First time going to this new location after being a regular at the old Bryant location many years ago. It's not the same taste I remember. It has definitely toned down the flavors and feels less authentic and more aesthetic. You also don't get the veggies unless you ask. I do appreciate the beef to noodles ratio being just right but I have been very disappointed with the broth. read more

I am going to be honest. Best thing here was the drinks and ambiance . This place is overpriced and the food is terrible. Save your self some trouble and money and make the trip down to Sais. Same type of food but actually edible. I had the shrimp wrapped in wonton, it was okay, but the shrimp inside were tiny. Definitely not worth $15. Then the main dish the #15 with pork. Pork was tough and tasteless like a sole of a shoe. Rice was bland, egg was made well but still no seasoning which is rare for this type of restaurant. Plus it was cold. Took two bites and asked for my check. That's how bad it was. The server was very nice and offered to switch it but I doubted anything would have came out right. I paid and left an entire plate of food! I will never go back here. Went to Sais and had the best meal ever! read more

Turtle Tower - The dragon - Vietnamese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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We had such a lovely group lunch here. The restaurant kindly accommodated our group of twelve. This was probably one of my favorite meals of the week during a recent work trip to SF. The space is cozy with a variety of seating styles. If I weren't with a big group, I would have saddled up at the bar to watch all of the action behind the counter. The setting reminded me of a cozy ramen shop tucked away in Tokyo (yes, I know this is a northern Vietnamese restaurant ;). The menu boasts extensive drink options like Thai tea, Vietnamese coffee, etc. along with a range of appetizers, pho, etc. I appreciated the clear notations on the menu for vegan and vegetarian dishes. Vietnamese is one of my favorite cuisines but it can be extra-tricky for me to safely eat given a seafood/shellfish allergy. I thoroughly enjoyed the vegan tofu fresh spring rolls and my vegan pho. The broth was packed with flavor and the veggies were plentiful. The cherry on top? Great service - both friendly and thoughtful about allergies. Highly recommend dining here! read more

Not your typical Vietnamese restaurant, if you want authentic pho this place may not be the best for you. Very expensive compared to other pho places in SF. These chicken wings were $18 for 3 pieces, and they didn't even have hoisin or siracha sauce! Very nice staff, but I wouldn't recommend if you are craving pho. read more

Turtle Tower - Singha Beer - Vietnamese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I ordered their famous pho ga for dinner and it was great! Filling yet light, it was a comforting bowl of noodles for a typical windy SF day. I came on a weekday night at 6pm and was able to get fast seating for 2. Heads up: they don't offer basil, bean sprouts, or hoisin sauce as this isn't traditional to northern viet cuisine. Still tasty tho! read more

Turtle Tower - pho ga - Vietnamese Near Me - San Francisco, California

I was very excited for Turtle Tower to open again, I remember when they had a location in the outer Richmond before it closed down. I went one weekday during lunch with my coworkers and it was packed, one of the waitresses mentioned that we can call ahead to make a reservation. The next week, we tried calling and no one picked up. We went in on Tuesday to try to make a reservation for Wednesday lunch and they said, "we don't do reservations." We got there early on Wednesday before the lunch rush and it took them 45 mins to seat us when they told us it'll be a 20 minute wait as well as telling us that we can do reservations ahead of time. It was frustrating to hear the differing things multiple times from the same group of people working there. When we were finally seated, we ordered a few appetizers and pho (obviously). The food came out quickly which was great considering we had a shorten lunch and had to rush eat before going back to work for meetings. I didn't think there was anything special about their broth like everyone raves about it. For the price and how it tasted, I felt like I've gotten better pho elsewhere. read more

Finally tried Turtle Tower after hearing all the hype. Service was rushed, unfriendly, and no one came to refill our water throughout our meal. I ordered the noodle soup with grilled beef but it was hard to enjoy since the broth was thick and oily. $20 is a steep price point for a bowl of pho so I was expecting more meat, at the very least. The most disappointing part of our dinner was the peanut sauce that accompanied the spring rolls. It lacked any peanut/hoisin flavor and was extremely acidic. Might have caught the restaurant at a bad time but I'm not sure if I'll be back anytime soon. read more

Turtle Tower - Grilled beef pho - Vietnamese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Back on the streets of California this time in the FiDi. I like strolling around the Towers of San Francisco ( some towers are leaning in SF). I like to stroll slow like a turtle in SF to admire the view. This tower is located on California street and in the state of California and you can eat inside. I am not talking about Coit Tower or Salesforce Tower but Turtle Tower. This newer location surpasses the atmosphere of the older location in Tenderloin. The ambience is more welcoming and although it's surrounded by towers of sky scrappers the menu has towers of flavors. I got the Pho Ga and requested the thinner noodles. The broth had tons of flavor no need to drown it with the different sauces , lemon squeezes, or add jalapeños or any mints and cilantro. It's great as is ( best litmus test for Pho). There are tariffs for Vietnam at 46% which take place during restaurant week in San Francisco. Although I went to Turtle Tower on the starting date of restaurant week and they are not participating in restaurant week , I felt this may be the time to go before the tariffs kick in. Overall the food is still consistent to their former locations around San Francisco. Turtle Tower has a new home among the San Francisco skyline towers. Come for the food during the lunch and dinner hour inside you see a decor of flowers and pho noodles made with rice flour It's located on California street between Coit Tower and Salesforce Tower it's the new San Francisco location of Turtle Tower read more

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The service here is pretty bad and the place is overpriced. I went here for happy hour on a Saturday, and got a round of drinks, oysters, and other appetizers. The food isn't bad and drinks have a decent selection. Some of the happy hour is worth it like the $4 beers and $2 oysters. But other appetizers like the $8 fried wontons are definitely not worth it, you get 3 little wontons for $8 which makes no sense. That's about $2.67 per wonton and with each wonton being about 3 inches long that's $0.88 per inch of wonton. Really makes no sense when you break it down. Also they added someone else's orders to our bill and gave us a hard time when we tried to bring it up to them. Overall, not a very nice place. read more

I was so happy when Turtle Tower returned! Chicken pho and Vietnamese ice coffee here is the best! I have many Vietnamese ice coffee's all over the United States and Vietnam, and their coffee with salt whip cream is my favorite. And service is fast and attentive. Check this place out if you are in the fidi area! read more

Just tried Turtle Tower for the first time at their new location. The inside had a nice diner vibe to it. We got both the pho ga and the beef pho. The pho ga was hands down my favorite! The pho ga's broth was flavorful and the chicken was incredibly tender! The only downside was a bit of a wait, so I'd recommend avoiding peak times if you can. read more

Turtle Tower - Vietnamese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Favorite pho spot growing up , I always get their pho ga !! It always hit the spot depending on the weather ~ service is quick , and I love to see how packed the place is! The price is steep tho, $19.50 for pho ga *cries* , Richmond district northern pho spot is $15~ , will still go when I'm around the area because I love this spot ! read more

Turtle Tower - Vietnamese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Great location for me! Thank you choosing the location because I work only a block away. I always crave for any kind of noodle soup and having Turtle Tower nearby is a dream come true! I been there 3 times so far after they opened. (It's not much given they are so close) I would love to come more often but a lot of times I skip lunch. I tried their Pho Bo Dac Biet (beef combination) for take out. It was so good! The soup has great flavor. Noodle was a little overcook since it breaks easily. There was no meatballs in it. I was used to having different ingredients in a beef combination pho. But later I found out why. Second time, I tried their pho ga ( chicken noodle) and dine in this time for lunch. It's exactly what I was expecting. Chicken pho with soup. Soup was flavorful. When I placed the order, I asked the waitress about not having meatballs in the pho bo Dac Biet and her explanation was reasonable. She said because authentic beef combination pho does not include beef balls. They try to be as authentic as they can. We also ordered their pandan waffle. They make it by order. It was fresh and they sauce that came with it tasted so good when you dip the waffle in it. Today, we had really great weather so I ordered Bun Cha ha noi (pork vermicelli). They soak the meat in the sauce and serve with vermicelli & lettuce on side. They sauce was fantastic. Definitely will order again! Tip for weekday lunch, come early. It starts to get busy around 1130 am. People had to wait for tables. read more

The new location in the financial district is definitely more high scale and bougie looking however, the noodles are the same. They are still amazing as they were when they were still located then tenderloin they have a pan and cocktail of some sort and that is a must try it is absolutely delicious. Service is wonderful as always. read more

The new location is bigger, better and well worth the visit to FIDI. As soon as you walk into the new restaurant, all you can say is wow! The ambiance is unlike the other previous locations. This new place is moody, inviting and sexy. The food is the same same which is what we all wanted back. Service is the same same which is great and welcoming. I noticed that as soon as you entered the restaurant, they immediately welcomed us all back. We were missed and we definitely missed them. Welcome back, Turtle Tower! read more

Turtle Tower - Combination Beef Pho (#4) - Vietnamese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I was surprised to be greeted with top notch service and excellent drink selections! Sure, the food was good but I think I was really taken aback by how friendly and attentive everyone was (felt like one of those reservation-must places, not a quick lunch type spot), and THE VIETNAMESE COFFEE!!! SOOOO GOOD!!! It had the perfect balance of condensed milk and coffee -- no hint of bitterness, fairly sweet, and no weird tap water taste. I got the pho ga and absolutely loved their noodles. Soup was a little bit oily for my taste but still good. I do wish they had more chicken pieces but the noodles!! I'm excited to try their other noodle dishes (perhaps the ones without soup?) with their Vietnamese coffee. I enjoyed the texture of fried cuttlefish. Fish cake with fun texture. Since they just opened, it does get crowded with a line around lunch time. Coming around 11 AM might be the move. read more

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Turtle Tower became an institution in SF with its Pho Ga and other delectable dishes, so when it closed all its doors in the Tenderloin I was devastated... when it was announced it was returning, you could imagine my glee, but when it was announced it was opening in FiDi a sense of gloom set in. Nothing against FiDi, but it only means that dishes would be pricier and the ambiance would be too posh. After walking in, we were greeted warmly. Service was quick and friendly. For the dishes, we ordered the spring rolls with shrimp & pork (Goi Cuon Tom Thit), the Tom Boc Chien Gion), and the Pho Ga. All dishes were good, but my greatest fear came to fruition, especially with the Pho... the rationing of chicken was disappointing, especially compared to what you got at the original joint. The broth lacked a little something, the portion was smaller, and the price was more expensive. It was good to go for nostalgia sake, but now that it's upscale, it lacks a certain charm and taste that the original location had. read more

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I was really excited to learn that turtle tower has made a come back. The restaurant space is nicely decorated and gave an upscale dining vibe. The new decor and location might explain the price inflation. I came on a Saturday around 12pm and luckily was seated within 5 minutes. I ordered number 9, pho ga with white meat only and a pho ga with giblet (off menu item). The food arrived about 5-7 minutes after we ordered and it came with a side of jalapeños and lemon. The quality of the noodles and soup were similar to how I remember it to be except there seems to be less chicken and green onions/ cilantro. Taste wise, it was similar to how it was but because there's less green onions/ cilantro, it didn't taste exactly the same as I remember it to be. The giblets was not incorporated with the noodles like how it used to be. A plate of giblets arrived a couple minutes after the bowl of pho arrived. The giblets were cold so they tasted a bit fishy. When the bill came, we were a little surprised to find that the white meat only has a $1 surcharge and that the giblets were $7 extra. Overall, it was nice to see that turtle tower back in business but because of how far it is located, I may not be able to come back as often. read more

Turtle Tower - Pho ga with white meat only - Vietnamese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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So happy Turtle Tower is back!! Absolutely love this new location, it's vibrant, clean, and love the decor. Service was super friendly and efficient. They specialize in Northern style pho, without bean sprouts, hoisin, sriracha, basil, etc. I ordered the pho tai, and the type of meat is a bit more minced (vs. slices of rare beef), but it's so so tender. The dishes here are a bit more expensive than the typical pho spot. read more

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Their two locations closed about a year and a half ago and many of us were sad and disappointed but understood. Now that they are back open again I can't stop going!!!! This place is amazing!!!! Hands down!!!! read more

Turtle Tower - Vietnamese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Ok food, ok atmosphere, both ok , but not wow. Service was very good. Will go back if other places are too busy.

I came here when I was craving a bowl of soup and no where else was open on a Monday night. I had heard so much about this place, but I think those reviews were for when it used to be a tenderloin hole in the wall. Sigh, this was a complete disappointment. I had a feeling this wouldn't be the best pho when I entered and it was giving fine dining. Although the ambience was really nice, I have to say the service and the food was lacking. The pho was not authentic at all. You expect to have hoisin sauce, chili sauce, and condiments on the table. Also, they only gave us jalapeños for topping and no bean sprouts, basil, etc. that you usually get with pho. The broth was just okay, didn't have the flavors that you expect from a comforting bowl of pho like the star anise. We asked for sriracha and they brought us a couple spoons of it on a small plate, which was disappointing. I also saw multiple people around me request the same. We also ordered oysters, which actually were super flavorful. Too bad they don't make all their items like that! I even saw one guy pour the sauce from the oyster into his pho bowl finally, price is not right. We ended up spending 80 dollars on two bowls of pho, oysters, and a beer. Will not be coming back here, too many other great pho spots in town! read more

So happy Turtle Tower is back! The new space is great. Pho Chin is still awesome as it ever was. read more

Turtle Tower - Pho Chin - Vietnamese Near Me - San Francisco, California

NO ONE does it like Turtle Tower. I can't find any other Vietnamese place that does Northern style pho the way they do. They're back with a vengeance. The ambience is trendy, upscale, comfortable, and welcoming. Service is ALWAYS great. They're so efficient and friendly. Their new menu keeps all of the old classics. I normally order Pho Bo Dac Viet. Their bowl sizes are huge, noodles are fresh, broth comforting. Amazing place to eat after late night of partying. They really take care of you. Welcome back, TT! We missed you!! read more

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MacKenzie Chung Everybody Kung-Fu Fighting Fegan, her kicks are fast as lightning. And, so; are her snippy reviews in the SF Chronicle. I can see your career rising in the East like the Sun. Turtle Tower I can see your career rising in the East like the Sun. Turtle Tower has  risen like a Phoenix that rises from the ashes, in the Tenderloin district in San Francisco, to its posh up-market ( with the price points to prove it) location in FiDi. If looks could kill the fresh Vietnamese fare from Turtle Tower? Say what? Last night at the party be like -the people you associate with, Dear. Very strange. Can you move your car please it's blocking someone in. Oh, well... The food at Turtle Tower be as good as Tyrone Power, instead. The #15. The fresh Hanoi's style grilled pork served with steamed rice is as fresh as Will Smith in "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air". read more

Turtle Tower - The #15. - Vietnamese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Ordered the pho tai lan and pho ap chao on DoorDash. The broth lacked flavor and the veggies were plain *raw* for the pho. When I called management, they explained veggies were "lightly stir fried." No one eats raw leeks but they couldn't seem to understand that. This was by far the worst pho experience I've had in the city. This was sad and disappointing given all the positive reviews. I thought the new Turtle Tower would be different, but not much has changed from the bland bowl of nothing I ate 7 years ago in the Tenderloin. The one noticeable difference is the price, which is robbery for the careless mess they try to pass off as food. read more

Turtle Tower - Old celery, raw carrots and leeks. - Vietnamese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Luckily we got here slightly earlier as it gets crowded at lunch. I ordered chicken pho, it was good. Noodles were small flat rice noodles mixed with small thin sliced chicken. Came with a side of lemon and crab jalapeño. There was no basil, bean sprouts, or mint. Still delish. Slurped it up. Good lunch portion. Had the imperial rolls. Came with vermicelli noodles and veggies along with nuoc mum. Could use some work on service as they kept coming to us with other peoples food. Also, this place is loud. read more

Turtle Tower - Imperial rolls - Vietnamese Near Me - San Francisco, California

People keep saying turtle tower is back which it really is but I think that it got really expensive and also there's kind of a long wait. We got the dac biet, the spring rolls, and the chrysanthemum tea. I will say that they apparently are really focused about saying that this is a NORTHERN vietnamese place so they dont do the whole basil / lime shebang and also I feel like the noodles were overcooked. MAYBE I am just uncultured but all of the meat + the noodles were the same texture which was a little unappetizing and there was DEFINITELY not enough meat. The service is also kind of aggressive and feels like theyre trying to churn you out fo the restaurant as fast as possible. read more

Came here on a random Tuesday at noon (granted it was lunch hour). There was a bunch of people in the waiting area and we were quoted about a 30-40 minute wait (12th on the waitlist). The way to add yourself onto the queue is a little confusing, on the right hand side there's sometimes a server who has an iPad. The server will hit a button so that you can type in your name, party size, and contact information. It's not a self serve situation though because it also shows current tables that are already seated. The waitlist is operated through Yelp, however, no option to remotely add yourself onto the waitlist. The new Turtle Tower is more modern than the previous locations. It's more of a long rectangle so the restaurant itself is very deep with bar seating as well (they're working on fully operated bar). They have more tables suited for parties of 2 or bar seating. Within 20 minutes, they were able to clear out the majority of the waiting parties (us still waiting due to a party size of 3 lol). We ordered the pho ga (must try!) It's literally my favorite pho ga in the city and it just tastes so home-y and comforting. Size wise, I would say it's comparable to their large size previously. I was so sad when they closed all their locations. The trade off is that it is a 20 dollar bowl of pho (I get it given the rent in this area). Another downside is the difficult parking in the area if you're coming into the city to eat here but aren't working nearby. Overall, I'm glad the restaurants back but there's definitely a few new factors to consider (price, parking, wait times). Will be back but probably not as often as I'd like. read more

Turtle Tower - Pho ga - Vietnamese Near Me - San Francisco, California

So happy to have you back, TT! It was worth the wait for your soft opening, my wife and I shared imperial roll appetizer and each had the Pho Ga. This is still the most soothing pho broth in SF, delicious free range chicken cooked to perfection. Service is friendly and this is a higher end ambiance / spin on the classic restaurant with ample seating. You can't order a side imperial roll yet but they said the menu will allow for that later. Excited to come back and try the beef pho. read more

Turtle Tower - Imperial roll - Vietnamese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Been going here since as a kid back when the location was nearby Bryant St! Love the comeback. All pho came in hot, fresh, and tender! Love the variety of sauces. Lemon sauce is a must! Super kind workers and very attentive. Place is clean, vibrant and neat! Pretty busy so make sure to get there early! read more

Turtle Tower - Two #4 beef and #9 chicken! - Vietnamese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I'm going to echo other reviews and mention that $20 is too steep for the quality of pho and atmosphere. I had to tell 2 people not to take away my bowl (in the middle of an empty restaurant, so there's no excuse to rush people out), and the staff and managers were chatting so loudly I ended up using headphones to block their noise. Not something I would mind in a cheaper spot, but it seems like they're trying to upscale the brand and it isn't hitting the mark. Personally I'm not a huge fan of northern style pho without fresh greens or hoisin, but they did offer sriracha on the side so it seems like adjustments are being made here and there. I'd love to see more Viet options in this area of town, so I'll give it another try once their pricing and menu are figured out. read more

Turtle Tower - Phở đặc biệt ($19.50) - Vietnamese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Great pho! Definitely coming back. Heads up: they use a Yelp waitlist (iPad inside). We waited 45 mins at 1 PM (party of 2). If you've got a bigger group, I recommend sending someone ahead to get on the list. Pho came out fast, and the portion was perfect for me. If you're super hungry, get an app! read more

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I go for the $4 Barebottle Hazy IPAs at HH, but skip their food. If you want authentic Pho' and spring rolls, go to Pho' 2000.

The food is awesome, delicious and tasty. The broth was clear and full of Umami. It doesn't have any mint celery etc to add but you can taste them amazing. The fresh beef and shrimp roll was appetizing and fresh. The service is excellent your water never gets empty. The servers are polite and very good. The place is beautiful and reminds me of an oasis, The prices are very reasonable and affordable. I came for lunch and it was busy so hurry before everyone gets there. read more

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Really clean smartly decorated restaurant on California Street. I work nearby so it's a good spot for pick up. Bar seats and a good amount of tables. Service is pretty quick. Beef pho was tasty. Wish there was a little more flavor and kick but Siracha made up for it. Rice noodles were thicker than what I'm used to. And very soft. read more

This place used to be good. But now is one of the worst experiences I've had in a while. I ordered take out , staff was nice quick and helpful. But the food was just really bad. I paid 25 for a bowl that had barely any noodles, no sauces luckily I had sriracha at home. The meat look old that's why is not in the video cause I took it off. Plus the broth was tasteless and being honest it wasn't even hot it was warm. Being realistic it sucks to write a bad review about this place I know they used to be good but offering that little food for that much money it's crazy!! Probably won't be back this isn't the first time this happens and I feel like the business it's just going down hill. Sorry love the staff but food just didn't do it for me read more

Not what is used to be. Slow service, loud tv, dry Hanoi chicken (!?), no hoisin/Sriracha/other sauces served with pho or anything else. Very surprised by this disappointing meal. read more

I thought Turtle Tower was okay...it was salty! I went during their re-opening and I had very high expectations, but they fell flat. I thought their pho was borderline inedible but with some lime it helped. It's definitely more on the pricer side for a bowl of pho. read more

Soft opening day!! All the turtle tower fans were excited for the famous pho Ga! My favorite has always been the sautéed beef vegetables noodle soup. But the stand out dishes today for me, the chicken wings, cuttle fish, and their salty Vietnamese coffee, yes the SALTY one! Trust! Great spot for FIDI locals and people who work there. read more

Turtle Tower - Sautéed beef and vegetables noodle soup IG: #salivatesf - Vietnamese Near Me - San Francisco, California