Ordered this for delivery and everything was packaged very nicely! Banh mi dac biet - its a smaller baguette but the fixings were good portions and delicious. The pate tasted great and pickeled veggies were fresh. BBH - asked for extra spicy, got wide rice noodles instead. When getting extra spicy, it really means for them, more chili oil/paste, and alone could be a little difficult to eat. So my tip is to add more bone broth in there to break up the oil - BBH flavoring is still there but also stretches out your meal! Would order again! read more

Good pho and pork bahn mi. It's a go to place and next to a hair cutting place Pick up after your hair cut read more

The food here was ABSOLUTELY amazing. I'm a fanatic when it comes to Vietnamese cuisine. It's also the fact that this place is affordable too?? Like POP OFF. My friend she got the Chicken Pho and I got the Bun Bo Hue aka Spicy Beef Noodles !! Each of our bowls were only $12.50 plus we both got free Boba! During their Happy Hour (from 2pm to 5pm) they give out FREE BOBAs with the purchase of Pho items! The people there work fast and great! Only had to wait a few minutes for our food to come out as well! The ambience there is chill yet very energetic. During its peak hours the place was bustling with college students considering it's also right across from PCC (Pasadena Community College). read more

Pho Banh Mi Che Cali - Vietnamese Near Me - Pasadena, California

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My go to spot for healthy food. Their pho is delicious. I also get their sandwiches for my lunch at work. I go here three or four times a month. read more

The food is always fresh and delicious here. The cashier is attentive. The place is organized and clean. I enjoy coming here! read more

Pho Banh Mi Che Cali - Special Combination Pho and egg roll - Vietnamese Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Been a long time customer here. My last order was a disappointment. Was something changed in the kitchen? A wide flat noodle was substituted for the regular pho noodles, making it very soggy. The soup was so bland as well with so much onion in it! Please bring back your original Pho's recipe. read more

I had delivered to my house the pho beef soup with basil . It was delicious! The broth was full of flavor, there was cooked & raw beef and a few meatballs. I did heat up a pan just to integrate the ingredients and get it all hot . I'd order this pho again as I thought it was superior to other phos I've had!! read more

Came here last night to satisfy my craving for a banh mi sandwich and Thai tea. Ordered the lemongrass chicken banh mi and a large Thai tea- it was delicious and the banh bread is perfect texture, just enough crunch but not too crunchy and the lemon grass chicken was delicious. The Thai tea was just okay, the boba had a minty taste to it- there is a daily happy hour with discounted drinks from 2-5pm. It's a comfy, local spot that a lot of pcc students go to for a quick meal and pho. Pretty spacious inside with lots of tables. They also have a bar that customers can serve themselves jalapeños, limes, bean sprouts, basil, etc. to go with their meal. read more

Pho Banh Mi Che Cali - Banh mi lemongrass chicken - Vietnamese Near Me - Pasadena, California

I came here looking for pho as a breakfast/brunch item because I love a savory breakfast. I came here with relatively low expectations, but was surprised that the pho was quite tasty! There's a generous helping of noodles, and a decent amount of meat, for the reasonable price of 12.50 for the special pho. . the broth had a full body (meaty) and good mouth feel. There wasn't a great amount of spices or seasoning that came through, but the meaty slow cooked flavor of the broth definitely shone through. A solid four out of five Service was not especially fast, nor was the banh mi anything to write home about, but given that it's open early, I will definitely come here again! read more

Delicious. I love their pho broth, beef lemongrass banh mi, egg rolls, and shrimp spring rolls.

I ordered the party tray of 30 egg rolls. It was hot and ready when I arrived at the restaurant for pick up. The rolls were really crisp and flavorful. My colleague and I enjoyed it very much. Will definitely return again to try the other food items. read more

I wanted to love this place, partly because it's so close to my house, and partly because the price is very reasonable. The hard truth is, it's really just ok. Perfect to grab a quick lunch, and it wont break the bank. Best banh mi you've ever had? definitely not, but it will work in a pinch to satisfy a craving. I tried the number 2, 6, and the number 9, (buy two get one free promo) not bad, I prefer the number 2, but I'm a cold cuts guy. I do have to say, the baguette is delicious! and really stood out, flavorful and with a nice chew without being hard. I ordered 2 to go, and I'm glad I did. The drinks were also surprisingly good! They were buy one get one free! I got the green tea and the milk tea, both tasty, and I would get them again, they had sadly run out of Thai tea. Shockingly I spent only about 23 dollars, and that's why a 3 dollar tip. I will say, they really could be cleaner! it gives a dirty spoon dinner vibe that doesn't inspire confidence in terms of cleanliness levels. If you're close but, give it a shot. Catering seems to be popular as well, I'm sure they have great deals. read more

Fantastic pho - excellent price. Really hard to dislike this place. They are very bare bones - self service type place - the food is delicious, simple, cheap. Would come back here over and over again for the staples. read more

Pho Banh Mi Che Cali - Vietnamese Near Me - Pasadena, California

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This will undoubtedly be a controversial review, as I am judging this (ostensibly) Vietnamese eatery based off of my folly of an order of ... Pad Thai. Some may (quite understandably) judge this action as unfair. Regardless, here we go ... Their rendition of Pad Thai left much to be desired. Quite bland, not enough tamarind. On the plus side, my friend did enjoy his Spicy Beef Noodle Soup (Hue Style), and I did like my Passion Fruit Juice. For those wondering why I did not just order a Bánh mì sandwich ... I was actually planning to, but I was dismayed when I discovered that they did not offer a "buy two get one free" promo (unlike literally *every* other Bánh mì shop I've been to). As such, I was more incentivized to try something else on the menu (I probably would have gone with the pork chop with broken rice if I had not just eaten pork chops yesterday). The restaurant format involves ordering and paying at a counter, after which the food is brought to your table. The restaurant is not full-service. I had no issues in my interactions with the staff. The restaurant does have a parking lot in the back, but it is rather small, and there is a high probability that you will not find any free spaces when you arrive. All things considered, I hope to give this place a second try - and yes, I'll actually order a Bánh mì sandwich (or perhaps Vermicelli) next time. read more

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Went in and got the bbq pork banh mi and egg rolls. They were pretty good. The banh mi tasted great. Plenty of meat. The baguette tasted fresh. Egg rolls were good, a nice size and came with lettuce. If you're hungry a banh mi and egg rolls will definitely fill you up. This fatty approves. Service was good. Nice staff. Seem to be a bit understaffed so please be patient. Will definitely be coming back to try more. read more

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Another pho spot I think not Food is good came in for lunch it was sprinkling so pho was the vibe Food is really good Service is good no complaints Overall experience 8 out of 10 will be back for sure read more

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We ordered take out, and the staff was nice when picking up. This review is for the pho and shrimp spring rolls. Neither had flavor, the noodles in my pho were overcooked, and the chicken was so dry and tough it was inedible. The onions and cilantro helped, but this was still a sad soup. The spring roll wrapper was tough too. The fried sesame balls were better. One star for low prices and another for friendly service, sadly, we won't try again. read more

Mmmm-I've come here before, but I think they've gotten better since! I got the S1 combination pho and it was super flavorful. There was little fat on my beef, and the beef balls were packed full of flavor. They have a self serve bar for the veggies-so you're free to grab as many bean sprouts, jalapeños, mint, etc. it's great, I made mine spicy and tangy with lots of jalapeños and limes ^^ perfect for a cooler day like today! read more

Pho Banh Mi Che Cali - S1 pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Pasadena, California

If I could give this place zero stars I would!!! Maybe we just came on a bad night but every single person was soo rude! Our waitress legit rolled her eyes at me just because I asked for more lemons?! Also we came two before closing I tried to order egg rolls and the lady in the front told me they didn't have anymore egg rolls ? How does a pho place have no egg rolls. As we were eating our pho two tables who ordered after us were eating egg rolls ?! I would never come back here. I ordered the rare steak pho their steak was a thicker cut and thick I'm used to thinly sliced meat. I don't recommend coming here read more

(review based on 3.5 stars) Pho Banh Mi Che Cali is located across the street from Pasadena City College with a small parking lot in the back. I came by here with my husband this past Sunday around 3:15 pm to pick up some sandwiches. We came in and were greeted by the ladies behind the counter. After looking over the menu, we ordered: Tofu Spring Rolls, $6.75 prior to tax- We ordered this for myself. This order came with 3 rolls and a side of peanut sauce. I don't see tofu spring rolls on the menu at restaurants often and so I like to order them when they do. Although they also have a shrimp spring roll, without the traditional pork and would consider ordering that if I was to come back. I liked these spring rolls and found that they were quite filling. Ham & Meatloaf Sandwich, $6.50 after tax- We ordered two of these for my husband to take one with him the next day to the airport (to travel for business this week). My mom had the other 2 days after we bought it for her. She heated it up in the microwave with a damp paper towel and tasted just as good. She liked her sandwich and thought it was delicious. My husband found the meat to be on the dry side. Honey Lemon Tea- Free with the purchase of 2 sandwiches. I didn't have any but my husband had said it was too sweet and found it to be gross. BBQ Pork Sandwich, $6.50 after tax- My husband also took this sandwich with him to the airport so I didn't try any. --------------------- (Total= $28.94, after tax) I think the food is a little bit more expensive than similar bahn mi places but the sandwiches are bigger and the spring rolls I got did come in an order of 3 and I think the size seemed bigger than others. Overall, I think every one was happy with their item from this eatery. Would possibly come back again in the future. read more

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Six years since my original review, and I have to revise it upward. I've been back a couple times recently. I ordered their vegetarian pho, and it's pretty good, especially if you add the included basil and some chili sauce to your taste. The tofu banh mi is perfectly fine, though not the tastiest I've ever had. Service is no-nonsense. The place seems pretty clean, if showing a bit of wear and tear. All in all, this seems like a fine choice if you're at or near the PCC campus! read more

Okay, it's been nine years since my first review, and I think it's past time for an update. Honestly, it's been so long I had forgotten about this old review. Mea culpa, BMCC. I've been back here several times over the last few years, and the service has always been excellent. Apparently, there was some confusion back in 2013 as they segued from the old Thai restaurant (Pataya Cafe) to a full-fledged Bahn Mi Che Cali, and the wait staff didn't know whether refills were a thing. Like other BMCCs, this location now does single use, heat-sealed cups (like what boba comes in) for their drinks, so refills are not a thing. Food is delicious! I normally come here for soup (pho ga), but their other offerings are terrific as well. I recommend the pork bún and the bò lúc lắc (shaking beef). Both are amazing! The latter will literally redefine "tender beef" for you. I teach across the street at PCC, and when I need a tasty meal prepared quickly--and don't want fast food--this is where I come. I hope to see you all here! read more

Ordered the lemongrass beef bahn mi. Super tiny sandwich, bread was not the amazing bahn mi bread we're used to. Meat was mediocre, not very flavorful. Vegetable egg rolls were actually okay! There were pictures with large lettuce pieces to wrap them in but when I got my order, it included tiny pieces of chopped lettuce like a salad instead. The Vietnamese coffee and passion fruit juice were great. I think 3 stars is fair. read more

This Banh Mi Che Cali is much better than the one that has the same name at San Gabriel. My wife gave it a high score as a picky noodle lover. The Pho there is so delicious, the portion is so big. it's only 5-10 minutes drive from home, so I ordered takeaway several times. I only need two Pho to feed four people at my home. Only $2 extra beef is a big portion with a separated bag. The sandwich is full of stuff, good taste. read more

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Solid pho spot right across the street from PCC. They have a kiosk ordering system that is super efficient. They have patio seating as well as indoor - there's always tons of room to sit inside and for an order at the counter place it's always kept super clean. Food is great and they have a nice bar to add extras like peppers, bean sprouts, mint, etc. The only real drawback is the parking situation is awful. It's shared with several other businesses and is always tough to get around. Pretty much guarantees several point parking to get in and out of your spot. read more

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I bought 2 bahn mi. They gave ne soggy stale bread. The lady took forever to help me with my order. I waited 20 mins just to place an order. I would have left if i wasn't picking up for my friend as well. Terrible attitude, service and terrible food quality!! read more

I've had better banh mi sandwich bread elsewhere. What happened to that light airy crunch that makes that baguette style of bread so good. The bread also had a sweet taste to it. Otherwise the filling was tasty, could have been a bit more generous though. The lemon ice tea we got free for buying two sandwiches was actually very tasty. My guess is that being located across from Pasadena community college gives them a captive audience in search of A quick snack The manager came by table to table to make sure we got everything in our order. That too was nice. read more

Pho Banh Mi Che Cali - Banh mi sándwich - Vietnamese Near Me - Pasadena, California

Food came out a little bit slow, the appetizer of chicken wings and spring rolls came 10-20 min after the pho. It's ok if everyone is patient, but you have someone at your party that is used to the usual rapid service of Vietnamese pho joints, this would not be one of them. But the people behind the counter were nice, a bit understaffed for such a busy place next to PCC with plenty of to-go orders on a Sunday 1-2pm, just one cashier / waiter and from what I could see, one cook. There were 4-5 tables for outdoor seating. read more

Food is great service is not so good. Some worker was a tad rude maybe unintentionally and my soda had dust and hair on the top, but the pho was on point. Will probably return. read more

I would definitely recommend this place to anyone! Great, tasty, filling food. Great, fast service. Clean environment. It can get crowded, but the crowd is always moving. read more

This place never fails to disappoint when it comes to quick, reasonably priced, Vietnamese food. I usually get take out but have occasionally dined in. Interior is nothing fancy but you're not here for ambiance, you're here to eat good food! My favorite is always the banh-mi, any of them are great choices. I also love the spring rolls and vermicelli, both are really refreshing in the summer time. You have to order the passion fruit juice, too, it's the best! If you buy two sandwiches you get a free lemon green-tea, which in a group setting is great. This place is a staple to Pasadena and I hope it never closes! And I also hope they never change their prices!! read more

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Horrible Pho. This is a pay before you eat establishment. Service was horrible. Broth disgusting, noodles were soggy or overcooked. Overall, this is probably the worst Pho I've ever had. Large fan blowing behind me, I had to move because I was cold. Will never come back here. read more

Pho Banh Mi Che Cali - Steak brisket pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Pasadena, California

It's pretty inexpensive & relatively fast service. Portions are a bit small and the food is very blend. If you are aiming to get full on a budget, it's pretty okay. If you are after delicious meal on a budget, this may not be the place. read more

Do they need to be more clean and wipe tables down? Yes. Do I wish they wouldn't leave the pho fixings out? Yes. However, I love this place. It's affordable and delicious. Their banh mi is fresh and delicious with homemade baguette. They serve the spring rolls with all the fixings, which a lot of Vietnamese restaurants don't do anymore. The chicken wings are crispy. And their pad Thai is also very good. I haven't had their pho though, so I cannot review that. But overall, I'm really pleased with this place, and it's the only place in the area that I get banh mi. read more

I ordered the Beef Teriyaki Banh Mi and I was underwhelmed. The protein(beef) is good but this isn't your typical banh mi with your thinly sliced pickled veggies, cilantro, jalapeño, light mayo. I didn't expect tomatoes??? and lettuce??? I might as well have went to subway. And I also got their Thai tea which tasted more like milk than tea. I'm disappointed with my choice on giving this establishment a try. read more

Pho Banh Mi Che Cali - Beef Teriyaki Banh Mi - Vietnamese Near Me - Pasadena, California

TLDR: don't come here expecting authentic pho bc they do cut some corners to keep costs low, but if you know what you're getting and just wanna hit the pho craving on a budget this is a good place 3.5/5 stars We chose to come here bc the name Che Cali is famous and is supposed to be good. This review is mainly for the pho special combo with tendon added. The pho was broth bland in the sense that it water with seasoning and didn't have the flavor of actual meat. They def do not have enough bones when making the broth. There was sadly barely any green onions, onions, or cilantro. If you're someone who hates having those in the dish then you won't be bothered, but I love having all of those especially green onion just covering my bowl. The condiments bar has fresh bean sprouts, basil (none were wilted), lime, hoisin sauce, Sarah's, chili sauce, and ice water. The meat and tendons, however, were pretty good. Definitely much better than broth. Like miles. Tendons was great and the meat wasn't dry. All in all, great budget friendly option if you're craving the taste of pho, but do not go out of your way to come here bc the broth doesn't have the full authentic Vietnamese flavor. read more

This Pho Banh Mi Che Cali is part of the BMC chain, however this one is a very stripped down one with limited offerings. If you're familiar with the BMC Stores, you will know that when you walk in, you're greeted with pre-made and pre-wrapped food so you can just grab and go. Unfortunately for this one, you need to order each individual item. Even the spring rolls and the things like that. I can only speak of the To-Go orders as that is what we can only get during this COVID time. Food takes time to prep, only has like 3 people working in the store. The food itself is not bad, I ordered a Bun Obama and it was pretty good, pricey for what you get though. It came with grilled pork and a meat patty and it was close to around 12 dollars. At a normal Vietnamese restaurant, this thing would be around the same price but you get more. Pricing for all of the other items is more than other BMC restaurants. For example spring rolls here are like 8 dollars where if you go to the Alhambra one, it's only 5. I guess you can call it the "Pasadena Tax". Portion size is okay but you'll be hungry after eating this too. Parking for this place is okay, it's easy to miss this place and it has a shared parking with a Thai Massage place. There aren't many parking spots dedicated to this BMC. read more

Pho Banh Mi Che Cali - Bun Obama Vermicelli - Vietnamese Near Me - Pasadena, California

UPDATE: It's been a month since I've been, and due to lower traffic (I think PCC is closed), prices for banh mi has gone up $2 each. Which is 40% increase! Surprised by that. They're still very good sandwiches, just a little lite on the fanciness when you pit them against other $7 banh mi sandwiches, but we're supporting locals. I promised to return to try the other banh mi and see how they stack up against the first three I tried. (BONUS: Got "House Special" menu item: Grilled Shrimp and BBQ Pork.) First up: THE THREE REMAINING REVIEW: LEMONGRASS BEEF GRILLED TOFU with LEMONGRASS MEATLOAF AND HAM Disclaimers - The reason these are on the "try next time" list is that they aren't high on the ingredient list of what I look for in banh mi. Also - Their BREAD is so good, that it's difficult to get a bad sandwich when it's wrapped in their house-baked breads. LEMON GRASS BEEF - - *OK* This is a surprisingly good one. The beef was nicely cooked (despite a car ride home before I jumped into it). I can only imagine that it was really good right at the time it was made. The lemongrass isn't overpowering, but is a nice match with the onions in this one. If you like beef, then you'll appreciate it for sure. GRILLED TOFU with LEMON GRASS - - *YES!* I really like tofu - so keep that in mind. The tofu is a firm fried kind that makes a really good sandwich filling. The sauce is really rich - a little peppery - gives the flavors much more depth (we all know that tofu can sometimes be bland) The pickles and peppers make up for any shortcoming of tofu. MEATLOAF WITH HAM - - *NO/Pass* I suppose if you need to have the chicken or turkey meatloaf that comes in it, knock yourself out. But I don't think anyone would miss this if it left the menu. The only interesting thing about this one is the bread and vegetables. It's not the fault of the restaurant - it's just that the ingredients are not inspired. If you want pork, go for the OBAMA (excellent). BONUS: Bún / Vermicelli noodles / House Special This is from the House Special menu. Not very special. Don't be fooled, their BREAD is the house special. It is fantastic. The pork in the BBQ bún is the same as the Bahn mi. The noodles are just ok. It's easy to make these, they shouldn't 'just pass'. BOBA Tea good. generic and super sweet, but delivers on what you would expect. BEST WAY TO ORDER HERE: Get 4 friends together, get 4 sandwiches and cut them in thirds - pass them around and do your own rating. You'll find a winner in there. read more

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I used to love this place. I went a couple months ago for pho and it was just meh. I thought I'd give it another chance tonight and it'll be the last time I go. Even if I could've gotten past the disgusting smell of bathroom deodorizer in the dining area, the food was awful. Absolutely flavorless. The chicken in the Pad Thai tasted like it had been boiled - tough and odd-tasting. I still can't figure out where the color of the noodles came from because it tasted like nothing. The bun dish was almost as bad. The pork didn't taste anything like Vietnamese barbecue pork I've ever had before, nor was it grilled or charred. It was fatty and tasteless. Just so disappointing and strange. read more

Pho Banh Mi Che Cali - Pad Thai Special - Vietnamese Near Me - Pasadena, California

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My chicken banh mi was filled with overcooked inedible chicken. I literally had to take the "jerky" out of the sandwich.