The Best Vietnamese Food in Little Saigon
This pho is SO GOOD! Making my mouth water just thinking about it!
The first time I had Pho 45, I was just on the mend from having a cold. I couldn’t taste everything perfectly yet, but this pho was just what I needed as the ultimate comfort food. Even then, I could tell the meat they used was super soft and tender and the broth exceptional. I’ve gone back (in full health) since then and am just in love with their pho. Quick service and a small bowl is more than enough for me. Only downside is that there always seems to be a wait. But it definitely beats any pho place I’ve tried in the OC so far. Ordering a pho and a Viet iced coffee to go is heaven.
-Gracie
This is still my go to when I have a craving for “pho” and don’t want to cook. There was a lot of construction going on in the parking lot. So the parking situation was not great.
The complaints that I had were the egg rolls and service style. The egg rolls were a bit stale. They may be pre-cooked and warm up to order. The meat mixture was grayish–typically mean it is old. I wish they would pay a little bit more attention to the service. I would like to have the appetizer out first then the pho after. I can’t eat them both at the same time! And lastly, put more cilantro in my pho! This is a key ingredient to complete the pho aroma.
-Et
Came here for dinner the other night, my parents and I were feeling under the weather and needed soup.
PARKING: In a shared plaza with Pick Me Up Teahouse. Plenty of parking here!
WAIT: There is generally a wait here since it’s incredibly popular. There’s a sign in sheet available for you to sign. I came here Friday at 6pm and waited for about 5 minutes until I was seated.
RESTAURANT: Fairly small, meant for small parties of about 4. The restaurant is a little rundown and unsanitary, really reminds me of a fast food restaurant except they serve Pho.
MENU: Simple menu, there’s other dishes other than Pho, such as rice, but I only paid attention to the Pho. Prices are affordable, about $8 for a small bowl and $9 for a large.
PHO: I ended up ordering their Filet Mignon Pho. Was surprised at how much food they gave out. The small was enough for me to make 2 full meals. They did not skimp out on the meat, I was very impressed! Meat was very soft and tender, the broth was pretty good as well. They also offer larger Pho noodles if you don’t want to stick to the traditional regular noodles.
Overall experience here was good. Our food came out in less than 5 minutes, piping hot and fresh! I was impressed with the amount of meat they gave out. Wouldn’t mind coming back here again whenever I am feeling under the weather!
-Cathy
Late Pho, crowded to the brim but also amazing Pho. I don’t even like Pho or go out to have it often but even I’m saying this place is good. If you’re in the OC, GOOOO!!!
Low key perfect noodles. You have the choice of thick and thin noods but you can’t go wrong with either, but personally I’d get the thin noodles.
Need convincing? How about some $9 filet mignon Pho for you. Or there’s a combo Dac Biet with Pho, brisket, mignon, flank steak, and more good stuff for $9. They’re pretty generous with the amount of meat they give too. The noodles are damn good, being cooked to the right temp.
Service here was okay, but better than expected considering that it’s so crowded. You might have to wait for awhile and put your name on a waitlist to get a seat but at least you can order while you wait.
But come for the Pho, it’s actually bomb af.
-George
What ppl say is true, pho in OC is the best you would ever taste! Came here on a Sunday around 1145 and there were already lines outside of the restaurant. Was talking to my friend while we waited and we concluded that the pho must be phenomenal if even Vietnamese ppl are waiting in line for it! And once we’ve tasted the pho, our conclusion was proven true.
The broth was so rich, yet not heavy. You can taste the beef flavor in the broth. They gave you even portions of both the meats and noodles. The meat they use is also very fresh and not over cooked.
The service was decent, ordering was quick, the pho came out instantly too, and you just go up to the counter to pay.
I would definitely recommend this place.
-Angela
Pho 45 is a small restaurant with only a few tables. I came at around 1:30pm on a weekend and the wait was around 25 minutes.
The soup is legit and they don’t use that much MSG because I wasn’t very thirsty after eating the pho. They also give you the choice of thick or thin noodles.. not many pho places offer that option
The general opinion by locals from LA is that the OC has the best vietnamese food. Pho 45 is a good example of a typical authentic restaurant around the area.
-Jodi
Solid pho for the price. Just don’t expect any smiling faces, and then you won’t be disappointed. As always, the first thing I look for with Pho is chili oil, which was plentiful at Pho 45. They accept credit cards, which makes this a good (but painful) alternative to Pho 79, since it’s always crowded.
Broth is oily and flavorful, ordered a side order of filet mignon, and it was served with a side of beef broth, which was a welcome addition instead of having to add the meat to my pho broth and cool it down way too quickly. Would definitely return and try a Chicken pho; those are always great options on those cold, gray SoCal winter days. 🙂
-Ajay
This place is pho-king amazing! Their broth tasted so clean as if there was no MSG (Dont know if it’s true and don’t want to know). It was probably one of the few Briggs I’ve had with pho that tasted so good that I didn’t even have to add any sauces for extra flavor. I ordered their rib eye pho and it definitely hit the spot, especially since I’ve been sick; pho makes everything better. At any pho spots, I always ask for extra cilantro because cilantro goes with everything and I can never get enough of it.
They also give you a lot of meat with your noodles, which by the way, you can order with fat or skinny (I believe that’s what they called it) rice noodles. Try it with the fat/flat noodles next time because it makes a difference, in my opinion.
-Chris
So you think you know pho? And have tried it all. Then I suggest you give this place a try because their filet mignon pho is a world class of its own. Recommend by a friend I was skeptical because it price it a tad bit higher than other pho places. Also who ever heard of filet mignon pho? Almost sound hipster ie high prices great picture but necessarily any taste. I was proven so wrong and I am glad for it.
This even when I ordered it to go. First good sign the whole place is most Vietnamese guys and girls eating during lunch. Second service the young girl at the cashier was friendly and help me go over what to order.
So if you’re into meat and want pho this is a place to try. Just remember not to overcook your beef and you will find a very tender yummy pho
-Bryant
So many pho places with similar names but this one right here is one of the best.
I usually order dac biet(special combination) because I like a variety of beef cuts, tendon, and tripe. Tripe is interesting to most people but it is good in pho, so eat it! They give adequate amount of protein and noodles and I got a small. They also have a filet mignon pho which is yum. This place lets you pick between wider rice noodles(northern style) or thinner rice noodles(southern style). I recommend the wider flat noodles, it just taste so fresh. Not alot of place gives you option to have the noodles wide so this separates it out from the bunch. They also ask if you want fresh or cook bean sprouts, so many questions thrown at me, my horrible vietnamese skills wont do it. They do understand English so don’t worry.
When the food came out, it was super hot. I would wait like 5 mins just to eat. The broth is delicious and one of the best I have ever tasted. I think its more of a northern style flavor broth(pho originated in North Vietnam) as it taste refined and not too sweet like others.
I came here right when it opened and there were already 3 parties waiting to go in. And it was a full house after 20 mins, show how good this place is. Service was nice. They accepted my card when I had to pay for 2 bowl of pho, and it was super less than 20 bucks. Definitely get your pho fix here.
-Jessica
Don’t be intimidated by the line outside. Even though a small place service is fast and quick. After spending the day in Disney we came to find this place via yelp after passing by Pho 79 that was a very long wait and they only accepted cash. So my party found Pho 45 via yelp and we called and the wait was only 2 parties ahead of us and the hostess was able to put our name down since we were 5 mins away.
The pho here is delicious! Portion is overwhelmingly generous. Plenty of meat in each bite. Noodles; you get a choice of different styles from regular to fat and even egg noodle. And the service is top notch. Super fast friendly. If you’re in the area this is the place to come for fresh pho and the be service. Credit cards are accepted here but with ac minimum order of $10 purchase.
-Mike