Whenever I go to an "ethnic" restaurant for the first time, two very promising signs are
a) that it's located in an unassuming strip mall or shopping center (less money and time on impressive location and decor=lower prices and more focus on food)
and
b) that whenever you enter the restaurant, it's full of people who share the same cultural origin as the food you're about to eat (and if they're even speaking a different language, you know you've won).
This describes Pho Cali perfectly. Situated in an odd little clump of shops just of Capital Boulevard, when you walk into the restaurant, it's almost always populated by people speaking Vietnamese, and usually watching Vietnamese satellite television. The menu is in both Vietnamese and English, and offers many different noodle soups (delicious, and served in huge, steaming bowls), chicken, beef, and fish dishes, appetizers (spring rolls, fresh or fried, also delicious), beverages like iced coffees and bubble teas, and many other things that you've never heard of but will be tempted to try. The table service isn't assiduous as you might expect from a more mainstream eatery but is unfailingly polite, and food is served quickly.
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