Cafe Cali & Bida

YES YES YES! Phở Vietnam reopened again… Same staff & same food. It’s been nearly a year since the hiatus but glad to report they are back in business. Smaller place & not as much parking but the church across the street will accommodate over flow parking from the restaurant.
Phở was just how I remembered it– full of flavors & same reasonable price of $ 8.95.
They have a good variety of Banh mi as well along with delicious bubble teas! A must try if in the mid town area.

Hey guys this isn’t Café Cali anymore! The original owners of Phở Vietnam bought them out.
I think the new restaurants name is Vietnamese Restaurant.
They still serve food from their original menu back when they were located on Poplar.

NOW PHO VIETNAMESE that used to be on Poplar Iam so happy they have reopened. Ate there Saturday and it was soooo good. Just like when on Poplar. The new sign hasn’t arrived yet so it says Café something looks a little ratty on outside but nice inside. Give it a try it’s awesome.

Fantastic service on my to go orders. The place was spotless and the service was efficient.
The owner took time to explain the menu, discuss the breads and their process. The chicken soups were tasty and a very generous portion!
The spring rolls were also delicious.
I was very impressed by the service and the quality and will be going back!

Sit in over 15 mins and no one bother to ask what I need or want. The owner saw me but only gave me a glance then walk off without saying anything.

Food was okay, dont come at night. Owner/waiter/busboy…will sing all night and ruin ur dinner.

Always on the look out for a new Vietnamese place, I recently gave Café Cali a go. I had about 10 minutes to wait till my dining partner would arrive, so I used the time to ask the waiter (owner?) about the menu. Many of the more interesting items weren’t available (he said no one was ordering them so thy took them off), meaning no pork ear salad for me. However, they still had a soup with congealed pig’s blood, so I went for it! I asked for the blood on the side, but after trying it (not a lot of flavor — more a textural component) I chucked it all in. Good stuff, with bonus points for being exotic.
My less-​adventurous dining companion stuck with the vermicelli bun noodles, which she really liked. I also ordered the crispy spring rolls, which
were a little smaller than some other places, but also less $$ — you got 3 rolls for $ 4.
We were the only people in here, and I got the distinct feeling business has not been great. I hope more people check them out — I am of the option that there can never be too many Vietnamese places, and I am keeping my fingers crossed I get to try that pig ear salad!

12 years ago, two lawyers took me to a Vietnamese restaurant that happened to be located in the same spot as Café Cali & Bida. That restaurant (Phở Vietnam) has recently «closed» for relocating, leaving me in a desperate search for a new fix. I really, really wanted this dive to be good. But it wasn’t. Here are the four reasons why I won’t be back (unless forced):
One: the iced tea was the worst tasting iced tea I have consumed in 35.5 years of being alive. I am not sure if they had a «spice» angle or a «we have no idea what we are doing» angle … but it was disgusting.
Two: very limited vegetarian options. Come on, some of us don’t want meat, meat and more meat.
Three: a woman lit up a cigarette in the restaurant within 2.5 feet of a child. Yes, that is against the law. Yes, she didn’t care. Yes, I could smell it.
Four, it wasn’t very good. The spring rolls were bland. The vermicelli was a bit odd, too, but much better than the spring rolls. Then again, it may be the one sip of iced tea permanently scarred by taste buds.
PS: The service was very bad.
I have had much better, including Siagon Lee across the street. Two stars. It got an extra star because it hadn’t been open long and so I couldn’t stomach giving one star.