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 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.

PSA- Prices doubled July 2026 (that is when we noticed our take out is too costly...). Instead of a…read morebi weekly little family favorite treat this is now a family fancy dinner out - it went from feeding the family with leftovers for takeout costing to $60 to $115 This food is fantastic and they have gluten free options. we live in a society where you can charge whatever you like. especially when you have nice food. however instead of stating a price change, or please see our new prices before placing your phone order... It was sticker shock from the register! So just a PSA on pricing. It's still busy and still a ton of people eating here. so maybe it doesn't affect everyone but it definitely has affected the 5 families I have talked to about it!

Crab Fried rice off the special board was excellent. Good amount of crab meat, onions, cucumber,…read moregarlic,egg, Jasmine Rice, really tasty & brought some home. Mrs had the chicken pad Thai with chicken also excellent. Thin rice noodles, good tofu, scallions,bean sprouts and crushed peanuts on the side to mix in, fresh. Wasn't as busy as our previous visit and we noticed a pretty big jump in prices overall. Fully understandable in the current economy and as noted by the owner in a recent review, their 1st increase in 10+ yrs, still a bummer. In comparison,completely priced for lunch. Th

Bambie got the black bean burger. Comes with a small hanful of tortilla chips. I got the Thai…read moresalad. Both meals were hearty, well composed, belly filling without the bloat and grease you'd suffer from a lesser meal at a fast food joint. Server was happy and helpful. There were outdoor tables available. Good thing as the 3 Labradors were with us. I'm not a vegetarian. I eat animals almost everyday. This meal did not leave me yearning for some oink-oink, moo-moo nor cluck-cluck. Delicious in its own right. Recommended!

absolutely unexpected how good my food was. I'm always very weary and skeptical of walk-up to order…read moreestablishments, as I just feel the food is more lacklustre, but Nectar Cafe pointed at me and told me I was WRONG. I'm going to dream about the nachos I ate. And the bite of cauliflower tacos I stole from my friend. and the brownie I also stole from my friend. It all tasted so fresh and light which is not a word I would use to describe nachos, but it's the truth!! honestly my only note is just the kind of service. the food and vibe of the establishment feels much more suited to a dine-in wait-on type experience, but that's truly just a preference! I can't wait to come back with more friends so I can try the whole menu!!

Good pit stop with a decent market to browse next door…read more Mushroom burger - 10/10 Patties were tasty, bun was solid, mushroom and onions were superb. Onion rings - 10/10 Very very very good. Sweet potato fries - 8/10 Good. Wish they were crispier.

Came in an hour before closing and the place is still buzzing with a ton of people either waiting…read morefor their food or going straight to the market for the pies. I was one of the pie people. Having had Ikeda's Marionberry Pie before, I knew the quality and expected such. The quality was there and I liked how the pies were readily available for you to grab and go. What made a terrible impression and made this visit one I wish I did not take, making me give 3 stars out of 5, was the young woman who checked me out. I ordered 4 pies and two were gifts so I asked for two extra bags. She answered in an annoyed way that they're $.25 each. No problem I said and paid for them. This extra one minute really seemed to have bothered her and it's terrible that she made me feel unvalued in such a short amount of time. She seemed to be eager to help the party behind me, which is great but she had no finesse in her customer service. I believe she could've made my experience completely different and still acknowledge the people after me. She made it seem as if I'm less important of a customer than they were. She also didn't bag my 4th pie which was awkward because she gave me the bags there. I'll be back but I won't be in a hurry like I was before. These small personal nuances are what makes small businesses great. When you're client facing it's so important to know this. It doesn't take much to be kind or provide great service.

My favorite place to eat in Auburn!…read more Everything here is not only delicious, but is all high-quality wholesome ingredients. Everything feels healthy and not processed and so so good! The food is delicious, but they also have the very best matcha and chai lattes in town! Not only that, but it's a very dog friendly location! You can bring your pup to sit out on the patio, and a couple times we've been there they even brought out a piece of bacon for my boy! Could not recommend more!

Located in downtown Auburn, this coffee shop/diner was super packed and noisy on the inside. They…read morehave an upstairs and downstairs seating area and believe me seats are premium.As they are BUSY!!! I ordered a peach Arnold Palmer, and an egg wrap + bacon. The Arnold Palmer peach tea was refreshing. And the wrap was simple.... Well.... Delicious! I mean I could eat that wrap everyday twice a day!! I'm beginning to understand why they are so busy. The price point is on the higher side but the quality is excellent. Note parking on the weekends are a premium, just relax, find a parking spot somewhere else and walk over, you won't be disappointed. ;-)

FOOD - Walnut Shrimp: battered shrimp with candied walnuts…read moreover broccoli. The shrimp wasn't crunchy enough. Walnut shrimp is my go-to when I have Chinese food so I'm a little bit of a walnut shrimp snob. This was pretty mid. 3.5/5 - Mongolian Beef: beef with onions, red bell peppers, and bok choy. The flavor was pretty good. The beef was tender enough. 3.75/5 - Orange Chicken combo: orange chicken with chow mein, and egg roll. The chicken wasn't dry but not very tender either. The flavor was okay. The chow mein and vegetable egg roll were pretty standard. 3.5/5 - Fried Rice and 4 Dumpling set combo: the fried rice was, also, pretty standard. The pork dumplings were pretty good. The side of wonton soup was good. 3.75/5 SERVICE: Service was pretty fast and friendly. 4/5 FINAL THOUGHTS: Everything was okay. Nothing was bad, just nothing to write home about.

Walked in from the foggy weather and ordered Home-made noodle soup. The broth had nice depth to it…read moreand enough bok coy , chicken, beef, shrimp etc. noodles was silky soft. . When I see Singapore chow mein on menu Is a plus. I love the curry spice & stir-fry noodle taste! Cordial staff- waited on me as a solo diner instantly. One thing I did notice was they didn't offer tea which is usually customary at Chinese restaurants. It's just an observation ( not a critique). Love all the original work of art on the walls. I felt like I was in someone's tasteful livingroom. Looking forward to returning after another hike in Auburn.

Oh my lord--SO SO AMAZING!!! The service is so friendly and patient. This was my first time here so…read moreit took me a while to decide what I want. They have fantastic gluten free sandwiches and coconut flour wraps. I chose the dealers choice because it all sounded so good and I made the right choice! They use soy free mayo too so if you have a soy allergy like me--you're in the clear! I will definitely be back after my next hike. It's the perfect way to unwind on the patio in the sunshine or shade. They also have the best nut based queso dip with clean ingredients. You'd never know it's not cheese and I'm a cheese fanatic! My friends love this store and make it a point to drive all the way from Sacramento to shop/eat here.

Amazing sandwiches and local selections of veggies, drinks, and snacks…read more We were in the area for hiking and was looking for a late lunch in the little downtown area. Stumbling into this establishment, we didn't realize they had already closed, but the guy behind the counter was nice enough to make us a sandwich anyway. Pastrami Kraut Melt 5/5* If sandwiches had dreams, they would be an Auburn Bodega sandwich. They all are both vsually appealing and spectacular in taste. We went with one of their popular sandwiches to try. The pastrami was PACKED in there! The crisp veggies and tart kraut perfectly balanced out the saltiness of pastrami. The green herb sauce, though, is this sandwich's wet dream. It added creaminess, a refreshing palette, and a bit of citrus flavor to amp up this sando tenfold! Warren & Co. Herb Crackers 5/5* Locally made! I checked the labels just to make sure they were local before purchasing. These were unexpectedly so crisp and savory. The lightness of the crackers tasted like you'd get them fresh out of the oven. They were perfectly dusted with flaky salt, rosemary and other aromatic herbs. I got these for charcuterie, but they were so good stand alone that I had them as a straight snack. They had a hefty display case of drinks out back and a small freezer with local goodies like a pot pie. We grabbed some kombucha to wash everything down. I noticed some desserts by the cashier also, and locally made bodycare items, but didn't want to browse any longer and keep them beyond their closing hours. This place is such a local gem. Side note - they prefer being small and local, and asked us not to post their menu on Yelp, since it rotates and people have come to get old sandos that weren't on the menu anymore. I respected their wishes but they were too good not to write about!

This place has been nothing short of amazing! All of their sandwiches are fresh, handmade with love…read moreand care. As a sandwich connoisseur, I'm always up for a new spot. This has become a new fan favorite during any hiking adventure!! Plenty of seating, relaxed atmosphere with very friendly, quick and efficient staff. This place has been great every time I've been here and look forward to the day I can say I've tried everything on their menu!!!

Stopped here at around 1:20PM on a Sunday, and it was moderately busy…read more Really friendly staff, family owned (I think) and a good amount of seating inside. There is a bathroom that you must ask for a key to. Once 1:30 rolled around, I was excited to try my sandwich given the great reviews, then came 1:40, then 1:50, and I did not have my sandwich until around 1:55. I worked in a sandwich shop for 3 years, so I know sometimes a wait is unavoidable and can recall dealing with rude customers, so I did not approach the staff regarding the wait. They were trying their best to accommodate the orders. However-- 35 minutes for 2 sandwiches, I think, is a little excessive. In the end, my sandwiches were spectacular, genuinely well crafted, and met (maybe even surpassed) my expectations. When I got back to my car, I noticed the worker (owner?) gave me a full sandwich despite me ordering half. I wasn't sure if this was purposeful as means of saying "our bad", or just a mistake, but I will say it left me in better spirits. If you have some extra time to kill, with friends etc., this is a must try. However, if you are on ANY sort of time restriction, I would not recommend stopping here. I'm sure this is not always the case, but as a stop on a long drive, I did not consider an extra 45 minutes for a sandwich. If the owners are reading this, I truly mean well and hope you know a long wait is a sign of success. Growth is inevitable!

Happy Mother's Day!!…read more Today for Mother's Day, we decided to celebrate with my neighbor and have the best sushi in town here at Jinme. Jinme is consistent. Delicious every single time... so tonight, we celebrated with my daughter. We sat right away and how gorgeous was it tonight!? Balloons, streamers, and Mother's Day table cloths. After a little bit, our server came over and we ordered sunomono and vegetable tempura. Their vegetable tempura was a mixture of the vegetables, in one. Like a birds nest. It came with 4 pieces and a dipping sauce. It was different, but very good. The sunomono (cucumber salad) was cut in half into thin slices without the seeds, and the dressing on it was delicate and went so good with the cucumbers. Quite a bit of time had passed and we were given some complimentary spring rolls to snack on. The sauce it came with was a little spicy & sweet. We ordered a Simba roll, Auburn City roll, 49ers Roll, the Ultimate Roll, and salmon sashimi. All looked fantastic! The sashimi came with miso (as an appetizer). We will ended up sharing everything with each other. I really like that baked salmon roll (Simba). It has a sweet mayo on top. The Salmon Sashimi is my favorite bc the salmon on top is made with high quality salmon belly. The freshness makes me crave this often. The 49ers roll was delicious. It was different from your regular sushi rolls with rice in the outside. it had an entire cucumber casing on the outside of it. The Auburn Roll has thick pieces of red rings and salmon throughout... what a dream... Lastly, we ordered moochi ice cream and deep fried strawberry ice cream... both were out of this world!! This was the first time I have ordered dessert here and it was phenomenal! Strawberry just gets me! Our service was great! The decorations were a cute touch, too. Jinme went above and beyond to make us feel special on Mother's Day!

Excellent, friendly service and delicious flavorful food. We had sushi and sashimi. Very refreshing…read morelunch on a hot day.