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

Pho Nam's food makes my tummy happy. That warm fuzzy feeling of content, that food coma of goodness, yeeeesh I'm giving Pho Nam four stars. A friend introduced me to this quiet little spot during our lunch break. Apparently it's a popular lunch spot for the working folk since everyone seemed to be bustling in and out on their break like us. The service is nice, very quick and attentive. As soon as we entered our waitress/hostess sat us down, gave us water, and in another minute she gave us our iced viet coffee! Yes it was as good as any other viet coffee, no more and no less. Despite the refill of caffeine buzzing about in my system, I was extremely focused on their menu. They have so much to choose from and EVERYTHING looked delicious!! Originally I wanted my deluxe pho, tripe and all, but when I saw oxtail soup I switched gears. Pho Nam's oxtail soup hit the nail on the head! Lots of tender, juicy meat in a yummy hot broth? It was all kinds of wonderful. I'm going back for more. Oh and yes their spring rolls are the real deal. Granted they are do it yourself where you roll up noodles in a lettuce leaf along with your spring roll and dip it in the sauce, but you can do whatever you want really. All of it tastes so good, you'll just inhale it well before your entree arrives. "Yay! I'm a fan" for sure. read more

Parking is metered but plenty around the area, but it seems that during lunch time it may get pretty busy. Service was okay, felt a little rushed even though we were the 2 of 3 people in the place on a Sunday early afternoon. Food was edible. It wasn't anything too OMG I have to come here again. Our party had the ox tail pho and bun rieu and an order of spring rolls. I would come back and order the spring rolls again, they came out fresh and not dripping in oil at all, it is rare that restaurant dipping sauces tastes like that I can compare to my mother's but it came pretty close! The ox tail was overcooked and the broth tasted like it had been simmering for a few days, a little too sweet for my taste buds. Bun rieu, flavor was there, just lack of protein - mostly noodles and broth, which I mean isn't too bad if you like that... Pricing is average. I would come back if the prices were 20% less then what they are now. $9.95 for 4 spring rolls is a little ridiculous when both main entrees were only $1 more. I have a hard time spending $4 on a Thai tea though.... read more

Pho Nam is more than worthy of 5 Stars! Pho is always on point and when I'm not in a mood for soup I go for Bún. Food comes out fairly quick and on nights when I'm home late I just call when I'm 10 minutes away and food is ready for pickup. I love the homey atmosphere. I feel like I'm in an extension of the owner/families dining room. Biggest thing that sticks with me is that the lady that works in the front is sooooo nice! I haven't caught her name yet. But she knows hospitality! Their menu is extensive and covers just about everything you want or crave when dining in a Viet restaurant. But of course most go for Pho and they have plenty of options to please everyone. I usually go for the one with rare steak and brisket and/or tendon. And I put all of the bean sprouts in it! Recently I tried their Oxtail Pho and maaaaannnn what a beautiful combination. They don't skimmy out on the amount of oxtail you get and its soooo worth it. If you're not in the mood for pho or even rice dishes go for Bún! I love the grilled pork one with spring rolls. The grilled pork has a nice crisp and reminds me of family BBQs in Waipahu. Street parking can be found out front and if not just park inside the Imperial Plaza garage and they can validate your ticket. Great food and great people. You can't beat that! Also, we all know Pho is the perfect hangover cure!!!! 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.

Came here for a quick lunch because Korean restaurant next door stopped serving lunch at whatever time it wanted to. I came around 1pm on a Wednesday, and the place was about half full, which was nice because I don't like being in a crowded restaurant when I'm trying to enjoy a relaxed meal. I sat myself down at the table by the door, and the lady brought me a menu. She gave me about 5 minutes to decide and took my order - pho. Mind you, I was pretty hung over so this was probably the only thing I could eat. Even though I didn't see my typical option on the menu (rare steak and meatballs), they were really accommodating and told me that it was okay to get that. The herb and other stuff were brought out not even one minute after the order was taken so that was neat. Food came out about 5 minutes after, and I was really impressed at how fast the service was. The first thing I went for was the soup. It was hot. Not like scorching but like nice hot temperature that your hungover throat needed. I was going to take a picture, but my phone died before that happened. So I decided to focus on my pho. Here's my opinion: - they give you PLENTY of meat (I was struggling to finish) - the soup was on the bland side, but it wasn't bad. It wasn't the best soup I had either. - the noodle was good. Good portion. - $9.50 isn't too bad for pho considering you're in Honolulu, where they overcharge you for everything Overall, I'd come back again if I'm craving a quick Vietnamese lunch. read more

My goto for lunch as I work up tge Street at @straub, nice Staff friendly only bad thing is they leave waters premade in the shelves to same time... lime 5 min but still something. Pho is always delicious a d service is fast, great combo. read more

Pho Nam - Mmm good pho fast service - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Went here for lunch on a windy Sunday. They're located on the street level in the Imperial Plaza building. It was quite empty in the restaurant with only two other parties. The Iced coffee here is really good. I liked it. For the appetizer, we ordered the chicken spring roll which came with the usual (cucumber, lettuce, vermicelli noodles). The dish came out as soon as she went in the back to place our order. So, I'm guessing they cooked it ahead of time since it wasn't hot. I thought the dipping sauce were a little to fishy for me. I ordered Pho with sliced rare steak. The broth, it tasted like oxtail soup to me! It really did. As for the noodles...I love noodles, but gosh, are they stingy. They give you a big bowl with hardly any noodles, but lots of broth. It was pretty much steak with broth and chinese parsely. The meat was good though, wasn't tough at all. Overall, I've tasted better pho. read more

Cat fish soup is pretty tasty. However, pho broth is mediocre and tastes like it's been over boiled. At about$10 a bowl with no wait the place is a decent place to go for a quick bite. The service is nice and facilitiy clean. read more

Our favorite place to eat during our lunch break from work. #36 our usual order with extra fish sauce. And also their Garlic Chicken is the bomb if you LOVE garlic! Loads of garlic. Food is great! The only minor experience we had was having your glass of water refilled when empty; you literally have to ask them to fill your cup... read more

Love the shrimp curry here. Very friendly staff and nice clean restaurant. Located at the Imperial Plaza next to Cafe Grace. Validated parking! read more

Pho Nam - Very good Vietnamese Food - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

The service is very good at Pho Nam and the staff is quite friendly. The interior feels rather crowded with tables, but you won't bump into anyone as long as you're careful. My usual meal here is usually the meatball pho with spring rolls. I've tried the curry but I suppose my tastes are different to the target audience and I can't say that I like their curry very much. I've eaten there several times, since it's on my way home from work and it will be a regular spot for me. read more

Love pho Nam their food is good and love the Vietnamese coffee!!!! Whenever I go the coffee tastes just right and they have it made if I make a phone call order. They have amazing fried rice too and of course the pho is amazing read more

Stopped here after picking up my auto insurance card across the street. My wife spotted it and thought we should check it out. Now I can't speak to authenticity, but my wife knows her Vietnamese better and gives it the ok, but i thought it was rather good. We shared barbecue chicken rolls, very similar to spring rolls. Highly recommend them and you gotta dip them in the peanut sauce that comes with them. I had the lemon grass chicken on noodles and the wife had pork on noodles. Both excellent. Would definitely go back. read more

These people who work here are so inviting and lovely, I'm not sure how they're not always jam-packed with happy customers. The decor and tables are a bit cheapy-looking, but don't let the plastic plates and sometimes empty tables fool you. The food is DELICIOUS! The menu is huge like a Chinese menu, but just point at the first dish that catches your eye and I'm positive that if you aren't scared of yum, you'll love it. I've tried the pho many times and it's consistently great, but venture past the broth and get into the vermicelli or ala carte menu for a deeper trip into vietnamese home cooking. There is a section on the menu called (I think) "roll it yourself"... or something like that. This part of the menu is cool because they bring out a bowl of hot water, still hard rice rolling wrappers, a plate of fresh veggies, fish sauce, and the tofu or meat that you ordered. After that, all you have to do is "roll it yourself." I suggest not getting this dish if you're in your Sundays finest, but it's delicious of monstrous proportion. read more

HANDS DOWN THE BEST PHO BROTH I HAVE EVER HAD and I mainly dislike pho because it's so hard to find good broth. I didn't even order it(my girlfriend did) and I truly jealous. The fish sauce they serve with vermicelli is average however, if not less than average. Why is there sweet chili sauce in the sauce for vermicelli...it's a strange combo especially since I believe it's bottled sweet chili. You can't "transform" that processed stuff, But 10/10 would come back for pho and the spring rolls read more

Very good Pho. The broth had a lot of flavor. Summer rolls were delicious as well. Small restaurant but great food!

One of my favorite places for Vietnamese food. The Pho is flavorful, service is good, parking is free (they validate) and it's pretty clean. I've also had the summer rolls, spring rolls, and lemongrass chicken with rice, all of which were yummy. Prices are all reasonable, around $8 for most items. Gets crowded around lunchtime and especially on rainy days so plan accordingly. read more

Pho is always great on a rainy day. Had lunch here with a few friends by recommendation of a regular. He said the pho was pretty good. I always have beef pho, but this time I was feeling more like chicken, which was great. No real complaints there. Also, my friend ordered the coffee and I had Thai tea. To be honest, I have never had Vietnamese coffee, but I did like theirs. For some reason I imagined it to be stronger, but it wasn't. And that's good! I've grown to be more of a lover of tea and I liked their Thai Tea, very much :) My FYI on the restroom. You need a key to use the restroom in the building. They let you walk through the kitchen to the back door that leads you down a hallway to the restroom (which is by the person exit in the parking structure). I just thought that was a little weird, but not a problem. At restaurants, I always think it's important to locate the restroom. Might be a girl thing, haha. This place is good though. I would go back and try something else. read more

I was desperate to get the kids down for a nap but needed to feed them before that so I thought I'd give this place a try since it was on our way home. It couldn't be that bad since it's been at the Imperial plaza for quite awhile right? I first knew we were in trouble when we walked in and the interior of the restaurant seemed real old and outdated. Next red flag was the huge menu they had with a multitude of vietnamese dishes with ingredients that are difficult to keep fresh without a good number of clientele. So we tried their pho, seafood udon, crab bum bu hue and meat noodles (bum rieu), and fried quail and I walked out pretty disappointed and unhappy. Their broth was plenty but noodles were limited. Their broths almost seemed chicken broth based and had strange flavors i could make out. The pho and bum bu hue were boring and lacked any signature flavoring that pho restaurants attempt to bear. The seafood udon i probably couldve made from an instant udon pack. The spicy bum rieu was a huge disappointment and wasn't spicy at all. Then the quail came out with a slimy teri sauce that made me wince. Poor quails i thought. The menu had said fried but they were slaughtered in vain. Luckily the restaurant owner was willing to take the quail off our bill but our sad meal still cost us $45 for four less than stellar bowls of noodles. Sadly we will never go there again. read more

I come here once in a while with my coworkers since it's only 10 minutes away from where I work. The pho here is consistently good. The broth is flavorful and has depth. They are pretty generous with the amount of meat too. The Bun Bo Hue is average at best. The broth was decent, but there was nothing else besides chunks of brisket and carrots. Most places would have other ingredients in it, such as pig's blood and pig's feet. The crab meat broth was the same. Tasty broth, but not enough ingredients.....just tofu, shrimp, and tomato. I'll continue to come to Pho Nam, but I'll just stick to what I enjoy here -- beef combination pho. read more

Pho Nam - Bun Bo Hue - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I work across the street from this place so I'm a "frequent flier". Décor not the best but that's not why you're eating at "Pho Five" (Nam means 5 in Vietnamese). Great place for a work lunch. Good food and super fast service is a constant. I wouldn't say this is the best Vietnamese joint in town but it's decent. I'm still looking for the bomb Viet place so if anyone out there is reading this please do share. I recommend the following: 15 (pho tai nam?? I think), 35 or 36 (grilled pork bun with or w/o spring rolls), garlic chicken, spring or summer rolls, spicy beef noodle, thai fried rice (weird from a Viet place but delicious), sweet and sour soup. Prices are fair and they do an excellent job with to-go orders. Here's the final verdict: Give it a try. read more

So my friend dragged me outta the office to have pho for lunch one day and ugh I was not to keen about being that I had pacled lunch that day and this was a new spot that I never tried and that I have one favorite spot in downtown and refuse to have pho anywhere else... so it took a bit of convincing... long story short we ended up here for lunch. Let me just start off by saying that their OXTAIL PHO is to die for! Literally cooked to perfection. I nearly ate the whole thing! Service was great we were seated instantly, ordered and food was ready and on our table 10 minutes into our seating. As mentioned, I had the oxtail pho w/ no parsley, an order of side onions and oil. The combination is unbelievable and omg the oxtail literally falls off the bone, I kid you not it was cooked to perfection today! I absolutely cannot stop thinking about this dish. Such a win win for me, I love pho and I freaking love oxtail and the combination is ridiculously good! If you're looking for something to blow your mind come to Pho Nam and order the Oxtail pho. read more

Pho Nam - Oxtail pho!!!! - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Chicken and spring roll over rice noodles. Not the best, the spring rolls were old and cold, the chicken was good, though. read more

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I've gone to Pho Nam gads of times... When I used to work on Kapiolani Blvd., I think I ate lunch here with my coworkers at least once a week. Now that I'm no longer in town, it's been awhile since I paid a visit... until yesterday! Yum! Had lunch here with a couple of friends and we all ended up ordering the #35. I remember LOVING this dish -- and I remembered correctly! It was still very tasty and satisfying. It comes with spring rolls and barbeque pork on a bed of rice noodles and lettuce. Add some spicy sauce, mix all around and BAM! Fresh and filling, exactly what I was lookin' for. The service is still pretty good; friendly and pretty attentive. I think the prices are reasonable, too. The #35 is only $8.95. I love their iced coffees and the pho is good, too. The place filled up pretty nicely, just like back in the day -- good to see that Pho Nam still does decent business. read more

If you're vegetarian, don't come here. Before we down we asked if they had vegetarian options. She said, "yes". They don't know how to flavor it. After we ordered their vegetarian options she came out saying we had to use soy sauce to season the bun. Super dry and nasty. We also ordered eggplant tofu. No flavor. Service was fine but the food was terrible. 2 stars for being friendly. I'm sure that the food is fine for those who are not vegetarian. read more

Pho Nam - Eggplant tofu... - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Love this place... Oxtail soup is one of my favs, all noodle dishes are excellent. Great place for lunch. read more

Pho Nam - Oxtail - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Came here for lunch one day as I was in Chinatown and I remembered 2 of my Vietnamese friends in town both recommended this place. The restaurant is run by Vietnamese Chinese. It was clean, friendly, quick service. The broth looks clear, the mint and other vegetables looked fresh, and I enjoyed my bun. I will be back to try the other items. read more

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Pho was ok. Little on the weak side on taste. Lemon grass chicken tasted like chili peppers with very little lemon grass taste. I've been here three times. Maybe they have a different cook, I remember it being much better last two times. read more

Pho Nam - Street front facing Cook street. - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

One of the best Kalbi I ever had and plenty too for only $15.95 so cheap.Pho is excellent ,big bowl with plenty meats for only $10.Is a must try !!!! read more

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Food was great. Service was amazing. I really enjoyed myself! Very reasonable prices and the food came out very quick. I drink a lot of water and the server was very attentive and made sure to keep our glasses full. read more

The pho broth was lukewarm and tasted like it had been sitting for a long while. The broth almost had a sour taste to it, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was just made with some soy sauce, msg, and powdered mix. I don't recommend the pho here at all considering that there are plenty other pho restaurants in the area. read more

OK so here is the deal. I have had pho here before and it is always GREAT. I am a fan of the combo, meat on the side, extra limes, no bean sprouts. The vegetables are always very fresh, which is very important with the sweet basil and mint for the spring rolls. Last night I had the spring rolls, as usual. Excellent as always. Green papaya salad, crunchy and delicious. The steamed seabass was also excellent. Very nice portion. I was not a fan of the steamed vegetables they served with it. Fairly bland. I understand that they meant them to be eaten with the seabass but didn't compliment very well. I usually have the summer rolls, basically rice wraps with vermivelli noodles, basil, mint and shrimp served with a peanut sauce. This time I tried the "wrap it yourself" grilled shrinp rolls, same idea basically. My wrap it yourself skills suck and I have come to the conclusion that I should leave these sort of things to the experts. The food was good. I was not. Iced coffees were great as usual. I like that they use those "drip cups" to make your own coffee. A little messy but appreciated. Desserts here are a bit slim, pretty much only ice cream, but I count my coffee as dessert. HEAVY dinner for 3 was less than $70 with tip. read more

I enjoy the rare steak Pho, but started ordering the noodle bowl, #36 and don't resist ordering every time we go back now. simple but yum. A great lunch stop, validated parking and quick friendly service. read more

Every good , cheap , good service, friendly staff, will go every days if some one buy me , New York steak is better than Costco beef, ,,,,,,

One of my favorite pho places! Vegetarian pho and add tofu it's the best especially when it's cold out or when I'm feeling under the weather. Service is great and wait time is minimal. read more

I'm not a huge fan of Vietnamese food but when my coworkers suggested it, I went along. I was pleasantly surprised with a ribeye steak cooked to perfection with butter and mushrooms. My coworker had garlic fried chicken and it was so light and crispy and drenched in garlic and butter. I wish this place was close to where I live because my husband loves Vietnamese food and he always says he's dragging me to eat pho I don't care for lol but I would be the first in line it PHO NAM was in Aiea. read more

Came here straight after work, no one in the restaurant but the two of us. We both ordered pho, one combination and one just with meatballs. We also decided on an order of summer rolls. Both the pho and summer rolls were made well. Service was quick, as expected. And prices were very reasonable. read more

I ate here once before and i did take out pho. Ishould of dined in! This is the best ive had so far!

Shhhhhh..... It's a secret...... This place makes the best steak and Potatoes with mushrooms in town! And for a damn good price. Vietnamese coffee is made the legit way (with the press at your table) and is delish. Spring rolls are on point! And the grilled pork and shrimp with vermicelli never disappoints. Have been coming here for the past 4 years and always stoked when I leave! read more