Pho Old Saigon (Honolulu)
Rating: 
Address:
2270 Kuhio Ave
Honolulu, HI 96815
808-922-2668
I’ll use the occasion of our Hawaii trip to provide the first of my pho reviews. Kai fell asleep after we got back from Sea Life Park, I didn’t have much for lunch, and it was still a long time until dinner. So I set out in search of pho. Oahu has a number of pho shops. There are several in Chinatown, as well as a few scattered just past the western edge of Waikiki. On the day we arrived in Honolulu, we got a ride with a Vietnamese taxi driver, and he recommended Pho Bac 1 in Chinatown, but I didn’t have the opportunity to eat there. There’s only one pho shop in Waikiki itself, and that’s Pho Old Saigon, conveniently located on Kuhio Ave, about 60 ft. from the Marine Surf where we were staying, so I didn’t have to go far. It actually had a full menu of Vietnamese dishes, but pho was the feature dish.
Service was fast with a minimum of friendliness, and the decor was minimal - exactly the sort of things I expect in a good pho resutaurant. In the middle of touristy Waikiki, my expectations were low, but I received a quality bowl of pho. There was nothing unique about the flavor, but everything was above average: the broth was very good, they used quality meat, and the noodles weren’t overcooked. I ate there twice, and it was just as good the second time, so they also get good marks for consistency.
