kibi's Cafe Orinda

Visited on Jan 3, 2026 on my way back to the East Bay from Walnut Creek on a whim. I'll preface this by saying I'm accustomed to outstanding Pho in Oakland with bone broth that is prepped the day before and simmering for 12 plus hours. The pho broth was okay at best. The chicken was so tough I literally could not eat it. I set it aside and asked them why the chicken was so tough and they brought me another serving of chicken... One of the handful of pieces they gave me I could not bite through. Mind you I've had braces in the past and have a near perfect bite and have all of my teeth and I could not bite through the chicken to save my life. I hate say it also was not seasoned at all and the broth did nothing to mask the bland flavor. I won't be back. I was so disappointed by my visit here.

Amazing spot! One of the best Bahn Mi I’ve had in the Bay Area! Totally worth the stop and really good prices too.

I had high hopes as there are few good restaurant options in Orinda, but overall disappointing. The Chicken Pho was awful, the chicken was so tough I had to spit it out and try to remove the rest so I could at least eat the noodles and broth. The cilantro garnish was wilted and brown on the edges. The Beef Pho was just OK - the broth is rather light and is not very flavorful. The pork and chicken in the bun salads have an odd coating that I didn't care for. The shrimp summer rolls are the only item I've tried that I enjoyed.

I just want to start by saying that I do NOT like giving businesses bad reviews. I’ve come here to eat multiple times and have discovered plastic hairs in my food on multiple occasions. The most recent time, I got extremely sick from it. We’ve spoken to the employees about it in an effort to make them aware and encourage caution, but I am still finding multiple plastic hairs in the food. Please be careful.

Best bahn mi sandwich I’ve had in a long time. $10 bucks. Boom. Update Jan 2025. finally tried their Pho. Had rare steak (Tai). No more driving to Walnut Creek for my Pho fix (sorry Kevin’s Noodle House…). Definitely a 10. True slow cooked broth. Vs what others are using that I believe to be canned broth.