Pho-raging around Escondido: Pho Saigon Express and Lena Pho and Grill

Looking back, I guess I do about one of these a year. In 2009 it was Pho around Rancho Bernardo in 2010 it was Oceanside. 2011 just came and went so quickly, so to get back on track, I decided to drive up to Escondido to try a couple of places a few folks, like my buddy JohnL and occasional commenter DavidD mentioned.

Pho Saigon Express:

This is probably the one I hear about most often. I'd actually been here before, but my photos didn't turn out. So it was time to head back here again.

Having been here before, I knew that the "Tai", rare steak was pretty much the standard for the San Diego area....tough and dry. So I went with the Flank, Brisket, Tendon, Tripe. A small bowl here runs $5.99.

I was a bit surprised when my herbs and bean sprouts arrived...actually, it was more like herbs and bean sprout. Who hit the tightwad button? I asked for more sprouts and never got them. Sigh....also whats's with the lemon instead of lime? It's kind of sad thinking that I got more basil and sprouts in Madison than here.

The Pho itself is not bad.

 The noodles were quite mushy, but other than that, this was a decent bowl. The broth was light and could have used a bit more beef flavor, but it wasn't too salty. The various cuts were the highlight, well flavored and tender. Against stereotype, there was also a good amount of tripe in this as well.

Overall decent Pho, lousy service.......

Pho Saigon Express
605 N Broadway
Escondido, CA 92025

Pho Lena & Grill Vietnamese Restaurant:

A bit further East on East Valley Parkway is Pho Lena and Grill Vietnamese Restaurant....man, that's a mouthful. The restaurant looks quite new and compared to Pho Saigon, the place was empty when I arrived. Looking at the menu, I noticed something strange......the exact item I ordered at Pho Saigon had exactly the same number (P4) and price ($5.99) here......

The plate of herbs and sprouts was much more than Pho Saigon and there was even a sprig of Ngo Gai, albiet a pretty old looking leaf.....

The broth here was much darker here, though still on the light side with regards to oil. The portion size was quite large for a small bowl.

The broth was pretty salty, good thing they actually have lime here. I got a strong onion flavor along with a sort of burnt flavor from the broth. The rather large portion of noodles was prepared well. The meat wasn't quite up to what I had at Pho Saigon in flavor a texture, though as you can tell by the amount of tripe, there was a decent amount of it. The one item that was better here was the beef tendon, which was sufficiently tender.

Overall, I tihnk it's a bit of a wash between the two places in terms of broth. Meat goes to Saigon, portion size to Lena. Service was much nicer at Lena.

Pho Lena & Grill Vietnamese Restaurant
1535 E Valley Pkwy
Escondido, CA 92027

So there you go, two more down...... so where to next? Vista? I know there's Pho San Marcos? You tell me......

Comments

[dex]

Pho Lucky in Vista!

[Kirk]

OK Dex......it's on my list. I would like to have two if possible, so is there another? Thanks!

[Birdrockfab]

Adding to list too. Love following you on your pho venture!

[TFD]

How about Pho-Ever, Pho Yummy, Mr. Pho, Pho Tau Bay, Pho Lucky, Pho Chicken Express and Pho San Marcos? That's a lot in one day. LOL.

[TFD]

Forgot one more: Saigon Noodle Restaurant

[Kirk]

Thanks Birdrockfab!

Ok sounds like we are all set then TFD? I wonder how many we could get before throwing in the towel?;o)

[Vicki]

I used to go to Pho Saigon, but their quality has gone downhill as of late. Just tried Pho Lena, and I was impressed. My only complaints are that there's actually too much stuff, both meat and noodles, for the amount of broth, and their bun bo Hue isn't spicy enough. My husband is addicted to their BBQ pork spring rolls. PS Pho-Ever is also good, but my favorite in north county will always be Mr. Pho.

[Kirk]

Hi Vicki - They seemed a bt chintzy at Pho Saigon and the broth was kinda weak. I thought the meat was good, though. The portion size was quite generous at Lena, can you believe I finished most of both bowls....sheesh. I recall enjoying Mr Pho the time I visited.