PHO & Co — Restaurant in Oʻahu

I never heard of this place before. I did some research and found out they claim to be the first Pho in Kapolei, from some years ago. I did a on-line search, found their menu, and it is a bit pricey. But I felt it was worth a try. We went last night, and ordered two Pho Dac Biet large size. They don't leave condiments at the table anymore, so they come out and ask you what you need and they give you some portions in small dishes. I have to say their garlic chili sauce is very good, and you should try some in your Pho.

Anyway, fast forward, the prices were more expensive than what I saw online. $19.80 for an X-Large Pho. I did not see how big it is, but I hope it is big enough for two or more at that price. The large was $12.95, which is starting to be the norm in Hawaii, possibly due to rent prices.

Anyway, the soup was hot and tasty. I would give that 4 stars. The meat was tasty, and plentiful, would give that 5 stars. The only thing they failed at were the noodles. The noodles were plenty enough, but they were over cooked and soft from the beginning. I hate overcooked rice noodles. I gave to give them a 1 or 2 star for this. Over all I give them a 3 star, and I will return and try again just to compare. I will update this review with that experience when I do.

This is a family owned and operated business. They seem like very nice people and it felt...

The food was okay, nothing especially noteworthy - maybe a little skimpy on the meat in the sandwich. The lady who checked me out was pleasant. The server who took care of me and my popolo mother was short and unfriendly while being helpful and friendly to others. She made sure to say goodbye and thank others for the visit while ignoring my request for a take-out container and never returning after dropping the check.

In the service industry, black people get a bad rap for being horrible tippers. As a previous server, I leave the table and surrounding area clean (even with a baby) and tip well. I don't know why the server was bad for just our table, but I wonder if it has anything to do with color of my mother's skin. I never receive this kind of treatment when alone, as I don't look black, more racially ambiguous. I only notice this not so subtle treatment when I'm with my mother. As a person of color, do you ever get this sick feeling like your being treated poorly even though you haven't acted untoward to anyone? It was that kind of feeling.

All this to say, I won't be returning for food that was just okay and service that left me and my mother feeling...

We ordered regular pho and the oxtail pho. The pho broth was amazing, but they used the dried package pho noodles. They also limited the vegetables due to “inflation”. They have a sign up tell not to waste their condiments. They lost two stars due to that and service. They took our order and kind of just left us there. The whole restaurant (7 people) just took their break and started eating while we were there. I’m Vietnamese so I understood them. Not all restaurants that gossip means they are good, that’s a hype. It would have been two stars if one of their server didn’t come refill our drinks and brought the lemons that we originally asked for. It was only us and another table which was slow, but to just drop everything and eat when you have customers was...