38. Mi Xao Chay
5 Stars Hue

5 Stars Hue

10053 Valley Blvd, 91731, El Monte, US, United States

Cafés • Sushi • Seafood • Fast Food


"Passed by this place a few times and wanted to check it out. I decided to check it out today after contemplating between a real meal or Mickey Ds. I definitely regretted my decision of not going to Mickey Ds afterwards. So the food wasn 't necessarily horrible in taste, it was just bland. Perhaps it 's because instead of ordering the Bun Bo Hue, I decided to just to give the Pho a try. (The restaurant said nothing about 5 stars pho in the name) The overall taste of the pho is definitely a 3 stars imo. Now here 's what reduced it to a 2 star for me. Every time I eat pho, I would ask for a side of onions. If the restaurant does charge they 'll usually tell you, right? This place did not. I was shocked to find my bill very close to $15, when the pho is $12.65 after the 10% tax. Keep in mind every dollar spend is 10cents in tax. After doing the math, the side of onions costed me $1.50. I believe if you 're going to charge people for 1/4 of an onion, you should let your customers know. During the time of paying I didn 't think too much of it because the lady didn 't give me a receipt. She literally spoke the price in Vietnamese (which I didn 't understand) so I handed her $20 thinking it can 't be more than this. After being handed my change with only $5 and some change, I realized she didn 't notify about the additional charge. Don 't get me wrong, $1.50 is not a huge deal. In fact, I 'll be ok with spending the $1.50 for the onions if you told me (I really enjoy having side of onions with my pho). I am just more bothered that the charge wasn 't disclosed and a receipt wasn 't provided to me. At Mickey Ds, the prices are set there for you to see and if the receipt was not given by the employee, the meal would 've been free."

Bun Bo Hue

Bun Bo Hue

2871 Senter Road, San Jose, CA 95111, United States

Soup • Fish • Meat • Lunch


"2022 UPDATE—NEW RESTAURANT called Bun Bo Dong Ba.May 2022. The 5 stared restaurant in my previous review is no more. Another restaurant takes its place. The food is decent but nowhere near the same as before. Last week I tried the Bún Bò Huế. The broth is still ok but the meat was cut paper thin, dried, hard without any taste. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s machine sliced from a frozen block of low quality meat. The noodles were not chewy but a bit over cooked. The number of item on the menu tripples. The price increases 50%. The bowls and chopsticks are new. The music is loud. By now you all can tell the sad disappointment I had with this new restaurant that takes the place of my most favorite bún bò restaurant in San Jose. I guess another good thing is gone from my mundane life. So normal yet so sad.MOST AUTHENTIC ‘BUN BO HUE’ 2020For over 30 years I have been enjoying the BBH and this is the only place I go to in San Jose area. Its Bun Bo is the closest to the ones I had in Hue and at home. I only took my 93 years old Mom who was a pure Hue ‘citizen’ : to this restaurant for BBH and nowhere else.Its soup broth is light not heavily salted. The hint of lemongrass is there and that’s what make the special taste of BBH. The shrimp paste deepens the broth and absent in the smell. The slices of beef shank are soft enough and thick enough. A big plus compared to the paper thin slices at other restaurants. I was there last Friday and the soup was hot, really hot.Now let’s talk about service. This is a family run and a friendly talk with the staff will help us being treated in a friendly way. Even a complaint can be done in a constructive conversation. I would not label the staff ‘professional’ but they were nice enough for me that I keep coming back year after year.I was at the restaurant 4 days ago and the place was nice and clean to me. The price is very reasonable. No complaint here either. Weekday afternoons are the best times, quiet and few customers . Weekends are busiest...so please be patient with the busy staff.This special place was handed down to the children who are doing a great job keeping the BBH authentic still. I just wish they add some Rau Răm to the soup. Just like with the lemongrass, this herb makes the taste of BBH what it is—the most famous and great tasting soup from Huế, the former imperial city in the Central of Vietnam."