Pho Ban Mai

Reviews

• T P.

  star star star star star 6 September 2026

  I'm surprised their average rating isn't at least 4 stars.  I've been here many times and have always received well service and good food.
  
  Their nem nuong is the best here in San Diego.  It comes pretty close to Brodard's in OC.
  
  Their bo luc lac is delicious with lots of flavor.
  
  Their com dia and pho portions are very generous.  
  
  If you're looking for a variety of Vietnamese food, Ban Mai is a great option.

• Sue D.

  star star star star star_border 2 September 2026

  Brought one of my favorite people here to celebrate her birthday after a relaxing massage. Really looking forward to coming to this restaurant for their house special sauce and Pork Paste Rolls.
  
  Food 5/5
  - A5 Pork Paste Rolls ($4.99)-- loved the crunch. Can't get enough of the sauce.
  
  - C6 Grilled Pork with Broken Rice ($8.95)-- very tasty!
  
  Service 4/5
  Staff were attentive. We didn't have to wait long to put in our orders. Our food came out in a timely manner. And, the waitress filled our water glasses as soon as they were half emptied. Will definitely be back!
  
  Happy birthday, Erika!!!

• Stella L.

  star star star star star 31 August 2026

  So good! I got beef pho, and their broth is so tasty. The bowl came with a generous portion of noodles and meat, for only $7.50. I wish there was a little more broth in the bowl, but it was still tasty, nevertheless, and good value for the price.
  
  The restaurant was full on a Thursday night and there was a short wait. Service is as expected at a busy Asian restaurant. We were quickly seated, orders were taken quickly, and left alone for the majority of the meal.
  
  The veggies were not as fresh as we'd like, but the food itself is really good! There's a ton of Vietnamese places in Mira Mesa and this one is really good :)

• Tammy N.

  star star star star star 30 August 2026

  Best Vietnamese food in Mira Mesa! My favorite thing to get is banh hoi thit nuong. Veggies are always super fresh. It comes with a ton of meat and banh hoi. Probably the only con is that there isn't enough lettuce. Always break each lettuce piece in half, or else you'd be left with banh hoi and meat without lettuce to make wraps. Overall really quick service considering how busy it is. They have tons of servers, which is great. I love this place!

• Angela Y.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 27 August 2026

  Pho Ban Mai is a well-liked Vietnamese cuisine located on Mira Mesa Blvd. and well-known for their famous Nem Nuong (Vietnamese grilled pork sausage) and Chao tom (Vietnamese shrimp paste) appetizer spring rolls with special dipping sauce. Their pho and com (rice) entrees have also garnered much attention, as well as the cleanliness and comfortable seating have kept many loyal patrons.
  
  Before readers continue to read this review, I must admit that my taste-buds for Vietnamese food is a bit biased and sometimes I peruse dishes more in-depth due to the influence of eating my Vietnamese friends' home-cooked meals and frequenting Little Saigon in Orange County. Thus, I apologize in advance for setting the benchmark slightly higher for Vietnamese cuisine, which is a challenging cuisine to master because it resembles so much of French cuisine in various sauces and technique. Details I always go for are: (1) the freshness of vegetables, (2) the variety of vegetables, other than the usual mint, bean sprouts and lemon, (3) the quality of the rare steak and (4) if the restaurant uses real oxtail bones for the soup broth.
  
  While Brodard remains reigns supreme in California nem nuong fresh spring rolls, Pho Ban Mai reigns the best in San Diego. I usually go for the mixed rolls, which comes with two rolls each of the pork and shrimp rolls. Diners can also order each separately.
  
  We have tried their Pho Bo Kho (Vietnamese beef stew with noodles) and Tai Pho (slices of rare steak). The restaurant uses high quality steak for their pho, but we noticed when the pho reaches our table, the steak is swimming in the broth in a ball of clump. The beef stew broth is watered-down and the majority of the beef scooped in my bowl were all fat, good for flavoring, but not lean to enjoy and eat.
  
  While I applaud Pho Ban Mai's ability to showcase an extensive menu, I personally feel if they narrowed down the items a bit, they can really focus on mastering the broth to make it richer and more earthy and increase the vegetable variety. Highly recommend the spring rolls here. For the soup noodles, I think there is room for improvement!