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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.
Our last visit is in the Spring of 2022 when they added even more outdoor seating during the Pandemic.
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.
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. Cupertino location has similar quality.
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.
Pho Hanoi Food Picks:
Chicken Sticky Rice ($12) is a side-dish/entree with generous portion of piping hot crispy skin chicken on the side of fried to a crisp sticky rice. Awesome and a must get! 10/10
Shrimp Spring Rolls ($5.75) had 4 large pieces with a nice peanut sauce. A small dolup of chili in the sauce added an accent.
Pho Tai Dap ($10.50 regular) Rare Flank steak with rice noodle soup. We selected the fresh wide noodles instead of skinny noodles. (Few places have this option. Another good sign) and noticed the dish came with dragon coriander on the bean sprout plate. A great sign.
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.
Pho Bo Dac Biet ($11.95) rare flank steak, well-done, brisket, tendon, and tripe noodle soup was full of meaty goodness with ground up beef on top. Well done.
Bun Cha Ha Noi ($12.75) 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 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.
Banana Blossom Salad ($13.75) is a huge dish, perfect for vegetarians. Sort of like thinly shaved cabbage. You can get it without chicken.
Chicken Salad
Fresh Lemon Soda ($5.75) was also good. Fresh lemon extract and sugar on the bottom, along with a can of club soda for you to pour in.
OK: (Order if you like this dish)
Che Dau Dua, Che Ba Mau ($4.50) was average.
Pans: (We would not reorder these dishes)
None
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: | (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 |
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