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Pho Hoa (Vietnamese cuisine) $

220 Castro St, Mountain View, 94041 (Directions)

650.969.5805

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One of the largest pho chains to hit Castro
Reviewer: Jason Total Reviews: 992 Reviewed: 12/5/2007 Rating: 6.5 My photo gallery	Weather has been cold and been raining off and on these last couple of days. Days like this call for a certain kind of cuisine, something hot to warm up the body. Alcohol usually works and since I'm on lunch break, I can't get too loaded. One reliable alternative is pho (pronounced faaaaaaaa). Roaming El Camino and eventually turned onto Castro Street, we ran into Pho Hoa. I know Pho Hoa isn't exactly the mom and pop operation but there are times where chain restaurants can rise against the odds. We scored parking right in front and sat down in a somewhat dull eating environment. Noise level was kept to a minimum. I started off with ca phe sua da (Vietnamese iced coffee) and a regular bowl of pho with brisket. Service is very quick with an estimated 5 minute time between the order and actually receiving the food. The bowl itself is average in size compared to other pho houses inthe area. I could swear the ball of noodles was smaller but they were generous with the meat. The noodles, the toppings, the meat were all average in tasting but I thought the most important part, the broth was lacking the full flavored I'm accustomed at other pho houses. It's like a healthy version of a real pho broth. It doesn't taste like they boil down beef/chicken/or pork bones for the broth. There was no oil slick on the top of my soil. No bits of marrow floating. Nothing. Pho Hoa is open late and if I'm in a bind, I'd probably make a return visit. Competition for pho in the south bay is fierce and I don't think Pho Hoa stands up to the locals. I paid for Terry's meal and when you add up 2 regular bowls, 1 thai iced tea, and iced coffee, it will run you about $20. Ehh...I'm sure I can find other pho places for cheaper and better taste.

Reviewer: Terry Total Reviews: 723 Reviewed: 12/9/2007 Rating: 7.5 My photo gallery	We were driving down Castro and even though we hadn't been downtown in awhile, we didn't see a whole lot of new restaurant selections there. Pho Hoa caught out eye. It may be a small chain, but we had reached the end of Castro and there wasn't much else to go with today. We walk in, and the place looks familiar. We reviewed a chinese restaurant at this location in the past, the name escapes me now. The Pho has to be SOLID, with Pho To Chau so close. And yeah I know everyone seems to hate it but me, but still. Its gotta work hard in my book. Anyway, I had been to another Pho Hoa so knew what to expect. I went with the Steak Pho (yeah, trying a bit of meat today), and a Thai Iced Tea. The Tea arrived first and wow. This was solid. Hall of Famer Thai Iced Tea. They do it right here. Even a favorite of mine, Old Siam, falls short with their Thai Iced Tea. Here they have the HOT tea mixed with the cold milk-cream and they put granules of sugar in there. So the temperature is a sensation for you, as well as the texture of crunchy sugar crystals while you are drinking it. Fabulous. The Pho on the other hand, was nothing standout. Broth was average, noodles were good, meat was just meat. Nothing out of the ordinary. While I felt inspired by the Thai Iced Tea, I felt uninspired by the Pho. It was cheap (I went with regular size) and delivered fast (like most Pho places) it didn't offer much else for me.

Reviewer: wchane Total Reviews: 141 Reviewed: 12/24/2007 Rating: 7 My photo gallery	Pho Hua is our default pho joint if there's not a recommended one near by. Fortunately there is one across the street, its trademark green vinyl seats, and marketing posters line the walls. We settled on a small bowl of pho, a cafe su dua, fried spring roll, and the vermicelli with egg rolls and grilled pork. nothing was spectacular, but pho hoa is awesome due to it's uniformity and consistency. it has always delivered solid food for a reasonable price. lunch ran us ~$19 before tip. we both left stuffed.


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