Pho Saigon

Good food, best bun I’ve had. Nicely fresh rolls. $ 60 for 2 for bun and rolls is high. 3.5 stars. Food good, service abrupt, pricey. Would go again for the taste.

Not very happy with the beef stew noodle. Beef was tough even after telling them to recook it. No taste either. Sigh. Annoyed wait staff you can tell they don’t want to let you the customer have the last word.

Awesome food hope you feel the same after driving around the block numerous times trying to find parking

I have been here a few times with family and friends. This is yet the best restaurants in town when you are visiting or when you are craving some phở. The food is absolutely amazing. I ordered variety of food off their menu. This restaurant is Very oriental. Although The parking lot is quite small. The service they need to work on it. And They have free wifi! Don’t be afraid to Ask for the wifi password.

This place’s service is atrocious, I know most Asian restaurants are not big into service but this one is absolutely appalling. The waiter and waitresses there have zero enthusiasm and rather than checking on what their guests need they huddle at the front entrance and talk shop.
First of all I’m no prima Donna but if I go to a restaurant is expect my server to at least try to smile and and see if I need anything. The particular server with his spiked hair and full of stank attitude, if you hate your job that much then quit. I did not pay $ 45 to have food served to me with your attitude. I’d rather go to the phở shop across the street than ever coming to your place again. To the manager that’s managing this place you should reevaluate your ability for overall customer satisfaction and your employees competence.

My mother asked for no green onions but sadly they put green onions in her won ton soup. My moms friend had to ask for hot water two times before getting her hot water. Also had to ask for the sauce tray two times. Although they got my mothers order wrong they got my order correct which is good. We also asked for 3 separate bills before eating but we got 1 bill. I was thinking of putting 2 stars but the foods good so 3 stars. Although they close at 11 make sure to come before 10:45 which is the time that the kitchen closes because if you come after they will turn you away. Also they tend to rush to clean the place towards closing time. So do keep this in mind if you want to eat there for late dinner.

I’m really satisfied with my food here. My friend and I finally decided to eat phở here. This was my first time trying those place and I’m quite impressed. We came around 7pm and it was busy. But we got seated right away.
At first I thought the phở was expensive. But when I got my phở it was decent portion with decent pricing. I got the 2 choice combo: rare steak and tendon inside the soup. I was surprised that there were so much meat in my phở bowl. For $ 10 phở, I was really full. The soup was good. It said it’s boiled for 24 hours. The soup wasn’t oily at all. My friend enjoyed his oxtail phở. Our water was refilled often.
I’ll be back when I want phở again. I love my tendon portion.

This restaurant has great ambiance, great location, and parking (which can be hard to come by in urban Honolulu). It’s conveniently located across Ala Moana Center and you could simply walk across the street if you’re shopping there and want an alternative to mall restaurants and the food court.
Booths are available (which I appreciate and prefer). The restaurant layout (space between booths and tables) allows restaurant patrons to truly relax and enjoy their meal.
We were promptly greeted and provided with a booth of our choice — it’s nice to get a window booth and appreciate the natural light and view (even if it’s Kapiolani Boulevard). Service is wonderful and all of our servers were polite and helpful.
There’s much to like about Vietnamese cuisine — it’s easy to find something you like, whether it’s appetizers (what’s not to like about spring or summer rolls), soup (order phở), rice plates, or noodle bowls (order bun).
I have dined at this restaurant several times and would definitely recommend it to all.

I like this place cause it closes at 11:00 PM. Food is middle of the road. Soup spring rolls coffee Good. some times the soup isn’t hot enough.
I’ll be back.
parking is small. but a lot of street parking.

If you don’t know a phoking thing about phở, you will love this place because it looks nice inside. It is for tourists and people who are afraid to go into Chinatown for the real deal.
To start, I was feeling pretty jipped that my $ 4 Vietnamese ice coffee was literally the height of a nickel inside a small glass. When I poured it over the ice it was a quarter full (the ice took up the whole glass).
The phở broth was salty, and missing the nuanced flavors that a properly simmered broth has. I got tendon and beef balls, and the beef balls were tough and the tendon was literally all gelatinous ligaments. It was pretty bad.
The service was terrible. Rushed and grumpy. The guy barked if we were ready to order as soon as we sat down. Then came back 5 minutes later and barked «you ready yet??». He forgot the avocado smoothie completely. Never came to refill water (although we never buzzed the buzzer, but still, never came back to check on things).
Parking is hard to find in the lot. They have only a handful of stalls marked for Phở Saigon.
The only red redeeming thing about lunch was that I got to hang out with a good friend and catch up.

Came back again last night with my sister. My mom showed us her favorite spot for Bun Bo Hue and I saw this place has decent reviews for it.
She ordered her BBH and I got my Phở Combo (dac biet). My Phở was decent. There was A LOT of noodles in my bowl but decent amount of flank and beef in it. I had like a few pieces of tendon and meatballs. I felt skimped out. :’(My sister drowned her Bun Bo Hue with MORE chili sauce (must not have been spicy to her taste).
Overall, Phở was decent (not the best I’ve had, in restaurants). It was pricy though $ 14/​bowl (regular). I’m assuming because it’s in Waikiki they can make a killing (I noticed a lot of non Vietnamese people around).
Service was eh. Our server didn’t come around to check on us. I don’t think I’d come back because there are nicer places with better service too.

I had lunch here the other day with my family. The place is nice with floor to ceiling glass windows. Their food is pretty good but overpriced. They have items that other phở places don’t.
For the appetizer, we ordered the fried chicken wings in fish sauce. You need this in your life if you’ve never tried it. It was so good. The wings are deep fried after being marinated in the fish sauce. I usually need dipping sauce for my wings. No sauce needed here.
My mom ordered the chicken banh mi and my dad got the duck soup. I didn’t get to try it but they both liked it. The hubby got the chicken phở and the soup base is legit. It’s one of the better ones that I’ve tasted. I decided to try something that I’ve never ordered in my life before. I ordered the crab noodle soup. I’ve never seen it offered at other places. It didn’t disappoint and I was happy I tried it. I was afraid that it would be too tart or too spicy, but it wasn’t. The crab and noodles were served in a clear tomato broth, which was seasoned perfectly. They had mixed the crab with egg and made it into balls, so I guess you can call it crab balls!!! haha. There were about five pieces of crab balls and a few pieces of hard tofu in the soup with the noodles. I wouldn’t hesitate about coming back here and ordering the crab noodle soup again.

This place is always busy and you’ll know why when you come here!
We always get the beef roll-​your-​own spring rolls, load them up with veggies and ask for peanut sauce to dip it in.
Their Vietnamese Beef Stew with a side of French Bread is so tasty. Their Phở broth is excellent and the portions of everything are good to share.

This is more like a 3.5 stars. I’ve started coming here ever since I found an uncooked chicken toenail in my usual phở spot and I must say, this place is legit that I keep coming back for more!
For appetizers I would definitely recommend the grilled pork patty roll. I don’t know what they put in it, but there’s something crunchy that really adds to the texture. I’ve also tried their regular grilled pork roll (not as good as the patty) and their chicken wings (it tasted like it was tossed their spring roll sauce, but it didn’t have much taste). I’ve tried their lemongrass beef salad which is very good, but I think I’ll ask for light onions next time (if you’ve ordered this before you know what I’m talking about!) For the phở I’ve only had the vegetable phở and I subbed it with egg noodle. I LOVED it! And then finally, the item I HAVE to get every time I come here… their ham and char siu banh mi. I don’t know what they put in their bread, but it is so good! It’s always warm, crunchy, and buttery!
Phở Saigon has easily risen to one of my go-​to Vietnamese restaurants!

The phở was good and the fried rolls came out with lettuce, cucumber, and noodles! I know this is something that is common in Hawaii, but it’s not in Seattle so I absolutely LOVED IT! The food is good, the service and good and the place is clean. The only thing is, the parking lot is a little small, but then again… parking in that area isnt the best. S’all good… I’m a fan.

If you love phở with great service and beautiful interior, this is the place for you.
Free parking is available right in front of their restaurant. Parking stalls are marked with phở saigon. You can enter from Kapiolani or Makaloa street.
As we entered, a staff sat us promptly. Their phở menu is different from others. You can choose the topping you want and price varies from there. It’s about $ 10 for phở. It’s one size but you can add more noodles and things for extra. I always get everything so when I got my phở it was meat heaven. The only part I didn’t like was the soup. It was on the sweeter side. Other than that, phở was great.
They have bells mounted on every wall if you want service but I think they’re so efficient that you don’t need to ring the bell. Besides, we’re humans so we can raise our hand or smile for service right?
Again, service was just excellent. The man who took our order memorized it. He didn’t bother to write it down. So impressive!

We came back here on a Thursday evening around 5:30 PM, April 16^th and asked for a table for 4. We were seated immediately.
Service here is always good compared to most Vietnamese places, especially ones in California. They are very friendly and attentive.
I had just eaten lunch at 2 PM so I wanted something light and ended up ordering the nem nuong cuon, hoping it would be able to compare to Brodard’s in SoCal. It couldn’t measure up, but it also wasn’t bad. If I were craving it, I would come back and order it again. We also had regular fresh rolls to share as an appetizer, which is also not bad.
We ordered the lemongrass beef salad which was very good. The flavors of the lemongrass, lime juice, fish sauce and fresh herbs blended in harmony and created this refreshing burst in your mouth. I liked the fact that the beef was not over cooked, so it was nice and soft, yet full of flavor.
The fried chicken wings were also very delicious. It reminds me of the Thai angel wings. It was kind of spicy, sweet and just a hint of tang. Perfect for pairing with beer, if I actually drank. Hahaha
The other two people ordered phở, which they said was just ok so I had to take off 1 star since this is a phở house.
I ordered the three color beans che for dessert. Yes, I am a sucker for anything sweet so I always end up ordering them even when I know I don’t have any room left. Lol
Overall, a solid 4-​star experience…

There are a bunch of «newer» phở and ramen shops that I haven’t quite made it to yet. Phở Saigon was on my to try list. I’ll get to them all eventually. Now I’m not Vietnamese but, I do eat phở about once a week. So let’s see 52 weeks x 25 or so years… well that is a lot of phở. I know what I like and what I don’t. So here goes…
Parking: In the newish complex across from Shokudo, Don Quixote, First Hawaiian Bank and right next to MW. They have their own clearly labeled parking spots which can’t be used by MW even when MW is packed. Alternative is street parking in the area around Don Quixote. So pull into the lot and see if you can find parking right there.
Venue: Fancy for a phở joint. Most are just plainly decorated hole in the wall places. Phở Saigon is quite nice.
Vibe: Busy get em in and get em out. Not just fast but rapid service. They don’t try to rush you along, really. But lets say you were in a hurry. You could be in and out in about 20 min or less.
Food: Not just phở but appetizers of spring rolls and summer rolls and plates with other non soup Vietnamese dishes. Lots of variety. Now a days I stick with veggie phở. Most shops have a non meat broth and have lots of experience with this. Most are pretty good too. A few exotic ingredients including spiralized banana flowers and bok choy. But, the overall experience was 3 stars. And given the $ 12 price I don’t think I will get it again. My companion got the Bun Bo Hue which is a rich spicy beef broth with various beef/​pork ingredients. We had tried this speciality at another nearby phở shop and liked it better there. Again for $ 14 it just didn’t ring the bell either in taste or value.
3 Stars: This does mean A-​OK and the phở was good. I can recommend it. It is just that both of us agreed that we preferred another Phở shop over this one.
Service: Fast and efficient.

Phở Saigon has space to accommodate large groups and a big menu with lots of choices. Servers come by frequently to check on you and there is a call button at the table if you ever need anything. TVs with sports and game shows play in the background, and the room is well lit and comfortable.
I’ve had their Phở with Rare Beef and Crab Noodle Soup. Both were average in terms of flavor of the soup, came with noodles and the standard plate of raw veggies to add in. My only criticism is the skimpy toppings. There was less then 2 ounces of thinly sliced beef for the Phở and other Crab Soups I’ve had came with more fish cake or tofu to fill up the bowl.
Phở Saigon is not a bad choice for Vietnamese especially, again, if you have a big group, I’d just try something else the next time.

Phở Saigon has become my favorite to-​go place for Vietnamese food in Honolulu. It’s a new-​ish restaurant that is located on Kapiolani Blvd, in the old KGMB building lot. It is next door to MW restaurant. The prices here are a bit higher than most Vietnamese places. As expected because of it’s location.
The highlight of the dining experience was the fried chicken wings dipped in the nouc mam (Vietnamese fish sauce). Easily 7 – 8 chicken wings deep fried and dipped in the sauce, making it a hot, cripsy, sweet, sour, spicy delight to eat! The chicken wings are served on a bed of lettuce salad, tossed with a soy dressing. Grade: A+
The Combination Phở, which has four items — flank steak, tendon, rare beef, and beef balls — will set you back $ 12. The phở broth was a bit sweeter than most of the phở that I’ve had (and it had a bit of MSG in it). The broth actually got sweeter as I ate my dish. The ingredients were fresh, and it warmed the soul. Grade: B+
Mom had the ox tail phở. Very interesting and local kind of dish. Very nicely done, where there were generous pieces of ox tail in a typical phở soup broth. Served with blanched mustard cabbage and other typical garnish (bean sprouts, basil leaf, sawblade grass leaf, jalapeño). $ 15. Generous servings. Grade: B+
Pork Sausage Spring Roll: Nem Nuong spring rolls, where the port sausage is served with fresh veggies and a fried won ton wrapper, served in rice paper rolls. The dipping sauce was a peanut sauce. Grade: C+
Grilled Pork Spring Roll: Highlight of the meal! This was grilled sliced pork marinated in a nouc mam sauce. Served with the fresh veggies and nouc mam sauce (fish sauce sweetened and with lime juice). Absolutely tasty and delightful! Grade: A
Sister had the Duck Noodle Soup: A whole roasted duck leg inside a bowl with egg noodles. Topped with Chinese veggies. Looked delicious, but tasted okay. Nothing really stood out in this dish. Grade: C+
Customer service is oustanding here! I went for dinner with my 80 year old mother, and they treated her like royalty! Some of the wait staff called her «Aunty» (typical to do this in HI), some called her «Mama». Very cute to see how they took care of her, and it was much appreciated! KUDOS and thank you!
Food Grade: B+
Service Grade: A!
Worth the Money Grade: B+
Overall Impression Grade: A! (Customer Service is excellent)!