Chef's Phở & Grill - San Marcos, California

Cecilia Tchoi

Restaurant arrangement looks neat/clean & well organized. Service was decent, food was "JUST OK/very Plain"; compare with other Pho restaurants, there's nothing special. We ordered Combo B(2 protein rolls + 2 egg rolls)/$13.95, 1 Rice vermicelli/$16.95, and 2 Chef's combo/$16.95 x 2, we paid over $70 + tips. With this kinds of food quality/tastes and price, oh well, I don't think we will come back again nor recommend to our friends because there are many good pho restaurants that have better foods and price.
And, one more thing to add for their welcoming attitude towards the customer who brings a service dog/animal. I suggest it will be much better for you to welcome the customer as same as other customers, not making the face first. I totally understand it can be a unexpected suprise to have a customer who brings a service animal to your restaurant, but please remember the service animals are well trained and the handler needs its service, so they need to be together with certain reason.

Colina

Love this spot for a relaxed meal. Staff is super friendly and helpful - they will answer any questions you may have about the food items and suggest items if you want to try something new. The pho is delicious, but try the chef's curry! You can't go wrong with any of the Spring rolls and though it is isn't on the menu you can get a half order of the egg rolls (3pcs).

Naila Sfeir

Being North County foodies, we have no idea how we missed this place the whole time they have been open! We stopped in for a late lunch and were pleasantly surprised at how spacious the restaurant is and the beautiful ambiance and modern decor. The customer service was wonderful from the moment we entered until we left. Great customer service is becoming harder and harder to find so we really appreciate when we feel appreciated as restaurant patrons. The food was EXCELLENT and we can't wait to come back and try more from their vast menu. I had the Chef's Udon Soup and my husband had the Vermicelli with Grilled Shrimp -- both VERY delicious. We also split a Banh Xeo (Vietnamese crepe) and loved it!!! This is the type of restaurant that makes the San Marcos food scene a notch above the rest.

Minh Thai

We decided to have some "banh xeo" today and seems like this is the only place around here that offers banh xeo, sometime refered to as Vietnamese crepes! We ordered take out since we have a nice backyard and wanted to enjoy at home instead. My wife picked up the food and she did mentioned about the price as a little bit high. I noticed some reviews also mentioned that. But I told her as a business man I know how difficult it is to run a business and to survive. There are so much expenses involved in running a business. As long as you provide the best products and services you deserve to charge the price.
Having to say that, after trying the banh xeo, we both admit it was very good! Worth the price! No complaints here and we'll sure to come back for more.

Judith Seid

What a fantastic find! I Stopped in for a quick bite while I was early for my Kaiser appointment. Had a great beef pho, But will definitely come back here when I'm in the area. The interior is much nicer than you might think by looking at the outside. They serve beer and wine and have a quaint little dining area. The service was fantastic and I definitely recommend this dish!

Jasmine Lu

The food was impressive. The portion was very large with reasonable price. The broth was good, and the ingredients inside were a lot. The vegetables provided were a lot too! The service was good too.

M O

Updates 4/2024
They have updated their menu to more simple refined offerings. They have raised their price again, so disregard the previous menu I’ve posted. Overall, price increase is about 30% from the previous menu prices. It’s not worth it, consumers need to be keen to these constant increases. Not recommended.

Pho restaurant nearby CSU San Marcos conveniently located near the freeway. An average Pho noodle for an above average price (price has gone up). Service is decent, seems like their to-go orders are taking away more time and service from dinning in customers. Middle of the road dinning experience, there are better Pho places even in the North County.
2.4/5 ⭐️

Carl O'Neil

Google has Chef's Pho as a one $. I would say it's more like $$ bordering on $$$. Having said that, it is a classy resturant, great to take a date. Quality food in a trendy and classy environment.
I love Vietnamese food, been to Vietnam and have a buddy who owns a Vietnamese resturant.. Chef's Pho is legit, maybe too legit I was happy to order the Chef Special Spicy soup (Bun Bo Hue?) North Vietnamese Pho with a beef broth and more spices than traditional Pho. It was full of goodies (cooked pigs blood, sliced chicken meatballs, intestine, pork belly?, serloin, others?) it also came with a side sauce made from innards? I adjusted a couple of the options to my taste, added lots of Jalapeños and condiments from the table, all super clean and tasty, to create the perfect broth. It was excellent, it was real, I'm sad to say it may be too real for American tastes.
The Banh Mi was perfect, we ordered the grilled pork. Bread was excellent, slight crunch on the outside, soft inside.
Grilled meat and rice dishes were all great. Dipping sauce needed a little more ricevinigar and sugar. Shrimp came peeled and easy to eat, we appreciated that.
The owner is on-site, working hard to train staff and make everything perfect. Nice to see and I hope his hard work pay off.
Resturant and condiments are kept very clean. All parking spots in front of restaurant are handicapped? You will need to park off to the side a little.
Opens at 10am!!! I love that, sleep in or workout, skip breakfast and eat an early lunch before hitting the beach or pool.