Pho Cong Ly

Ever since the first time i came here, this place has made me want to come back to try all their selections. For a vietnamese noodle place, they have many different variety of foods that are not so traditional or fusion with their own taste. I have to say hands down one of the better quality phở places in san jose.
Best thing about them is that they use quality meats and most importantly no msg!
Would definitely recommend this place!

They have the best beef broth i’ve had. Very flavorful but not overwhelming. Also priced very good. Huge portions and the best broth I’ve had as well as good spring rolls.

First time here yesterday and I loved the bun rieu #19! For under $ 9, I got a huge bowl that satisfied my cravings. My friend and I also ordered the fresh spring rolls and got a side of garlic fries. The fries and the rolls were so fresh.
Overall, you definitely get your money’s worth here and the food is just amazingly delicious. Service was good, and the place was clean. Can’t ask for more!

TIPS: If you want to have the opportunity to experience the delicious broth come After 11:00 am, better yet after 12:00 pm is the play. Otherwise you’re rolling the PHO Dice:
Since Posting original review I have returned and found the following:
Inconsistent — came first thing in the morning (typical breakfast Phở spot is Phở Y 1). The broth was very light in color and salty, a huge difference from just a few days ago and a 3.5 outta 10.
I asked what seemed to be the highest ranked person there if the Broth settles later in the day hence a darker broth. He said yes.
So, essentially they kicked a bowl out to me this morning that was totally different than my mid morning visit this past Saturday. Also, they only provided 1 lime.
I followed John D.‘s advise and ordered Fresh noodle but found out you need to say THICK. Derek S. advice of rare steak on the side is SOLID. The oxtail this time around was as expected, really good
Still 3 Stars.
Saturday’s Experience Below:
Gourmet Phở (Large) — didn’t request fresh noodles as I forgot I came here for lunch a while back. So, needed a refresher course.
Noodles: A S*** Ton. Too many and too bundled up. The bowl was in shambles due to the fact of the noodles. As much as I wanna go 4 for broth alone its a 3 stars for now.
Broth:
⁸⁄₁₀ — Very, very good. Drarker in color with a little fat still floating on top for flavor. Yesterday’s flavor of the broth put this place pretty close to Phở Y 1 in SJ.
Cuts:
Filet Mignon tender — no surprise here and definitely a better cut than the popular Saigon on 5^th (San Diego).
Oxtail — fatty and not in a yummy cartilage suck off the bone kinda way. Actually, some of the poorest quality oxtail I’ve had.
Beef Tongue — thin sliced and easy to maneuver when preparing a bite. Most pleasant phở with tongue I’ve experienced was in HCMC /​Saigon. 1 block from Ben Thành Market at an afternoon pop up cart that sells Tounge and Tendon phở — Amazing.
During my time in Saigon ate at the original Phở Pasteur as well.
Greens: As expected, clean and fresh. Healthy serving of Jalepeno and a couple limes was a pleasant surprise.
Vietnamese Coffee — light, watered down — WAF. Think it went right through me as thier toilet facility will never be the same since I left.
Overall, as Sushi is all about the RICE — Phở is all about the Broth. If the other pieces fall into place then you have yourself an awesome bowl.
Given the fact Phở was created based on French influence during the time the French tried to colonize until HCM kicked them out. A bowl of phở in Paris is one of the biggest conquests a fan of phở — North or South can have. As well as most Delicious.
Most Memorable Bowls of Phở:
Northern Style:
* Hanoi, Vietnam Mom n Pop spot not on TA and Unilocal was behind the 8Ball — not even exposure.
French Style:
The Really good bowls of Phở in Paris are a combination of North and South. Its All about the Small Red Peppers… FIRE.
*Phở Tai Overall.
*Tain Song-​Heng Overall.
Southern Style:
*HCMC /​Saigon Street beef tendon and tounge at a pop up cart AKA Street phở. Sitting on those tiny chairs… lol.
*Phở Y 1 Broth and overall bowl.
*Phở Cong Ly Broth beef style.
*Phở 79 in Garden Grove — OC.

I am thinking about how ridiculous I am going to sound when I write this. This place is great because their food is quality and they accept card! I almost rated it four stars because it wasn’t grimy enough. I went here in its grand opening days and it was still yummy. However it isn’t my first go-​to phở spot. Not sure why.

Best Phở spot in San Jose! Staff are extremely friendly and welcoming, service is quick and easy, & a large #1 Phở is very flavorful. The prices are reasonable for a lot of meat and noodles. Happy hour is from 3−5pm and they deduct 15% off your entire bill! Plus, they have a free parking lot!

Came for lunch today. Bun is my choice. With grilled pork, egg-​rolls and bbq shrimp. Also known as #21. The place is clean and the service is snappy. They still have the Red tablecloths albeit with lexan plastic on top. Still a nice touch. The chairs are wooden and a rich red color. There are pictures of Paris and Venice on the walls. A fish tank with what looks like saltwater fish. My meal looks great.

Came by for lunch the other day and it was decent. Phở Cong Ly now has 2 private parking lots in addition to street parking.
Plenty of seating was available upon arrival. There was rap music playing on the speakers which I thought was odd?!?
Started off with the #2 with fresh noodles and rare steak on the side. The broth was good, and super flavorful after dipping in the raw rare steak into the broth. The side of rare steak was served over a small bowl of broth (+$ 1 surcharge). Fresh noodles were delicious although there was only a small handful and also had a $ 0.5 surcharge. The rest of the meats were tender.
Managed to get a half order of egg rolls which consisted of 3 instead of 4 rolls for $ 4.99. The egg rolls were okay…
Service was friendly by the staff and they accept credit cards although they prefer cash.
Happy Hour is 3 — 5 pm where it’s 15% off.

They have an interesting «gourmet» phở. It has beef tongue which I rarely, if ever, see at any phở joint. I enjoy eating beef tongue so it was a welcome addition to my bowl. The bowl also had ox tail, and filet mignon as their «tai» beef. Tendor and tasty. The broth was a bit on the salty side and the meat to noodle ratio was skewed too much to the noodle side.
They have their own parking lot, which is a premium in DTSJ. I would try it again.

Fellow Unilocaler Stan L recently told me about this Vietnamese restaurant, so the four of us decided to stop by during their happy hour in the late afternoon. They are centrally located and nearby campus, and offers free parking in addition to 15% off on the entire bill between 3−5pm (except holidays). The horizontal interior appeared sizable, well lit, and good for groups and casual dining. There were two TVs and plenty of seating spreading across the floor. The ambiance was subdued, as there were only two other tables occupied in this large restaurant.
The Phở Gourmet ($ 9.95/Large) included oxtail, beef shank, beef tongue, and filet mignon served on the side. The broth was rich, complex, and not too oily. There was a generous amount of rice noodles that came with excellent texture and not overcooked. The oxtail was boney, but there was plenty of marbled beef shank, filet mignon, and thinly sliced beef tongues from beginning to end. It was as good as it gets.
The Com Tam Thit Nuong ($ 9.95) came with grilled pork, broken rice, pickled veggies, and dipping sauce. The grilled pork was moist, nicely charred and seasoned. The dipping sauce added the spicy dimension, and the pickled vegetables provided the sweet and vinegary finish. It was addictive.
The Cam Bo Luc Lac ($ 11.95) came with chunky shaking beef sautéed with mushrooms to medium. The flavors were refined, nicely marbled, and very tender. The good amount of beef was accompanied by tomato garlic rice, thick-​cut french fries, and pickled veggies. Hands down one of the best shaking beef dishes I have tasted so far.
Service was quick, efficient, professional, and personable. Too bad they no longer serve Veal Phở. My dining experience was highlighted by good quality meat, rich and flavorful broth, fantastic noodle textures, and more. I would be interested in coming back to try their Frog Legs, Hainan Chicken, and Bun Bo Hue.

If you’re looking for great phở, go here! They use delicious rare filet minion that cooks when it hits the phở, and they have all of the other things that typically go with the soup. The staff there is really friendly too. I was sitting alone waiting for my takeout order and a lady brought me a nice warm cup of jasmine green tea. I enjoyed everything that I ordered:
filet minion phở (#4)
strawberry smoothie
jasmine green tea
I’ll definitely be back again :)

My usual order consists of one or all of the below:
Chicken vermicelli — A+
Brisket phở with fresh noodles — A
Thai tea — A+
Shaking beef — B (a little too sweet for my taste, but big chunks of good quality beef)
Although the area surrounding the restaurant is a bit sketchy (some homeless people wandering around in the parking lot, but try to go a bit early and you’ll be fine), the food is great, and the service is impeccable.
One of my favorite Vietnamese restaurants in SJ.

I feel like Phở Cong Ly is the reason why some phở places have 3 stars when they really should have 4, and why some places have 4 but really … don’t deserve it.
They just don’t really provide much consistency across the board in both service and food quality. The last time I went, there was just a load of noodles in my dish. Although some might argue this is technically more food … but I really ordered a small because I wanted … small and I wanted more flavor with my small, not just a boatload of noodles.
I wasn’t super impressed with the broth, and the meats in my soup were very sparse, almost like an afterthought. Not the best IMO for DTSJ.

I’ve been to a few phở places in the area like Phở Hoa, Phở Kim Long, Phở Wagon, Beef Noodle #1, Phở Anh, Com Tam Thien and Phở Cong Ly stands out for offering more than just good phở.
By far, they have the best customer service I have ever received at any phở place. They are always nice and are super attentive. We never have to ask for more water. They come by when we are half way done to ask if we’d like more. They are also really nice if you happen to get a wrong order or think they missed something. It is clear that they have high interests in keeping you happy. If you’ve been to any Phở places on the east side, you know this is rare.
The Phở– Out of the 10 times I have been here, their broth has been unsatisfactory only once. For me, broth is really what can determine if the phở is good. And Phở Cong Ly has some tasty broth. This is something you are always on the look out for in a phở place as the broth can vary from day to day. We always take a break if the broth is not up to par and come back. They offer 3 sizes which is nice as most only offer smalls and larges. Their steak is also the freshest I have seen. It is not that odd frozen beef you get at Phở Kim Long. It break apart very easily but is still not very fatty which I really like since I dislike large chunks of fat.
Parking– They have a large dirt lot for their restaurant in downtown. This is a huge plus as you’ll never struggle for parking. Its a large lot. Big enough to hold at least 25 cars. I’ve never seen more than 5 cars parked
Setting– Lots of seating available. Free Wifi and two flatscreens that normally play sports. Fairly clean bathrooms that are always fully stocked.
Lastly, they offer a happy hour deal from 3−6pm Mon-​Thur. 15% off your entire order.
They close at 9pm some nights but I have seen them take late comers in no problem. They are really nice here

Best Phở everrrrrr
Served within minutes of ordering, and always served with a plate heaped with sprouts, basil, lime and sliced jalapeños. I always order #1 but the variety of Phở is endless. Delicious, fresh and smoking hot

Delicious to say the least. My favorite phở to make at home is oxtail & theirs is almost perfect. I only received 1 piece of oxtail in my oxtail phở. I had to order another bowl of oxtail on the side for $ 3.50 so that kicks my price up to $ 13.50 for 1 large bowl along with $ 1 for Tai Rieng. $ 14.50 before T&T… I would recommend Phở Tau Bo on Alum Rock which sell the same size bowl w fresh noodles for $ 10, but this place is definitely worth coming to.
Giving it 4 stars due to the higher price of the Phở, but the quality makes up for the rest! Hope they stick around!

Came in a very busy time. Luckily, this restaurant has ample parking; street or their own parking on the side.
We were greeted with a line in which we waited for about 15 minutes until we were seated.
I ordered the #10 brisket and waited another 20 minutes for my order to come through our table. I got the small because I know phở servings are huge!
I would say my phở was authentic and tasted like it was made from a Vietnamese home. I’ve tried a lot of other phở before and this was a bit above average taste-​wise.
We waited about 10 minutes to get our check and I appreciated the employee who asked for feedback about their service and apologized about it being slow.
Would I come back? Yes, knowing that there’s happy hour! Would I recommend this to a friend? Yeah I would.

If the restaurant improved in several areas it would warrant three stars or perhaps four, but not for my experience when I dined here.
The culprits for the low rating? First, bad service before getting to taste the food will sour the experience. My Phở order was not taken down correctly, so when the Phở came to the table it had to be sent back. The server was not paying attention.
As if the service could be worse — the server forgot to take down my appetizer order. That order never came, it did not show up on the bill. I chose not to press and let it be. Ultimately because the server was not paying attention when I placed the order, I did not get what I wanted, and the restaurant lost some revenue it otherwise would have had, if the server as all ears instead of daydreaming.
The final nail in the coffin was the Phở’s soup base — it was unexciting, watered down, under seasoned, and bland. Which is such a shame because the fresh noodles were cooked right, and the beef was tender and higher quality grade than most other phở places.
Maybe the stars were misaligned for my visit — bad service and so-​so food — as I had heard good things about this place, which prompted me to try when I was in the area.

I tried this restaurant b/​c of its great Unilocal reviews but I was DISAPPOINTED! My party of 2 ordered the two most popular reviewed items on the menu — Phở Gourmet and Bun Rieu with Crab & Shrimp Soup. The biggest downfall was the soup base — I could see that it had the POTENTIAL but it was not all the way THERE yet! It was lacking boldness, complexity and richness. For me, the soup base makes or breaks a bowl of phở. And for both the Phở Gourmet and Bun Rieu, the soup was not flavorful enough. The oxtail in the Phở gourmet was a little dry. The filet mignon and beef tongue were both good. The crab/​shrimp balls and the shrimp in the Bun Rieu were mediocre (and not at all the gigantic size that some reviews said).
Not that I expected 4-​star service, but there were also mistakes with the orders. I ordered the deep-​fried soft-​shell crab but it never arrived (after tasting the phở, I decided to minimize damage to my wallet and did not request it again and it never showed up on the bill). I also ordered the Phở Gourmet with no onion and cilantro but it came with them but at least they quickly changed it out. I guess I will continue my quest of seeking out good phở places in the Bay Area.

I really enjoy the phở here. The service is good and fast. There is free wifi. What could be better? I hardly see a phở place that offers Small, Medium, and Large these days. It is really refreshing to see. The small is plentiful enough for me, don’t judge by the size of the bowl. It is very hearty and filling.
The Phở Tai is a must try especially with the Tai on the side. It comes with a small bowl of hot broth for you to dunk in (like hot pot). The meat is tender and soft. It melts in your mouth. Amazing! (I hate chewy meat) I added extra meat balls and they were perfect. They were soft and smooth. Also very flavorful.
Overall: I would try to come back here as often as I can, but it is a bit out of my way. However, I am excited to try the other items on the menu next time I am back.