PHO’hana

Phở without MSG? Already a winner. Sitting here and slurping the remainder of my combination phở as I write this review. Phở comes out in a one-​size-​for-​all bowl (which I’m totally okay with.) and it’s filled to the very brim with soupy goodness! They are very generous with their meat portions too, I felt completely satisfied when I finished and got a taste of what they have to offer. Sauces and seasonings don’t just end at Hoisin sauce and Sriracha, but also fish sauce and spicy chili sauce! Honestly, the phở is so flavor packed that I didn’t bother putting in any sauces till nearly half my bowl was already consumed.
Service was friendly, such nice smiles and made sure our experience was enjoyable! Definitely going to be back!

Omg delicious!!! Parking is a little difficult but every sip of phở is worth it. Soooooo good

The only reason I didn’t select 5 stars was that service was a tad slow (4:30pm)… I ordered the seafood phở and found the serving generous and very fresh. I’ll be back for sure!

On the corner of Smith and Hotel Street. This corner Phở place has changed names and owners over the last few years but let me just say that this Phở place is worth the stop! For starters, I really enjoyed their stock soup base for the beef phở! It was so full of deep flavor that complimented the bowl. The vegetables we super fresh and clean, and generous! The iced coffee was perfect. I will definitely be back to explore more dishes on their menu!
So you would be suspicious from the neighborhood that eating anywhere in Chinatown would be questionably clean but let me reassure you, its clean! Everything seem renovated including the bathrooms. This has to be the cleanest bathroom Ive ever been in Chinatown! So thank you Phở Ohana for serving a delicious bowl of Phở and having the cleanest bathrooms in town!

One of the best banh mi I ever had! So delicioussssssssss. Also got the spring rolls and of course, delicious.
The restaurant was clean, the server was the sweetest, and it was just a great feel sitting there having lunch

Phở Tai without the MSG headache, in a perfectly rich broth with just-​right al dente rice noodles (didn’t know that was possible with phở). Garlic chicken fried rice was also super yummy and completely different – drier texture, garlicky, filled with crispy bits that I have yet to identify. Plus came with a half of a little fried chicken. It’s a special and as much as I liked the phở, I’ll have a hard time choosing if I see the fried rice on special. I liked the spring rolls, too, but if you’re looking for the greasy goodness served at other spots, you’ll be disappointed. The turnip pickles are refreshing and taste fresh, too. Everything just tasted really fresh, which probably goes towards the higher-​than-​usual price for a phở place. Service was also good. It’s obviously family-​run and the server was pleasant and patient. Clean, too, which is appreciated in a Chinatown restaurant.
Street parking or municipal lots on Beretania and Maunakea.

I’ve been in a quest for MSG free phở in the town for quite awhile now. There’s not a lot of selection to choose from and even the ones that don’t use MSG don’t really blast out that message. My family and I have been here 4 – 5 times now and have now found out new phở home. You can order the extra large bowls (not on the menu but are available) which can easily feed two growing kids (8 and 6 yo). The broth is flavorful and I don’t feel guilty drinking the soup down. I love phở soup and will still slurp some down but if I know they use msg I’ll do it sparingly. Here, I can drink to my heart’s content without worry!
The banh mi here is good too, a solid choice for a change of pace but we really enjoy their garlic fried chicken rice. It’s usually a special and I hope they make it a permanent addition to the menu. I love how they picked up this recipe on a trip out to SE Asia and brought it over.
The service is always nice, they can get busy at times but are apologetic to customers when it does. Just be aware that parking can be tricky at times as all downtown locations can be. However the restaurant is large so it is great for large parties, also another rarity in Honolulu.
My quest for a healthier phở place is over!

I should’ve known something was up when we entered and there was only one other table there during prime lunch hours (12 noon). As this establishment is located in Chinatown, your choices for parking include street and municipal lots. PHO’hana is located across from Lucky Belly and diagonally across from Livestock Tavern.
When you first step in, décor is sparse. I’m not sure if they’re planning to do anything more to the place, but it’s okay. I’m only here for the grub anyway. Our server looked like he was 15 years old but he was very nice. The first thing I noticed were the prices. They were much higher than normal phở places (~$ 12 for a bowl of phở). The prices were around Pig and the Lady prices.
The papaya salad came out first and it was smaller than I expected. There were nothing outstanding or discernible about the papaya salad that made it memorable. It was okay, pretty good but not excellent.
The banh mi came out second and it exceeded my expectations. All banh mis come with a side papaya salad and some chicken soup for sandwich dipping. The bread was nice and crisp on the outside and soft inside. It comes with some of that magic meat pâté that elevates the sandwich to another level. That pâté is like extreme mayo.
Phở time! The first thing I noticed was that the broth was very dark in color. Thinking it would be very salty, I quickly spooned a taste of the broth to my mouth. Surprisingly, the broth had a very light flavor that wasn’t very memorable.
I think I would come back here for more banh mis and possibly give their rice plates a chance, but this lands in the rhelm of «just okay» Vietnamese places.

I’m not sure why this place is so highly rated. It’s just phở. There was nothing wrong with the phở. It didn’t taste bad, or more delicious than usual. Is this place so highly rated because there aren’t a lot of phở places in Honolulu?
I ordered the vegetarian phở, and was unhappily surprised that it was the same price as the chicken phở. $ 10 seems a little steep for meatless phở. There were vegetables in it, but they were flavorless (which is admittedly standard for vegetarian phos).
Service and ambiance were good for an Asian restaurant though. So maybe that’s the reason for the high ratings?

We tried the Steak Salad, Ribeye Phở w/​brisket, Banh Mi.
Everything was good or better and fresh.
Good Service.
Good addition to Chinatown…

PHO’hana is the new phở restaurant gaining quite a reputation for their delicious and clean tasting phở broth. When I say clean tasting, I really mean clean tasting! My definition of a clean tasting broth translates to: sans the unneccessary use of MSG in the soup base. PHO’hana’s broth is one of the better phở broth I had in a long time. If you enjoy eating phở, you should definitely patronize PHO’hana for their tasty broth. Why? Because making great phở broth requires skills, especially if NO msg is used as an added ingredient.
A few of us decided to check out this new phở restaurant after attending a festival in Chinatown. Some of us (plus 1 self-​professed «phở-​natic») wanted to test if their phở passed «the phở test» so to speak. I mean it’s only natural if the word phở is part of the restaurant’s name, the phở gotta be good right? Half of our party ordered phở and were happy with our bowls (available in 1 regular size) of good phở. Ample accompanying fresh beansprouts, basil, saw-​tooth leaf, lemon quarters and jalapenos came with the phở bowls.
The beef stock was tasty, clean and had a natural mild sweetness (a signature of properly/​naturally cooked vegetables and bones). It is not too difficult to distinguish if MSG was used in any broth because as soon as you consumed the MSG-​laden broth, you can’t helped but to reach for the water glass to quench your thirst. This is a clear indicator of how quickly the msg’s dehydrating affects your taste buds and tongue. And after eating my first bowl of phở from PHO’hana, I can vouch for the missing MSG in their phở broth because not once did I feel the need to drink water during the entire meal. That is a good sign for me.
When we entered the restaurant, we were glad to see the upper scale décor and the place was not overly crowded on Saturday. This place tends to get busy during the work week lunch hour rush though. Staff was welcoming and warm. Lucky for us we got Elvis as our server, and he was very helpful and so down to earth. The menu offered the typical Vietnamese fare ranging from summer rolls to banh mi sandwiches. I was tempted to get the papaya salad as I perused through the menu but I came with a purpose in mind: to try the phở. So I stuck to the original plan and I am glad I ended up getting the tender and thinly sliced rib eye with the beef meatballs phở. Perhaps on my next return trip I will be able to order more dishes in one seating: i.e. udon soup or the spicy beef noodle soup. So many choices… all good excuses to come back with more friends.

Ventured to this new phở restaurant with fellow Unilocalers on this rainy day in Chinatown after cruising by the Moon Festival in the Chinese Cultural Plaza.
I recall the restaurant that preceded this one — the décor is much improved and the setting is much more inviting.
Elvis was in the house this day — Elvis, our waiter, that is. He waited on all of the tables and was still quite attentive.
It wasn’t super crowded when we got there around 12 noon, but the crowd slowly trickled in. I was told that it’s very crowded on weekdays from the downtowners.
My lunch companions had the phở and raved about it. My better half ordered the curry, which he noted was a tad salty and did not taste of coconut milk, surprisingly enough. Wasn’t into phở today, so I ordered the BBQ chicken which was ok. Perhaps these 2 entrees aren’t truly representative of this restaurant. I’d go back and order the phở to see what everyone is raving about.

I think I eat phở more than anything else so I’m always excited to try a new phở restaurant out. My friend invited me to try this restaurant yesterday but I already had lunch plans. Luckily she was free today and we made it happen. She was with two other friends and they were patient enough to wait for me to get back in town to have lunch.
After I quickly parked, I grabbed an umbrella and rushed over to meet them. Perfect day to have phở! I received a text that the restaurant was across Lucky Belly so I knew exactly where it was in Chinatown. Once I entered, it felt like I wasn’t in Chinatown because the interior was nice, clean and new. Not what people would expect for a phở restaurant in Chinatown.
Since they were waiting, I quickly made up my mind to order the combination phở with the meat outside. They use ribeye so it was a no brainier. It was only one size so that made it easy. Our server came and took our orders within moments after we flagged him to let him know we were ready to order. We didn’t have to wait long to get our meals. The kitchen was on it.
The phở came out nice and hot. Portions of meat and noodles were good. First thing we did was try the broth. It was tasty with this sweetness to it. After trying the broth, we added our veggies. It was a standard serving of veggies but they were very fresh! I can see why they charge what they charge for phở, you get quality food. Finally, we added condiments to our phở. I added my norm but their sauté sauce stood out. It was flavorful and just had a hint of spiciness to it.
Legit service, legit food and legit restaurant.

The hype about this place is exaggerated. There is nothing special. The food tasted ok, the environment is acceptable, the price is not aggressive.
The papayas salad was good, my lemon chicken and spring roll cold rice noodle bowels was okay. The spring rolls was mostly fried dough without much substance. Hubby’s fried rice was not good, because it was not so much a fried rice, should just be called rice, and not much flavor.
The real bother is the family that operates this restaurant let their 2 small boys chase each other around the restaurant. The adult just lay on the chairs watching them without saying anything. Let them make noise, & running around the customers without a word.
We didn’t like that & will not be back again.

When you’re having a phở craving and you’re near Chinatown, how do you pick?
Well, for me, I always pick whichever I haven’t been to yet just to see the various different takes on phở out there. In this case, it’s PHO’hana with its puny name.
Previous to PHO’hana, it was Vietnam Café Phở Saigon. I ate at Vietnam Phở Saigon on it’s last week and the phở broth there was completely out of this world. I figured PHO’hana might carry the same recipes over or at least have similar darker and heavier phở broth that the previous restaurant in that located served. If they did, it would easily been a 5 star for me. It was just that good.
Unfortunately for me, it wasn’t the case. The broth was not what I expected, but it was still more distinct compared to others in Chinatown. Good broth and I would put it within the top 10 on the island. The cuts of meat were good and the portions were decent. In the end, it was good but it wasn’t mind blowing special.
I also tried the Vietnamese Beef Stew and it was delicious. If you are sick of phở, I would recommend trying this. The stew is a bit more watery than what local stew would taste like but it was great.
Prices are decent, service a little slower than normal.

Unilocal 100 Review Challenge 2015: ⁸⁷⁄₁₀₀
Since my coworker had an ongoing cold, and everyone knows PHO is an excellent cure for that, we headed down to PHO’hana (thanks to Unilocal,of course!).
Because we work downtown, this location is convenient for us though I could see how parking could be a problem. The first thing I noticed was how spacious and clean the restaurant was! There are ample seating, mostly for groups of 4 and they were well spaced apart so you aren’t elbow to elbow with other customers like many other downtown/​chinatown restaurants are.
My coworker ordered Phở (duh!) while I ordered a Vietnamese Iced Coffee ($ 4) to get me through my work day. My coworker demolished his Phở and immediately felt better! I did order my iced coffee a bit late, but since I’ve never had Vietnamese Iced Coffee before I didn’t know there was «process» to making this delicious (& very strong) iced coffee, so I was left waiting. The employee finally arrived with my drink and said not to worry «it’s on the house»!
Wow how sweet of her!
My coworker paid for his meal and we headed back to work in the hot sun while I sipped on my awesome Vietnamese Iced Coffee which will be sure to keep me up for the rest of the day. With customer service like that, you bet I will be back!!!

Located right across from Lucky Belly-PHO’hana is surprisingly spacious inside. My friend and I arrived around 11:30 AM to a completely empty restaurant. The lady was so ready to pounce into action that I had to turn her away no less than three times. It was our first visit and the menu offered a good mix of Vietnamese food. Nothing extra special-​but you have options of phở, bun, rice, or banh mi.
We ordered beef stew with egg noodles and one of the bun dishes.
Food came out quickly. The portions are quite generous! However, I found the food a bit on the bland side-​especially the beef stew. We shared our entrees and I ordered a side of bread to soak up the beef stew.
The bread took so long to come out-​I thought they had forgotten our order. It was a full sized toasted banh mi bread.
Bill came out to about $ 28 (pre-​tip).
The shop began to fill up as lunch time progressed. I’d like to come back to try their phở.

More like a 4.5 stars. Everything we tried here was really good, but I couldn’t give it 5 stars based on the fact that I’ve had better (more tender) oxtail elsewhere.
The broth, however, was ON. POINT. Rich and flavorful, but clean tasting at the same time. The oxtail pieces were massive, but with that came a lot of fat too.
We also tried the summer rolls (goi cuon) and the papaya salad — both had plump and juicy shrimp. Would recommend either.
Wish we had more time on island to give this place a second try. Our waitress was nice and really quick to keep our water cups filled.

Delicious, warm phở, good for the body and soul!
Located in Chinatown right across the street from Lucky Belly, Phở’hana is a new Vietnamese restaurant that has opened recently.
First off, the ambience in here is very clean. The floors are nicely kept and the tables are organized, cleaned and wiped. It’s also very bright, which adds to that warm, welcoming feeling you get when you enter in.
Next, the food. We ordered the spring rolls, which we ate before we could even take a picture. So I guess you can guess how delicious they were! Perfectly light and crisp, and bursting with filling and flavor! I ordered the ribeye phở, which came with juicy, tasty strips of ribeye steak, floating in a savory, warm broth and beautifully chewy noodles. I had this chased down with a glass of Coca-​Cola, and I felt as if the stars had aligned in my favor. I am a sucker for good phở, and this was it.
The price is not bad, either. I feel as if this is a good deal, if you’re looking for a good bowl of phở. With the appetizer too, our bill didn’t come out to that much. That’s why, if you’re in the area and looking for a good bowl of phở, you should come check this place out! I guarantee you, it will become your new favorite spot!

Even though I have not grown in up in Vietnam and am not of Vietnamese descent, I like to think of myself as a connoisseur of phở. I love phở and have been to so many Vietnamese restaurants that serve phở, and have had so many bowls! Phở bowl count = more than 100!
The first two things that stood out for me was the flavor of the broth and the flavor of the sauces. Both were unique compared to anywhere else that I have been. It’s hard to describe and I would have to say that you just need to experience it for yourself to see what I mean.
One thing that was neat was that the steak served in the phở was ribeye. I enjoyed it and loved that it was different than everywhere else that I have been. My bowl of noodle soup had character, the good kind that you just have to tell your friends about.
Someday I will visit Vietnam and try phở. Until then, I am happy having yet another delicious place to call home when I want phở.