Cuu Long II

I had bun cha gio, which was quite different from what I had in Hanoii. The noodle was still tasty, and very good meal if you look for something other than phở. Fried spring rolls were very crispy and nice, but lacked the juiciness, probably because they don’t have much stuffing inside.
Well, but I was quite content after eating the noodle. The waiter there was also quite nice and kind, too.

Stopped here for some afternoon phở and bun bo hue. The bun bo hue wasn’t the best — soup was thin and the chili oil floated on top. You can sort of tell they didn’t make the stock with beef and the proper spices… it was very thin and no heat at all… good beef tendons though, sliced thin. The price is actually good value at $ 9.50 compared to other places selling at $ 13.50…but you get what you pay for.
Staff is very friendly and service was attentive which is great. I would certainly come. back to try a wider range of items, just nothing special when it comes to Bun Bo Hue…

Took the bus into Chinatown from Waikiki. I’ve driven down here before so I got to avoid that headache.
I got a small phở dac biet. Tons of meat! Most Phở places are stingy. Although the broth for me was a bit too salty I thought it was very flavorful. Probably the best in Chinatown. My favorite in honolulu is still Phở Bistro 2.
The grilled pork sandwich (thit nuong banh mi) was so freaking good! So so good! Meat was so tender and flavorful. Not one chewy morsel. The sauce, carrot, cucumber, and pepper went perfect with the warm crispy French bread. I am Viet and grew up in Houston where Vietnamese cuisine is plentiful, so I’ve had my fair share of banh mi sandwiches and this was hands down the best I’ve had. I could have eaten the whole thing but I saved half for my husband to try. He’s not a big fan of phở but now he can have something to nosh on if I’m craving it.
The reason I think this place deserves 5 stars is the service. I was greeted with a big smile and and all the workers were very sweet and kind, but not intrusive.

I am impressed with their soup, unlike other Vietnamese restaurant I don’t feel thirsty after eating their food. I can tell the good taste of their soup is not from artificial flavor and MSG. I asked the owner how they make their soup. He told me their soup broth is authentic made from hours of cooking of the beef bones and beef.

Met with a welcoming smile, my family enjoyed pork Banh Mi and Phở at this excellent spot on the food map!
Easy to add our name to the choir of positive reviews.

I’m a little hesitant to write this review just because I’ve almost never had to wait for a table here and I’d like to keep our that way lol. But considering how good this place is, I feel it’s the right thing to post this review :) I’ve been coming here regularly, to get my phở fix for the last 10 years. It’s a family run restaurant. The service is spot on. Portions are quite large compared to other places (of your starving, try the «super bowl» size). And most importantly, the food is good. Like amazing good. The broth is on the beefy side and has no fishy taste. Every time I eat phở elsewhere (which is pretty much just when this place is closed) I always have to come here the next day to «make it right» lol.

I came here a lot during my teenage years when I could eat super bowls.

After coming back from Vietnam, it was hard to find a phở place that measured up to the phở I ate there, but Cuu Long was pretty close to me except for the prices! (In Vietnam, the phở was $ 1-​$ 2!)
Anyway, we were seated right away and I ordered the chicken phở with a ca phe sua da (Vietnamese iced coffee). It was the perfect lunch to cure my sickness. The broth was good and the coffee was like the one I had in VN.

I love phở. I’ve eaten at a lot of phở places. This is by far one of the best places to eat phở. Air conditioned, great service, and to me, one of oahu’s best phở places.

My sister and I picked up food from here for lunch. Called beforehand, and they said it would be ready in 15 minutes, which it was. I got there a little early, so the lady gave me a glass of iced water while I waited.
We both ordered vermicelli; I had it with grilled chicken, my sister had it with shrimp. On the menu it says shrimp and pork vermicelli for $ 9.50, but my sister only wanted shrimp, which came out to $ 10.50. We also ordered summer rolls-​$ 5.50 for two. The total came out to $ 26.70.
Summer rolls were nothing special. to me it’s all about the sauce, which was good.
Good portion for the vermicelli. If you like the fish sauce and decide to take out, I would suggest asking for a second sauce. My sister doesn’t like the fish sauce as much as I, so I got two. The sauce had both carrots and daikon, which I really like.
Everything was good. My only complaint is that I found a hair in my summer roll wrap.

In the next episode in the food network, we have «Phở Wars». There are tons of qualified candidates and the competition is fierce.
A serious contender is Cuu Long II located on hotel street close to River St, home of two other phở places, Golden River and To-​Chau.
Several pluses, it’s an incredible value for the super large phở (yes, it’s gigantic) for $ 10. The large size is ok for most people and that is a tad below $ 9. Service is quick and friendly, the restaurant is roomy and clean, and A/​C is working well. The broth is not bad, very beefy flavor and a tad too much MSG, however. Veggies are fresh and clean.
A phở restaurant in Chinatown worth considering.

A place always near and dear to the heart. This place is the first place I’ve ever tried phở at 11+ years ago and its still my favorite. Combo w/​no cilantro, summer roll and iced coffee… good grief I wish I was there now. Something about the broth is just hella magical! super flavorful but clean (not oily like some places) Staff is always super nice. Some of them remember me. Makes me sad that I cant visit as much as I used to. They close at 5 so I normally never make it in time. Once, I tried to rush and bring my mom but they were closed early. Highly recommend!

So a few of my lunch buddies eat phở every week and always asked me to join in. I never went, only because many of the phở places are at the beginning of Chinatown, nearly 10 minutes away from my office on Bishop Street. My buddies have been all around Chinatown, trying to find a phở place to call their own (I swear they’d be Unilocal Elite given the amount of places they eat out at) and Cuu Long II on River Street’s their place!
So after so many check ins, I’ve somehow become the duke (but my friends truly hold that title). It’s totally worth the walk from my office; heck I’ve even come here in a Sunday afternoon by myself (street parking’s not bad actually).
So what’s so good about this place? 1) good broth, not too salty 2) perfect amount if meat, not too fatty either and 3) the small bowl doesn’t stuff me too much where I’m comatose after eating.
What do I get? Honestly, I don’t remember — we just walk in and they know! I want to say something brisket.
Check this place out — you won’t regret it!

I really wanted to like this place, but this restaurant is overrated. The restaurant is much more spacious and cleaner than its neighboring restaurant Phở To Chau, but the phở here is below average, and I was pretty disappointed. The broth was mediocre and the noodles were super undercooked. We ordered the summer rolls which were also below average… and the spring rolls tasted old and not tasty at all!
The guy that served us was nice, but he was super slow to take our order and never came to check up on us (even though the restaurant was almost empty and very slow). We had to wave down the server a few times and even had to walk up to the counter to ask for either extra napkins, water, and for the check.
Overall this place was disappointing especially since it’s rated so high on Unilocal.But I was definitely not impressed and most likely won’t be back in the future.

I consider Cuu Long II the STANDARD when it comes to Phở. When I eat at other phở restaurants I compare their noodles to Cuu Long II. I have been eating Phở since I was a little kid and way before Phở became a trendy dish for the masses to descend upon. In saying that, I’ve eaten at almost all the phở restaurants on the island, some in Washington state, and two in California. None of those restaurants have met the standard. Thats all I have to say, and seriously why do people wait in line at that other Phở place down the street To Chau? that place is for hipsters and trendies. The pro’s go to Cuu Long II.
My order (the same for years)
XL FATTY BRISKET PHO (pro item)
Extra lemon slices
Fresh Lemonade

It’s kind of dirty looking, but since it’s in Chinatown, I don’t have high expectations for cleanliness. However, the phở is phở-​nomenal! Actually, it’s not, but I wanted to use the pun. The phở is good, and best of all, the price is great!
Likes: I like the broth of the beef phở. It’s light (which I like), and has a full-​bodied taste. It’s either beef bones, MSG, or both!
Dislikes: It’s in the smelly part of Chinatown, and it’s pretty dingy inside as well.
Favorites: Combination phở! I get this to compare any other phở place, and they give you lots of meat here.
Out of all the places, I think this one is great for the price. Currently, the medium phở is $ 6.49, large is $ 6.99 and they have a super bowl for $ 7.99.

Totally wonderful phở. Great broth and meat. The summer rolls were tasty and full of fresh vegebles. Super tasty shredded pork on the rice and the marinade for the pork chop was nom! Only minus one star because the wall was covered in a mirror, so I could see myself while I ate. That might not be a thing for other people, but it affected my experience.
Overall wonderful!

Spacious interior with high ceilings, super friendly service and clean clean clean~… but as for the Phở it hit the spot. I assume my rating is skewed because of my 10 years eating ramen in Tokyo with the amazing variety of broths but this was similar to Shio-​ramen (salt) based soup. As you get older the palette starts to shift from heavy Tonkotsu/​Miso/​Shoyu based ramen to Shio ramen and then Phở becomes a very refreshing guilt free selection… but as for ranking I can only say that it was satisfying but didn’t blow me away or have me craving for more after my departure from Cuu Long II.
But if my visiting Japanese friends ever want a nice bowl of Phở in a very pleasant hideaway of a rather seedy part of Chinatown (random homeless and suspicious folks sprinkle this area) then I would suggest Cuu Long II for the experience of it all.
There was an incredibly tasty dark garlicky paste on the table that added a great flavorful kick to the Phở soup… I’d suggest fully enjoying the broth until you are ready for the added kick…

Why haven’t I been to this place sooner?
I grew up eating phở at that other place around the corner. You know, the restaurant with the long line that’s dirtier than ghetto restaurants in Vietnam. I’m not sure why my family never ate at Cuu Long, but apparently, the restaurant changed ownership several years ago, and the food is yummy!
The phở broth is great; although it isn’t in-​your-​face flavorful, it’s still good and I really appreciate that it’s not loaded with MSG like other places. I don’t get that MSG buzz after eating at Cuu Long. The medium combination phở portion size is just right, and it comes with TONS of goodies! I always find slice after slice of meat as I eat, as well as surprise chunks of tendon hiding in the noodles. For $ 6.50 it’s definitely a deal.
Cuu-​Long makes their own chili garlic sauté sauce! I love munching on my my meat and other phở goodies with the sauté sauce because it has a lot of garlic and lemongrass flavor, but it’s not too spicy. They also sell their chili garlic sauté sauce, and I have a jar at home. It tastes great with jook, tofu, veggies, and just about anything.
The pink jelly tapioca with coconut milk dessert is absolutely lovely. It’s so light and refreshing, and it’s the perfect dessert after a hearty bowl of phở. This is one of my favorite Vietnamese desserts and Cuu Long makes it the way I like it, with lots of jelly.
Cuu Long is clean and the service is wonderful, but parking can be a bit tricky in Chinatown. Just pray really hard for street parking.

/​/​LOCATION /​/​In Chinatown
/​/​SERVICE /​/​Mom and Pop shop with very sweet workers. The owner’s brother in law took the time to chat with my parents and they exchanged pleasantries about the differences in lifestyle and cost of living between Hawaii and the mainland.
/​/​FOOD /​/​
+Phở Tai: Tasty and authentic. The noodles were on the starchier side, but the broth was perfect. The restaurant was also generous on the garnishes they provided which were all very fresh. They even had vinegar onions available to top my phở with, my fave.
+Lemon Soda: Just tasted like lemonade. I think they forgot to include the seltzer or club soda.