Pho Y #1 (East San Jose)

food: 3/5
experience: 3.5/5
overall: 3/5

I had never tried pho before coming here. Okay maybe this one time in high school but I don't remember so it doesn't count. Anyway. I thought I'd burst my cherry here at possibly the most popular pho place in the greater San Jose area.

With just one menu item (plus meat) you would think they'd be a master at what they do. I was expecting a flavor explosion.

Despite being crowded, our food arrived in about five minutes. Not a good sign. It didn't exactly impress. Obviously they serve from a large pre-made batch which I'm sure saves a shit-ton of money and manpower, making the price cheap. But I got little more than what I ordered: broth, rice, noodles, and meat. The meat wasn't even that good. I got meatballs and they just taste like plain old factory-made sausage. They do give you a fairly large portion of, well, broth and noodles. Not so much the meat.

For the price it's not bad. I guess it's authentic? It just wasn't very good. For all the pho selections in this city I think I will pass on revisiting this one.