Pho Kapahulu — Restaurant in Honolulu

Had a good lunch Labor Day(9/4/23) at this quaint place where two little old cheerful Vietnamese ladies were very kind & attentive to me & my husband.

We were directed to sit at a table & immediately they welcomed us as if we were coming into their very own home! The atmosphere is definitely dry homey as you’ll see no fuss or frills apart from some nice simple wall decor & some of the special menus they offer. One of the aunties pointed out their special local egg rolls which we definitely tried 7 was delicious!

I ordered the beef stew w/ rice noodles (Bun Bo Kho) & my husband ordered the Chicken pho (pho Ga) and they were really well made w/ good seasoning & flavor, not too salty but rich in goodness! Of course we also ordered a pork sandwich (Bun mi) cause the broth of the beef stew was so good to have with it.

After we were stuffed the aunties even brought over a couple of complimentary pastry desserts, they were tasty too! A good way to round out the savory meal we had. The value for your money goes a long way specially here in Honolulu, away from the tourist hubbub. Supporting local places like these which are a neighborhood treasure for visitors slowly turning locals like us always makes us feel the spirit of Aloha which is plentiful in this Island of Oahu. Mahalo for reading this far & if you wanna go out & try something a little more authentic w/ a local flare, definitely come visit this place.

Pro-tip - we read from another review that if you don’t find parking along the streets, you can park at Safeway & jaunt on to this...

Visiting Hawai'i from Colorado. It's kind of my thing to find new pho restaurants in whatever city I find myself in. I was walking around Honolulu, exploring, when I discovered this little diamond in the rough. I almost walked right past it, it's facade is so unassuming and humble. But I smelled the delicious scent wafting out the open door and decided to go in. So glad I did!

Inside were almost all locals. And I got really excited when I realized the staff speak mostly Vietnamese (you know it's going to be authentic food!). I ordered a Veggie and Tofu pho, a Honey Dew "Green Jelly Drink," and a to-go cabbage and chicken salad for my Mom back at the hotel.

Let me tell you, we have a lot of pho restaurants in Denver, but this was some of the best pho I've ever had. The broth was so dark and savory. The tofu was cooked to perfection (chewy and well cooked on the outside, soft on the inside, like a medium rare steak). And I had never had a "Jelly drink" before, in CO they have Boba shakes. The Jelly drink is not a shake and the jelly is basically lychee pressed into worm-like shapes. It's good.

For such a small and unassuming little restaurant, it has everything that really matters. Two thumbs...

I highly recommend Pho Kapahulu! The day we discovered this cozy spot, we ate there twice. We went for lunch, then went back later that evening for dinner with our girls. The food is delicious, the staff is friendly, and I appreciate how the chef made our orders look attractive on their plates--artistic even! Another thing that we like is their offering of sides and the pricing. We have been to several pho places on the island between Waianae and Honolulu. While we had good experiences at most of them, none really have a bowl of pho that caters to children. Our 2 and 4 year old daughter enjoy the dish, yet they don't need a $10 bowl. Basically, they want beef balls, pho noodles, broth, and maybe tofu. Well, at Pho Kapahulu, we were able to create them small bowls of pho from the sides menu--beef balls in broth and pho noodles--for under $5 altogether for both girls, since it's enough for them the share. Oh! When we were there for dinner, they brought us out complimentary cake once we had finished our meals. That's never happened at another pho restaurant. This is our new favorite spot for Vietnamese food, and I'm sure we will go there on a...