Turtle Tower — Restaurant in San Francisco

Not to be dramatic, but…I was devastated when I learned Turtle Tower was closing. I had spent numerous (understatement!!!) days comforted by their pho when I was sick and/or hungover over the course of 15 yrs throughout my 20s and 30s. The first Turtle Tower location I went to was their Outer Richmond outpost, the location I enjoyed the most was the OG TL spot, and the one I patronized most frequently was in the SoMa. The entire time they were closed I BARELY had ANY PHO because every pho spot I’ve tried to replace Turtle Tower with paled in comparison; I was resigned to only having pho in the off chance I happened to be in San Jose. So when I learned last month Turtle Tower was reopening with the same ownership, I damn near shed a tear...

With that said, nearly $40 for a bowl of pho ga and an order of goi cuon bo kinda hurt. Rest assured, the pho ga tastes EXACTLY the same. Despite it being almost $20 now - and them skimping a bit on the noodles - I will definitely be coming back. The pho ga is just THAT GOOD. And when I come back I definitely will not be ordering the goi cuon bo again or any goi cuon because the portion size was quite anemic. Unfortunately, I didn’t snap a photo, but 5000% you can get goi cuon of equal or better quality in a larger portion for cheaper in the city. I wish I took a photo, but didn’t, so you just gotta trust me here - it was barely worth $10, much less the $15 it costs. Hardly any meat, almost no mint, mostly lettuce. It was kind of pathetic. I really didn’t want to say this, but if I save anyone out there $15, it’s worth it (because in this economy?!).

Apparently they’re still in their soft opening phase, so after the grand opening I’ll come back and sample what other new items they have on the menu. San Francisco is definitely lacking the diversity of Viet food San Jose and even Oakland has, but even if I’m not partial to their new menu items, I will always, ALWAYS come back for their pho. They could charge $25 per bowl and I’d still come back. Next time, I’ll get the dac biet. I loved their dac biet then, and I am looking forward to...

What a pleasant surprise… I’ve been in this neighborhood many times and I’ve never come across this restaurant and I’m glad we did.. it was my birthday, so we didn’t want to leave without giving them the opportunity to completely impress and pamper us… and they did. We went relatively early in the evening, so the restaurant was still pretty empty, what a beautiful build out… first floor, easy access for all abilities.

We started with the imperial rolls (Nem Cua) and fried cuttlefish patty… the cuttlefish Pattie’s melted in your mouth with only a subtle fish flavor, they were a great starter and absorber of the alcohol we ordered, a Buddha beer and Dragon Loard…. The fish sauce with the imperial rolls was one of the more distinct and memorable flavors from the meal.

For dinner we ordered the Pho Sat Vang or red-wine rice noodle soup with Beef… what a wonderful combination of flavors, the noodles were cooked perfectly and the meat was prepared so well that none of the fat or tendon balls were present… a sign that the chef really paid attention to each dish being prepared. The red-wine sauce really complemented the tradition pho flavors that I’m used to, the mint, the basil… I think I would prefer to have this added tang in any of my future Pho dishes.

For dessert we had Banh Kep, or the green waffles…what a treat, they came with whip cream, but also some custard sauce (perhaps because it was my birthday) or upon request I’m sure… but after such a hearty meal, it was a very savory and delicious finish…. Mouth watering just thinking of it.

Loved the cleanliness, the portion sizes and the vibe… everything was top notch and really enjoyed the experience… great place to eat on my...

A welcome addition to the Financial District! As a patron of Barbacco for many years, I’m happy to see another great quality-casual option open up in the neighborhood. I walked in at 6pm on a Tuesday with no reservation and was sat almost immediately. This was my first time at Turtle Tower, so I wanted to get a good mix of things to try and decided on: (1) fresh spring rolls w/beef, (2) papaya salad, (3) beef and veggie noodles (no soup), and (4) pandan waffles.

The beef spring rolls were very fresh, but lacked flavor and needed more beef. They came with a fermented sardine sauce I was not a fan of, but my server offered an optional peanut sauce that was delicious (it was flavorful and almost chocolatey!) The papaya salad was great; extremely fresh and refreshing with a little spice. The beef and veggie noodles were very tasty. Again, all the ingredients, including the beef, were very fresh and high quality. It wasn’t a soup, but was still “soupy” with a lot of viscous sauce. My only complaint about the dish was a heavy taste of liquid smoke on the noodles, which I am not a fan of. The pandan waffles were very unique, smelled and tasted amazing! What a fun treat. They came with fresh whipped cream and my server also drizzled a little condensed milk on top which took it over the edge.

Overall, I was happy with my meal and plan to return and try more menu items. The strengths of the cuisine are the freshness and quality of ingredients, although some dishes could use a...