What they got right: 1) The food is consistent. I am a creature of habit so I always order the summer rolls and rare steak pho. I enjoy the large servings of thai basil, jalapeño and bean sprouts they serve with pho. I've been to pho restaurants in Northern California and they all lack a decent amount of thai basil. Due to the growing conditions in California, I thought they would have a lot of thai basil, but unfortunately that is not the case. 2) Quick & efficient service. 3) Lots of parking due to being at Ala Moana Shopping Center. Food: The food is tasty. Not "the" best Vietnamese food in the Islands but tasty and satisfying. Areas of improvement: none that I can think of. Post-pandemic allowances: The prices seem to have increased since the last time I visited but I get it. Food prices are increasing everywhere. I would recommend this place as a solid, consistent Vietnamese restaurant. read more

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Stopped by for a quick lunch on the 4th floor after shopping at Ala Moana, and was pleasantly surprised by the authenticity of Mama Pho as I wasn't expecting much from mall food. As many reviewers had mentioned, the food is pricey and takes longer to come out than most pho restaurants. However, having been to other pho restaurants in Waikiki, $16-17 seems to be the norm. My son enjoyed his spring rolls and summer rolls, both were fresh and had the perfect amount of filling inside. The broth was flavorful and seemed clean without all the oil/MSG. The noodles were also the perfect al dente. Check out Mama Pho if you're shopping in Ala Moana and want a clean place to enjoy pho. read more

Mama Pho - Pho Dac Biet combination - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Been here 3 times now. Service was slow the last 2 times (once when it was busy and once when there were like only 3 tables). Summer rolls this past time was decent but the previous time the inside wrapper was slightly hard. Pho broth is pretty good but never hot enough.. I thought it was a fluke but 2x in a row the broth was not that hot. They do give a lot of meat here but that does leave you with a weird meat:noodle ratio. read more

Mama Pho - Lemongrass chicken and tofu - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Stop by for dinner cause of long wait at Jade Dynasty. Seated at a nice comfortable booth and waiter took our order promptly. Started off with drinks and 3 appetizers summer rolls, chicken wings, spring rolls. Summer rolls vermicelli was perfect and was delicious chicken wings were meaty and crispy and spring rolls were fried lightly. Both of the pho came out promptly. Generous portions and the broth was authentic. My guest ordered the pork chop and tofu rice dish that didn't arrived until we were finished with our pho. The waiter apologized for the very long wait but I couldn't enjoy my meal while my guest was waiting for her dish! Was very arkward and ruined the whole experience. For $100, I expected better execution on timeliness of meal preparation. read more

Mama Pho - Summer rolls, chicken wings and spring rolls. - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Currently craving pho! We decided to have dinner here and it was absolutely delicious!! The portion was great! & Service was quick due to it being really slow at the moment. They do Verify Proof of Vaccination or negative covid test plus ID. I have seen a lot of families do TAKE OUT which they are quick to help and get your food readily asap for you. Definitely suppose MAMA Pho as business is slow atm. Hate to see this place close down. read more

Mama Pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

The place has good service but the pho itself was not too flavorful. The ambiance is pretty as well. I also asked if I could have extra jalapeños and the server brought me 3 slices. Haha pretty disappointing there but overall if you are starving this is a pretty decent place. read more

Life saver on a Sunday after partying all night on a Saturday. We came in around 12nn and surprisingly we got seated really quickly for a group of 7! I got the mama's special pho and summer rolls. I was too hungry to take a photo so I only have summer rolls. I took off one star for my review because it's a little pricier than usual. But I understand the price because of the quality and convenience as this restaurant is in Ala Moana. read more

Mama Pho - Summer Rolls - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

So nice we had it back to back days! Their côm plates are really good ( not photo'd)-- my boyfriend loves the lemongrass chicken rice plate. Opt in for "chicken rice" which is the orange rice photo'd on their menu, it's full of flavor and super addicting! I love their poached chicken salad.. so much chicken and full of flavor! I can only eat half because it's super filling (makes for a good next day lunch!) Their summer rolls are also good. Served traditional style with a side of noodles, pickled veggies, and lettuce to wrap. They also have a bar with mixed drinks that are tasty (Rec: the herbal mojito), and offer other Viet staples like pho, bun Bo hue, and bahn xeo! Also be sure to try their in house chili garlic sauce-- it's spicy and pairs well with everything on the plate! This may be one of our fave places to grab viet food on island :) read more

Mama Pho - Fried summer roll - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Excellent customer service and good food! I'll definitely be back for those spring rolls and try another pho.. read more

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Bahn Mi is wonderful w perfect bread, and service is excellent. My teen loved getting pho that came in a plain option. Loved the rolls also. This is a nice place and you will not be disappointed. :) read more

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Mama's is one of my go-to's on a weekly basis. Love coming here after a night out! The staff/service is friendly and very on top of things. The restaurant ambiance itself is very nicely decorated & clean. My regular order is the rare steak & brisket pho. The broth is beefy & probably my favorite on the island. What separates Mama's from all other pho places though, is their volcano chili oil. I love adding this to my hoisin/sriracha mix. It's super flavorful and is the best chili oil I've ever had. If you're in the mood for pho, I would definitely recommend Mama's! read more

Mama Pho - Summer Rolls - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Mama pho is our go to place to get good food and good service! The customer service is always great. Everything on their menu is good. There Tai tee is really good. read more

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Ok, I admit that I'm super picky about pho since I learned how to make it with my Aunty Vahn and Bawai (grandma in Vietnamese) years ago and ate the best homemade pho growing up. That being said- this is one of the lowest rating I ever gave to any restaurants in the last five years. Walking in with my husband and our adult son on a cool Friday night, we craved a steamy hot pho- comfort food. We were seated right away in the spacious restaurant although they were not the friendliest of staff there. I asked for hot tea (it was on the menu) and the waitress shouted "No! No more"- ok, I'm not deaf...sorry for asking. Moving along, we ordered their special pho which had everything in it, Vietnamese stew, and grilled beef and fried tofu plate. It took quite some time for the food to come and a while for them to check on us. When it did though, we were happy. The pho bowl was big. The plate presentation was nice however it lacked the depth of flavor of real Vietnamese cuisine. My stew was large but watered down. I must admit that the beef was tender and noodles were generous. After serving us, no one came by to refill water and come with the bill so we could leave. Overall dinner was ok not bad and not the best in taste and it was pricey. We get it though- it's in Ala Moana (top level) and it's convenient. At the end, the staff did thank us after paying our bill. Will we be back here? Maybe...but not in the near future. read more

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We eat a lot of Pho and tried many places. This one is up there. The soup base was good and you don't need to add a lot of other sauces. For the soups, there is only one size and the price is a little higher than others - but that's because it is located in Ala Moana Center. The place is very clean and service was average. read more

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Worth it! Truthfully, we love Mama pho. Period! Good portion size and consistent! Crab pho is something special - just delicious!! The broth is so tasty! Pho dac biet has plenty of meat and the broth is satisfying! The summer rolls, spring rolls and sandwich's are amazing. They have fresh warm bread for the banh mi that may be the best I've ever had. I love love love the iced coffee!! My go to if I don't want soup is the #37 add extra bbq shrimp!! The wait staff is kind and responsive and it's easy to get their attention, the bathrooms are clean. High chairs, stroller parking, baby friendly. Diaper changing station in the bathroom. I dig the background music. I've eaten every pho place in the area and many others around the island, and others are good but we always prefer mama pho. Think restaurant vs snack shop. The spicy sauce is delish just be careful! Grab the mild if you're not sure. The only drawback in my opinion is that the price is high compared to California pho prices for example. However, the pricing is on par with other lesser pho restaurants in the area which is flooded with tourist stuff and lack in many other areas where Mana excels. We feel that it's absolutely worth the price. You can find cheaper pho on Kapahulu or China town, but Mama knows best. You won't regret it. read more

Went on a Saturday evening. Restaurant didn't look very busy...under half full. Food was good. Portions were good. Their garlic chili oil was really good and they sell it cheaper than the local manufacturer. Unfortunately, they are also at Ala Moana and the food comes at a premium price. The size of their pho bowls is pretty good, but the amount of noodles is a little light...you might want to order extra noodles. It's nice to have a pho option IN Ala Moana, but it's pricey read more

We saw long lines and groups of people outside all the restaurants on level 4 as we walked from the parking lot to Mama Pho. For that one moment I felt things were back to normal again and tourists were back. It was so lively so happening! But as we walked to Mama Pho and the moment we set foot in there it was like a different universe. There were only 2 diners inside the big restaurant that could probably seat 100 customers. We made reservation but I guess it was not necessary...I thought to myself "it's ok as long as the food is good"..hmmm it wasn't. The 3 of us ordered a variety of dishes. We ordered pho, rice plate, vermicelli bowl and even the appetizer sampler plate so we could taste most of the appetizers. None of us were able to finish our own dish and only half of the appetizer plate was gone. That probably tells you what we thought about their food. I don't know what it is but the distinctive flavors and elements of Vietnamese cuisine from the use of fish sauce, herbs and spices were absent. I didn't have that wow moment when I took a sip of the pho broth not to mention the noodles were really hard I was able to pick up the whole chunk of noodles using chopsticks. I didn't really know how the bun and rice dishes were because apparently we were quite disappointed with the food that we didn't even talk about them. The only thing I enjoyed was the spring roll on the platter: crispy, flavorful and not greasy. Drinks that they offered: fountain drinks, coffee and tea. No other drinks nor desserts offered. The 3 stars straightly for the foods. Beautiful decor and service was 5 stars. read more

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Shopping mode at Ala Moana during the holidays and conjured up a craving for some Pho. We normally go to Pho One on Kapiolani but remembered Mama Pho so we came and was impressed how big the place is with a unique decor. The seating and tables are booth style and they also have a bar too. They've got a lot of variety flavors of pho, appetizers, dishes, sandwiches etc. We couldn't believe how huge the pho bowl is and how flavorful the soup, tender & delicious the meat. The sandwich came in a cute little woven basket that made it interesting. We plan to come back again and bring our Boiz cause we know how much they like "soup" style and we know they'll enjoy it as much as we did. Come check them out and Thank you Mama Pho :) read more

Mama Pho - Banh Mi Sandwich - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Was in the mood for some Pho in Hawaii. This location was in a mall. We stopped by midday and it was quite empty. There was amble seating. There were huge tables and comfy couches. I ordered the vermicelli bowl with grilled pork and spring rolls. It was HUGE. My boyfriend ordered the pho. The soup was very flavorful and refreshing. This location is a bit pricier than the usual pho places I've been. It was worth trying. Service was very quick but not too sure how it would be during peak hours. read more

Mama Pho - #43 and #37 - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Great place located on the 4th floor of Ala Moana shopping center. Staff were very nice and took our order right away. Had their 18 and 22. Flank steak , brisket , and tendon mix. Love their homemade chili garlic sauce . Will definitely be back to try their Banh Mi sandwiches and other items on their menu. read more

Always a delicious stop for us in Hawaii! We love the big servings and even had to take some to go. Service was okay--they told us we were getting a free chili oil for spending $100, but then said that promotion ended the day before..could have just given it to us but oh well! read more

Mama Pho - Shrimp pho! - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

First time eating here and the food was excellent. Wait staff kept coming by to refill my water and asked if I was doing ok. Highly recommend this place! read more

This place is conveniently located at Alamoana Shopping Center on the 4th floor floor next to CPK. The food was fresh and delicious. The spring rolls we ordered were very hot fresh out of the fryer. The staff and service was very friendly. The ambience is calm and the lighting is a bit dim. Not much noise but we were also there when it wasn't as busy. There's a lot of parking available at the mall. read more

Mama Pho - Iced Vietnamese Coffee - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Some of the best Pho I've had! Great broth, great flavor and good overall! The service was meh, however the food was excellent. You cant go wrong here, and even though its at the mall, its amazing. read more

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It's over priced for some average pho. Maybe I'm out of the loop since it's been awhile since I came home to visit. But for the price you pay I expected something better. The food was kinda bland and I didn't even finish it. It was slow when we went around 3pm too but the food took a bit to come out. I think it was ok for us to try once just to see how it is but definitely don't think imma be back here. Probably hit up all the tried and true older pho places cuz I know they got good food for less than what this place charges. Maybe since it's alas that's why the price was high but even so I didn't expect a big ol bowl of flavorless pho. read more

9pm Friday night, last call for food is at 920pm. Ambiance was interesting, lots of purple, lots of quirky things hanging from the ceiling such as an actual rickshaw and chandelier lights inside hanging birdcages. Im here for it. Service was fast at this time of the day, im guessing we were one of the last people seated so they probably were prompt so they could clean up and go home. Fine by me. The food, I've had their pho and bahn mi before, both very tasty. This time i ordered grilled pork vermicelli bowl. It was delicious the pork was perfect and paired well with the veggies and noodles. It also comes with a spring roll inside and was just the perfect touch. Their prices for full sized dishes ranged from $18-$20, which to me feels really standard nowadays. The quality of the dish was worth it. Although the were charging $8 for 2 spring rolls and $15 for 4, the spring rolls were fairly large but still that's a lot for spring rolls. read more

Mama Pho - Grilled Pork Vermicelli Bowl w/Spring Roll - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

It was my first time here and I will definitely keep coming back! First of all, the spacious and friendly ambience was a sheer delight for my restless soul and feet. The Vietnamese hot tea seemed unusual at first, but after I tried it once it had cooled off some, it was so uniquely delicious and interesting. The calamari skewers with the hoisin sauce was simply stunningly spectacular! I loved the hoisin sauce so much that I almost ate the light and tasty calamari with my hoisin sauce and not the other way around... Finally, the beef banh mi with the beef marinated in their special house sauce was indeed one the top two banh mi I have ever tried (the other top banh mi being the one from Insomnia at SALT Kaka'ako). I would even argue that it tastes the best, because the liverwurst pate blended in so well with the rest of the sandwich that I revelled in having accidentally forgotten to request my banh mi without pate -- it was the first time I enjoyed eating a pate, maybe it's because it's liverwurst, or maybe it's because it's made at this wonderful Mama Pho~!! You can pay at your own table with a QR code and it makes the payment process so much more efficient. It was a beautiful place with amazing and authentic-tasting Vietnamese food at prices that are manageable due to their extensive menu selections available -- thank you for taking care of such a great establishment & I hope all of your customers will keep on coming back to enjoy your hospitality~!! read more

It's so awesome to have cultural choices in a major mall like Ala Moana, cause you never know when you'll get that craving. Mama Pho serves up mainstream Vietnamese food, like pho, banh mi, spring rolls, and vermicelli bowls. It's a large restaurant with lots of booth seating, high ceilings, and modern lighting. We stopped in with a friend since it was close to her next appointment, who noted that her last visit had slow service with very few patrons. This time it was about half full (dinner on Saturday) and service was pretty fast. I notice a wide split in experiences in other reviews too - hopefully they can iron out this service issue. I had the tendon pho ($15.50), which was a generous bowl of noodles topped with lovely, thin sliced chunks of tendon, some with a bit of meat on them. This was honestly the best tendon serving I've had around town. The broth was a perfect mix of spices and savory, as I find other restaurants usually lean one way or the other. You could taste the subtleties without anything overpowering your taste buds. Until you add copious amounts of sriracha and hoisin of course! We also ordered the summer rolls ($10), which featured a lot of mint and lettuce wrapped around bean sprouts and vermicelli. Fine flavor, but a little bland in texture, especially for ten dollars, they could have used some crunch from julienne carrots or cucumber. The SO had the standby, Rare Steak pho ($15.50), which she enjoyed as well. Be careful when checking their online menu as prices have gone up, and they have not updated their pdf. My final sentiment seems to be pretty widely shared, the food is good and the atmosphere is nice, and I will never say no to another choice in Ala Moana - but the prices are just too high when there are so many other options around town for 50% less. I know they gotta pay that mall rent, but Mama Pho relegates itself to that place you go when you get a craving at the mall, rather than the go-to place. read more

Mama Pho - Tendon Pho ($15.50) - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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We had lunch at Mama Pho on Monday afternoon and enjoyed a good and tasty meal. The service was excellent, friendly and fast. The food portions were good, very tasty and well presented. read more

Mama pho is a good Vietnamese Restaurant for having a good location and small portion dishes. Located in the Ala Moana Center's top floor, near California Pizza Kitchen, towards Macy's. You can enjoy Vietnamese style cooking after an eventful time shopping. Food is simple, seating is fast, and service needs improvement. Go in with an appetite and open mind read more

I love Mama Pho and their spring rolls! I always find myself ordering the vermicelli bowl with spring rolls (#39) at both the Ala Moana and Aina Haina locations. The portions are very generous. Mama Pho's spring rolls have to be my favorite spring rolls around because they are always served fresh and are so flavorful. I love putting the hoisin sauce on both the noodles and spring rolls. The waiter here was so nice. He gave my friends younger sibling a band aid, since he noticed he had a cut on his leg! read more

Mama Pho - #39 vermicelli bowl - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Always enjoy our dining experience, service is fast, customer service friendly and food haven't disappointed! Tried their new Volcano Garlic Chili sauce which complimented the dishes we ordered. read more

Mama Pho - Volcano Garlic Chili $11 - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

This place is tucked away in a corner next to Tanaka of Tokyo... I've passed by countless times and never bothered to go in until my friends wanted to go. It's very spacious... it's like an upscale version of most pho restaurants. Lol Pros: -Quick service... two different people came up to ask if we were ready to order and they always filled our water glasses. -Food came out super quick and looked exactly as I thought it would. -My friends said that the Chicken Sateh Sandwich was one of the best she's ever had! Cons: -Our guy didn't speak much English... we asked multiple times if the bread for the sandwich would be toasted and he said, "No, it's Vietnamese." -The fried bananas were also SUPER SMALL! Like... they cut ONE banana into fours. So that was, meh. read more

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My favorite item here is there their brisket pho. Gluten free for me and consistently tasty. They give generous portions and the wait is not long. I tried their fall roll which is a shredded chicken roll. I didn't try the peanut sauce in case it contained gluten, but enjoyed the roll plain. Service is quick and efficient. I like that we can call and order ahead for pick up also. read more

I went here the other day for pho and some spring rolls with my other half. Very nice restaurant and conveniently located in Alamoana. Prices kinda high but pho and spring rolls was not bad. read more

Mama Pho - Brisket pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Got to here right when it opens @ 11am & there was already a line of people waiting. So we guessed it must be that good. Everyone was pleasant & checked up on us. Food was good, fresh! Would I come here again? Yeahs! read more

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Not much to be said about this pho restaurant. It's in the mall, it serves OK pho FAST. I was on my way to the Lanai food court one rainy and cold day, and I came up the elevator and saw Mama Pho. The wife doesn't like Pho, so I never get the chance to get pho, but today since I was returning a watch, I was alone. So I decided to try this place. I got the special pho and a lemon soda. The special pho was OK, the soup was hot, it was mildly beefy, hot enough. There were toppings and sauces. The lemon soda was also silly. I was expecting a salted lime under seltzer water and sugar, but it was sprite with a lemon. Overall, This pho place could be a stand at the food court and they'd do just Ok. The pho at this place - 3 stars. it's fast, it's hot, it's noodles. read more

Mama Pho - Pho special - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Came here for lunch with a friend who was craving pho; the prices are a bit expensive but it's Ala Moana so you learn to expect that--I got a tofu banh mi and it was phenomenal!! The bread was toasted well on the outside while being soft and buttery on the inside. The flavors were wonderful and I genuinely think this is the best banh mi I have had on island. My friend also really enjoyed their beef pho :) As for the service, the wait staff was very polite, and the interior of the restaurant was very dynamic. read more

Located on the 4th floor of Ala Moana Mall, this is the most elegant, modern and airy Vietnamese restaurant we have ever visited. The Rare Steak Pho had a balanced soup taste, with the right amount of salt and sugar. The steak was tender. The Rice dish with grilled shrimps was also excellent, with perfectly marinated shrimps and chicken flavored rice. The server was very friendly and talkative and regularly checked on us. We highly recommend this restaurant for its overall offering. read more

There are many Vietnamese restaurant in town but I like this one. High sealing and spacey. Foods are all good Server bring spring roll but drop one leaf, he apologize and bring extra leaf soon! His quick action is best customer service read more

Mama Pho - Entrance - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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