Milpitas pho restaurant Pho Love closed after viral video showing unsanitary meat handling

KRON 4 San Francisco ^ | 11/20/2025 | Alex Baker

[DFG]

A pho restaurant in the South Bay has temporarily closed after a video appearing to show unsanitary meat handling practices in back of the restaurant went viral.

The restaurant has emerged at the center of an online controversy after someone posted video of a man slamming frozen beef ribs on the bare ground in back of the restaurant. The video, which was shot from a rooftop vantage point, shows the meat being thrown onto pieces of cardboard and skidding off into the pavement, which appears stained with refuse water from a trash compactor.

At one point in the video posted on TikTok, the meat can be seen skidding off into a puddle of murky, dark liquid.

An empty mop bucket and a garbage heap can also be seen in the video.

When KRON4 visited Pho Love on Thursday, a sign on the door said the restaurant was closed “due to an issue involving one of our employees.”

The Santa Clara County Department of Public Health said it was made aware of the video which appeared to show “unsafe handling of frozen ribs on the ground,” according to Environmental Health Director Dr. Marilyn C. Underwood. County environmental health specialists conducted a full investigation of the restaurant, spoke with the restaurant’s operator, and reviewed current staff training and food safety handling practices.

While investigating the restaurant, the county also found major violations including:

A cockroach infestation A lack of ability to properly sanitize utensils and equipment The restaurant was also cited for failing to follow proper food safety knowledge specifically regarding the handling of frozen ribs, as seen in the video.

“Pho Love has been closed until the operator can correct the major violations and demonstrate acceptable food handling practices,” said Underwood

A second sign, from the Santa Clara County Department of Environmental Health, confirmed that the restaurant was closed due to the temporary suspension of its health permit.

The closure notice was dated Thursday, Nov. 20.

Pho Love also appears to have disabled its Instagram account. However, before the account went offline, the restaurant posted that it is aware of the video and is cooperating with an official investigation into the matter.

“We are aware of the concerning video currently circulating online,” the restaurant posted on Instagram. “After a preliminary internal review, we have determined that the individual’s actions were conducted in a personal capacity and in collaboration with an external party, contrary to our company’s standards and without our knowledge or instruction.”

The restaurant went on to say it was “treating the matter with the utmost seriousness” and was fully cooperating with a police investigation.

“The trust and safety of our customers are the highest priority,” the restaurant added.

The Milpitas Police Department told KRON4 it was aware of the video circulating and had shared information with the Code Enforcement division.

KRON4 tried to calling Pho Love several times during its posted business hours for further comment. We were unsuccessful.

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TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: california; milpatas; pholove; santaclaracounty

[kiryandil]

“Little boy Cho and the dog in the soup”

We’ll make some Pho then, you know we’ll have a good time then”

[Myrddin]

My father's last trip to Saigon was "memorable". Inbound in a taxi, a grenade came through an open window. It was tossed back out before it detonated. Later in the week, there was a flip of a coin to decide on a place for lunch. The choice that lost was the "floating restaurant". While eating lunch, a huge explosion was heard. It was the floating restaurant. Splinters on the water. It had been wired up with a large amount of explosives. On the outbound trip, the small aircraft dad traveled it made a steep climb after rotation. The sound of small arms bullet strikes on the aircraft was unnerving. Dad returned to his responsibilities as XO on USS Marshall following that trip.

Pho is one of my favorite choices. The quality varies by restaurant. Many good places in San Diego. Fewer options in southeast Idaho. Dee Kitchen in Idaho Falls makes a pretty good bowl.

[MikelTackNailer]

"We no see your cat. Stop asking."

[Myrddin]

Magic Dirt Theory: The false idea that where a person lives determines their behavior, as if the dirt they walk on is magic and changes them. In reality people bring their behaviors with them wherever they go.

An interesting observation is the incidence of depression in a population. It turns out that it is pretty high in Nevada where the depleted soils lack lithium. Texas has areas that are high in lithium, others that are low. The areas with low lithium have more shooting incidents.

[TexasGator]

“Well, you’ve got to marinate the ribs somewhere! Lol!”

My wife makes the BEST pho. The UNMARINATED meat is added to the broth raw when served.

[V_TWIN]

Back in the 80s a Chinese joint I had eaten in a few times was caught trapping, slaughtering and cooking muscovy ducks from a neighborhood lake behind the restaurant.
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Since then I’m very leary of what Asian restaurant I eat at.
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My dad did a tour of Korea and two tours in Vietnam.

As a adult I never could get him to go to an asian restaurant.....no doubt he saw many things over there like this sht and that’s why.

[Robert DeLong]

Well, I am willing to bet that there are a lot of restaurants that would fail an inspection in our big cities, especially when it comes to roaches.

I remember eating at this place in Silver Spring Md., and an hour later becoming violently ill. Driving home was, at best, dangerous when I had to upchuck out my window while driving home. My first attack came at my desk.

I think within a week it had been closed down. I had never eaten there before, I might add, and it was decades ago too.

You never know where violations are taking place, and I have to assume it has only gotten worse, not better, since that time in the 1970s.

But like I said, I was not giving them a pass. They deserved the outcome they ultimately received. 😁🤙

[Cowgirl of Justice]

Years ago, near my apartment, there was a two bedroom apartment where dozens of Asians would leave in the morning and come back in the night. We never saw them any other time.

I wonder how many of the people in that pho restaurant are from America and here legally. How many Americans’ lives must end because of these illegals who don’t speak English and don’t care to follow the laws of our country.

[Hyman Roth]

What unit were you in?

[Hyman Roth]

That’s Phoking nasty 🤢

[dfwgator]

Uh, I was with the Green Berets, Special Unit Battalions... Commando Airborne Tactics... Specialist Tactics, uh, Unit Battalion. Yeah, it was real hush hush. I was Agent Orange. That was my name, Agent Orange. Special Agent Orange, that was me.

[PLMerite]

I have to be very careful when ordering, lest I ask for “General Tso’s Kitten,” by mistake.

[ChuckHam]

Eddie, you da man.

[Hyman Roth]

One of my favorite movies. 😎

[doorgunner69]

Good thing the patrons never saw how they deal with food in-country.

You are dealing with a culture that uses fresh human excrement for fertilizer.

[TBP]

That’s too bad. I like pho.

[Organic Panic]

Meh... I’ve been a bachelor my entire adult life. No big deal here.

[IYAS9YAS]

“I was in... Sang Bang... Dang Gong... I was all over the place, basically a lot of places, a lot of places.”

Special Agent Orange?!? Is that you?

[gundog]

I’d wager that the effluvia from an Oriental restaurant’s trash compacter comes close enough to the genuine taste of Saigon’s pavement to suit my untrained palate.

[Fledermaus]

Bye, bye Pho

Bye, bye happiness

Say hello loneliness

I think I’m going to cry

Bye, bye Pho goodbye