Turtle Tower Restaurant

This is real PHO, period. The other kind is just the regular standard type diluted by the Southerners; the standard type tastes the same everywhere you go but the Turtle Tower pho has a unique taste. I don't get it. It takes the chef hours to prepare the delicious broth and these bozos, as soon as the bowl is set down,throw in it everything found on the table. What the heck! Why even bother to order pho. It's supposed to be consumed with as little condiment as possible to maintain the aroma and flavor of the broth. Eating pho is an art. By the way, the proper type of noodles used in pho is the fat one, not the skinny one.

I would have to disagree about all the other reviews. If you are one that love Pho Soup the Traditional way; meaning with the sprouts, basil & mint leaves, lime, and peppers you WILL NOT like this place. If you like the normal Traditional style noodles you will not like this place. The noodles are too wide and thick. The soup itself is tasteless missing favor and it’s greasy. They do not have oyster sauce the brown sauce that is usually mixed in with the hot red sauce. They do not have the cold spring rolls the ones served with the peanut sauce. This is not a Vietnamese Restaurant in my opinion. I wasted my money and the girl at the register was RUDE. I was very disappointed and I am taking the soup back to ask for a refund.

Best pho in San Francisco: Simply the best pho in San Francisco. This is Hanoi style pho so it does not come with the bean sprouts and mint leaves you get in southern style VN restaurants. It also has the flat noodles (fun?) as opposed to vermicelli. But, what you get is a pho with a light, non-greasy broth, flavored with ginger. I always order the beef pho with rare beef (pho tai). But, many people like the chicken (pho ga). Along with the pho comes lime and jalapeno pepper slices to add to the broth.

There are other items on the menu (such as the Hanoi dish bun cha). But, the pho is what people come here for.

Service is fairly fast. This is a noisy place and definitely not fancy. If you are dining alone, you are likely going to be asked to share a table. But, Turtle Tower is a good value and people come here for the food, not the ambiance.

Comments (1)

Just Madd - 12/18/08
You call that Pho, whatever Hanoi style is; not good. I tasted no ginger and the broth was very greasy and tasteless. Just my opinion, now I know there is a difference. But I am glad you enjoyed it.