Pho Twin & Bento

With the closing of Yum Yum Thai on Union Mall, there is not a closer place for simple Thai food around except to walk into the heart of Chinatown. But, for those working in the business district of downtown Honolulu, Phở Twin & Bento is a great place to satisfy that Thai craving. Their menu is not extensive but simple enough to satisfy the palate for lunch. If you’re not in a Thai mood, they could also satisfy that Vietnamese craving as well with a bowl of phở or a simple banh mi.

There are times when I crave phở due to the weather outside or if I feel under the weather and Phở Twin satisfies my craving. I prefer and really miss the phở from Diem Café in Downtown, but being that I am way too lazy to walk into Chinatown, Phở Twin will have to do.
Phở Twin offers a limited phở menu of beef or chicken phở and a pretty decent assortment of bentos. When I want something small and light to eat for lunch, the Summer Rolls are perfect. Recently, Phở Twin offers Thai food, including Pad Thai Noodles and curries.
The phở here is decent, but the broth needs a little more flavor. Again though, since there are hardly any decent places in Downtown Honolulu to get phở (the phở at Bali is absolutely tasteless), I am satisfied with Phở Twin.

Delish curry! Friendly people! until on 8÷19… where the lady behind the counter, gave me a tongue lashing for getting the «sauce» said i didn’t need it for the dish i got, but previous times… i grabbed one and wasn’t an issue, i suppose yesterday she was having a bad day!

I really wanted this place to be good, and it kind of was, in that they have a lot of options at really good prices. I can get a salmon bento, lemongrass chicken bento, different types of salads, pad thai, sweet potato slices, etc. The day I went I had the two-​choice plate (red curry, green curry, and pad thai) and was extremely disappointed. Again, I really wanted this place to be good because their food is just *so cheap* and the people there are *really nice* but the food I got just wasn’t any good. Both curries were bland and extremely oily, so much so that I actually blotted my food with a paper towel before trying to eat it, to no avail. The pad thai was just plain and it felt like there was no depth to the noodles other than the overly sweet sauce they fried it in. I didn’t notice anything being exceptionally dirty like other reviews have mentioned, everything is just a little tightly packed and might seem messy because they have a lot of things to cram into their closet of a store. Probably will go back when I’m too lazy to walk far from the office.

This place is very dirty.
I’ve seen little roaches crawling in their heated bento section. I’ve had a small bug in my phở broth.
And I’ve even had a small roach in my meal with their hot items (the one where you can pick which dishes you want). I went back to complain but the worker just picked up the bug with their had and gave the excuse it wasn’t a bug, it was part of the mint leave flower. YUCK
I haven’t been back.

This is a review for the food they sell at the alterations shop next door. It is the same company, so I figured this was the better place.
The food is awesome. Great curries, rich in flavor, good spice level on the hotter ones. The meat can be a little fatty, but not too bad, and the lady who works there is always really nice.

The food was average and the people working were friendly but it just wasn’t anything special in my opinion.

I’m hooked on this place!
I work downtown and lately my boyfriend and I have been exploring new places to eat during my hour lunch break. After exploring Pioneer Plaza, I’ve decided to give this place a try.
This little hole-​in-​the wall is always busy during lunch and there’s usually a line that stretches out the door. People always come here for the phở (duh), but they offer other little bentos, summer rolls, and salads.
I’m not a huge phở fan, but their phở is the best by far and is very tasty. They have three variations of their phở: beef, chicken, and combo (beef, chic and tripe) all for 6.75, not bad for downtown. Plus you can take phở to go! Yum

Is it the best phở ever tasted? Nope, but it’s the only place in downtown Honolulu if you are afraid to make the trek into Chinatown. And because you only have an hour break for lunch.
On my lunch break I usually go out to wander, not in the psycho hobo way. Just to get fresh air and thaw out from the cold A/​C in my office. And I always gravitate here.
I usually get the BBQ chicken on rice with a side of salad. I know, I know — not a vietnamese dish. It’s usually good and in hole in the walls like this business I usually stick to what works.
I have tried their phở couple times. Both times chicken. And while it’s not the best broth I have tried, it works on a limited lunch time. The phở comes onto two containers. One contains the broth, the other contains the vermicilli noodles/​vegetables/​meat. My only grip? The vermicilli noodles, after being cooked, not served in the broth so it is to break up to put in the broth.
My interaction with the employees are kept to a minimal as I just pay and eat somewhere else. There are tables outside to serve the customers of all the businesses. More seating down below. I usually eat back at my office.
All in all, it is a decent place but don’t expect awesome food and super friendly employees that you are on first name basis with.

Craved phở but the advertisement on their sandwiches got me switching my order.
It also seemed like they only do take out, hence all the take-​out containers.
When I was next in line to order, I asked for the BBQ sandwich… you know what the cashier said? We don’t have bread. WHAT?! It’s only 11 in the morning and you don’t have bread yet? The next thing I would have ordered was one of their phở dishes. Good thing I didn’t because he said to the lady that ordered a bit earlier than me, «We don’t have phở noodles yet.» …Really now, no bread or noodles.
I didn’t really say anything I just turned around and left.

Phở Twin and Bento is located in the food court of the Pioneer Plaza building in downtown Honolulu. I first came upon this place some time ago while walking through the food court in search of a quick lunch. Figured it was time to once again visit this place and have my fill of some Thai food.
This take out eatery sells Vietnamese as well as Thai dishes. They have an assortment of bentos along with some of their specialties, pad thai, spring rolls and curry.
With limited tables/​chairs in this food court, it fills up rather quickly especially during the peak lunch hour.
The prices are very reasonable as the pad thai and the spring rolls were $ 6. Even though the pad thai was prepared very simple with few ingredients, it tasted good along with the spring rolls.

When I don’t have enough time to grab a quick bite to eat, I can depend on Phở Twin’s bento boxes. There’s a lot to choose from– summer rolls, tonkatsu, pad thai, orange chicken, mahimahi, tuna salad, etc. Most are under $ 7.
Admittedly this isn’t my first place to hit, but if you want your food in under 1 minute then this is the place to visit.

Downtown is my home. I live and work in Downtown. Phở Twin & Bento is one of my lunch places. When I’m stumped on what to eat for lunch, I usually end up at Phở Twin & Bento.
PTB has two sides. We have the Vietnamese Phở and some bentos on the right side (closer to Hokulani Cupcake Kiosk). Then there’s the Thai cuisine side. They have Thai coconut green, red, and yellow curry. Along with the curry, there’s pad thai noodles and sticky rice as a starch option.
The prices are pretty decent. I could get a mini plate with a starch and entrée for $ 4.71. There are bentos that range from $ 4 to $ 5.95. PTB Beef Phở pretty decent tasting as well. I like their broth, full of flavor. Yes, I’m a regular here.

I’ve been frequenting this establishment since 2004, so it’s about time I write a review on it!
So yes back in ’04, I’d come here because
1) it was close to my workplace on Merchant St.
2) it was a place where I could get lunch for $ 5 or less.
3) i could have my lunch in my hands in 1 min. or less.
Fastforward to 2011… almost nowhere downtown can you find a hearty, good-​tasting meal for $ 5 anymore (I should read that Unilocal newsletter that just came out about $ 5 deal meals), but I do find that I still come here often because I like their chicken phở and I’m still addicted to the speed at which they serve, convenient location, and lots of seating (throughout Pioneer Plaza). When I don’t have time for phở (which is super speedily served), I like their grab-​n-​go selections, such as the spring rolls on vermicelli, tuna salad, and taro+tapioca pudding. Great for busy downtowners that need something more substantial than Jamba Juice.
One thing I would not recommend ordering are their sandwiches. Not that the sandwich doesn’t taste good, but hardly anyone orders them, so your order will be shoved to dead last even after ppl that ordered after you. So stick with the grab-​n-​go, phở, long rice, etc.
For the longest time I’d call this place Phở Cleaners because they have their Vietnamese restaurant on the right and dry cleaning on the left. As of a couple years ago, they’ve added Thai food on the left (same side as the dry cleaning). Not sure what I should call them now… Phở Thai Clean? Lol.
As for the Thai side, I’ve only had it once. You kind of have to stand there and grunt to get their attention away from the right side so they can help you. The Thai food is a bit oily and overly coconutty for me. Stick with the right side.

I’m a fan of the Phở. It’s priced well, and made really well. The owner as you can tell has good and bad days. She can be unpredictable on whether she’s nice or mean for the day. Sometimes she can be a bit snippy, like when she wouldn’t sell me a little container because I wanted to keep my rice separated from the curry, even though I was willing to pay a dollar for the extra container. And other times, she is sweet and thanks you for your business… lol.
Either way, it’s real good Phở and since she has a Dry Cleaners right next door… it’s very convenient also;)

Conveniently located in Pioneer Plaza downtown, this is where I go when I want phở or thai food (same owners next door with the thai food and laundry shop).
Likes: I like the broth of the phở. It’s tasty and it helps warm me up when I’m sitting in my cold building at work, or if I’m feeling a little under the weather. Also, I like the thai food next door because it’s pretty cheap. They also accept card if you spend more than $ 5 (they run it under their laundry business though so be prepared to see Fantastique Cleaners on your card statement).
Dislikes: I don’t like the banh mi here. The bread is kind of dry, and so is the meat. The spring rolls aren’t fresh because they have been sitting around in the containers.
Favorites: Chicken phở warms me up nicely here. On the Thai side, I like the green curry with brown rice.
If you’re in the mood for phở and don’t want to walk far, I’d go here. Also, the thai plate lunch is decent, especially for the price that you pay.

I hope this is the same place that everyone is reviewing since the pictures and food that they’re rating is different than what I’m posting, so someone tell me if this is the wrong place. It’s a little confusing because the outside has a sign phở twin, but the inside has a sign that says «chef Filong’s Kitchen:
I walked passed here during the late afternoon, and noticed that the sign said 50% off all thai & bentos, so I decided to take a look. There were only several vietnamese bentos left, so I decided to chance it although it was chicken and buy one for a very cheap dinner of only $ 3 since it was 50% off
Bento — 4 stars — considering it was out since lunchtime, which was 4+ hours, the chicken was still very flavorful, grilled with a teriyaki type of sauce with noodles, a spring roll and salad. The spring roll was soft and chewy because after all, they were trying to get rid of it, but if it’s ok even after 4 hours, then I’d think it would have been really good right after they brought it out. For the amount and taste of this bento, even at full price of $ 6 is worth it. Cheaper than other vietnamese restaurants, and same quality of taste for a take out place in downtown.
Service — 4 stars The lady was very local and funny. I asked her if anyone got sick eating the chicken since it was sitting out so long, and she kinda joked about it with me. She was very locally friendly and made me laugh, as well as a guy that was sitting on a chair talking story with her.
I have to try it during lunch where they have their fresher food and more selections available. But for those who want a really cheap meal of bentos that they’re trying to get rid of after the lunch crowd, the 50% rate starts at 3pm.

Totally my go-​to place for phở in downtown. Super fast service (as long as the line isn’t tremendously long), great tasting soup, fresh ingredients, and friendly and efficient people.
I like how they pack all the noodles and veggies separate from the broth so it doesn’t over cook while you walk back to your office. It’s also very generous for $ 5.95 (regular size)!
Yes, it is cash only, but there are at least 3 atm’s in the vacinity.
Once I was a dollar short, but the lady was so nice and told me I could pay her later! She know’s I’m there 2x a week at least, so she knew I’d be back. It was a really nice gesture and I appreciate that!

***Review for crepes side only***
CREPES? Yes Phở Twin has crepes.
The nephew of the owner of Phở Twin has half of the restaurant, serving up crepes and soups. He has daily specials. I’ve been a few times already and had a few sweet and savory crepes (beef Wellington, chicken, braised beef, banana/​berry/​honey). They are all fantastic! He has a lunch special for $ 8.50 or so. With that you can pick any crêpe and soup. The soup is pretty tasty too!
I don’t know any other place that serves crepes in the middle of downtown, so this little place is a great find!
Takeout only as there is just one table there.

Phở Twin is nestled near the entrance to Pioneer Plaza and is by far a hidden gem in the corporate wasteland I call downtown. They offer a small but respectable menu which I have found that doesn’t fail, yet doesn’t wow.
The vietnamese and local offerings they have are simple and well made. The grab and go salads are good and while some of their dressings are commercially made, some are house made and stand out on their own.
They also make a pretty mean summer roll if you are in a hurry!