Recently, I was picking up my dry cleaning, when the nice lady who runs the place asked me what I thought about the new pho place that opened up nearby. I hadn't even noticed! I guess I kinda forget about The Village at Morena Vista. So I drove by and saw a grand opening sign for "Pho Kitchen". For some reason the name sounded familiar. A couple of days later I returned to try them out.
It's a very nice and clean little shop. There's both wood paneling and vintage Vietnamese black and white photos here. I guess they're not taking any design chances!
The young lady who took my order on both my visits was an absolute joy; kind, friendly, and efficient. What more could one ask for? Other than good pho, right? I also asked her if they had another restaurant in these parts since the name sounded familiar. She smiled and said "yes, Pho Kitchen in Oceanside". So there you go. I thought the name rung a bell.
The pho here was not too bad; definitely "pho not to offend", very mild, not too beefy, low in oil/fat, no anise/pungent flavors, but not terrible. The MSG level was not too high, the broth was super hot; like scalding hot, which I enjoy. The proteins were decent; the rare steak was actually pretty good, not the usual slices of cardboard, though everything else was just ok; the tendon was too tough and the rest pretty bland.
As expected with the target pho audience here; the place was light on the sprouts and herbs, though both were sparkling fresh. The noodles weren't in the usual clump, which was nice, but over cooked and a bit too mushy for my taste.
It was actually a not bad bowl.
Which meant I needed to revisit and try something else. After the pho, I was interested in the Bo Kho, so I got he Banh Mi Bo Kho ($8).
Much like the pho; this version of beef stew was rather mild in flavor, no tangy-anise tones, though slightly beefy, the carrots severely undercooked. The stew was on the thin side, but there were 5 rather large pieces of fork tender beef. Only one piece of tendon, which was not bad in texture. I would have enjoyed a bit more cilantro and onions. The bread was interesting as it reminded me more of a bolillo than a typical banh mi and had a mild sweetness to it. It was nicely warm and toasted though.
So here's the deal. Pho Kitchen and Pho Hut are about equidistant from my house and in opposite directions. In this case; I'd choose Pho Kitchen. If I'm looking for pho as I know and enjoy; I'd choose one of the more traditional places in Linda Vista, though I don't think they've held up well in recent years. If I want a relaxing pace, with middle of the road pho, but really nice service, it's Pho Kitchen hands down......unless I want to get the hell out of Dodge in 20 minutes or less. In that case, I'd go with the "fastest pho in the West". The prices are in line with all those "modern pho" places that seem to be popping up recently.
Pho Kitchen
5375 Napa St
San Diego, CA 92110
Not too disappointing.
Posted by: Nhbilly | Tuesday, 26 April 2016 at 05:06 AM
Not too bad Billy. Really nice people.
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 26 April 2016 at 06:33 AM
wow, i never would have guessed there would be a pho place in that shopping center. pretty interesting of the number of decent places to eat in the bay park area these days.
Posted by: jack | Tuesday, 26 April 2016 at 10:02 AM
Hey Jack - Yes, things are kind of looking up around these parts.....I don't think we'll ever mistake it for being; say 30th Street or Convoy.....but things have really come a long way since we moved to the neighborhood.
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 26 April 2016 at 08:31 PM
Back in the day, I think the only place that I would eat at in the area was Andre's, which I haven't been to in a very long time.
Posted by: jack | Tuesday, 26 April 2016 at 10:00 PM
still hope they get improve
Posted by: kat | Wednesday, 27 April 2016 at 02:20 AM
Hey Jack - Hmmmmm, haven't been to Andre's in ages....
I do too Kat!
Posted by: Kirk | Wednesday, 27 April 2016 at 06:38 AM
Another solid review Kirk! I have this as one of my next 2 Pho spots to hit since they are close by me in Point Loma. Glad you gave this a pretty good review as I have high hopes for it as of now.
Posted by: JOSHUA HOCKETT | Tuesday, 09 May 2017 at 04:53 PM
Perhaps you should drive just a bit further up the street and try Pho Hoa Huong or Pho Hoa Hiep first Joshua.
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 09 May 2017 at 05:40 PM
Now serving Mira Mesa. ;)
Posted by: Janfrederick | Monday, 22 April 2019 at 09:37 AM
Yeah, I saw that Jan....not sure how they'll do with stiffer competition.
Posted by: Kirk | Monday, 22 April 2019 at 12:07 PM