|
|
Why did we dine here? – Pho Ha Noi is a Vietnamese restaurant located in an outdoor mall Vietnam Town Plaza in San Jose. The area is full of high quality Asian restaurants and shops. Their pho is some of the best in the SF Bay Area. This restaurant also has a location in Cupertino and added Palo Alto in 2023.
Our last visit is in the Summer of 2024 when they added outdoor seating during the Pandemic. Pho Hanoi Elite is a closeby. They add steak, seafood, stews and other items.
Decor is nicer than most Vietnamese restaurants. They have nice happy hour specials Mon-Thur 5-11pm.
Insider Tip – Come hungry. Afterwards, get a Boba tea drink across the parking lot at cool Tea Lyfe.
Cuisine – Vietnamese
Location – San Jose Vietnamtown
Opened – 2016
Service – Pho Hanoi had fair service. Not enough server = hail them to get stuff done. The young server did know the menu well. You pay by going up to the cashier.
Verdict – Pho Hanoi serves up some of the best Vietnamese in the SF Bay Area. Excellent Pho and Bun Cha that we have not see anywhere around here. Also try Best Pho in San Francisco Area
Closed Wednesdays.
Palo Alto and Cupertino locations have similar quality but not exactly the same. Palo Alto has nicer dining room, but requires you to ask for pho bean sprouts. They are cooked, not raw.
Is this restaurant worth a 5 minute drive? Yes. 30 minute? Yes. 1 Hour? Maybe.
Pho Hanoi Signature Dishes – Nem Nuong Cuon, Pho Bo, Rice plates, Bun Cha
Pho Hanoi’s Menu is very wide ranging with lots of options. Several items for vegetarians. The menu has been trimmed back during the Pandemic. Be sure to look for a poster by the door advertising any specials.
- Due to the Palo Alto location’s proximity to Stanford, they often have specials around $10. Great value. The Palo Alto location seems to have lower quality food than the Cupertino or San Jose. Service is not great.
Pho Hanoi Food Picks:
Roasted kui fei chicken w Crispy Sticky Rice(Xoi Ga Roti – 1/2 con chien don) ($22) is a side-dish/entree with generous portion of piping hot crispy skin chicken on the side of fried to a crisp sticky rice along with an egg. Awesome and a must get! 10/10
Shrimp Spring Rolls ($11.25) had 4 large pieces with a nice peanut sauce. A small dolup of chili in the sauce added an accent. 8.10
Pho Tai Dap ($17.85 regular) Rare Flank steak with rice noodle soup. We selected the fresh wide noodles instead of skinny noodles. (Few places have this option in Noodles. Another good sign) and noticed the dish came with dragon coriander on the bean sprout plate. A great sign. 9/10
Very good broth, not too strong. They have a huge vat in the back with bones, brisket, and beef ribs boiling away. Nice tender noodles and beef. This was really good. Small is a pretty big bowl. In Palo Also, they only served blanched soy beans.
Pho Bo Dac Biet ($18.85) rare flank steak, well-done, brisket, tendon, and tripe noodle soup was full of meaty goodness with ground up beef on top. Well done.
8oz Short Rib and Rare steak Pho ($18.85) was a weekday special in early 2024 in Palo Alto. Nicely done with the fatty rib meat almost like a prime rib bone. 8.5/10
Vegan Pho – Pho Chay ($17.50) was added to the Palo Alto menu in early 2024. Hits the spot for vegetarians and vegans! Lots of different vegetables including carrots and broccoli, and a special broth. Broth was too sweet in fall 2024. 6/10
Bun Cha Ha Noi ($18) Grilled Pork with vermicelli, lettuce was very authentic. Similar to what we got in Hanoi. The meat comes in a separate bowl with both meatball and sliced pork. You get another platter of lettuce, vermicelli rice noodles to assemble it into a sandwich. Rare to see this around here. Must order. Better than the one at Gao Viet in San Mateo 9.5/10
Co Bo Luc Lac ($14.50) Shaking Beef with bell pepper, onion & red rice hit the spot at a reasonable price. Good dish for carnivores.
Com Ga Hai Nam Dac Biet ($11.50) Special hainanese steam chicken was very pristine and pure. Not overly processed. Not good if you need a lot of flavor.
Mushroom Claypot ($18) is a major vegetarian entree, as they do not have vegetarian pho. Nice combination of tofu and veggies. 8.5/10
Fresh Lemon Soda ($5.75) – Da Chanh was also good. Fresh lemon extract and sugar on the bottom, along with a can of club soda for you to pour in.
Passionfruit Drink ($6.50) Chanh Day is refreshing and a bit strong. Adding water helped. 7.5/10
Mango Smoothie ($7.50) Sinh To Xoai is very smooth and pure. 8.5/10
3 color dessert Che Ba Mau ($7.50) was had lots of beans and rich coconut milk. One of the better versions. Lots of ice. 8/10
Do you agree with our review? Have you found other similar restaurants that are better?
Restaurant Map:Pho Hanoi Overall Rating: 
(Very Good
Come Back? 
| Food Rating: | (Very Good) |
| Service Rating: | (Good) |
| Atmosphere Rating: | (Very Good) |
| Value Rating: | (Excellent) |
Guide: 0 = poor, 1 = Below/Average, 2 = Good, 2.5 = Very Good, 3 = Excellent , 4 = Extraordinary
| Alcohol: | Beer, Wine |
| Attire: | Casual |
| Parking: | Street |
| Reservations: | Yes |
No Comments