Pho Hoa Noodle Soup

Unfortunately, this restaurant has now closed, so there is no longer Vietnamese cuisine in downtown Pleasanton.
Being both Vietnamese and having parents that owned a Vietnamese restaurant for 35 years, I give Phở Hoa a solid 4 stars on food and 3 stars on service. The service was always friendly, but you generally won’t get follow-​up visits and drink refills after your order is delivered. The phở tastes a lot better here then the other Pleasanton/​Dublin options, but not as great as other Phở Hoa locations in CA (there are 4 left as of this writing).
However, those giving poor reviews for service need to note this is how all the noodle houses work! You rarely get service without asking for it after you order. You won’t even get your check — you have to walk up to the register. I always remember my table number, but the register workers have an innate ability to know exactly what table you are from even if they didn’t see you stand up.
In all, I’ll miss the owners who always had smiles for me.

3.5 Stars
Stopped in late Monday night for a quick Phở dinner. We were the only table the whole time. The Broth was good but the rare steak was almost undetectable. The other topping were plentiful. The BBQ pork plate was huge and we had to take home half of it. Since the proliferation of Phở restaurants in the East Bay. Phở Hoa has become just another small Phở noodle shop. The good thing is there place has gone through some remodeling and is clean with a beautiful ocean fish tank.

Decent phở place :)
Service is great. All the employees are extremely friendly. I usually get grilled stuff here with no rice and side of egg :) taste is great!
I also get the phở here. Broth is okay. Not the best I’ve had.
They serve phở, rice plates, sandwiches, and boba drinks.

Least favorite phở place for me. My pet peeve is they don’t have the option for egg noodles otherwise I’d give this place 3 stars. They make a tasty chicken dish and decent phở. Service is good but lacks ambience.

This place is alrightttttt, but then again, we’re in Pleasanton. Haha. There’s not too many options here. What’s great about this place is the service! Everyone is super nice, which is totally unexpected from a Vietnamese restaurant. It wasn’t too crowded and the food came out pretty quickly too. I ordered the Phở Bo Vien and I thought it was decent. I think I just prefer my mom’s phở over everyone else’s, so I’m picky. They do give a decent amount of meat though, and the regular filled me up. Although I’m a small Asian girl…
The avocado smoothies are really good! They put a lot of avocados in it, so it’s super creamy! Definitely get a combo meal and get that with your phở. :)

I really like coming here because it hits all the important points a good place should. First off they have an authentic menu of food that is true to a Phở Noodle shop. Second, the place is clean. Each time I come here I am impressed with how clean it is. Next off, the people are extremely friendly. I enjoy walking into places that are friendly. Last but most importantly, the food rocks!!!

This review is from my wife:
Great phở. Had a large #15 and shared it with my 8-​year-​old daughter. Plenty of meat, plenty of noodles, plenty of broth, plenty of sprouts, basil, lime, and jalapeño, all for $ 11 after tax and tip. My only gripe was that it’s difficult to find. The map provided by Unilocal was no help at all. When I called they gave the correct address but in practicality it was still hard to find. Anyway eventually I found it (across the street from Fleet Feet) and had dinner so all’s well that ends well.

This is just for the Phở Do Bien Chua Cay, spicy seafood phở. I don’t know many places that make this so I always come back for it! Lots of salmon, pineapples, shrimp and imitation crab in a tom-​yum-​like broth.
Pricey for phở but its downtown Pleasanton so its to be expected.

Been coming here since I was in high school. Whenever I go to Phở restaurants (and I’ve been to plenty throughout San Diego, OC, LA, and SJ and elsewhere in the bay) I always rate their food based not on the phở, but on their bo kho. I personally like the beef stew better and the actual cube meat that’s in bo kho over regular phở, and every restaurant makes it differently, which is why it is my metric.
Phở Hoa has, and still does have, the best bo kho I’ve had. This is due in most part to the quality of the beef they use. Their beef is large meaty chunks, with some fat /​tendon but it’s mostly straight beef and I LOVE that. Most other phở restaurants within CA have a (probably more traditional) very fatty/​tendoned stewed beef that, while good, just doesn’t satisfy the meat lover in me. Whenever I come home I make it a point to come back here to have what is my baseline standard for bo kho.
Their prices have slightly risen since I was in high school 10 years ago but I don’t mind it. Their ca phe sua is good and brewed on your table like it should be. Service has definitely gotten way better and they are very friendly and more attentive than 10 years ago, and I’m glad to see they are still here each year and are flourishing because previously every restaurant that had occupied this space closed very quickly.

Needing to go to the bank in DT Pleasanton, I figured I should try this phở place having driven by the sign several times. Yes, today is the day.
It’s oddly located in what seems like an office mall at edge of downtown. Fortunately, parking is easy to find in the lot outside.
Inside, it’s not crowded for lunch time on a Friday. Good or bad, you decide.
Phở came pretty quick as is usual for phở joints. Broth is nice and hot, noodles not clumpy and have a firm bite. So far so good. Broth? Not so much. No depth and nuance of the spices in top grade phở. Everything else is on par in terms of portion size.
Place is clean, service is prompt and phở is serviceable meaning it’s a 3-​star review.