Reviews for Pho Play in Castro Valley, CA
I genuinely like this place, thier pho and banh mi are pretty good (pricey) but last time I came here me and my partner ordered... chicken pho and it was not good. The meat was extremely rough. When we complained (we both ordered the same dish) the staff didnothing to resolve our issue. I was very disappointed and I haven't been back since. Read more
It is Sunday, September 25th, 2022. I walk in Pho play. I tell the lady just one person, then tells me to take a seat anywhere.... I take a seat first row near the door, 8 minutes gone past by with other people ordering and getting food. I get confused tellthe same lady working at the counter, she then rudely tells me you have to order upfront, there was no signs nor from the workeryou have to order upfront. Not only did she let me sit for 10 minutes of nothing but no one came up to ask. Read more
I chose this place based on its rating on Google. Not being from the area I value what people think of locations such as this... one from their reviews. I figure I would help future customers by doing the same in return. My wife and I ordered a Vermicellibowl and Pho, both were delicious. The north for the Pho tasted fantastic. Glad we found this one and decided to comehere. Friendly staff, clean dining area and clean washrooms (restrooms for our American friends). Read more
Bought some bao, immediately realized the food was so good that we would need more and bought a bahn mi. It's amazing. This is... there best value for food I've had in a really long time. Read more
Had a hankering for some Bahn Mi and I have to kick myself for not having tried Pho Play. I've seen them being the one of the... results on Yelp but thought that Castro Valley was just a bit far for a sandwich. I was in the area so I thought I give them atry. The place is in a plaza near a Safeway and other small stores. Plenty of parking and very clean. At the time of ordering,indoor dining was still not available (but it's available now as of the writing of this review) but they have outside seatingwith heaters. I ordered the grilled pork Bahn Mi. I thought it was a bit pricey but was surprised when it came out. Thesandwich was big! About 10 inches long, filled out with meat and "veggies".. much bigger than regular sandwiches. Now, to behonest, maybe I didn't do it justice because I bought it to bring to work for lunch. But the fact I'm reviewing this positive isa huge plus. I work swing shift so I bought it at Noon but didn't eat it til 9pm (yes, I call it lunch time). The bread held upfor all those hours.. still soft, not hard nor soaked. I sliced it to check the content and was not disappointed. Lots of meat!The flavor was perfect, the topping was still crisp. Usually, most other Bahn Mi would be disintegrated by now, but not thisone. Very satisfying and filling are two words to describe the experience. Burp! If it was good after 9hrs in my bag, imaginehaving it warm and freshly prepped! Now that I've tried the Bahn Mi and indoor dining is available again, I'm sure to try theirPho.. since it's in their name. I'm sure they'll surprise me just like their sandwich. Read more
The name of this place may sound cheesy but their food is actually really good! Of course they're known for their pho but the... bao buns are pretty amazing too! You get a lot of food for your money, and every time I go the food is a good quality. I can getbusy on some random evenings, but it's still worth the wait. Read more
Found myself coming back to this snug and welcoming restaurant multiple times during my recent trip to San Francisco (I stayed... in Castro Valley). I tried a variety of dishes such as pho chin (vietnamese rice noodle soup with beef brisket), pork banh mi(vietnamese baguette sandwich with pork) and bun ba chi suon bo grill combo (vermicelli with a fried egg, vegetables and grilledpork belly and beef short ribs). All of these were delicious, with the pho chin being my favourite. I also ordered the peachfruit tea, with lychee jelly added on) and would recommend it for those who like sweet drinks. The grill combo lets you choosebetween a variety of grilled proteins to add onto your base of salad, vermicelli or rice - ideal for those who are unable tochoose just one meat/protein option (or for those that are indecisive like myself)! The staff are also very friendly andprovided great service (thank you to Lily who suggested I try the grill combo). Something of note would be the broth used intheir pho - it tastes amazing! Better than the broths I've tried in Sydney's vietnamese restaurants. Would highly recommendtrying either pho chin (pho with cooked beef brisket) or pho tai (pho with rare steak). Looking forward to coming back to PhoPlay during my future visits to San Francisco! Read more
I love how the taste of their soup and the serving as well! We?ve been here 2x already, searching for the best pho places... around the area and so far this on top of our list! Read more