Green Papaya

After my girls and I get happy and high, we go out for some munchies… at Green Papaya! From the Green Papaya salad with lemongrass Tofu, to the anytype of Phở to the eggrolls. AHH I just can’t explain how much I love this place. The waitress is… well a waitress in a vietnamese restaurant :) To those who may have had a bad experience here, I reccomend you to try it again. You are there for the food rather than the service.

One of my friends said she heard about this place and wanted to try it. I was not impressed. Neither was she.
When we went, the customer service was pretty damn bad and we felt like we were being ignored. Had to flag someone down. The chicken in my dish (phở) tasted and felt like it was chicken scraps (the worse of the worse), which makes pretty bad impression to me. It could’ve just been a one-​off thing, but my friend’s dish had a similarly bad impression to her. I can’t remember what she got, but neither of us want to go back.

One of my favorite restaurants on Oahu! The phở, as everyone has mentioned, is amazing, whether beef, seafood, or vegetarian. If you prefer dry noodles, try the chow fun — it’s scrumptious. The spring rolls are okay; I’d skip them to save room for more noodles!

I was sent here by powers higher than myself. That is to say, Kristina R. and a cab driver with limited English.
Both of them said, in their own way, «Eat phở here. Best phở.» Come to think of it, they may have used the exact same words.
The restaurant front looked like dozens of other Vietnamese places in SF or Honolulu. I sat down and ordered a green papaya salad (bright, tangy and delicious) and the beef phở with every kind of beef.
And oh, the phở. Delicious. Fragrant. Fresh. Savory. Rich.
The place is filled with people slurping up bowls of the stuff in almost-​silence, as if at a shrine. It is casual, authentic, and good. The portions are large and the prices are reasonable. I slurped up a bowl the size of… a huge bowl.
So, I have the same advice for you that was given to me: Eat phở here. Best phở.

Wow, its really amazing how you can have two totally different experiences at the same place. I came here in January and had a great time. The food was good, the service was attentive, and they offered a wide variety of vegetarian food.
Fast forward to today. Today’s experience was pretty bad, mostly in regards to the service. The food was okay, though they still have a wide variety of veggie food. My friend got a yellow curry with tofu and I got a saimin noodle topped with tofu and vegetables. The curry was weak and too sweet (especially with sweet potatoes). The sauce on my noodle was pretty good, but it too was too sweet. A large mix of vegetables too and a nice portion. We also shared vegetarian spring rolls, good but nothing spectacular.
The service was really horrendous. My friend and I were the only people in there and it took 15 minutes for the waitress to get our food. The waitress disappeared. When we were done, I’d say we had to wait another 15 minutes for the bill (and by then only one other party was in there). Another thing that bothered me was that the appetizer came out after our entrees.

THIS PLACE IS VEGAN FRIENDLY!!! not something that comes up to much in the isle of oahu, although people are getting smarter…:ahem: diet wise. Most is delicious, and they are willing to work to your specifications, or tweak items on the menu for you. A little pricy, but that just comes with quality Vietnamese food. pricier when actually flavoured without MSG

Quite simply, the best Phở I’ve ever tasted. The broth is rich with five-​spice and fresh ingredients. The beef inside is served medium rare, allowing you to eat it anytime between that and still tender medium well as it cools. It is served with a mountain of fresh sprouts, peppers and herbs to enhance your desired flavor and texture.
The spicy Papaya Salad with tofu could possibly turn me vegan (no small feat). The cool, sweet papaya is shredded like angel hair, mixed with a spicy dressing and topped with perfectly pan-​fried tofu coated with peanuts. Every bite triggered the same neural pathways as my favorite peanut butter cookie. A crunchy, spicy peanut butter cookie salad!
This dish will spare many piggies.
After a thorough beating in the waves of Sandy’s, a quick stop here completely rejuvenates the body and senses.

I absolutely love Green Papaya… & their Crab soup is my favorite dish. It is soooo tasty & it can be a bit rich, so i wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who’s into light & simple flavors.
*Note– Metered parking is available. Parking during the dinner rush can be horrendous!