49 - Powderface Cafe - Oakland

3411 E 12th St, Oakland, CA 94620, (510) 536-3223

Last visit: July, 2010

(Image source: Yelp.com) This seems like a great place to have a cup of coffee and enjoy a pastry. Their beignets are really good and reading from what others have said, it's becoming a bit of a phenomenon for east Oakland. Order a set up and you get three made for you then and there, not pulled out of a Cost-co tray. These are really good, and the powder sugar makes a fool out of your face.

Let's be real, this place can charge $5 bucks for their delicate sugar triangles if they are transplanted to College Avenue or Emeryville's Bay Street, but it's in East Oakland and it doesn't seem to be moving. I really want to urge people to go out there try the cafe regardless of your fears of the area. The Cafe is located in a plaza and the clientele ranges from construction workers hurrying for a cup of coffee to kids studying for their school work. The store is new and built with clean counters and comfy chairs. To give it character, the owner(s) lined the walls with photos of past customers who have enjoyed a powdered face. That face can be yours, so please give them a shot!

46 - Arizmendi's Bakery - Oakland

3265 Lakeshore Ave, Oakland, CA 94610, (510) 268-8849

Last visit - February 2009

400 reviewers say this place is above par, and I have to agree. They make good tasting food that makes you feel better after. Going to get their cranberry muffins have become a Saturday ritual for me for awhile, and I don't plan on stopping. They have a great window counter for you to watch people and their pastries never disappoint. It's great seeing the passersby from Grandlake move about their business.

The last time I was there I tried their cornmeal muffin and blueberry muffin: both good, but not as great as the cranberry one still. Their pizzas are good even if you don't like veggie pizzas. I often go with a slice if I'm in a lunch mood. For some reason, pizza and coffee don't turn out too bad there. The place is employee owned? I'm not positive about that but I know that they are amazingly friendly. The evil inside me wants to see if I can get away with pilfering a muffin, but it's like attacking a mac computer with a virus - why? People will always love Arizmendi's and they don't need many words to justify it, great food from great people.

45 - Geta Sushi - Oakland

165 41st St., Oakland, CA 94611, (510) 653-4643

Last Visit: January 2010

(Image from Yelp.) This place can fit about six tables and a counter, but they do really well with customers out the door on most nights. I have to say the sushi is really good for this hole-in-a-wall place.

The wait is long because the sushi is actually on par with a lot of higher priced sushi places in the area. The staff is friendly, but they are usually too busy to help you in a bind. You're better off getting tea by yourself if you know what I mean. I've tried their rainbow, spicy tuna, and spider rolls and they all came out fine. Their best one are the blue fin tuna dish, which is quite expensive but it's worth the two pieces. I know, we're trying to stop the killing of blue fin tuna, but if only their evolutionary edge wasn't being delicious.

In addition, I've tried their chicken teriyaki, spicy chicken appetizer, and katsu curry rice. The spicy chicken is probably the best, and it's something of a house special. I've never seen it done that simply anywhere else. Watch out, it's a hot one!

Beer is served as well as take-out, so stop on by if you have a chance.

44 - Banh Mi Ba Le - Oakland

1909 International Blvd., Oakland, Ca. 94606, (510) 261 - 9800

I just can't give four stars to a little restaurant shop! It pains me to not do so though, because this place lives up to its hype.

This little shop for the frugal spender is a piece of heaven in east Oakland. They sell Vietnamese sandwiches and little snacks of all sorts. I've been there a couple of times now and every time more and more people seem to be there. They have about six small tables for people sit-ins, where they actually have pho' noodles as well as beef stew, but a majority of their operation runs on selling sandwiches to people on the go. Parking is getting more and more limited as more foodies have discovered this place. I mean, last time I went in, some guy ordered 18 sandwiches to go, so yeah, it might take awhile on bad days.

There are 10 primary sandwiches which you can order by number, but they have added six more unorthodox sandwiches to their menu. I mean, I don't necessarily want to have a sunny-side up egg sandwich or a grilled eel sandwich, but I'm glad I know where to get one now. They have blow-up pictures for all of them so you know what you're getting.

Lastly, I'll have to say that they brew a good cup of Vietnamese coffee. It's about $2.25 ($2.50 is the price of their sandwich, but with a $5 spot, you can get a nice meal). Definitely give this place a try if you're in the area or on a budget!

43 - Wazwan - Emeryville

5959 Shellmound Street, Suite 22, Emeryville, Ca. 94608, 510-655-3398

last visit: December of 2009

Wazwan's Website (which comes with a history lesson about Waza master chefs)

(Image from Yelp.com) This is one of my favorite places for fast food in the bay area. From when I was going to the Emery Bay theater in the 1990's until the emergence of the AMC theatre and Bay street, this little food stand stayed. It's outlived the Escapades Arcade and many of the other restaurants in there. I have a feeling it will be there for a very long time. It used to be cooked and served by Indians and now I see that they got enough money to hire workers of their own. They're always there and they always greet with a smile. Now they have a website and expanded to a catering business. The food is simply good and fast.

I'd have to say they do good Tandoori chicken and their spinach chicken curry is tasty as well. They have four or five different curries and I think I've tried them all. The Chicken Tikka Masala is awesome. They have good rice to go with it too, never too soggy so that it compliments the curry just right. Naan bread is provided with a small extra cost. I have like 20 different vendors to choose from when I'm going to the Emery Bay food court, but 9 out of 10 times I go back to Wazwan.

40 - Rang Dong Vietnamese Restaurant - Oakland

724 Webster St., Oakland, CA. 94607, (510)835 - 8375

(image from Yelp.com)

Placed on the outer edge of Chinatown is a pretty efficient pho noodle restaurant named Rang Dong. For the longest time it was known as "Vi's noodle shop", but after an interior make-over they renamed themselves. The place is clean and the service is fast. It's one of the few pho shops left in Chinatown. If you can imagine, people go to Chinatown to eat Chinese food, so to make a Vietnamese food place there would be a challenging feat. Yet, this place survives with its reliable service and hearty dishes.

They redid their menu recently, so the Pho Noodle soup with everything on it is no longer #1, but instead #11. How absurd is that right? Every store's #1 should be the big bowl of pho with everything on it: beef, tripe, flanks, beefballs, shredded pork, the whole shabang! But it's now #11. So don't fret, it's still there; and it's still good.

I've gotten the Pho Noodle eating ritual pretty much memorized. I suspect I can do it with my eyes closed if the bottles of condiments were identifiable by touch. First I grab a dish and pour in seafood sauce. Next I dab in the hot sauce, which is always Sri-Racha at these places. I give it a nice whirl then I put in some fresh lemon juice into my little platter. From there, I begin peeling off culantro leaves and gently sprinkling it in my soup. This is almost ritual, I don't even notice the difference in smell or taste. Lastly, I gather a couple chop stick grabs of raw bean sprouts and let it cook in the broth. It's rather simple, but I have heard of people mistaken the plate of garnishes as a salad for the soup, and eating it all. I hope this review will help first time pho noodle eaters avoid that kind of mistake.

Note: On summer days, I often get the Vermicelli noodles with imperial rolls and skewered pork. That's actually a really tasty meal. It goes good with Vietnamese drip coffee, but I have to admit it's amazingly strong there.

39 - Aunt Charlie's Lounge - San Francisco

133 Turk St., San Francisco, Ca. 94102, (415) 441 - 2922

Last visit - January 2006

Aunt Charlie's Lunge

Yes, these are a couple old reviews that I am porting here from a couple years ago. I guess this is a trip through memory lane. It will also start a 5 part series of bars.

(image from unknown source)

The moment you step into the bar, you see it all: the narrow walls, the fluffy cloud-like ceiling, the bar on your left, and old TV hanging on the ceiling. In other words, this bar is small! I think the maximum capacity is twenty.

I went on their dragqueen show night. It was dark and a small crowd of people were drinking by the back of the bar, staring at the curtain to a stage. From there on, drag queens came out in their full made-up appearances and started singing to their heart's delight. It was a loud and rather festive event. I was kind of awestruck because it was my first time at this kind of thing.

The bartender is a old bearded man with a long pony-tail. He serves super stiff drinks. I saw him do my cranberry-turkey, and he let the bottle run up to about three-fourth's full then splashed the top with a little cranberry: the result, a very strong drink. For $4.50, it's a steal.

I think the bar is made up of mostly regulars, but welcomes strangers. It is a bit away from downtown, so it might be difficult to find.

35 - Hello Desserts - San Jose

1698 Hostetter Road, San Jose, CA. 95131, (408) 453-5566

Last Visit: September of 2009

When one thinks of desserts in the United States we conjure up thoughts of cakes and ice-creams. But in most of Asia, the idea of desserts is a lot of puddings, jellies, and custards. My girlfriend likes the 3-colored drink with the red beans, coconuts, and green grass jelly. Fruits that come into mind are coconuts, mangoes, and lichees. It's a totally different world of sweets, but Hello Desserts has it all.

Hello Desserts was first discovered on our trip to the Boiling Crab a couple of months ago. It opens late and has a good egg custard dish that isn't easily done well. We went back here after our trip to Ramen Halu and tried the Japanese ice-cream parfait. It was a monster thing with six layers of sweets, ice-creams, and jellies. I thought it was OK. We also had both variations, cold and hot, of the egg custard, which was awesome still. Hello Desserts is a simple place for late night sweets and if I'm in the San Jose area, I'll definitely go in for something.

I noticed that the menu expanded to a lot of American desserts. So now you can get your chocolate cakes and tiramisu cakes there as well. A late night coffee would be good if you're going to be up for awhile. It seems to be a hot-spot in San Jose as a nice crowd was gathering in the seats outside.

33 - the Pretty Lady - Oakland

1733 Peralta St., Oakland, Ca.94607, (510) 832-1213

last visited - September 2009

"People on Yelp love us!" was the only piece of real advertisement we saw on the door. It was Saturday and me and my girlfriend were going to try a new diner for breakfast. This one I picked from scanning through Yelp: good food, reasonable prices, and homey hospitality were what they said. The only problem was the location.

Traveling through West Oakland was like going to a different city for me. For all the urban legends of crime and violence I had shut that area out of my mind in my search for food. The Pretty Lady is on Peralta Street, which was a couple streets away from everything. We parked beside a car repair shop and a side of a school. And now for the food itself.

One thing that you notice out of the ordinary about the Pretty Lady is that it's owned by some friendly Koreans. That's one thing that you don't see everyday - an American breakfast place with soy sauce on the counter. Well, that, and a customer came in wearing an African shroud with purple trims along with a Sacramento Kings hat. Amazingly, it worked well for him. The lady that works there is the server and only waiter for where I am concerned. We are greeted and given menus quickly. A quick glance at the decor reminds me of a bar I went to in Japan called "Redwood". A lot of pictures and keepsakes from the Texas west. I guess the pretty lady must have stemmed from the idea of a western Cowgirl.

We ordered a simple breakfast. I had two pancakes with ham and eggs while my girlfriend had the eggs, sausages, and toast. I had coffee and she had orange juice. Everything came out quickly and the dishes were typical diner food. My girlfriend did think the complimentary hash browns were a bit greasy, but I found it alright. Another Yelper complained about the same thing, but I tried it and didn't mind it so much. All in all, I found it a pleasant diner with small smiling crowd. I do think I'll be going back again, maybe for lunch to try their Salmon burgers.

Lastly, it's important to note that they only take cash, so please bring some.

30 - the Victorian Pub - San Leandro

15325 Washington Ave., San Leandro, CA 94579, (510) 614-7130

Last visited - November 2008

Most likely known to many as "the Vic", this San Leandro hole-in-the-wall bar is recognized as a homey place for its locals. Located right off of the Washington Ave exit across from the Walgreens, you'll find yourself wondering, "Why is there a bar here?", believe me I was befuddled the first time I seen it. This place is so hole-in-the-wall that I can't find a picture of it on Google. Well, not the first few pages at least. I was introduced to this bar by my co-workers at Peterson Tractor. They go on regularly and enjoy a couple of pitchers to ease the hard work week. Drinks are decently made, the beer isn't ridiculously priced, and there is a nice juke box with today's tunes.

I like places like these because it reminds me of the way "America" used to be. America with it's steel workers and brick-layers and all that blue-collar, work a "dollar-a-day" for an "honest man's wages" kind of deal. When I picture the Vic, I am reminded of the U2 song, "These are the hands that built America". Anyways, it's just a bar. They don't serve food neither. Walgreens can supply chips. Hell, the guys sometimes order pizza delivered there.

The Vic has limited seating, two pool tables, a dart board and a big TV. Last I heard they installed a couple of gaudy LCD's to guide the eyes of sports fans. They like to turn on to MMA and wrestling there, so if you're into that kind of stuff and around town, duck into the Vic and have a pint. I find myself having a good time the few times I been there. I think I should make another pilgrimage there myself.

29 - Frank's Saloon - San Leandro

2014 Marina Blvd, San Leandro, CA.94577, (510) 895-0140

Last visited - June, 2009

(image from citysearch.com) One of the things I grow fondly of is the amount of lesser known eateries around the Bay Area. If the East Bay restaurants were to be made into a Monopoly board many of the casual diners would be made to resemble Baltic and Mediterranean avenue. It's quite sad, but a lot of these places deserve a brief visit if one has the time.

Yesterday I went back to Frank's Saloon towards the Marina in San Leandro for some tacos. They do it pretty good there. These little soft shell tapas with spicy pork and chicken. It's definitely got a kick and the price is cheap. I think it's about $1.75 each, and you can get full off of four of these. They did a remodel to the kitchen so it's a bit cleaner. The people there usually buy the food to supplement their drinking and drinking games.

The bar is friendly and there are three TV's for the usual sports. I think the price of drinks is low, so you don't have to worry too much forking up the tab for a round. There are two pool tables and an electronic dart board. I played a sorry game of darts the last time I was there. I'm usually there for the tacos and beer. If you're headed to San Leandro and find yourself towards the Marina, I suggest you go in for a bite too.

21 - First Squeeze Cafe - Napa

1126 1st St, Napa, CA 94559, (707) 224-6762

Last Visited - December, 2008

This little juice bar saved our morning in Napa last week. I guess that's how things are at Napa downtown after Christmas, most places are closed (like a bear in winter). We were looking for a place to have breakfast and circled around for ten minutes. The streets were bare. There was an old bakery that we forgot the location for and a falafel place that opened on the edge of the street. Luckily we spotted First Squeeze Cafe after coming out an odd small street. 

There were people inside, and they were eating relaxingly over coffee. The guy at the cashier did our orders with a cheerful attitude and we sat down with our drinks. Not much to say about the place: the food came out at a decent time, the coffee was drinkable, and you pay before you eat. I guess it's the kind of place I like. 

Just a small post before some big ones. Now for a New Year's Party to go to.  

Yelp's Review

16 - Ole's Waffle House - Alameda

1507 Park St., Alameda, CA 94501, (510) 522-8108

Last visit: October 11, 2008

I went to Ole's Waffle house Saturday morning ready to wait in a long line. We drove past the bridge into Alameda on Park Street and found parts of it blocked off. There was a car show apparently, covering three blocks. The outlook for prompt seating was out of the realms of the question. But after a quick turn on Alameda Ave we found a nice spot a few steps away from La Pinata. We walked to Ole's and stood in line. To our amazement, they opened up a table for two right there, and we leapfrogged ahead of all the folks that were waiting with bigger parties.

We sat down to a loud and cheerful room of breakfast lovers. It seemed like Ole's would always be crowded. I have been going there occasionally for two years and I realized that they lacked one thing: an Ole-cam. Yes, that would tell people how many minutes they'd be waiting before going there. Every time we went there before this time, we had to wait; and the waits were up to 45 minutes. The food is good, and the service is accommodating, but the waits, that's the only thing that makes you not want to go.

So we sat down and ordered. I had eggs, a waffle, and a side of ham. The ham there was generously cut. Actually, I couldn't finish that slab of ham. Coffee is pretty good and eggs are usually done well. My girlfriend had strawberries with her waffle. It's no secret, the waffles there are great! I think you'll have a good time trying out all their different toppings.

We left after a morning of random banter. Nothing like starting the day out with a good hearty meal.

Yelp's two cents

15 - Foster's Freeze - San Leandro

2601 Alvarado St., San Leandro, CA 94577, (510) 357-2094

Last Visit: September 29th, 2008

I hope I don't make a habit of this, writing up a place from a restaurant chain, but I do enjoy this particular Foster's Freeze. This is the only one I have ever been to, this is probably the only one that I will ever go to - voluntarily.

The thing is, this Foster's is owned by a Korean guy. I don't know what the stereotype is about Korean chefs, but this burger artist is actually really skillful. He likes to arrange everything in the burger just right, so that when you bite into it, you'd hit all the insides every time: lettuce, onions, cheese, and good old beef. The Korean guy is generally happy, and if you ever go, ask him to make a Boss burger. It's his master-piece.

I went there last Monday, September 29th. I guess nothing but gloom faces for that day. Congress had rejected the vote for a $700 billion dollar bail-out plan for Wall Street. The Dow Jones dropped an unprecedented -777 points. I lost a tenth of my portfolio in the morning. I guess that didn't mean much. I was still able to buy a burger at Fosters. My girlfriend did the math: Instead of the bail-out, if we split the amount of money that they were going to give Wall Street amongst the 300 million Americans in the United States, we'd each get $2300 and change. I rather like that instead of bailing out people who made bad business judgments.

Not a great post, but I do enjoy throwing in the events of the day into my blogs.

Yelp's two cents: - Read Chad L.'s review.

10 - Shooting Star Cafe - Oakland

Shooting Star Cafe - 1068 Webster St., Oakland, CA. 94607 (510) 251-9882

Last Visit: June 2008


Shooting Star Cafe is a Hong Kong style cafe in the outskirts of Chinatown. It opened two years ago and is going strong. Hard to believe this, but if it's 11pm at night and you want somewhere to drink and chat with a friend, this is the place. People complain about the noisy people, but I guess it's not that bad if you're part of the group that's making the noise.

Shooting Star Cafe is an excellent example of a "third place". I'm fascinated by this notion and have written about it before. The idea behind a "third place" is that a person's first place is Home and his or her second place is Work (or school). Then there is the third place, a place away from the intimacy of home and the demands of work. People go here to hang out. The food is not as bad as people say, and the service is as good as any restaurant in Chinatown; you'll be attended to eventually.

What you can expect is a loud atmosphere and a cup of hot tea no matter how late it is at night. I must have went there three times one week; there were not many options that week. Actually after a certain time in Chinatown, you will be forced to go to either Shooting Star Cafe, Gold Medal HK restaurant, or Ying-Kee Restaurant. ABC bakery is shaky, sometimes it opens late, sometimes it closes early.

I do have one thing that I recommend at Shooting Star, try the Borscht Soup. It's actually done really well. The sauce is pretty thick and there's a kick of spice in it. Great for crackers, but don't even think about it - it's Chinatown, there's no crackers with soup. If you're adventurous, try the cornucopia of Hong Kong style desserts, I tend to avoid the sweets.

Yelp's two cents

07 - Vik's Chaat Corner - Berkeley

Vik's Chaat Corner - 726 Allston Way (between 4th St & 5th St), Berkeley, CA 94710, (510) 644-4412

Last visit: June 1st, 2008

Vik's Chaat Corner's Website (with menu!)

It was the first Sunday of June and we wanted some Indian food. Through the freeways we went and stopped by at my alma mater, UC Berkeley. Well, not that far, we were in Berkeley though. My girlfriend said that this Indian place is kind of hard to find, but pretty good. I'm not a big Indian fan, but I do like Tandori Chicken, so I went along.

After turning a corner on a street that I can't remember, we see people eating. They were eating on the sidewalks! It was quite a funny scene, like a streetvender in Asia. A lot of the clientele were college students, but there were quite a few people of the older crowd too. Take out was wrapped in tin-foil and tables were scarce. The place was booming with customers, and the line kept on moving.

We got in and ordered our food to go. I had a chicken plate with a Thumbs-Up Cola and my girlfriend had a lamb wrap with some appetizers. The cola was really good, it reminded me of cane cola. Great for rum and coke, but I had no rum. I'm not too rehearsed with Indian food names, so I will not even try. We ate by my car and went about our way. Next time I want to try the giant puffy naan thingy, it looks tasty.

Now here's the thought: if so much of Hong Kong's Chinese cuisine is influenced by the British, how much of India's cuisine is changed by them also? I mean the British brought their system of government, laws, cricket, and most likely tea. Not a bad deal if you cut out all the years of oppression. But who plays cricket these days? :)

Yelp's two cents

04 - Au Coquelet Cafe - Berkeley

Au Coquelet Cafe - 2000 University Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94704, (510) 845-0433

Last visit - June, 2008

Celebrated as the latest cafe to close in Berkeley, Au Coquelet is one of my favorite eateries around the bay area. It's just always there for me whenever I want a coffee or a slice of pie. I first discovered it when I was a freshman at Cal in 1998, and I've been going there regularly ever since. It's competitive edge? It opens till 2am, and for some reason, that was worth walking eight blocks for from my unit 2 dormitory.

Flash-forward ten years, and it's 2008.

Me and my good friend Ivan went there for a late night dinner Wednesday night to hammer some things out for a new resume I was working on. We walked in from the back door, parking was two blocks away, which wasn't bad for a place like this. The place was booming for 10pm, but we noticed something different. We were seated by a bus-boy. I guess they don't want to sell at the counter and let you fend for yourself anymore. They wanted to make you feel like you're at a restaurant. Now the new system is quite dumb, because there's only one waiter at night, and there are like fifteen tables in the back. Ivan almost collapsed when the food came, a simple turkey sandwich. I had a woodchuck cider from the front counter, which the girl attended to in a minute.

Too bad for the new system, or it'd be a good night. But I wouldn't discount the cafe on one single event! The other fourty times I was there, they were pretty damn good! Their pies and cakes are decent, and their burgers are good. Try the cranberry tart, it goes good with coffee. Hell it also has wi-fi and cigarettes, not many cafe's have that and close after midnight. I'll definitely be stopping there again.

note: Au Coquelet means "the rooster or cock" in French, duh, I know.

Yelp's two cents.

03 - Manpuku - Berkeley

Manpuku Japanese Restaurant - 2977 College Ave, Berkeley, CA 94705, (510) 848-2536

Date of Visit - June 13th, 2008

Ramen in the bay area really caught on in the last couple of years. People usually associated Japanese food with sushi and Teriyaki chicken, but these days my friends would make plans to speed down to San Mateo to get good ramen. What's the appeal of noodles in broth with chashu pork and sliced fish cakes? Maybe it's the soup.

Ramen actually started in China, but what we associate with ramen now is strictly Japanese. It's really different from what you get from packages of Top Ramen. For instance we catagorize ramen into flavors like beef, chicken, and seafood. But in Japan that's unheard of. It's actually broken down by the soup, in which it's broken down by the region. There are four major ones: Tonkatsu (pork bone stock), Shio (salt flavored), Shouyu (soy sauce), and Miso flavored. Not only that, but it's also split up into regions like Sapporo, Tokyo, Kitakata, and Hakata. My favorite being Hakata Ramen (from Fukuoka, which is the new name for Hakata), and yes, Manpuku serves this.

Anyways, away from the history lesson, Manpuku was packed. I went there with the girlfriend because I craved curry rice. I'm not going to give you a history lesson on that, but I do like it once in awhile. The place started about two years ago and you frequently see students lined up out the door. Parking is scarce, but you'll be fine if you take some side streets. Inside is actually quite similar to ramen stalls from Japan, except of course, the waiters are Korean. And it's small, less than 6 tables plus a counter. You pay before you eat, I like that actually.

The food came slowly, but it was good. I think it was good because I really missed curry rice. It came with chicken cubes, potatoes, and red radishes. I think it would've been good if they put in sliced apples, something I remembered from Japan. The girlfriend had the Winter Ramen, which was supposedly spicy, but not enough for her tastes. She thought it was alright. I remember ordering the Hakata ramen there, but it was not too good; too many unnecessary vegies. It's hard to make good Hakata ramen outside of Japan. Still, for ramen in the bay area, it's decent, close by, and it's cheap.

Note: 1.) sushi is pretty good, but if you're getting individual plates, it's sold by single pieces. 2.) Manpuku means "I'm full" in Japanese, often used with a childish nuance.

Yelp's two cents

02 - the Pho King - East Oakland

the Pho King - 638 International Blvd, Oakland, CA 94606, (510) 444-0448

Date of Visit: June 15th, 2008

Going to the Pho King gave me the motivation to blog about food. No not because of it's exquisite stature in the world of Vietnamese eateries, but instead just the shear number of Pho noodle houses in Oakland creates a need for people to recommend them. Ahh, the smell of beef boiling.

I went to the Pho King for lunch for the first time today. Yes, I've drove past it thousands of times, but never stepped in until today. It's really small! I think it had about 12 tables, but people were lined up out the door. They also had a really quick turnover. People came, ate, and left. It was a very homie place. The kitchen was in the back and they were not shy about showing it to you. You saw the staff preparing the beef and soups. Not a bad deal.

For pho' places I like to make judging plain and easy, if it's clean and it's fast, it's good. I really don't think there's a bad way to make pho if you follow those rules. They fulfilled those requirements, so they are on my good-list. I got their large beef noodle soup, I didn't want to get the XL, which would've been a cauldron of food. We ordered Drip-style coffees that got me wired for the rest of the day; but I 'm an addict for those.

They have a specialty there that's pho noodles with spicy pigs feet (or knuckles). I'll have to try that next time.

Yelp's two cents.