My bf and I always visit Pho Element when we pass by San Mateo! The food has been consistently…read moredelicious and we always order the same couple of items in rotation. We particularly love their HaiNan Chicken Rice, Pho Ga, butter tofu, and omg their GINGER SCALLION SAUCE!!! Service is always quick and all the workers are so attentive. Parking is quit difficult tho... like REALLY difficult unless you get lucky. Don't let that steer you away from this place though because I promise it is worth it!

I had such an awful experience here. I ordered the chicken…read morepho, and I was surprised when they told me they don't serve bean sprouts, lemon, basil, or mint.. the traditional toppings that normally come with pho. That really threw me off, especially because I saw a Yelp review before coming that showed bean sprouts with the pho. Secondly, they served my pho with thick, flat noodles instead of the traditional rice noodles you normally expect. I politely asked the waitress if those were the only noodles they offered, and she told me they also have the traditional pho noodles.. you just have to request them. I've honestly never had to ask for regular pho noodles anywhere else, so that was really strange to me. The broth was also very watered down and lacked flavor. The chicken was dark and honestly didn't even look like chicken, which made me not want to eat it. I took two bites of my bowl and ended up leaving very disappointed. I also want to mention that parking was a hassle. There's very limited street parking, which made the experience even more frustrating. I understand that every pho restaurant has its own recipe, and I'm very open-minded when it comes to trying different places. I'm not a picky eater at all, but this experience was just way off from what I'd expect when ordering pho. I'm honestly not sure how this place has so many positive reviews based on the experience I had. The one positive thing I can say is that the customer service was good. The staff was kind and attentive throughout my visit. Unfortunately, the food itself was a 0/10 for me, and I wouldn't come back.

Visited on a Friday night with a friend, restaurant was about half full when we arrived so we were…read moreable to quickly grab a table. Space is minimalist with a clean aesthetic. As we finished dinner most tables were taken but a few bar seats were open so a solid spot for walk in dinner. Beverages: Sake Flight - we got the daily japanese flight which had a fun mix of sakes from japan two filtered sakes and one unfiltered giving us a range of tastes and textures Food: Vegetable Spring Roll - good, very light and refreshing, classic rice paper wrapper filled with crisp fresh lettuce, bell pepper, radishes, and carrots, served with a thick creamy peanut sauce with nice savory nutty notes a great starter Japanese Style Chili Garlic Poached Chicken - excellent, served chilled, tender poached chicken in a delicious spicy garlicy soy sesame dressing, served with cucumber which provided a nice cool refreshing bite, really well balanced with great depth of flavor Soy milk pho with chicken & vegetables- good, a very unique and interesting take on pho, broth has a subtle soy milk flavor with a nice depth from the chicken broth, served with flat rice noodles which made this a lighter dish, chicken in this was also very tender and juicy, the yuzu kosho added a nice subtle citrusy spice to the broth, noodles had a slight bite wish it was cooked just a touch longer, flavors were really balanced as well with lots of complexity Service was good, really quick and efficient, staff was warm and friendly and were knowledgeable about the menu with solid recommendations. Staff refilled our water throughout the meal and checked in periodically. Pacing of dishes also felt just right not much of a wait between courses. Overall really enjoyed our meal at Rin-Tei, a great spot for a nice dinner that's still fairly affordable for the bay area. Really loved the fusion and unique twist this spot offers. Definitely worth a try if you are in San Mateo

I wanted to like this so bad. This was highly recommended by many folks, but now I'm questioning…read moretheir taste buds haha. Very clean and cute eatery with an adorable entrance. You enter and check in at the front where you will be seated and given menus. Once you decide on your order, you head back to the front to place your order and they'll bring it to your table later. Our order... Creamy Soy Milk Pho $25: It's straight forward, taste like pho with soy milk in it. The dish doesn't open some new flavor combo in your taste buds, just expect it as is. Keema Curry $23: I liked this a lot, fan of curry. However, this wasn't spectacular curry. Tasted as good as I can make it at home, but I'm not a great cook, just follow the instructions on the box. I liked the flavor but bummed that I paid that much for it, haha. I was very confused it tasted as such. Vietnamese Papaya Salad $12: Another of my favorites dishes, but boyyyy, this missed the mark. It was so strangely bitter. Again, the ingredients seemed quite fresh, but the sauce (which makes the whole dish) did not taste good. I would avoid. One note I will say is that the ingredients do seem fresh. I guess it could be considered clean eating? But over all, the visit was disappointing unfortunately.

I ordered the vermicelli noodle bowl with pork and the imperial roll. It was the best vermicelli…read morebowl I have ever had! The portion size was amazing; the portion of pork was so generous and I went home so full! It was also super flavorful and had the perfect ratio of ingredients! The bowl was super refreshing and I will definitely be coming back!

I travel for work almost every week, which means I've eaten enough pho to qualify for a frequent…read morenoodle program. Ben Tre just moved to the top of my list. The broth was phenomenal. Rich, clean, and so good I seriously considered asking for a to-go cup like it was coffee. The rare beef was excellent, the meatballs had great flavor, and the fresh spring rolls were...well...let's just say they disappeared faster than my willpower around good Vietnamese food. The service was friendly, the restaurant was spotless, and everything came out quickly. It's obvious they care about what they're serving. If you're near SFO, don't waste your appetite on another chain restaurant. Come here instead. Just one warning: after one visit, you'll start hoping your flights get routed through Millbrae.

Literally the best spring rolls ive ever had super chill…read moreatmosphere bon bue was amazing perfect spice level

I had a pretty awesome experience here at Pho de Nguyen. The service was great. A very friendly…read morestaff who steadily checked in on me if I was ok or needed anything. Customary at most Vietnamese restaurants, you get your food with minimal check ins and not even a plate clearing until the bill comes. This was NOT the case here. There service was definitely in the A/A+ range! I ordered on my phone via QR code, but there was an option to order in person from a server. I ordered many items to try out. I ordered spring rolls, crispy salt and pepper wings, grilled pork banh mi, beef dac beit pho, and a Thai iced tea. Thai Iced Tea was pretty good. Grade: A I thought the Spring Rolls were decent, but what made them even better was the peanut sauce! I always hate when the peanut sauce is watery and this was far from that! An excellent gooey peanut sauce and maybe one of the best I've had fpr consistency. Grade: A- Crispy salt and pepper wings definitely had an incredible crunch. They were up there in crunchiness. The drumettes were meaty which I appreciated. They were well seasoned also. I think I need to try their other wings before crowning these, but some of the cruncheist wings I've had for sure. Grade: A- Beef Dac Biet Pho had some real high quality meat in it. I had options in noodle and my go-to for any pho spot is the egg noodles. I wish it had more bo vien in it, but I appreciated the combo of meats. The broth seemed authentic, but I wanted a tad more flavor out of it without adding sauces. Overall, the pho grade was a B+ bordering an A-. The star of the show was the grilled pork banh mi. The meat was tender and saucy. In fairness I asked for extra pickles and mayo, but I was very impressed. The bread had the crispy crunch we all look for but minus the stale bread. The breads soft yet crispness made it seem as if it just came out of the oven! I'm going to dub this as the best I've had in the Bay Area! There I said it! Grade: A+ Everyone who ordered the sampler seemed very pleased at other tables, I would definitely try that. Also, want to try the other banh mis and noodle options for the pho. There was a nice vibe at this place. I didn't feel rushed although they do close fairly early at 8pm. The server's mom is the one cooking in the kitchen and I appreciated the family feeling at this place. They do have a newer location in San Francisco that has a DJ Friday nights that I may check out. I believe the server said that they are open til 2am on most nights, but I may have misheard her. Feel free to Yelp that location. My only disappointment was that I really love papaya salad and it was not an option. I may make this my go-to spot from now on, but as a Yelper, we all know we will keep trying new places. This will be the one I continue to frequent. Well done Pho de Nguyen!

Hunan Mifen is another good spot worth trying if you love authentic Asian cuisine…read more I don't eat spicy food so I was happy that they have some dishes that is not spicy, I love the flavor of their broth, tasty not salty and it has a balance. I love that they have variety of appetizers and side dishes. Price is very reasonable for a freshly cook dishes. I would give them two thumbs up

Had low expectations coming here and was pleasantly surprised!…read more Food: T-he braised beef noodles were amazing. Noodles were chewier than most beef noodle soups I've had and the beef pieces were very tender and soft. The soup wasn't too spicy by itself and had alot of depth and flavor. -Pro-tip: There is a little self-serve station near the kitchen where you can get add'l condiments like cilantro, green onion, chili, and pickled daikon. SCORE. Add in the cilantro/green onion for a flavor explosion. -Ordered one of the combo noodles + 2 sides. For my sides, I got a blanched bok choy and a fried gyoza. The bok choy was needed to help cut the spiciness of the soup and to add veggies b/c without it, you'd just be having carbs, beef, and soup. Gyoza was a win too. Service: FAST and friendly, just how I like my non-fine dining restaurant experiences. You scan a QR code at the table and then choose an english/chinese option. If you have questions, you can ask the staff, but there isn't a TON of options to choose from, so make it easy on yourself and order a noodle soup. Ambiance: Ample seating at 1:30pm on a Sunday. Didn't have to wait, which was a big plus as all the other restaurants in San Mateo over near 3rd/4th and B street were packed. Overall: Highly recommend and would come again. This might be my favorite niu rou mian spot!

Good portion of tasty / a bit heavy tsukemen. The signature and duck tsukemen are both pretty good,…read morewith the duck one on the lighter side

Special thanks to Isabel for accommodating me as a Vegetarian. I was really craving noodle and glad…read moreI found this place they even took my order right before closing and late me dine-in. Meal was delicious and everyone was very kind! Vegetarians order the - Tokyo Classic No oil, No Pork Chachu And Vegans + No Egg

They have the best bun I've tasted. The egg rolls are so crispy and the pork is so good (#41)…read more They really grill the pork and it is higher quality pork than other Vietnamese places I've tried. The service is also accommodating.

Horrible. Ordered to go based on a photo in the menu. Picked up my order, opened it in the car, and…read moreit was nothing like the picture of the order I placed. Went back in and told them, and they referred me to a sign that said not to refer to pictures when you order. Wthell, then why would you have pictures next to the order #'s? And on top of that, why didn't you even say anything before we placed the order? No comment from them other than to look at the sign. No apologies or anything for the misunderstanding or warning. Customer service is a zero for me. Will def not come back here.

Great experience at Pho Ha Noi! The food came out fast, was fresh, and tasted amazing. Huge…read moreshoutout to July and Danny for the friendly, quick service. They made the whole experience even better. I'll definitely be coming back!

Good is great and service is great. July is always so accommodating and treats everyone so warmly.read more