I stopped by for a quick pick me up and originally came in just for the Vietnamese coffee, which was $5.50. I ended up ordering a few more items, including the grilled pork banh mi for $9 and a half order of egg rolls for $7. The service was excellent. I was warmly greeted by who I believe was John, as listed on the receipt, and he took the time to go over his recommendations, which I appreciated. I have walked by this place many times and am glad I finally decided to check it out. It is a small, homey hole in the wall spot with a welcoming feel. I would definitely come back to try more items on the menu. The only thing I would change is the drink. I wish it had less ice since I finished it pretty quickly before my food arrived. read more

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Best pho in DT. Service fast and effective. The place is easy to reach and calm with a lot of seating. read more

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Food was amazing Amazing service Well done broth I really enjoyed the food the atmosphere was nice and relaxed read more

Pho Xpress - Meatball brisket combo - Vietnamese Near Me - San Diego, California

Great Customer Service. Awesome Location. Best Chicken Eggrolls, which is Healthier than Pork meat... The Soup However, was ok for me... But, I would Come Back. I Love the Location. ...It was a Cool Experience by myself. I got to read my book :) + people watch. And, take in the Atmosphere. read more

Chicken Noodle Soup was delicious. The food came out quickly. Service was great. The restaurant was clean and comfortable. I will be back! read more

Pho Xpress - Chicken Noodle Soup was delicious. The food came out quickly. Service was great. The restaurant was clean and comfortable. I will be back! - Vietnamese Near Me - San Diego, California

You delightful small neighborhood pho joint. I assume a lot of people order to go, but we opted into being seated. I must say that pho came extremely fast despite a 10 people table dining in the restaurant and we truly expected a delay. Pho express truly holds on to its express name. For this reasons, I will be back! read more

The pho here was absolutely amazing--rich, flavorful broth and perfectly cooked noodles that really hit the spot. You can tell a lot of care goes into the food. On top of that, the service was excellent. The staff was super friendly, welcoming, and brought nothing but positive vibes from the moment we walked in. Overall, a great experience and definitely a place I'll be coming back to! read more

Pho Xpress - Inside - Vietnamese Near Me - San Diego, California

It was from my business trip, and I don't know where to go, and looking up the closest food next to the hotel, and The food was not good, if you are reading this pls run! read more

Can confirm what other yelpers have said. Pleasant ordering experience Friendly and professional staff Delicious food Quick service Tried: Shrimp spring rolls (bonus: no cilantro) Pho #22 Highly recommend. read more

Pho Xpress - Pho #22 - Vietnamese Near Me - San Diego, California

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It's always appreciated when what you think you are getting, that you actually get it. The name says it all "Pho Xpress." I sat down and ordered and within 2 minutes, I was served. Nothing like an amazing bowl of comfort Pho on a winter day to warm you up both inside and out. The place is straight up chill, no bells and whistle, but he y sometimes I can do without all the noise. Nothing left to say except "You're Welcome. " read more

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Really yummy pho. Very friendly service. Comfortable and welcoming environment. Highly recommended! read more

excellent food, fast service, friendly staff. Very convenient location from where I'm working at the moment.

The food is amazing! Me and my daughter got a rare steak pho that is exceptional and paired with the egg rolls too. The waiter is very attendant and very nice. The place is beautifully decorated and it smells very nice! I would absolutely recommend this place to people looking for places to eat downtown. read more

Pho Xpress - Rare steak pho - Vietnamese Near Me - San Diego, California

Super good and fresh 100% recommend if your in the mood for pho Orange chicken. Was delish also read more

Pho Xpress - Vietnamese Near Me - San Diego, California

The pho was pretty bland and the noodles were all clumped together like they come in the packaging indicating that the broth wasn't hot enough. They do put a good amount of meat especially for the price point. The egg-rolls weren't bad but were extremely oily. I know they are fried but they were literally dripping in oil. The service was extremely friendly and the restaurant was very comfortable and had a nice atmosphere to it. The food just did not do it for me. read more

Pho Xpress - Vietnamese Near Me - San Diego, California

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I've been to Pho Xpress on a few occasions for lunch and have had quite a few different items including the pho, vermicelli and banh mi sandwiches. It's a convenient spot in downtown nestled amongst office buildings which of course makes it a great spot for lunch. However it is pretty small so may not be ideal for large parties. It's a cozy restaurant with both indoor and outdoor seating on their small front patio. Each time I have been here the staff has been welcoming and attentive, and the dishes came out quickly. On those occasions where I get take out, the food is always hot and ready at the front register. If you're doing take out, you can conveniently order and pay online. One thing I will say is that the prices are a little more than what I'm used to paying for Vietnamese food. The banh mi was $8 and the pho ranges between $12-15 and all other dishes average about $15. But I do keep in mind that it is located downtown and I am willing to pay for quality food that is tasty, which is the case at Pho Xpress. read more

Pho Xpress - Grilled chicken sandwich - Vietnamese Near Me - San Diego, California

Decent pho spot. Parking is a bit of a nightmare in this area for all shops. The guy working here was super nice and attentive to all customers. Seems to have a super diverse crowd come here. Most ofnthe tables are small tables but can be moved together to make larger tables if you have a larger party. It's a fairly narrow space. The prices are pretty good and the pho was tasty. I also got spring rolls and vietnamese sandwhiches (banh mi) both of which were a bit lackluster. The spring rolls were a bit dry and just a bit sad looking. The Vietnamese sandwhich wasn't very filled with stuff in general, so it felt skimpy. Overall, decent spot for pho, which there aren't many options in the area, but I might avoid other items on the menu. read more

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My friends and I had a long layover in SD after returning from MX on 10/05/2024. We were recommended Pho Xpress on 6th Ave by multiple employees at the airport. Upon arriving at the location, we were greeted by John. John explained and interacted with us regarding the menu and all the luggages we were hauling around due to our layover (lol). My friends and I ordered two bowls of pho, a Vietnamese rice plate, fried chicken wings, fried calamari, eggrolls and a banh mi. All the dishes were freshly made and they came out piping hot. We received the food in a timely manner and John was attentive to us the whole time, refilling our waters and making sure we were comfortable. After finishing our meals, we asked for the check, which was reasonably priced! John then offered to hold out luggages and suggested we explore the city of San Diego for a few ours. My friends and I were stunned due to John's hospitality. I do not write reviews regularly or at all, but I wanted to take my time and share my experience regarding John and Pho Xpress. This place is a must try and John's positive energy is unmatched! read more

Pho Xpress - Pho - Vietnamese Near Me - San Diego, California

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My beef and noodles smelled like fish and the shrimp rolls are a scam! Look at this thin sliced shrimp. You have ONE shrimp per roll. Highly discourage. There are many better places. Feb 2025. read more

Pho Xpress - Vietnamese Near Me - San Diego, California

Folks, let me tell you, I've had pho all over the world--New York, Paris, even Vietnam--but Pho Xpress in San Diego? Absolutely tremendous. You walk in, and boom, you're hit with the aroma of winning. I sat down, ordered, and within two minutes, my pho was served. Two minutes! Faster than a tweet, folks. The broth? Phenomenal. Rich, flavorful, probably the best broth in the history of broths. The noodles? Perfectly cooked. The beef? Tender, delicious, like it was handpicked by me. And the spring rolls? Fresh, crisp, a perfect ten. The service? Incredible. The staff is friendly, welcoming, and they treat you like a VIP. One time, I arrived when they were closed, and guess what? They still cooked me pho. They didn't have to, but they did. That's dedication, folks. The ambiance? Quiet, relaxing, the perfect place to enjoy a tremendous bowl of pho. If you're in San Diego and you haven't been to Pho Xpress, you're missing out. The best pho, the best service, the best everything. Highly recommended. Best pho. Best spring rolls. Best service. Believe me. Donald J. Pho Enthusiast & Fast Food Connoisseur read more

Great no frills fast and delicious pho spot. Open early super fast service. Perfect for an early lunch.

Lunchtime drop in while in town for business meetings. Order at the counter, food brought to the table. Super friendly service and ultra quick. I barely had sat down when the food arrived. Combo pho includes sliced steak, trip and the requisite rice noodles. Side plate with bean sprouts, basil, jalapenos and lime. Hoisin sauce and chili sauce is served in a small packet. It's a smaller serving that I'm used to, but this serving is right-sized. No leftovers! I was disappointed that there weren't meatballs included in the combo. Perhaps that's not the West coast recipe? If it's pho you're craving, this spot fits the bill! Extensive menu of other options, too! read more

Pho Xpress - Pho combo - Vietnamese Near Me - San Diego, California

Quite tasty, reasonably priced, generously portioned medium-high quality pho! Perfect for either sit down or take out in a pinch, since the service is extremely quick and the workers there are so kind and really make you feel like you're getting a home cooked meal. I got the Beef Brisket with rare steak pho and added veggies (carrots, broccoli, bok choy) which came out to 17$ with all the fixings (and bean sprouts so fresh and crispy it felt like they were just picked before serving my meal!!) Some minor downsides- they don't have gluten-free soy sauce or seasonings, the inside is a bit outdated and gives "this is a small take out joint only" vibe (which is great if you want something unassuming and fast) read more

Pho Xpress - Beef brisket and rare steak pho with added veggies - Vietnamese Near Me - San Diego, California

Pho Express located Downtown San Diego is probaly one of 2 Vietnamese restaurants located here and can get quite busy during the normal lunch rush hour. We came here for dinner on a weeknight and it wasnt so crowded. As we proceed to enter we notice a sign saying to pay up front and order than take your seats. We went ahead and ordered and paid and also noticed a sign saying 4% charge if using a credit card. Well there goes my cash back bonus while im swiping my credit card. We went ahead and ordered a small chicken pho, a rice plate with pork and shrimp, along with fried lo mein noodles with chicken. As we take our seats we were handed our drinks and a veggie plate for the pho. Under 10 minutes all the food comes out hot and fresh and at our table. I can see why the name of the place is Pho Express talk about fast service! The food is looking great and im ready to dig in after I snap all of the food pictures. We notice on the rice plate there wasnt any meatloaf as advertised on the menu and we asked about it and they said they dont make that anymore. Also typically with rice plates you get a small side of broth... but not at this place. The food tasted great and the lo mein was fantastic with the wok like aroma from frying the noodles. There was plenty of chicken inside but that was about it so i ended up trowing some beansprouts in from the pho dish to change it up a little. Overall A-Ok place in Downtown if your looking for Vietnamese food and service was great. If they didnt have so much add ons about the bill and paying up front and if there menu matched what they actually serve then maybe it would be great. Happy Yelping! read more

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The food is fresh and portions are big, we got one plate for 2 people and was good enough to hold us for few hours. The people here is very very kind. This is a little far from all the rest of the downtown restaurants but is worth the drive or walk. This is a casual restaurant nothing too special going on but it is still a nice small place. read more

Pho Xpress - Vietnamese Near Me - San Diego, California

One of the few pho spots within walking distance of my hotel in the Downtown/Gaslamp Quarter. If you know me you know I've been on quite the pho bender lately, and I was excited to get a change of flavor from all the amazing tacos and seafood of San Diego. This is a great spot if you want your pho to come out fast. We were seated immediately and didn't wait more than a few minutes after our order was taken to receive our bowls. I got the #21 and the Thai iced tea without boba. Pricing accurately reflects quality, and I tasted a fair amount of umami saltiness in the broth. The meat was thin and mostly lean. I'm not the biggest fan of this kind of broth and not a fan of sriracha either so I ended up floating eight slices of jalapeños in so I could mask the saltiness with some spice. The Thai tea wasn't the most flavorful I've had. It was not quite filled to the top almost as if to reflect the fact that I wouldn't be getting more tea simply for passing on the boba, but overall not a big deal. It wasn't very sweet in almost both a "diluted with water" and "not seeped in spices long enough" way. But again, pricing accurately reflects quality. The pho came with sides of Thai basil, bean sprouts, jalapeños and limes. On the table were disposable chopsticks, soup spoons, napkins, sriracha, hoisin sauce, and soy sauce packets. If you're short on time, balling on a budget, are a fan of broth with umami saltiness, or maybe all three, then this would be the spot for you. read more

Whenever I'm craving pho and want a quick lunch, I stop by at Pho Xpress. It's within walking distance from basically anywhere in Downtown - I would not recommend driving to this place as parking in Downtown can get quite tricky. Usually I always go for Pho, especially during the colder winter months, but since yesterday was a bit warmer than usual I decided to try something else off the menu. I opted for the seafood stir-fry and my friend got the Xpress Combination Fried Rice. The food came out very quick and service was attentive and polite. The interior of this place is a bit on the older side, however I really do not mind. This is also a place where you would go for take-out or a quick lunch, so if you're looking for fine dining, this is not the place for you. Both dishes were very reasonably priced at $15. The food was delicious, my stir-fry had a lot of garlic in it which I loved. Their Pho is my favorite, and I have tried most places in San Diego that serve Pho. I also find it to be more fairly priced compared to a lot of other restaurants. I love this place and will continue going there for lunch! read more

Pho Xpress - Seafood Stir Fry and Xpress Combination Fried Rice - Vietnamese Near Me - San Diego, California

The Rare steak pho was so good and service is awesome! My go to spot here in downtown.

Cute little spot in the heart of downtown San Diego. steak w. brisket & flank pho was hands down my favorite. They also have some pretty amazing tasting boba here. Go check them out you'll be very satisfied. read more

Pho Xpress - Vietnamese Near Me - San Diego, California

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If you find this place by accident, it's your lucky day. Absolutely delicious flavors. Nice welcoming staff. Very nice and quiet ambiance. Highly recommend. read more

I come here for my pho fix when I get hungry at work. The price is slightly high for Vietnamese food but the food is consistently good and the service is amazing. read more

They have two locations and the downtown one isn't a good as their mission gorge location. I believe it's because the owner and his family are more present at mission gorge (purely speculation). I've eaten at both locations. Downtown, depending on the time of day you order it's a hit or miss. I've ordered later in the evening and have received bland fried rice and xpress rolls with sour meat. Last time I ordered their crispy noodles, there was a bug in it. I've recently dined-in twice at the mission gorge location for lunch and the quality has been much better. Ordered their bun bowl with xpress rolls and both were delectable. This is not to say I haven't experienced good food at the downtown location, I would suggest if you do order from downtown, order no later than 5pm. Quality gets dicey after that. Items I suggest: Xpress rolls with beef or pork, bun bowl with beef, any pho option. read more

It was my first time to Pho Xpress. The tofu spring rolls were tasty and so was the beef pho. The food was cooked to order and it was made pretty quickly. The staff were super nice and attentive to the patrons. The restaurant was smaller than I thought but it had a welcoming setting. It was quiet and clean. I can't wait to come back for more delicious pho when I'm back in San Diego. read more

Pho Xpress - Well Done Steaks Soup - Vietnamese Near Me - San Diego, California

The food is very delicious. They served a fast, hot and tasty. I will definitely come back here again and tract, I can't wait to come back here tomorrow. Highly recommend! read more

Pho Xpress - Seafood pho - Vietnamese Near Me - San Diego, California

Wonderful place to eat where local goes! Price is good!!!! Food is delicious and service is great! read more

Pho Xpress - Vietnamese Near Me - San Diego, California

Solid value, but not as much flavor as I'd like in my Vietnamese food. The order: Combination pho, combo Bahn mi, lemongrass shrimp spring roll, and pork trio plate. Pho broth was bland, but noodles were cooked well and it was chock full of protein. Rare beef, tendon (expertly cooked), tripe, and flank (also delicious), but the broth just landed flat and needed so much lime, basil and chili to punch it up. I look for pho that's super aromatic and deeply flavored, and this was just basic. The lemongrass spring rolls were also a letdown. I've had these elsewhere and it's essentially a shrimp dumpling pressed on sugar cane and grilled. This was more like steamed shrimp cake, sliced and rolled with lettuce (no herbs) and crunchy fried crisp inside. The peanut sauce was nice but overall another item I would pass next time. Pork trio plate also fell flat. This dish usually comes with the sweet and sour fish sauce, and the plate really needed it. The grilled pork was fair, as was the shredded pork, but the omelette was pretty tasty. Oddly the rice was kind of dry. It really needed that sauce. Best of the day was the bahn mi, but even that needed more veg and pate to give it flavor. This place was super quick, so if you need a cheap lunch in a hurry, it's a great option. read more

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I'm not sure there's a better value in this part of San Diego. Budget diners, this is where you go to get some inexpensive banh mi or pho and save up for the spendy dinner out. The value is there, and the service was wicked fast. However, it's not the kind of place you go to get San Diego's most flavorful or innovative or unique or interesting stuff. Ya, there are some good menu items, and everything I had was good. But it wasn't explosive. It was, you know, fine. The seafood soup was really tame. The pho was very simple and mellow, without that great herbaceous, floral quality that it can have. The banh mi was solid, but also quite tame. And the pork trio had the most flavor, but the dish as a whole didn't really come together. I think they're slaying the lunch crowd, and you probably won't dislike the pho or banh mi, but with so many other bright options around that are bursting with flavor, it's the budget that will bring you back here. read more

Always great! Best grilled pork! Best calamari! I am a regular and never disappointed!

MUST CHECK YOUR RECEIPTS BEFORE PAYING. They add on small fees on the final receipt. Check b4 your sign the receipt. Just okay Vietnamese food, around $15 range. The lady working there seems friendly. They charged 4% if you use your credit card. I think this is not fair, they agreed to accept credit card payments and why customers be paying. read more

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I LOVE this place! I've eaten here a couple times and each time it has been great. The service is fast, the food is good, and it is reasonably priced. The interior is pretty basic but overall I would sit here and grab a bite if I was in the area. I usually take the food to-go. Overall this place is worth checking out if you want Vietnamese food in downtown! read more

Pho Xpress - Vermicelli with Grilled Pork and Egg Rolls - Vietnamese Near Me - San Diego, California