Pho Avenue

Solid phở that comes out quick with great portions for the price. The ingredients all taste fresh (something that you worry about when the food comes out so quick and for so cheap). Seems to be a very healthy takeout business, but we decided to eat there that night. Service was quick and to the point, which was fine by us. Got the #12 Phở Ga (Chicken) and Chicken Noodle Soup is an apt description. Really nice bowl of food.

Had phở noodle and spring rolls.
The dishes were clean and food was good.
My one friend complained that the broth for noodle was not flavorful enough but I thought it was nice and light. Everyone enjoyed the spring rolls. All the vegetables were fresh. Portions were very good and the price was decent as well :)

My husband and I love coming here. The portions are big, the staff is friendly, ingredients are fresh, and the food is great. The owner is quiet and keeps to himself, but is genuinely ready to help should you ask. They tend to skimp a bit on the protein, but for the price and serving size, I’m not about to hold it against them. Average main item on the menu costs about $ 8.50, I think.
Our go-​to menu items — shrimp phở, fried tofu, taro smoothie, strawberry lemonade, shrimp + egg roll noodle bowl. This is more than enough for the two of us, and is served with fresh basil, bamboo shoots, lemon, and jalapeño.

–Not the best phở place
–Interior is a bit dirty and there is a funky smell
–Phở is cheap ($ 8.50 for a small /​$ 9.50 for large)
–Soup is a bit salty
Overall it was a mediocre experience, and I’m not sure if I would ever come back.

Its right next to where i live. So tried this place couple of times. Its quick and consistent on taste. I like phở so this is kind of place i can go anytime for quick lunch or dinner. I would personally recommend their meat ball phở.

Pleasantly surprising phở!
If you’ve read any of my phở reviews you’ve become accustomed to me saying it: «Broth, Broth Broth…».Phở Avenue broth is crisp, clean and wonderfully aromatic. If you like star anise then this is the broth for you.
The noodles were properly cooked and not heavily clumped, the meat was fresh and plentiful and the sprouts plate clean and crisp. Portions are above average, a large phở is a meal for two normal appetites.
Prices are area appropriate, the space is no-​nonsense Vietnamese and clean. The staff was quick and friendly.
Pro-​tip: Parking is tight in front of Phở Avenue; but there is ample parking below Whole Foods across the street.
Worth a visit if you are in the area.
Cheers!

Phở Avenue has a small, casual dining room that gets crowded. Sometimes the aisles are blocked by the cart that collects dirty dishes. The parking lot for the strip mall is also small, and we couldn’t find a spot at dinner time so parked in the parking lot next door then walked the few steps over. The small size phở is a filling portion for me. Decent phở that hits the comfort food craving.

Bugs were found in the phở broth. Around 5 bugs were found and when I pointed it out to one of the older male employees, he waived it off by saying that it was kitchen ingredients. I then took photos of the bugs and showed it to cashier who admitted that they were bugs but did not apologize. Being disgusted, I decided to leave the restaurant without finishing the meal (I ordered 2 phở) and the cashier demanded that I pay for the other phở since there no bugs in that broth… I was simply dumb-​founded by how the employee did not seem to grasp that the presence of bugs is unacceptable.
In any case, I have filed a complaint to the Santa Clara department of environmental health and I sincerely hope that they change their attitude towards basic sanitation.

The service getting worse by each day. When they first open the service is kinda Oke and the fried not bad too. But after a year and come back again the food taste worse. Couple month a go I come back and order the shrimp fried rice. And they charge 2 $ for extra broccoli, that’s find because they give much. And then today I come back again And order the some with extra broccoli, but they just give me 3 pieces of small broccoli for 2 $ and the fried so salty that I can’t even eat. I don’t think I’m gonna came back and wasting my 12 $ for that fried rice

Great phở! Ordered #1 which was Phở with round beef. Great portion size of you order the large. Definitely share-​worthy! The broth was very flavorful.
We also ordered the rice vermicelli bowl with chicken and shrimp. Chicken was JUST okay in the bowl. Not the best quality. I’ll opt for the shrimp and beef next time.
The vegetarian fried egg rolls are delicious! I’ll be getting those every time now.
Service was okay, but notice they cater to some more quickly than others ;)

Granted, I could easily say the same about plenty of other things (burgers, pizza, ramen… the list goes on!), but phở is definitely one of my favorite foods to eat. It’s warm, filling, and comforting. Plus, it’s über convenient, given all of the Vietnamese restaurants the Bay Area has to offer. That being said, despite all of my trips up and down The Peninsula, I’ve never had a go-​to spot between San Mateo and San Jose. That is, until now!
For the most part, Phở Avenue’s menu is pretty standard (phở, rice plates, vermicelli, starters, and a half dozen or so house specialties), but with the choice of beef, chicken, and vegetarian soups for your noodles. Still, the menu is somewhat narrow compared to some of SF and San Jose’s Vietnamese restaurants, but it’s also a lot cleaner than most. Which, in this case (as well as Ben Tre’s, which I’ve reviewed before), disproves the notion that good phở is synonymous with «dirty phở». Or, at least, serves as the occasional exception to the rule…
Deviating slightly from my usual order of phở, I opted for something meatier by getting a large (#11) PHO DAC BIET — Combination of Rare Steak, Meatballs, Flank, Tendon, Tripe, and Brisket ($ 10.50). Although it was comparatively light on noodles, the bowl was loaded with goodies (and no cilantro!). However, the real highlight was the broth — deep, rich (though a bit oily), not too salty, and pretty beefy (from all the meat!). It’s not the best I’ve had, but it definitely ranks among the the better ones.
As much as I liked the phở though, I must say that the Mi Xao Chay (Vegetarian Chow Mein) that I tried was a bit disappointing. While the veggies were decently fresh, the overall taste was kind of boring. Not in terms of being bland, but in the sense that it tastes like any generic dish from any generic Chinese or Vietnamese restaurant.
In addition, service was a bit uneven as well (friendly, but they didn’t seem to come around too often), but Phở Avenue is still a great spot if you’re looking to get your regular fix of phở. If/​when you should drop by though, just be sure to keep your eye out since it’s easy to pass right by them. Not that the phở isn’t worth making a u-​turn for!

I came here on a Saturday night for dinner with my roommate because we wanted to try a new phở place in the area and Phở Avenue did not disappoint! I got the large phở tai and it was pretty good. Some of the other comments mentioned a strong cinnamon taste which made me nervous at first, but I didn’t get that taste at all. The broth was flavorful and the serving size was generous. My roommate got the vegetarian phở and he thought the tofu was very well done because at other phở places they tend to over fry the tofu causing it to be very thick and dry on the inside.
The servers were polite and efficient and it didn’t take more than 15 minutes for our food to come out even though the restaurant looked packed. The restaurant was a bit cramped and the bathroom didn’t look super clean (although I didn’t go inside), but then again I feel like that’s the typical atmosphere for most authentic Viet restaurants.
Overall, this was a pretty decent phở place and would definitely come back here sometime!

There were maybe 8 other people but the server ignored us for maybe 15 minutes… it took us a while to get our phở, and the phở wasn’t worth the wait. Very plain broth with small portions for the price :/
Tiny parking lot as well…

The atmosphere is upbeat with current pop playing at a moderate volume over the ceiling speakers. The place itself is very comfortable, with lots of treated and sealed wood, floors booths, tables and cashier stand. The wood grain and variety of browns give this place a relaxing look, but the hard edges of the booths give it a modern touch, very wabi sabi or zen.
The phở I got was the steak and well done flank. The small was good enough to get me full. Lots of noodles. Good quality meat, hearty pieces. The soup base was very refined, in a good way, I usually go for the more authentic phở places, which are a little ghetto. Back to the soup, it has all the right spices in it to give it that phở brig flavor we are all used to, and ads its own smoothness to it. Hard to explain, but it’s top notch!

2.5 stars.
The phở game in this town is weak, and I’m not surprised. No one expects good phở in this area.
To get good phở you need to follow the trails of the Viet immigrants e.g., San Jose, Milpitas, etc. Sometimes I lunch with coworkers at phở Vi Hoa across the street. It’s a little better but not a whole lot.
Phở Avenue has nothing to write home about. Wasn’t bad. Wasn’t good. Decent customer service. Parking lot was a little tight. Portion was on the smaller side.
Overall if I’m in the area and really crave phở and phở Vi Hoa is too packed then I’ll probably go here.

Phở… with so many phở restaurants around mountain view I have yet to find the one that stands above the others.
Phở avenue, like the other phở restaurants, has a casual but limited seating area. On busy nights I can see people waiting outside as I drove past and now I can see why.
Parking… Almost all the spots are marks 10 minute parking. I acted like everyone else and said out loud, to no one in particular, that I was only parking for 9 minutes. I then walked in to eat for about 45 minutes… I’m terrible at math and time I guess… 10 minute SMH
The phở… After ordering my combination phở and the wife and kids ordering their «lesser» (smaller) bowls the phở arrived quickly. The flavor was there and was nice and soothing like a bowl of soup from mom on a sick day… But still has not edged out to be the top phở place. Wife was not impressed by the chicken broth as she said it lacked a little depth. She didn’t say it was bad but that she had better.
What gives this place a 4 and not a 3… Kids bowls (think it was 5.50). Also of phở places just have large and small. And that small is the size of my kids entire upper torso. Also no cheap chopsticks…
Why not a 5? Parking and lack of «sauces» or pepper options on table (I love Sriracha like everyone else but can I get something other than that, hoisin, and fish sauce?). Also we only received one plate of «fixings» for four of us. I’m sure I could ask for more and it wouldn’t of cost… But catching the busy staff is harder than it should be.
May the quest for the best phở and bahn mi continue.

So many fails on my first and likely only visit here. There simply aren’t many good options for good phở around my area, so with an open mind and a starving belly, off we went to this place.
The ambiance is a little nicer than your regular Vietnamese shop, but I’m never and I mean never going to a phở place for anything but the phở. Settled upon my usual order of the phở tai. Asked the waitress for the meat on the side. It came out fairly quickly. Meat in the bowl. The listening skills of the employees must be off the charts.
First sip of the broth and I thought they had gotten stoned in the kitchen and spilled some left over Cinnamon Toast Crunch milk in there or something. Or maybe I was stoned and ordered the first ever version of Cinnamon phở. Who knows. Regardless, it was grosser than gross.
Finally, the best part of the meal came: the check. Hooray!

I got the veggie phở and the veggie spring rolls. Both tasted fresh and flavorful. Also, the price was right.
The phở broth was flavorful and complex for being vegetarian. The tofu was nice, but could have used a little more flavor of it’s own. The vegetables were fresh, but did need lots of slurping of the broth, or else they were a bit bland. I did appreciate the large mounds of bean sprouts and basil.
The veggie spring rolls were awesome. I actually got a second order to go to take on a flight with me the next day.
We didn’t have any issues with the service. it was pretty fast and generally friendly.

This is a pretty small phở place but it seems family owned. The parking lot is pretty small and can get packed when it’s busy so that’s a tad annoying. The service is friendly and they make the food pretty quickly after you order.
I always get Phở Dac Biet at phở places and their phở was good. The soup wasn’t too salty or overly flavored. The ingredients tasted really fresh and they didn’t skimp on the bean sprouts/​basil! They’re also until 10 so it’s perfect when I crave phở after 8!

I like Phở Avenue because:
1. It’s close to home and it’s open until 10pm (many places close at 9 here) so it’s a very convenient place to get a decent dinner.
2. The food is good. The phở has a lot of flavor, the beef stew is bomb, and the spring rolls are definitely addictive. Best vietnamese food in the world? Probably not. But it satisfies that craving when it hits.
3. Service — been here a couple times, service is spotty. For example, they may forget to bring your menu or your water but hey, you’re not here for the service. This restaurant is clean and comfortable enough to sit and enjoy your food which is all I want out of this place.
Overall, not bad. Will be found here more often than my dining out budget would like.