It was ok, but nothing special. Definitely had better Pho and bahn mi. Language barrier didn't help when ordering either, but that was fine. Ordered chicken and received the combo. Sent back and got the chicken after a while. Not sure if I would go back. 50/50 read more

Pho 97 - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I'm going to spend very little time talking about the food. Another reviewer mentioned a fly in their water. That is the least of our problems. I finished my meal and went to use the restroom. There are numerous cockroaches roaming freely. You stand on flattened cardboard boxes that have been strained with unknown substances. This was easily the most repulsive "restaurant" restroom I've seen. Please think about your health and avoid this place. There are so many other viable options. If you're _really_ curious, while the complementary bean sprouts and herbs are nice, I found the broth lacking depth. I am Vietnamese and probably ate pho before breastfeeding. read more

I've tried many dishes from here. Vietnamese crepes, crab noodle soup, pho, bamboo shoot duck noodle soup, rare beef with lime juice salad, shrimp & pork salad, jellyfish salad, rice...etc. my absolute fav has to be the crab meat noodle soup (bún riêu) and Vietnamese crepes. Papaya and soursop smoothies were good too. They're semi-friendly and restaurant is decent. Don't be surprised to see some cockroaches crawling around. I was a little worried but some locals told me that cockroaches are everywhere in Hawaii. read more

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If I had wrote my review after my first visit I would have given this place four stars, but after my second visit I am definitely sticking with one star! The food is decent, but what is keeping me from coming back is the lack of cleanliness of the restaurant. As I was eating my pho, I saw one roach across the table and that customer shooing the roach away and then I noticed a roach on my napkin! I'm not sure where the roach came from and how many there are, but I'm not willing to come back to find out... If it wasn't for the extra flavor of la' roach I would have recommend this place, but knowing what I know and what I saw I won't be ever coming back! read more

I finally found my pho place! Sorry Pho Bistro 2, but this is my favorite Pho place in town!! (For SOCAL people: I like this place better than Golden Deli in San Gabriel) I only know the pho, but it's good and not cinammony, like some other places. Meat combo Pho is $6 something and the large is $7 something. If the large is not enough you can add more noodles later for a $1. I do find the large is too small for me. If you like the soup boiling hot you have to ask them to bring it to you very hot. Service is simple, but friendly. Parking can be a challenge on the street, like most places in Chinatown. read more

You know what impresses me? Businesses that are in it to win it. Take a walk with me if you will.. Its 7:45 am. I'm hungry. I could walk down the street and grab some warm meat buns BUT.... I want pho. Pho 97 says they don't open till 8, but the door is open and there are people already sitting down. I peer in and behind me comes a lady from the street and smiling says "Sit anywhere!" Alright. She drops her bag, brings a menu and water and I put my order in. Make that money. I cannot tell you how many times I've been disappointed by businesses that either cannot be bothered to honor their advertised business hours and/or just treat their paying guests terribly. Bravo to Pho 97. read more

I was in Chinatown searching for a good place for lunch and found this little place. The pho was awesome. I got the combo pho (sliced steak and beef balls) and it had tons of taste. The price was reasonable and the noodles weren't too soggy. Nothing sucks more than soggy ass noodles. The people working that day, who seemed like the owners, were really nice. I will definitely go again. read more

Pho 97 - combo pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Rule #1: Learn to pronounce Pho. I clearly had no idea... Rule #2: Be adventurous...but don't be afraid to modify your order. I came here yesterday with a couple of co-workers. One ordered the hot crab soup...hold the pig's blood please. Ya think?! Ha :-) Another ordered the Pho with chicken and I ordered the Pho with tofu and vegetables. A big plate arrived with bean sprouts, various greens including mint, basil and some lemon wedges. Delicious and filling...and not a diet-buster. Reasonably priced. Service was a little hit or miss. We waited a long time to get our bill, so we just got up and went to the cash register to pay there. Working on the edge of Chinatown offers a variety of places to eat. While there are closer Pho restaurants to our office, my co-workers prefer this place. I'm sure I'll be back. read more

I always get the summer rolls as an appetizer, then order my main dish. Usually, I pick the large combination pho bowl. But, sometimes I get the vermicelli with bbq pork and spring roll. If I'm feeling like a rebel, I prefer the lemon grass chicken. read more

Pho 97 - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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First time trying this place because it was the next option from our usual place in Chinatown at Pho My Lan, which was closed. Well, as we were deciding where to go, we stumbled upon Pho 97 and noticed there were quite a bit of people there so it tells us a) this place is good or b) everyone else there had no other options as well. Well, we were seated right away and after we placed our order, it did come within five minutes - so that's a plus, especially during lunch hour. But, this is where the buck stops. The broth for my pho was lukewarm - noodles must be eaten with piping hot broth!!! Additionally, the broth itself had little to no taste at all - very disappointing. I guess we won't be coming here every again. read more

This has to be the worst PHO place I ever laid my chopsticks in!! I order pho with meatballs and ..... Got only ...3 balls in the pho. Unreal that had to be a ripoff. Sure $7 for a bowl but come on bro... At least add some more meatballs in there. Smdh... Oh and the worst part is ... The bowl had a bug on the side... I didn't even bother eating .... read more

SO close to being five stars. My mom and I came here one night and for anyone who chooses to come here for dinner, you'll known that chinatown gets quite interesting after dark. We ventured past many obstacles between the parking lot to this restaurant but when we finally made it, we sat down in a nice cool table beneath a TV playing American movies. This was my first time here, and after only experiencing the other pho places outside of chinatown, the prices here were pleasantly lower. I ordered a medium beef combination pho for only $8, and if I'm not mistaken that same order would cost me at least a couple more bucks elsewhere! Portion was generous for the price, everything tasted fresh and did not disappoint. Overall, very satisfied with my eating experience but taking away one star for the service. The man working was very friendly with this other table that spoke Vietnamese but as soon as I tried to talk to him his facial expressions completely changed! Ahhh! read more

Horrible service... they were out of the one I'd had before so I ordered a pho with Crab Meat. There was NO crab meat to be found, only the spongy insides of the crab that are usually discarded. I asked our server, and he gave me the menu, pointed at it, and said 'you have to read.' I thought maybe I had misread and expected actual meat, but it clearly said Crad Meat (misspelled). I told him I wasn't going to eat it. He didn't care. Instead of apologizing and offering something else, he sat behind the counter with a rude look on his face. I walked over there and said I wasn't going to eat it, so I wasn't going to pay for it. Then he got mad and said that I had to pay since I ordered it. I'm not going to pay for false advertising! He was extremely rude so we left, leaving money on the table for the other pho that was correct and tasty. WTF? no concern for customers :/ read more

First of all this place was not my first choice but the other place was closed. Came in, sat down, and what seemed to be an owner staring at us. A waitress comes and ask if we're ready and my boyfriend was about to order when she just walks away. We finally order and I order number 22. When I get my pho immediately I notice the back part of a cockroach floating my soup. I call the waitress she says "oh" takes my soup away brings me a new one. I get no apology or offered maybe even a discount or how about take the soup off my tab. So we're paying and it took me 3 times asking to finally get a box or my check. It took everything I had to continue eating the rest of my food. I am just too nice to throw a fit. So I decided to write a review. Stay clear of this place. Unprofessional environment, rude employees, roaches in the soup. read more

Pho 97 is short for "97 kine soup with rice noodle" Seriously though, this little hole-in-the-Maunakea-rubble makes at least 30 different kinds of Vietnamese soup. I've been here on multiple occasions with my Pop. If you can look beyond the dingy, crowded, storage room ambiance, I think this joint has a lot to offer. Their menu is huge (like 5 pages) listing everything from pho to bun, to Vietnamese crepes, to bahn mi sammies, to beef wrapped in lot leaf, to Vietnamese fondue. I love coming to more authentic Vietnamese places like this that cater to the community of individuals who realize that Vietnamese food is a lot more than just pho. Pho 97 and Bac Nam are the clear winners in terms of authenticity and variety. That being said, I have yet to try a dish that really knocks my socks off. The pho is good, but it has a thin, light colored broth. Some people appreciate this type because it is not salty or overpowering. Personally, I like really strong contrasting flavors of anise, cinnamon, and beef bone, so this is not my favorite broth. But to each his/her own! I also disagree with the reviewer who stated that this place is all about the anise. Where? *sniff sniff* Where? I will say that the pho is always packed with goodies. Plenty of tripe and other weird meat parts in Dad's bowl. Plenty of veggies on the plate to share. They often give mint and shaved banana flower as well. I've had the seafood pho, which is good. Spring rolls are fine. Nothing extraordinary here other than the price, which seems high ($7.50). The bbq pork summer rolls are bland ($4). I do enjoy the Vietnamese fish soup. This is also a very light broth, accented with lemongrass and fried garlic. The chunks of flaky white fish are delicious and they usually throw in a few shrimp as well. This comes with vermicelli noodles and a plate of lemon, mint, and banana flower to garnish. Noodles were overcooked :( Other items of note: Spicy Vietnamese beef soup - after reading the earlier reviews, this is on my must order list. So far the best I've had is at Saigon on King St. They also have crab soup, which unlike the haolified version at Pho Mai, comes with pigs' parts and pigs' blood (Not sure if my hapa haole side is ready for that one). I am definitely ordering the catfish soup (yum!) and the spicy, sour seafood soup in the near future, but these are more expensive (between $10 and $14). Other soup types include won ton mein, chicken and anise soup, pork and shrimp; the list goes on and on. NOTE: Parking in the Municipal garage below Maunakea cost $1.50. This place is always PACKED at lunch. Don't be shy and pull up a seat next to a stranger. I usually leave the customary seat in between so I'm not vying for elbow room with someone I don't know. You will need to stand up and wave your arms for service, but what did you expect at this price point? Also, Chinatown is stepping it up cuz they now take CREDIT CARDS!!! BEST recommendation is to order one pho and one other type of soup so you get different items to garnish your soup with. I like try them all!!! read more

My parents wanted to see chinatown and ended up here fatefully. One of the party members said she were tired and decided to eat here. NOT MY FIRST CHOICE AS THEY HAVE PHO RESTAURANTS ON EVERY CORNER HERE IN SACRAMENTO. 1st off this roach house, i mean restaurant is crawling with roaches!!!!!!!!! i'm sitting there ordering food and roaches crawling on the wall AND table. my wife who's a total germaphobe was OK with it. guess who was the one tired and decided to eat here?? 2nd OVERPRICED it was $12 or $13 for some plain tasting fried rice. NO FLAVOR WHATSOEVER 3rd NO FLAVOR!!! holy crap my cooking which is mediocre could throw some spice on the dish. I ended up squirting a gang of srracha on the dish just to make it palatable. DO NOT COME HERE IF WANT TO BE LEGALLY ROBBED BLIND. read more

Out of all the Pho places I've been to, Pho 97 is my favorite. I always end up going back for great tasting Pho. The soup base is flavorful. The noodles are perfect texture. The rare steak is sliced thin enough to be cooked in the soup. Some place have such a thin slice of rare steak that I just shreds in the soup. The beef balls dont have the yucky clear cartilage thingy in it. I hate those things. I usually get my food quick. It's great. Love it. Even the spring rolls are perfect. read more

If you like tofu and veggies in your bowl, Pho97 is the only place in Chinatown to plop down and eat. The tofu chunks are beautiful giant pillow-like slices, never those wrinkly-hard reconstituted squares some places get away with giving people....and they aren't shy with the broccoli. Great broth and noodles too. Kind of the only place I go for pho. Only thing....you might want to bring your own water, in the grand tradition of pho spots they give you refills pretty much never. read more

If you're in chinatown, this place is good to have pho. It is conveniently located at Maunakea market. Place is clean and food is ok.

Have been going here for years and always good authentic food, generous portions at a good price. Well went today and apparently it has new owners and a new chef. Very disappointed. Prices went up, portions got smaller, very little meat and not authentic. Ordered the spicy beef noodle soup and it a was pho with some chili oil thrown in. That's not bun bo hue. Got an extra star as the spring rolls were good. Sad, not going back anytime soon and I think other have the same opinion wasn't packed like it normally is. read more

Pho 97 was ok...not the best Vietnamese food I've had but it satisfied me enough for lunch. There were a lot of people coming in for lunch, surprisingly. The price was a little high for average tasting food. The staff weren't very attentive...one waitress in particular was busy standing in front of the flat screen tv watching a soap opera even when she saw me waiving to get her attention. I probably waited like 10 minutes to get the check. I didn't get my water refilled or anything. I wouldn't come back here if I visited Honolulu again. read more

This used to be our favorite Pho restaurant when I was stationed in Hawaii before. Because we could not remember the name of this restaurant, we could not find it. The only thing that changed since five years ago, the fridge with the delicious desert drinks disappeared. Our Pho was just as delicious as I remember it! read more

Pho 97 - Simple decor - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

The best thing about Pho 97 is actually not the pho. It's the spicy beef noodle soup, Bún bò Hue. The soup for this spicy beef soup is so delicious and has a lot of lemongrass flavor. I've tried the spicy beef noodle soup in other places, and this is by far the best!! The beef is so tender and has so much flavor. I highly recommend this dish. I took my Vietnamese friend there, and she confirms that this is very authentic. I've also tried the pho there, and I find the broth a bit bland. It's strange everyone thought it was salty....hm... I find the pho at Mai Lan down the street a lot better. read more

Been coming here forever, since I was a little girl. The pho is tasty, I love the saimin with clear noodles, the spring rolls &' the BBQ chicken sandwich, My favorites there. They are SUPER fast, literally. You can order &' your order is there within 5 minutes. read more

Pho 97 - Summer Roll - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I love how pho places in Chinatown are so cheap. I got a bubble drink afterwards with the $2 I saved ;) Anyways, I got a large bowl of pho with vegetables and tofu. I was a little sad that it only came with 2 pieces of tofu :( I turned my bowl of pho upside down in a failed attempt to find another piece. Sadness. But they gave a generous plate of the extras (beansprouts, lemon, jalapenos, and "leaves" as my friends call it haha). Despite the missing tofu, I left quite full and satisfied. read more

Same name different owners. The waitress didn't understand English or I didn't understand her language so I pointed to the picture on their menu. The price showed $16 but when I went up to the cashier I was charged additional $5. I told them I didn't order anything special and pointed to their price. Instead of arguing and going in circles, I let them have my $5 but I'm never going back again! read more

This is my second visit here and both times the service was ridiculous. I don't care if the food is good. If the customer service sucks so does everything else. The attitude of these workers makes your mouth have a sour taste in it. Therfore it made the food suck! Plus it's dirty and cramped. Not coming back. read more

Pho 97 - Don't use the salt here. Wtf is that black stuff on it?! - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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My friends and I recently went here to eat lunch here because we had a craving for pho and it was pretty good. I ordered the pho with meat (medium) and it was delicious! It's a great place to eat if you don't want to spend much + I think their portions are filling. read more

Newly renovated. Under new owners. Waited 1 hour and no food. We just got up and walked out.

Gross. Felt dirty and the food was subpar. In addition the menu descriptions are not there or deceiving. We ordered several items including a banh mi sandwich which was on the menu as shredded pork and egg. Instead received a nasty tendon chewy shredded mess with no egg. Couldn't even eat it at all. Plus they were not friendly and seemed to rush us. Hate to say anything bad but way better options out there. read more

Hello anise! Apparently that's Pho '97 in a nut-shell. I wanted to give this place a try, since I heard some good things about it. I decided to go outside of my comfort zone, and explore new places to get a hearty bowl of pho. I don't crave it too often, though I have tried many takes on it over the years. I've had some good and some bad. This place ranks somewhere at the mediocre. First off, the appetizers weren't that great. The Summer Rolls tasted like they were made last summer. The wrapping was that cheap stuff that sticks to everything: I hate that. The Spring Rolls tasted a little on the "ripe" side; aside from the excessive amount of those chinese mushrooms. The Spring Rolls had a blahzay texture, and tasted like I could get them from any SouthEast Asian quickie mart. Not to mention they barely give you any mint leaves or lettuce on the side. Now for the reason that I came: the pho. The pho had too much anise. I know people love that strong flavor, and I do as well. But there was so much in there that it drowned the flavor of everything else out. I could barely taste the natural beef flavor through the anise. The broth itself was not diversely flavored with a combination of ingredients; the anise took the bullhorn. Cinnamon? Ginger? Nope. They did have some good table condiments though. They even had the fish paste. Other than that they had the usual assortment. Is the food authentic? Yes, and it is cheap. The whole meal is very affordable, and the food comes out promptly. However, the initial service was not that great. The food is just not that exciting to me. Pho 97 is okay, but nothing to write home about. read more

My family and I were in Chinatown beause we needed some exotic fruits and flowers...but first, we needed lunch. There were 13 of us, so I was basically looking for any place that had room for all of us as most of the restaurants in Chinatown are small and cramped. Pho 97 is located right next to one of the entrances to Maunakea Marketplace. It's a bit run down, but nothing too horrible. We did see a critter or two running around, but I've grown up eating in places like this and it wasn't unusual for us. Good thing is that we didn't see any critters in our food. As usual, always wipe down your utensils before using it! Everyone got different entrees, but most of us ordered pho. When in a pho place, order the pho, right? Overall, it was pretty good, no complaints. It wasn't the best pho I've ever had, but it was far from the worst. They offered fruit smoothies (sinh to) too, but since we were right next to Maunakea Marketplace, we all decided to get smoothies there instead as there were more flavor options. TL;DR: Reasonable prices, fast service, good food. It was a good find, considering I didn't check out the reviews on Yelp before walking in. Parking is the same situation as the rest of Chinatown--find a parking garage. read more

My Lan or Pho 97................ both good in their own ways. Love the spring rolls here and the large pho was pretty cheap. read more

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Had a bowl of pho here and shared a rare beef salad before checking out First Fridays in Chinatown. Definitely recommend the rare beef salad...it's not something you'd typically order at any other pho restaurant, so it's special here. Nick mentions that they have a "build you own summer rolls" thing. That's what I do at home, and it sounds like it would be fun to do, but I'm kinda against the idea of paying to work for my food at a restaurant, haha. Although I do pay for yakiniku Korean BBQ buffets where you grill it yourself...hmmm. The pho itself was nothing to write home about. It's not bad, and it's better than Pho Saigon down the street. I'd venture to say it's better than Pho Bistro 2. But when you're comparing to To Chau and Ha Long...it can't stand its own. read more

I've frequented this place a handful of times now and it's def growing on me. Now that my fave, Pho Mai Lan on maunakea is gone, I need a new downtown pho spot. This may be it. Located just a little down the street and in the midst of all the Chinatown madness. No frills but good pho and large portions. Note to self, always get the medium. You know it's good when it's packed full of old Asian people. Tried the rare steak and brisket and they're both nice, lean cuts of meat. I don't like when the brisket is all fatty and chewy. Next time I'll try their summer or spring rolls. Will definitely be coming back here for many visits to come. read more

Plus - quick, convienent location in Chinatown, decent prices Minus - felt kind of dark and cramped. The bathroom is through the kitchen. I ordered a vermicelli noodle bowl, the hubby got a udon noodle bowl, and my son tried the banh mi. The food was good but the ambiance was lacking. Midway through our meal a group of campaigners came through the restaurant to spread their message... nice bunch of people but felt kind of intrusive. Guess I'm not used to that happening back home. read more

This place is good and also busy. My friend brought me here because she needed pho but didn't want to walk all the way to Cuu Long, so lazy... jk!!! But it was really good. The pho broth was good, I really liked it because they didn't put parsley in it. I had the medium vegetable pho. It had all the vegetables I liked in it. It came with carrots, cabbage, broccoli and tofu. They have two sizes for the pho dishes, medium and large. The medium was the perfect size for me and i think the medium was $6.75 for the vegetable pho. The beef was $6.50 i think. I wish i was hungry to try the summer or spring rolls, but the pho filled me up just right. And I'm trying to cut out caffeine so i didn't get to try the Vietnamese iced coffee, my favorite =( . Parking is street or any of the paid lots in China Town. But is definitely walking distance from downtown. Its one block farther than lucky belly. If you need pho close to downtown try this place out. We went around 12:20 and we got the last two seats. The tables are community so you may have to share with another group. read more

Can't go wrong with the pho dishes here. They are consistent with flavor, a ton of fresh culantro and Thai basil on the side, just an all around wonderful, inexpensive place to eat in Honolulu! They are my go-to pho place! You should try it, you know you'll like it. :) read more

this is a horrible place to go to. the bathroom, kitchen to the sitting area nasty. never come here because the owner does not respect the fact that you are there to eat...so he argues with her staff like no one is there read more

Order #20, Pho with rare steak ask for it on the side dip it and eat it with the noodles. Don't forgets to use ALL and I do mean ALL the basil, bean sprouts, lemons, okay and a few Jalapenos :) They even give u a few shreds of the Ong choi stalk!! The soup is sooooo good no msg tasty and comforting. U gotta go!! Oh and a glass of Thai ice coffee always is good too! The soup keeps u coming back..its always all gone down to the last drop! :) read more