Top Noodle Shop in El Cajon
Pho Superbowl
382 N 2nd St, El Cajon, CA 92021, United States
Im writing this review with a heavy heart after a recent visit to Pho Super Bowl, a place I used to enjoy. Unfortunately, my latest experience has left me upset and determined not to return.My order was simple: a rice dinner which traditionally comes with white rice. By mistake, I ordered extra fried rice on the side, not realizing my main dish would automatically come with white rice. Upon noticing the error, I attempted to correct my order, but the response from the staff, particularly a young man handling my order, was far from understanding or accommodating.Despite my efforts to explain the mix-up, I was met with dismissiveness and refusal to correct the mistake or issue a refund for the extra rice I paid for but did not receive as intended. The situation escalated unnecessarily, leaving me embarrassed in front of other customers. The interaction lacked any semblance of customer service, empathy, or willingness to listen, which is disappointing from any establishment, let alone one I frequented.I asked for a receipt to clarify my order, only to face further condescension. The incident not only ruined my meal but also my day, leading to tears of frustration over being treated so poorly. All I wanted was the rice corrected - a simple request that was met with resistance and rudeness.This experience has shown me that loyalty and understanding are not values held by Pho Super Bowl, contrary to what one would expect from a reputable restaurant. I hope this feedback serves as a wake-up call to improve customer service and communication. No customer should have to go through what I did for something as simple as an order correction.
Ph Ha
4717 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, CA 92115, United States
The definition of legit pho in San Diego. We recently discovered Pho Hoa after lets just say, were huge fans.When you walk in, you can definitely tell this establishment has been here for long time.No thrills. No BS. Straight up, I can already imagine that this place has been a local pho shop for many generations of clients. During the entire time of our meal, we saw multiple people walk in and out with boxes of take out orders. It was an insane consistent flow of clients. I couldnt help, but smile at this small local business thriving during this global pandemic.If youre new to pho, just get #1 or #2. If youre extra cautious, pho with beef balls is also a safe starter bowl as well.I ordered #2 and it was delicious. Very, very generous with toppings, meat and noodles. I had little to no complaints here, as each bite was insanely addicting. I couldnt help, but continue eating, spoonful and after spoonful. Pure authentic broth.Yes, the area is outside your usual San Diego neighborhood. Yes, it is a bit rough. And hey, the place isnt glamorous either. But if youre looking for some legit, authentic pho, I definitely recommend checking out Pho Hoa. Ill be back for sure!
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Thanh Tinh Chay Restaurant
4591 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, CA 92115, United States
My wife and I went stopped by to have lunch at Thanh Tinh Chay the other day and we really enjoyed ourselves. We hadn't had the chance to dine here in over a year as we've really just started going out to eat again and we're already talking about when we'll go back. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by the friendly staff and our server, Trang. Trang informed us that all of the food was 100% organic and 100% vegan. Now, my wife and I are not vegan but we really appreciate delicious vegan food. At Thanh Tinh Chay they have the flavors figured out.We ordered the Lotus Salad to share and I ordered the vegan version of Bún bò Huế. I was pleasantly surprised with the balance of savory, slight salty, slightly sweet broth. The tofu ingredients acting as “meat” have nice textures and really bring the dish together when eaten with the fresh veggies that are served on the side. The lotus salad was probably my favorite. It's a dish that I love to order out because it's a lot of work to make it at home so when it's made well, it's so worth it. It was such a nice burst of flavor and each bite was so crunchy. I love spicy and every once in a while, you get a small bite of thai chili that gives you just the kick you're looking for…my mouth is watering just talking about it. A definite must try! Plus, it's served with vegan fish sauce, made fresh in house. I don't know how they do it but I was very impressed with the similarity in flavor to a non vegan fish sauce.When we were done, Trang served us some complimentary house made vegan desserts. My favorite was the Vietnamese chè made with mung bean and coconut milk. What was great about it was that I love dessert but I don't like when they're too sweet and this was just right. I could seriously eat it everyday! So delicious.If you haven't already, give Than Tinh Chay a try! You won't be disappointed. Trang informed us that all of the food is made fresh every day. They don't make food in advance and freeze…they just make what they believe they will need for the day. I really admire their commitment to serving the best to their customers. I can tell that they deeply care about the quality of their food, service and presentation of their dining area.
Crafted Greens
745 Jamacha Road, El Cajon, CA 92019, United States
My friends and I decided to check this place out for lunch on a weekday. It was busy but there was enough seating inside and outside on their front patio for everyone.You order at the counter and they bring the food out to you. The owner (or manager) saw us looking a bit lost at their menu and came right over to help. Everything looks so good so it was hard to decide. He was awesome and gave us a quick walk thru their menu with his favorites.The food order came to the table pretty quickly after we ordered. We opted to sit outside since it wasnt as noisy and to enjoy the beautiful weather.The owner came by with a complimentary plate of their cilantro hummus, tabbouleh, a roasted beets side, and their house potato chips. We each ordered different salads with added protein (seared Ahi, Tuscan salmon, and Grass feed steaks). Their iced tea, carrot orange juice refreshers, and giant cookies were good too. Everything was delicious!One of our orders had an issue and it was taken care of promptly. We are checked on often for refills.We will definitely come back! Especially after seeing the delicious looking wagu burgers being dropped off at the table next to ours. Lol! We will have to try that next time.
The Consignment Shack
7835 El Cajon Blvd, La Mesa, CA 91942, United States
I have purchased a lot of really nice stuff from them. Kelly has always been nice and helpful. When it was time for us to move, she allows us to consign items we had purchased from her, as well as other nice places in her shop. So far some of the items sold, and were thankful for her help. Also a first stop when I'm looking for different . Every home should have a personal touch, the consignment shop makes that possible.
Antonellis Deli
1354 Magnolia Ave, El Cajon, CA 92020, United States
Update 3/8/24:Decided to try their BLT again after over a year since my last visit. They should call it a lettuce sandwich. I ordered extra bacon — which cost $4 — and look at the photo of what I got. I guess the joke's on me for wanting to give them another try. And the staff STILL look like they don't want to work here. Don't waste your money here. Freaking rip off.Original review from 2022:Ive only tried the double-decker BLT and its decent, but theyre really stingy with the bacon. There was more lettuce than bacon. When I ordered today I even asked for DOUBLE bacon, and there was still hardly any bacon. This is ridiculous to me, especially since I was charged for double bacon. The girl who took my order over the phone and helped me when I picked up my order wasnt very friendly at all and did not look like she wanted to be there. At least what bacon there was, wasnt overly crispy and tasted good. The potato salad is good, and so is the squaw bread. If they were friendlier and werent so stingy with the bacon, Id probably give them 5 stars. But if I order a double-decker BLT and its mostly bread and lettuce, theres a problem.
Lucky Sanh Flavors of Cambodia
6334 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, CA 92115, United States
If youre in the mood for authentic Cambodian food, please check out Lucky Sanh. Similar to a few other fellow Yelpers, Ive been craving Khmer food in San Diego. Unfortunately, there arent many around.But then enters Lucky Sanh, a brand new shop that recently opened at the Aztec Food Hub, who is making a strong entrance to the San Diego market.As a Cambodian, I was super excited and knew I had to check this place out.Tonight, I ordered the following:· Aztec Noodles: Solid. No complaints. Simple, yet authentic. The magic here is mixing together all the ingredients - sweet soy sauce noodles, diced peanuts, noodles and fish sauce - together. This reminded me of my childhood where my grandparents would whip this up in less than 20 minutes. This hit home for me as this was one of my all-time childhood favorites. Pro-tip: Add Hoisin and Sriracha sauce. You wont regret it!· Beef Sticks: Flavorful with each and every bite. You can legit taste and smell the lemongrass. Youre definitely getting some lean meat here. Personally, I prefer fattier meats with charred tips, but thats just my personal preference.· Ginger Fish: Wow! If you grew up in a Cambodian house hold, you know that the best Khmer dishes are smothered in ginger. Lucky Sanh did just that, and then some! I was a huge fan here. My one feedback is that the kroeung - or sauce - was a tad bit salty and could have been scaled down.Feedback: I would suggesting adding more vegetables to the dishes, which can help balance out the strong flavors typical in Khmer cuisine. For example, I was hoping to get a bit more vegetables i.e. beansprouts or cabbage with the Aztec Noodles. I would have been okay with less noodles, in this instance. The additional vegetables would have also helped balanced out the Ginger Fish too, which may have been extra salty from the salted fermented soy beans.Overall, this business gets my stamp of approval. I will be frequenting Lucky Sanh a lot. Im excited to try out the other dishes - especially the Somlar Machu, another childhood favorite and the Prahok Ktiss. I imagine theyre going to continuing upgrade their menu, as the shop takes off.I have incredibly high hopes for yall, Lucky Sanh!
Kahoots
2895 Jamacha Road, El Cajon, CA 92019, United States
The store has a decent selection and very friendly staff. They do not, however, carry the brand of cat food that I feed my feline overlord. So he has forbidden me from shopping there for food. They do not carry the Science Diet brand of cat or dog food. They also do not sell the squeezable cat food treats, like Churu or Delectables, which the overlord loves. So for food, I shop elsewhere. The only reason why my feline overlord hasnt ordered me to destroy the store entirely is because they do carry his brand of Petsafe crystal litter. Thank goodness because I cant get in trouble with the police again.They did recommend organic cat food to us, which is a product of Kahoots, I believe. I tried to feed him this, but it did not give the overlord nutrient satisfaction, as it induced involuntary emmesis (vomit). Try at your own risk. The overlord almost murdered me, accusing me of poisoning him. Luckily, I had several Churus on hand to assuage his anger.DISCLAIMER: The overlord and mentions of destroy the store or trouble with the police or poisoning or murder are satirical in nature and only intended to be of comedic value. I have not been in trouble with the police ever, and I do not believe my cat to be an overlord, and I have never destroyed a store, poisoned or murdered any living creature protected by Peta. But, if you own a cat, you know what that means. ?
The Purple Mint Vegan Bistro
4616 El Cajon Blvd suite 3, San Diego, CA 92115, United States
I was super excited to try this place out and I really appreciate the options they offer. It is cool to see a vegan Asian food place as I dont see these often. I looked into the place a lot before going and was excited that they have a men online as well as pictures/reviews of their food. The food was good but I was very disappointed by the service at the restaurant. We called in a pick up order and they did not tell us the price over the phone. We should have prodded but the guy hung up very quickly. They also did not tell us that we would be up-charged for brown rice. When we got to the restaurant, I was surprised by the charge because the prices didnt match what I had seen on their website. They told me that their prices had changed quite a while ago (so why not update the website quite a while ago?!) and that brown rice was an additional charge which is in the menu and online. I have searched online extensively and have not found anywhere that they add a charge for brown rice. This would have been totally fine with me if they had mentioned it but this in addition to ALL of their prices being wrong online is quite frustrating. I would have changed my order had I known that the prices online were incorrect. They were very dismissive in the restaurant and clearly not willing to admit any fault on behalf of the restaurant. I have reached out to the restaurant about this but have not heard anything back. I think others should know to be wary of this place and definitely check that you are being charged correctly.Update 8/28: no one has contacted me back from this restaurant regarding my experience and communication with the staff. Certainly wouldn't recommend going here when they can't bother to reply to customers who have been wronged.
Pomegranate
2312 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, CA 92104, United States
Had dinner at this Russian-Georgian restaurant, one of many we have been aching to try. Right out of the gate I knew this was going to be a memorable meal. The dumplings in the yogurt dill sauce were phenomenal. They could have put a mountain of them inside the bowl and we would have gladly eaten them. This was the second choice dish as we couldnt order the cheesy bread because of its size. Its meant to share between 4-6 people so we are gathering pepe to try this place with us. My wife ordered the Cornish hen that was fried to perfection. It was presented in a platter that they set on fire and I guess it was fairly accurate because that chicken was indeed fire. I ordered the leg of lamb and that too was one of the too three leg of lamb dishes Ive ever tasted. It was so rich and delicious. Both dishes were served with a side of rice, just a perfect side for both. The plum sauce on my dish was beyond words. I literally passed bread around the bowl to get the last drop. We finished with a layer honey cake and that too was superb. We order wine and a lemon drop pomegranate cocktail that was excellent. Total bill, including 20% gratuity, was $105. While it wasnt cheap, the food was far far better than other expensive places we have dined T previously. For a weekday, the place filled up quickly and by the time we left there was a short wait to be seated. I imagine its far more crowded weekends. Cant decide where to go? Put this place at the top of the list. It is absolutely a gem in the North Park neighborhood.