The call
Start with pho dac biet, and check the restaurant’s current menu before you go.
What to order
- Pho dac biet
Best for
- A nostalgic, long-running City Heights pho spot
Vietnamese
Pho Hoa
Returning after years away, Roger rated this City Heights pho spot 4 stars, still impressed by the Pho Dac Biet and noting he'd been eating here since he was four years old.
From Roger’s camera roll
More photos from Pho Hoa
Posted 2010-04-17 
Posted 2012-10-16 
#1 one all day errrday!
Posted 2013-02-08
Posted 2013-02-13 
Pho tai
Posted 2013-06-20
That number 1 tho’
Posted 2014-05-19
Oh pho sho tho
Posted 2017-03-04
Posted 2023-09-05 
Posted 2012-03-04 
Posted 2013-01-25 
Posted 2014-05-07
From Roger’s Foursquare
Roger’s tips on Pho Hoa
#1 all day everyday!
Posted
Best pho joint in town (the OG's of the OG's), get there early in the morning to get the freshest tasting pho!
Posted
On Roger’s lists: Guide to San Diego's best spots, Must-visit Vietnamese Restaurants in San Diego.
Source-backed notes
Visit history
Checked in 62 times on Yelp and Swarm, most recently Sep 12, 2026. See the check-in log
2007-09-26day precision · source explicit
“I came here again for the first time in years not so long ago and was still impressed at the taste of the Pho Dac Biet.”
Has been coming since he was 4 years old; calls it a longtime City Heights fixture.
Stay in the neighborhood
More in City Heights.
Roger’s pickPrice varies
City Heights
YOHED Coffee
Coffee
A small-batch roaster where, in Roger’s words, Ethiopian coffees are imported straight in and roasted in-house — and should be drunk black.
- From the order notes
- Black coffee, no sugar or milk
- Go for
- Coffee people · A good conversation at the counter
Latest recorded visit2025-02-18
RecommendedPrice varies
City Heights
Tom's Chinese BBQ
CantoneseChinese BBQ
Roger’s pick for Cantonese roast meats in town: roast duck and char siu, bought early and paid for in cash.
- From the order notes
- Roast duck · Char siu (BBQ pork)
- Go for
- Siu mei to take home
Latest recorded visit2020 · approx.
RecommendedPrice varies
City Heights
Trieu Chau Restaurant
Chinese
Roger rated this 5 stars, saying that if you're looking for something different from the standard Asian restaurant fare in town, this place is a good change of pace.
- From the order notes
- Go for
- A change of pace from standard Asian restaurant fare
Latest recorded visit2019-12-06
Keep exploring
More like this.
Browse the Vietnamese page, or continue to another place with a matching cuisine.
Roger’s pickPrice varies
Kearny Mesa
Mien Trung Restaurant
Vietnamese
One of Roger’s favorite spots for bún bò Huế and bún riêu, with seafood dishes he says you rarely see at typical pho houses. Cash only.
- From the order notes
- Bún bò Huế with everything · Bún riêu · The clam dish with shrimp crisps
- Go for
- Getting past the default pho order · A hot, spicy bowl
Latest recorded visit2019-08-25
ClosedPrice varies
Hillcrest
Saigon on Fifth
Vietnamese
A longtime late-night default that lost Roger after new management: a bland $13 noodle soup and frozen fish sold as sea bass.
- From the order notes
- Go for
- A cautionary tale
Latest recorded visit2018 · approx.