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Pho K & K
Category: Restaurants Vietnamese Vietnamese [Edit]
2533 Telegraph Ave(between Dwight Way & Blake St)
Berkeley, CA 94704
Neighbourhoods: Telegraph Ave, UC Campus Area
(510) 666-9966
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
94 reviews for Pho K & K
Review Highlights
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"The broth was delicious and is always the key to a good Pho." In 4 reviews -
"Very clean, fast, friendly, and fresh." In 5 reviews -
"The bean sprouts that I had were amazingly fresh and..." In 9 reviews
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94 reviews in English
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Review from Furai X.
Berkeley, CA
5/16/2012
Can't speak much on the pho since I got a tofu salad (stellar!) but the tab came out to $31 for our party of 4 voracious eaters.
Luckily, we beat up the lunch-time crowd and got our food minutes after we ordered. (A group of 17 walked in 10 minutes after we sat down).
From sticking my nose in other people's business, I noticed that the pho was rather lacking in meat/the good stuff. Despite the unfavorable ratio of noodles:broth:good stuff, I'd still come back. -
Review from Alexander W.
Berkeley, CA
4/8/2012
Pho K & K, pretty good, so far my number two pho place. I've been there quite a few times.
For appetizers, you can't go wrong with either of their fresh spring rolls, very tasty. The fried rolls are ok, but lacking; and for two people you better order two plates or fresh spring rolls as well.
The pho here is good, the broth is rich of beef bones, just the way you want it. I tried mine with the meat balls a couple of times; I'm just not a fan of the meat balls, I usually get the combo without tendon at every pho house I go to.
About the restaurant itself: it's very casual, like a Vietnamese dinner almost. The ladies that serve there are always friendly. Its full of Cal students like myself, which can be kind of obnoxious; e.g. one time when I was there with my girlfriend the kids walk in and sit next to us and one of them it ranting aloud about how he "guesses" he always been against abortions because he's a "true Christian". Very inappropriate to be shouting at a restaurant huh, but that college students for you, no shame or public consideration.
In conclusion, the friendliness of the ladies running Pho K& K: ****. The fresh spring rolls: ****. The fried spring rolls: **. The Pho itself: ***. Its good place to go on a rainy day if you are nearby, but not what I would call a date place.
Sorry, not to rant, but I'm from San Diego and when you go to little Saigon in the University area (east of the 15 around El Cajon Blvd), or Clairemont, and you are the only non-Vietnamese person out of 40 people (unless you are Vietnamese) in a pho house, when you order the fried roll they are ALWAYS served with mint and lettuce. You take the leaves of mint and lettuce and wrap them around your fried rolls, and it makes everything so much more delicious. It's the perfect contrast of fried and fresh, it truly is just wonderful. But so far of all the pho houses I've been to in the Bay Area, no one serves their fried rolls with mint and lettuce. People need to start demanding it; you all are missing out on the sensation. -
Review from Claire W.
Berkeley, CA
2/19/2012
Mediocre pho - not bad but not great. It is a bit pricey; I ordered pho with just noodle and broth (no meat) and it was $5.50, and my can of Sprite was $1.50.
The workers were friendly though. -
Review from Andrew N.
San Mateo, CA
5/20/2012 1 Check-in Here
A place for convienience not a place to seek out. Portions are small for a pho place. We came here hungry. We left hungry. Can't say that about most pho places. Service is fast, place is clean
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Review from Linny P.
Berkeley, CA
5/10/2012
A small humble pho place that serves the decent beef pho. It was nice of them to still serve my friend and I when we walked in the restaurant a little before 9 PM (closing time). Super fast service - we got our pho in about 5 minutes! I ordered the rare beef and brisket pho, which was pretty good for $6.75. The soup was nice and aromatic, and they don't skimp on the noodles or meat. Come here if you just want some stomach-warming Vietnamese noodle soup.
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Review from Kevin L.
Oakland, CA
1/27/2012
There is awesome pho in Oakland and not much can compare to those around West Oakland.
However, this place is decent, and for one of the few pho restaurants in the Berkeley campus area, this is probably the best one.
Compared to other pho I've eaten, the texture of the noodles was not as good as it can be, but at least it wasn't strands of flour.
I got the #8 and I usually get #8, cause that's just the benchmark pho bowl. You judge pho by the special. And boy, was the broth was awesome. Awesome meaning tons of MSG. I know it's bad but it still tastes soooo goooood.
The place is quaint. Service is alright, they watch you drink your water, and once you're done there's another full cup for ya.
Could do with more meat in the pho. For the price they don't give jack. Got one slice of beef. Don't bother asking them for more ingredients unless you're willing to pay an extra dollar for nothing.
Reason for 3 stars:
Would give 2 stars based solely on the pho quality and price and size. But taking into account location location location, it's pretty good to have a nice pho place near campus -
Review from Jeannie W.
Berkeley, CA
3/28/2012
Good location and the mandatory Sunday lunch to cure any hangover. There's a lot of variety and the prices aren't bad. I always order Pho (the one with all the different types of meat..). There isn't really much service at Pho restaurants - but I come for the cheap and OK pho. It hits the spot and it has a convenient location, what more could I ask for?
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Review from Lea R.
San Francisco, CA
2/20/2012
Really good pho - both the chicken and vegetarian. Best Pho in Berkeley, in my opinion. Their clay pots are the best I've had in the bay area... period. The staff is friendly and attentive, the place is clean, and to go is pretty quick. I eat here every week (just about), and I love it.
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Review from Katherine K.
Berkeley, CA
12/4/2011
Today was my second time here and it was significantly better than the first time. The first time i went, I was craving pho and their pho deeply disappointed me. It's expensive (~$7 when in SoCal I can get pho for ~$5). They give a puny amount of bean sprouts and the broth is bland.
Thus, this time around I decided to get something else. The first picture I saw on the Yelp page for this restaurant had this bowl with noodles, veggies, egg roll, fish sauce, and bbq meat on a skewer. It looked so good so I decided to order it. My Viet friend helped me figure out what it was (name was hecka long so i don't remember but it was #19). MAN IT WAS SOOOO GOOD. Definitely redeemed the place, though I still can't give more than 3 stars to a place called "Pho K&K" but has mediocre pho.
Nice and clean restaurant with lots of seating. Service was nothing extraordinary, but not bad either.
TIPS:
1) Order #19!
2) Don't get the pho if you're looking for the pho that your mom makes or the pho that you can get in Little Saigon in OC
3) If you do get the pho, ask for extra bean sprouts. Seriously. -
Review from Akvile H.
11/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
Coming from Seattle, where Pho is just as available as Starbucks, I needed to get my pho fix since I just recently moved here and have had trouble finding some places that serve it...until now!
Since I recently moved here, I decided to go out for some pho since it's been way too long since I've had some. Came here since it's somewhat close to home and seems legit. Came in for lunch and was pleased that they had a variety of items on their menu aside from pho. Their pho options are great, however it would be nice if they had several sizes since my hubby wanted more and I wanted a little less. We both had the veggie pho and the broth and vegetables were well cooked and tasty. We thoroughly enjoyed it. We did hope that they would have meatballs like some other places we have enjoyed pho, but they sadly did not.
Prices are appropriate for this area, staff is efficient, pho is tasty, and the place is clean. I really like that they are located right on Telegraph and it's easy to get to. I foresee coming back again sometime soon :)
ps- the places I frequented back in Seattle that served pho gave out complimentary cream puffs with pho orders. Cream puffs should be the standard everywhere, lol...hint hint ;)Listed in: East Bay Bites, Veggie-Saurus-Rex
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Review from Noah C.
Berkeley, CA
1/24/2012
I'm from LA, and back at home Pho is not only incredibly cheap, but can be found anywhere. Eating it almost every week sometimes, I was a bit distraught to find out that Pho in Berkeley was extremely hard to find. Sure there are the fast, dirty, and cheap ones, but those aren't that.
When I first went to Pho K&K, it was okay at best. It was more pricey than Pho back at home, and the broth was not at good. However, seeing that I am a Berkeley student without a car, this Pho place was the only nearby one worth eating at, so I ended up going back again and again. After the third time, I was hooked. I grew used to the taste, and the broth is actually very clean and light. The vegetables are nice and fresh, and the service is wonderful. The place as a whole is clean, including the restrooms.
If you tried this place and were not fond of it, try it again at least a second time. Number 8 is extremely good, with the meatballs being very rich and flavorful. -
Review from Robert N.
Berkeley, CA
12/28/2011
I had lunch there today, and it was about my fifth time there. I had the pho (#8) and it was fine, along with a Vietnamese Iced Coffee (yum) and a fresh lemonade. The service was helpful and friendly, and there are nice watercolors on the walls.
This place is on Telegraph, just across from Moe's and just a few blocks south of the campus. It's great for medium quality pho. The place is clean. -
Review from albert n.
Berkeley, CA
1/2/2012
I've been here a handful of times. Only thing I've ever ordered is the rare steak pho.
Since everyone seems to care about the broth I'll let you know hte broth is decent.. not overly sweet, salty, or greasy. I usually douse it with cock sauce anyways, so it passes my test.
At 7 bucks a bowl (one size) it's moderately priced, I just wished they offered larger servings because even with extra noodles, I find myself a little hungry after a bowl. They'd completely win me over if they'd offer a larger size.
Broth, meat, noodles, size, etc... everything is pretty unremarkable as far as pho goes. That said, even unremarkable pho is pretty awesome as far as food goes! Given that there is really no competition in Berkeley (besides maybe Anh Hong on University), Pho K+K will continue to have my business. -
Review from Anthony T.
Berkeley, CA
2/29/2012
Best Pho I have had! I've been to more than 10 pho spots from Washington state down to Cali and this is the best. Decent price but GREAT food!
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Review from Andrew S.
1/28/2012 4 Check-ins Here
I come here a lot. It's really clean and the Pho Ga is decent. The service as of late has been spotty at times and the food has been coming slower and slower. I think I might explore other Pho opportunities in Berkeley like Oriental Restaurant.
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Review from Raquel Y.
8/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
Okay, I would normally give this place 3 stars. BUT.... here's how it goes.
My friend and I were about to eat at Norikonoko Japanese Restaurant across the street but found out it was closed. We were hungry already and saw Pho and decided to eat there instead. So we ate here by default haha.
A combo was about $7.25 and the other pho bowls were about $6.75. But they were HUGE!!! Holy crap. I only ate half! The broth and pho itself was good, the shrimp spring rolls we had were alright.
SINCE the bowl was so humongo and I didn't finish everything, I had to get a take out box. Grabbed that gigantic bowl, was pouring it only the plastic cup, and then it accidentally slipped my hands and landed on the other plate of bean sprouts and broke it into 4 different pieces :( I felt so bad and embarrassed that I offered to pay for the plate lol. But they were really nice about it and said "it was just an accident" and they smiled. They even joked around and said "maybe it's just an old plate!" to make me feel better. What awesome service!!
Food was decent, portion was good, service excellent. Because I accidentally broke a plate and they were so nice about it, I'm giving them 5 stars lol. Sorry Pho K & K for making you -1 plate but thank you for being so nice about my clumsiness! :) -
Review from Robo P.
UC Campus Area, Berkeley, CA
9/24/2011 20 Check-ins Here
The first time I tried Pho K&K was when they first opened and I ordered a rice plate with beef. I came with a handful of friends and we all tried different dishes from the menu. Some pho, spring rolls, veggies, and the rice plates. They were really busy that day and be that as it may they weren't overwhelmed or anything.
The service speed was moderate and the food was okay. Location-wise, I really like it - instead of having empty spaces where creepers congregate.
The next time I tried Pho K&K would be a few days ago. I had the Pho combo and it was high-end pricey compared to Le Cheval's but it was good nonetheless. It was much more empty this time - I was the only one ordering around noon on a Wednesday and there were family members there chatting and kids running around with their Nintendo-3DS. It was cute and they were very friendly and respectful. I could have stayed and enjoyed my Pho but I wanted to try separating the food and add my own rice and condiments ... like ketchup from home.
Overall I'm enjoying their kindness, really spacious and clean venue. I've just had better, especially in Sacramento -
Review from Stephanie Y.
San Francisco, CA
8/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place is only two stars at best and this is because I was hungry. After moving to the west coast, this was my first pho. Maybe it was the expectation, but I didn't get any satisfaction from it. It was MSGlicious. The waiter also seemed pretty rude. He asked us again what we were ordering like he was questioning our decision.
Also they are a little more expensive than pho I've had elsewhere. -
Review from Cheddarj E.
Berkeley, CA
4/9/2012
We go to Pho K & K at least once a week. The soup is nice and hot and the food is yummy. I wish they did not skimp on the beansprout and basil. We also have to ask for another plate of it since they only give us one to share.
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Review from Jenny M.
7/12/2011
I've definitely had better.
Note: I'm not a super big lover of pho, so I would prefer to go to those places with big bowls for cheap prices, because pho is just noodles and meat to me. I end up putting lots of sauce in the soup anyways.
That being said, if you are like me, then this place is not worth going to. The serving sizes are relatively small, making it a tiny bit pricey for the amount you're given. When I went, service was also a bit slow (as far as refilling our tables' waters go). -
Review from Henry T.
5/23/2011
They speak Vietnamese! I can order in Vietnamese! The service is fine. They responded well to our requests (i.e. more lemons) and responded promptly.
Got the Bun Bo Hue and it had a decent amount of meat in it, which is good. Tastes nothing special...and it wasn't very spicy as Bun Bo Hue is supposed to be.
To be honest, I probably won't come back. It's not that the food is bad, it's just....nothing special. It is just A-OK. I'd rather go to Oakland for Bun Bo Hue. My friends ordered Pho and weren't happy with the portions nor the flavor. Not authentic enough, I guess. For Pho, my place would still be Saigon Restaurant II in Richmond (99 Ranch plaza) or Kang Nam Pho down Telegraph.
They take credit cards without a fee. That's always good. -
Review from Janice K.
San Leandro, CA
10/11/2011
Pretty good food and reasonably priced.
Ironically, their best food isn't their pho. I would recommend trying the other noodles not listed under Pho because those are more flavorful. The pho here is only mediocre because the broth lacking in flavor compared to many pho restaurants in Oakland. I wish there were more bean sprouts and basil leaves in the sides they give you with your pho. I also noticed that they give you a bit less meat in your pho compared to other places. The size of the bowl they give you would be considered a size medium at some places.
I would also recommend trying the spring rolls they serve because they come with a great sauce!
Would have given this place four stars based on the other dishes but considering the fact that they have "Pho" in the name and I don't actually like their pho... this has to be 3 stars. -
Review from Hazel K.
7/26/2011
Well, well, well, what do we have here? A good place for pho if ou're in the Cal Berkeley area and spent all day walking around shopping or just touring what a cute college town looks like. Or...are just freakin' sick and the only cure is more cowbell, I mean Pho. Any real asian-american restaurant does not charge for a pot of hot tea. So I dub K and K officially asian-american restaurant. The pho bowls are reasonably priced and the music is super pop and fun but now too loud.
It never seems too crowded and its pretty nice and clean. They do take card and they do have those tiny cute little bowls to dip the meat in when you know you just want more rooster sauce with your soup. They only give you one lime though so if you're a lime junkie, ask for two.
And always...always...always ask for a pot of hot tea. ITS FREE! ORDER THE HOT TEA! ITS FREE!! WOO HOO! -
Review from Annie C.
Berkeley, CA
8/7/2011
After a night out, waking up dehydrated and slightly groggy left my friends and I craving for some noodle soup. Pho K & K came to the rescue with a big delicious bowl of msg filled goodness with noodles and thinly sliced rare meat!
The only complaint I have with their pho is that they do not give enough meat. They skimped on the meat as other pho restaurants usually give much more for the price. But overall, I was satisfied with the flavorful broth, soft noodles and yummy basil. This review is only for the pho though--my friend got egg rolls and they didn't look too impressive. If you're craving for some soup on a cold day in Berkeley, give Pho K & K a try! -
Review from Phan H.
Berkeley, CA
Updated - 1/12/2012
Came here for an early afternoon lunch. The service is blazing fast, and the place is very nice and well priced. I'm used to east coast Vietnamese food, so how they make food here is very different. I had the rice and grilled chicken, and there was so much food I couldn't finish, and I eat a lot. I wouldn't say the food was too tasty, as the last time I came here, I felt the same way, so 6 months later, nothing has changed. Still, a nice place to go for some non-orthodox Vietnamese food.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/16/2011
The selection is very limited and the location was semi obscure. I came here for lunch and the… Read more »
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Review from Philip L.
Cupertino, CA
8/3/2011
Portions are small for about $7 per bowl...I was hungry about 2 hours after eating. There were about 3 pieces of meat and very little tripe in my Rare Steak + Tripe Pho.
Service can be slow but the waitress was nice.
Place is decently clean and location is good though, but I'd rather go across the street to Racha and get some awesome Thai food. -
Review from Justine C.
Riverside, CA
1/20/2012
The broth was delicious but the serving size of the pho was quite small for a Vietnamese restaurant. They could be more generous on the meat, too.
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Review from Phuong N.
Poway, CA
1/20/2012
I waited a couple of months before they opened this place since most places around Berkeley weren't that good (disclaimer: I'm from SoCal). And it's literally one block away from my apartment. The food is decent, definitely more tasteful than most Vietnamese places I've been to around Berkeley. The service is great, even though they're often short on staff.
Hope they will stay around. -
Review from Kurma T.
Berkeley, CA
8/23/2011
When on/near Telegraph you could do worse than K&K. Several visits have shown that this place does a good job with prices that even a student could love.
Pho Ga is simple, warming and restorative chicken noodle soup. Bun thit nuong cha gio is fresh and tasty, combining rice noodles, grilled pork, crispy egg roll and assorted fresh veg moistened by fish sauce. Bun Bo Hue is a hearty soup, beefy and red with chili oil, (though not too hot) chunky beef brisket, bits of wiggly tendon and thick rice noodles, dressed up with raw cabbage, sprouts,jalapeno slices and lime wedge.
The only dud so far was the wonton soup - so salty. -
Review from Kathy L.
Berkeley, CA
4/11/2011
Pros: Very clean and pretty little place. Really sweet-natured and attentive servers. Clean bathrooms (Haha it says a lot, ok?) Reasonable prices
Cons: Pho broth started ok but after a while starts to taste bitter and weird and left my mouth really dry. Meat is kinda chewy.
This place could have been SO AWESOME. A pho place so close to campus is one of those "of course!" ideas like Cream that has everything going for it if well-executed, and yet it doesn't quite work. We got the pho with everything, which only had slightly more meat than the pho with a fraction of everything? The spring rolls were pretty standard, but the pork one had sausages wrapped inside, rather than ground pork, which was surprising but not unpleasant.
Overall, I'd come here again if I was in the mood for pho but was too lazy to drive/ too cheap to order from pho me now
P.S the KK stands for the names of the owner's sons cuteee :) -
Review from Moira N.
San Francisco, CA
11/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
Good cheap tasty
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Review from Tiffany P.
Berkeley, CA
11/6/2011
I've had better Pho and noodles, but it's good for not being in Oakland. Great location and service. Overall very satisfying.
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Review from Tien P.
4/14/2011
Honestly, this is most authentic and best pho restaurant in Berkeley. Seriously, our only other options would be "Saigon Eats", "Pho me now", or "Vietnam Village" in Asian Ghetto... not to knock these other restaurants, but they're all pretty much "fast-food" variations of pho!
K&K workers are super sweet and attentive. The restaurant itself is clean and bright. I've had pho and bun bo hue here a few times, and granted, it doesn't taste like my mom's cooking, but it's probably the best I can do without leaving Berkeley! -
Review from Rob M.
Berkeley, CA
7/9/2011 27 Check-ins Here
I heard this place was supposed to be pretty authentic, but it falls short in my opinion. The broth has a flavor to it that I've never tasted in any other restaurant. Maybe this is someone's idea of authentic?
I normally get pho dac biet (pho with everything) wherever I go so that's what I had. Can't really say much else for this place.... the restaurant is clean, the chopsticks and small dipping bowls were clean... I'm just really picky about the quality of my pho. -
Review from Andrew C.
As has been mentioned, this is a super clean Vietnamese restaurant. I think I was the first customer of the day at 11:20 or so. Every sriracha bottle was topped off and all of the green caps were perfectly clean with no dried sauce on the tip. The hoisin sauce bottles were similarly immaculate.
I ordered an iced coffee ($2.75), cha gio (Imperial Rolls, $3.50), and Pho Dac Biet (special combo, $7.75) with no cilantro and the rare steak on the side. In addition to the beef pho they also have, Pho Ga, Bun Bo Hue, a Bun dish, Hu Tieu, and several rice plates.
Review summary: Decent flavors. Small portions. Not enough meat in the pho.
Long version:
Reading the history of reviews, it appears they've stepped things up since their first month of operation.
I was happy to see that, unlike an earlier review, they bring out the brewing coffee to hypnotically drip in front of you (http://www.yelp.com/bi...). I was worried about how fast it was dripping making the coffee weak (sometimes can take the entire meal) as it finished about 2 minutes after arrival, but the coffee had a nice strong flavor to it.
The Cha Gio are two smallish rolls with some pickled radish, carrots, and cabbage (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) with a thick dipping sauce. I prefer a thinner Nuoc Cham. These tasted OK, but seemed a bit over priced.
The pho came in a medium sized bowl with a plate of fresh condiments (http://www.yelp.com/bi...). 7 decent sized pieces of rare steak came with some fresh green and white onions (http://www.yelp.com/bi...).
The broth was pretty good. Clear. Beefy with some nice spices. My mouth was getting a little dry so looks like some MSG. The noodles were overcooked and in a slightly harder to unravel than average clump in the bottom of the bowl.
In contrast to the decent amount of rare steak, the meats in the bowl (flank, brisket, tendon, tripe, beef balls) were in short supply. Half way through the bowl, I had no meat left other than a few rare steak pieces, but still plenty of noodles and broth. Unlike other reviewers, I found the meats to be tender and flavorful. Just not enough.
Pho K & K has the makings of some solid food. Just need to step it up a notch. -
Review from Briget P.
11/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
Reasonably priced pho but not the best. I didn't finish the rest of bowl because I was uninterested. The broth was more herby and not the delicious kind of broth I was looking for.
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Review from Nina Y.
1/20/2011
I think that it's not the best pho place ever, but it's really not the worst either. Although I read my friend's review of the place, I know that I needed to try it for myself.
So it's not perfect, but it's decent. Nice broth for the sick person - which I am for now. There was a decent amount of meat, but broth was kind of bland. I had to add the hosin sauce which I normally do anyways. The bean sprouts looked sad so I didn't add any of those in, but I normally do because they're nice and crisp to contrast the different textures.
It is a bit pricey - $7.75 for a medium size of pho? There is only one size as well so for those people with bigger stomaches they can't really get more, unless they buy a whole other bowl.
Perhaps they've gotten better since reading comments on yelp. They also apparently closed down for a week or so in the beginning of January to remodel? Perhaps, they made some other changes as well.
Not too bad, I'll be back whenever I'm sick and need a nice bowl of pho. -
Review from David G.
Berkeley, CA
3/13/2011
I've been wanting good pho since I moved to Berkeley 6 months ago and I think we've tried every place in a ten mile radius at this point. Most pho we've had here is really just 'good enough'.
Finally we popped into Pho K&K and found what we were looking for; good broth. It's really the broth that makes the pho.
Beyond the broth, the meat was perfectly prepared and the noodles had great consistency.
As a big plus, the service is quick and friendly and it is one of the cleanest restaurants in all of Berkeley.
We will definitely be going back. -
Review from Hannah W.
Oakland, CA
1/23/2011
Finally, some decent pho within walking distance of the UC campus.
The space is small but clean. It looks very plain from the outside and even more plain on the inside. It goes to show that this place is for eating not for entertaining.
In the $8 beef combination pho, there's plenty of rare beef, well done beef and a couple of beef balls. I liked the clean tasting beef broth, not greasy at all. They give you plenty of basil, sprouts, peppers and lemon. Thankfully, they don't skimp on these favorites! It could use more tendon and tripe though.
It's $6.75 or 7.75 for a medium sized bowl of pho. It's a smaller serving than other pho places in the greater East Bay but it's made well enough to come back often. Best part yet is that they accept credit cards! -
Review from Hilary L.
Berkeley, CA
1/20/2011
Most likely I give it a 4, but seeing that the average was 2 1/2 ratings, I thought I might bump it up alittle, since it is one of the best places to get pho in Berkeley, even though it may not be comparable to oakland, but in my opinion, some of oakland's best are now lacking, and this place is a decent pho place to eat.
Still a bit pricy for me, 7.75 for combo pho in just one size. But when I came in here, the place smelled delicious, like a pho restaurant, like I was in a big bowl of pho. The place can't get any cleaner, especially since it just opened, and everything is absolutely new and spotless, especially if you look at the spoons and sauce bowl, it gleams of cleanliness.
I came here with my boyfriend and when he got his bowl he instantly complimented it on its smell and taste. My bowl came out pretty quickly, and it was boiling hot! which I really love. It stayed hot until i finished it, which is a plus. The plate of vegetables were of smaller size than the average pho restaurant, but who cares? how many ppl actually eat more than a stick of basil and all that bean sprouts anyways? I usually feel bad for throwing them away, but in this case, there's not much to do so. and if you wanted more, just ask. The bean sprouts that I had were amazingly fresh and crunchy.
The rare beef was still red when it got to my table, which is good. The meat on the other hand was very tough, making it very difficult for me to chew. But that was the only problem I could find. The meat was not amazing, but definitely edible. The broth was delicious. And I'm vietnamese, we know how to judge our pho, not this over the top perfectionist that everyone expects. Its pho, a bowl of water, noodles and meat in berkeley, not in some fancy pancy hotel in paris.
The workers here were also amazingly kind. They always greeted me with this huge smile, the hugest I've seen in any waiter give me, and everytime too, from taking my order, to giving my food, refilling my water, and giving me the bill. And for those who think that Pho Me Now is better, you must not be vietnamese, that thing is inedible pho, I would call it double imitation pho bc even the broth just tastes horendous.
Seeing as though I did come here a bit after they opened, they improve pretty quickly and people should give this place a try, w.o. coming in and expecting the best of Vietnam in their bowl. One of the closest places to get pho in berkeley.
