Pho Element

So glad we tried this place since it's now my favorite Pho restaurant. Great distinct flavors with chicken, beef and curry. Also enjoyed the fried tofu and imperial roll appetizers. Have gone back 4 times now and they consistently deliver. Very friendly service.

Stop what you’re doing and go get a short rib vermicelli noodle bowl from here. Seriously it blew our minds how good it was!!

My husband got the short rib vermicelli noodle bowl and I got the bbq pork vermicelli noodle bowl. Both were great, but the short rib especially so!

We will definitely come again!

Cozy Pho shop in San Mateo. They're very friendly and quick to respond. We ordered a vegetarian pho and a curry chicken pho and modified it to be without chicken and just tofu. It's a brilliant flavorful item and 10/10 would recommend it .
The veggie rolls with the peanut sauce are an out of this world option for appetizer!
Also such massive portion sizes. Definitely go in hungry or you're gonna be packing food to-go !

Really good. The chicken pho and hainan chicken were both excellent.

We came here several times because their Pho is amazing.
To be honest, my bias is beef pho, but I hate to admit that Chicken Pho that is served in this place is way better. I tried the broth of both types and Chicken pho is amazing.
Also, this restaurant’s Pho is the Northern Pho because they don’t serve basils and bean sprouts as a free side. If you ask for it, bean sprouts can also be served with extra charges.
The BBQ grilled pork with vermicelli was also very good. And, I just love love their Sweet Tofu with Coconut slush the best. Just the right amount of sweetness for me.
The restaurant was big, but they’re always packed with many people, especially during meal time.
The staff was very nice and friendly, but sometimes I felt like they’re kind of understaffed.

I am always impressed when the waiter is able to enthusiastically make a recommendation when I ask for one. Excellent pho with rare steak.

Simple local spot for pho and tea. Party of 8 seated immediately ~ I loved their version of egg rolls and my order of satay beef pho. It was just the right amount of spice and really hit the spot on a winter night. Service was great and quick. Street parking can be a little tough but not impossible.

Every food we ordered was so delicious and authentic. Especially the grilled chicken and Pho were very good than expected.

Honestly so impressed with our entire dining experience here! The food was fresh and delicious with perfect textures and dimensions, the house made hot oil was awesome, the service was friendly, helpful, and quick, and the atmosphere was nice - low lighting, pretty wood accents, and not overly noisy. Do yourself a favor and try the Shanghai butter tofu appetizer. We will be back!

The food is way above what you get from other places. Not sure who the chef is but my compliments. Excellent food

Great food! Highly recommend their rolls. Superb service! Very nice atmosphere.

Solid Pho. The rare meat had great texture and flavor! The pho didn’t come with bean sprouts, though, which was disappointing because I wanted some vegetables.

All in all, positive experience and would go again

Update 2023: intense pleasure I experienced here made me suspect that maybe drugs were in my food lol
How can it be so delicious from just food?

Wifey laughed, but I'm seriously not sure because of how tasty it was - like a kind of foodgasm that I've never experienced in my life despite travelling in South East Asia for months and eating some seriously delicious food there. But then this? In San Mateo? Best food in the world 🌎. No kidding.

Pho Beef ball soup 🍲 and 5 spice vermicelli chicken 🍗 were amazing!

They were open on Thanksgiving, thank goodness. Had the curry pho and it was amazing. Soft fresh rice noodles, really flavoursome broth, lots of dark chicken meat. Thank you for the good food. The photo doesn't do it justice. I've been here before and it's the best pho on the Peninsula.

It wasn't crowded at all when I came, but if you are COVID conscious, this place doesn't have outdoor seating (there is no space for it).

The imperial rolls here are wrapped in some kind of rice wrap before being deep fried giving them a really nice chewy texture. I've never had imperial rolls like it anywhere else. So good.

What I usually order at Vietnamese places is the pork rice noodle dish that comes with a crispy imperial roll and ask for rice instead of noodles. This way I get all the veggies from the noodle dish (usually crunchy bean sprouts, shredded lettuce, and pickled daikon and carrot). Some places don't give you veggies with the rice dishes or if they do it is only a little. The pork here is really tasty, especially over rice with a ton of fish sauce poured on top!

I also tried the sweet tofu with coconut slush and it was delicious. Very delicate sweetness, nice silken tofu, and a yummy fresh young coconut flavor.

I have only ever gotten takeout from here via UberEATS and the rice dishes travel really well. Good option for takeout.

By far the best pho I’ve ever had. Ordered #23 and the broth was rich. The noodles are hand-made in-house and there was a noticeable difference in texture. The beef was also incredibly tender. Bonus points for the charismatic manager who looked after us during our meal!

Okay. This place is not your average Vietnamese Pho place. It definitely mixes a healthy bit of Chinese, whether it is a fusion or influence, that is yet to be seen. I'm thinking Chinese-Vietnamese immigrant roots.

Either way, the food is fabulous. Authentic flavors representing both countries are evident. The noodles are "flat" pho noodles, typically pulled fresh rather than those sold in dried packets. It's rare to experience these noodles in the Bay Area. There are many pho joints but VERY FEW pull noodles fresh. The result is almost a silky smooth, no need to even chew, style of noodles in hearty broth.

I had the Curry Pho. Again, a unique experience where the curry flavors are derived from both Vietnamese and Chinese roots, but the noodle texture just perfects the entire bite you put in your mouth. The manager recommended this fried tofu which also was really interesting. Very hearty and savory and almost a home-style bend to it.

It is unfortunate that this restaurant is not in a more accessible location. It's right up on El Camino and no where to park. But that won't stop us from coming here again. 5 stars!

I've heard a lot of good things about Pho Element, so I was excited to come here. It was recommended to try the ox tail noodle soup and chicken pho. The food came right when we ordered the meal, and the bowls were huge! I've never had ox tail pho, but the flavors were incredible. Also the ox tail near was so tender and juicy. The chicken pho's broth was delicious as well. The only problem with our meal was that the noodles were slightly overcooked, but hopefully it was just a one-time thing.

The food was delicious, came to the table quickly, and the staff were super helpful. The pork was grilled to perfection, the Thai tea was delicious, and the pho was flavorful and plentiful (even a small size portion is enough!) Will come again next time I have a stop in SFO.

Absolutely delicious a must visit if you love spicy food . I haven’t seen a server with so energy and interest for customer satisfaction specially in America.