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 top in the SF Bay Area. This restaurant also has a location in Cupertino and added Palo Alto in 2023. Best Pho in San Francisco Bay Area Our last visit is in the Spring of 2026 when they added outdoor seating during the Pandemic. Pho Hanoi Elite was a high end try that closed. 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 […]

This post originally from Pho Hanoi, San Jose, Cupertino, Palo Alto

Last Update: November 2019 We are big fans of Vietnamese Pho Noodle Soup. Slowly but surely, we have eaten at many of the San Francisco Bay Area’s best Pho restaurants. Here’s our constantly evolving list of the top 10 in search of the Best Pho San Francisco and beyond. Please leave comments with suggestions for other places we should try. Hit List: More San Jose Pho Places – Do you have favorites we should try?   Ranking in order of Best to Worst Check out our review of real Pho in Hanoi, Vietnam Last visit: 7/2016 Momofuku Noodle House https://www.yelp.com/biz/momofuku-noodle-bar-new-york 171 1st Ave New York City, NY 10003 (212) 777-7773 Yes, this is not in San Francisco, but their Chicken Pho was the best we have had. If you are in NYC and love Pho, makes sure you give them a try. Call first to verify it is on the menu Last Visit Spring 2023 Pho Hanoi San Jose Last visit: 8/2019 Pho Go https://www.yelp.com/biz/pho-go-garden-grove 14271 Brookhurst St Garden Grove, CA 92843 714-486-3207 Pho restaurant in the middle of Little Vietnam. Within a mile there are a ton of restaurants with the name Pho in it. We found this better […]

This post originally from Best Pho in San Francisco

Why did we dine here? – Gao Viet Kitchen is a Vietnamese restaurant in downtown San Mateo. The same folks run several, casual Ben Tre restaurants in San Mateo and Millbrae. (Which we like for casual fare.) We dined here a couple years back right after it opened and didn’t find it very compelling. They have improved the menu, added items, and have garnered some Instagram press for there PhoZila $79 noodle dish. We ate in the summer of 2021 during the pandemic, and were seated in their outdoor Parklet which has good spacing. Inside there isn’t as much spacing. Gao was so good, we have returned. They do not take reservations, so there are a long wait here. Come earlier or during lunch. Insider Tip – Line up early Cuisine – Vietnamese Location – San Mateo Downtown Opened – 2018 Service – The service is fair, they are just too busy, so the food takes a long time to arrive. Cocktails arrive in the middle of entrée time. Pandemic excuse bad service time! Verdict – Gao Viet Kitchen is a step up from your local Pho place and not chi-chi like Tamarine in Palo Alto. Authentic food with quality […]

This post originally from Gao Viet Kitchen, San Mateo

Why did we dine here? – Far better Pho than San Francisco! The SGV (San Gabriel Valley) is home to some fine Asian cuisine. We passed by Pho Filet on our last trip and ate there in 2018. Only 3.5 stars on Yelp, but way up there in our books. Insider Tip – Bring Cash Cuisine – Vietnamese Location – Rosemead, CA (San Gabriel Valley) Opened – 2013 Service – Pho Filet had just a tick above the usual drop and go service. Some of the servers barely spoke English. Verdict – Pho Filet serves up better Pho than any spot around San Francisco. This is legit Vietnamese cuisine at great prices. Is this restaurant worth a 5 minute drive? Yes. 30 minute? Maybe. 1 Hour? Maybe. Pho Filet Signature Dishes – Pho Pho Filet’s Menu is very wide ranging from Pho to Appetizers to cooked dishes to vegetarian dishes. Pho Filet Food Picks: Pho Bac (Small $7) – Filet Mignon With thick fresh rice noodles definitely hit the spot. Lots of chopped up tender beef in a neutral broth with tender wide noodles. The condiments included dragon coriander, present only at true pho restaurants. Shrimp vermicelli noodles was a […]

This post originally from Pho Filet, Rosemead

Hanoi Vietnam is known for its dynamic street food scene.  The language and culture are definitely big barriers to going it on your own.  A street food tour was definitely a must. We took our hotel’s Street Food tour to sample the local restaurants in the Hanoi Old Quarter. This was a fun and useful tour. We dined at several places that we would have been scared to approach ourselves. The guide explained the different types of local food and asked us about specific items we wanted. It lasted about 3 hours, cost $30/per person and included all food and drinks. Cheaper than other tours we saw. This tour was not listed on Trip Advisor. It was offered by our hotel, La Siesta Trendy Hanoi Try not to visit Hanoi during the Tet New Year, as several restaurants on our hit list were closed for several days. In closing, the guide gave us several places to visit when the Tet holiday was over. Restaurants Visited: Bun Cha from Bun Cha Hang Manh – Trip Advisor Unlike versions we have had in the USA, You need to assemble the dish your self. The pork comes in little patties with slices of […]

This post originally from Hanoi Street Food Tour Review

Rated 5 on Trip Advisor over 1000 reviews Duong’s is one of the highest rated restaurants in Hanoi, Vietnam on TripAdvisor. They also run a cooking school here. Initially we hesitated to eat here, but looking at the reviews and pictures, we decided to give it a try and were thankful we did. You can book online or call them, as they speak English just fine. Kenny G lite jazz filled the rooms. The chef, Hoang Duong, has been on Top Chef Vietnam and Ironchef Vietnam. He also runs Duongs 2 Restaurant. The food consists of classic Vietnamese dishes along with some more typical International fare. The food was far better than expected. Plating was very decorative, while food quality hit the mark. A great place for those intimidated by street food, to try the top signature dishes of Hanoi in comfortable surroundings. Ice here appears to be fine. Inside tip: Nearby Morgans Hotel Spa has a cheap US$11 Foot massage Menu: The menu is pretty wide ranging with lots of vegetarian options. We focus on the signature dishes the waiter recommended. Prices are very fair for a high end restaurant in Hanoi. We would easily pay 2x – 3x […]

This post originally from Duong’s Restaurant, Hanoi, Vietnam