After watching other people eat pho on YouTube, I got that craving. Originally, we were going to the central part of the island and go to one of my usual spots (yes, mine not his since he's no pho fan) but a change in plans and we stayed in our neighborhood. For us, its a 10-15 minute walk so we didn't have to worry about drive time or parking. At most I can tell you is that there's metered street parking. We came for dinner (around 645p). I thought it would be crowded but there was only one other party there (a family of four with a screaming baby). Cozy little restaurant, with an additional dining area (I guess for those hours when they're super busy or have a large party). All I wanted was pho but my boyfriend wanted some spring rolls, which we ordered. FRESH, so hot it burnt our mouths as we were trying to eat it. I personally don't care but he enjoyed it a lot which set his hopes up for the rest of our meal. He ordered New York steak with mushrooms and potatoes and man, it's the perfect example of "looks are deceiving". If you were sitting across from him, the look of disappointment was clear on his face. He asked for his steak to be medium, but I swore it was still mooing. Anyway, as juicy as he said his steak was, it had zero taste, like it was just soaked in water; when he said that, I'm like, ew gross. He thought he couldn't taste it because he was sick but he could taste everything else. He LOVES a good steak, and when he doesn't finish it, you know something is wrong. The standard pho I get anywhere I go: rare beef pho or something along those lines. I'm not 100% certain but I felt like their noodles tasted plain and I've been around the pho block a few times. My first bite, I thought to myself... "oh" then after, "what other places did I want to eat at?" The ladies working were friendly though after we ordered and got our food, they didn't come to check on us. Throughout our meal, we were fanning our food to keep the flies away. In total, our bill came to almost $50. Paid in cash. Wouldn't recommend coming here for steak. Don't think we'll be coming back. read more

Pho Nam - New York steak with mushrooms and potatoes - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Celebrating Jules' Review of the Day (ROTD)! Jules and I hadn't seen each other in a while, so it was time to get together. Celebrating her ROTD gave us a good reason! Coincidentally, our meeting happened on a holiday, so metered street parking (on Cooke Street) was free! Otherwise, I would have parked in the structure of Imperial Plaza (entrance on Kawaiahao Street) and got validated free parking, too! We walked in and got seated right away. It was rather empty at this off time of 3:30 p.m. That's good, because we had better service! We ordered pho with beef "on the outside" so that the beef wouldn't be overcooked. The pho was just okay for me. Since Jules and I were "starving", we ordered Spring Rolls AND Summer Rolls. These were average, too. What was funny was this: I got up from our table to order these last 2 items and they had packed it to go - I kept looking at a white plastic takeout bag on a table nearby... I was wondering why it took so long for spring and summer to arrive... Haha! It must have been a language barrier? I had to get up and ask for our rolls...they laughed and plated the takeout items...lol! Anyway, they let us talk and have a great time without feeling rushed. Time flew and we were really Happy! Congratulations again to my friend, Jules Y., on her ROTD for this restaurant. May you have many more!!! read more

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The first thing I must say is if your a big steak lover then u HAVE TO try there steak. My two friends and I decided to go here because we heard of the BIG steak. We sat down and ordered immediately. The lady was so kind and nice btw. Anyways back to the steak. WOW when it came out it looked delicious. The steak was covered with mushrooms which was even better. The steak was cooked perfect at medium rare like I asked and WOW such flavor. This steak was amazing! Other than that I heard the kalbi plate is pretty good to!!! Overall, such great service and such gooooooooood food! Perfect place for all the people that work in the area cause its right there! read more

Pho Nam - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Great spot for pho, rolls (grilled beef roll slaps), and a their rolled menu on the bottom right is fantastic too! So what the pho you waiting for? read more

I have dined at this establishment since 2013 and kept it secret but hey, let's support local during COVID. The SIGNATURE DISH - Thins strips of beef rolled and grilled to perfection. I get it with shrimp with the vermicelli noodle dish. Cannot find this anywhere except here!! They do not skimp out on the veggies!!! The place has a cozy and roomy dining area. It is my go to place for Vietnamese Pho and cold vermicelli noodles. The portions are just right!!! I leave this place satisfied and fully satiated. They also have THE BEST OXTAIL PHO in town!!! It has been cooked slowly over a long period of time. The meat falls right off the bone. Tender, juicy, and packed with flavour. The broth of their Pho dishes is delicious and satisfying. I also need to mention the Vietnamese iced coffee they serve....it is PERFECT! The sweetness is subtle and that's how I like it. It is a family business. The staff are friendly, professional, efficient, and so kind. I think it is the love they put in the dishes that makes this establishment and so special. read more

Vietnamese food in Kaka'ako ! I'm trying beef with mixed vegetables and side order of rice. So close to home will try spicy hot sour soup next visit one my favorite meals read more

I got the BBQ pork, spring roll vermicelli dish. It is usually my go to! Looks like these disgusting people refried the spring rolls in my dish. It looks like someone didn't finish their food and they took the left over food and refried it to give it to another customer! So gross! The Pork was super thin and was like jerky. The seasoning wasn't great either. The noodles were so mushy and smelled kind of funny, like it was old. The only vegetables at the bottom of the dish was lettuce (should have been bean sprouts, daikon, carrots and cilantro as the standard, right?) They are cutting corners here to save a buck and take your money! I was livid when I got my food so we just paid and left. My husband got the pho as he is normally conservative in his choices. He is very easy going and will just eat it and not complain. He said the broth was as if someone just dissolved beef bullion cubes in water and added the meat and noodles. I tasted it and he was right! I write this because they desperately need to improve. Someone wrote that they were surprised that they were the only occupied table in the place. I am not surprised!!! This place is terrible!!!!!!!!!! read more

Pho Nam - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I rarely order anything besides pho at vietnamese restaurants. The spicy lemongrass chicken $13 here is amazing and you will not feel you missed out on your pho. It has a nice herbal nutty thing going on, almost like a Thai dish. One thing to be aware of.. I tried a dish called the same thing at a different restaurant (pho saigon) and it tasted completely different (it sucked).. I guess it's not a standard recipe. I think u have to park on the street. read more

You never know when the craving for Vietnamese food is gonna hit but you can always count on Pho Nam. Highly recommend the sautéed mushrooms as an appetizer if you like garlic. One order is enough to share. read more

I feel horrible for writing this because the lady was so sweet and nice, but since the last time I have been here (2014) the pho has gone downhill. I'm not sure if it was an off day or they have a new cook. The broth was lukewarm when I got it for take out. I was literally less than a minute away when I picked it up so it wasn't sitting out that long to get cold. Upon opening the broth container I noticed the broth was a weird dark brown color. Almost like shoyu ramen soup... I tasted the broth and it tasted nothing like pho broth. It was a mish mash of a lot of soy sauce and fake beef bouillon taste. Meh. I had to microwave the broth just to get the rare beef to semi cook. Also the flank steak and tendons in the soup did not have any taste at all. All the sriracha and plum sauce in the world didn't help at all and it ended up in the trash. What a shame. I only came here because it was close to work for my lunch break and it is one of the very few pho restaurants that are open on Sundays. When I entered it was totally empty as well and I know why. read more

Pho Nam - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

My friend always brings left over oxtail soup for me to gobble up. She told me, "this is the best oxtail Soup on the island she ever had". She was absolutely right! We asked for veggies like broccoli and carrots and lemon with jalapeño slices and this brought the taste over the top. This is the only place I will head to for oxtail soup from now on. The temperature is perfect, the Bok choy is delicious and you can get it in pho form or oxtail soup form. I always go for oxtail soup with a side of white rice. The pictures speak for themselves. I don't know this for certain but it feels like a locally owned and run family business and we always support those. The staff is friendly and food comes out pretty fast and perfect temperature and super delicious. The meatball pho was perfect too. I highly recommend you give it a try. read more

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This was my first and last time here. I came here with my fiancé and we wanted to try a new vietnamese place. I looked on yelp and saw 4 stars and the pictures of food looked good so we decided to give it a try. We ordered summer rolls, spicy lemongrass chicken and spicy lemongrass shrimp. The portion size was on the small side. It was mostly fillers like cabbage and onions and little bit of protein. The chicken was very bland and didn't taste right, we didn't finish it. The shrimp was more flavorful then the chicken but could have been better. The only give a small bowl of rice with each entree as well. The summer rolls was very plain,small and not worth $8 at all. The service was okay, the lady was nice which is why i rated 2 stars instead of 1. read more

Friendly service. Food was mid, avoid the pork spring rolls, beef and vegetable rice dish, and the egg roll vermicelli.

Always very quick service, food is great recommend the Pork Chops and Lemongrass Chicken

We had a very nice waitress who might have also been the owner when we stopped by. I was able to find a few things for me to eat even though I'm vegan. I ordered the eggplant tofu without oyster sauce. It was flavored with just salt and pepper but they were awesome to offer me lemon wedges and soy sauce to add more flavor. I even used some sriracha to make it even more delicious. On top of this I also enjoyed the vegetarian summer rolls with peanut sauce. The whole thing was vegan! Besides my food, this restaurant offers bowls of pho, spring rolls, and many other dishes. It is a little cozy inside but still nice. read more

Pho Nam - Eggplant tofu without oyster sauce - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Fantastic food and wonderful hospitality!!! Off the tourist trail and worth seeking out to have a lovely quiet experience. Treated like family! read more

Solid, yummy Vietnamese food! Extensive menu with vegetarian, vegan, and meat options. Curry, fried rice, rice noodles, wraps, pho galore! My personal favorite dish is #35 - BBQ chicken with spring rolls and rice noodles. So delicious & the perfect balance of hearty with light and summery. They are open for take-out during COVID-19, owner is a very sweet lady who is so kind and hardworking. Please support local businesses and definitely recommend ordering takeout from Pho Nam! Give them a call. read more

Yelp Challenge 365 # 176/365 Review # 350 There are many Vietnamese Pho places in the city most of which I would dine at for 1) convenience of location, 2) ease of parking and 3) friendly and courteous service. This is my 350th review and I wanted this review to be relatively significant. So why Pho Nam? They were open on an Sunday at 10:39 am so Pho Nam became the breakfast place of choice; selected by fellow Yelper Val Y as a starting point for the day's journey of food experience. Yes, he was the food director for visiting Judd L and his wife Lynn. Pho Hot and Spicey: Did they have the pig knuckles in the soup???? Val said probably not.... Well, lo and behold! Our bowl did come with the pig knuckles. Pork Chops: great dish. tender and tasty! served on a bed of rice and some veggies (lettuce and tomato) with the sweet dipping sauce as the dressing The service was great. Our server knew we would be sharing the 3 dishes we ordered and took the liberty of bringing extra bowls for the soup and extra plates for the other dishes. Under normal circumstances, if this review was based purely on the food, I may have to give it 3 stars. But for the service and consideration our server afforded us with the extra plates, coupled with the idea the food tasted much better as we shared in fellowship and food, oh, and let me not forget the ease of parking... and as such 4 stars read more

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So I got to try out Pho Nam, only because Angry Korean decided to go home after no one showed up. So as sad as I was to see her lights off before 7pm...I said, oh, well I guess this is an excuse to try out Pho Nam. The summary: not a bad joint, but not my cup o' tea. Starting with the food: pretty expansive menu from pho, to bun, to bun bo hue, to crab soup, to steak, to thai fried rice (don't ask me why they make something Thai)... I ordered my chicken pho (no choice on size) and my hubby ordered his crab soup. Yes I was boring and got the pho, but after my recent not-so-successful experience trying something new, I decided to play it safe. We also ordered the grilled pork roll as appetizer. So the soups came out fairly quickly with a nice selection of fresh veggies. But our appetizer was no where to be seen. Ok, I can eat out of order I guess. So I dig into the soup broth and expect my nice light chicken broth and whoa, it tasted like beef broth! I think they must just use the same broth for beef or chicken. Hmm, so it's not quite chicken huh? Salty, dark brown beef broth and chicken pho don't go together so well. Anyway, the crab soup was ok. Not as rich and tasty as Pho Thinh, but my better half still ate it up; perhaps he was just hungry. I ate up the pho and it was good, but not very filling. Not a lot of chicken, and not a lot of noodles and I wasn't thrilled with the beef tasting broth. I was still hungry and not very happy. Oh the appetizer finally came and it was ok. Don't think I'd get it again though. It was boring and the sauce wasn't very good. But then a plate of meat walked by and caught my eye and it was like love at first sight. So as I was finishing up scraping up the last of my pho, I asked the folks at the next table what it was and they said ny steak. So while I was a little shy at first to think, oh heck we just ate dinner, how can I order a steak...but then again, what I just ate isn't good enough to ever get me back. hem haw hem haw. Oh heck. After they took away our finished bowls, I sheepishly ordered the steak--medium, with rice instead of potatoes. The waiter came back to clarify if we wanted the steak for here or to go. Haha, does no one else order steak for dessert?! I'm not sure I've ever ordered a steak AFTER I've finished my dinner. But there's always a time for firsts. Well, I wasn't let down and the steak was quite good. For $15.99, I think you get your money's worth. It isn't like a fancy steak, but it's a down home, comfort huge piece of steak. Pretty fatty but really tasty. They bring you a huge bottle of A1 if you want it. The steak was really the highlight of the night and that's why this place even gets 2 stars from me and that there's a chance I'll come back... Service is nice and fairly friendly. Fairly quick. Their english isn't too great so when I tried to ask about how the steak is cooked, he just sort of looked at me. So keep it simple. Street parking, not sure if they validate in the Imperial Plaza though. There's a tv in the restaurant that was blaring one of those mean chef reality tv shows. There looks like there might be a side room if you want a private room? Not sure, it was dark in there. Worth a shot, but to be honest, if I'm in the neighborhood and I've got a decent parking spot, you'll find me at Angry Korean instead... read more

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Not sure what this place has to do to average 4 stars on this thing. Tough crowd. This place is old reliable for me and imho some of the best broth in town. Summer rolls do it for me too. Special shout out to the team for staying open during COVID- legit the only place I saw that stayed open, with regular hours, the whole pandemic lol. read more

Place is clean, food is great. I'm very picky about my grilled/bbq chicken and this place grilled it to perfection, with just the right amount of char. And above all, their prices are still reasonable, which is such a score these days. read more

Nice spot, friendly service, good food, and quick. I had the combination meat with rare steak and meatballs, it was very tasty. Will definitely visit again. read more

Never been disappointed. Super yummy. Have been here so many times. Food comes out fast. They are super nice too! Love it read more

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Convenient place - I ordered grilled chicken but I got the burned chicken. Price is okay Taste- is good but I feel like I eat cancer read more

Pho Nam - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

No Aloha. Not going back. Today, after patronizing this place for over 4 years to cater various lunch meetings for work, and easily spending over $10k in food over this time period, they threw this relationship away by refusing to let me return to pay with my P-Card which I forgot at office. So business meeting lunch was screwed. I guess loyalty has it's limits. The day I forgot to bring the p-card is the day they forgot about our relationship and it's the day we take our business elsewhere. Sad, because our staff enjoyed their food. But relationships are more important to us. read more

This is a pho restaurant I would not normally visit but it was late in the afternoon too early for dinner. My car battery died that day (just time to be changed), I'd had my car towed to Lexus, and had not yet had lunch. It was rainy pouring and when I actually meant to come to the convenience store here in the same Imperial Plaza shopping complex this place is in, the convenience store was closed. One look at the Pho name had me dreaming about some yummy bone broth soup filling my hungry tummy tum tum. Without any hesitation, I walked in :D Not too small a place and not fancy but very sweater-sweatshirt shorts casual. Enough for a good number of patrons. The decor is majority light-medium green (not a UH dark kelly green) everywhere. Green table cloths covering good-sized small, simple usually paired square-rectangular tables with plastic cut outs placed on top, seated with cushiony dining chairs. The one lady who helped me came by to give me a menu and then later to take my order was pleasant enough. She just needed to know how many in my party and then what I'd like to order. The food came pretty quickly. If you're ordering pho, one hint you definitely want to do is let them know exactly which ingredients you want so that there is no waste and they will give you extra of those items you do want. I ordered no beansprouts (I can't eat those), licorice leaf (just not my taste), or jalapeños (these just burn off my taste buds! Haha! :/); but yes please to extra basil and lemon :D The taste of the pho was delicious. I also add just two condiments: plum and Sriracha sauces. I ordered pho with rare steak on the side with beef tendon. My order somehow came with only tendon. When I let the lady know, she did bring me some rare steak on a small teacup plate that she didn't charge me extra for. The tendon was really nice and gooooooey soft. Ooh that was just soooooo good. The steak came soon enough that I was able to add it to my soup to be cooked a bit in the piping hot broth. YESSSSS, the broth was piping hot. The noodles were al dente for the most part. The meats and veggies felt fresh and crunchy chewy good. The three complaints I'd have is that for $10, I felt there should have been more broth, noodles, and tendon. The soup level in the bowl was more than an inch below the bowl lip, the amount of noodles wasn't all that much for the amount of soup even though the soup level fell below the bowl lip, the number of tendon was just not all that much to fill me up. Good thing for the extra steak she gave me. Usually I can't finish the bowl and can take the other half home but this time I finished the whole thing. When I looked through the menu earlier, I saw some other things I'd like to try but somehow the cost seemed a bit high. For instance, a plate of 3 Moi (narrow long fish) on a platter was $36. There were people eating here before I arrived and here and there others came and left. There was at least a couple sets of tables taken at any one time and while I dined, military and Vietnamese people frequented this place. I left some extra tip for the extra steak even though that shoulda been part of my order. Taste of the broth is paramount to a successful pho which to me is a 4.5 not to mention that the tendon (especially) and steak ingredients were really enjoyable. The significantly smaller amount of ingredients makes it a 4 overall. I'd come here again if I really needed to. read more

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I've been going to Pho Nam for 15+ years. It's always been great. No matter if it's Pho, Rice Dishes, or Noodle Dishes. Always great. Oxtail Pho is a nice treat and my go to when I'm stuck on what to eat read more

Feel like eating some tasty Vietnamese food? If you're in the area, this might be the place for you. Located at the end of Imperial Plaza near Kawaihao St, this little Vietnamese restaurant holds a strong presence for folks to enjoy lunch! They do have validated parking in the same building (entrance off of Kawaihao St) or they have street (meter) parking. Their name says it all - they serve Pho. While pho might be the go-to menu for some, they have quite a wide variety of menu items to choose from that should be considered as well. The meals I have ordered include the Green Papaya Salad, Chicken Salad, BBQ Chicken w/Spring Rolls over Vermicelli, Lemongrass Beef over Vermicelli, and Spicy Lemongrass Chicken over Vermicelli. All of these meals were tasty! The salads were pretty light and vinegary. It definitely fills you up without making you stuffed (because its still salad). The BBQ Chicken w/Spring Rolls was very filling and quite tasty. BBQ Chicken had light flavoring, nothing too strong or special. The spring rolls are delicious! The Lemongrass Beef was tasty as it has a very strong Lemon flavor (if you don't like lemon, be warned!). The Lemongrass Chicken wasn't too strong in Lemon flavor but both chicken and beef were paired beautifully with the touch of lemongrass flavor. All of these were served over Vermicelli which made it very filling and hard to finish. The portions were very generous! My coworkers have also ordered the Grilled Pork Chops, the BBQ Short Ribs, and the Pho. They absolutely love the short ribs -- the flavor is immaculate and the portions are huge! I've tried a piece and I must say it had an immense swirl of flavors -- sweet, salty, and a little smoky. The Grilled Pork Chops I haven't tried but my coworker said it was VERY delicious although I could tell it was since he finished the entire plate! I'm not entirely sure which Pho they order but its usually one with a lot of meat and sometimes variety of meats. They say its tasty and hits the spot -- especially when the weather's a little chilly! This place can get quite busy during lunch hours so don't be afraid to call in to make reservations or even to take out an order! Their prices are pretty reasonable, average is about $11-15. The portions are pretty generous so if anything, that justifies it. Don't be fooled -- this place's name might say "Pho" but they have much more than pho. You should try the different menu items, especially the BBQ Short Ribs! Next time you are in the area, definitely give this place a try. read more

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Soup base was alright to me. It was good, strong, and flavorful but when I get pho I like to drench my noodles with Hoisin sauce. Their soup base just didn't mix well with the sauce. I'm not saying it was a bad thing, since people eat pho usually without the hoisin sauce. The noodles were the usual, something you'd expect from a typical regular pho dish. I ordered the beef and tendon, which also tasted good. The portion was definitely a good amount, I was full before I even finished the bowl. I don't eat much, but when it comes to pho I usually finish the entire thing. It's usually packed here and I was lucky that I got an open 2 seater table. The pricing wasn't too bad. Around $9-10 for a pho, which I am willing to pay. read more

Pho Nam - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Cute restaurant located in the storefront of Imperial Plaza on Cooke Street, at the end by Kawaiahao Street. The chicken pho was flavorful and good. The portion was good for me, but probably wouldn't be enough for a guy. Love the fresh basil, mint, bean sprouts, chili pepper and lemon. Got to go back to try more dishes. read more

Pho Nam never disappoints. The food is tasty, reasonable priced and the portion size is generous. The atmosphere is homey and we love the sweet waitress/cashier who takes our order. We love patronizing Pho Nam! read more

I have been enjoying their Pho 2-4 times a week for at least 2 years. I tried pho from the popular places much closer to me, but they can't compare. Pho by definition is a rich, nurturing bone broth. Most others are watery hiding the lack of substance with lemongrass or salt. Pho Nam always delivers a delicious, complex broth with plenty of veggies. After trying others, it's the only place I will go. So delicious, and their pho makes me feel good! read more

Overall impression: Food is about average. Value is fair/decent. Hostess/waitress was really nice. Ambience is about what you would expect for a typical pho place except missing the tv playing weird Asian dance/music videos. Average price: ~$10 for pho. ~$10 for a rice or vermicelli plate. Positives: -waitress/hostess was very friendly, always smiling, and very accommodating. She was the best thing about this place. -my pork and spring roll vermicelli was decent and good amount of food for 10 bucks. -service was FAST -free validated parking and street parking is free if you go after 6pm Negatives: -the pho broth was kind of bland -the chairs are a bit uncomfortable We went here because we wanted pho quickly and it was sort of close to where we live. It was pretty empty on a Saturday night. The waitress/hostess was extremely nice and very accommodating to us, filling our water, smiling, and asking us if we needed anything. Unfortunately, the food was just average. Well, my vermicelli noodle plate was fairly good, but my wife's pho was not too good. I would come here for the dishes, but not the pho. Overall, this place was decent, nothing special, but nothing too bad to speak of. read more

Pho Nam - Pork and spring roll in vermicelli noodles-$9.95 - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I absolutely love their steak! Their steak with mushrooms and potatoes as an unbelievably good flavor! I know it's weird coming from a pho place! It's a little bit expensive, but worth it! read more

Just an average pho broth. That is always the main thing I look for when getting a bowl of pho. If you can't get the broth right then I be back. Pro- quickly prepared, Con- not impressed with broth, Over priced, read more

Love coming here, it's close by and the prices are cheaper then the ones around ala moana. The service is awesome even though there's always only 1 server all the time she's super sweet and very attentive. I suggest getting the ox tail pho it had a lot of oxtail in there. Maybe I'll try the steak since a lot of the reviews are raving about it read more

Lucky find ! Very generous and delicious servings ....the egg roll Appetizer served vietnamese style w lettuce , noodles, zucchini , dipping sauce ...a must, I had the rolled beef over rice N dipping sauce w salad , tasty but a bit chewy ... Will Go back ! read more

This is my husband and I favorite pho place. The food is consistently tasty and the service is always friendly. The prices are great and we go whenever we can. read more

Good prices. I enjoyed the delicious food with wine. Have several alcohol selections. Friendly atmosphere. Easy parking.

Still hits the spot! Lunch today was a much needed reminder of what my soul needed with all this crazy rain. Rare steak pho for the win! read more

Pho Nam - Rare beef pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii