I’ve been to Pho Lucky, a Vietnamese restaurant inside of the Lucky Seafood Supermarket, many times. It’s my go-to soup for when I am feeling sick and I want a hot, hearty broth to make my insides feel warm and lovely. I hadn’t been in awhile and since it’s cheap and I wanted a night out with my friend, Laura, we visited recently for some cheap eats.
The service at the restaurant isn’t ever stellar, but they are fast. As soon as you walk in, they shout at you from across the restaurant and point you towards a table. When they think you’re ready, they swoop in for your order and swoop back out to place it for you.
I got what I usually get: Pho! I just got it with rare steak this time, but I’ve had it with other cuts stuffed into my soup and have never been disappointed. It’s got tons of green onions, regular onion, rice noodles, the rare steak (which cooks in the hot broth) and you can add what you like to it: bean sprouts, leafy greens I have never identified, and lime. The broth is rich, hearty, and has a good solid flavor to it. The broth is my favorite part! I had to ask for a fork to eat my noodles since my hands don’t know what to do with chop sticks, but that’s totally cool. No matter how you eat it, it’s delicious. Most of the soups are in the $5-$6 range, depending on the size and ingredients. I believe mine was like $5.50 and this is a “normal” sized bowl (which I have never been able to finish).
I also sprung for some egg rolls on this visit (about $5). They were crunchy and filled with a small amount of veggies and a good amount of meaty stuff. The little bowl of sauce they give you is a sweet concoction – it’s always good to dip your finger in something first to see if you’ll like it, and I liked this. This is the same sauce they give you for if you order one of their other dishes on the menu (like the rice noodles). Very tasty.
My friend got a BBQ Pork & Shrimp with Rice Noodles dish, though she thought she was getting soup. I have never ordered something else besides the Pho so I had no idea either what the other dishes entailed. No soup, apparently! But she still enjoyed it. I had a bite of the BBQ Pork and it was sweet and well flavored. I might have to try that or another dish the next time I visit!
We also bought got “Lemonade Iced Teas”… which were warm when we got them, with a smidgen of ice on top. I think they use the hot tea they serve and just add a little ice and lemonade on top, but it was disappointing that the drinks weren’t cold. I still liked the flavor of it, but I should have flagged down a waiter and gotten more ice! In the end, my friend thought it was amusing – she thought she was ordering hot soup and cold tea and instead got a cold dish and a warm drink. It was like traveling to another country without ever leaving your own city!
Pho Lucky (inside Lucky Seafood Supermarket)
9326 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126
(858) 586-7979
Accepts credit cards – $10 minimum
