Reviews for Pho Ca Dao Restaurant in Santee, CA
Holy WOW, they were BUSY tonight. Like insanely busy. Super shout out to everyone keeping their cool and doing their best with a... wild workload of sit down and to-go orders. Everything was delicious, as always. Worth the wait. Front counter staff were greatand someone they were calling Bo probably needs a raise and a vacation, he is a BEAST. What a hard worker. Love this placealways. Read more
One of our favorite Pho places when we lived in San Diego. We were visiting and had to stop in. They always are very quick.... Great service and even better pho! Read more
As a longtime patron of Pho Ca Dao Santee, I am disheartened to leave this review. I am giving 3 stars because our food was ... delicious, though my most recent experience was 2 at best. I will additionally note that I am part of a family in the foodindustry and aware of restaurant operations that influence this review. We were seated in an appropriate amount of time (within5-10min considering it was busy). Upon being seated at a booth up front by the new counter top, we were left for 25min waitingfor our order to be taken although 80% of tables were already enjoying their meals. We were about to leave get up and leave hadthe server not come over. In addition, no waters were offered until after our order was taken. There was only 1 individualtaking orders for what seemed to be the entire restaurant! Even though I counted at least 2 other employees who at variousmoments I caught not doing anything productive. Our order came out in a timely fashion once placed with our server. And tastedgreat per usual. When offered refills on waters my cup was only given 1/4 cup of a refill. Server did not come back to completethe refill. I did have to wave down a female employee to get our check and some to go boxes. I did not catch her name but wasalso a saving grace for our overall experience. Very nice, great costumer service. This individual also seemed to be manning theto go orders, which I noticed were busy as well. Overall, I am sad to see that since making improvements to the restaurant theservice has gone downhill. On other visits when it is not busy, service is equally lack luster. Read more
If you ever told yourself that one person could not make a difference, think again. We have been dining at Pho Ca Dao for... DECADES. We have popped in for a bowl of chicken pho after a mountain-bike ride on the nearby Stowe Trail. We have brought lotsand lots of friends to enjoy a nice dinner. We have eaten there on holidays. It's been very special. The food is wonderful. Ilove the pork chop with broken rice. But everything changed last week. We were hungry after enjoying the Santee summerconcert. Pho Ca Dao closes at 9PM. We entered the establishment at 8:40 PM. An employee we had encountered a week or so ago said"We're closed!" This guy had been extremely grumpy and resentful when he waited on us last week. We thought maybe he was havinga bad day. No. He's just someone who should not be a service employee. His "bad day" continued as the manager said we couldcome in. So we came in, sat down, ordered fast, as it was evident that the staff wanted to finish their day. I ordered athree-bean drink to go. The surly server stood off to the side of our table bussing other tables and banging dishes andutensils into a container on his cart. It was extremely uncomfortable for everybody there to enjoy a meal. My three-bean drinknever arrived. When I asked about it, a female server wearing a mask rolled her eyes at me. No customer should ever have tofeel bad about spending money in an establishment. And I said this very thing to the manager as we paid and left. Knowing thatafter MANY years of dining there and bringing MANY friends, that would be the last time we would step foot in there, justbecause of that one guy who could not contain his anger at us, some of the people who provide $$ to pay his paycheck. Pho CaDao, what I would say to you now is that if you are so hellbent on leaving before closing hour of 9PM, then make your closinghour 8:30PM. As I left, I warned the manager that I would be writing this review. The idea that resentful employees might Read more
Used to be a great spot. Food is always good. Service sucks. Last two times I?ve been there they have been rude. Asked for more... sprouts (I always ask) for my soup. Didn?t show up so asked again. Took at least 5 min fir them to bring it. Looked like he wasupset that I asked. And def upset when he brought it. The rolls I ordered never showed up. I told him I never got them. He stilldidn?t bring them. But they were on the bill. So had ti get somebody ti translate we never received them. I?m not going back.I?ll find another spot Read more
I loved this place! Pho broth is amazing with great flavor! They PACK noodles in your pho and add a really good amount of meat... too which is awesome. I've been noticing a lot of pho restaurants are limiting their meat and noodle intake per bowl and pricesare going up. Not this place! Plenty of noodles and meat in a regular bowl! ???? Also they have a cute little robot guy whobrings your food on trays. Servers were all kind and friendly as well. Definitely coming back. Read more
Time to update my review. Wow! We went today remembering how good the food was and it sure wasn't the case! They must have new... owners because instead of getting seated we got dirty looks from the staff as if we were supposed to know what to do after wefirst walked in. It was really awkward, even my daughter was uncomfortable. When we got our bowls there was no space for thenoodles to expand since they changed the type/size of the bowl; let alone have any juice and only 2 pieces of meat. It had noflavor, as if it was only oiled noodle juice. During our lunch not two words were said to us, not hello or goodbye. They justseated us and I even had to hunt down the waiter to give us our check. I found him outside of the restaurant, sitting on thecement bench counting his tips. All I can say is we won't be back. A Little Spot In Santee This place is right on the cornerof a small strip mall. It gives good portion sizes, and extremely quick and good food service. We've become regulars. Theparking can be a little troublesome, because it's in a small strip mall. But, otherwise, don't hesitate to try a meal. Read more
I love this place. The food is fantastic and never disappoints. Recently I ordered takeout that took almost an hour to receive.... I am still unsure as to why, the restaurant wasn?t full and customers dining in were receiving their orders with no issues. Iwatched multiple grub hub drivers have to cancel their ordered because their pickups were not ready after 30 minutes. Others whohad placed takeout orders ended up canceling theirs as well due to the wait time. Incredibly disappointing and lack ofcommunication made the experience very frustrating as they wouldn?t give me updates on time. I don?t mind waiting but I like toknow how long it?ll be. Read more