There are three distinct regions of Vietnamese cuisine: Northern, Central and Southern. If you like Vietnamese food, you absolutely must try a dish from each region. The best way to experience good Vietnamese food is to eat what the Vietnamese eat. I visited this restaurant with a Vietnamese friend and ordered the same dish that he ordered and that dish was Bun bo Hue. Bun bo Hue has elevated my expectations about what is good Vietnamese food. I've been to many different Vietnamese restaurants because I do like Vietnamese food but the Bun bo Hue here is the very best.. Hands down! No comparison! Just like the rest of you, I used to eat a lot of Pho (meat inside), green papaya salads and spring roll with barbeque chicken on rice vermicelli. I'm a regular here now and for good reason. It's the taste. Sometimes you have to step out of the box and deviate from your routine. As the old saying goes: Try it! You'll like it! read more

Until last night, this was one of our GO TO pho places. Not anymore. My parents and my husband ordered their usual Combination Pho. After taking our order, the waitress/owner brought out 2 plates of the veggie mix-ins (bean sprouts, basil, lemon, jalapenos). We noticed that the bean sprouts were not fresh. In fact, they were so brown and broken that we thought they had been blanched!!! SIDE NOTE: I HATE HATE HATE sending food back or asking for a replacement meal. I would rather accept a wrong order or under/over cooked meal, not eat it, pay for it, and just never return to the establishment because I don't want to make a fuss and possibly be given new food that has been spat in or dropped on the floor or sprinkled with "special sauce". (Watch the movie WAITING and you'll agree with me I'm sure!) Anyways, back to the review, we kindly asked the waitress/owner if we could get fresh sprouts...thinking that maybe she grabbed these plates by mistake (because they SHOULD have been marked as DO NOT USE)! And we were nice about it...like how you would ask your Granny for the salt shaker, if she gave you the pepper shaker instead of the salt shaker that you asked for. The waitress/owner had the GALL to tell us that this was exactly what fresh bean sprouts looked like as if we didn't know...as if we have never seen fresh bean sprouts before...as if my husband isn't HALF Vietnamese and has been eating pho with his FOB mother all his life...as if we were BLIND!!! We kindly pointed out all of the bruised, slimy, and broken bean sprouts again and she mumbled something to the effect of, "let me check if we have different kind." She returned with 2 plates of FRESH sprouts without an apology....just plopped the fresh stuff on our table and left...I took a photo - you be the judge http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/pho-nam-honolulu?select=FExrBy1Dz27yBNSaq35Hyg#1K5YqbGezO0lrrZi1fgeRQ Anyways...I'm done venting and I'm done with this place! read more

Pho Nam - Fresh vs. What the Heck? Can you tell the difference? - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

The lemon grass spicy chicken was just so so. Don't get me wrong; it wasn't bad, but it wasn't worth writing home about. My friend ordered the beef pho. The broth wasn't so deep. read more

Since we were famished from trying on all those dresses at Masako Formals, we decided to venture across the street to have lunch. Parking is free with validation. Since it was already 14:30 there was no lunch rush and the place was empty. We were seated and ordered right away. I ordered the beef pho with meatball and tendon. Although the noodle portion was not as generous as some other places, the meat portion was decent. The bean sprouts and basil looked clean and washed. The broth was plain, but I would order it again. The Thai iced tea was like any other Thai teas I've had. My friend ordered the shrimp curry and it was delicious! It tasted like a Japanese curry with coconut milk. All in all, the service was great and food not bad. I'll definitely be back. read more

We came here based on my wife's recommendation. More than 2 years ago she used to dine here on a regular basis because the Pho was above average and she also lived directly across the street. But today our experience was deeply disappointing. I don't know if the restaurant changed ownership or hired a new cook, but their Pho was very bland IMO. exacerbating the problem, our Pho was served at lukewarm temperature. We sent it back to be re-heated, but it tasted only marginally better. Our other dish, grilled Moi, was undercooked and had to be sent back as well to be grilled some more...made me wonder if the cook's watch was running too fast. However once properly heated, the fish was rather tasty. I've had much better pho elsewhere and I don't think I will be returning to Pho Nam anytime soon. read more

Never been here before, but had lunch here today before getting my hair cut. The place was clean, the staff were friendly and the pho ($7.95) was delicious. They provided more of the eye round steak than some of the other places I've been to recently, so that was nice. Accompanied by bean sprouts and basil leaves and a wedge of lime, I was in pho heaven! My wife had the ice coffee with condensed milk, and she let me try it...it was real nice...better than anything you could get at Starbucks, in my opinion! Even though the address is listed as Kapiolani Blvd, it is actually on Cooke Street, on the ground floor of the Imperial Plaza building. read more

I've eaten here at least once a month since I started working for the County. I've only gone during lunch and I've never had a bad experience. Its located in a small strip mall on the ground floor. The service is friendly and the food is always satisfying. Their pho is large and priced at around $7.95. I'm a big fan of their BBQ Chicken with Spring Rolls over rice noodles for $8.95. Let me warn you that their chicken in their garlic chicken dish is buried in garlic- you must be a garlic addict to enjoy this dish ($9.95). Their curry dishes ($8.95) and "wrap it yourself" summer rolls ($14.95) (if you want a little challenge with your meal) is also yummy! *you can save time and call ahead to make an order for a pick-up read more

A food-writer friend of mine once said, "If cooking were painting, Vietnam would have one of the world's most colorful palettes. " I agree. The Vietnamese have few culinary inhibitions, always willing to try something adventurous and new. They use spices that are like songs in your mouth, aromas that trigger emotional connections, and finished dishes that astonish by their cleverness and sensuousness. Sitting in a Vietnamese restaurant like Ph Nam, you are about to sample a long, rich history and culture. Of course, you must try the ph here. It's Vietnam's comfort food. This is beef noodle soup as an art form. To many people, ph is no longer soup; it's an addiction. A bowl of ph begins its life a day before you eat it. A slow simmer of beef shinbones, oxtail and various scraps of meat in a deep pot create rich, clear consomm. This process takes about 24 hours before the cooks add their own special blends of herbs, spices and family secrets. Chief among them -- and you'll always know the fragrance of ph by them -- are star anise, ginger and cinnamon. A side plate of crunchy bean sprouts and fresh basil accompany each bowl of ph. The rice noodle dishes, or bun (pronounced boon), are made from rice vermicelli and served at room temperature, topped with grilled meats or fried spring rolls. The BBQ-chicken choice comes with spring rolls. Lemongrass beef or chicken is a favorite of mine, as is the combo of grilled pork and shrimp. In your bowl you'll find shredded cucumber, fresh mint, lettuce, bean sprouts and roasted peanuts. A serving of something similar to a fish-sauce vinaigrette is to be poured over the entirety. I also add chile paste and hoisin sauce (it's on every table) to customize the yin and yang in my bowl of sweet, salty, sour, hot and cold. What impresses me most about Pho Nam is the impressive variety of offerings, in addition to the Vietnamese dishes you usually see on menus. The grilled pork chop is thinly sliced and cooked to perfection. Several chops are included -- more than enough for two. Under the hot-pot section, you can order catfish simmered in black pepper sauce, a sprightly but not-too-spicy sauce. Shrimp also is served this way, along with a house seafood hot pot, cooked in a ceramic crock that will stay hot on your table while you pick through the fish, shrimp, scallops and squid. Shrimp curry was mild and creamy, and different from Indian, Thai, Chinese or Japanese curries. I asked for thick udon noodles instead of rice, and it was well matched to sop up the curry sauce. Rice lovers should try the Vietnamese fried rice with dried anchovy, corn, bacon, bell pepper and basil. Although the technique reflects Chinese influence, the flavorings are different. The Thai fried rice is a spicy blend with chicken, shrimp, bell pepper and basil. Vegetarians have plenty to choose from here. Try the sauted tofu and eggplant, green-papaya salad and the sauteed choi sum; delicious, and customized to my liking with a bit of garlic and a squeeze of lemon. Dessert time here means extraordinary coffee with sweet cream. It is served in a little aluminum filter pot on top of a tumbler, dripping into pale yellow, sweetened condensed milk at the bottom of your cup. The entire process takes several minutes. This is strong coffee, rich and sweet. Poured over ice, this is a concoction that's as close to a religious experience as you'll ever get from a cup of Joe. Ph Nam is tucked away on the bottom floor of a condo/office building: They offer nice servers, artistic plate presentation and very good food. Reach Matthew Gray at MGray@HawaiiFoodTours.com read more

My first time seeing the place, i was kinda interested and i made the right decision to go in. It's a very underrated place. Good service and good Vietnamese food and trust me, you'll like it read more

I love this place. I had a little trouble finding this place because it says it's on Kapiolani, but it is really off of Kapiolani onto Cooke St. Well worth the search though. Pho, needless to say is great, spring rolls and BBQ chicken over vermicelli is also very good. One thing I would like to try, but never have, is their 3 whole Moi's for $30. It looks like you wrap it in lettuce with other vegetables and sauce. Sounds delicious, but I tend to constantly gravitate to the pho. read more

it's good and they have a few things some places don't have like ox tail pho. I would def tell others to eat here. the price is more than downtown but good read more

Pho Nam - was good... you will like their ox tail pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Love the lemongrass chicken. It's just right. The best Vietnamese restaurant I've tried on Oahu so far

We wanted to go to the Angry Korean Lady, but she turned us down because she ran out of rice. Yes, seriously, that's one reason to close your restaurant at 7:30pm. Anyhow, Pho Nam got our business for being next door. My husband had the pho and I had the lemon grass beef noodle. The broth on the pho was not hot enough and it just tasted like MSG. The lemon grass beef tasted like just spicy beef. Totally did not have a hint of lemon grass taste or smell. read more

Since this is near my workplace, we tend to visit every now and again. We usually go for an early lunch, which is good since it can get really busy by the time we're though. The pho is par for the course and the price isn't too bad either. Most of it hovers around $8. I usually just get the unexciting steak in the broth pho. Nothing fancy. It fills me up and I'm on my way back to work. The service is good and fast. Never had an issue with them. it's just a good place if you're working in the area to walk to and get a bowl of beef noodle soup. read more

Logic would dictate that when you visit a vietnamese restaurant run by vietnamese, it would be fairly good right? Well Pho Nam defies that line of thought and offers a good menu selection but with the food lacking the final umph that makes you want to lick the plate clean. The pho broth is ok and uninspiring, while the other menu selections with either rice noodles or rice that don't disappoint but at the same lack a certain flavor. The garlic chicken isn't what your normally expect with a fried chicken, but rather a bbq chicken topped with garlic. It is pretty darn good, but make sure you have some powerful mints nearby. The summer rolls are fresh, but lack a certain flavor that puts a spring in my step. Service is ok with the staff being fairly attentive during an average day. Beware if it gets busy though, it can be a little miss. All in all, the food is ok and service decent. The food, like the restaurant just seem to be lacking a few things to make it go wow. read more

I used to work nearby and we would eat here frequently. I've been back a few times since just because I missed the food. Yesterday, a group of us came for lunch to "celebrate" a co-workers last day. (So sad!) He wanted to eat at Pho Nam as it was where he had lunch on his first day of work over 10 years ago, and so he also wanted it to be where he had his final lunch before leaving. Talk about nostalgia! In over 10 years, nothing had changed. Not the decor, not the set-up, not the menu. (At least not that we could tell). I say that as a compliment, cause why mess with a good thing?! It was so great to come back here, feeling like no time has passed at all. I had to have my favorite, the #36, which is a BBQ chicken, spring rolls over rice noodles dish. I just love the flavoring! Still perfect! This is a great place, and while not one of the fancier or trendier restaurants blowing up on social media feeds, this will always be one of my favorites places for a delicious meal shared with great friends. read more

This is one of my favorite places for pho. Tonight for dinner, I had a large pho with combination of beef. That hit the spot! The soup is good - not too salty and not too bland. They give a good portion of meat. A regular bowl will fill you up, but I usually get the large because that's all I'd eat for the day. I also like the bbq chicken served on a bed of rice and spring rolls. Oh man, I'm getting hungry again. The chicken is cooked perfectly with a nice smell of hibachi. read more

This may sound funny, since this is a Vietnamese restaurant ... I've only ever eaten one thing here - their Garlic New York Steak! It's a generous portion of delicious, garlicky, buttery New York steak, with mushrooms and potatoes. Total comfort food when I'm in the mood for steak. And very reasonably priced! read more

These are nice people. Food is good, love to support local. They seem to be open every time I am looking for food. Pho tastes pretty basic, but it's consistent- a great comfort food. Give them a shot read more

I have to agree with T.T. My friend and I tried their oxtail pho this past weekend. Out of this world good. In fact like T.T.'s friend, I ordered a take-out for dinner too. Finding good oxtail soup is near impossible these days, but to get oxtail pho; that's two birds with one stone. And, they are very generous with the oxtails, even in the take-out. I definitely will be returning for their five star oxtail pho. read more

This is my favorite go to for lunch! The service is always great and the food is amazing. It's also very inexpensive for the quality and quantity! read more

Pho Nam - Caterpillar in todays salad. - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

9/16/08: Business lunch today, the other person choose this place as it was within walking distance from their office. We arrived before the lunch crowd, sitting down somewhere around 11:45am, half of the seats were already taken and soon filled up within 15-20 minutes. I kept it simple and choose their chicken thai salad, almost like the bin noodle dish (same sauce) but without all the bleached out starches. I enjoyed it, the salad was mostly made up of cabbage, which goes quite well with the sauce. Chicken appeared to be boiled, which meant it was less greasy. I'll have to try the pho, since the restaurant's namesake suggests that it is there specialty. Great, clean, quick, courteous service - would be back in a flash. A nice 10-15 minute walk from downtown to decompress away from work. read more

I can always count on getting Spicy Beef Pho just the way I like it from here. This place is convienent since my office is right across the street. The few times I've dined in the restaurant, the food comes out quick and hot. It can be a bit pricy, which is why it's only four stars from me read more

This is my "go to" Pho place . . totally convenient and great pho broth! I've eaten pho all over the city, and the broth here keeps bringing me back. . . not too sweet with the right amount of flavor. As I like spicey, I do add some sriracha sauce to give it a little kick. Spring rolls are great here too. . curnchy and invidiual dipping sauces make it perfect. I've also had the beef stew with egg noodles which is fantastic. I usually ask for a side of rice. My friend also raves about te beef rolls, which she says is the best on the island -- slice of beef wrapped around green/yellow onions and grilled to perfection, served with vermicelli rice noodles. Yum! For pho-tastic food, try Pho Nam. read more

Sorry guys, this is definitely not authentic Vietnamese food, nor is it good food in general. I live literally a block away and yet, it is my very last resort for take out food. - The Pho: soup is ok, meat overcooked, taste like paper. Beef balls are small and taste fake. - Lemon Grass Chicken: Um..is this a bleeping joke? this is NOT how lemon grass chicken is made, anywhere! - Vermicelli: see above. btw, those are not viet vermicelli noodles.. Do people not go to Chinatown anymore for Pho? That other place (I forgot the name..will update once I remember) is sooo much better and they actually use real, raw steak that you dip in your hot soup so you can decide how cook/raw you want it. This is one of my two worst Vietnamese food experience ever in my life! read more

I want to give this place four-and-a-half stars. My wife and I stopped in when the restaurant we originally planned to go to was unexpectedly closed. We weren't expecting much, but we were pleasantly surprised. We got the dinner for two. The hot and sour soup and ginger chicken that came with it were extremely fresh and flavourful. It's not a hot and sour soup that you would get pre-made from a Chinese place. It's made fresh with fresh produce and tastes awesome. All the other food tasted good too. read more

Grilled beef summer roll - 4 stars Lemon Grass Tofu - 4 stars Bun bo hue - 3 stars Service - 5 stars read more

Good place, quick to be seated and food came out fast. Big portion with really good price for Honolulu. We got meatball pho, summer roll, spring roll and ice tea. Everything only $32.00 Great service too. read more

Customer service was fast and friendly, the portion of food was large and hit the spot. The flavor was certainly there! They were very generous with their meat portion, which surprised me. I asked for take out and not a moment after I paid they were finished and I was out the door. read more

Upped to 5 stars because I must eat here 2-3 times a week, and it's always good plus up side surprises. I started with their Vietnamese dishes, which are good but not the highlight here. Try the short ribs (yes, Korean kalbi at a Vietnamese place), the NY steak with roast potatoes (what?), and the BBQ chicken w spring rolls. Also, the place is never full or empty. Great spot for an impromptu laid back dinner or take out. And they are super nice and get to know you after a while. I feel really lucky to live so close by. read more

Boo. I went here for the first time today for lunch. I ordered the bbq pork vermicelli. I don't know- maybe I ordered the wrong thing because it wasn't good. The bbq pork turned out to be sausage (not what i usually get when I order bbq pork), the sauce was too plain, and they didn't give any mint, pickles or the usual garnish- only lettuce and a few cucumbers. And the chunks were so big I had to cut everything up, including the vegatables before I ate it. I am a huge fan of vermicelli and I really wanted a good one today, but oh well....... read more

I often go here because of its convenience from where i live. Its a cute small pho restaurant thats tucked away in the Kakaako area. There are tons of street parking around this area. When coming here I either get the pho or curry. The boyfriend says he likes the pho here because the meat seems fresher than manu other pho places, & they give a little more tendon in the combination pho. I often get the curry, which has a slight sweetness to it. Surprisingly i wish they gave more rice, in which most places u would think they would give more rice. The waitress is a very nice elderly lady that is soo sweet. The prices are pretty reasonable & they're open pretty late. read more

The restaurant was empty when I arrived, so we just sat anywhere as the person manning the cashier was on the phone. The decor is meh, but the tables were clean and that's all I really care about when it comes to decor. I hate sticking to tables! Eew. Their menu prices changed so they used white out to update the prices. I found that mildly funny. Some may find that a bit ghetto but it's better than higher prices to pay for newer menus ;p I was starving and crabby and very impatient for my food. It came quickly though... Probably five minutes or less. We had pork summer rolls and the pho with beef and tendon. The pork summer rolls were delicious as was the accompanying peanut sauce. The pork rolls were nothing to look at -- kinda skinny and they used thicker noodles than I'm used to seeing. It looked a little sloppily put together but it tasted great and that was what was really more important to me. They delivered the pho at the same time and it came with jalapeños, Thai basil, bean sprouts and lemon/lime pieces. I went for the basil and it went nicely with the soup which was already spiced with onions, cilantro, and maybe some green onions too. It was delicious. The broth was good but I tend to add shiracha and plum sauce to my servings so I only really notice when broth is bad. The way I define a good pho is how it makes me feel. If I walk away satisfied and glowing then that's a good pho! I'm always happy when I leave here, so that's why I like it! Oh in case you were wondering the pho had rice noodles, fairly thick beef slices, and large pieces of tendon, with some smaller wandering pieces. The green pass sign was missing from the window which worried me a bit, but it was missing from all the Asian restaurants in imperial plaza. I'm always of the opinion that I'd rather not know what's going on back there in the kitchen at Asian restaurants. And as long as I don't get sick or die, I'm good. I should note: I'm a fried food kinda gal so I always prefer spring rolls over summer. However, this place makes such good summer rolls that I'm not even tempted to get the spring ones. The only thing... I don't like shrimp summer rolls. Here or anywhere. Even though I love shrimp, it just doesn't do it for me. These are so much better with beef or pork in them. The bill came quickly and was processed quickly, which I appreciated after a long day waiting at Kaiser surrounded by germy sick people. I think it came out to ~$26ish for two pho and the summer rolls, which wasn't bad. Parking on Sunday was free and there was a lot available. I'll be back there again! read more

Fortunately, one of the few Pho spots in HNL without the strong licorice flavor (star anise). Pros: + Deep beef broth flavor. + Korean-friendly: No cilantro added, just green onion. + Summer roll was good. + Quick service Cons: - Huge chunks of tendon, instead of sliced bite-size. read more

Love this place. The pho is good, and the service is fast and the servers very kind. I haven't tried their other dishes though. Good price too! read more

I live within walking distance and am so glad I found this place. It's rare that I find a restaurant that I actually look forward to eating their food. This is one of them. I order from here once or twice a week. I usually call ahead and order take out and order either the Thai fried rice or grilled pork, chicken and beef. The Thai fried rice has generous portions of chicken, not a lot but enough shrimp for the price. The red peppers and basil really enhance the taste. I've eaten Thai fried rice from other restaurants and this is the best. The grilled pork, chicken and beef portions are generous and delicious. I also tried the lemongrass chicken and it was pretty good, though not great. After calling in advance my food is ready in about 10-15 minutes. The counter lady is friendly. I plan to try other dishes on the menu in the future. read more

We had pho and spring roll. I would expect spring roll to be super hot and crispy, but it was luke warm and maybe it was microwaved?? I wouldn't expect that at a restaurant. Pho was ok. I guess I am used to super authentic pho with fresh noodles. Noodles were from dry noodle and didn't have the chewy noodle texture. Broth was ok. People are nice and I really want to support non franchise restaurant but it just didn't meet my expectations. read more

Best place to eat Vietnamese food. Their steak plate is better than Ruth Chris or Morton steakhouse. Steaks plate comes with sauteed mushrooms and potatoes. Number one. Ichiban. read more

Cute, clean, and on Cooke Street, Pho Nam is just another (cleaner) pit stop on the Pho Pub Crawl. After some initial weirdness over which table to sit at due to the language barrier, I peruse the menu. They have big official looking menus. Like I'm eating at Morton's sized menus. Like where's the prime and lobster pho with a fully loaded potato menu. Anywho... we decide quickly upon a seafood ($8.95) and rare steak pho ($7.95). Gotta try the basics since this is a first visit! Food comes out in less than 5 minutes. Seriously. I'm happy because the place is pretty busy on a Friday at 11:30am, but I'm also suspicious because that means the meat stuffs are pre-cooked. The seafood pho comes in beef broth (so advise your pescatarian friends to order the other seafood soup). The broth has a dark color, but the flavor wasn't outstanding. The broth tastes beefy, without the subtle undertones of anise or Thai basil that makes the umami jump in your mouth. It had 4 overcooked shrimp and 4 very small pieces of overcooked calamari. As you can probably gather, they use precooked seafood. Both bowls came with about one cup of noodles. Big bowl of broth + hardly any noodles = lower lip pout. My date noticed that she had no sliced onions in her pho and I had one piece. The plate of veggies was a scant one cup of bean sprouts and two sprigs of basil. NOTE: This restaurant is stingy with their servings and more expensive than tastier pho spots downtown. I finished my entire bowl of pho (and I have NEVER been able to eat an entire bowl anywhere). I would go back to try one more time if I ordered a different soup only because they may make those fresh. read more

The pork chops were super delicious. Was slow, but overall was a pleasant experience with good food. I will be coming back for more.