Ordered a vegan pho. The broth was actually decent. It's packed with veggies (thinly-sliced carrots, daikon radish, broccoli, napa cabbage, string beans, bok choy, etc) so it was pretty potently flavored. Could definitely use some mushrooms to give it more of a savory flavor, but overall not bad. The tofu was fine, too. Not very flavorful, but only slightly fried which is good because tofu that's been fried to death makes me sad as hell. What completely r u i n e d the dish was the noodles. Just as I'd been warned from a previous review, the noodles broke up into small, chunky pieces. It was so bizarre. I didn't have the satisfaction of drawing up long strands of delicious, slightly chewy noodles into my mouth using my chopsticks like I'd hoped for, I had to eat it like a porridge. I was blue-balled by pho. It was a chore to finish, really. I'm sure their meat-based soups are alright, considering the place was pretty busy at lunch time on a weekday, but I won't be going back. NOODLES ARE EVERYTHING. read more

Pho Dreams - just what I want in a pho: 1cm-long shreds of noodles - Vietnamese Near Me - El Segundo, California

I decided to come here for lunch. I was craving banh mi and an iced coffee. I'm really sad to give this place 2 stars because it's the only Vietnamese restaurant in the area.. PROS: 1. The interior is clean and minimalistic. It's open and welcoming so I've been meaning to try this place every time I drive by. 2. The iced coffee was yummy and I thought it was cute that they used a bendy straw. I'm a sucker for cute things like that. CONS: 1. I only have an hour for lunch and it took them more than 15 minutes for them to bring me my food. I was surprised it took them that long. It's a simple chicken banh mi and I didn't see any other customers waiting. They even tried to explain that it was taking long because they had to prepare the bread? That didn't make sense because I'm confident they don't make the bread here themselves and when I did get my sandwhich, the bread wasn't warm at all... 2. When I opened up the $9 banh mi, I saw close to an entire jar's worth of mayonnaise. I've never in my life witnessed so much mayo. I took a bite out of curiosity and quickly realized that nope, this is not for me. I took it back to my office, took a knife, and cleaned off all the mayo. I think it was all an attempt to mask the fact that the veggies weren't pickled and the chicken was plain. I'm so disappointed! read more

Pho Dreams - Iced coffee with a bendy straw - Vietnamese Near Me - El Segundo, California

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Crab Rangoons: refried and old. That's the only picture I took because the owner was watching us eat. Whatever was inside was hard as a rock. Egg rolls were burnt on the outside making us think that the oil is old as well as the wonton wrappers. Chicken Pad Thai: it tasted like lemon, chicken was dry, noodles were over cooked, and it had too much onions, green onions and bean sprouts. My husband's pho tasted ok, he said. He started getting concerned about it because it was out in 5 minutes and because everyone who walked by said the food was terrible. When we told the owner the crab Rangoons were overcooked, he got upset. read more

Pho Dreams - Crab Rangoon - Vietnamese Near Me - El Segundo, California

Well it's cool in cali tonight and I came down main cuz I'm staying at embassy suites and saw PHO dreams made a U-y because who can resist PHO on a chilly night! They were closing but still took our party of 4. The waiter kinda mixed up our orders but it was fine. It smells like old vintage building home in here. I hade the rare steak pho. My steak was extremely well done and tough. My dad also had the same. My hubby got the stir fried noodle with chicken it was meh! My aunt had the vermicelli bowl with chicken and it was also meh. Frankly it was tasteless. My pho was so sweet I squeezed 5 lines to try to cut how sweet it was. I added some soy to try to make it salty but I miserably failed. The sweetness if this pho devoured the soy. I eat quite a lot of pho so I'm very disappointed this was my last meal of the day and it was just so sad! I'M not a local, so for those coming to stay in the area visiting do yourself a favor and avoid at all cost save your cash and perhaps try that mex restaurant down the road that I should have forced my husband to go to in the first place. read more

Pho Dreams - Left it all there because it's disgustingly sweet! So sad, what a waste of a pho place! - Vietnamese Near Me - El Segundo, California

Friend of a friend recommended. Not as flavorful as I expected but it does the job given the area you're in. I ordered bun bo hue and friend order pho dac biet. Bun bo hue was pretty bland and not spicy at all. Barely any noodles but the meat was really good. Also, it didn't come out piping hot like I'm used to. It was just slightly hot where I could still drink the broth freely. Pho was meh. Plenty of noodles. Order something else with a kick. The banh mi was kind of out of the price range for me so I didn't get one. $7-9 for one?! You can get one for $3-4 elsewhere. Also, 2 spring rolls for $6, not really worth. Tip: order a large (it's really not that big), ask for extra veggies (be a lil healthy pumpkin okay), and try something out of your comfort zone! :) read more

Pho Dreams - Bun bo hue, small w/ extra veggies - Vietnamese Near Me - El Segundo, California

I had heard some good things about this place came with daughter to try it out. Very disappointed wasn't sure what to expect so my expectations weren't high but first thing I noticed was the cleanliness of the table sauces not good at all all trays very dirty with spilt sauce. I got the chicken pho and let's just say it was the worst $10.00 ever spent on food. I witnessed a worker swat at a fly on a table next to me and never cleaned off the table after. To make matters worse my daughter found a hair in her soup. Needless to say I won't be going back! Update!!! I wish I had taken a picture of the disgusting sauce spilled tray on the table to confirm to the owner somebody didn't do their job that morning or evening since he keeps reassuring me they get checked 3 times a day. Apparently not on that day. And what's worse the hair in my soup and fly that was swatted on the table next to me and never cleaned were all my imagination!!! No don't think so! Never returning one bad experience was enough. I don't think I've ever been so disgusted eating at an establishment before. Update!!! Just saw that they got busted for serving alcohol to a minor during ESPD's sting Lmao good going hope you endured a fine for being irresponsible and not carding to serve alcohol. read more

Quick service. I called for take out order due to Covid-19 and it was quick. Soup a little bit oily but overall good. Love the meatball. read more

Pho Dreams - Pho rare steak and meatball - Vietnamese Near Me - El Segundo, California

Ya know... I had been here before and it was alright, so I didn't really get why it had such a meh rating on here. Went back today and I totally see why. The service is poor - its the same guy who is always there working by himself upfront. He comes off as busy, maybe annoyed, no time for you kinda thing. He does like to joke around and I can tell he's nice but, still a weird vibe. I didn't get a water til after the pho, the spring rolls came out when I was already a quarter of the way done with the pho... they didn't serve any limes or jalapeños with the pho. When I got "the check" it was just the black book with no receipt or print out on it. But whatever - I gave my card anyway. The guy came back and asked for my pin number, which I was flustered by... I told it to him and am now feeling really weird about that so I'm gonna have to change it. They want cash tips only - I hadn't realized that before and I only had a $10 bill. When I asked him to break it he gave me two $5s. I noticed the tip jar was full of five dollar bills so I'm sure this is the usual. I just gave it to him and left without really caring because I'm not planning on ever returning. The food is just sub par so not worth sitting through weird/crappy service for. read more

First time in the area for lunch, and wanted something filling, yet lite. Sure did the job, and was pleasing. Order the Dream Vermicelli with thai tea, and it was delicious. Next time I'm out in the area, will most definitely stop by again. read more

Pho Dreams - Dream Vermicelli was a Dream - Vietnamese Near Me - El Segundo, California

My one and only experience here has been ordering take-out, calling in and picking up an order to be specific. My food was ready by the time I got there. However, due to issues at the register (which I presume had more to do with the cashier's lack of knowledge about how to work the register than the register itself), I had to wait an extra 15 minutes before I could leave. Now onto the food: I ordered the vegetarian pho. Similar to a previous review, the noodles are not what I expected. Not only were they not the thin, string-like noodles that I usually associate with pho, but they were barely even noodles! The noodles were more like a bunch of broken pieces of pasta, refer to picture if you don't believe me. The broth and veggies were yummy, but didn't make up for the bad noodles. Cute location, a good amount of street parking, and looks clean, but I will not be returning. read more

Pho Dreams - Worst noodles! - Vietnamese Near Me - El Segundo, California

Hands down the ONLY Pho spot I've ever loved or even liked. This is the spot that got me into Pho. Idk, once you've had the best, everything else is subpar. When the broth alone is bomb and well seasoned without any of your own add ins, that's how you know it's good. If you gotta do the extras and add bunch of stuff for it to taste good, then you're not at the right Pho spot. The pork egg rolls is mando with a bowl. Their pork fried rice too, fire. read more

I wish the owner would read her reviews as here comes another one based on customer service...ordered Rare Beef + Meatball Pho, requested beef on the side (hence wanting rare) it was served inside and fully cooked. I immediately reminded the server that I requested it on the side. He went inside, spoke to the owner, and came out to tell me that if I wanted it rare and on the side I would have to pay more. Ok, moving on. Shortly after I asked the owner for more Thai basil, as the single stem I was given with 6 leaves on it was very paltry for the size of bowl. Told I would have to pay more. I asked why after they had already made my dish wrong why I would be charged for a standard item-she told me because it was expensive. Quality is a joke for the prices you pay. Disgusting restroom, filthy menus, just fine food and this attitude?? No thank you, I will happily never be back. read more

Like Big Mike's down the street here on Main Street, it's another bland option. This part of Main Street, parking can be finicky and you might have to find something behind the buildings or closer to residential. If you don't mind a relatively short walk from the free public parking space by El Segundo Library, that works too. Okay, here's the deal. If you're a pho restaurant and your restaurant has the word "Pho" in it, please don't serve bad pho. I mean how utterly tasteless and terrible the pho was. Every sip was followed by a sigh. That's right. Take a sip in, breathe a sigh of disappointment out. The broth isn't flavorful and the noodles are very subpar. I got the large shank and brisket pho and it was so terrible. So my sister and her friend, they both got the "dream grilled lemongrass beef, pork, shrimp, egg roll and vermicelli noodle." Man, it's a solid vermicelli dish. They both were here before and came back for this dish. I stole some of my sister's because obviously I hated my pho. Overall, service was decent, seating was quick, service was quick. I would suggest calling yourself "Vermicelli Dreams" because the pho is anything but dreamy. Had I ordered what they did, I might have scored this place 4 stars but in reality, at some point I would have had to try the pho and it would have dropped below 4 stars eventually. My point? 3 stars is fair. read more

Order: Pho with steak and tendon (large) Noodles were too chewy, tendon was the lowest quality I've ever seen, steak was minimal. Soup base was on point. Basil was mostly rotten, bean sprouts, lime, and jalapeños were fresh. Overall the critical ingredients just didn't measure up. Price: $10 - way to expensive. Should be $8.50 max but they're the only game in El Segundo. Service: ok - nothing notable. It's a decent place if you really can't drive to Saigon Dish in Lawndale but I don't expect to be back. They only accept tips in cash. Can't add it to my credit card. Odd practice. read more

This one is a bit hard for me to write. I'm a big fan of new restaurants, especially in downtown El Segundo. If you live in town and like to walk, there are only so many places you can eat a nice dinner if you are on a "less than $50 a couple" budget. Don't get me wrong, there are a number of good places to eat in downtown El Segundo, just that recently, many of the new ones that have opened up cater towards the higher end. So, when we saw that a Pho restaurant was going to open, we were excited to try it. Now, granted this visit was within there first 5 weeks of opening so some of the issues I'll mention here might be ironed out but...in a word, disappointing. In many words...nice looking place, decorated nicely but the tables and chairs are still from the Peruvian restaurant that was previously there (my chair cushion had a hole in it). It's small inside, probably about 8 tables and another 8 bar-style chairs at the counter, plus a couple of table outside. Inside, on a Friday evening, it's busy. Four people working the dining area, efficient but not friendly. You can tell that one of the servers is aggressive by the way she moves through the crowd and the way the other servers look at her. Another is bit more friendly and the third is somewhere in between. Apparently they only have so many menus as when we were seated, we had to wait for another table to finish ordering before we were giving our menus. Lots of Pho choices, from a four meat/tendon combo to single meat bowls. They also have egg roll appetizers which are two nicely sized egg rolls for $6. My girlfriend ordered the steak and brisket Pho and I ordered a free-range chicken noodle dish. The Pho was good but the meats were tough. She's had Pho many times in the past so this wasn't a first timer's try. The broth flavor was good but over salted. The amount of noodles and meat was less than other places we have tried. They have two sizes and we ordered the large (only a $1 more) so it wasn't the size selection that limited the ingredients. The free-range chicken dish was not edible to me. There's a very strong flavor to the chicken which my palate did not like at all. I asked the guy working there if it always tasted so strong and he told me it was the free range chicken. The noodles in the order were ok but also too salty. I left 90% of my plate and no one asked me how my meal was or even if I wanted a plate to go. I was a bit surprised by this, I would think if you see a customer sitting with a full plate at the end of a meal, you'd ask them if it was ok or if they'd like to take it home. Neither. Another odd thing, if you pay my credit card, you can't add a tip to the receipt. For some reason they are not accepting credit card tips so bring cash if you want to tip your servers. So, I asked my girlfriend if she had someone coming into town if she'd take them there. She said no. Since she's the Pho expert, I'd recommend the same. It's a shame as I'd like to see them do well but the food and customer service left us hungry when we left. On the bright side, it was just under $30 for our meal. If you try it, I hope your experience and food is better than ours. Enjoy! read more

Pho Dreams - Nicely decorated restaurant. About 8 tables inside and a few bar style seats. - Vietnamese Near Me - El Segundo, California

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Unassuming place but pho is consistently good. My wife and kids like the vegetable pho but I really like the seafood pho. We probably go here twice per month in the winter, maybe once a month in the summer. read more

I recently returned from Vietnam and the banh mi is not authentic. The meats were 2-3 times thicker than they should've been so you could feel all the cartilage, yuck. And the veggies were way too thick and lacking - only two pieces of each. The bread was too thick - they usually take out the excess baguette filling in Vietnam to maximize the pate, meats, veggies, and herbs. That's unfortunately not the case here =[ read more

Great Vietnamese food. Spring roll were good and the peanut dipping sauce was outstanding. Pho was good, broth had a good flavor. read more

Came with coworkers for lunch. Nothing stood out from this place, what you'd expect from most pho places. What brought this review down are 1) credit card machine was down, no sign or verbal notification prior to ordering (we all had only card) 2) some staff gave attitude when we told them we only had card & asked where nearest ATM. Definitely saw eyes roll back. Outside of this experience food was decent. The venue is kinda small and clustered, even with front store patio, which is also small and clustered. read more

Really good PHO reasonably priced. The wait time is not too long either. Really flavorful.

I've gone here once and my experience was fine. I asked for chicken PHO to go with white meat only. I received my order and there was plenty of chicken in there. The second and third time my experience was horrible. My coworkers and I ONLY go here because its the only PHO that close and we work in El Segundo. After this experience my coworkers and I will not be coming back. They have eaten there before and have not had a pleasant experience with the staff they are rude. I called my order to go with white meat chicken only, and I came back to the office, I literally had 3 pieces of chicken and they were dark and nasty. I've seen dogs eat better quality of chicken than this garbage. For the price with tax close to $11.00 for lunch not worth it as you will still be hungry. To top it off I came in with a smile and said please and thank you, and they speak in their language and talk bad about you. And they don't smile back so it must suck to be somewhere you don't enjoy but then you shouldn't be working with people because they won't be coming back. Customer service is key! Look at the photo of the supposedly white meat chicken. YUCK. read more

Pho Dreams - Chicken PHO - Vietnamese Near Me - El Segundo, California

I would've preferred to give NO stars. People, go to Gardena. They're much nicer and the pho is waaay better for a lot less. I'll start with the servers. They made us feel like we were a burden and it seemed like they were bothered by all the paying customers. Don't bother asking any questions to any of the female servers - they look at you like you told them they smell. Don't bother asking for extra anything - your order will look like they purposely subtracted something. I ordered extra tendon - there was NO tendon in my order at all. And this was after the server confirmed "Extra tendon?" Me: "Yes, extra tendon." Extra tendon my foot. 20 minutes after I received my order, my brother is still waiting for his banh mi. We had to ask for a status update on a frickin' sandwich! Keep in mind that the whole restaurant was practically empty. I shall pray that they open up a Jollibee's in its place. read more

Ordered chicken banh mi and it was delicious. Didn't think there was too much mayo and the vegetables were pickled. Chicken was flavorful and tender. Was hesitant to order because of the inconsistent reviews. I thought the service and food was great, and I'm glad I came to see for myself. I recommend trying it out! Gonna try steak banh mi and pho next time! read more

Least amount of meat on any Pho dish from any Pho restaurant I've ever been to. These folks skimp on the meat big time. I felt cheated. A bowl of noodles with broth.....about 7 skimpy tiny pieces of beef. Prime location with patio chairs and tables added a star. Clean comfortable interior added a star. Bathroom add a star....I'm reaching her. This place is more like a 2 1/2. And we're walking.... read more

One star for the broth. This place needs serious help. There were so many things during my visit that prompted me to repeatedly deduct stars that I'm just going to list them. 1. I'm fairly certain my server did not understand English, and being that this location is in El Segundo, that's a huge problem. Not to mention my order came out wrong. I asked for water no ice, it came with ice. I ordered brisket and rare steak pho, and I got mostly tendon (see picture below - yuck), and no brisket, just rare steak. I asked to add veggies to my pho, and guess what, no veggies. 2. I also ordered the traditional Vietnamese rolls which said had shrimp and rare steak in them. No shrimp, and the tiniest pice of rare steak. They had mostly iceberg lettuce in them (see picture below). 3. When my soup came out, it was warm, not hot. They did not give me a spoon and no one came back to check on me for 25 minutes. The broth was excellent though (hence the one star). However, I had to pick the bowl up and sip the broth out of the bowl because I did not have a spoon. 4. My water was not ever refilled. 5. I had to flag down a server to bring me my check. Of course he promptly did that (it was the only time they were prompt). 6. They accept CASH TIP ONLY. Wtf. Who carries around cash anymore? So even though the experience sucked, I was still going to leave a tip, but then I couldn't! Not interested in going back here again. I know of many more Pho restaurants that I love and frequent often. read more

Pho Dreams - Vietnamese spring roll - was supposed to have rare steak and shrimp. No shrimp and a tiny piece of rare steak. Mostly iceberg lettuce. - Vietnamese Near Me - El Segundo, California

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i've been here a couple of times. cosy place, friendly staff. just two things i have to notice. both times i've ordered pho house special. good choice but it's too sweet in my taste. the 2nd one is the metal asian spoon that isn't convenient at all. best option for this spoon is a bit longer size and with a hook on handler so that to hang it over the edge of the bowl. read more

BEWARE OF FOOD POISONING. I ate the vegetable pho with beef broth and vegetarian egg rolls yesterday afternoon and have been paying the price (sick with severe food poisoning) ever since. I will spare you the details... read more

Solid pho restaurant. Not the best I've ever had, a solid contender. Cozy spot with modern decor. Service was fast and attentive. read more

Pho Dreams - The aftermath!! - Vietnamese Near Me - El Segundo, California

I used to come to this restaurant at least once a week because I loved their soup but then had a bad experience with one of the workers smoking tight outside the door of the restaurant. I went there today because I wasn't feeling great and I know they're pho soup can I always help clear up my system. It was a late lunch at 2 PM and 2 of the workers from the back kitchen were taking their break making a lot of noise while they ate on the other side of the restaurant. I found the other person who was working who seemed to work the front and the counter staring at me while I was eating and then ehen he decided to eat he and the two other workers talking in their language a lot making it very noisy in the restaurant. I realized I was the only one there but it wasn't a pleasant experience and it'll be awhile before I go back read more

1/2 Star (Food): The food presentation is nice and presentable. The food portion is also generous, from noodles and leaves to meat and broth ratio. The broth, however, slightly needs more flavor but the fresh leaves and tender meat makes up for it, in the end it's good. 1 Star (Service): the owner (Peter) is really friendly with lots of energy even towards closing time. This is a family business so when you walk in you get treated like family. He checks up on every table to ensure you are happy and satisfied. Peter's wife (Mary) is also highly involved with the business but she focuses more at the back of house to ensure food is coming out at the right time. It took about 25 minutes for food to come which was not bad for a new restaurant. 1/2 Star (Price): The price is higher than any typical Pho restaurant; but it's understandable for this location since they just started the business and may initially need to breakeven. Hopefully, it will go down in the near future. 1 Star (Ambience): The environment is nice and quaint. The tiling on the main wall and bar area is inviting. The interior dining area holds approximately 25 people with additional 3 small tables at the front of the restaurant. Large groups is not suggested for this place. 1 Star (Cleanliness): The place is clean and maintained regularly. The owner and other employees are on top of things. They bus tables as soon as customers leave; doing so helps because of such a small location and as new customers needs to be seated immediately. Overall, I would recommend this place to others that are in the area looking for a good Vietnamese food. read more

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Real solid Pho and spring rolls. Family run, and wonderful people. Make you feel at home. It's nice to have this option in El Segundo

Came here with some co-workers earlier this week on a cold day, figured some pho would warm us right up. We were seated right away and they took our orders rather quickly, which was nice. I got a #22 small, I believe it's the brisket and rare steak, and it was pretty good. I've had cheaper pho but I think the quality of this pho, was a fair match to its price. In all honesty, it's not like mind-blowing pho but it will definitely cure your cravings and is still a place worth checking out if you're on a budget but want to be more than stuffed. The broth was pretty good and they served it pretty quickly. All in all, a satisfying place for a good, cheap bowl of pho! Perfect for the winter weather we've been having. Would come back again! read more

Gross and overpriced. Worst "fresh" rolls I've ever had. Lettuce was brown and rolls were clearly wrapped days (or weeks) ago. Zero flavor.

This place is the jam. We came in for a quick lunch on Saturday and the service was pleasant and fast! The food was delicious and fresh and the pho broth was dynamic and so tasty! The fried tofu papaya salad was a highlight read more

Pho Dreams - Vietnamese Near Me - El Segundo, California

I'm ordering an item for 1 pHo Dac biet/combination and they kept hanging up on me. Nevermind. Don't go here and go to pho consomme in redondo beach and pho so 1 they'll take care of you guys better. read more

Came across this place while I was in the area and wanted something soupy. It was a bad mistake. I ordered the chicken pho and it is by far the worst pho I've ever had. The broth is made with chicken bouillon. I had a few bites and just couldnt handle how awful it tasted. I don't know why some reviewers say this place is good or authentic. Bleh. read more

It was crowded at lunch time but turned out to be rather mediocre. The spring rolls were basically wrapped pale iceberg lettuce with a couple noodles and a piece of bland pork. The ban mi was pretty good. The shaking beef was just ok. The service was a bit slow but understandable for the lunch rush. Not horrible but nothing to write home about. read more

Went a month ago while on a short trip . Too bad the place has had health violations in the past which have yet to be addressed. Pho was just... no. If I could give less stars, I would. Check all of the bad reviews... they were written for a reason. read more

Decent considering you're in El Segundo. You're getting South Bay prices. Essentials are ok though - bin thit nuong, egg rolls and pho, all decent. Tragically the banh mi isn't great - it's all about the French baguette - and it's too thick and dry here. Summer rolls are also expensive and not the best, but tolerable. Egg rolls are good, if you mess that up you're in trouble. Ok spot if you just need a quick fix and in the area. The only other close spot is in Playa Del Rey, ASAP Phorage and it has a smaller menu but same deal where it's priced for South Bay - though it has a much more limited menu than Pho Dreams. read more

I've had the Pho Tai here before and it's decent. Today I decided to the Pho Ga (chicken) and I was extremely disappointed. I couldn't even bite through the chicken it was so tough. Very rubbery and it had a strange smell. I seriously feel like I could barf. BEWARE of the chicken. read more

Pho Dreams - Vietnamese Near Me - El Segundo, California

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