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Hale Vietnam Restaurant
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
183 reviews for Hale Vietnam Restaurant
Review Highlights
"Also, I would recommend the Imperial Rolls."
(in 45 reviews)
"I think I've found my new pho spot."
(in 142 reviews)
"green papaya salad with pork and shrimp."
(in 6 reviews)
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183 reviews in English
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Review from Kristen K.
Honolulu, HI
2/9/2012
Best place I've found so far for pho on the island!! (my personal opinion)
Plus, it's clean, a/c, and located off of Waialae ave...with parking available.
Their pho is DELICIOUS. The broth is just so good.
So are the imperial rolls and one of their desserts....my friend got it last time...something homemade & unique. Ask them what it is....sorry that I can't recall it right now. -
Review from Grace B.
2/3/2012
I enjoyed the Pho and imperial rolls here. It was great! I will tell you why.
SERVICE
I have to say this was my first time in this place. I am visiting Hawaii, so my cousin and her husband invited me to try their food. Since they are regulars, the waiters knew exactly was coming to the table. They went the extra mile to make sure we were taken care of. They gave us any utensils we needed.
FOOD
I had Pho with the chicken meatballs. I also had imperial rolls. They were both delicious. I cant stop thinking about it. I really want to go back and taste again.
ENVIRONMENT
It looks like a family restaurant. It's great! You can bring the entire family to enjoy the wonderful food.
I definitely would love to come back again. -
Review from Christine E.
San Jose, CA
1/27/2012
This is one of my auntie's favorite places for Ox Tale stew.
I don't eat meat so I didn't try it, but it looked good!
The decor is nice and the place has great soup dishes. Pricing is good and service is not bad either. It gets very busy so if you have a large group, which we did, I would definitely recommend calling for a reservation. We had over 12 people in our party so they accommodated us nicely.
Parking can be tricky too, street or paid lot only. -
Review from Robert D.
1/12/2012
Good:
Food is great here, I absolutely love the Summer and Imperial Rolls. It's always fresh and so tasty. Great way to start a meal here!
The Pho is good, I've had better for the price but the broth is great. The noodles on the other hand seems over boiled to me, I like a little more texture with noodles.
The Iced Coffee with Condensed milk is to die for! Very strong flavor and by far one of the best iced coffees I've had at all the Vietnamese restaurants I've eaten at.
Bad:
I really don't know if it's just me but sometimes the service can be really rude. Yeah, I know serving is hard since I work at a restaurant and I'm dating someone who was a server at a restaurant but damn, can the servers here at least smile? It really kills my mood having a server look at me like they got something better to do with their time.
OMGWTF:
I was here the other week with two of my friends and I swear I have never felt so rushed to eat in my life. Yes, food came out fast, kudos guys. But, we weren't even done eating and the server put the check on our table. Geez, my Iced Coffee wasn't even done filtering and they're expecting us to finish and go? We were very dissatisfied with the treatment we received. It was especially embarrassing for me since I touted this place to my friends that we should hit this place up for lunch. I already know my friends told me they won't be back, but I'll be giving this place one more shot since I've been a customer for years. -
Review from Jenny F.
1/17/2012 1 Check-in Here
PHO. DELICIOUS PHO. That's all this review is for.
Need I say more? Best pho I've ever had, and my friend says that Hale Vietnam's pho is even better than the bowls she had in Vietnam, and she lived there for a year and ate pho almost every day!
Get the pho with brisket. It's delicious. pho sho. (let's be real, you knew that was coming)
tip: this place is popular, so don't expect to linger after you satisfy your hunger. (they'll politely ask you to leave!) -
Review from Laura N.
Kailua, HI
1/30/2012
Love the stuffed drumsticks. :) also love the chicken pho. Been to a few other places, and just can't compare. The best overall experience.
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Review from Marisa R.
12/24/2011 3 Check-ins Here
So good.
I dream about the imperial rolls.
I usually go with my mom and order for the both of us. Once she went by herself and couldn't remember what she usually gets and the waitress remembered. Now that's service! -
Review from Becky T.
12/24/2011
So my husband has been trying to get me to come here forever now as he used to come here a lot. Having been experiencing just meh places around the island, I'm hesitant to try other places and like to stick to the try and true places. I was pleasantly surprised though to get a very tasty bowl of pho that was really meaty with very tender beef. I didn't like that it was near $10, but the amount of meat in it, the nice and prompt service, and better ambience compared to other pho places makes up for it. This is the sort of Vietnamese places that you can take your non-Asian friends to if you know what I mean.
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Review from Victoria C.
Honolulu, HI
11/27/2011 1 photo
Ok I'll admit, I haven't been to Hale Vietnam in awhile BUT I used to come here quite a bit especially with my family. So I can't really say how the food has been recently but I always thought there pho was the best tasting. Since I don't like eating too much noodles, the broth is really important to me. I love that they put Chinese parsley in their pho (lots of places don't) and in everything else. They also make pretty awesome imperial rolls.
When I'm not in a pho mood, I like to order their chicken fried rice. Comes with a small bowl of the pho broth =) Oh and their stuffed chicken wings are bombtastic!!
Restaurant is also nice & clean! Staff is attentive & friendly too! -
Review from Lynvi S.
10/8/2011
This place should be called HAOLE Vietnam. Vietnamese people don't eat here.
It's a clean, comfortable restaurant where non-Vietnamese people can enjoy watered-down overpriced Vietnamese food in the company of other non-Vietnamese people. I grew up in Kaimuki but I had only been to Haole Vietnam once because my Vietnamese mother complained about how the food was so junk and expensive.
So on Thursday night I was craving pho, but the bf will only eat pho at Ha Long. We were in Kaimuki and Ha Long was out of the way, so I suggested Haole Vietnam because it's non-Vietnamese-friendly. I was still skeptical but some of my friends said the food wasn't that bad, so I figured we'd give it a try. At 6:30 p.m. the restaurant was pretty full and just as I had suspected, I was the only Vietnamese person in there other than the employees.
Imperial Rolls - Seriously??? They weren't bad, but they certainly weren't good. My mom and everyone else's Vietnamese mother and aunty makes better cha gio than this. Hell, I can make better cha gio than this.
Pho - Sigh. Like the Imperial Rolls, the Pho wasn't bad but it wasn't good at all. I had to add a lot of hoisin sauce and then it was tolerable. At $8.50 for a medium bowl I was disappointed, but I should've known better.
I'm glad that the bf enjoyed everything, but I was completely bored and underwhelmed with the food at Haole Vietnam. Then again, I'm really picky/bitchy when it comes to Vietnamese food. The only plus for me was the service was good.
Should've gone to Ha Long. -
Review from Pua O.
Honolulu, HI
Hidden gem in Kaimuki.
I ordered the chicken ball pho and my friend ordered the vegetable pho (not on the menu btw). I was a little disappointed when my dish came out because all it was was broth, onions, noodles and chicken balls. My friend's vegetable pho was towering with fresh veggies (carrots, cabbage, mushrooms, broccoli and etc) but once I tasted my pho I was pleasantly whisked away to a happier place.
The broth was delicious with lots of tasty chicken flavor. I am used to the semi-oily kind with no so much flavor ...you start looking around the table to add condiments- not the case here.
My dish was delicious the chicken balls had great flavor and were tender. I loved my broth - minus the onions, I am not an onion eater.
Everyone around us was ordering the spring rolls - looks like a hit!
The service is good. The staff don't speak a lot of english but its enough to get your order right and feel welcome.
Great option for vegetarians.
Price is average.
I would definitely go back. -
Review from Rebecca B.
Honolulu, HI
1/6/2012
The best pho! And I love the imperial rolls!
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Review from Michael T.
Honolulu, HI
1/24/2012
Party of two made to wait 20 min even though empty tables of four were clearly available. We left.
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Review from Dale G.
Poolesville, MD
1/6/2012
Was recommended by a local as the best Pho/Vietnamese place in town. Thurs eve at 7:30 required about 30 minute wait for party of 4 (found out that they do take reservations so call ahead if you go).
$5.95 for cocktails, pretty good frozen marg. For appetizer the fried Imperial Rolls were very tasty with the whole lettuce wrap setup. The salad w/fried shrimp (deveined with shell on) and green onions was OK.
For dinner, Vietnamese plates - BBQ beef and BBQ pork were both pretty tasty with chopped peanut, lemongrass, etc, and worth the wait. I'd eat those again.
The Pho was a bit of a dissapointment. While it had plently of meat it was not very hot and came with lemon instead of lime. Whenever eating Pho at a new place I always sample the broth first before adding anything, since that really is the heart of the dish. The broth was different than I am used to - with hints of basil/mint flavor. Maybe that is the chef's approach to making a unique Pho broth but I prefer the more traditional broth.
In summary the atmosphere was ok, food was good overall, but the Pho did not stand out compared to many of Vietnamese restaurants I've eaten at, especially around San Jose, CA. -
Review from Naomi L.
Honolulu, HI
11/12/2011
Definitely my favorite place for pho in town! Service is fast and friendly, the atmosphere is nice, and the food is good.
Basic pho without meat = minus $1 from the general price for either a medium or large bowl. A medium is $7.75 and large is $8.75. While this may seem a bit steep for pho, it's worth the price for the delicious soup base. I never feel like I'm overloaded on salt when I go here and it's one of the few places I can handle eating beef broth without palu-ing afterwards. There are multiple options for vegetarians, which is nice since not all Vietnamese places have more than a few.
Bf got coconut juice w/fresh young coconut that he says was "delicious" for ~$3.95. I got french coffee drip w/condensed milk (comes either hot or cold) for $3.50. I always get it hot, drink 1/2 and then ask for extra hot water for a full 2nd cup.
You can park at the Kaimuki lot where parking is cheap if you can't find street parking. It's also super easy to park around in the area for free if you want to save the $1-2. Actually, it's still $0.75 for the first hour ($0.75 for the next hour, then something like $1.50 per hour after I think), so I think it's worth it to just park there if you don't feel like hunting around. There are so many great places to choose in Kaimuki, but you won't go wrong eating here! -
Review from E L.
San Jose, CA
11/11/2011
Pho - 2 stars
Imperial rolls - 2.5 stars
Service - 3 stars
Too expensive....$10 a bowl of PHO. -
Review from Traci H.
8/30/2011 6 Check-ins Here
One of the better pho places in Kaimuki in my opinion, however, it is one of the more expensive ones. My bf and I ordered the spring rolls, and 2 "medium" pho bowls, and our bill was about $27. The medium bowl is actually more on the small size. The spring rolls are good and come with 6 rolls, and all the garnishes. The pho like I said is one of the better ones in the area, but not the best I've had. It can get busy here sometimes, and I would say it's not worth waiting in line for. Oh, and if you are someone that likes the chili in the oil, you will have to ask for it, as it is not already on your table.
I know I will be back, just because it's convenient for me, but I would prefer to got to chinatown.Listed in: Eating in Kaimuki
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Review from Jonathan L.
Honolulu, HI
8/11/2011 3 photos
We came here as our last resort because we couldn't find anywhere else to eat after 9pm on a Wednesday night. We thought this place was pretty cheap since its pho but I was wrong it was pretty pricy for the pho.
It was almost 10 bucks for a large bowl of pho and 9 for the medium. Me and my friend opted for the medium. Steak and meatballs only, you know how we do. My other friend got a vegetarian papaya salad which was also 10 bucks. We also ordered the imperial rolls which my friend always craves. That was super expensive it cost 10 bucks for 6 pieces. It just looks like a larger version of the spring roll with a different wrapping. It was okay but not worth the price.
What I though was pretty weird was the only condiments they had for the pho was rooster sauce and hoisin sauce. Usually pho places have a variety of things you can put in your pho. The pho tasted alright but I had better. I probably would not come back unless I was in the area, craving late night pho and imperial rolls.
The cool thing about this place is they have a giant buddha right by the door and I always try and rub the belly when I leave for good luck. -
Review from Joseph N.
Honolulu, HI
Bun, bun, and more bun! Hale Vietnam is my favorite place to go on a cold day, a warm bowl of pho or bun from here always does the trick. The dishes here should be included in the wiki definition of comfort food. They have a roll called the imperial roll, unlike anything I have every had, reminiscent of an over stuffed, crunchy egg roll, yet fresh and crisp inside as well. And don't forget to order the iced coffee, it compliments just about anything on the menu. When it comes to Vietnamese food, this is the only place that comes to mind anymore.
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Review from Alice C.
7/11/2011 4 Check-ins Here
This place is officially my new favorite go-to pho restaurant. Located on 12th ave, across from the Koa Pancake house, it is pretty big restaurant. But even with a lot of seats, it gets filled fast!
What I enjoy best about this pho place that stands out from the other is that they have
1. imperial rolls**
2. they have a dessert
3. they have cocktail drinks!
well compared to most other pho restaurants, they just have a wider variety.
But i'm mainly addicted to their imperial rolls.
I had their caramel flan, and it was delicious.
on a side note, they have that special oily garlic spicy sauce, I call it the special sauce. You just gotta ask for it and i swear it makes everything you order 10x's better.
Also, their pho comes with Parsley so if you don't like parsley, ask for it without. haha I know i don't like parsley. But yeah the service is friendly and they refill your water constantly. The restaurant is clean.
It's my new hale!Listed in: Pho-get about the rest!
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Review from Ed L.
8/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
I love pho, so a few friends and I stopped by this place ot see what they got. There's alot of Vietnamese places around Honolulu these days, when people like the taste of asian inspired food. The place was packed when I went on a Friday night. It was busy enough, but made no reservations. After waiting for 45 minutes, we were finally given a table near the entrance of the restaurant. The service was average, although it can be sped up. I ordered the basic beef Pho with green papaya salad. Summer rolls were pretty decent too, compared to other vietnamese restaurants I've already been too.
The Pho always fills you up, since I drink up the broth after eating up the veggies and the noodles. The large Pho is pricey at almost $10 for a large bowl, but you get what you pay for. The taste was as average as you can get, but what would you expect for a noodle soup? Maybe more veggies and different types of meat.
Or just more noodles... -
Review from Sara T.
7/28/2011 2 Check-ins Here
MMMM.... pho.
Hale Vietnam is definitely the best pho place I've found on Oahu. I've been coming here for years and the food is always consistently delicious. Great broth, yummy toppings and very reasonable prices for the quality of the ingredients. Nice waiters too, and fast service.Listed in: Local Love
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Review from Terry K.
6/19/2011
Located in Kaimuki, there's one thing that sets this restaurant apart from other Pho/Vietnamese restaurants. THEIR BROTH
One might say "pho is pho" and while this may be true with respect to the noodle itself, the broth is what brings home and makes a GOOD bowl of pho.
Be prepared to wait and don't forget to sign in if you are their during a busy meal hour.Listed in: Pho Pete's Sake
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Review from Leonie L.
Honolulu, HI
9/30/2011
Their servings seem to be more generous we noticed at lunch today and the pho was good...
The only crazy thing was the waitress used my husband's used (dirty) napkin that he had used to wipe his mouth to wipe our entire table down and then also used the same napkin to wipe the spouts of the chili and plum sauce right in front of us...that was kinda sick. -
Review from J G.
Honolulu, HI
8/11/2011
I went here with a friend last night and really liked it. Went there around 7:30 and it was busy, especially for a weeknight.
We started off with the summer rolls, which were delicious- nice and light with pork, mint, shrimp, and this yummy peanut dipping sauce. Then we each got pho- i got the medium and it was definitely more than enough to fill me up. Their broth is way better than any other I've tasted, I almost didn't want to put in my usual sriracha and hoisin!
Service was fast and efficient, we were out of there and very full in less than an hour. I would say that prices are reasonable, and worth it for the quality of food. I will definitely be back -
Review from Scott K.
5/31/2011
Located on 12th avenue on the bottom of the Realtor Building. I can honestly say ive been here numerous times. One for its locations to many of my meetings and second because its good.
Once in a while I get into that Pho phase where you just want to have it 2-3 times a week. In those instances, you have make your rounds to different places depending on where you are.
Parking is either on the street or in the paid lot behind the building. Tables are clean and the service is great. I would suggest to go during off peak lunch or dinner hours. This place can get crowded and you may have to wait.
Pho...the broth is tasty and clear. It's not to fishy or as my friends would say its not "Pho Stink Smelling". The meats are fresh and if you order your meat outside of the broth, you will notice that its still frozen a little (love it).
Spring rolls...OMG! I think I eat the entire plate myself. Yes it was that good or Im always that hungry for them
The rare beef salad is also great. You can share this with friends as it might be much to eat a large bowl of Pho and a full plate of salad.
Get out, support local and enjoy life. -
Review from Jenny C.
Honolulu, HI
7/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
Hale Vietnam is definitely a pricier joint to get your pho at - so if you can make it to Chinatown - you should. At Chinatown - you will probably pay less and get more...for the same if not better tasting pho.
I've been here twice and both times were just mediocre. I actually felt a bit uncomfortable here because they tend to have like 3-4 waiters and waitresses just standing in front of the restaurant looking at you while you eat. They don't have stellar service or food so I think I will stick to my usual spots for pho. -
Review from Kyle G.
Honolulu, HI
7/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
Easily the best pho I've eaten in Honolulu. It has the most authentic taste that reminds me so much of eating on the streets of Saigon.
The waiters and waitresses watching you eat from across the room and always fluttering about gets a little unnerving, but I usually bring a book so I can ignore them. -
Review from Lyn T.
Honolulu, HI
10/28/2011
Hale Vietnam is the only place I love eating my pho at. This is the only place that I rather eat my pho than anywhere else, they give a lot of meat, fast service & good ono broth!
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Review from Rae D.
Kaneohe, HI
7/14/2011
A dear old friend and I went to dinner here tonight. When we walked in, a Laughing Buddha greeted us, which I took as a good omen. After a very short wait, we were seated in a corner. I actually forget how heterosexist restaurants are until I have dinner with one of my female friends; this place is no exception.
Luckily, the quick service and delicious food make up for the less-than-ideal seating. They don't serve spring rolls. No, they serve Imperial Rolls with crab meat in them, complete with very fresh and crisp vegetables. The Imperial Rolls may just be the best "spring rolls" I've ever eaten!
My friend ordered the seafood pho and thoroughly enjoyed the plentiful amount of seafood in it. I ordered the BBQ pork over rice noodles. The pork was cooked to perfection--tender with just enough crisp edges--and piled onto a bowl of rice noodles and vegetables.
We were so stuffed we didn't have dessert, which is reason for a return visit. -
Review from Darcie I.
Honolulu, HI
9/26/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Normally I am happy with Hale Vietnam. The food is usually fresh and tasty, although the service is usually a hit or miss, mostly miss.
Tonite I called in for a take out, I was feeling a little under the weather, and wanted some hot pho and fresh summer rolls to make my tummy feel better. I called in ordered my rolls, salad, and a medium and large beef balls pho. The host repeated my order,saying 2 large beef balls
I said no, 1 large 1 medium beef balls. Point being, between the two of us, the word ball was mentioned at least 4 times. So I went to pick up my order, got home into some comfy clothes and my bf and I started with the summer rolls and salad. The rolls were fresh and yummy, but the papaya salad smelled a little funny. When I kept trying to pick up the shrimp, it kept slipping off the chopstick. Kinda like when you eat chinese with the slippery chopsticks, but it shouldn't be happening with the wooden ones. I finally poke the shrimp with the end of the chopstick, and am just about to pop it in my mouth, when the smell hit my nose.
Yuck ! It was slimy because it was foul! We closed up the box without eating one bite, and got to our pho. Poured out our slightly hotter than lukewarm base, and emptied our container which consisted of sprouts, onions, and bloody raw beef. I called them back, and the guy argued with me about not hearing me say beef balls. I told him you repeated me twice saying it also! Not to mention the papaya salad was spoiled, because of the shrimp
He said very rudely, oh never mind, just come in and pick up your different order. I told him ok, i'll be right there for my correct order. When I get there, he tells me next time order number 15 for balls. I told him sorry I don't happen to carry a copy of his menu around with me, and all other pho restaurants I eat at know what beef balls are. So I told him no, there won't be a next time, and he might want to check the shrimp hes serving, since they smelled funny. -
Review from Kayla A.
8/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
My very first official visit to a Vietnamese restaurant that's not Bale. YAY!!
My best friend was visiting from Maui, she came down with a cold, so she craved pho! My roommate suggested Hale Vietnam.
We decided to go for lunch on a Sunday. We got there around 11:30am and it was surprisingly not too busy. There were only two other parties in the restaurant at the time. With all the space available, we were seated right next to another party, which I found really odd because of all the room that was available.
We ordered their imperial rolls and I got a medium bowl of pho with chicken. Their medium bowl was between $6-$8 I believe. Their portion was pretty big, so it can actually be called a large bowl. Their imperial rolls were amazing and tasty! The pho was awesome as well! Very tasty..
The only thing I found awkward was the fact that the waiters and waitresses just stood at the front of the restaurant and watched us eat. I felt a little uncomfortable. Other than that, the service was awesome and we got our food fairly fast.
We left around 12:30pm and that's when it started to get busy. There's ample amounts of street parking and there's two parking lots you can park in, not for free of course.
The location is very clean and they also have a bar! -
Review from Gwen N.
Richmond, VA
8/12/2011
I'm Vietnamese, and while I love trying new foods, sometimes you miss the taste of home. That being said, we stopped by Hale Vietnam for some pho since I read that they theirs was pretty good.
Well, I may be a bit biased as I always think my mom makes the best pho in the world....but I thought Hale was just okay. I like to think of myself as a more lenient reviewer when it comes to Vietnamese restaurants (because hey, no one can cook better than mom right?) but still, I thought it was just "meh." The pho was a bit bland for my taste and there was no fish sauce on the tables for me to try to fix it. They only offered the sriracha and hoisin sauce on the tables, I had to ask for pepper!
My main complaint is that they're asking $10 for a large bowl of pho...that's too expensive in my opinion. I visited a couple other pho places while I was in Honolulu and they were cheaper and tasted just as good (or better).
As for the ambiance, we came on a busy night it seems, so the waiters had no time to watch us eat, so it wasn't a problem. It wasn't overly loud and parking wasn't difficult either. -
Review from Mila S.
Honolulu, HI
5/31/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place was delicious! We went around 7 on a weekday, and there were some people standing outside waiting for a table. We put our names down on the clipboard, and were seated within a minute. Despite nabbing the oh-so-fabulous table nestled between a loud family trying out literally every single ringtone in their phones, and the bar/drink area, it was a great meal.
Ordered the BBQ chicken with imperial rolls bun. WOW, it was SO GOOD. Tender pieces of chicken and the imperial rolls were so yummy. Also, the portions are gigantic. I stuffed myself beyond capacity and there was still a good amount left. It was also pretty darn cheap - around $10 for the bun. One thing that might take away from it, is that it's very noisy inside...but that's alright, just means people are enjoying themselves! We parked in the metered stalls on the Smiley's/12th Ave Grill/Jose's side and walked over. I'll be back. -
Review from Paula V.
Honolulu, HI
5/14/2011
I love hale Vietnam. GREAT FOOD. If you're a big fan of PHO, You definitely got to try it here. The best pho. They make tasty smoothies. and their food on the menus are unique and good. :)
OH and very good service. -
Review from Tessa t.
9/15/2011 7 Check-ins Here
yelp 365 challenge #25/365
lovely.
imperial rolls...
to die for.
green papaya salad with pork and shrimp...
yum.
pho with tendon.
i LOVE it!
why? this is the ONLY place that gives the load of tendon :D
my chinese belly feels satisfied and like i got my monies worth :)
plus, they are quite on it with the water service...
me like that a lot :)Listed in: yeLp 365 challenge
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Review from joannie p.
Honolulu, HI
I almost always get the tofu pho in medium and clean the bowl down to the bottom (that is a lot of sodium and MSG that I ingest though). It is filling but because it taste so good my uncontrolled food loving self asks why didn't I get the large?
The other dish I frequently get is the vegetarian sour soup. It is a large bowl with generous amounts of lemon grass and other vegetables. One order is enough for one or two lunches if you are not sharing it.
Staffs aren't the friendliest in my opinion but they are also kept busy with many customers. -
Review from Christy K.
Honolulu, HI
3/19/2011
I come here for two things, and two things only: the imperial rolls and the FONDUE!! OMG YUM.
The imperial rolls are delicious. They are served piping hot just out of the fryer, always. They come with lettuce, cucumber, basil, mint, rice noodles, pickled carrot/radish, and of course the obligatory fish sauce :) They are just so yummy! I don't feel so bad eating these spring rolls because you get to eat lots of veggies with them.
So I'd been here numerous times before (I've heard a rumor that Hale Vietnam is the oldest Vietnamese restaurant in Hawaii; is this true?), but always had the typical pho... or bun.... but my gramma told me that I had to order this dish with her (It's for TWO!) and she promised I'd like it. I loved it. Now, I crave it. I just ate it tonight and I want more of the broth now that I'm thinking about it.
The fondue is like hot pot. They serve this broth on top of a burner and they give you a plate of meat (I order the beef and shrimp, which has like 6 shrimp and literally like 20+ slices of beef), a plate of veggies (lettuce, cucumber, mint, basil), the rice paper to roll, and ham ha (the stinky shrimp/fish sauce- the purplish brown one). So you basically cook your own meat and then roll it and you have your own summer rolls, but with fresh, hot cooked meat and veggies! THEN, you get to slurp up the soup, which is heavenly. No, seriously, like easily THE BEST BROTH I'VE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE. Okay, and I like soups... Better than any broth at Sweet Home, Shillawon, Hot Pot Heaven, where ever. Hands down.
I think I've sung their praises enough. Just, next time you go, get the fondue. It's for two and it's like $25.Listed in: BEST RESTAURANTS ON OAHU
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Review from david c.
Honolulu, HI
It was just one of those moments where you felt a craving for pho and we just happened to be near Hale Vietnam. We had not been here in a while but just wanted take out since I live 2 minutes away and knew it would still be piping hot when we got home. I usually stick with the chicken pho but this time I decided to try the beefball and tendon. I have had tendon before which is a connective tissue similar to cartilage. It is gelatinous and almost transparent with a delicate taste and and typically has a very very slight crunch to it. Typically tendon is braised for a long time over low heat,
It did not seem to have a lot of tendon inside the soup but I did enjoy it. It came with all the veggies i.e. bean sprouts, basil, and jalapeno. I would like to order it again but try it at another restaurant like Ha Long Pho Noodle House. We also stocked up on the summer rolls for take out. You can't really mess up summer rolls. You start off with a tortilla shaped rice paper wrapper which is translucent and super thin. Then you fill it with rice noodles, shrimp, lettuce and an ultra thin slice of pork. The art form is the actual rolling it up. I tried to make it at home but mine came out all lumpy and disfigured. It does take practice....as you see in all cooking shows and in all restaurants you get points for presentation. My kids love shrimp and this was what they wanted but they dip theirs in shoyu.. there goes the art of food. -
Review from Jeff C.
Honolulu, HI
7/7/2011
My favorite Vietnamese restaurant. Everyone has their own "taste" for their pho, so I will tell you why it's a 5.
1. It's clean. I've had better tasting Pho on River St., but I also felt like I might have caught Hep C sitting at the table.
2. They are fast and efficient.
3. Tons of parking on the street, paid, or meter.
4. It's in Kaimuki where I don't have to brave the downtown craziness or fight for parking in a two stall lot outside the mom and pop store.
5. Taste is above average. I get the #4 or #8 Pho with beef balls, Large size bowl, spring rolls and summer rolls with tofu.
It's Asian soul food.
