Pho Clement 2

Yep, I still love this place.
Came after closing and since I’m mega cool they still served me (either that or Asian people just love having customers!)
Can’t complain about the #1 here! Cheap and good!

I’m not sure how «fair» of a review this will end up being– but nonetheless, I’m going to tell my story like it is.
This story starts out the same as many others.“It was a cold and dreary day in San Francisco…” Well? It was! And I was craving Asian soup! After dropping my co-​worker off at her place in the inner Richmond, I told her I wanted Asian Soup. She suggested I try Phở Clement (not 1, but 2!). She said I couldn’t go wrong!
I can’t remember exactly what I ordered, but I can tell you I stood outside and stared at the menu for a quite awhile. A cop walked by (did he think I was loitering?) and suggested I go in. He said they had some of the best food ever. I ended up ordering a shrimp, chicken, won-​ton, and rice noodle soup to-​go. For $ 7.60 I got a «small» which should really be named «littlest big order» — because the portion size is out of control! I got my order to go and was looking forward to nom nom noming.
My order came in a variety of packages. Noodles in one. Broth in another. Chicken and shrimp in another. No wait– I’m not finished. Bean sprouts, basil, and jalapenos in another. It was like putting together a puzzle this meal!
While tasty– though not over the top flavorful, I ended up «sick» for the rest of the day, evening, and into the next morning. You can interpret this however you choose. While I’d like to rule out the possibility that Phở Clement was the source of my unpleasantness, it was my first meal of the day… so I’m not sure I can link it to anything else.
The restaurant is nothing special (aesthetically speaking), but the people are very friendly. Be forewarned: CASH ONLY.
Given my experience, I’m not sure I’ll be back. Then again, perhaps I am unfairly judging our Phở friends. Maybe I should have actually ordered the Phở!

I normally go to the Clement and 3^rd location, but we couldn’t find parking there and this is on the way home so we ended up at Phở Clement 2. For some reason, the broth seems more flavorful at the original, but this location is still a great go to place when you’re craving phở. One plus? It’s cleaner than the original!

Marty and I come here once a week, minimum. There was one week we came here 3 times. I’ll chalk it up to the fact that Marty is a vegetarian and just discovered Phở when we started dating.
These guys will substitute anything into anything for you, which makes it really easy for a vegetarian to get some variety. The owner (lady with black hair, glasses) will go into the kitchen herself if you ask for something not on the menu. So far the most random dish Marty has asked them to make is vegetarian Bun Bo Hue. Which he claims is the best «Phở» he’s ever had. He also really likes their vegetarian phở.
Definitely a solid place for a vegetarian looking for some «authentic» Vietnamese food.
But… on the carnivorous side of things: this place is pretty bland. I wouldn’t pick to go here on my own or with friends, you can find better Phở in the area. Their broth is always salty, their meat balls chewy.
The staff is very friendly and will go out of their way to remember your name, your «usual» and sub any items for you.

This review is not for the phở!
This was my first time here and I was surprised I’ve missed this shop all this time! They actually have pretty good banh xeo-​the Vietnamese crepes-​which not much SF shops have (that are good)! My two friends and I shared the banh xeo with a thit nuong and nem nuong (grilled pork and pork meatballs) platter with rice papers to make our own rolls because we didn’t want to be «too full». But half an hour later and most of the food gone, we realized we ate too much! Oh well. It was yummy.

I stopped by here on two separate occasions with various friends. First time was rather «blah» and second time was even worst. The first time I went there I ordered a bowl of seafood noodle soup and glass of sugar cane juice. They didn’t have any sugar cane juice in stock and the soup was OK. I can’t say it was horrible but it wasn’t good either so it was as average as possible. Second time I ordered an Avocado Smoothie and a small bowl of Phở. The smoothie was again, just ok, it tasted powdered rather than fresh avocados. The problem however came with the Phở which was overly MSG’ed and the broth was just off tasting. My friend also ordered some spring rolls and they came out looking very unappetizing, and sure enough they were also rather gross. One of the rolls even tasted «mushy».
The positive note is that the staff is rather friendly, one of the nicer set of people I’ve encountered at a Vietnamese restaurant. Too bad the food doesn’t match up to the service.
POSITIVES:
— NIce Staff
NEGATIVES:
— Rather abysmal Phở (and other dishes)
— Parking sucks (but that’s SF)

Good spot for Phở, but it doesn’t compare to the original Phở Clement on Clement Street. But on the upside this location has a great happy hour. $ 3.00 for a small combination Phở. You can’t beat that. They have a $ 10 credit card minimum.

AWFUL.
I’ve already been forewarned about this place, but needed something quick and close to work. From my own personal experience, I wouldn’t go back.
It was pretty bad… figured how can you go wrong with banh uot? It’s steamed, most everything is prepared, just dish it.
My noodles were ho fun noodles, not the wider authentic ones and they were old! Like left out for many days old – you can tell by the taste of it and it was hard. They didn’t even try to heat it up and pass it off as being fresh!
Fish sauce has no flavor, just salty.
Dac Biet Phở was ok, pretty standard, lots of cloves flavor in the broth… until I bit into the super tough and hard meatball and out came 2 strands of hair stuck in my teeth.
So GROSS. I couldn’t stomach nething much after that.
Not to mention, this place seems a little on the high end… I have no idea how they’re able to have this second location…

Nothing like a hot bowl of Phở on a cold rainy day. I was wanted to try this joint since it is near my neighborhood Starbucks. We ordered 2 Imperial Rolls (#2A) $ 5.45; Rice Noodle Soup with chicken (#15) $ 6.5 0 Small; Beef Stew over Rice (#46) $ 8.25.
Imperial Rolls — 4 rolls cut into 8 pieces per order served with Lettuce, slightly pickled shredded carrots, basil, cucumbers and lime fish sauce. Both orders had 1 roll that was overcooked, but you really can’t get too wrong with deep fried foods. The rolls were a bit bland and did need the dipping sauce. I think a sweet chili sauce would have been better.
Rice Noodle w/​chicken — light flavorful broth. Hits the spot on this rainy day. It did not need any additional sauce, but the basil did go well with the chicken. The noodles were a bit soft, but not mushy.
Beef Stew over Rice– plenty of tender beef in a rich flavorful sauce. its not really over rice, the stew is served in a bowl separate from the large mound of rice. The stew included carrots and some onions.
The staff was friendly, the lady that took the order and was the cashier was chatty and we talked about our kids. When we asked for a container to take back home the kids leftover phở, she asked if we wanted more of the broth.
The dining area was relatively clean, tables were bussed and cleaned quickly. Tables and chairs were not sticky unlike some other phở places. the only this that seemed a bit ‘dirty’ were the small flies that appeared towards the end of your meal.
The restroom — there was one co-​ed restroom with only a toilet. The room was overall pretty clean and free of odor; the only area that I think need attention was the spot of wall directly under and around the soap dispenser.

This review is for one dish, only, their wonton soup. I’ve had bites of my friend’s Nem Nuong which was DEE-​Licious, too, but it’s the wonton soup that brought me back.
I’ve had the mi hoahn tahn here (I am probably spelling that wrong). Their soup is my golden standard of wonton goodness. I tried a medium and left hurting. I tried a small and waddled out the door but didn’t feel like I was going to burst.
The broth is out of this world good. It has a nice clean flavor and the proportions of noodles to dumplings to pieces of meat and fresh vegetables is wonderful. It makes me sooo happy every time I eat it. I am docking a star ’cause it seemed like the last time I ate here I had gristly bits in my pork but it’s not the end of the world.
This place has my favorite wonton noodle soup in the City. I’m sad that it’s so far away. If you are wonton obsessed you should come here.
Cootz OUT!
({})

I feel a twinge of guilt giving this place a two star rating because I feel bad for the old people working here!
It was a bit uncomfortable for me to eat here because of that very reason! I would never have my old grandmother serve me and clean up after me. It was just all awkward as hell! Let me break it down for you, old people just shouldn’t be wobbling around carrying food, bending down, cleaning up or doing heavy lifting. I had a problem having to watch that. It just felt weird to me.
Besides the environment being a little uncomfortable, the food was quite mediocre. Alright, so my standards for vietnamese food is quite high and I wasn’t expecting it to be amazing. but it just pissed me off! In short, the experience made me feel guilty for so many reasons. I left the restaurant feeling terrible about wasting my money on something my mom could’ve made for a fraction of the price as well as for making old people serve me (having to watch them work) Argh! I couldn’t shake off the guilt. i feel so dirty.

With the cold weather approaching, soup is ideal to warm the body and fill your belly. On a weekend brunch adventure, Bernadette R., Angelo F. and I took our appetites to the Richmond District. After find that our original destination was over crowded, we found Clement Phở 2 and decided to try it out.
The food pictures on the wall had us contemplating on whether to have phở or a banh mi sandwich, or both. We decided on everything and ordered an order of Crispy Spring Rolls, each having Phở and a Pork Banh Mi to split three ways.
I ordered the small beef and brisket phở, the broth was very good. I made it spicy and it was the perfect thing for my sore throat. Although we all ordered different sizes, Small, Medium and Large — we each took leftovers home. If you consider the amount of food you get for the price, you’ll want to come here all the time.

As Joel L put it… the noodles were definitely mushy/​overcooked. The noodles would break apart as we picked them up, no bueno. This has to be the only place I’ve been to that has had this happen. I will admit that I have been here twice before and never had this problem though.
Other than that it is your standard Vietnamese food fare with noodles, rice dishes, banh mi, and an assortment of drinks/​desserts. Service was fast and friendly. However, the food did come out a bit slower than other phở restaurants I frequent.
Definitely watch out for the mushy noodles…
Unless that’s your thing

Stay away. By far one of the worst phở experiences of my life. The three of us ordered Rare Steak Phở and shared the Imperial Rolls.
Noodles– mushy, Beef — O.K. Imperial Rolls — flavorless. Broth– overly salted and gross. Avo Shake — bland. Customer Service — Awful. The old viet man stood in front of me until I signed the credit card receipt. WTF? Each of us finished barely half of our phở. Never again. Avoid!!!

The broth is flat to me… another bowl of salt and MSG… not aromatic, not spectacular, not impressive. It did hit the spot, but only because I was at a friend’s house and didn’t want to venture too far for Phở. We were all nursing hangovers. They do have a large menu and lots to choose from, but you know I go straight for Phở.

4 if the bun bo hue wasnt $ 8.75 and the chicken phở had more chicken and taste… but the beef phở was worth the price (maybe 7.50? I forgot).
Mom and bro loved this place. I came here to eat twice for dinner. First I tried the chicken phở. I ordered the medium and it filled me up quite good but it was all noodles. Barely any meat. Maybe half a drumsticks worth of meat in there. Mom and brother couldnt finish their beef phở (#1) even though my brother eats a lot. I came here a second time and ordered the bun bo hue that was on the picture mounted on the wall. It looked like what it was when it came out. I was very very satisfied but it was almost $ 9. The beef phở has a unique taste to it (not my liking) but my mom and brother like it. I thought the bun bo hue was good, noodles were a little chewy but it was okay. Plenty of blood, vietnamese ham, beef, and there were a good few pieces of pork feet. Next time I shall try Bun rieu but it is still a little pricey for my taste.
Pictures are posted

Haven’t been here in a very long time. Today’s visit was surprisingly pleasant.
Order:
* Deep-​fried spring rolls
* XL phở with beef meatballs and rare steak
* S phở with well-​done flanks
* Avocado shake
* Green jelly/​bean drink
The deep-​fried spring rolls came with a lot of «garnish» — 3 big leaves of green leafy lettuce, 2 sprigs of mint, a bunch of sliced cucumbers, and a bunch of pickled carrot. We usually just eat the spring rolls and discard the garnish, but today I decided to try eating the spring rolls WITH the garnish. I wrapped spring roll in the lettuce, dumped a bit of mint, cucumber, and pickled carrot in there, dabbed it in the sauce. It was surprisingly refreshing and delicious and I couldn’t taste any of the grease.
The phở today was a great value, even though we couldn’t finish. There were lots of noodle AND lots of meat. As my boyfriend said, «this is awesome!» I think he finished like ²⁄₃ or ¾ of his XL. But as for my so-​not-​a-​small S, it looked like I drank all the broth and left all the noodle and meat; I am pretty sure I ate at least half of it.
Usually their drinks are not that good but they were delicious today. My boyfriend finished his avocado shake so fast he had to order a second drink and it was also delicious.
There are a couple things that was kind of… ugh…
— the chopsticks and spoons were really really sticky no matter how much I washed or wiped them
— the hoisin sauce was really runny
— the phở broth still lacked depth IMO, but considerably better than most phở places I’ve been to
Overall: 3.5 stars

This place is definitely fancier than its brother off 4^th and Clement. The décor reminds me of a lab that tests for epilepsy with all the flashing lights and bright colored things.
My friends and I ordered our bowls of Phở… mine was extra large with rare steak, beef brisket, and tendon. The beef brisket here is more flavorful than I’ve had anywhere… including Phở Clement (1). It was mostly lean, packed a good flavor kick, and didn’t make you feel guilty for finishing ALL of the meat they gave you.
My friends all enjoyed their bowls of Phở as well. I’d have to say that the broth tastes very similar to the broth off of Clement… it’s just the fixins are slightly different.
If I’m ever jones’in for some beef brisket with my phở, I’ll know where to go. I’d say that BECAUSE the prices are similar, Phở Clement 2 off of Geary takes the crown over its aging other half on Clement.
4 Stars.

It was a freezing cold Friday in SF, and I was supposed to be good and eat at home, but I really wanted some phở. Vincent K. convinced me to brave the cold and grab a bowl of hot phở.
There weren’t too many people dining inside, but there were people constantly coming in to pick up to go orders. There were plenty of tables for us to choose from, so we were seated right away. I ordered a regular Phở Dac Biet (
).
Our phở came out piping hot! One spoonful of the broth, and it warmed me right up. The broth was flavorful, and they give you generous portions of noodles and meat. I finished most of the meat, but I left some noodles in the bowl… just too much for me.
Now I know where to get a good bowl of phở if I’m ever back on the Richmond side!

Writing this review as I’m dining. Ordered a medium phở w/​tai and flank steak ($ 7). Great broth flavor, more meat and noodles than most places. 50 cent price difference between sizes. In general, though, it seems pricey. Noticed a bowl of vermicelli noodles w/​BBQ pork and egg roll was $ 8.75. Steep by comparison to Phở Garden down the street. As always, ordered an iced coffee ($ 2.75) to pair with the steaming bowl.
Pros: friendly staff, great phở flavor, extremely fast service
Cons: blaring music and/​or television; 50 cent charge for water (?!?); several disclosures at the bottom of the menu including «Available with less MSG or no MSG. Please tell your server» and «Prices subject to change without notice»; and there are additional fees if you order things to-​go.
Ordered the combo banh mi ($ 3.50) to save for later. Will update review when chomped.
Not sure if I’d come here again. Just stopped in because I was desperately craving some AM phở and this was the only place open at 9am. Phở Garden, unfortunately, is closed on Wednesdays. That place is my go-​to.