Pho Tan Hoa

MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE PHO PLACE IN ALL OF SAN FRANCISCO!!! I’ve been here so many times that the owner knows me and has memorized what I like to order and how I like to eat it. This place has saved me from many a painful Sunday afternoon and bears many fond memories for me. It’s a no-​frills, authentic phở joint; the owner is quick, terse, the food is good, the service is bare-​bones. Just the way a phở joint should be; I’m very skeptical of all these «high-​end» phở places ripping people off in SF for $ 15 a bowl just because the servers come around more often to refill your water.
My favorites from this place include the Phở Tai (rare steak phở; order your steak rare on the side, marinate it in lemon juice, and cook it yourself in a side bowl of broth), the Bun Bo Hue (spicy beef noodle soup), Phở Ga (chicken phở) and the Bo Kho (beef stew). The Bo Kho is some of the best I’ve tasted anywhere (including San Jose, which is famous for its numerous phở joints). Copious amounts of meat and noodles for about $ 10; in fact, when I order, I usually request less meat because they give you so much.
Vietnamese coffee (ca phe sua de) and the coconut juice (with fresh coconut meat) is also excellent. Protip for all you hungover folks: coconut juice here will make you feel like a new person.
They are cash only but have an ATM located inside the restaurant in case you’re cashless.

Love this place and the staff! My non Asian colleague commented that it was the best meal for the entire business trip. We did eat at some nice high end places, but nothing beats a good bowl of phở, bun and Vietnamese ice coffee. Ed this place.

After the first night of Dreamstate I needed a hangover cure ASAP. It was a tough decision between this spot or another noodle shop, but I was so glad we chose this place instead. It’s honestly the 2^nd best noodle shop I’ve ever been to.
I was seriously amazed at how delicious the broth was at first sip. The large bowl didn’t contain just broth though, it was packed with noodles and all the things that come with it like slices of beef, tendon, tripe, beef balls, etc. You could honestly share a large if you wanted to, but if I were you, I’d get my own bowl!
My girlfriend ordered bo kho, which is basically like a beef stew/​soup with a sweet and beefy broth. It’s often times a little on the oily and spicy side depending on where you go. It wasn’t as sweet as I normally would like, but it was full of flavor and they did not skimp on the meat or noodles.
At first I was a little shocked and disappointed at how expensive everything was, but after BARELY finishing a large and considering how good everything was, it was understandable. I probably won’t be going back up north any time soon, but when I do, I will absolutely make sure I stop by here at least once. Just remember to bring cash!

I came here with a group of 7, and we found this place while Unilocaling for a lunch place with a TV (because the guys wanted to watch the football game). We got seated right away, and our food came out almost immediately as well. I got a medium sized steak phở (you can get small, medium, or large). The medium definitely filled me up, but I would’ve been content with a small. My friend ordered a large, and when we first saw it (with our hungry bellies), we didn’t think it was as massive as other Unilocalers described it, but when I looked at the bowl with my full belly, the bowl definitely looked much bigger. My friend couldn’t finish his large haha.
This place stands out from other phở places because you get a lot more meat. The quality of meat was also better in my opinion. The broth seemed heavier (unhealthier?) but I have no complaints about that!

I don’t see anything special about this place.
I am more of a fan of cleaner broth and this was more of darker heavier broth.
Their small phở seemed like a medium and the service isn’t too bad for an Asian place.
Abundant amount of noodles and beef for around ~$ 10.
There’s also an ATM machine in the restaurant in case you forgot cash.
I ordered beef ball and it was alright…
Didn’t hate it. It did a decent job of getting rid of my hangover.

Kinda disappointed. Service was good, the noodles were just ok. Nothing special. The shrimp rice rolls were plentiful but too big. For ten dollars a bowl I expected better.

The guy who took our order cracked me up, I would go back just for that. It was like a Vietnamese auction for phở. Hot noodle, hot noodle, you want #14 or #12, egg roll, egg roll how many egg roll, #14, #12! I was basically like Jesus yes yes I want all of that!!!
On another note, the broth was delicious and the egg rolls were also very good. Although, phở in DC can for sure compete! Cash only, they do have an ATM inside though.

Phở here is delicious and my favorite in SF. I’m a NYer and compare my Phở to Vietnamese Mecca (SoCal: Phở Kimmy). This place is not close to being equivalent to Mecca but it sure beats any place in NYC so I always eat here when I’m in town.
Their Goi Cuon (summer roll with shrimp, pork, herbs and rice noodles) were terrific and highly recommended. Crack heads still there — right outside. They are hard to predict as they stumble in your way as you try to enter this restaurant. Likely explains why they close at sundown and put the gates up so don’t make the mistake and go their for dinner if the sun is down!!!
Recommended:
Phở
Bun Bo Hue (for those in the know– rookies need not order)
Goi Cuon (summer rolls)

As other reviews have commented, it is cash only, and it is pretty busy. So we stood in line for a table. The turnover is pretty good though, so we waited about 5 – 10 mins. for a party of 5. Many more tables for 2 opened up before ours. It reminds me of Chinatown, since the tables are basic and some are butted up again each other, so you may be dining right next to other diners. They do a good job of bussing and cleaning the tables, however, and service is very fast. I think the owner took our order. He’s very matter-​of-​fact, so don’t expect a friendly, personable waiter. The phở, however, was very good. On the menu, it shows three sizes of the house special phở. Below this are listed many other varieties, all in the small size. All the varieties are available in three sizes, however– small, medium, and large. We all ordered the medium size and it was just right. The broth was wonderful! We also ordered the shrimp salad rolls, which were fresh and delish! If you are squeamish and a clean-​freak, this might not be the place for you. We loved it though. We would definitely go back!

A very authentic phở joint and a very friendly owner. I think if you like rich flavored broths, you would really enjoy this place. Unfortunately It’s a bit too much on the sodium/​oil for me.
Another highlight of this place is that they give you SO much meat. I’m pretty sure my small bowl of phở was like 30% noodles, 70% meat. :P This is great if you like meat… but I really like noodles so I was a bit sad about that. That said, the meat is very fresh and tasty.
As others have mentioned, cash only. I wouldn’t mind coming back but it won’t be my favorite phở place.

cash only!!! but. they have an ATM in the back.
best phở in the city! the price tag is a bit hefty with ~$ 10 for a medium, but the dishes are authentic, nicely portioned and i love the phở here with beef on the side. my dad used to take me here as a kid and i would always enjoy every moment of it.
phở combo w/​beef on the side — they give a lot of noodles for the medium and for the large, it’s HUGE!!! i enjoyed the broth as it came out piping hot and they don’t skimp on noodles and the meat. btw beef on the side (.75) and they bring you a separate bowl of soup to dip the meat in. make sure to dip it when it’s hot, so it cooks, but i love to self-​marinade the meat in some lemon juice and pepper before in dip it in the broth.
vermicelli w/​bbq pork and imperial rolls — huge portion, but i found the pork to be a bit too salty. it went well with all the noodles, veggies, fish sauce and imperial rolls. i wouldn’t recommend just eating the bbq pork by itself.
overall — would come here if i am in the tenderloin, but a bit out of my way and not the best place to roam in SF. beware of where you park and also the neighborhood! the service wasn’t bad, but the owner knows my dad as an usual, so maybe that made a diff. i like this place and i look forward to come here every time on a family day. =)

This place is terrible. I thought they close at 5pm. It was 4:30pm on a Sunday and they told us they were closed.

Best bo kho i’ve had any a long time. I’ve always had a thing for hu tieu bo kho /​phở bo kho and it’s always the quality of the stewed beef that makes or breaks it; the beef here has plenty of meat, the broth is strong and the portions are huge! I’m definitely making this my #1 phở spot in the TL.

My vietnamese nail lady recommended the phở here.
I LOVED IT!
The broth is so flavorful, there was plenty of meat, and the noodles cooked perfectly!
I ordered the well done brisket and tendon and both were cooked so nicely.
The egg rolls were delicately fried and filled with a yummy pork stuffing.
It’s a bit pricey though. Phở & cha gio was almost $ 17. Cash only but worth it!
It’s located in the Tenderloin so it’s a bit sketchy with a bunch of un-​normal people outside.
I’ll be back. Hopefully soon!

This is my new favorite place to get phō in the city! It was pretty busy so I sat myself. The waitress let me know right away that they were closing in 5 minutes but that I could stay for another half hour to enjoy my meal. She was very friendly and that’s all I needed anyway.
I ordered the small rare beef phō and thought she had mistaken it for a medium! Great value for the price and it was absolutely delicious.
When I bring my friends from out of town I’ll have to let them know that the sketchy walk through the Tenderloin is definitely worth it once you try their soup.

Yum! Stumbled upon this hidden, well reviewed, cash only, family establishment that serves up solid Vietnamese hot soups and iced coffees. The menu can be a bit overwhelming with the variety of hot soups and other dishes (of rice, noodles, etc), so feel free to venture off the menu and tell them exactly what you want. Whether it’s just phở or phở with only three ingredients, they will please.
Try #36 — it’s a hardy phở alternative with thicker noodles and meat galore!

Had the bun bo hue with phở noodle. One of the best flu Vietnamese restaurants I’ve had. Surely best in the city of SF. I paid about $ 11 for a good portion. Come check it out. Be careful, if you’re not use to the hood, this place might not be for you. Enjoy!
–Black Tiger

I’m a big fan of this place. I live right across the street. I’ll begin by getting my less favorable bits out of the way.
The place closes early. It’s really a breakfast/​brunch place… as it is in Vietnamese culture. I would LOVE it if this place was open past 3pm.
Its a bit pricey. While I definitely think its worth it, a plate of shrimp fresh rolls are $ 9. Granted, there’s 4 of them. But all i really want is 2 and it would be great if that was an option.
The noodle bowls are great… get the pork and spring roll one. The phở is amazing. Sure, I’ve read the reviews that say the broth is too dark. It’s not clear, and that’s because its made with all the deliciousness of beef (marrow?). I think the broth is great and I swear it will cure any ailment. The best part is the rare beef. The beef is good quality and the servings are large. The medium bowl is hard to finish.

It was a phở-​feeling-​kinda-​day. Driving around the Tenderloin area with friends and randomly looking for phở restaurants, and decided to give Phở Tan Hoa a try.
This place certainly looks like a local Vietnamese restaurant — decorations, tables and chairs — so I was expecting some pretty good quality phở. It turned out…
#Bun bo Hue: C+.
Pretty bad. Once the server put down the bowl I already knew it’s bad by looking at the color of the soup. It was literally regular phở soup adding some chili oil. And after I tasted it — yup, it’s exactly what I was thinking. Very bland. Pork knuckle, pork blood etc were almost tasteless.
My friends who got regular phở said theirs were pretty good. But Bun bo Hue is a pretty specialized dish so if a restaurant puts it on the menu, I would expect it to be at least pretty authentic. Unfortunately that’s not the case here.

This place gets loud, crowded, and noisy. My friend and I came for lunch on a Friday, and sat among a lot of construction workers. I ordered their prawn and imperial roll vermicelli bowl. I couldn’t tell exactly what was in the imperial roll, but enjoyed its deep fried crispiness. They give a big portion for all their meals; friend got a «small» phở which was more than enough food so the «large» must be gargantuan. I too had leftovers of my vermicelli bowl. The sauce had enough flavor so that I didn’t need to add much to it. A good meal to power a day’s worth of sightseeing.
Note: cash only, and pay at the desk after you eat.