“I’ve lived in San Francisco for years. So, I know Pho! And, tbc it takes a ton for myself to feel motivated enough to even consider offering up any kind of review. This place is on par with all the high end Asian cuisine restaurants you can find in the OC. Broth tasty. Meat lean and tender. The server was friendly and consistent. And, with a trendy, up beat atmosphere, that invites you in, too. Chloe took care of me like I was fam as a first timer. I do value great service. And, the cooks (wud up, Matt!!) know how to throw it down. Go here if you’re looking for a satiable dish, and you’ll be happy that you came.Vegetarian options: Superb option.“
Asian Fusion • $$$
“First time visit after a long time hearing about the famous garlic noodles.I ordered the fillet mignon pot stickers - these were very good, then continued to the garlic noodles with grilled shrimp.I waited quite a while for the main course, even though it was late lunchtime and the place was quite empty.The garlic noodles were ok. Perhaps back in the day they were quite an exciting idea.But fusion cuisine has come a way since then and I found the dish to be a bit boring.The grilled shrimp were good.In terms of value for money, I'm afraid I was paying for the reputation and past achievements and not for the experience I actually had.Will probably try other places the next time I'm in the area.“
“We had the Shaken Beef Rice, Pho, and Pork spring rolls. The family was very welcoming and made sure we were satisfied. Everything tasted fresh and very delicious. They switched locations from Newport to Costa Mesa and I would recommend everybody to go there.“
“Went yesterday to check this place out. Ordered Bahn Mi with Dip. The dip was not pleasant tasting. I assumed it was Pho broth. It was not. The second item was Chicken curry and it was superb! Perfect balance of coconut, lemongrass and curry that did not overwhelm. A beautiful marriage! Also ordered papaya salad and spicy mango salad. Papaya lacked flavor of any kind: sour, salty, spicy. Bland. Mango was however tasty, fresh and zesty. It complimented both the bahn mi and the curry. Need to work on the papaya salad though. Fir drinks we ordered a herbal lemonade? and Vietnamese coffee. Very good especially the coffee had none of that cigarette butt burnt aftertaste which I hate! It tasted like the old style Vietnamese drip coffee, fine and smooth. The packaging should be noted and complimented. All the dishware were paper except for the drinks which were plastic. Even the lids were paper! Thank you for being eco-conscious! The ambience is outdoorsy with plants and trees providing shade and some degree of privacy. Felt like a little oasis in a commercial complex called the Campus which has various businesses like fitness center, clothing stores and other eateries. My ONLY issue is with parking. We tried in vain to find space but after going around twice, decided to leave the car with a valet service which charged flat $7. People in their cars were blocking the lanes hoping for someone to leave. One asked if we were leaving and told them "Valet". Not worth wasting time to save $7 when most seemed to afford fancy cars! Yeah, parking. That would be the only deterrent to comeback, to save $7 for parking.“
“Never disappointed by this phoholic location! I've tried the Stanton location twice and never thought it was that great but I've also tried this location at south coast twice and loved it both times! Not sure what's different between the two but glad I didn't give up on it! The service is great here, very fast to take our order which I like because we know what we want to order at this point (phở tái). The broth is full bodied and the meat is tender. If you come with a group of two you'll probably be seated at the bar which is really nice and intimate and has buttons to call the staff in case you need them. If you come with a bigger group you'll be led to the tables in the back which is more comfortable to socialize with friends or family. If you sit at the bar you'll pay at the counter where you checked in.“
“We have had take-out pho on multiple occasions from Pho Lantern. Tonight we chose to dine in with two of our kids. We had such a fabulous experience. The food is always delicious but the service was extraordinary. Our server Vui had an incredible grasp of customer service and wowed us with her amazing hospitality.We LOVE Pho Lantern.“
“I love this place. My first visit to this place is back in 2019. I generally avoid going to fusion places as I feel they are not for me. I happened to try this place and it pleasantly surprised. I always go for their garlic noodles with chicken breast/house chicken which costs around 13$. It’s the best the texture, flavor and above all the taste. They always have good music. I found some undiscovered music artists songs at this place. All in all a great place to have good food. It’s a cute place with good restaurants around this place. It’s a small store I generally take out but also dined in sometimes. I recommended their food to a lot of people and they liked it as well.Parking: If you have trouble parking there is Ralph’s just across the street which has enough parking at all times.“
“We came for dinner on a weeknight, right around 7pm and it was not busy. Seemed understaffed, took a while to get even acknowledged, get seated, and get menus. Once we got the menus, we had to flag our server just to order. It has an okay vibe to the place, not bad, but not as lively and friendly as other places we've been. About 10 minutes later, we finally got to place our order, which felt like an eternity. Considering we were one of only a couple customers, the customer service was disappointing. I felt like I needed to get up every 5-10 minutes just to get something, to order, ask for chopsticks or bowls, or get the check. Normally, a server would come once or twice to check on us, not here. The food was fine, we got lemongrass chicken and rare beef pho, prices were reasonable, not as much as we've gotten at other pho places, but it's also not as expensive either. That's the one redeeming quality of this place, which keeps the rating higher, but would have appreciated better service, which took off one star.“
“Happy Pho is a hidden gem, offering a variety of delicious pho options. It's undoubtedly one of the best pho places I've come across. The quiet ambiance and the popularity of takeout suggest its widespread appeal. Don't miss out on trying their Thai tea – it's a delightful complement to the flavorful pho varieties they “
“The food here is absolutely delicious! I had the house special shrimp and it was delightful. The breading was perfect, shrimp tasted fresh and the sauce was really good. My grandpa had the orange chicken and he really enjoyed it, I had a piece as well and it was fresh and crisp. My wife had the Beef Pho and it was soooo tasty. Definitely some of the best pho we have had. The owner of the location helped us pick wjat yo get, and was very helpful from start to finish. It is a family owned restaurant so totally get some TLC. The ambience us great, pretty spacious with very cool fish tanks as well. If you are in the area, I suggest you give this spot a try, you won't regret it.“