49 Best Vietnamese Restaurants near La Jolla

“Food “Neophobia,” is the fear of trying new or unfamiliar foods. Get out of the way and let your tastebuds try something new. Come on “live a little, taste a little.”
At Phó La Jolla, I have eaten so many appetizing dishes. From Phò, Vermicelli Noodles, Bán Mì Sandwiches, to the array of their appetizers like Spring Rolls, Crispy Salt and Pepper Wings, or Steaming BBQ Pork Buns. Not to mention their New Cajun Seafood Boil Menu, where you choose the flavor and the level of heat. Just remember, you “feast” by the pound so bring your appetite. My mouth is watering as I am leaving this review.
So, when “Tammy” the owner of Phó La Jolla mentioned the new dish “Bún Riêu,” I was eager with anticipation.
“Bún Riêu” is a Vietnamese noodle soup, with a vibrant red-orange color from the tomatoes and crab paste, it’s aromatic and savory. Served w/ Vermicelli noodles and substantial amounts of Shrimp, Chicken and Tofu. Mmm…, it was delectable, a taste so unique and different.
I asked Tammy what influenced her dishes, and she said “a replication of her mothers’ taste and her own innovation.”
Take it from a “foodie,” @ Phò La Jolla, where every flavor tells a story.“

“Our server Trinity was super friendly and welcoming! I tried the egg rolls, chicken wings and got short rib boneless pho. The egg rolls and chicken were crunchy and delicious, and the pho was really good. Overall 10/10 food and 10/10 experience!“

“My one and only place for ordering party trays. Their food is absolutely delicious and their customer service is just amazing. Highly recommended !!“

“Good food and good service as always!! We went every time when we were in San Diego. This restaurant high recommend 😋“

“Their food is good and prices are decent, I have been here 3-5 times and always get a spring roll with pork and shrimp one time it had a big hair rolled in the middle they immediately remade it, honestly I am still pretty grossed out, they need to be more careful when making their food.“

“Food is delicious with great affordable prices. Definitely worth the drive.“

“Great food and a wonderful dining experience“

“Best food, drink, service and atmosphere I have experienced in a long time. Rivals Michelin restaurants.“

“Photastic dining experience! The Best ever. Great service and timely in food preparation. The place to enjoy Pho in all of San Diego 5 stars review.“

“Its pho is one of best pho I enjoyed in SD. Its soup is light but has deep flavor. Even for a regular size, the portion was huge. Its popcorn chicken appetizer was good too (agree with other reviews).

P.S. Parking can be a bit tight during peak hours.“

“I had the spicy beef soup It was excellent, top quality. You have to taste it to believe it. I also had the fried chicken wings . This is a hidden gem of San Diego.“

“Fast service. Fresh Vegetables & delicious foods. Grilled & BBQ Kobe & Pork are to die for. Egg rolls are tops.“

“Decent Pho and Vietnamese option in proximity to downtown. I ordered their house special beef pho that comes with multiple different cuts of meat. Broth and meat quality was decent but I’ve had better. Staff were friendly, attentive, and no wait. Good prices for the quantity of food received. Relatively easy parking.“

“The banh mi sandwiches are always wonderful and a dollar or two more than a McDonalds burger. Grilled pork and pork belly sandwiches are all I’ve ever had here (in 20 visits). Some day I’ll branch out 😀“

“They have great vegetarian options and I haven’t been disappointed with a single dish. Very delicious!“

“This is our favorite new neighborhood restaurant. Max was helpful with recommending the chicken wings as a starter. The Rib Eye Pho and Rib Bone Pho were amazing. We’ve also enjoyed the calamari on a previous visit. Abi was helpful in keeping our drinks replenished. All the staff create a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere, which will keep us coming back for years to come.“

“Food came out quickly. Good quality.“

“In a city where coffee is mediocre and the shops are performative, Saigon Coffee stands among the few offering truly delicious selections. I ordered their original and was delighted and how bold and rich the flavor is. As someone who suffers from phlegm coughs, the drink gave me no such issue.“

“The menu keeps changing as they are still figuring out what works and what doesn’t work.

We came at peak lunch time on a Saturday and our food came out quick.

We ordered:
-Chicken wing garlic fish sauce: This was crispy and seasoning was right on. We liked how it was fried and wanted to try other flavors but got too full.
-Broken rice grilled pork: Loved that they offer legit broken rice, the bbq pork was nicely char and moist. The egg loaf was a bit dry.
-Bánh canh tôm cua: least favorite out of all. The broth has a thick consistency similar to egg drop soup with starchy tapioca noodles. Broth wasn’t as flavorful as other places and lacking more shrimp flavors.
-Crispy fried egg noodle w beef: Can’t go wrong with this dish. Crispy noodles with veggies on top.
-Periwinkle snails in coconut milk: wow, the portion was generous. I prefer the curry broth to be more curry-like, it was more of a watered down coconut curry.
-mussels with green onion sauce: This was prepared nicely. You must dip in their sauce to get the whole experience.

For drinks, I got the coconut coffee I tasted the coffee and coconut flavors, wasn’t too sweet. My friend got the coconut kumquat. She likes that it was refreshing and they used whole kumquats with the skin. She also tasted a bit of lemon and preferred it to be more sour and not so sweet.

Overall, this place gives you a glimpse of Vietnamese street food. I like the seafood items. Reminds me of night market. If we come back, I’ll get the escargot just because those are bigger than the snails and less effort to eat.

You can enter from the parking lot or through the supermarket.“

“I was staying close by and ordered some to-go. OMG!! I have never had rolls so unique and good. And I'm SE Asian!
Coconut dipping sauce. Muah! The secret crunch on the inside of the spring rolls... Very unexpected.
The twin cities SE Asian communities need to adopt some of these ideas. I wish I was staying longer so I could try more. Hats off to you. Highly recommended.“

“It was the best pho on a rainy day. And it was the best banh mi I’ve ever had! I realized later that I had left my credit card behind, but luckily I was able to get it back even though the shop was closed. I’m truly grateful to the staff member who welcomed me with such a warm smile. Thanks to you, I was able to end my last day before the flight feeling happy and warm. If I visit San Diego again, this is definitely a place I want to come back to.
감사합니다❤️“

“I loved their manu, easy to read (clear display) and price- friendly! of course the food is very good!“

“I was in the area visiting from LA with my future in-laws who are locals.They have been coming here for years and always shared how delicious it was.I was blown away by the food. The service is outstanding. It is owned and operated by a family. I will absolutely be back and recommend to anyone who likes Vietnamese cuisine.“

“Good place to eat,relax atmosphere,great service“

“Fresh and Yummy Banh Mi Sandwiches!!“

“I've been coming here since the mid-2000s, when I was in high school, and find myself back here because I am at school at USD. The pho isn't the greatest in the world, and the broth could be more flavorful, but it generally gets the job done. The staff are always friendly. And they only take cash.“

“Loved my impromptu dine-in experience! I was waiting for my car to be fixed and found Pho Ha Noi on Google since it was a short walk away. The dine-in experience is basic & straight forward - you order at the counter and they bring the food to you when it’s ready.

I tried the grilled shrimp vermicelli noodle bowl and an iced Vietnamese coffee to-go. The server was very friendly & efficient and the food was delicious! I loved the pickled vegetables, the veggies were fresh, and the shrimp was sautéed with perfectly crisp/golden garlic & onions. I would definitely eat here again since I’d like to try a tofu dish 😊“

“Came here for lunch on a Sunday.

The atmosphere is super welcoming and the staff is very friendly, the food is very good and priced well. A lot of different menu offerings, I got the filet mignon pho and a lychee tea.

There are a few other items that caught my eye. The tables around me got a variety of different foods and everything looked very appetizing. The portion size is great. I recommend this place for sure. Ample parking, right down the street from main area of PB“

“Excellent sandwich shop! It is very clean and spacious. The service is quick, friendly and helpful. Prices on all the items are very fair, especially for this area. The egg rolls are some of the best around, and don't miss the taro shake.“

“Awe man - I love this place, I would go to my grave saying it’s probably my favorite Pho place…… but, I had to leave a comment to tell you guys… as a soup restaurant, you really really really should be using containers for to go orders that don’t spill when slightly tipped. I was really upset to find a slightly tipped cup of soup completely emptied in my bag and soaked my car, which other food items - I mean cmon guys“

“Excellent banh mi, but so much more: incredible, stoked fusion food. Bahn Mi tacos, fries, breakfast burritos and crazy, fantastic salt and pepper wings. Anything you grew up with had a San Diego taco shop, but with Vietnamese spin and great service. You can't go wrong here.“

“This place definitely deserves a full five star review! First, the interior is very beautiful, modern and romantic. They have a flower photo spot by the entrance. The menu is kinda simple, it seems they know what they want to serve. Their signature is a big bowl pho soup with lot of meat, two big back ribs, slices brisket, short ribs and meat balls. It is seriously a giant bowl of meat. I think you can even share with someone if both of you don’t eat that much. The soup boiled 14 hours with 19 ingredients inside. It is so flavorful and so healing! I literally finished the whole bowl of soup, can you believe that! My baby enjoyed the meat and noodles as well, the meats fell apart from the bone, it is just perfect! We also had a spring roll dish, they are classic and standard, still pretty nice. We also had two cocktails! They have tea and fruit flavors, unique and delicious. We ended our meal with their dessert, the sticky rice with mango sorbet. It is nice but not that amazing like their pho noodles. I highly recommend here if you want to have pho in a nice environment restaurant, especially for a date. Plus their service is fast and professional, very nice!“

“Yummy pho 🍜👍🏽😀 Friendly. 🤍“

“Found this little gem through Maps app and it exceeded my expectations. Don't let the little strip mall exterior fool you, the food is legit and the prices are reasonable. Will definitely be adding this to my list of go-to take out places. Service Take out Meal type Dinner Price per person $20–30 Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 3 Recommended dishes Spring Roll, Marinated Grilled Pork, Rolls“

“Got take out from here yesterday. Pork bahn mi and chicken curry. Bahn mi was great, would order again. Curry was much more similar to chicken noodle soup (Without the noodles) than any curry i've had before. Was still good, just not what i was expecting.“

“Sipz Vegetarian Fusion Café in Clairemont is DELICIOUS! And ALL vegetarian! That’s right none of this is meat!! BBQ Chicken Appetizer and Tangy Orange Protein: "Chicken" Spice Level: Not Spicy (I forgot to take pictures before starting to eat sooo they give you more than what’s in the photos 🤣) You can even customize which type of protein you want and spice level so you get what you really want! And it is SO yummy!! I haven’t had Chinese in SO long!! ❤️“

“The best authentic Vietnamese"banh mi" in Southern California. I live in LA, but every time I travel to San Diego, Paris Bakery is always my first place to visit. They have a variety type of Banh mi with reasonable price, their tastes are always delicious.“

“I came in with my extended family later in the night, we were a very large party but Destinee and the rest of the team were super professional, got all our orders out tasting great and in a timely manner. Highly recommend the green tea with sea salt foam and the macaroons!“

“My wife and I dined here the morning after Christmas. We were greeted right away by a friendly server. We were able to sit down very quickly and order quickly too. Very fast service. We ordered 2 appetizers the surf and turf rolls and spring rolls. We also got 2 phos. Very delicious and really hit the spot. Authentic and welcoming!“

“My new favourite. Soooo goood!“

“This place is small but OMG! Don't put the food in your mouth when it comes to your table because it is literally steaming hot! The chicken wings are like none I've ever had and fantastic orange chicken, egg rolls etc... DON'T MISS OUT!“

“Tofu fresh spring rolls are delicious! Also the pho is very tasty.“

“Great food and beautiful outdoor seating.“

“This place is my favorite pho place and they provide excellent & quick service. I like the steak pho, the spring rolls are the best, bahn mi, and the vermicelli. I have been going here for almost 20 years. Only place I go in PB for pho.“

“White Elephant Asian Kitchen was such a great spot for lunch! My boyfriend got the chicken pad Thai, and I had the shrimp lemongrass salad—both were super fresh, with great portions and amazing flavor. The atmosphere was really nice too, perfect for a casual meal. We’ll definitely be back to try the spring rolls!“

“Fried garlic pork with steamed rice 😍“

“I was craving pho and I found this restaurant on a Sunday afternoon. Many of the reviews raved about the Pho Filet so I had to try it out. Who doesn't love filet mignon? The broth was tasty and the meat was good. The bowl was a bit smaller as you can see on the length of the standard napkin in the picture.

Service was decent, but who goes to a pho place for service? The restaurant is a bit smaller, but I went at a time when it was not as busy. I would come back and try the other menu items when I am back in the area!“

“First time trying this place and it’s a winner in my book! Service was excellent and the food was outstanding! Definitely will be a place I frequent when in San Diego!“

“Súper rico , el caldo es lo mejor 👌🏼😊“