Pho Cafe

Consistently delicious. Low key. Quick service. Both animal and vegetarian options are excellent. Warning: the iced coffee is excellent, but on the strong side. Be prepared to dilute it.

Love the food here. The fish vermicelli dish is seriously perfect an the vegetarian phở is delightful. Prices are reasonable and the food comes out pretty quickly!
Tip: Bring cash monies! Its cash only!

Pretty good. I order the combo, shrimp, and egg roll to go. The egg roll is pretty good. The meat was soft and tender. The shrimp was on a skewer and seem fresh. Lots of noodles and veges. Service was prompt and solid.

Excellent takeout turnaround time. Generous helpings of basil and sprouts. Hits the spot!

What a shitbox of a place. My friend convinced me to go here the other night and I already knew this was going to end badly.
Walking in the layout is awful… just one long narrow ass corridor like place with a kitchen to one side. Really bad feeling joint.
I’ve never had Vietnamese egg-​rolls that were as bad as this place. I shit you not… we ordered the egg-​rolls and they came out 2 minutes later… and I mean 2 MINUTES later. We both looked at each other thinking how the hell did they pull this off?
They tasted stale, old, and disgusting. I didn’t even finish one. Clearly they served us old crap that maybe someone had cancelled or they were afterthoughts from a previous table. JHC… WTF. Cheap fuckers can’t even make a fresh batch? It’s THREE egg-rolls…would that hurt their precious profit margin?
Then they brought out the vermicelli bowls. The noodles also tasted stale. The fish I got was OK but nothing to write home about. Service was pretty crap and lame too… with the waiter throwing stuff in front of us rather than actually «placing» food down. I was about to say something but my friend said don’t bother.
Holy cow… WHAT A SHITHOLE. How does a place like this stay in business? Don’t people in Silverlake have any taste buds or any standards or self-​respect?

The flavors for this «unnamed» place are pretty intense and have just enough layers for me to give them 4 stars. I’ve only done take out because the hipster vibe is just a little too strong. I would skip the summer rolls (bland & overpriced) and stick with the phở. The banh xeo (crepes) are yummy and somewhat authentic! They don’t skimp on the filling or herbs here. The parking is a hassle and that’s the main reason I don’t visit this place often. If you want a dent in your car, parking here can almost guarantee that. Also cash only is no Bueno but oh well. I would try this place if you’re in the area but if there’s a line and no parking, I’d rather visit the ramen shop nearby.

I used to come to Phở Café regularly when I lived in Silver Lake over a decade ago. Their lemongrass steak bun with shrimp and egg rolls was my go-​to. My last visit to Phở Café was a little over 2 years ago. That time, I tried their fish bun for the first time and found it revelatory. Wonderfully seasoned and cooked fish.
This time I opted for the same dish but the taste was less than stellar. The seasoning seemed toned-​down, and the dish as a whole was rather bland. I hope it was a fluke and not the new norm.
My partner and I split the veggie egg rolls, which were as tasty as I remembered. He devoured his #8 phở with filet minon, meatballs, tripe, and tendon with no complaints.
We waited about 20 minutes on a Wednesday evening for a table. Once seated, our food came out very quickly. Cash only.
I’ll return, perhaps going back to the beef bun. I hope my last visit was just an off night.

The phở is one of the best I’ve had… maybe even better than Golden Deli but their vermicelli bowls are the best I’ve ever had! The spring rolls are also hands down the best around because the beef is seasoned with lemongrass and the peanut sauce tastes homemade. I’ve been here at least 10 times and everyone I bring loves this place equally.
Phở café is the high standard I’ve set for any Vietnamese restaurant. The downsides are the small parking lot and cash only.

When my friend Andrew R. told me about a great phở place on Sunset in Silver Lake, I kind of suspected he was talking about Blossom, even when he insisted otherwise. I drive through this part of town pretty often, and had never seen nor heard of Phở Café. Turns out the restaurant is just hidden away in a strip mall, without even a sign to announce its presence. Clearly, though, Unilocal is all over it.
I went for lunch with Andrew one Tuesday afternoon, and the place was small enough that it felt busy, even with just a handful of customers. (The full parking lot also furthered this impression.) We were seated right away in the long line of tables that took up the half of the restaurant that wasn’t the kitchen. It was a neat space, casual and pleasantly vibrant with a clean, minimal décor scheme. Service was quick and otherwise pretty perfunctory, which suited us fine.
I had a caffeine and sugar bomb of a Vietnamese iced coffee to kick things off. Didn’t pair particularly well with phở, but it was worthwhile. We split a couple appetizers and got a bowl of phở each, and these made for a very satisfying meal. We got the banh xeo and the chao tom to start, and both were solid, if not spectacular. The banh xeo was a fried crêpe stuffed with shrimp, charbroiled lemongrass steak, mushroom, and bean sprouts – kind of like a Vietnamese tostada, with a lot of nice layered textures and flavors, held together by a crispy, savory shell. The chao tom was a platter of shrimp paste on sugar cane skewers, a dish I’d first had at Golden Deli a couple months earlier. This version was not quite as good, but it was still tasty, served with a peanut sauce, herbs, and stiff rounds of rice paper to dip in warm water and use for wraps.
The phở was in the same league, not the best I’ve ever had, but quite good, especially for a fix right in Silver Lake. I got the phở tai bo vien, which came with filet mignon and meat balls. The soup was warm and soothing if not as richly beefy as possible. It was improved with some of the fresh herbs and a squirt of sriracha and plum sauce. The rice noodles were thin and chewy, and I liked both forms of beef – I’m always pretty into noodle soups with beef balls.
I’ll probably come back to Phở Café once in a while now that I know it’s there. It’s a cute spot with good food, and I’m happy to have it nearby to sate my occasional phở cravings.

We finally had our annual day of cold weather in LA (we call it winter), which meant it was a perfect night for some phở. I have to admit, I’m not huge on soupy foods; I feel more bloated than full after eating. That never stops me from devouring my bowl though.
The phở was good (but not at the level of phở in SGV or the likes). The broth had a good but subtle flavor and included a nice portion of meat. I don’t know why, but to me what really stood out were the egg rolls. Maybe it was because I was starving, but these rolls had the perfect crunch and flavor.
This little phở spot in Silver Lake feels very «hip», I mean the place doesn’t even have a sign or any identifying marks. I like that the inside was full and lively; it’s a bit small, but to me that adds to the experience at this place. I definitely need to go back and try their cold noodles!

I wish there was a option for no stars… Like wow.
Quick TD;DR: … DONT GO HERE! BY FAR THE WORST PLACE IVE EVER BEEN TO!!!
Let me give you all the pros and cons…
Pros: the light bulbs are cute, the food is mediocre
Cons: they don’t have a sign of the restaurant… No name… No nothing… AND the only take cash… like seriously… Do they expect people to carry cash?! I would of been ok with it if they had a sign in front of their door stating that they are cash only… They had «cash only» in 8pt font on their «menu»… Now let’s talk about the menu… It’s a piece of copy paper. VERY over used… It was stained and crumbled when we got it…, If you have a sensitive stomach… Don’t look at the spoons in the hot sauce. It was rusted, hairy, and just plain gross. Oh and if you are going to eat here. I suggest you either bring your own water or buy something bottled, all the veggies were already sitting out so they were very old and not fresh…
I apologize for this block of text but I want to make sure that no one suffers what I just went through… Idk how this place has so many reviews but… DONT GO…

They add Beef to their Spring Rolls! Bomb Dot Com!
I’m on a quest to find my Phở Spot in Los Angeles. A place where I can call home like Phở Hiep Grill in Eastlake Chula Vista. No luck so far including this place.
Came around 2PM to avoid the Lunch rush. I enjoyed the cool lay out of the long narrow restaurant. Entered and sat down. There is no great service here or welcoming feel so don’t expect it. I only wanted my Phở but I enjoy going to establishments that actually enjoy your business. –1*
Ordered Spring Rolls and Phở Tai Nam… My usual go to items. Food came out extremely fast and I must say the springs rolls were delicious! I never had them with cooked beef in them. +1* Now to my bowl of Phở, I’m full! Their steak is delicious, but their broth was a miss for me. Rice noodles are just rice noodles to me, sometimes good sometimes bad, I don’t care for it. But the broth and steak are important to me though. +2*
Overall for $ 14 you can get a HUGE bowl of Phở and some tasty springs rolls but I’m not fully satisfied. I might be back in the area. Oh to all the people complaining about hipsters, so what? They don’t bite. They are people too! LOL, it’s not like they are pidgeons or something.

Quite possibly the best phở I’ve ever had…
Yup. I thought about it, and it is.
Not going to tell you how to find the shop — just make you walk up and down the street like every other white bitch from SaMo who’s desperate for some proper Asian noodles.

3.5 stars
Phở has become pricey in hipster town… Don’t get me wrong, I love Silverlake! But wow, $ 9 for a bowl of phở? Pretty expensive!
I ordered Phở Tai (steak) and it was a solid ³⁄₅ stars. The ingredients are pretty fresh (basil leaves have some black spots on them but not too terribly bad), and portion is pretty big with lots & lots of noodles. I would prefer if they had different sizes to choose from, because I’d rather spend less and eat just enough rather than pay $ 9 for a huge bowl I can’t finish. The soup has a very different flavor than traditional phở — sweeter and something else I couldn’t put my finger to. Not a big fan of the broth to be honest, but the rare pieces of steak are filet mignon — superr tender! Reminds me of the filet mignon phở at Mama Hong’s Vietnamese Kitchen in Burbank, but fatter, more generous slices :)
The chicken egg rolls were actually pretty good (⁴⁄₅ stars) — ingredients were delicious and chicken was juicy. Outer layer of the egg rolls were perfectly crunchy, not overly fried or too soggy.
Overall, I wasn’t a huge fan of the broth which is probably the most important factor for me when it comes to phở. I might come back, but Phở Café will not be my go-​to phở spot for sure.
PS. Cash Only!

Phở Café is located in a Silverlake strip mall. It’s quite obscure because there is absolutely no sign for the restaurant except for the big number for their address. The place is quite small but they fit a lot of tables in there.
The menu is quite small for a phở place. I had the vegetarian phở since I’m not eating meat too often these days. I saw great reviews for the dish. I found the broth to be really flavorful for a vegetable broth. They also give you plenty of mushrooms, tofu, and bokchoy. I barely ate any noodle and had only a few pieces of tofu and was already super stuffed.
The portion is large. The price is reasonable for the amount of food you get. The service is okay and the food comes out quickly. Just make sure you have cash with you because they are cash only.

Looking for different phở places so I can find the best.
THE AMBIANCE:
Phở Café was hard to find because they don’t have a sign up (at least when I went). All I saw was blue letters on glass that said 2841. It is in the same plaza as Moonshine (an actual sign). The café is small and different in the sense that when you walk in it is a narrow room going backwards. You have the kitchen on your left and all the tables on the right. Some people will sit on the cushion side and the others will sit on chairs. There is a restroom at the end of the café on the left.
THE PHO:
I feel like I have had better phở broth (Phở Legend Noodle and Grill on Vermont Ave.) but I think that the meat at Phở Café is the best I have had. It is thick and tasty. At other places it seems that I come across meat that is thin and dry-​chewy. Phở Café definitely has a hand up in the meat department. Your broth comes with white onion slices that seem to cook in the hot broth and green onions. Phở Café also gives you a generous plate of basil, bean sprouts, and limes.
THE TIPS:
Parking can be difficult. I would take an Über if you are not far from the café.

Excelente lugar. Good place. El unico inconveniente Es que solo aceptan efectivo. Los spring rolls son deliciosos los mejores de los sitios de Phở

We were craving Phở on a Friday night so we stopped by here to get our fix. The place has no sign in front so you just kind of have to look for lights and people eating Phở, lol!
The place was fairly crowded but we didn’t have to wait for a table and were immediately seated. Once seated we realized that this place is cash only. We asked the waiter where the nearest ATM was and he directed us to some shady liquor store ATM across the street. Yeah right. Don’t go to that shady ATM unless you want problems. BRING CASH!
We left to find a reputable ATM, came back only to find a short wait to get a table again but once we were seated it was a pleasant experience from there on out. (Make sure you write your name on the list if you encounter a wait. Nobody will tell you that you need to put your name down. It’s just understood that that’s what you do here).
We both ordered the Veggie Phở and spring rolls. Usually when you order Veggie Phở the broth isn’t as good as the beef or chicken but here the Veggie broth is on point! Very flavorful, not too salty, not too watered down, good consistency throughout. The Spring rolls were great as well. The weather was kinda chilly that night so we both ordered hot tea (I had Ginger, she had Mint, both were fresh and extremely potent).
There really isn’t a whole lot to be said about this place as it is fairly basic but it’s definitely an excellent place to stop and get Phở.
JUST REMEMBER THIS PLACE IS CASH ONLY!

Muy rico todo. El local es pequeño y no aceptan tarjetas. Pero la comida es deliciosa.

So so…