Pho 81

Kept driving by this place because of that 24-​hour McDonald’s Drive Thru, so we finally had the chance to eat here. They have a surprisingly terse menu selection but they had all the basic needs of a phở restaurant, even including Ox Tail! For around $ 8USD.
The Ox Tail only came in a large size, so unfortunately that was too much noodles for me, but I enjoyed the soup and the two ox tails I received. At first I thought it was so little but after about halfway through the meal I decided it was actually plenty. First bite into it though, it was meaty, not as much fall-​apart as I would have preferred. I think it needs at least 2 – 3 hours cooking still. The soup was pretty standard, it didn’t really have anything unique added to it, so sometimes it’s nice to just get what you expect.
Overall I would say their regular soup noodles are a little pricey, but this is definitely almost a steal for Ox Tail. We were the only ones in the restaurant so it was excellent service. We will be back.

I’ve only ever ordered their «Chicken Noodle Soup Phở» (I have a pretty boring palate and I stick to the tried and true!) so this is my review on the taste of this item. Compared to every other Phở restaurant I have been to, this is hands down my favorite Phở! (And I eat Phở almost on the daily!)
Their service is always great, but I wonder why the restaurant is always empty when my boyfriend and I eat dinner here. Perhaps we are just arriving at non-​peak hours, but we definitely feel as though we found the hidden gem!
A large Chicken Noodle Soup is $ 8.50, but it lasts me for two meals. I promise you that you will not be disappointed!

Don’t eat here, the service is ok so you get an extra star but the bowl of Phở you’ll get is pretty pathetic. First thought that comes to mind is «Where’s the beef» it’s small tiny itsy bitsy pieces of rare steak meat. It looks like they take the rare steak meat and cut it in half. I ordered a Phở Dac Biet that wasn’t so Dac Biet. I don’t want to go into detail just know they skimp on the meat. The phở selection is tiny too along with the bowls!
Do yourself a favor and go one block down the street to Phở Saigon Pearl in the Diamond Crown Plaza. There’s probably a wait but it’s worth it to pay the same price for a bigger, tasty, fulfilling, and more satisfying bowl of Phở filled with lots of meat! I’m telling you don’t waste your money here! I want to thank McDonald’s located in the same plaza for their 2 for 5 deal to fill me up after I ate here!

Every time I go here, I am greeted with a friendly smile and warm welcome. I have tried a few items from their menu and everything is pretty good. My favorite is the Oxtail Phở. The meat is very tender and the Phở is very flavorful! They also have TV’s in the shop, so it keeps you entertain if you are eating alone.
Great Phở! Great Service! 5 Stars!

Unfortunately nothing impressive here. The food isn’t bad, but I wouldn’t come back unless it was out of convenience. The phở broth barely tasted like phở. It was lacking that familiar aroma when you eat good phở. I don’t crave phở often, but this place shouldn’t be where you go if you are trying to get your fix.

After a doctor’s visit for the wife, I wanted to find soup nearby to soothe her throat because she has the colds. So, I found Phở 81.
It was peak time for lunch and this area apparently caters to businesses nearby, every parking spot was filled. When we got seated, this place got busy quick.
When we ordered Egg-​rolls for appetizers, our server asked if we wanted them in «Crunchy», so we opted to have them that way and its a buck more. We got them in chicken and of course they came with a side of fish sauce and lettuce. The Crunchy Egg-​rolls tasted okay, nothing too special they were deep fried with added flour, but I did like the idea of them being that way.
The entrees ordered were the House Beef Special Phở, its tripe, rare steak and meatball. The other bowl was just Meatball Phở and they were in small bowl sizes around $ 7.50. My take on their Phở’s first off, the topping portions were little especially the House Beef Special, you couldn’t tell if you had all three different meats in them, for this being their main dish it was kinda disappointing. The broth was okay but flat, it didn’t have that wholesome taste. Adding the squeeze of lemon for flavor helps it a little.
Service was good they were energetic, and honest. Our server forgot to give me my order of Thai Iced Tea. So, I had to ask for it and he admitted he got side tracked which was cool, but we never got our side of onions we asked for, so the wife and I looked at each other and we were like «forget it».
Overall, everything feels its cut short that’s mainly in portions and the flavor of their broth but, for the price? I don’t think its on point. Spacious seating inside if you’re looking to dine-​in.

(This review is for oxtail phở only, as it’s hard to find outside of the Garden Grove/​Westminster area)
3.5 stars, in my opinion
Had my 2^nd bowl for the day and my wife calls me Phở King. Anyway, the oxtail phở was pretty good. In comparison to phở 79, phở lu and phở quang trung, it wasn’t quite as tender or flavorful, but it was good enough to curb the craving. Also, the portion of oxtail is noticeably smaller than the aforementioned restaurants. It only comes in one size ($ 8.95), about 10% mark up from the Westminster/​GG equivalent. However, since the restaurant located in a business park in Tustin, that’s pretty fair.
Lastly, the guy running the floor provided excellent service. All in all, I would come back here to eat again, but only if I’m in the area.

This big guy walks in and approaches our table. I was eating with 5 of my friends. He greets us very cheerfully. We obviously assume he is the manager. However we quickly learned that this «special needs» fellow was up to no good.
He places a cup onto our table with a few dollar bills in it. He then tells us that he is trying to raise enough money to visit his family for Christmas… That was probably a lie. But anyway, he then proceeds to sing a christmas carol, HORRIBLY! All of us just looked down at our phở and awkwardly sat there. Why was this guy not being kicked out?!?
It was even more awkward because we were the only ones in the entire restaurant and this singing troll was singing like he was on the X factor. I’m talking about loudness here, not quality.
Anyways, he finishes singing hark the herald, and we politely say thank you and hope that he goes away. Then this guy grabs his cup and points it at us, expecting some money.
We are broke college students. We shouldn’t even be eating phở in the first place! Anyways, of course we don’t give him the money. He then doesn’t even say Merry Christmas, Thank you, or nothing, and just storms off as if we were in the wrong for being cheap.
This guy should have been kicked out, but none of the workers did anything. This guy was disturbing and ruining our meal!
Please do not let this happen again phở 81. Thanks. Besides that, everything was great.

Being from Westminster and moving to Irvine for school, I had trouble finding a decent phở place to go to that isnt from Westminster or garden grove. phở 81 is the only place i have found that is decent enough for me to want to come back. I recommend this place :)

Typical phở place. I ate tons of meat over the weekend so I wanted to try their seafood and ended up getting the Shrimp phở. Another pet peeve of mine is eating shrimp espcially if its a soup or stew type entrée with the tail still on and the line doodoo still on it. eeghhhh. Really it doesnt take that much time to clean the shrimp properly. The soup itself was good but not any different than others. We ordered egg rolls which was pretty good. Server was good and place was clean. They have tons of tvs tho.

Came here for a quick lunch because it was close to where we were. We ordered phở and it was decent. The broth was clean tasting and not greasy. I ordered the #4 and my dining companion, #6. What I noticed was that there is a lot of noodles, but the ratio of protein was minuscule in comparison. The plate of veggie condiments is also kind of skimpy. But then again, I am comparing it to the restaurants I like to go to in Lil Saigon.
Service was good and everything came out in a really timely manner. Might come back again in a pinch, but there are a few phở places in Irvine which is slightly better — Phở Bac Ky just a little ways down Barranca, and also, Photasia across from Tanaka Farm.

The food is good and the service is good too.
A couple classmates and I went here for lunch and the place was dead so we were served promptly and efficiently. I got boon and my friend got Phở. The boon was okay not much too it and my friend liked her Phở.

not sure where all the positive reviews came from…
pho81 was underwhelming. i often find myself complaining about the lack of soup at phở restaurants… but not here at pho81, they definitely got the amount of soup down solid, but my phở tai (rare steak) had little to no amounts of steak and the amount of noodles was also extremely sad. it’s probably the smallest bowl of «small» phở i’ve ever seen. i ordered a small, not extra small.
for $ 8, i left pretty hungry… the stock itself was also not very flavorful.
can i also add that it’s 80 degrees outside and the ac was NOT on in the restaurant, only a wall fan was spinning around. by the middle of my phở i was perspiring like cray… and the restaurant door was left open the whole time and flies were definitely starting to land on our cilantro in the veggie plate.
so note to pho81, TURN ON the ac. CLOSE the door. simple enough.
won’t be coming back…

Great spot for lunch. The staff here is super nice. I had the combo phở and egg rolls. The egg rolls were so bomb. I liked that they have a half order which comes with two versus most places have four or more to an order which is way too much for one person. Quick service. Across the parking lot from mcdonalds.

I was greeted by the owner who by the way was super cool and helpful. I’m a simple gal, so I tried the fried rice with Shrimp and BBQ Pork. Along with the Vietnamese egg rolls and Thai Tea.
What I liked mostly, is that there was meat evenly proportion through every bite. The rice was fresh and seasoned well. The Pork wasn’t over cooked and the Shrimp were cooked to perfection. I’m a seafood lover. So I like my shell fish cooked a particular way.
I only work across the street, but as I was eat my food it was still hot. As if I was sitting in the restaurant enjoying my food. My egg roll were still hot and crunchy. I would recommend this cool, laid back eatery for anyone who is in the mood for quality prepared cuisine. I know I’ll be back for lunch!

Phone# 949−681−9681
Love the Phở. After handling clients all day I stop by Pho81 and bring home soup for dinner. The husband loves it.

This Phở restaurant was replacing the previous Phở restaurant at the same spot. I love Phở so I was super excited to see it open right by my work. Went there about 3 weeks ago for lunch. I walked in and was greeted by a guy right away and told me to sit anywhere I like. I sat down and looked through the menu quickly and I already know what I wanted. I ordered the combination Phở and told them I was in a hurry to get back to work for a meeting. It took a very long time to finally get my order. I am a regular at Phở restaurants so I know Phở soup are usually very quick.
First impression the bowl was small compare to other places. Good thing I wasn’t hungry. The Phở soup always comes with the bean sprouts and basil leaves on the side. They forgot and had to go back to get it. I like the combination Phở because of the tripes, tendons and meatballs in it. I put my chopsticks in the soup trying to see what’s in the bowl. Well there were 2 small pieces of tendon and a few fragments of tripes (not kidding) but where’s the meatball? I took out the menu to look at the picture again and there was meatballs in the picture. They sent the bowl back to the kitchen and added the ½ of a meatball. We suppose to cook the bean sprouts in the hot soup but by the time it came back it was no longer very hot and the bean sprouts didn’t cook too well.
I get to finally try the soup. The soup was not bad but definitely not like other Unilocalers claimed to be the best in Irvine. It’s a 3 star even for Irvine standard. Phở Ba Co down the street is much better and cheaper. The brisket was tough and chewy. I had to swallow whole. It didn’t cook long enough before they sliced it. This is the worst brisket I ever had. I wished that I had ordered something else. When I paid at the register they did ask me how was it and I told him about the brisket. He said the kitchen was still trying to find the right temp for the broth and he thought the broth might be too hot. I was very disappointed with the whole experience though the guy was very nice but I am not going to waste my money again for something I didn’t enjoy.

I think this place is the best phở place in irvine for several reasons! I am rating it based on the irvine region. Here are several reasons why I think this place is good:
Location: it is located on the corporate park street in the food plaza surrounded by all the business centers. There is a lot of Parking in the parking lot. The restuarant itself is pretty clean and brightly lighted. The environment is very casual and relaxed. I don’t feel like I was being rushed here while eating like that of other asian places.
Food:
Ice coffee: it is pretty good. It is not diluted or too overly sweet. Their coffee has more flavor compared that of other phở places. I think their ice coffee is prob one of the best ones I have compared to all the other phở places that I have been to
Ox tail phở: omggg their ox tail meat is really well done. They didn’t over cooked it and the meat is moist and tender. They give you more meat than bone. The soup base is kind of plain but it taste really good after you squeeze in the lime and add other stuff.
Rare steak phở: I like their rare steak meat. I think their meat quality is way higher than all the other phở places that I have been to. The meat is very tender and fresh. Their soup base also taste better than all the other phở places in irvine. The ingredients that they have in the soup is also very fresh and taste better than all other places.
Service: they have really good, friendly, and fast services. They respond to you really fast and I like it.
Ps: I am def returning here in future to try out other items so I can constantly update my review. This is my new fav phở place in irvine so I wouldn’t always have to drive to Westminster for phở. I recommend this place to other ppl.

Located near The District, just recently opened and waiting to be discovered. If you’re in the area and are looking for some Vietnamese cuisine this place is a must try! All the food is absolutely delicious and freshly homemade. I love the atmosphere and service here, a nice change from your typical Phở restaurant. No need to worry about finding a table here they have plenty of seating and the place is well kept.
PHO 81 has definitely won me over. Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed.

Honestly I think this place is decent, a little over priced, but has good service. If this was in Westminster or SGV I would say it’d be a 2 – 3 star restaurant but because it’s in Irvine, I’ll say 3.
–Your typical phở joint to me. Minimal décor, usual sauces, etc.
–Selection of different phos, some rice dishes, and some noodle dishes. Do NOT think of getting the Wonton soup. Stick with phở if you want soup. Get the oxtail if you want to be fancy.
–I like that they use the good eggroll skin. Not the one that’s all smooth and generic, the REAL eggroll skin. However, where are the pickled veges that usually come with it? It only had lettuce to wrap it in.
–Price isn’t cheap but okay for Irvine
So if you’re in the area and you really want phở, this is a decent substitute.