Still the best Bun Rieu around... Such a mom and pop feel to it.. The cook came out to give us our bowls and asked if we needed shrimp paste, I said nope, its perfect the way it is...he came back a few moments later and gave us chili paste and told me to add a dab in and it'll be even more tasty. I did, and he was right! It was even better, didn't know it was possible! He came back a few moments later to ask us how it tasted.. If I knew had to speak Vietnamese fluently, I would have loved to tell him that this was my only place I go to for Bun Rieu and he cooked it to perfection. Maybe someone in his family will read this and relay the message for me. ;) BTW, Bun Rieu is crab noodle soup. read more

We came today for Father's Day. I try to keep an open mind as you know never know if a place is going to be a gem or a place you really can't stand. The restaurant is old and it worked pretty old. One thing to remember is to always bring cash. They do not run your card for debit either. So remember to come in with cash. I don't know the exact words for my dish. But it was charbroiled pork and prawns. It came with a salad with cucumber slices, papaya slices, tomatos and lettuce. There was a clear soup in the beginning of the meal with green onions. My main dish had lots of steamed white rice and they had the charbroiled pork layed out over the steamed rice with garlic flakes for garnish. There was also an "Au Juis" sauce made of the typical Vietnamese sauce on the side. To me - it was good. I think for some people who expect a restaurant experience like the other modern Vietnamese restaurants may have trouble appreciating this place. As I was eating my meat dish together with the rest of my salad and soup, it reminded me of how my Mother would prepare food for me (Even though Im not Vietnamese). It just had a way the food was presented. It really felt simple, yet home made. It pretty charming and I actually finished my dish. The portions were just right. I didnt leave my meal feeling like I was overly stuffed. I left statisfied. Overall - it is a great restaurant. You just cannot walk in expecting like the modern Vietnamese restaurants with their fancy boba drinks and the fancy presentations. You cannot expect your meal to look it was fusioned with Chinese Cuisine too. Take this restaurant for who they are and think of home made. I would recommend this place, but I feel I still need to really try more of their dishes before I can actually give them a full 5 stars. read more

This is more of a hybrid Chinese/Vietnamese restaurant than a pho restaurant. Ordered the regular size pho for $6 which is very reasonable but definitely more on the small side as far as pho goes. The basil and bean sprouts which came with the pho were fresh. There was a decent amount of meat (keep in mind it's only $6). The soup was definitely interesting. Not sure what spices they used but it's unlike any pho I've tasted. Not in a good way or a bad way, just peculiar. They don't have sriracha sauce but instead a house made sauce (wasn't good). read more

Phở Bolsa Restaurant - Decent amount of meat and fresh herbs! - Vietnamese Near Me - Sacramento, California

Came in on a Monday and I was the only one here. I ordered the pho and it's made to order. Place eeks of Diner and Dives since it seems they have not upgraded since 1980's perhaps but I was looking forward to the pho. Its was excellent! The combination of meat and tendon is great .although they forget the carrots and tomato. They fixed it eventually. read more

Phở Bolsa Restaurant - Inside - Vietnamese Near Me - Sacramento, California

See all

What is this? This place is cheap, cheap. That's why it's cash only, yeah there's tax, only $1 tax added to our two bowls of pho noodles. What a steal right? The soup is bland and tastes like an ingredient is missing. Meat, I got like 5 pieces...hella small. Veggies, rewashed from the previous table that couldn't eat it all. So not worth it, my noodles had so much room to swim because it was drowning in soup to hide the 5 pieces of meat. Filled me up?--yes, satisfied --NO. I will not be returning. read more

Phở Bolsa Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Sacramento, California

Came here specifically for bun cha ca la vong and it did not disappoint. The turmeric fish was seasoned well, which complimented the vermicelli noodles and the enormous vegetable plate. My favorite part was the dill and green onions. They have a side of shrimp paste sauce, but be careful not to put too much because it could over power the fish. I also had the cha goi and it was absolutely delicious! It was bit oily but so good! I will come again! read more

See all

This is my favorite spot for Bun Rieu and Pho Ga. This restaurant brings back so many memories! I can't believe its still open. CASH ONLY read more

The fact that it's cash-only and I found that out only after ordering food and driving all the way down...not cool. Otherwise, the bun thit nuong was really tasty. It can sometimes be flavorless, but the pork was cooked well and the fish sauce was good. I probably won't be back because cash is stupid. read more

Love the bun rieu here! Came in around 11 am & the place was empty meaning no wait time! That doesn't mean the food isn't good, it just means we came in at a good time. Fast service and great food. What more can you ask for? Will definitely be returning. read more

Phở Bolsa Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Sacramento, California

Super cheap, hole-in-the-wall that looks straight from the 60s. Bun rieu is super good - really flavorful without a ton of extras. Nice tomatoey and savory broth with some crab and pork bits. Be sure to ask for the fermented shrimp paste if you like a bit more oomph and depth. $6.50...holy moly is that inexpensive or what? No appetizers or real extras except for some fried spring rolls. The iced coffee with condensed milk is strong. There's also cha ca la vong (another of my faves) that a few tables over were finished with ($18). Of course, that's not IN the menu but posted on the walls. Next time... 1 large bowl of pho dac biet, 1 small/medium bowl of bun rieu, 1 iced coffee with tax was $17.40. Crazy inexpensive. Remember to bring cash! read more

Phở Bolsa Restaurant - Bun rieu - Vietnamese Near Me - Sacramento, California

I came only for the bun rieu and I wasn't disappointed! The broth was very rich in flavor and had a good noodle to soup ratio. My only complaint was that the crab pieces were so tiny and there were so many of them. I rather have giant crab chunks because you could barely taste the small tiny crab pieces. I'm used to having fried tofu in bun rieu and I was sad there was none in here :( it was just broth, noodles, tiny crab pieces, veggies so I was full right after I ate it but I got hungry like 1.5 hours later. Def woud recommend! read more

See all

Best home style Vietnamese food. Try the bun Cha dong xuan or share the cha ca with a friend. I be been coming here for 20+years and the food has stayed consistently good. Most famous for their porridge and vermicelli plates. read more

Phở Bolsa Restaurant - Bun cha ca for two for a little more then 20$ - Vietnamese Near Me - Sacramento, California

CASH ONLY!!! Ok, while I got that out of the way, I love this little restaurant. It has been here forever, and I can never get tired of their Bun Rieu ( Crabpaste Noodles ) , and their Bun Cha ( grilled pork patties in the best sauce ever with fresh veggies and vermicelli noodles ). Those are probably the only 2 dishes I ever order, so make sure you try them. Portions are generous, and I always leave happy, so the consistency is there. I even find myself ordering those dishes to go often as well when I'm in the mood for chill mode at home. That's how good it is. Check out this little gem here in South Sacramento. read more

Phở Bolsa Restaurant - Look at the color and beauty of that broth... Want more now! - Vietnamese Near Me - Sacramento, California

I order bun rieu which is crab noodle soup. I love it. I also order chao ga because someone recommended it but it's just alright. I will try their pho next time and update my review. read more

My go to restaurant for bun rieu. Best bun rieu in town. Mom and pop type of establishment. Friendly and always smiling.

Hole in the wall spot, Mom and Pop ran business, with home made flavor. What more can you ask for. I tried this place for the first time today and I was impressed with the food and customer service. The kind wife was very sweet and kind. I ordered a large bon rieu(ground crab meat soup) and a large chicken noodle soup with thick noodles for my daughter. We both enjoyed the soups and everything was hot and fresh even the noodles. I've had other Noodles places near by and when I would order take out all the ingredients are cold and sometimes frozen still. This was a surprise and a relief that the vermicelli from here was fresh hot. Location is kinda sketchy but you can't judge a great book by its cover, come on in and give this place a try. The food was so good we ate it all before I could take a picture. The two large soups came out $26 but portions were huge, could easily feed 4 people. This is my new go to Pho restaurant for sure, I highly recommend this place. read more

I always come here for their ride porridge and Large lemon Ice tea! No doubt it's the best lemon ice tea ever!! Super worth it and it's a pretty large cup! The family who runs this is super nice! One time my little one accidentally touched the hot soup and they came and helped with ointment and cold water. I was super thankful! The porridge I always get is the pork and persevered eggs and it's always soooo yummy! read more

You guys, they don't have spring rolls!!!!! What in the world!!! What Vietnamese restaurant doesn't serve spring rolls!!? Anyways, I was craving for pho and my cousin decided to take me here. I ordered a large pho dac biet (special) and let me tell you, their large pho is HUGE!!!!!! Their large was bigger then my head and my head is pretty big LOL. One sip of the soup had me like ehhhh, this could be better. My noodles were too over cooked to the point where I was not enjoying this large bowl of pho. Large portions, decent pricing but he quality is just not there. I will not be back. read more

This pho place has always been a part of my childhood because we used to come here so often that the owner lady would remember us and till now she still does and it make the dining atmosphere so comfortable. I've tried many dishes from here and they've all been very good. When I was a kid my favorite was the chicken noodles with the chicken eggs because there was just always something about those yellow balls, it was just good and the chicken they give is white meat which is my type of chicken meat preference and the soup is always flavorful and delicious. My next favorite dish is the short ribs over rice, the short ribs are cooked thinly with seasoning and topped with some dried onion accompanied by a fish sauce vinaigrette which compliments it very well and if they're out of short ribs I usually go for the pork chop which cooked the same way just diff meat. The bun rieu is also very delicious packed with lots of crabmeat mixtures and soft tomatoes and the flavorful seafoodie tomatoey soup is so good. Overall it's a friendly and delicious pho place. read more

One of the oldest and best restaurants in South Sac one of my family's go to for most of my life. Bun rieu is to die for and their porridge is always a must. The nice lady that works the front counter has makes THE BEST fresh squeezed orange juice in the world. I've ordered a giant cup EVERY time I go (since I was 7-8 years old) read more

I like to come here for Bun Cha. The dish itself is not perfect but still decent and this place is one of the only three Viet restaurants in Sacramento that do make it. Their canh cá chua and chả cá have a reputation of being phenomenal. You can get bún thang here as well. A mom and pop business, I hope they're doing okay during this pandemic. read more

I don't think I've ever had chicken pho like I've had it here: this place is phenomenal. I grew up with this place, so it's my baseline: Every chicken pho restaurant I go to, I compare it back to this. I don't know what we'd do without a treasure of a restaurant like this--I hope the owners and chefs pass on this recipe because I'd want my future grandkids to even know and taste what the best home-cooked mom-and-pop shop's chicken pho would taste like. This, truly, is Vietnamese soul food. read more

Honeslty the food here isnt bad. Whats bad is the sanitation issue. They need to gut it and clean it. Its so terrible that when I always want to eat here 2 out of 5 days during the week I choose not to do so because I can't get over how dirty it is. read more

Went here as a child, can't believe it taste exactly the same as I remember long ago. Maybe even better

I highly urge getting the Com phan, (family-style) rice, fish soup, ribs, fried fish and scrambled eggs with shrimp. Simple homemade dishes I would eat at home. I always get rau ma also (pennywort) or the lemon tea refreshing and healthy (ask early because it does take awhile to get). I do get the porridge usually the ground pork and preserved eggs here, pretty basic. Place is old, interior gives off an old nostalgic feeling like a small restaraunt in Vietnam. read more

Don't be fooled by the hole-in-the-wall appearance--this place offers some true culinary delights. Despite the "Pho" in their name, I don't think Pho is the strength of Pho Bolsa. Well, at least not in the way Pho is typically prepared. Try the Pho Xao Don Thap Cam, which is combination crispy fried pho. You get a variety of stir fried ingredients: carrots, bok choy, beef, and shrimp on a bed of crispy fried pho. This dish seems unique to the place and they make it well. The ingredients are consistently fresh, as are all the things I've ordered here. I couldn't find this on the menu, but they offer a dish called Com Ca Chien Canh Thia La, which is rice with a whole fried fish and a bowl of soup seasoned with dill. The dill gives the soup quite a unique taste. You eat it by putting rice in the rice bowl, then topping it up with the soup. Break off a piece of fish and submerse (not just dip!) it into the fish sauce. Place fish in mouth, get a little bit of that rice-soup mixture. Chew. Enjoy! This is my favorite dish there. The dill might take getting used to for some, but give it a chance--I'm sure you'll like it. Also, the dish can feed two, but if you're a beast like me you can take the whole thing down. The servers are consistently friendly. The prices are very fair. The place, although old, looks clean and comfortable. This is an awesome place, and well worth visiting time and time again. read more

The Bun Rieu and Pho Ga here is really good, but my regular dish or should I say noodle bowl is number 32 Bun Thang. Shredded tender chicken, shredded pork meat loaf, shredded thin omelet on top of vermicelli noodles in a flavorful chicken broth, and I mean FLAVORFUL. Downside: Cash Only. read more

I enjoyed this place. 3.5 stars. The service was excellent, very friendly. I ordered the #8 (rare steak, brisket and tripe) and some spring rolls. Everything came out quick. The soup was lovely and hot. The rolls looked a bit dark, not golden, but the filling was great. I couldn't even finish the damn soup and rolls!! But I spend under $10 for all that, so I walked away happy. I will def come again. - 3.5 stars only because they don't have an attached restroom. you need a key and have to walk around to get to it. read more

I'm updating my review and giving them an additional star. This is THE place to get pho gà or the bún riêu! You can tell there's a lot of crab in the bún riêu and it's so savory. As for the pho gà, it tastes more homey than restaurant-esque, if you get what I mean. A good chicken broth can be difficult to obtain. Boiling too long dries the chicken out, but boiling it too littleresults in a bland broth. When it comes to pho gà, Pho Bolsa's got it! When they ask if you want everything in the pho gà, that refers to the liver, heart, and gizzards. If you're not into that, tell them you just want chicken meat in your noodles. I'm not a fan of that, but hey, at least I know their broth is made in house and not from a can! read more

I want to give a 3.5 but that is not an option. The food is not bad at all and the service was good but I do not want to suggest that the meal is going to make your salivary glands excited. The price is reasonable and is far less expensive than a fast food restaurant. I just ordered #14 - the steak pho. Nothing fancy - simple and hearty. I also ordered the iced espresso with condensed milk. Dense and delicious and the perfect amount. Again, not something that will blow you out of the water, but from what I sense, the service and quality is consistent and their prices are more than fair. If you want a quick bite of food that is comforting and not too heavy, this little establishment is the place to go. read more

I basically used to eat here every weekend as a kid and I am very fond of this place. This place feels like I'm in a friend of my mom's kitchen in Vietnam. I don't give them a star in ambiance because I too have seen roaches crawling around, but that's a typical Vietnamese restaurant. But the staff here really makes you feel at home. Since I've been there often, they treat me like family which is very nice. The food here is AWESOME! Every time I've eating Pho Thai Bo Vien here, it tastes exactly the same: delicious. And they're not shy about giving you meat and the veggies that come with the meal. If you can spare 10 bucks, you'll love it here read more

Incredible. I came here this morning in search of a cure for my raging hangover and found ph that tastes like my grandma's. This has never happened before. The restaurant interior feels warm and homey, with familiar red chairs and tables and plants everywhere. I sat next to a pothos plant that was so healthy and green - made me happy! There was a huge money tree in the corner with lì xì on it :') soo cute. The prices are SO REASONABLE - $6.50 for a small bowl! I got #3: rare steak, well done flank and brisket. It comes with tripe but I don't like tripe so I asked them to not include it. I also got a Vietnamese iced coffee. When the ph came out, it was in such a small bowl that I thought I should have gotten a medium instead. It turned out to be perfect! And the broth.......WHAT??!?! How is this place not poppin 24/7?! Because this is the best broth I've ever tasted at a restaurant. Perfectly sweet with depth of flavor you can't get without simmering bones for hours. The noodles were soft and easy to eat (sometimes restaurants just dump the noodles in in a big clump that you have to pick apart, but not here). My friends and I were all blown away by how good our ph was. I'm taking my partner here on Sunday to experience it :-) read more

The heart of a great tasting Pho is the broth's balance in taste between salt and spices. I ordered chicken noodle soup and my wife, Cynthia, ordered beef. Indeed, both beef and chicken broth had the "wow" factor. The respective broths were quite balanced without overpowering the taste of the beef or the chicken. I also evaluate restaurants by using my TLC checklist: Touches, Location, Consistency (food quality and taste): TOUCHES: This place is clean. When you sit down, Pho Bolsa staff provides you a unique tasting tea, almost taste like jasmine but not quite. There are real plants that decorate the place. LOCATION: Plenty of free parking and conveniently located next to Stockton Boulevard. Quickest way to get here is from SR 99, exit Fruitridge, turn right on Stockton Blvd. CONSISTENCY: As stated above we tried the chicken and beef noodle soups and the broths were tasty. The condiments (thai basil, bean sprouts, jalapeno, and lime) were crunchy/fresh. We also ordered the spring roll and it was fresh and tasty. If you are craving for great pho, give this place a try. Let me know if we need to add to our TLC checklist. Thanks for reading! read more

One of the best home styled Vietnamese dishes in town- been coming here for over a decade and probably ate everything on the menu, not all at once! The aromatic, heavenly scent of the magical chefs in the back remind me of when my sweet momma would cook in the mornings when I was a little gal... Gives me the same excitement, and I am here frequently!!! Besssst and actually ONLY bun cha dong suan here too, nowhere else has bun with bomb ass meatballs. read more

Phở Bolsa Restaurant - Best Bun Thang!!! - Vietnamese Near Me - Sacramento, California

See all

HANDS DOWN, one of the best Pho restaurants in the Sacramento Area. It has been around for ages and I have been eating here since I was a little boy. Boy things have not changed. Excellent FOOD; Great Service; and it has such a great atmosphere despite the bad decor. THE lady who runs the shop with her husband is extremely NICE. GET THE PHO GA WITH EXTRA INSIDES. read more

We finally found a Pho restaurant not only near us,but that opens early!! What can I say other than the best remedy after a long night or when you just need a refreshing start to a day is some Pho in a bowl!! This place has great Pho and is a family run friendly business; It keeps us coming back because it never disappoints! read more

Phở Bolsa Restaurant - Phó Ga and Phó Tai always our go to after a night of drinking - Vietnamese Near Me - Sacramento, California

After reading everybody else's reviews, all I can think is that my experience must have been on an off-day. I ordered the seafood noodle soup and soda lemonade--pretty standard for me. The broth was nothing special, but had this weird undercurrent of bitterness. More on that later. Unfortunately, the broth was also lukewarm. The noodles tasted slightly of rice flour, as if they hadn't been soaked in hot water quite long enough. No sambal on the tables, no sriracha, no pickled jalapenos--just watered down hot sauce that didn't taste like anything and some hoisin. There were two slices of Vietnamese sausage, a strip or two of roast pork, three shrimp and two pieces of fake crab. Not exactly a seafood bonanza, but at $5.50, I'm not expecting huge quantity. The shrimp were overcooked and rubbery, though points have to be given for their having deveined the shrimp. Real crisis came when I bit into some fake crab. No. No. Do NOT eat that fake crab. It didn't smell good, it didn't taste fresh, and it was almost certainly one of the reasons why the broth tasted off. The herb plate was just Thai basil, some older mung bean sprouts (which were brown) and lemon. I know that there are some noodle joints which serve no herb plate at all with seafood noodles, so credit where it's due, but why no culantro? Why lemon instead of lime? Saving the worst for last: usually when one orders soda lemonade, you get freshly made stuff (okay, it's usually limeade, but so what?) with fresh bubbles. Some places serve a fresh can of soda water plus a full fresh lemon/limeade. Not here. Small glass of what tasted like canned Countrytime and about a tablespoon of fizzy. Not even some of the lemon from the herb plate could help. Also, I don't know who cited this place as clean, because it was absolutely not. There was a very real funk inside the place--and I'm usually pretty tolerant of weird smells, but this one just did not sit well with me. On the up side, the folks working were extremely pleasant and sweet. Given how many places there are within a six-block radius of Pho Bolsa, I can only think that they were having a super-off day. Nobody with food this bad could stay in business long. read more

Week 1: I'm looking for a favorite new Pho joint in town, and this weekend I tried Pho Bolsa and Pho King #3. hopefully I'll find a 5 star Pho joint! When I drove up to Pho Bolsa, I realized that I'd eaten there years ago on a similar hunt for the best Vietnamese restaurant along Stockton Blvd. It must not have made much of an impression then, because I kept going farther south on Stockton, finally settling on Viet Ha (actually on Florin). That place has since changed ownership and isn't what it once was. Anyway, I'm back and I order the usual test bowl of Pho Tai Bo Vien (it's on the menu) One size, $4.75. Within minutes the bowl arrives with the usual accompaniment of sprouts, fresh basil and jalapenos. It would be a small to medium bowl at Pho King. The broth is light colored, suggesting it might be fresh, but it smells bland. It is salty and suggests MSG. The sliced beef is not rare, and smells kind of funky. The meatballs smell a little funky, too. (Being a single guy, I know what sliced beef tastes like after it's been on the fridge for a couple of days. I'm not too much of a snob to not eat the other half of a two day old roast beef sandwich from Safeway.) The noodles are very good, thought with a nice al dente "chewy" texture. Overall not a bad bowl of Pho, but nothing special. The service was friendly--I'm assuming the older woman is the owner. She was nice and asked how everything was--I said "great"--but then I usually say that even when things were not so great. This was just a little better than O.K. The search will continue next weekend... read more

Pho Bolsa is one of the best Vietnamese restaurants I've ever visited. My mom used to bring me here all the time as a kid, and though I now live in San Francisco, I still make a point to stop by whenever I'm back in town. Their pho is, indeed, delicious, but their seafood Mi Xao Don is to die for! Their seafood Mi Xao Don is a heaping platter of piping hot, succulent shrimp with mixed steamed vegetables cooked in a viscous semi-salty sauce over crispy noodles. I personally like to let the sauce sink into the noodles, to let the noodles get really soft before eating. The people who work here are very sweet, and the prices are pretty cheap. True, the decor isn't fancy or pretty, but you don't come to a place like this for the cushy carpeting! read more

We love this place. Family owned and operated, friendly service and delicious, authentic cuisine. Love the pho and the porridge. They also serve a great Cafe Suda. read more