Golden Bowl

Reasonably good Vietnames food.
Golden bowl in Costa Mesa is located right beside the Argentinian Empanada place. It was closed Sunday at 7pm so we decided to go next door.
We ordered the pork chops with rice $ 6.95, rice with grilled beef combination no2 for $ 5.95, phở with large steak $ 6.50, and phở sliced steak &5.50. The food was good and service was fast.
Reasonably good food at an inexpensive price.

Their Phở is good but I didn’t find anything special about this place. The waiter was good with helping my hubby and he seemed to like what he ordered, which is a very good thing!
Only thing that made me wonder was that they were trying to charge us for a hot tea that we didn’t order… If it was an accident, I guess it happens. But if it is not an accident and he tried to make extra buck, it’s not cool!

I’ll be generous with 2 stars because it was clean. If you’ve grown up in Orange County with the riches of phở places on every corner, please save yourself the time and money and skip this place… even if you’re craving it and you’re in the area.
I stopped by on my lunch break while I was working in the area and was very disappointed by the lack of meat they put into my small Phở Tai Nam Bo Vien (which is $ 1 – 2 extra for Bo Vien!). I got maybe 2 slices of Tai, 2 quarter slices of bo vien and i did not even get my NAM! They gave me cartilage instead of well-​done flank (NAM!)…tsk tsk. They also charge $ 1 for hot tea, which was never refilled! Most vietnamese restaurants do not charge for hot tea, not even japanese restaurants do. hmmm seems like they are trying to make money and conserve resources the wrong way… they’ve lost a potential regular.
It also wasn’t that busy at the time I was there (2pm) and I didn’t get my small bowl of phở until maybe 10 – 15 mins after ordering… even the guys who came in after me got their large bowls before I did, very strange.
Do not come here if you’re getting PHO… even though they’ve changed their name to «Phở Company».

So after writing my previous review, I really did go to Golden Bowl for dinner. Sadly, the experience was not such a great one.
We knew they closed at 9:00, so when we walked in at 8:35, I was a little caught off guard when the guy walked up to me and said ‘carry out only”. It’s not like the place was empty, there were about four or five tables eating. When I asked what time they closed they said 9:00, then mumbled something about the kitchen closing up early… blah, blah, blah. Which left me confused. The kitchen has to make my food whether I order it at the counter or sit at a table, right? So, what was really happening is that they just wanted to shut down the whole place early.
When we got home, we saw that they had not given us any sauces to add to our broth, and they gave us lemons instead of limes. I realize that some places serve lemons, but this place USED to give limes, and I like that better.
So, I am dropping my rating down to three stars, bc the food was still good, but the service and carry-​out issues were lacking. Also, I will make it a point to try somewhere else next time I am craving phở. I’m not saying I won’t be back, but I want to eat at a place that wants my business. Am I bitter? Maybe.

Used to come back here when it was called Phở 99. Love the amount of jalepeno and sprouts they give you for your phở.

I decided to check this place out today because I had a sudden craving for phở this morning while I was sitting in class at OCC, and I didn’t have the time to drive back to Little Saigon before my next class. :)
What really sets this place apart from the restaurants in Westminster is that it’s clean and roomy, quiet (Vietnamese people are loud lol!), they accept card, there’s free refills on soft drinks (unheard of!) and the service was actually very good! We were seated immediately and a server brought menus and two glasses of water. I ordered a small bowl of tai gan (rare steak + tendon) and my boyfriend had tai bo vien (rare steak + meatballs, he upgraded to a large bowl for a dollar more). We also ordered iced coffee, which was nice and strong. I enjoyed my phở, the noodles were cooked just right and the tendon was so buttery soft; however the tai was kind of tough. I tried a meatball and it had a nice texture but it wasn’t very flavorful.
The menu has a lot of variety, if you don’t want phở they also have rice dishes, vermicelli noodles, and egg/​spring rolls. The coconut juice comes in a fresh coconut.
The only con I can think of is that they don’t have a medium bowl, it’s either small or large. For me, the small was too small but the large was just too big.
I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat here, obviously (I live in Westminster) but if I was in the area and I wanted phở, I’d stop in again. Like some other reviews said, the parking lot is tiny. I’d try to park head-​out or in the spaces next to Rite Aid.

I’ve been to several Phở joints. I have also been to several with 4 stars and more. Golden Bowl/​Phở Co. is the best so far I’ve encountered. The broth is delicious and comorting and I can’t get enough. Thanks to Mel L. for calling me out on my 3 star rating after having seen how many times I’ve eaten here… My utter laziness is amazing sometimes.

Just went to dinner here tonight with my wife. Great location for us it is right around the corner… walking distance…
I got the Bun. Beef with noodles and an egg roll. It also came with a salad made with cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, and sprouts. They gave a really good hot sauce wow what a great dinner I am so full.
My wife got the PHO soup bowl. This was so cool it was so much food when we got home we had to put it in a much larger bowl to fit in all of the extras they give you to put in. They had beef, broccoli, sprouts, lime, noodles, onion, leaf spice, etc. the list goes on. wow amazing I might get this next time.
The resteraunt is clean the staff is fun and helpfull.
We also got four egg rolls.
Great price all of the above for $ 20 dollars!!!
I recommend this place to my friends all of time. I have never been to any other PHO resteraunt so take this for what it’s worth.
Parking is easy it is a private lot with lots of open parking.

Phở is good, had the large Rare Beef & Brisket. Was tasty and was soothing to my sore throat. Wish they would have had beer, Heinies are always a compliment to Phở in my opinion. Service was quick, overall a pleasurable experience. I can see myself going here again, especially since it’s much closer than driving to Little Saigon for me.

Not bad, I’d go again if I’m in the area. Here’s my report card:
Food: B
Their portions are nice and big, which I can appreciate. Sorry vegetarians, all of their broth is beef-​based. I ordered the seafood phở bowl, which was just ok. Next time, I’ll go with beef. Seafood with a beef broth is a bit odd.
Service: B+
Very friendly and efficient. Unless you’re picky and you ask for items not on the menu, which my friend did.
Location/​Ambiance: B+
Clean, roomy and easy to find. Only issue is the parking lot was not made for SUVs.
In general, not a bad spot.

Place is pretty decent, the food is guud. Guud broth, nice cuts of meat, fast service, not too oily/​MSGed, firm noodles, decent portion. Another cool thing about this place is that this place takes credit card. I highly suggest this place for those who want to eat near the COSTA MESA/​NEWPORT BEACH area… if not… DRIVE TO GARDEN GROVE/​WESTMINSTER!
This place would have been perfect if the bowls were bigger or if it was cheaper, but besides that, this place is awesome. Definitely a lot better than Phở Bac Ky in my opinion.
ANOTHER COOL THING ABOUT THIS PLACE IS THAT THEY DONT CHARGE FOR THE VINEGAR ONION… and yes… this place has less MSG… how do I know? cuz I dont get a horrible case of food coma after my consumption
UNTIL THEN! ^-^

This place is a good phở place to satisfy your craving. The place is nice and open. The servers are like moms; they won’t baby you, but you know they care. They told my friend they wouldn’t clean up the last plate because there was one shrimp puff on it and she was too skinny. Their mischief is oddly entertaining, like asking me for water when I started slurping the last drops of my cup.
I would totally come back here. This is a great recovery spot for the night before.

The worst PHO I’ve had. I was craving phở, and this place is right around the corner from our apt. My husband didn’t want to drive to Westminster because of traffic. So I said, sure I’ll try it, my aunt LOVES this place… It should be good!
First we were given a table… The guy who sat us down was only talking to my husband like I wasn’t at the table?!? He was like, «Hi, my brother, how are you?»
THEN we started ordering. We just wanted to share a large bowl of soup. We ordered a Large Bowl of Chicken Phở.
The vegetable came first which was the bean sprout, basil, jalepeno, and lime. It came in a saucer plate… It should be on a small desert plate or something.
The Chicken Soup came… OMG… it was so bland. The traditional ginger/​chili sauce that comes with this Chicken Phở was absent. So I asked the guy, where’s the ginger sauce? He replied, «We don’t have that.» I was mad. It was like eating french fries without salt or ketchup.
It was gross. The chicken meat was so dry. Had no flavor what so ever…
We didn’t leave a tip… =/​
I rather go to Westminster where the food is real and fresh and makes real PHO flavor. I mean this place is in Costa Mesa.

I’ve only begun trying Vietnamese food (Phở in particular) so I’m not an expert on the matter, but from what I have tried at Golden Bowl, I’ve enjoyed.
The price to me seems pretty reasonable for the amount of food they give you, and the service has always been adequate. Only one occasion where it felt a little awkward was when my wife and I showed up at 8:15p to grab some food, and their sign posted they closed at 9p. For most restaurants, that means if you are in before 9p, you get served and you eat. Here, however, it pretty much meant you need to order, eat, and pay before that time, otherwise your waiter will be awkwardly hovering around your table and clearing items a bit pre-​maturely at 8:50p. Just make sure you don’t come too close to closing…
Anyways, I usually get phở here, and have tried their standard (beef flank, steak, tripe, etc.) and their seafood (fish cake, squid, crab, etc.). Both seemed pretty decent, and came with a good balance of meat, vegetables, and filler. The $ 1 upgrade from small to large is appreciated.
My wife likes to get their vermicelli combination, and from what I have tried has been pretty good. The portions are usually just right — not too skimpy, not too big — so we are always satisfied when we leave.
Again, I’m not an expert on the matter, but I’ve enjoyed what I have tried here and have never felt I’ve paid too much for the portion or quality of items served here. I recommend a try if you are in the area!

I’ve been coming here since it was Phở 99, luckily the menu hasn’t changed because I basically order the same thing every time. The service kind of sucks though… too bad.
But, you cannot go wrong with the Com Bo Luc Lac or the Vermicelli Combo, absolutely delicious.

Quick bite to eat. That’s when i eat here, when I’m out of time but still want Vietnamese food. Usually, it’s when I have an hour to break and find food, but I American food just puts me in a food coma.
I’ve had the COM THIT NUONG [bbq’d meat rish dish]. It’s quite good, and the perfect size for lunch. It usually comes with a small portion of meat, a rice portion, and either egg cake or something similar.
PHO TAI isn’t the best I’ve had, but it didn’t give me a tummy ache. The broth is flavorful, but i can taste the msg in it still. The meat is dry, so ask for it on the side and you can cook it yourself.
COM BO LUC LAC is goood. The meat is tender and flavorful. A good sized meal and my friend really seemed to enjoy it. Cleaned his plate!
Again, nothing compared to Little Saigon, but its to be expected. Really nice service though. The ladies are friendly and everything comes out relatively fast.

I came here for lunch earlier this week. Nicely decorated and a bit hard to find. I ordered the phở dac biet, the house special. The broth was murky but very flavorful. It was, unfortunately, the best part of the meal. But that’s about it. Where’s the beef? I didn’t think there was enough meat in the bowl. The price is higher than a bowl I get in Westminster. Am I paying for the nicely painted walls and the lighting? Overall a nice meal and a nice place but I’ll take my next bowl of phở elsewhere.

I feel like my dining experience here went by so fast that I didn’t get to fully take in what this place has to offer. We came about 30 minutes before it closed and the guy happily seated us at a table. I felt so bad that we came in so close to closing but I appreciated it so much because this was our 3^rd stop and I was starving (we first went to Daikokuya then Shin Sen Gumi). This place is kind of hidden. It’s in a tiny strip mall and you probably wouldn’t see it if you didn’t know where it was.
What’s cool about this place is that you can create your own phở combo. A regular two item combo is $ 5.75. I got my tendon and tripe. The soup base was decent but it did have that kick that I always look for in phở. Portions are decent and you get a lot of the meat. I got a LOT of the tendon and tripe. I also specifically asked for no onions and cilantro and of course they effed it up. I even asked for a bowl to scoop out the greens and I guess the guy wasn’t smart enough to put two and two together.
We weren’t even nearly finished with our dinner yet and he already came with our check. Of course we just continued to eat but he decides to come back and ask us to pay because they were closing out the register. That kind of irked me. Even after that they were pretty much getting the rest of us to get out of there. I could hear the other parties talking crap.
All in all, this place is decent phở for a very decent price. I’d definitely come here when I don’t feel like making the trek to Westminster.

It’s not the best but most of their food is really good!
I’ve would recommend the seafood stirfry with the flat rice noodles, regular phở w/​rare steak on the side (you cook it in the hot broth) and the vermicelli combo with grilled pork, strip and egg roll. I included a pic just for you from my lunch yesterday.
You’re welcome Gold Bowl for giving a good review! This is coming from a regular client!

2.8 stars!
It works.
Not the best phở, nor the worst. The phở tai with brisket is pretty alright.
The eggrolls taste bought. They’re perfectly uniform, the meat is a little reminiscent of forcemeat.
Iced coffee-​standard. Who can mess that up?
The only cool thing here is you can make your own phở combos.
Think it used to be phở 99.
Still looks the same, same table numbers, etc.