Bun Bo Hue Dong Ba — Restaurant in San Jose

2022 UPDATE—NEW RESTAURANT called Bun Bo Dong Ba. May 2022. The 5 stared restaurant in my previous review is no more. Another restaurant takes its place. The food is decent but nowhere near the same as before. Last week I tried the Bún Bò Huế. The broth is still ok but the meat was cut paper thin, dried, hard without any taste. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s machine sliced from a frozen block of low quality meat. The noodles were not chewy but a bit over cooked. The number of item on the menu tripples. The price increases 50%. The bowls and chopsticks are new. The music is loud. By now you all can tell the sad disappointment I had with this new restaurant that takes the place of my most favorite bún bò restaurant in San Jose. I guess another good thing is gone from my mundane life. So normal yet so sad.

MOST AUTHENTIC ‘BUN BO HUE’ 2020 For over 30 years I have been enjoying the BBH and this is the only place I go to in San Jose area. Its Bun Bo is the closest to the ones I had in Hue and at home. I only took my 93 years old Mom who was a pure Hue ‘citizen’ :) to this restaurant for BBH and nowhere else.

Its soup broth is light not heavily salted. The hint of lemongrass is there and that’s what make the special taste of BBH. The shrimp paste deepens the broth and absent in the smell. The slices of beef shank are soft enough and thick enough. A big plus compared to the paper thin slices at other restaurants. I was there last Friday and the soup was hot, really hot.

Now let’s talk about service. This is a family run and a friendly talk with the staff will help us being treated in a friendly way. Even a complaint can be done in a constructive conversation. I would not label the staff ‘professional’ but they were nice enough for me that I keep coming back year after year.

I was at the restaurant 4 days ago and the place was nice and clean to me. The price is very reasonable. No complaint here either. Weekday afternoons are the best times, quiet and few customers . Weekends are busiest...so please be patient with the busy staff.

This special place was handed down to the children who are doing a great job keeping the BBH authentic still. I just wish they add some Rau Răm to the soup. Just like with the lemongrass, this herb makes the taste of BBH what it is—the most famous and great tasting soup from Huế, the former imperial city in the...

If I could not choose a star I would but I canxt not chose any star so I selwct 1. My mom and I stopped in for lunch at this place today. The place was dingy and dirty. The man who sat us at our table was also busing the tables and taking orders. He made us wait while he took irders from the customers who came in after us because he knew them. Once I placed my orders, the appetizer was brought out pretty fast but the sauce was spicy so I asked the lady who brought our food if I could have some sauce without jalepenos. The man came by my table and rudely told me that I'm old enough to be able to eat spicy food then walk away. I was upset but did not say anything because my mom was with me and I didn't want to cause a scene. When our food arrived, it was luke warm. It took ke several tries to ger his attentions before he come to iur table. When I told him our food was cold, he grabbed my bowl and walked up to the counter slammed it down on the counter telling the staff in the kitchen to warm it up. Completely ignoring my mom's bowl. I have to walk up to the front counter with my mom's bowl and asked the staff to warm it up for me. I've never been treated so disrepectful in my life. I paid for the food I ordered and left a $2.00 tip just to show I'm not there for a hand out. Needless to say I'll never go back and so not recommend this place to...

Originally posted this review for the wrong location. This review is for the Senter Road location.

This was my first experience with Bun Bo style Vietnamese food, but definitely not the last.  The food at Bun Bo Hue An Nam is delicious!

We started with the rice cake appetizers.  Each more tasty than the next. The pairing of rice cake with savory crackers and pork rinds dipped in fish sauce was an unexpected but pleasant surprise.

We continued with the house specialty Bun Bo Hue.  The noodles had wonderful texture and the pork the most tender and flavorful in a soup!  Excellent down to the last drop of broth.  Wow.

I added a picture of the pork from the soup because it was unbelievably tender and flavorful. Better than best char sui in ramen.

The servings were substantial and service was excellent. Add a 6th star for the very clean bathroom.

I should also add that I really like the spoon with extra long neck and hook. No effort expended on preventing my spoon from slipping into the soup bowl.  Nice!

Look forward to...