Reviews for Pho Element in San Mateo, CA
I used to order from pho element a lot, all take-outs, not once eating at the restaurant but this is the last straw that broke... the camel's back. It's safe to say after this encounter I won't be ordering from them anymore. Don't get me wrong the food ispretty good, that's why I kept ordering but no more. When I first order from them the soup was a little more than half (see thepicture), it looked a little strange and since they only have one size, I didn't think much of it. And most pho places won'tcharge for extra soup. So the next time around, I asked for extra soup and they were nice enough to give me some extra soup.This time I asked for more soup it was a $2 extra charge, no heads up, no telling me it going to be additional charge. My wifewas blindsided when she went and picked it up, they charged me $2 dollars for that!!!!???????? (see picture) I'm trulydisappointed. I wanted to go back and confront them but I was feeling ill and just wanted some pho soup. There's also one timewhen I ordered the five spice chicken vermicelli bowl and found a long hair.???? Read more
Absolutely delicious a must visit if you love spicy food . I haven?t seen a server with so energy and interest for customer... satisfaction specially in America. Read more
Incredibly kind staff, great food, good prices; but it?s no Gao?s Viet Kitchen. Sorry everyone but my heart already belongs to... Gao and his Viet kitchen. Great soup with thinly sliced noodles, good texture. Imperial rolls lacked flavor and salt, but goodcrunch. Summer rolls had too much vermicelli but nice touch with the leaf decor. Overall, great for the price. Read more
Another place to add on the list for easy eats. The staff is very attentive and the food was delicious. The place looks like... it?s been more focused on pick ups rather than dine in, because it?s not so organized as how it would have been. But the staffis attentive and food came out fairly quickly. Definitely worth going back to. One thing that needs improvement is their cheesyclams as it was not cheesy enough and would have probably tasted better with cheese that melt rather than Parmesan. Read more
Okay. This place is not your average Vietnamese Pho place. It definitely mixes a healthy bit of Chinese, whether it is a fusion... or influence, that is yet to be seen. I'm thinking Chinese-Vietnamese immigrant roots. Either way, the food is fabulous.Authentic flavors representing both countries are evident. The noodles are "flat" pho noodles, typically pulled fresh ratherthan those sold in dried packets. It's rare to experience these noodles in the Bay Area. There are many pho joints but VERY FEWpull noodles fresh. The result is almost a silky smooth, no need to even chew, style of noodles in hearty broth. I had theCurry Pho. Again, a unique experience where the curry flavors are derived from both Vietnamese and Chinese roots, but the noodletexture just perfects the entire bite you put in your mouth. The manager recommended this fried tofu which also was reallyinteresting. Very hearty and savory and almost a home-style bend to it. It is unfortunate that this restaurant is not in a moreaccessible location. It's right up on El Camino and no where to park. But that won't stop us from coming here again. 5 stars! Read more
The imperial rolls here are wrapped in some kind of rice wrap before being deep fried giving them a really nice chewy texture.... I've never had imperial rolls like it anywhere else. So good. What I usually order at Vietnamese places is the pork rice noodledish that comes with a crispy imperial roll and ask for rice instead of noodles. This way I get all the veggies from the noodledish (usually crunchy bean sprouts, shredded lettuce, and pickled daikon and carrot). Some places don't give you veggies withthe rice dishes or if they do it is only a little. The pork here is really tasty, especially over rice with a ton of fish saucepoured on top! I also tried the sweet tofu with coconut slush and it was delicious. Very delicate sweetness, nice silken tofu,and a yummy fresh young coconut flavor. I have only ever gotten takeout from here via UberEATS and the rice dishes travelreally well. Good option for takeout. Read more
The food was delicious, came to the table quickly, and the staff were super helpful. The pork was grilled to perfection, the... Thai tea was delicious, and the pho was flavorful and plentiful (even a small size portion is enough!) Will come again next timeI have a stop in SFO. Read more
They were open on Thanksgiving, thank goodness. Had the curry pho and it was amazing. Soft fresh rice noodles, really... flavoursome broth, lots of dark chicken meat. Thank you for the good food. The photo doesn't do it justice. I've been herebefore and it's the best pho on the Peninsula. It wasn't crowded at all when I came, but if you are COVID conscious, this placedoesn't have outdoor seating (there is no space for it). Read more