San Diego Pho Blog Hall of Laaame

Here is a short list of places we've been to once in the past two years and were so turned off by their pho that we don't plan on going there to review them again any time soon. That's not to say that some of them don't have other non-pho related redeeming qualities (see Pho Sao Bien, below).

Hi Thai on UCSD La Jolla campus: Some of their food is mediocre. Lots of it is bad. The pho is nearly inedible. We give this place 1 spoon out of 10 and that's being generous.

Lucky Pho: (9326 Mira Mesa Blvd) Went here with my friend, Hao, after reading rave reviews from Kirk's blog, Mmm-yoso!, which is normally spot on about all things regarding Asian food. However, this is the one time we were disappointed by one of his recommendations. The broth had no beef flavor whatsoever (was described by Hao as water with pepper in it). The vegetables were limp, and if I remember correctly, the pho came with lemons rather than limes. We were shocked at how disapointing and non-pho-like the whole experience was. However, we may give this place one more try because it receives such good reviews from a reputable source. Maybe that was just a bad day. We give this place a probationary 2 spoons out of 10.

Pho Sao Bien: (1958 Garnet in PB- conveniently located next door to the Pretty Kitty- nothing like a bikini wax and a spring roll)

The Pho here is probably good if you're a beginner but if you've every had authentic pho, you're bound to find Pho Sao Bien rather disheartening. However, their Bun (vermicelli noodles) are pretty decent, their Banh Mi tasty, very big and only $3.50, and their Spring Rolls are the best we've found yet in San Diego. However, this is a Pho Blog, not a Spring Roll Blog, so we give them 3 spoons out of 10.

Sadly, there are probably more of these to come. Stay tuned so you can steer clear.