Mama Pho

I feel that phở and the typical Vietnamese fare is usually pretty good to very good at most places as long as their ingredients are fresh. What made me want to review this place is their Volcano sauce. I love spice and I love how they have this condiment in addition to he usual Sriracha and Hoisin. It’s some sort of blend of fish sauce, chili oil and dried shrimp… It’s good. Their portions are fair and of good value as Vietnamese cuisine tends to be. Their Bun Bo Hue is really tasty, but unfortunately only available on Sunday’s as a special… Not sure why as they would probably get a lot more business (my business anyway) if it were on their regular menu.

My go to place when I don’t Wana drive into town. There is minimal options in Hk area for phở. This place is decent and will do the job

Clean and bright and quiet restaurant in the Aina Haina Shopping Center. Daily specials are offered and are quite filling and delicious. Enjoyable!

I stopped by for a quick, delicious lunch and, as always, I was not disappointed. I had the cold vermicelli noodles with spring rolls and it was wonderful. The noodles were cooked just right, the vegetables and herbs were fresh and crispy and the spring rolls were hot and crunchy. It was a wonderful blend of textures and flavors. Their food comes in large, attractive bowls, the restaurant is clean and in good repair, and the staff are polite and friendly. I will definitely go again.

I’m not that big of a Phở fan, wait, let me explain… I’m not a big soup eater, so Ramen doesn’t rank for me either. But when I am sick, phở is a definite go-​to for me. Mama Phở is hubs’ favorite phở place on the East side, and knows his order #17, a Mama Phở special.
I wound up horribly sick and congested, and hubs offered to pick me up Phở. I know I can’t really finish a whole thing of phở by myself, so I phone ordered his #17 with extra soup and extra noodles (additional cost of around $ 5) and it basically supersized our order, enough so that we both had phở and there was a little left for me for the next day. (I know, some will be appalled that I would allow my noodles to sit in the soup overnight, but it works for me). I added as much hot sauce paste as they gave, and it cleared me right up.
Mama Phở has a really tasty broth, and the meat is also tasty, you can sub egg noodle if you don’t like the traditional noodle, and they are quite friendly there, definitely one of the better phở places on the East side.

This is a review strictly on the phở. Broth was ok but I work in downtown where there are restaurants that serve arguably the best phở on the island. My expectations are pretty high.
For a strip mall in aina haina, it’s not bad. I’ve had worse phở elsewhere. Wife had the bbq chicken which was pretty good. May or may not come here again.

I love Mama Phở. It’s one of my favorite spots, especially when I’m with kids because they have a great kids menu. Even before I stopped eating meat I would get their veggie phở. It’s seriously so delicious and has tons of veggies. My dad gets the traditional phở and loves but I don’t think I’ve even tried it. I guess I’m always too focused on my ginormous bowl. Also, the have this sauce, their housemade volcano sauce. Put that baby in your phở. Seriously. It’s so good. Actually just put on everything. You can buy it to take home and you can literally put it on everything and it’s the best.
Now our family, like most families probably, LOVES spring rolls and these are good. However, if you grew up on Hale Vietnam’s spring rolls, they pale in comparison. Also they don’t have mint which is a huge bummer. Mint in spring rolls is a necessity, it gives it that freshness to juxtaposition the crispiness.
The service has always been good and the people there are really nice. When they first opened there was a lady who I think is the owner, the Mama Phở, and she has the best energy and totally embodies the aloha spirit, and she would usually be our server but I haven’t seen her in a long time.

Clean and friendly service. Little slow service when it gets busy. But they use nice dish played and bowels. I’m pleased with their selections instead of plastic Bowles and plates. Kids menu drink and dessert is a little teaser-​I guess that’s why they call it kids menu. They r clean and taste good. I like this place.

It’s all about that broth, ’bout that broth, no tendon. I’m not one of those people that brags about being picky, because I’m not. But I know what I like in my phở. It starts with a well-​balanced, not too oily broth, with all of the myriad spices in harmony and includes tender, thin slices of flank steak. I leave the tendon and tripe for more adventurous diners, so I can’t comment on those options here, only my usual.
It was perfect phở weather when we ducked in out of the rain to warm our insides. The clean, cheery interior is staffed by attentive and knowledgeable servers. Our food came quickly and we dug into the winter rolls ($ 6.50), flank steak and meatball phở ($ 9.50), and chopped chicken salad ($ 9.50). The winter rolls (like summer rolls but with tofu) were missing the herbs that give summer told their punch and I used them solely as a peanut sauce delivery device. Meanwhile, my companion’s chicken salad was a bit overwhelmed by the fish sauce. Maybe split the difference on seasoning these two dishes and you’ll be set. But I was there for the phở and it did not disappoint. Subtle, long simmered broth, tender beef and all the requisite condiments and toppings (except cilantro – what?!) that make this dish so satisfying were all there. Phở is one of those foods about which people have strong feelings. They hunt high and low until they find «their» spot. Well, now this is mine!

Fresh ingredients, delicious soup, place is clean. Service is attentive and friendly. Large portions, definitely recommend.

PHO
Better than your expectations
I did not expect anything and I was just need phở.
It was not the best but alright.
I will get it if I am around here and I need phở.
Customer service
Ok just ok. Nothing bad nothing great.
Parking
A lot of parking.

Consistently a very good cold noodle bowl! Usually get my food to go after a busy day at work… The Phở soup will help rejuvenate your taste buds with a great broth. This is my go to Phở place out East!

Super staff, food so good. My system tired and tummy sore. Beef meatballs phở is my new favorite! Ty!

Mama Phở hit the spot! I had the shrimp phở, and the broth was good and the basil was fresh. What set it apart was how big the bowl was, and the noodles and broth were well balanced.
The service was excellent and my phở came out quickly. Everyone was friendly, and my water glass was never empty.
Walking by the other tables, everything smelled delicious and the appetizers looked good but I was so full I couldn’t eat anything else.
I would definitely come here again.

Came here 2 nights ago for dinner with my family and was quite disappointed. Prices were slightly on the higher side, which was expected since it’s located in Hawaii Kai area. The quality of their food was average at best, and the portions are were quite small when compared to most vietnamese restaurants in town area. I literally only got 4 pieces of rare steak for my Special Phở (beef combination.) The only reason why I would give them 2 stars instead of 1 is because they seem to keep the place clean and tidy. Verdict… not returning and not recommended.

They have a rather large menu which makes choosing a favorite dish hard but mama phở and the beef stew are the front runners
Bowls are huge and portions fairly large
If you like hot and spicy then

First time eating at Mama Phở. It was pretty good. The restaurant is nicely decorated and can seat large groups. I ordered the papaya salad, fried chicken wings, summer rolls and rare steak phở. I did share the appetizers with others, just to be clear! I had to take a picture of the papaya salad because the presentation was so nice.
The sauce dishes and the phở bowls were higher quality than you would expect at a phở restaurant, nice touch. The phở bowls are extra big so you don’t have to worry about spilling any broth while putting in all of the accoutrements, i.e. basil, bean sprouts, lime, jalapenos.
The phở broth was a little bit more cloudy than I’m used to, but certainly not off-​putting.
There were two servers that regularly checked back with us to refill waters and ask us how everything tasted. They were very friendly. I thought it was great that they separated the noodles and broth for my leftover phở to go! This is a nice spot for phở if you’re in the Aina Haina area!

Don’t be fooled by the name. Mama Phở has a whole lot more than Phở. Tonight we ordered summer rolls, vegetarian spring rolls, winter rolls, ceviche salad and the lemongrass chicken. Everything was fresh and delicious. The winter rolls (think summer rolls with tofu instead of shrimp) were not my favorite but I prefer shrimp to tofu. To be clear, I didn’t dislike them… just preferred the other items. The lemongrass chicken was new for me and I really enjoyed it.
Only recommendations to improve: when ordering spring rolls, ask for extra lettuce and cucumbers. Mint would be great too.
A fantastic meal at a great price. Thank you for the excellent service too!

Impromptu quick bite that left us happy.
The broth for the phở was clear and authentic. The Phở Dac Biet was actually pretty big for $ 10+. Egg rolls were a bit meh tho. Ice coffee was good.

Mama Phở is your Vietnamese option in Aina Haina. A bright, open restaurant, they can accommodate small and large groups, and have a small Kids Menu that includes a drink and ice cream for the kiddos.
We tried the Vietnamese Beef Stew with French Bread (Saturday feature), the Grilled Pork and Spring Rolls with Noodles, and the Thai Iced Coffee. The Beef Stew caught me off guard, it was more like Phở then stew, it has a darker broth, but the same thinly sliced meat and of course no noodles or veggies to add in. The Pork and Spring Rolls was better, they give a good amount of toppings and less noodles. The Iced Coffee was watery.
Service is brisk, just flag someone down if you need something. If you’re in the area and hungry for Vietnamese, you’re likely to find something you’ll like on their menu.