So there I was... sitting on an oil rig in Alaska, talking to a sheriff's deputy with over 20 years…read moreon the job. He says, "My buddies keep telling me about this place called Pho King Good." Funny part? Even he had never been there. Well, that little story stuck with me. Fast forward a few weeks. My road trip partner, Koda, and I are heading home from Disneyland, cutting through Sacramento toward Grass Valley. We roll into Auburn and BOOM there it is. Pho King Good. Now let's just take a second to appreciate that name. If you're gonna swing for the fences with a name like Pho King Good, you've set the bar about as high as Mount Everest. You don't get to be "pretty decent." You'd better make me question every bowl of pho I've ever eaten. The sign? Absolutely iconic. It practically jumps out and hollers at you from the side of the road. Easy in, easy out. Road-tripper approved. Walking inside, though, I was expecting a little more "Pho King Palace" and a little less "we've been meaning to remodel since the Clinton administration." The marble counter looked nice enough, but the place just felt like it needed a little love. If I owned a restaurant with a name that good, I'd lean into it. Give me lanterns. Give me atmosphere. Make me feel like the King just walked in. Charge me another couple bucks if you have to I wouldn't mind if the experience matched the name. Then came the menu. It felt a little like Dysfunction Junction. They had everything listed, but it wasn't organized in a way that made ordering easy. Give me sections. House Pho. Beef Pho. Chicken Pho. Special Pho. Help a hungry traveler out. The food? Solid... right down the middle of the road. After hours in the car, a hot bowl of pho hits the spot no matter what. Koda really enjoyed his chicken dish, and our vegetable egg rolls with the peanut sauce were decent, although the wrapper was just a touch on the rubbery side. The owner was friendly, welcoming, and genuinely hospitable, which always counts for something. My only real disappointment was this: with a name like Pho King Good, I expected to leave saying, "That's the best pho I've ever had." Instead, I left saying, "That was... good." And then came the plot twist. Time to pay. Cash only. So now I'm walking out to the ATM like I'm making a withdrawal for a back-alley poker game or a dispensary run. I'm standing there thinking, "Well... this tip just took a hit because I wasn't planning on paying an ATM fee for my noodles." I still don't quite understand it. You're giving change, printing receipts, running a business... we're already 95% of the way to taking cards! Overall, this wasn't about whether the food was amazing or terrible. It was about the experience. Sometimes that's the story worth telling. Would I stop again on another road trip? Probably. Because sometimes a bowl of pho, your best buddy Koda riding shotgun, and a restaurant with the greatest pun in California are all you really need. And if they ever decide to polish the place up and make it live up to that legendary name... It might just become Pho King Great.

VEGAN SIGHTING!!! I…read moredon't even know where to start my fellow vegans. This quirky, Vietnamese restaurant in the city of Auburn, CA, has by far the best vegan Banh Mi sandwich. The tofu was prepared so it did not take up the whole sandwich. The pickled radish and carrots had the perfect and balanced of sour and sweet. Of course, can't leave out the herbs of cilantro and fresh jalapinjoes. The french bread was crispy outside but still soft and hearty as you take a bite. My earth was it a 2 thumbs up!!! Then their vegan pho with veggies and tofu did not disappoint. Their veggie broth was perfectly blended and made wonderfully that I was not even thinking this was vegan. The staff was kind and informative. They were attentive and friendly. Then comes the merch. If you like a play on the word Pho, then come and check out their shirts for sale. All I have to say is "Life is Pho king good." With this said, another gem in Auburn, CA.

I travel a lot for work, and I can say Pho Cali is, hands down, one of the best Vietnamese…read morerestaurants in the country. Don't be fooled by its casual setting. It has the "hole in the wall" authentic kind of food without being a hole in a wall, and the service here has been unusually good. Here are menu items I've tried and highly recommend: Special Banh Mi Sandwich Nem Nuong Rolls Fried Egg Rolls Hai Nam Chicken Rice Plate Fried Chicken Rings House Special Pho Cali's Special Combo Rice Plate Bun Bo Hue Bo Ne And I order their cafe sua da (Vietnamese iced coffee) all the time. When I'm in the Sacramento area or passing through, Pho Cali is among my top go-to places for Vietnamese food. I wish Pho Cali expands into the San Francisco Bay Area, where I live.

After donating blood, they told me to have a good meal so I chose take out from Pho Cali. Love this…read moreplace. It's close by home and the food is delish! Got my favorite, #17 with vermicelli noodles. Also a strawberry smoothie with boba. Their boba is so good! Cash discount too!

I had the pleasure of trying their bun rieu, it was amazing. Best one I've had so far. Who knew,…read moreauburn. Piping hot, flavor was bold and crab taste was definitely there. The grill pork plates were really good as well. It's a must if you want Vietnamese food in this area. Service is great! It's a must try....

Food-my dish the sliced pork over vermicelli was beyond my expectations. Easily the tastier dish…read moreI've had. My daughter had tofu delight it came with a beautiful triangle rice portions. Very cute . My husband has fried tofu. He said tofu was a bit much. Service- acceptable Ambiance- Very cute. Kinda a sm dinning area. Darling full sized cherry blossoms tree in room. Provided good photo op since we are on vaca.

I frequent Panoy restaurant seasonally, sporadically! I eat out a little in both the Bay Area and…read morein Nevada County, CA. I'm submitting a review today because I always enjoy their food, service, and ambience, always delightful, special, and the experience is both home cooked and international, but also super personable (if you frequent) and very casual and fun! I simply today want to note how amazing the very certain, peaking flavors that are still tingling on my lungs, of the basil, chili chemistry, and Lao curry magjick I just experienced last Friday I cannot get off my mind, and body, today of the 4th day past! I admittedly am having an absolute sense of remorse; I am traveling to the Bay Area this upcoming weekend and will miss this Friday dinner at my FAVORITE Lao/Eastern Family Food Restaurant in the world. (I have been to Laos n Thailand, each their own, and Panoy and their family at the restaurant, deliver one of the most authentic Eastern experiences of community, food, and fun in getting to know a very slender, sliver of the magjick that lives in Gold Country California in 2026.) If you have yet to eat (and frequent, perhaps) Panoy, go directly in return or for your first time, and experience the fresh, rejuvenating invigorating palate Panoy brings to their community and extended family they share their business with. I'll be bringing my extended Bay Area friends and family there, as they visit me, home. Springing your way there w/your beloveds would be a great way to share a sense of specialty, reserve, and you'll be remembered for the great hosting in extending your family's taste, to Panoy's exquisite offerings and dishes, of the best nuance of Lao orient. Do..NOT PASS....; go!!

Totally would have given the place four stars, except for the service…read more I was not pleased with my server as she never stopped by to see how I enjoyed my food or asked me IF I needed anything or thank me or bye at dropping off the check. She just put the check at the end without saying something, and I am usually a very good tipper.... First time in a long time I have tipped that low. Sorry won't be back again due to servers lack of customer service.

Saigon Oi is located in the heart of South Sac's Little Saigon district…read more Parking can be tight so what hubby did was drop us off while he circled the complex. It's a pretty popular restaurant so joining the waitlist on Yelp helps to get in the queue. When we got there, we were already on the Yelp waitlist so our wait wasn't really long. For this visit, we had the following: Dishes - Ribeye steak and Vietnamese shaking beef, Crispy Fish Sauce chicken wings both served with red rice. Drinks - Kumquat lemongrass tea and coconut coffee Their food is really good, reasonably priced. Staff were attentive and friendly, definitely provided great service. Atmosphere was lively but not loud. Simply decorated. There's a small space for waiting customers. Definitely highly recommended when you're in this area but be prepared for the wait especially on a high peak day like the weekends. August 2026

If you are looking for Pho or garlic noodles with five spice grill chicken, Saigon Oi isn't the…read moreright place. On the other hand, if you want to try some unique and tasty Vietnamese dishes, I recommend giving Saigon Oi a try. The menu isn't extremely extensive, offering about nine different entrees to choose from along with another half a dozen or so appetizers. Yet all the dishes are interesting and unique. For example, we ordered - Banh Khot which are Vietnamese min pancakes with a crunchy shell and shrimp - Banh Canh Cua - crab meat udon - Banh Mi Chao - deconstructed Banh mi - Crispy Fish Sauce chicken wings All the dishes came out hot and flavorful. Service was efficient. Would definitely come back to try the other dishes!

Viet Ha is very convenient for me to order for lunch or dinner. I like to order the Pork Noodle Box…read morewith the fish sauce. They give very generous portions, I especially like how much fresh vegetables they give. The pork doesn't have too much fat and cooked with the perfect amount of seasoning. They also have rice or salad boxes as well. Their chicken wings are also good. They're always crispy and tastes so good! I like to call in my order and it's also ready by the time I'm there to pick up. They're always super friendly. This location is smaller than the Florin Rd location, but they do have tables for you to dine in if you'd like.

I've given this place two chances, and they've disappointed me both times. I always ask for extra…read morechicken, and it's even stated on the receipt, but they consistently skimp on it. They're quick with the service, but the flavor of the meat is really subpar--to the point where you need to add sauce just to make it taste like anything. I literally just came here 10 minutes ago and ordered a to-go rice bowl with chicken, specifically paying $8 for extra chicken. Unfortunately, I'm disappointed once again.

#31 Rare beef and rice noodle #15 grilled beef banh mi…read moresandwich And and a tai tea My fav place to get my fix 10/10 recommend!

Let me start off by saying: the dumplings were sooo yummy, I wish they came in a bigger serving!…read moreThe fried calamari was fresh and hot when it came out. Super yummy appetizers. The pho could have some more flavor but that's just my preference. It was still yummy and was a big portion for one size bowl. The beef in the rice plate was delicious, perfect grilled flavor and the sides complement it well. There was more than enough food to take home leftovers. Service was attentive and quick, we got seated and our order taken pretty quickly. The inside was spacious and clean. No bad notes.

My favorite place to eat pho! I come here all the time if I'm in the mood during pho season. The…read moreservice is always great and the ambiance of this place is a vibe. Pho vet is either always busy or the complete opposite but the employees always seem to show enough attention to their customers no matter what time of the day it is.

We ordered the rare steak pho, combination pho & boba Thai tea. We ordered extra large and it must…read moreof been the largest pho I ever had. You definitely get your moneys worth, but best off all.. it was so good. They added PLENTY of meat. The broth was so delicious I didn't add any hoisin sauce to it. (Which I usually do) enough food to share with our two little kids. They were very accommodating and didn't have to ask for water, they just offered it anyway. A cozy classic Vietnamese restaurant. Would go again!

Excellent food-very fresh! Excellent and friendly service!…read moreI would highly recommend. This is my third visit and each time it has been a nice experience.

Love this place! The vermicelli bowl with chicken is my favorite but everything we've tried has…read morebeen so good. Service is great, too! Highly recommend!

We always drove past Pho I Love and finally decided to give it a try--and we're so glad we did!…read more We ordered the salt and pepper wings, the Sizzling Three Kind, and the chicken chow mein. Unfortunately, they were out of the chow fun, but we'll definitely be back to try it next time. The customer service was a 10/10. The woman who helped us was incredibly kind, welcoming, and attentive. The food arrived hot, fresh, and packed with flavor. Each table was stocked with everything you could need, including Sriracha, chili oil, oyster sauce, soy sauce, salt, and pepper, which was a nice touch. The restaurant itself was clean and well-maintained, creating a comfortable dining experience. Overall, this place is absolutely worth trying. It has officially earned a spot in my top three favorite restaurants in the area. Such a hidden gem!

Let's start with the food, we had the beef and broccoli, orange chicken, pho, fried rice, pork pot…read morestickers, Shanghai egg rolls, pork belly, and chicken chow mein. Not one of them disappointed but the true stand outs were the pork pot tickets and beef and broccoli. Now let's talk about why I will always come. The service is slow yes but it's slow because it's a family operated restaurant with limited workers and a lot going on the people are so friendly. I lived in Asia for about 3 years traveling all over Asia including Vietnam and this place reminded me why I love Vietnam and the culture. I would and will recommend this place to anyone who asks. Thank you for the great experience