were so soft it became mush in your mouth and it lacked seasoning. -3 out of 5: The pork chop dish wasn't bad.-3 out of 5: shaken beef was also ok-2 out of 5: Chicken pho broth only. This was bland -2 out of 5: beef pho with brisket was bland -2 out of 5: durian shake - the ice wasn't blended smooth enough for me. Usually these are more of a smoothie consistency when I order them elsewhere. Also, I wasn't sure if there was ANY actual durian in there or if it was just artificial flavoring? It was very sweet. I was so excited to have this until I tried it. As you can tell from the picture, the portion in the cup wasn't even filled up. It's tilted in the photo, but you can see it wasn't a full serving. -2 out of 5: #51. I was going to give three stars for this one but my second time eating it was a 1-2 stars for me. Some pieces of pork were undercooked because it was cooked folded up into each other. The bean curd stuffed with shrimp was good our first time, but the second time, it didn't look like it had the bean curd wrap at all and was just straight shrimp. It was very chewy and dry. The pickled cabbage...this is usually my favorite part of this dish in Vietnamese cuisine. I was gagging when I ate it. I thought it was just me, so I ate another piece. Again the same reaction. I smelled the cabbage and noticed it smelled off. That's when I just got irritated. I couldn't eat the veggies, I couldn't eat some of the pork and the shrimp was so dry and chewy I got tired of chewing. I wasn't that impressed with the food our first time, it was just ok. We even told each other it was just alright and we wouldn't come back. I was definitely not impressed our second time and I am unsure as to why we returned albeit to go. The customer service for me was lacking and to rush us both times wasn't cool. It's a 2 out of 5 for me. Maybe we had off days with them, I don't know. I'm glad to see that others have enjoyed this establishment. I wish them well.

Pho So 1 is known for not using MSG in their dishes. The food came out quickly. If you order pho, the sides of bean sprouts/basil/lime are already prepped and in the fridge. Since it's been in the fridge, the veggies are slightly discolored and not as fresh as if they were made to order.The pho was good and pretty average. There's plenty of parking in the front lot.

3.5 stars Plenty of parking. Food was good. Service lack, bad communication. Servicer did not come check on us. The place was clean and quiet.

Another great experience being fed and served by Ben and the crew. We had a large vegetable pho with chicken broth and pork steak with garlic noodles.it was good to see a good crowd in the restaurant because this is still a great vietnamese eatery!

A place to get all your Pho cravings satisfied. This place has a variety of noddles and soup for everyone from vegetarian options to meat and chicken. I'm always a fan of the Vietnamese beef or filet with rice for lunch so I had ordered a beef dish with egg rolls rice and some vegetables. I didn't realize it was not filet but it was good but not what I wanted. I also got to try some of the vegetarian pho which was filled with broccoli, bok choi, carrots and the additional sprouts and basil. The soup tasted very good and that's the key to it. Overall it was a good experience and industry average. Dining area is pretty good sized and they also have a nice list of drinks and Vietnamese desserts. I got to try my favorite dessert the Trio Colored Dessert which was not bad. Definitely try this place out for some good variety of Pho.

I'm not super picky with pho so I judge it based on simple criteria - how many meatballs do I get when I order the meatball pho? Does the broth remind me of my childhood Chinatown pho dinners? Are the noodles bouncy and chewy? The answer here are a lot of meatballs and yes with Pho So 1. It gets the job done well and the pho held over deliciously for takeout. A regular for $15, not bad. The portion was good.

Pho So 1 definitely lives up to its name as one of the top pho spots in South OC! This spot is located in a plaza with a good amount of parking spots. Wifey and I came for dinner around 7:30pm and we were seated right away. Inside, they have a pretty spacious restaurant with a good amount of seating. As for their menu, they are stacked with so many different pho, noodle, rice dishes, and drinks to try! Wifey and I opted to try the Pho Dac Biet and the Pho Suon Bo. We did the broth test and it was so flavorful and the entire bowl was a harmonious experience! Overall, this is a solid spot with some home style Vietnamese cuisine and generous portions! All of the staff here are very friendly and welcoming. Pho So 1 is Viet gang approved!

I live in Capistrano area and don't want to have to drive 49 minutes out to Westminster for good pho and authentic Vietnamese rice dishes so I discovered this place over the summer and only come here for all of our pho cravings! They are super friendly and their food is amazing. If it were to my kids they would consistently choose this spot for food whenever deciding what to eat. I like the space this restaurant provides especially for bigger groups.