Food was good and staff was relatively friendly. The restaurant itself looks dirty and I don't know how it passed a health inspection. If you just want good pho and don't mind how it's made/where it came from then I'd give this place a try. read more

Got get pho'd up! I ordered to go around 1215. Happened to be nearby, so I arrived quickly. The little place was packed. Tables getting cleared and bussed while more customers are coming in the door and a few others waiting to pay. The staff was handling it, getting everyone moved along. My to go order of the standard rare beef pho came out packaged well. Arrived home 30 minutes later and the broth was still hot. Tasty! Comes with beef, noodles, onions, basil and sprouts packaged separately. Enough for 2! The big drawback is the parking, hit and miss, you just have to get lucky. This is one my top 3 favorite pho restaurants on Oahu. read more

As an avid pho eater and Vietnamese, going on a two week long vacation to Hawaii meant trying the local pho to see if they were up to par. Lo and behold, this was up to par! Super nice service, and the employees spoke Vietnamese with us and made us feel like home. The pho was terrific. I got the pho dac biet (house special) and my oh my I was in love. I will say that there was a lot of meat in my bowl than I would've loved; it felt like bite after bite I was getting huge chunks of meat. Not to mention the meat wasn't consistently cut; some pieces were way bigger than others. I would also think this place could afford real chopsticks rather than the to-go wooden ones. Other than this, the broth smelled amazing and was very good, super close to how we make it back home. The pricing was also very cheap for a large bowl of pho, usually about $12/$13 back home but it was only $11 here! Will be coming back! read more

Ocean Pho - Pho Dac Biet - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

This is our favorite place to get Pho. We live in Mililani so whenever we're in the area we try to stop in. My husband gets the combination pho and I get oxtail. The oxtail is always so tender and the broth is on point. The waitress Soon is super cool and can handle her shit. It's usually pretty busy every time we go (cuz it's the best) but she runs circles around that place. Our waters are always full (my husband is that guy that needs like 8 refills lol) and the food always comes out really quick. We've tried a bunch of other Pho restaurants but are always disappointed because it doesn't compare. So we made a rule that no matter what, we only get pho from Pho Bistro 2! read more

My husband and I are visiting Hawaii on our honeymoon and we were looking for something warm and filling for a cold, rainy night. My sister in law is from Vietnam and makes very good Pho so I feel like I'm spoiled by that, but this place is great!! Super fast service, good winter rolls and very yummy pho. Our server was on it and he was so busy tonight as well, but he was as kind as could be. I definitely recommend if you love some good pho! read more

We were in Waikiki on vacation and wanted to get away from the tourist area for a quiet meal. We are very glad we went to Pho Bistro 2! It's not a fancy place, but it's comfortable with delicious food and great service. We met the owner's son and were made to feel very welcome. read more

Got the combo plate to share - a discounted plate that involves summer rolls that you have to dip, fill and roll yourself. Neither my fiance nor I had any idea what we were doing, so our server kindly gave us a demo and rolled the first one for us. She was patient and friendly despite a pretty packed house, and the rolls were fantastic. read more

My favorite Vietnamese restaurant these days but always possible to get unseated from that great honor. :) Excellent chicken dishes (bbq or lemon-grass as you wish). Very yummy. Haven't tried the pho yet. I think one of the reasons that it is now my favorite is that you always get a warm welcome from the patron, efficient service and a thank you as you leave.all that makes the food go down just a little easier, don't you think? And the prices seem to me more than fair for the quality of the food you get for your money. read more

Their high reviews on yelp is well deserved. The oxtail soup is so good. The place is very clean. And the server is very nice too.

The place feels very welcoming with the art and visuals of Vietnamese and Asian culture. The food tastes amazing as Vietnamese food tends to be very healthy and delicious. I definitely recommend whoever is reading this to give this place a try! read more

This is our place for Pho. At least once a week we eat there. Food is good and so is the service by this lil family restaurant. When it is busy service may slow, but they always have a smile, so a lil patience is easy. A must try. read more

Ocean Pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

The best Pho in the area. I loved their oxtail pho and summer roll. Good customer service as well. Highly recommended!!

Love that the pho soup is always served steaming hot! Broth is also really good! Summer rolls are always so fresh

Favorite pho place!! Broth is so good!! A family place that is nice and friendly. Quick service, remembers the usual order, pho and spring rolls! Will always come back here. read more

Came there a bit early and the owners decided to open for us. Nice staff. Ordered the pho combo, garlic chicken rice plate, spring rolls, grilled pork Vermicelli. FYI Bring your own water the water tasted nasty! Pho: 4/5 good broth but the meat slices were thick didn't pair well with the noodles Garlic chicken: 5/5 delicious but we did find a piece of hair in it Spring rolls: 2/5 disappointing the rolls were not tight and it tasted plain Grilled pork Vermicelli bowl: 5/5 very delicious they substituted Mint for Basil so it kind of threw off the taste. The eggrolls that came with the dish was bomb.com! The nuoc mam Cham was so good! Overall not a bad choice but I don't think I would come here again. read more

Hits the spot for taste and quality. The owner is passionate about her craft and wants to make sure you enjoy the food. She went as far as demonstrating how to properly eat and utilize the ingredients . read more

The green papaya salad was my favorite part of the dinner. Went on a Friday night around 6:30pm with my parents and we only had to wait a few minutes to be seated (full house-- quick turnover, people eat and leave). The food came out quickly. Very generous meat portions for the pho, and I appreciated the tofu option for their rice paper rolls. The servers were helpful and accommodating, and the restaurant was clean. Reasonable prices for being so close to Waikiki. Great experience! read more

Just the thing after a long day of flights gone wrong and hours of exploring the Waikiki area on foot. My business partner and I were on a quest for some good food after trekking around Waikiki for 5 miles, and Yelp was on the case! We stopped by several places but most of them were dingy and didn't have a good process for food preparation. This business partner used to be an executive in the food industry, so there was no way we were eating somewhere unclean. Pho Bistro 2 passed the test. Although it is in a somewhat seedy-looking area and the construction made everything look run-down, the interior is clean. We started with the **Spring Rolls** which were fresh and delicious. The peanut sauce was a little too salty but I may be a little picky when it comes to my peanut sauce. I grew up with that stuff, after all. When it's good I can eat all the sauce with a spoon. This one was not spoon-worthy. The **Pho Tai** with rare steak was very hearty and really hit the spot. DATE TIP: This can definitely be a spot to prove your bravery to your date. Looks sketchy outside so walk in there with confidence! And you can be protective too: after some warm pho, walk out with your arm around them. ;) read more

My boyfriend's favorite thing to eat is pho. That man could eat rare beef pho morning, noon and night if I let him, and would probably never complain one bit. We've been doing a lot of take out from here lately because work is busier than usual and each time we've been pleased with our meals. The broth at Pho Bistro 2 has a richness and depth that's a standout amongst the pack of noodle houses. He usually picks up our order but I was already out running errands and went on the ever important task of picking up our night's sustenance. I was a little worried there would be no parking but luckily there were lots of spots open. I popped in for my pickup and paid the nice man at the counter. I inquired about the banana tapioca and he kindly offered to give it to me for free. I of course declined and he insisted, which then made me leave him a tip to makeup for his offering. So sweet! My boyfriend & I had a wonderful pho picnic in our living room. The banana tapioca was a wonderful treat while watching "Breaking Bad" and I'm so thankful I have a reliable go-to on the days when life is much too busy to cook dinner. Takeout rules!!! read more

This is my favorite pho spot. The food, portions and service are always amazing. Prices are comparable to other pho places. The only down side is the limited parking stalls. read more

See all

Best pho I ever had in my life. Friendly owners as well, overall a great experience!!

The reason why I tried Pho Bistro 2 was because of the awesome 4.5-star rating on Yelp. I figured it would one day become my favorite Pho place because of its hard-to-beat reputation; they managed to maintain 4.5 stars with 200-something reviews. Wow. Pho Bistro 2 is located across of Home Bar & Grill on Kalakaua. A mini parking lot is located nearby for customers. First thing I noticed walking in was the unusual warmth of the restaurant; next was the weird mood lighting... Are they trying to save $ by leaving the air conditioner and lights off? Or perhaps they are Asian hippies, real Go Green-ers? Anyway... I ordered my usual beef and tendon Pho, which was just OK. And there were only about 3 or 4 slices of beef. I would have really appreciated their bowl because it kept the broth piping hot for what seemed like an eternity. Unfortunately, I was sweating like a prostitute in church and the broth was heating me up even more! Even though I was uber hungry, I wanted to get the hell out of there. Pho Thinh and Ha Long have been spoiling me and have turned me into a high maintenance Pho-natic. I'm so used to everything being so clean!! And at Pho Bistro 2, cleanliness is clearly not their top priority. Boo to crusty sauce on the Sriracha bottle. :( Mind you, I was one of the first customers who went in shortly after opening at 10:30am. Everything should have been clean at that time, right? Once done eating, I quickly escaped. I think next time I'll pass on paying an average price for an uncomfortable sauna session/ meal. Pho Thinh and Ha Long are my top two choices for Pho. Sorry I strayed. Lesson learned. Yelp 365 - #012/365 read more

Pho bistro has the best oxtail pho on the island and their portions are generous. The workers are friendly and the service here is fast. The only gripe is their Vietnamese coffee isn't fresh, seems like they pre-make it so they can serve their customers faster. They have a small parking shared with other businesses in the back but if you come later in the day there's plenty parking. read more

See all

Dear Pho Bistro, We have seen you four times in the last three weeks. Because your broth is glorious. Because your broth is addictive. Because I'm holding myself back from seeing you every single day. You've also made all other pho broths taste extremely sub-par, lowering other restaurants I used to frequent to peasant status in the kingdom. The kingdom of which you are the King of Pho. LONG LIVE PHO KING! We love Pho King. See you very soon, Angela read more

I am a crazy Pho-natic! I am so addicted to pho, that I have been eating it at least once a week for over 15 years. My co-workers found this one day when we were all craving takeout, but couldn't decide between Italian and Vietnamese. The solution? We sent someone to Pho Bistro 2 for pho and bún and Amina Pizzeria next door for calzone and lasagna! Since that initial visit, I've been back every single week for their pho. I just went there again for lunch today. Their broth is the BEST on the island; it ties with Pho To Chau in my book, but it's different. I think it's a little sweeter, but both broths have a very nice balance of spices and herbs and layered flavors. Really, Pho Bistro 2's broth is outstanding. I usually get the pho tai (rare steak only) and my pho buddy Ange gets the house special combination pho with steak, flank, brisket, beef balls, and tripe. If you want the combination with only some of the items, they will do it for you. I love the flank and brisket cuts as well; they are so flavorful and most of the time, they are not too fatty. The only reason they get 4 stars instead of 5 is because their portions are small. Even with their large-sized bowl, I don't get enough noodles and especially, beef. The noodle portion is smaller than at any other pho restaurant and I think they give you only five paper-thin slices of beef. At To Chau, they give me so much beef that sometimes, I can't even finish it all. Thank goodness my pho buddy generously gives me some of her steak and flank, or I would be hungry an hour later. I think the only difference between their large and regular sizes is that you get more soup with the large size. You also get less veggies here and if you order a side of onions, instead of a plate of onions, you only get a cup saucer full. The service is always very good. They remember their regular customers and are friendly and efficient. I'll be back in a few days. read more

The soup broth for their pho is very good! It's one of the best I have ever had on Oahu. The portions are generous and very fresh. Service here is 5 star! The kitchen also accommodates to our order substitutions which is really nice. It sure beats picking out items you don't want. This is Mink's favorite spot and we usually order their summer rolls or winter rolls as our appetizer. We've had their pho and oxtail soup which we highly recommend. Even their rice dishes are excellent. Everything is very flavorful and filling. We have never left disappointed from here. Parking is nice because they have one stall right in front of the restaurant for regular parking and one handicap stall next to it. They have a little lot next to the restaurant as well in the fenced up lot near the canal. Street parking is also available. It's usually very consistent with customers throughout the day but when there is a convention in town then please account for that if you have a limited amount of time for lunch. read more

Ocean Pho - Oxtail Soup - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Who? My wife and me What? Best pho on this island Where? 1694 Kalakaua St. When? Last week Which? Combination Pho...simply awesome Why? Because Olivia D. said so Whence? Huh? read more

Oxtail Soup. Had to go back for the Oxtail soup and I wasn't disappointed. I enjoyed a South East Asian spin on a local favorite. We had gone here before because it's around the corner from where we live. It's a nice small place that provides some alright beefy tasting pho. The difference from regular oxtail soup and Pho Bistro 2's oxtail soup is that it seems to add all kinds of veggies and additional flavoring to their broth. Of course the relationship between actual pho and oxtail soup is a close one. Both are based on the simmering of their respective bones and meat, but with a slight variation on the different spices used in each. The oxtail soup meat was full of fatty fall off the bone goodness. You get the choice of having it with a side bowl of rice or rice noodles. It was a ton of food. I was really stuffed by the end and still had a whole takeout container full of broth that I took home (because we have some rice noodles at home I can whip up easily and add to the flavorful broth). The price of the oxtail soup was right around the normal price of $12-13. Since I'll be getting another meal out of it, it was well worth the price. Parking does kinda suck here seeing that it's under about 10 spaces for several businesses that share the building. read more

Got the special combination tray, it was absolutely delicious! The owner and waiter were so amazingly friendly, energetic, and helpful! My favorite dining experience in Honolulu and a must-try place for any traveling here :) read more

Sadness. Pho Bistro 2 is my cure-all when I'm sick but it was just too far of a drive from home this time....damn flu [and traffic] for making this so damn difficult. Pho Bistro 2 is my go-to pho place because they have THE best tasting pho out of the maybe 7 or 8 others that I've tried on the island. There are pho restaurants everywhere, so really my sampling group is kinda small. However, the best tasting pho in my books to date nonetheless! A deliciously rich broth, the tenderest and juiciest cuts of meat, and peace and quiet to sit and enjoy the warm healing powers that is 'pho.' What makes Pho Bistro 2 so striking, as oppose to all others for me? Aside from the tastiness, which really should be reason enough, there are the quantitative factors to consider. For $8 or less you get this man-sized bowl of pho, and a large mound of bean sprouts, leaves, and jalapenos to throw in. Also, Pho Bistro 2 does NOT skimp on their meats. Within said man-sized bowl I swear almost a pound of what's in there is meat alone! Pretty safe to say that with every bite you'll get a piece of meat. Not dry and chalky, nor rubbery. It's fresh, tender, melts in your mouth awesomeness! That being said, it's really really REALLY hard to go from AAAAAAAALLLLL this for $7.60 to the $8.25 fat-free tasting, petite-sized, seemingly no anis flavor, with I think 4 (maybe 6) slivers of meat at the other pho restaurant I went to today..... -coughs PHO&COMPANY coughs- Service at Pho Bistro 2 is welcoming and quietly attentive. If the owners are about they really make everyone feel comfortable- share laughter, talk story, and so on. Overall, a steady 4 star experience every time for me. As far as dish recommendations, I tend to get the chicken pho when I'm sick, the meat combo (for the carnivore inside us all!) on average, and the oxtail when I'm in a celebratory mood- it's the yummiest of Pho Bistro 2's soups I think, which would explain the price, haha. read more

Every time I come from NY, I have to get some pho here. In my opinion, it's so much better than the ones in NY. Very generous amount of noodles, soup tasted great, they even give lemon grass for your soup, what is there not to love about it? Staff is super friendly and honestly, I really enjoy it. read more

Me: "Yes, may I please have a regular pho with tendon and beef balls"? Waitress: *blank stare* Me:" ...Is that ok?" Waitress: *nods head* *takes menu from my hand* It was at that exact moment that I knew my experience was going to be "less than 5-star". I was REALLY craving a good bowl of Pho on that day, too. I took a chance on this place based on the reviews on Yelp, but alas, a good bowl of Pho was not meant to be. I know that small businesses are taking the brunt of the blow from these tough economic times, but 2 pieces of tendon and 3 beef balls is a bit stingy. Oh, sure, I was given a good amount of noodles, but the broth-simmered meat is what really accentuates the soup. Speaking of the broth, it was not very flavorful. It didnt have that full, beefy undertone that one comes to expect from Pho broth. The service was not so great either. The place was rather packed and there was only one server working that day. She decided to stop and talk story with one table for about 10 to 15 minutes, giving no heed to the other customers needing water refills and ready to place orders. That didnt go over very well with me, or the people at the table behind me either. All in all, I have certainly had better Pho and a better dining experience at other establishments. 2 stars even. 1.5 for food.service, .5 for sympathy. "S" read more

This place is the BOMB. There are tons of awesome pho places in Hawaii (hallelujah), but for me, Pho Bistro 2 is on top. It's clean, it's hot, and it's flavorful. Nowadays it's getting harder to get full off of a decent meal for under $10, especially if you're a big eater like me. But one solution to that is pho. And if you're going to eat pho, why not eat the best at Pho Bistro 2? Large brisket is the way to goooooooooo! In the parking lot, there's a security guard that I see a lot there. He's a really friendly guy, but he talks a lot! Again, really nice guy! But if you don't eventually (kindly) cut the conversation, you might be there for a while! read more

Pho better or pho worse? Def pho worse. My pho broth was bland...very bland. I had to put more than the usual hoisin and sriracha than I usually add. It was cheaper than most places. Most regular bowls will cost you about $8 these days. I don't remember exactly how much but Pho Bistro cost less. And you save even more money for the sauna treatment. For no cost, you can sit in the window-less/air-con-less steaming restaurant and sweat it out to your heart's content. And the banana tapioca! How do you mess up on tapioca? You just boil it! But for $3, you do get a lot of this inedible tapioca. The sad part was that the owner/workers are very nice! Great service! The location really hurts them. I would not have known this place existed without yelp. Two stars to yelp for making me go all the way there and promising me the best pho on the island! read more

The only item I've ever ordered here is the OXTAIL SOUP! Delisssshhh. The staff doesn't speak Vietnamese here, which is quite odd in my opinion. This is probably the only Vietnamese restaurant I've been to where the staff does not speak Vietnamese. How am I supposed to practice my Vietnamese now?? Overall, restaurant is fairly clean, decent Vietnamese atmosphere, fair prices, nice staff. My only eff is PARKING... They don't have parking. read more

Delicious hot pho! i've been here 2 times, and so far, so good..... first time around got pho with brisket, second time around got the combination pho which contains meatballs, brisket, sliced steak, tendon and tripe..... the only problem was - with the combination pho, there were lots of brisket pieces, but hardly anything else. i found a 1/2 a meat ball, ZERO tripe, and ZERO tendon.... what happened here? i will say, there was tons of brisket, so i did not mind too too much.... and i'm definitely wiling to give them another chance b/c maybe it was a fluke. they also have good summer rolls, and speak better english than some places i've been too.... :P i really want to come back for the ox tail - apparently it is super good! the parking is next door, near the discount cigarette store, and if you go on a Sunday, parking is FREE! read more

Very good food, great service good prices. Parking is a little complicated but that is kind of normal in Hawaii.

You know the pho here is good when you look around and you're the only non Vietnamese person in the whole restaurant This tiny shop is hard to find. I first discovered this place when a friend of mine (who really really really loves pho and has literally tried almost all the pho places on this island) wanted to "open my pho palette" -as he said. I recently took one of my girls here and she LOVED it. I almost always order the simple pho with rare steak. (small about $8, large almost $9). The waiter here is always so nice and always checks up to make sure everything's okay, more then twice even three times. I think what makes the bowl unique from different places is the broth and the noodle consistency. The broth is clearer then normal broth and a lot less salty but very very flavorful and the noodles are chewier. They seem flatter, thinner but very chewy..as if someone made it fresh that day. I recommend this place to anyone who wants to try pho for the first time or someone who is looking to satisfy that pho itch. you will not be disappointed and you will come back when that itch/craving/hangover returns. read more

I really want to give this place a high rating because I love the pho here and the service is great, but I have to hold back a star because I've noticed the portions seem to have been shrinking over time. I frequent this spot quite often as it's near my neighborhood and the taste of the food never disappoints. But over the years, my large pho has turned from a large bowl filled with goodness to a large bowl with small bowl portions and more broth. Same great flavor, but sometimes I find myself leaving without having that "stomach full of pho" contentedness. Parking is to the side behind the chain-link gate, shared lot with the convenience store next door (careful of the HUGE crater/pothole at the entrance). You can also find parking on the street nearby if the lot is full. Bathrooms are through the door in the back and down the hall. Not the cleanest but I wasn't expecting much. Conclusion: This would be my go-to spot if they would restore the pho portions back to normal. read more

4.5 Stars Excellent pho. The soup broth burst with beefy zest and their meat was nice and tender. Best Pho outside of Downtown, IMO. I've watched Miss Saigon twice, Good Morning Vietnam once, and a huge fan of Dat Phan so when it comes to Vietnamese food, I know what I'm talking about. Haha. read more