San Diego’s Best 10 Pho Restaurants in 2022 | 2023 (Updated and Expanded)
California is mostly known for famous celebrities, bottlenecks on the freeways, and the never-ending summer season.
It also happens to be the third largest state and has attracted a fabulous blend of cuisines from all over the world.
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San Diego is packed with culture and offers amazing cuisines, a fantastic art scene, and many historical and tourist attractions.
With plenty of classic American and Spanish influences blending into the architecture, lifestyle and food, you can expect to find culture bursting at the seams in San Diego.
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Cuisine in San Diego is highly influenced by its ethnic and cultural mix.
That means you can name the cuisine and will more than likely find it.
Popular cuisines include Indian, Italian, German, Vietnamese, and many more.
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Vietnamese cuisine is quite famous, not only in San Diego, but across the globe.
The main specialty of this cuisine is rice served in many different forms.
You will find rice in steamed, noodle, sticky and porridge form. In addition to the rice, Vietnamese cuisine features significant amounts of fish sauce and a collection of herbs; cilantro, mint and lemongrass to name a few.
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As mentioned earlier, Vietnamese cuisine is known for serving rice in various forms and pho, which is a noodle soup that features linguine-shaped rice noodles.
Pho is a popular Vietnamese noodle soup which basically consists of broth, rice noodles, herbs and meat.
The meat is traditionally either chicken or beef.
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Pho is mostly known for being a street food in Vietnam.
Pho is offered as part of the Vietnamese cuisine by many restaurants across the globe.
It is traditionally eaten for breakfast or at lunch time in southern Vietnam but in the northern areas of Vietnam, it can be eaten at any time of the day.
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The dish first originated in the 20th century in northern Vietnam and gained popularity in different areas of the world due to the refugees of the Vietnam War.
Pho gained popularity in the US in the 1990s when the relations between the two countries started to improve.
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At the same time, a lot of Vietnamese restaurants started their service mainly in California and Texas.
Later, chains of Vietnamese restaurants started spreading through the rest of the country.
Pho is very popular in the city of San Diego, and not only because the San Diego county has more than 40,000 Vietnamese residents.
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Today, pho has acquired a special place in the hearts of the people living in San Diego.
Foodies know already that Vietnamese food is all about balance.
The cuisine is a traditionally a mix of spicy, sweet, sour and salty.
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One of the best things about Vietnamese food is that it is actually quite healthy in addition to being a joy for your taste buds.
Almost every dish is served with a plate of veggies, herbs and sauces.
The vegetarian tradition comes from Buddhist influences and that might a good reason why health conscious people in San Diego can’t say no this amazing cuisine.
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San Diego is full of Vietnamese restaurants and they not only experience traffic from the locals but the ever present flow of tourists.
That is why San Diego is one of the best places for a foodie — you can find anything to sate your cravings here.
Vietnamese cuisine is enjoyed not only by people who enjoy some spice, but also by people who like to watch their health.
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Vietnamese cuisine attracts a lot of attention and you have so many options when choosing the best place to eat pho.
With that in mind, here is a list of some of the best Vietnamese restaurants that serve delicious pho in San Diego:
Here’s a quick rundown of our list:
- Pho Hiep & Grill
- Pho Cow Cali Express
- Pho Lucky
- Pho Fifth Avenue
- OB Noodle House & Sake Ba
- Pho Point Loma and Grill
- Saigon On Fifth
- DaoFu
- Mignon Pho and Grill
- Pho Hoa Restaurant
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Pho Hiep & Grill — 539 Telegraph Canyon Road and 872 Eastlake Parkway- (619) 482–8883
Vietnamese dishes simply aren’t complete without being served with veggies.
This particular strip mall standout is very popular for serving some fresh and vibrant greens.
Two of the best dishes to enjoy here are the bun bo hue and dac biet pho.
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The dac biet pho is a combination of rare slices of beef, tendon, tripe, brisket, fatty brisket and flank.
Both dishes are a sight for sore eyes, or, more so, rumbling bellies, and will bring your taste buds to life.
Moreover, the combination of garden herbs served with each dish makes them even livelier.
Pho Cow Cali Express — 9170 Mira Mesa Boulevard, Mira Mesa — (858) 271–8341
Not everybody is a fan of meat, and some also prefer their pho broth to be more a mix of herbs and onions rather than fatty meats.
If you are one of these people, then Pho Cow Cali Express is a great choice to enjoy some truly good pho.
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The servers at the restaurant are also a great help and will easily talk you out of ordering something too adventurous if you are nervous.
Pho Lucky — 9326 Mira Mesa Boulevard — (858) 586–7979
You are lucky if you happen to try pho at this restaurant for the first time.
Funnily enough, Pho Lucky is located right across the street from Pho Cow Cali Express.
Customers will no doubt be impressed by the speed at which they are served.
At times, food lovers often complain their pho broth not having a vivid taste whenever they try out this popular Vietnamese dish at other places.
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However, Pho Lucky has a reputation for serving a rich broth accompanied by one of the beefiest tastes in the city.
Many people will have stated they would pick Pho Lucky if they were forced to pick strictly one pho place in the entire city San Diego.
Pho Fifth Avenue — 3807 Fifth Ave — (619) 260–3555
The moment you read Fifth Avenue, you might assume that a food place in a boutique retail district is more about style than substantial food.
However, Pho Fifth Avenue is successfully breaking this stereotype.
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The pho serve here has a denser flavor than many other pho places you might have tried previously.
Past customers recommend absolutely trying the filet mignon version, or the pho chay, which is completely vegetarian.
OB Noodle House & Sake Bar — 2218 Cable St — (619) 450–6868
A noodle house would not live up to its reputation if they did not offer a savory broth with rice noodles.
However, we all know that pho is not just a broth with noodles.
OB Noodle house is a heaven for people who can’t eat gluten, but love pho.
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The restaurant offers 20 varieties of gluten free pho.
It is also quite the place for entertainment.
If you visit, you should definitely try the Pho 20 challenge.
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This challenge means if you are successful in eating 1.5 pounds of noodles and 1 pound of meat within 42 minutes or less, you will be rewarded with a t-shirt and a place in the hall of fame at the restaurant.
Pho Point Loma and Grill — 2788 Midway Dr — (619) 226–6502
It doesn’t matter if you are a food enthusiast or not, your appetite isn’t typically going to be that of a lion’s.
Fortunately, you can choose the size of your serving according to your appetite at Pho Point Loma and Grill.
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The restaurant serves pho both in a small or large bowl according to what you prefer.
You can round off your meal with a Vietnamese espresso as well.
Saigon On Fifth — 3900 Fifth Ave — (619) 220–8828
A food lover can get cravings at any time of the day or night.
If you ever have a pho craving late at night, then don’t worry, because Saigon on Fifth is open up to 3 a.m.
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Pho is only a small part of the menu, and is also accompanied by many other popular Vietnamese dishes.
If you ever find yourself here, then it has been suggested by other customers to couple the sugar cane shrimp with some noodle soup for a great experience.
DaoFu — 3332 Adams Ave — (619) 281–6888
The restaurant serves pho both with meat and vegetables but even the meat lovers incline to order the vegetable one because the restaurant is quite famous for its delicious tofu.
One thing to look out for is to keep your spice scale at a three, as anything above can be quite the challenge.
Mignon Pho and Grill — 3860 Convoy St — (858) 278–0669
There is nothing more fascinating than eating a dish with a unique recipe.
It can be a lot of fun to try and figure out the ingredients behind an especially delicious dish, which is what makes Mignon Pho and Grill a lot of fun.
The secret ingredient at Mignon Pho and Grill, as it turns out, is that they steep bone marrow with the broth in the most authentic manner that Vietnamese cooks have used for ages.
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If you are a picky eater, then you have come to the right place.
You can choose up to three main ingredients that you want in your pho at this particular restaurant as well, giving you plenty of options.
Pho Hoa Restaurant — 4717 El Cajon Blvd — (619) 283–6431
Your level of trying new and unique cuisines could vary so at Pho Hoa Restaurant; you can choose your menu according to you being a beginner, regular or adventurer.
The pho is similarly divided into these three categories and the dish will match up according to your personal level.
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If you really enjoy trying new types of dishes, you can order an add-on including crunchy or fatty flank.
Each state across America and its various cities have something special to offer.
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San Diego is obviously no different, but it is special in many ways that other cities aren’t when it comes to cuisine.
The city successfully lives up to the image of California, its beauty and the magnificent offering of world-wide cuisine that it provides to foodies and those looking for a good meal in general.
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Food has always been a significant part of a culture, regardless where that culture originates from.
America is one of the best places to witness cultures coming together to mix the best influences it has to offer, and San Diego is a prime example of it.
Food has a way of connecting people, and can be a tool to eradicate barriers.
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For many years, soup has been a comfort food, but pho brings a unique twist to the idea.
It is such a vibrant combination of rice noodles, herbs and meat that any food enthusiast would be rubbing their stomachs at the mere thought.
You won’t do the dish justice if you don’t give proper attention to eating it, so be sure and eat it the authentic Vietnamese way.
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Stop your conversations as soon as you are served with your bowl of pho.
Inhale the aroma of the soup and appreciate the different herbs you can smell.
Let the first spoon settle in your mouth.
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Savor the dish and pay attention to the different flavors popping onto your tongue.
There is a reason that pho is served with a collection of green veggies, so don’t ignore them.
Try your next spoonful with the veggies and enjoy the new burst of flavor.
If you have never tried pho before, but want to try new cuisines, then it is time you gave Vietnamese food a chance.
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You will definitely be introducing your taste buds to some amazing flavors and an all new experience that you are sure to repeat.
San Diego has some of the best pho places you can find in America, hands down.
Whether you are looking to find a new home in the area or are visiting, be sure and take advantage.
What do you think?
Leave me a comment below — or, contact me here.
Your San Diego Pho Insider,
Scott
