Living in East Side San Jose, you notice there is a huge Vietnamese population, which means lots of Vietnamese food! Vietnamese cuisine is very rustic, and is always comforting to eat with your family. Many people in San Jose enjoy Pho. Pho is a dish that can be adjusted to your liking, whether you decide to add sriracha and hoisin sauce, lime, or thai basil, Pho isn’t meant to be eaten in just one way. With so many options for Pho in San Jose, where is the best one? Here are some of our top picks!
Pho 90 Degrees
Pho 90 Degrees is located on Story RD in Vietnam Town. A personal favorite of many, Pho 90 degree is known for their piping hot bowls of pho that are served well into the late hours of 3AM during the weekends. What I love about this restaurant is that they are always consistent with their food. Their broth is always piping hot, their noodles are always chewy, and the meat is always tender. The restaurant atmosphere is also very warming and looks fancy, but the dish isn´t high class at all. The restaurant is far, but it’s worth it if you’re ever craving pho at night. I once went here at 12 AM after a long drive home from vacation, and as much as I missed my bed, the warmth of the broth instantly enveloped my stomach with joy.
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Pho Papa
Pho Papa opened pretty recently and it’s the second closest Pho restaurant to our school,the closest being Pho #1. Ever since it had opened near Target, it’s been flooded with customers. The broth is the closest thing I’ve probably ever had that tasted like my grandmother’s. Not only that but being a person who thinks the broth is the best part of the dish, it’s a bonus that Pho Papa fills their bowls to the brim. I could go without the beef though, because it is clumpy, which gives me the feeling that it’s not fully cooked, added to the fact that the meat only gets cooked after they pour the broth in with the noodles. But the heat of the dish makes up for any hesitation you might have about the meat, because this meal is best served piping hot.
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Pho Pasteur
This place is a little harder to find than your typical Pho restaurant. Pho Pasteur is a small counter in the cafeteria of Lion Plaza. The size of the counter is about the size of a mall kiosk, but their flavors are no joke. The staff is probably just the three women who work the kitchen and the counter, but they manage to make pho that tastes homemade, which makes it even better. Homemade pho to me is the best, it’s always made with love and delicacy.
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Pho Y#1
Pho Y#1 is not necessarily the best place to get Pho, but it is the most accessible for Silver Creek students who can’t drive yet. Pho Y#1 is within walking distance of Silver Creek and the service is pretty quick if students need to return back to school in a short amount of time. Sometimes they have good broth but most times it is kind of bland. That’s a quick fix though because they leave sauces out for their customers to adjust the taste of the broth. A good thing is that Pho Y#1 is probably one of the only places that doesn’t have clumpy meat.
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Grandma’s kitchen
Of course, if you really want the most loving and heartwarming pho, you have to go to your Grandma’s house (unless your Grandma doesn’t make pho of course). My grandma’s pho is what I look forward to every other week when she starts the night before prepping the broth. When I walk into my Grandma’s house, the aroma of the spices come together and I can feel my mouth watering. What I love the most about eating at my grandma’s house is that each bowl feels like it’s made with love and care, and sometimes when I’m starving, I’ll eat two bowls (broth included).
There are many places around the Bay Area that serve great pho whether it be straight out of your own kitchen or the closest place at hand. It’s really about your own perception of taste. This list is not the absolutely must-eat-or-you-shall-never-have-had-great-pho-in-your-life restaurants, these are restaurants that pertain to familiar tastes. Any restaurant can honestly be the best Pho place it’s really just based on opinions. If Pho Tau Bay is your go to pho place, refer back to this list and pick a random restaurant to have a new go to pho spot.