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Anh Hong
Category: Restaurants Vietnamese Vietnamese [Edit]
2067 University Ave(between Milvia St & Shattuck Ave)
Berkeley, CA 94704
Neighborhood: Downtown Berkeley
(510) 981-1789
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 11 am - 2 pm
Mon-Sun 5 pm - 10:30 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Steve L. said: "Synopsis: 3 stars for the food, bonus star for the friendly, attentive service. My buddies and I discovered this hidden gem in sleepy St. Francis Plaza. The food tastes comparable to the other Burmese restaurants I've tried (Burma…" read more »
196 reviews for Anh Hong
Review Highlights
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"Can't wait to go back for the 7 course beef." In 34 reviews -
"Something very fun to try if you're into spring rolls." In 37 reviews -
"...better when you wrapped them up in that thin rice paper." In 25 reviews
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196 reviews in English
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Review from Coron D.
Oakland, CA
5/12/2012 1 Check-in Here
Got to have their carpaccio and their Fish, my God! I'm a regular here. I try to go once a week, but have been falling off lately. If you're new, try the seven course, after that you'll have a feel of what u like, and THEN you can order it on your next trip without eating all the seven course. You know what I mean, or am I speaking to fast, it's 4 in the morning and I'm trying to get a badge, so my review might be incoherent..... hehehe.
But get the Bo La lop, bo tai chanh( Carpaccio, best in the game), Mo chai, and their Baked fish....... The fish's skin is crispy like a pork grind, and the meat is sweet like nector with lots of green garnishing it. Be warned, you got to order the Fish like 2 or 3 hours in advance if you need to order that..... I love all their locations, and the Brothers that own it are super cool.the Berkeley one was the weakest, but they stepped their game up, with portions and quality...... If you got balls eat your beef with the more pungeout fish sauce, throw some Chillies in their and go to town, you're really eating some true Vietnamese Cuisine.... -
Review from Cynthia C.
Alameda, CA
5/20/2012 4 photos
Service at lunch for a pretty busy Saturday lunch, was two people, so we basically placed our orders, got our food and were left to fend for ourselves. It would of been fine if they had brought extra plates for sharing and filled our water.
I didn't even particularly mind the dirty paper placemats. Weird, but I overlooked it.
Parking is relatively easy, there is a parking lot in the back $1.50 for an hour, beware of the sign on the machine, b/c it states $1.50/2 hours, however the ticket states the previous.
Food was pretty standard, I thought the lemongrass beef was a little on the sweet side. I enjoyed the lotus salad, but the pork was jerky dry. -
Review from Vincent L.
Berkeley, CA
3/17/2012
I'm obsessed with pho. My junior year at Cal I started off the spring semester with nine consecutive days of pho. I would have continued but I got too busy. Last year I went to a pho place in Oakland and got food poisoning (the vomiting every 10 minutes/bawling in self-pity kind) from slimy green pho beef. Learned-food-aversion kicked in for about five days, when I went out for pho again.
I've been to at least a dozen pho joints in the bay area (SF, Oakland, Berkeley), and this place is surpassed only by Da Nang in Albany. The only reasons Anh Hong doesn't get 5stars are due to absent-minded service and because your bill for an XL bowl will hit about $12 with t&t. Pho should never surpass $10, for authenticity's sake.
But the broth is amazing, especially if you nuke it with copious citric acid. Go. -
Review from Lynda L.
Sacramento, CA
3/12/2012
I went here with my date and I know he's in love with this place. We tried the goi and bbq pork ?? I'm not too sure what we ate since he ordered it for me. My date's favorite is the chao tom. Unfortunately the two times that we went here, they did not have the chao tom in stock.
I'm only giving this a 3 stars because I haven't tried the chao tom yet. I might come back and update this review once I try the chao tom.
Service was nice, and the restaurant looks pretty fancy for a vietnamese cuisine and the price is decent. -
Review from Tuyen B.
Berkeley, CA
12/25/2011
This review is for their mi (egg noodle) and bun (vermicelli).
Recently relocated up to Berkeley and of course had to find the coordinates for all the local Vietnamese joints. Even though they're known for their 7 courses of beef, I have yet to try it.
Anyhow, you SHOULD try the
-bun chao gio + tom (vermicelli + egg rolls + shrimp). It's not on the menu so you gotta somewhat customize it and they'll do it for you. The herbs were fresh and the nuoc mam is great (you're gonna have to ask for the garlic pepper if you wanna have spicy food like a true vietnamese eater).
I WOULDN'T get the mi (egg noodle).
I think they more so specialize in bun and other stuff, so the egg noodle wasn't as great. The broth wasn't as flavorful and it just didn't seem as fresh.
All in all, fair prices in Berkeley. I'd come back when I'm craving noodles. -
Review from Kathleen W.
Albany, CA
1/7/2012 1 Check-in Here
We were drawn in by the 7 courses of beef option on the menu. It was fun ... and definitely worth trying at least once - but rarely do I spent $20.00 per person for Vietnamese food. Why is it more expensive when I have to roll my own spring rolls? I would have been content with less food and a lower price I think.
Service was good and the food was interesting (in a good tasty way). -
Review from Joel G.
Albany, CA
3/23/2012
I like the ambience but my beef brisket pho seemed to be about half fat. Maybe it's my fault for ordering brisket. The wait staff could've been a bit more attentive as well.
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Review from Amy L.
11/1/2011
Great place! Its spacious, clean, and nothing like your regular pho-house. I always come here for their bbq plates, vermicilli noodles and savory crepes! I do not recommend this place for pho though. Their pho is really disappointing, the broth is not as delicious and flavorful as other places--hence only the four stars.
However, I do recommend their BBQ plates: pork or chicken is always good. Comes with a side of rice and salad. Also, they have lunch specials if you are in the area and want something fulfilling you should come here.
They make the best vietnamese crepes ive ever had, its called Banh xeo (it has shrimp, chicken and bean sprouts) in it and the outside is crunchy and delicious. I order it with a ride of rice paper and wrap my crepe in the rice paper and dip it in fish sauce.
Their vermicilli noodle bowls are great also! Order the ones with egg rolls. Its healthy, light and so satisfying. -
Review from Brenda K.
Los Angeles, CA
12/11/2011
Service was wonderful. Everyone was attentive and it was really cute when one girl asked us if we knew how to eat the egg rolls (I said we did and later called her back to show us when I realized I didn't know what to do with the lettuce!).
I ordered the pho beef noodle soup and was pleasantly surprised. While it was not the best beef noodle soup I've had, my cravings that day for good pho was satisfied.
In addition, the restaurant is very spacey and clean; it definitely didn't strike me as a 3.5 star place. -
Review from Phil M.
Oakland, CA
3/6/2012
The wrap was okay. The egg rolls were so small and the raw beef apetizer I got was disgusting they pre made it and left it in the refrigerator, even the fish sauce was nasty how can u go wrong with that
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Review from Lily C.
Sunnyvale, CA
9/6/2011
I don't know why they got bad reviews for its service. I actually loved the girl who served us! She was super cute and smiley, and she offered to show me how to make my own summer roll.
The bf and I got the BBQ chicken wrap dinner and the 7-course beef that everything's recommending here! They're both worth getting imo (: The BBQ chicken came with some interesting rice cakes that looked and tasted completely different from Chinese/Korean rice cakes. But things tasted really good when you wrap the veggies & meat & rice cakes up in a softened rice paper! The making your own food style totally reminded me of those shrimp summer rolls I got to try at my friend's house in Hawaii!
The 7-course beef was pretty decent too! The second course, I think it's raw beef or something, tasted a bit too oniony to me (but it's still good). I liked two types of sausages out of the four they served us. And they tasted even better when you wrapped them up in that thin rice paper. The beef porridge that they gave us in the end was aite. It's too fatty to be the last course..I only took two spoonfuls cause the after taste was pretty greasy.
But it's definitely an interesting place I'd love to go back to! I'd love to have some non-pho Vietnamese food once in a while =D -
Review from Foodies R.
San Francisco, CA
12/14/2011
This isn't a Pho House, they serve it but that's not the reason to come here.
They specialize in serving high quality cuts of beef, famous for their seven course meal, where each beef dish is prepared in a different style. All delicious.
My favorite dish here is their extra-large crispy fish. It's a 8-12lb cat fish served over a bed of lettuce with rice paper, fresh greens, and pickled vegetables that keeps us coming back. The portion is enough to feed 3-4 people!
The fish is lightly glazed with honey and baked until the skin becomes crunchy in texture. The fish remains moist and flavorful and when coupled with the fresh greens, pickled veggies, and traditional fish sauce, for us, there are few Vietnamese dishes that top it.
The restaurant is clean and nicely decorated with large, lacquered wood tables in the
middle, and an attractive fish tank which is for decoration only (sorry no picking out your dinner from this tank).
Overall one of the best Vietnamese restaurants outside of San Jose. -
Review from Erin P.
La Crescenta-Montrose, CA
2/27/2012 1 Check-in Here
Visiting a friend in Berkeley, I was informed that there were no good pho places in the area except this particular restaurant despite the fact that it's not their main specialty. I went in with bad expectations, but the standard pho tasted very delicious. The broth met up to my high standards and was a great remedy for my nausea. Service was fast and the waiter was pleasant, I would definitely revisit and try other entrees.
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Review from Maria Z.
Downey, CA
9/4/2011
I liked the food here, but I don't know that I would come rushing back. I don't have a lot of experience with Vietnamese food, but this place wasn't super flavorful. My friends and I split orders of grilled chicken, spring rolls, some kind of pork, and stir-fry noodles. It's not even memorable enough for me to write much about. It was just alright. I guess it was kind of neat to wrap my own spring rolls, but I'm not very good at it and it just because frustrating.
I don't hate the place, but it's not the best in town. -
Review from Michael N.
Concord, CA
8/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
Food was good. The service not so much...
They had a hard time understanding our request. This happened several times so this review is not without warrant -
Review from Lizi F.
San Leandro, CA
7/14/2011
Worst. Service. EVER. I rarely write really bad reviews about restaurents, but it managed to break my rule. The food was actually really tasty, we ordered the shrimp and beef rice noodle spring rolls, and basically you make spring rolls yourself and it's pretty filling for even two peoples! The meat was flavorful and they give you a lot of bean sprouts and carrots and cucumbers. BUT when we ordered, this rude waitress told us that they charge $2.00 extra for splitting, with an attitude. So we were forced to order a saigon roll (which was mediocre, but pretty delicately made), and we couldn't finish the springrolls.
Bad service gives customers a very unenjoyable experience no matter how good the food is. So, i guess i'm not going back there again :/ -
Review from Jean L.
2/17/2011
Doesn't completely suck, but it's getting there...
There's nothing to complain about when it comes to interior design, the place is spotless and always clean, although it has more of a jazz club/wine bar flair than it does for a pho restaurant, but whatever. Usually when I come here the place is almost always empty, so we always get seated near the windows.
A word of advice: Don't get any hot dishes, or any of the rice plates for that matter. Although it arrives on a HUGE plate you'll soon get disappointed, as they put everything (salad, rice, meat, etc) on the plate and is actually a lot smaller than initially thought. The chicken (if you order that) will be drier than you had hoped for, and the rice will have a very strange taste (almost sour?).
SO I get the pho. The pho is alright, does not shine as a dish that would keep this place afloat but then again there are no weird aftertastes. The service is nice and friendly, although slow; you win and you lose some. I almost always leave a little disappointed and less than completely satisfied. I almost always stop by Trader Joe's (now that there is one!) on the way back.
I would rather go somewhere else for pho and can't see myself returning unless I was really hungry (the place is close to my apartment). -
Review from Robert Y.
6/26/2011
4.5
Had the bo 7 mon which is called 7 courses if beef. Apparently its like a Vietnamese delicacy but it was quite tasty and worth to try at 19.95 a person.
We first got a beef salad that didnt look or taste like beef at all. Tons of veggies in a sweet and sour sauce.
Next we got the beef cooked rare in lemon juice. This was probably the prize of all the 7 courses. It was melt in your flavor with good texture. They gave 2 pieces per person so savor it!
Next they gave us beef porridge which had a strong beef and ginger flavor. Good for lunch but doesnt really fit for dinner IMO. Its kinda like eating breakfast food for dinner but it was very flavorful and tasty also.
Next they have the rest of the beef courses all in one plate to be wrapped in rice paper with mint, lettuce, bean sprouts, and carrots. 3 out of the 4 looked like beef sausages while the last one was a meatball/meatloaf like texture. The 3 beef sausages varied in flavor but to me didnt really impress me as it tasted like sausage. The meatloaf was pretty good as it had mushrooms and vermicelli like noodles inside.
Overall, I would recommend this place for the 7 courses of beef. The only knock about this place is that the service was a bit subpar. -
Review from Tina A.
6/24/2011
AMAZING BO 7 MON! (7 course beef) - Tasty, fresh, tender, juicy, and fragrant! Definitely worth the $19.95 per person.
Beef Salad:
- incredibly flavorful, tangy, fresh, and crispy/crunchy veggies - although there was not much beef to be found in this salad, it was so tasty we disregarded it
Beef Carpaccio:
- thinly sliced rare beef in an acidic/tangy sauce
- sounds dangerous but is probably the most delicious rare (raw) beef i have ever tried in my life
- garnished with fresh green onions/fragrant plants
Grilled Beef Lot Leaf + Beef Sausage
- juicy, tender, flavorful sausages, that compliment all the veggies perfectly
Beef Meat Balls:
- a unique flavor (sweet, mushroomy, savory)
- soft and breakable texture, very pliable and easily wrapped
Grilled Beef Lemongrass:
- a little on the dry side compared to the other forms of beef, however it was still tasty inside a springroll
Beef Porridge:
- on the soupier side (more broth than rice) - makes this dish more flavorful and enjoyable
- plenty of deep fried shallots, green onions, ginger, and garlic to flavor the soup
- best tasting porridge i have ever had from a restaurant
All this food comes with rice paper wraps, lettuce, green/red mints, rau ma, carrots, daikon, cucumber, bean sprouts, and other fresh veggies. The food is all so flavorful, you may not even need to dip your spring roll into fish sauce! a great place to practice your goi coun (spring roll) / burrito wrapping skills!
This place is so good I would bring my mother here - and she is very particular about her vietnamese food (because she makes it the best!) - definetly a place to have a good dinner with a group of friends also (because who wants to eat a bo 7 mon by themselves??) -
Review from Wendy H.
3/10/2011
I love wraps. My husband doesn't like getting his hands dirty, but to me, that's part of the fun. Instead of ordering the 7 beef combo, I'd recommend one of their other wraps, like the shrimp and pork. The 7 beef combo is just not worth the price to me. You can get the same if not better experience by ordering the shrimp and pork wrap, the beef carpaccio and skipping some of the other things that come with the beef meal.
Their pho is okay, but I wouldn't come here just for the pho. My husband ordered the chow mein last time, which was okay, but the oyster mushrooms in it tasted off. Just eat around them.
The wraps + ambiance = 4 stars. -
Review from Betty W.
Berkeley, CA
2/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
beef carpaccio is a yums.
Try to seven beef course. Usually one person really cannot eat all that meat, so the trick is to order one. BUT OH WAIT! they charge a split fee of $2. SOOOOOO THE REAL TRICK is to order one, but also order a small appetizer. Springs rolls for $4.50 is not a bad choice for that. -
Review from Frantascia P.
Oakland, CA
12/26/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Tasty lunch beef and chicken combo plate! It passed the ten year old's taste test.
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Review from Eva Y.
5/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
The place: pretty spacious for groups; TV for sports games; No bar but they offer beer, wine, and some cocktails.
The food: rice platters are huge; 7-course beef is pretty yummy and decently priced; do it yourself spring roll wraps- yummy!
They even give you a card on how to wrap your own spring rolls. Aside from that, I truly enjoy their beef carparcio as well. It is a bit on the sweeter side but the beef is always super fresh here.
Pho would not the thing to get here for 9 bucks. Go with the spring rolls, rice platters... it's a better deal for what you get. -
Review from Anne L.
Berkeley, CA
8/4/2011
Seven courses of beef?! Yum!
I originally thought the portions were kind of little, but I ended up being too full to finish my food. The beef tartare was probably my favorite out of all of the dishes, but all of the others were delicious as well.
The interior is a lot bigger and a lot nicer than your typical Asian restaurant. Only reason this place doesn't deserve five stars is because it's is so big that you get forgotten about by the servers. They were really nice when they did happen to come by though. -
Review from Christine B.
Berkeley, CA
1/8/2011 2 photos
For some reason my mom wanted to eat lunch right after eating brunch at La Note (we literally stepped foot out of La Note when she said, let's get something soup-y). We were originally going to go to Taiwan but it looked pretty run down so we went for some Pho here instead. The prices were very decent ($4 for spring rolls, $4 for shrimp wonton soup and $9 for a large Pho).
The spring rolls were good but the peanut sauce was really weird. It tasted like candy (not in a good way). Peanut sauce is very important to me and I will not forgive them easily for messing that up (they still get a 4 star though... so maybe I do forgive easily). The shrimp wonton soup was also delightful! The broth tasted so good.
Me and my mom were gonna share the Pho so we got a large but we didn't realize how HUGE it was going to be. We forced Jimmy (my brother) to eat some as well so we could finish the thing. It took three people to take that thing down (but my bro's practically anorexic & me and my mom just ate brunch so maybe that's also why).
The fact that this place tasted great despite the fact that we weren't even that hungry means its pretty darn good. Whenever I'm in the mood for Pho in Berkeley I'll be coming here! -
Review from Bill H.
3/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
Came here for a quasi-Valentine's dinner with my girlfriend. I'd steer clear of the seven course beef dinner. Can't explain why. Just doesn't feel right.
Rolling your own spring roll is a lot of fun, but at the end of the meal the ingredients weren't terribly interesting (we split one of the roll-your-own dishes, obviously, and a crow's nest-ey salad).
Service was good, though, and prices were right. -
Review from Courtney B.
El Cerrito, CA
3/19/2011
I love this restaurant. I loved the one in SF first though as it was close the the apartment we had in SF. The one in SF is more of an authentic experience full of locals. The one in Berkeley is much bigger with nicer space. At either location they offer "The seven course of beef" (which my hubby enjoys and some fabulous "make your own spring rolls" (which are my all time favorite here. OM goodness... Anh Hong I love you and your staff.
Oh also, really good is the beef carpaccio! -
Review from Linh H.
American Canyon, CA
11/1/2011
It was ok. Not that great. Had a date with the most beauthyful girl went in to do the Bo 7 mon. Barely had any meat! 3 little pieces. Then then 7th course came it was one little bowl of porridge for two people? Really? Then bill comes they charged us for one person with a charge for sharing fee? we wanted for two since there were two of us ... But kinda glad it happen because I would of been more mad paying $40+ for ok food. Most likely not coming back
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Review from Andrew C.
I was thinking of trying the Mexican/Indian/Pakistani restaurant El Sombrero Taqueria (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) when I saw a sign for pho in Anh Hong's window so naturally I had to go in.
They have one pho on the menu. Beef combo with flank, brisket, rare steak, and beef balls. No options for tendon or tripe. I ordered the regular ($6.95) with an order of Cha Gio Saigon ($5) which, the waiter said were wrapped with rice stick noodles. A bit of a communication issue as I thought they were cha giò re which have deep fried noodles as the roll wrapper (http://farm2.static.fl...) while these were their regular imperial rolls (Cha Gio Anh Hong) with cooked vermicelli noodles on top (see pic).
The cha gio came with a nice pile of lettuce, mint, and perilla for wrapping and dipping. Small jars of nuoc cham and chili paste are provided for mixing up your own dipping sauce. These started out alright, but the noodles rapidly de-crunchified the rolls. I'd get the regular ones next time which come with the noodles on the side.
The pho came with the usual plate of basil, sprouts, jalepeno slices, and lemon wedge and six 3-4" slices of steak (see pics). The broth was light, oil free, and sweet. I wasn't a fan of the sweetness. The noodles and meat, however, were pretty good. The noodles were nicely al dente and not in the usual clump you find at most places. All of the meats were tender as well. Only 3 halves of beef balls were in the regular size bowl.
I think this is the only Anh Hong location that serves pho. I've been told it's not the best thing on the menu and more to get suckers like me in the door!
3.5 stars overall. I'm rounding down todayListed in: What the Pho-ck?, Campus Crusade for Cuisine
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Review from Rachel R.
San Diego, CA
5/24/2011
The 7 courses of beef meal is DELICIOUS. I came here with my family and they couldn't stop raving about it. We especially enjoyed wrapping the beef sausage things in the rice paper; it made eating fun.
My only gripes are that the 7 course meal costs a lot and there's a splitting fee. In my opinion though, it's definitely worth it to come here at least once and try the 7 courses. -
Review from Emily W.
Berkeley, CA
7/11/2011
I just ordered their saigon rolls and seafood noodle soup. I was super hungry, but they had absolutely no taste whatsoever. It was like eating cardboard.
Extremely disappointing to spend $15 on a lunch I can't even finish.
However, they were nice when I took back the soup and gave me my money back for it...the rolls I guess were edible, so I kept those. -
Review from Jana S.
Updated - 8/28/2010 6 photos
I had the persipacity to come here the other night cuz' the hankering for Bo7Mon hit, and it hit hard....
bobaimong.. 7 course beef, Vietnamese style.
I'm still a fan of this feast of beef, but noticeably, their portions have cut down (commensurate to people's spending habits, I'm sure, in this economy). I don't blame them. Used the http://restaurant.com incentive. Take note that one is to spend min $20 on food only; beverages do not count.
Speaking of which... the thai iced tea was prepared well. Nice ratio and I appreciated that.
Everything is so fresh, and a Vietnamese restaurant that is clean, non-sticky, and has a bit of decorating sense!? Another thumbs up. Solid.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/26/2010
Reunited with a girfriend at this great restaurant for conversation...
2 recos off the bat:
1.… Read more »
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Review from Carmina B.
Berkeley, CA
10/28/2010
A great place to go with a group or family. The restaurant is modern with a bar, quiet and roomy compared to other fellow Asian restaurants. Reservations are not needed as they don't seem to fill half their restaurant, even on a weekend. Service is fair but could be improved.
Known for their seven course beef dinner, priced at $19.99/pp, the carnivore in you would be very satisfied. Although there is plenty of beef served in various styles, you will also receive plenty of greens, herbs and wraps to compliment your dinner. There is more than enough food for one person's order and would recommend one order to share along with an appy or pay for the nominal split charge.
Other items I've tried there are their pho, spring rolls and crepe which are all fairly decent but priced higher than the competition.
A must try if you're famished and in the mood for beef! -
Review from Gal S.
El Cerrito, CA
9/15/2011
We ate in this restaurant twice. I think the food is ok for this level of restaurant, not super exciting but relatively tasty. I gave it 4 stars instead of 3 because I like wrapping up my own spring rolls. It makes the food taste better when you can play with it.
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Review from Ian C.
Berkeley, CA
6/9/2011
Seven courses of beef! That says it all.
While Anh Hong has some respectable other dishes, such as the pho, I almost always come here with a group and get their specialty (7 course beef). It is about $20 per person, but well worth the monthly splurge.
Decor is spacious, although they used to also have a really nice bar in the middle of the floor which is now gone?
Excellent beers on tap, and with the drafts being only $3 during the daily happy hour, I am always a happy customer.
Wonderful spot to eat in a convenient location. -
Review from Numrin T.
Berkeley, CA
Best vietnamese food in Berkeley. Based on personal experience and a friend who comes here often, the food is always DELICIOUS and prepared with extremely high consistency. The fun part is that you get to make your own rolls so you can have either meat heavy or vegetable-filled wraps. Another course that deserves 5 stars is their 7-course beef. It was definitely the course to die for if you're craving meat.
The restaurant is too big, so it feels empty most of the time. GREAT service. Our hot water for preparing the warps was constantly replaced so we had hot water all night. The food was served quickly and the staff was super nice. -
Review from Heejin L.
Los Angeles, CA
7/19/2011 1 photo
so good!
first time trying seven course beef.
the server dropped one of our shrimp chips but she didn't bring us more.
but the beef was good.
i like how you can make your own spring roll.
wet the rice paper fill it with meat and veggies and then wrap.
it's hard to get it to look presentable to eat.
but i think i got the hang of it.
the food is good.
flavorful.
i would come back. -
Review from Derrek C.
San Francisco, CA
8/10/2010
There was a point in time when I would eat at Ahn Hong 2 or 3 days out of the week, and for a very good reason at that: their pho is the best pho in the UC campus area.
Ahn Hong's pho completely blows its competitors' pho out of the water. Sure, Ahn Hong's pho might cost a little more, but you get what you pay for. The moment you have a bite of Ahn Hong's pho, you can tell that they know their stuff. The broth is really flavorful and rich, the noodles aren't overcooked or undercooked, and the portions are generous. The only downer is the meat, which varies by visit (sometimes they'll give the flank steak rare, and sometimes well done upon serving, and the number of beef balls also varies from 4-6). But meat is only 33% of the pho equation anyways, and Ahn Hong nailed the other 66% :). All the other places around campus either have a weak broth AND low-quality noodles, or nasty beef AND over-salted broth, or some permutation of those negatives, effectively botching their pho and making it crap compared to Ahn Hong's.
Their other dishes aren't half bad either. If you go for something other than the pho (be sure to grab the http://Restaurant.com coupon if you do!), I'd recommend the combination clay pot, especially if you like mushrooms! It's a pretty light dish, and the ingredients are fresh and top-notch. There's chicken, shrimp, onions, 3 kinds of mushrooms, a healthy portion of rice, and plenty of spices for a killer aroma and big flavor.
All in all, if you have a craving for pho (or Vietnamese food), and are in the UC campus area, give Ahn Hong a try--you won't be disappointed.
Oh, and they also have discounts during lunch hours! -
Review from Cath M.
**4 stars for the FOOD**
**1 star for the SERVICE**
I came here with a friend this past Tuesday... never heard of this spot so I was excited.
Upon walking in... it was dead. It took us a while to get seated... yes you read right... awhile to get seated since no one from the restaurant was giving us attention!
We got seated... given the menu and so long server!
We thought the server was giving us eye contact ... nope!
Finally we had to raise our hands so they could see we're ready...
We ordered the following:
- Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Shrimps = it tasted fresh and it was good. Not enough shrimp in each roll though...
- Shaking Beef = WOW! This was delicious! The flavoring was just right and the bell peppers were crunchy. I couldn't get enough... I ended up eating the whole thing.
Like I said... FOOD was good... Service just sucked! Mentally prep yourself for the service... I think it'll be a a hit or miss and it all depends on what day you go too as well... -
Review from Daniel L.
4/30/2009
Tired of all the pho places that have an one-dimensional decor while hanging one legged between mediocrity and outright inedibility, I decided to check out Anh Hong to get a different outlook. Historically the previous businesses that occupied this space had all failed so after a few renditions of the same old song and maybe even bad feng shui one would've figured that this restaurant will probably not last for long.
My skepticism started to diminish when I realized their super fancy décor with a full bar at the center, spacious arrangements of seating areas, and captivating layout with thematic colors of dark brown, vibrant red and lily white. What was more impressive was that their menu was filled with dishes that I would have never expected to encounter in Berkeley. To name a few, seven courses of beef, banh xeo, and bun chay. While their pho selection was unimpressive, but their rice-centric menu was put together by design to accentuate fine dining but also to illustrate that Vietnamese cuisine is more than just a bowl of pho.
My combination pho took some time to arrive but it was excellent. The broth could have been cooked a little longer but it was still fantastic while the noodles delivered a nice, firm texture instead of being overcooked and worn out. The beef had the right complexion and moisture, and the side dish of sprouts, basil, and jalapeno were fresh and plentiful. It was a well composed bowl of pho!
Service was a little shaky as the register located by the bar was ill-positioned to face the back of the restaurant, robbing the servers the chance to attend to those seated in the front. They also failed to clarify their $10 minimum policy on credit card charges, and this led to an awkward moment in the end when I had to pull the remaining cash from my wallet. As a featured lunch special, the food was still pricy at $8 + tax and tip. With food this good, I hope to come back again to check out their banh xeo for my next visit.
