Super Pho

The 7 course beef set meal was very good. Perfect for two people or 4 lite eaters. I’d definitely come back for this!!!

I have been coming here a lot lately. Brought Darcie, the kids, my brothers and sisters. It’s close by and there’s always plenty of parking. I meant to try Phở Da Cao on Keeaumoku but the night we went they were closed.
Service has always been quick and friendly.
First off the phở is very reasonably priced. It’s not the best broth but they offer clear noodle as an option.
The papaya salad is delicious and the crispy meat and garnish make it pop. That as well as the summer and spring rolls are good.
Darcie has the spring noodles with vermicelli. That’s her favorite.
My brother ordered some bbq combo, but it wasn’t that great.

I’ve been to this place a few times, but yesterday was probably my last. Great tasting food but poor service and attitude from the Aunties running it. I asked for a take away box and the box was hastily thrown at me as I did it myself.

A great place for the regular staple of phở and bun but try the other items and they are just as good too! An alternative would be the dry seafood noodles or their simmered cat fish. The menu is extensive.

Today I went for a late lunch, around 2pm, there were plenty of seats. We got fast service. We order spring rolls, beef ball and rare beef phở, and bbq beef vermicelli.
All of the veggies were fresh and pretty. The fish sauce was perfect. The phở didn’t come in sizes. This is definitely a large bowl. As was the vermicelli. Both dishes were satisfactory.
I’d be back if I were in the area looking for Vietnamese food.

Phở is pretty simple, good broth and good meat. The meat didn’t even look like meat, the texture was disgusting and the broth wasn’t good. I have had a lot of phở in my days, this place has to be the worst phở I’ve ever had. Yuck.

It’s not bad over here, they had a friendly staff! Very patient server, and cashier. There were TV’s in there so we got to watch the football game on Sunday. The food came out pretty fast. IT wasnt bad, I’m just particular when it comes to Phở so I tend to be very critical. The broth could have used a little more flavor. It wasnt horrible, it was actually good, but I’ve had better Phở. Theres not too much room inside, but there are enough space in between tables for comfort. OH! I did love that taro smoothie though! If you like Taro, get that! I loved it, and glad I ordered it! The parking really sucked. We parked by White Hot Hawaii down the road. Theres an apartment complex behind the marketplace, so it’s super limited. We’d come back if we were in the area, and craving some phở, but probably wouldn’t drive all the way here from the east side to get it:)

This restaurant was where I ate Phở for the first time and I fell in looooove. Even till this day, I still cannot find any other restaurants that has better tasting Phở than Super Phở!
I always eat their Phở w/​Beef balls and rare steak (meat on the outside). It’s soooo good oh my god. Their broth has a refreshing flavor and is not overpowering like how some other restaurants do. You can definitely eat it without adding anything OR you can add some seasonings and change it to your liking. I add a lot of Siracha to make it extra spicy but I can still taste their broth and it’s a perfect combination, you have to try!
All of their menu has decent prices and the staffs are very friendly too! There are parkings available (both free and street parkings) so that’s a plus!

Very very good place the phở was awesome!!! food was fast prices were good!!! I would come back again. Parking was a challenge but they do have a parking garage

Friendly service. Had ordered the chicken Phở. It came out hot and the chicken tasted fresh. Money’s worth.
They have cable tv. Great place to chill and eat dinner while waiting for the traffic to die down.

Great little place in the Tanouye bldg. Food is great, service is great the only downside is parking is always crowded. There is street parking.

Oddly enough i did not eat any phở at Super Phở lol. Mom and i stopped by the other day for an order of summer rolls and chicken salad. The food was fresh and delicious, albeit spicy for my taste. And on an exceptionally hot summers day the AC was enjoyed greatly! We will be back.

Super Phở, to me, has the best tasting broth ever. It’s just right in terms of taste, not too salty, not bitter, taste clean I guess you could say. And the noodles are cooked just right! They compliment each other perfectly. Then you add your choice of meats, veggies, and other garnishes. I go for the rare beef and beef balls but up you really.
If Phở is not for you today, go with their plates or sandwiches. I like the spicy lemongrass chicken plate/​sandwich. Not so spicy but got a little kick.
They also blend drinks too. There’s avocado, lemonade, etc. (Sorry I can’t memorize the whole menu!).
The customer service is okay. The ladies there are better than the guys. If fact, one of them memorized your order pretty well without taking notes. It’s pretty impressive!

Honestly I’m not even sure if this review deserves 2 stars, but I’ll be generous. I came here recently with my family and was greeted by minimal parking which already began our dining experience on a not so great note (there were maybe 2 parties there, but for some reason all 4 – 5 stalls were already taken??) But that’s only the beginning.
We walked in and were told to take the last table and so we went. We probably sat for a couple minutes before anyone brought us any menus or even came to say any word to us. Finally, our waters came out. But when I say waters, I mean our server gave our table of 5, two waters and that was it until we finally had to ask for other drinks. We told the server we were in a hurry and while I obviously didn’t expect them to be any faster (I know food takes time to cook) but I’m fairly certain phở shouldn’t have taken as long as it did. When the food finally came out, even our order was wrong. We asked for meat outside, the meat was already sitting in the soup. We asked for one of an item, two came out. We were given one thing of sauce for our two orders of spring rolls. And worst of all, our server didn’t even seem sorry.
He smiled, and appeared confused that we were joking. I wish it was a joke, but sadly it wasn’t. I have only been here once before, a long time ago so I’m not sure if this is their usual. I really hope it was just an off day for that specific server and no one else had to deal with an almost entirely wrong order. Until they find a way to fix these errors, I probably won’t be back.

CATERPILLAR and its DOODOO on the basil.
Honestly I don’t even want to give them a star.
We were trying to put the basil into the phở soup, and we saw a moving caterpillar!!! Oh, and btw we saw a ant in the soup too. We called the waitress over, and she went inside and we heard «what do we tell them «. Then we were waiting for the waitress and all we want was an apologies. When she walked out she just went help out other costumers. So we decide to be nice and walk up to cashier and ask for the bill. She then just said, the people inside said it was just an herb… we have the picture for proof and we know it’s call basil… and we still had to pay. Super bad costumer service, and unsanitary restaurant. Don’t go there, because you might walk out sick. Just warning you ya’ll.

When your Vietnamese Unilocal friend asks you to lunch at her favorite Vietnamese restaurant do not hesitate, just say I’m in! I did and I got to try so many wonderful things I would not have tried if I had vacillated with my response. I seem to be driving further from my normal stomping ground lately and it’s a good thing as I’m trying new places and some great food. Super Phở is one of those new places for me. I’ve eaten Phở numerous times but what I had wasn’t Phở.
Lien asked if we were game to try the 7-​course Beef meal. Yeah! One of my favorite things… seven of them. The #144 is for two, there were three of us and thank heavens one of them was Lien because that girl can carry her share at the dinner table. We ordered the Summer Rolls just because we all love them, standard rolls, delivered with the standard sauce.
First course: Lemon Beef Salad. Thin slices of raw beef, thinly sliced onions and lettuce with fresh squeezed lemon along with the seasonings making this an absolute winner. The lemon «cooked» the beef ala cerveche style.
Next a huge platter with the requisite mint, basil, bean sprouts, vermicelli, rice paper rounds and a bowl of nearly boiling water. Lien quickly added cold water explaining if the water is too hot the rice paper sticks to everything making it difficult to roll up.
This is where courses two through five came in. Beef Meatloaf, grilled Rolled Beef in net fat, a stick of BBQ Beef, Beef rolled in Lalot Pepper Ieaf (think beef in grape leaves). These were all meant to be rolled into the moistened rice papers with the veggies and dipped in the sauce we were given. I would never known what to do with all this without direction.
Three quarters through courses 2 – 5 we received a plate of what I can only described as beef carpaccio with slices of onions both green and white. Accompanying the meat was a small hot pot of wonderful spicy broth to «cook» the meat in. He he, it was really good uncooked but I was told after the original bite to at least dunk it for two seconds for good measure. Course Seven: Beef porridge. Nice finish to the meal!
I ordered the Durian milkshake at the beginning of the meal and enjoyed it thru the entire meal. Not as challenging as I was lead to believe and would order it again along with this entire meal! Wonderful meal, wonderful Unilocal friends.

Come here for hot delicious veggie noodle Phở Soup & crunchy outside yet soft inside Spring Rolls, and your tummy will delight in you & love you Phở-​ever! :)
My visit:
It was a super chilly cold windy day & on my way to see the UH mvb (University of Hawaii Men’s Volleyball) game, my psyche began to convince my tummy that it needed phở. Not a difficult task as it seems I arrived at Super Phở in no time! Lol
Easy to get to from the freeway, it’s right below 7 – 11 on Waialae Ave across from the park.
I pull into the back and find a new nicely paved partially covered parking lot. Got out of my car and walked in under the partially covered driveway/​parking area. Very helpful for those rainy days!
It was a bit empty so I asked if they were open. Yes they are! They seat me immediately at the Ewa end of the restaurant. Both my tummy and psyche are at peace: D
The waitress immediately brings me water and a menu. Their menu is nice, clean, very new looking. Incidentally, their tables and chairs are new too! Long gone are the glass covered white table cloths and rattan type chairs with the heart shaped backrest.
Another couple walks in is also seated immediately. The man orders right away and his food comes right away too! I am impressed! «Hey, where’s mine?», I’m thinking. Oh yeah, figure out what I want then close my menu so they’ll come take my order! Just like that, the waitress arrives magically to take my order! Ha!
I place my order. She’s happy to adjust it to what I prefer. I order phở with rare steak but could I also add in tendon?! Yes, she can do that :); I also order the vegetarian summer rolls but can they be spring rolls (=fried)? Again she is happy to oblige.
My phở comes out before I can take all of my photos of their new menu which for me works out bc I really needed to hurry eat then leave lol
During my stay, she came by to fill my water once & I could have had one more but it was A-​OK. I was supposed to be rushing!
I ordered 2 items:
1) PHO (soup) WITH RARE STEAK (order steak on the side on separate plate so you can see the freshness) +some TENDON (mine was not a side order)
Phở Vegetation: The bean sprouts & basil that go into the phở are pretty plentiful, fresh, crunchy. The lemon slices are juicy. I wonder why there are two thick lemon slices but when the bowl of phở comes out I understand why.
Overall Quantity: Happily the bowl is HUGE and the soup generously fills the bowl: D I loved the size of the huge bowl!
Broth Temperature: The phở is still hot enough too cook my rare steak even though I already cooled the soup down a bit by first adding in my veggies, lemon squeezes, & plum and sriracha sauces lol: P Gently swirl in your steak when your order first arrives if you like it more cooked ;)
Broth Taste: The phở soup and ingredients are delicious. You can tell the phở soup base has been lovingly made — it is thick, sweet, & tasty the way a good broth is made, from bones boiled the day before with spices and fresh veggies so it thickens and is not watery or thin (my opinion & experience).
Rare Steak: The rare steak served as thin slices on a separate plate looks and tastes fresh.
Tendon: They were in there and actually were a good amount hanging out mostly at the bottom. Taste was fresh and bite had a good give that was just right (not too tough; not too soft).
Phở Noodles: Are al dente meaning that the chew is perfect. The taste is fresh. If anything, I felt a little more noodles should be included. I’ve come here before & didn’t have that issue which is, when I feel like my chopsticks initially don’t get a good dig in, is when it feels too light on noodles for me so that’s –1 star.
2) SPRING ROLLS with tofu & veggie filling.
Note that both the tendon in the phở and vegetarian rolls as fried are not on the menu for either item (costs a little more) but the waitress was happy to make the adjustments for me. Thank you, Super Phở!
Quantity: The price seems higher than other places but that’s because one order here is twice the rolls, 4 rolls instead of just 2.
Temp & Taste: It’s piping hot, delicious, light yet not, fresh, & crunchy. I enjoyed it a lot! The fillings are easy to bite off and eat.
Spring Roll Veggies: The accompanying pretty curly dark green lettuce leaves, juicy cucumber slices, fragrant mint, thin white noodles, & sweet fish sauce were also fresh and delicious.
How to Eat: Make a lettuce wrap! Dip small qty noodles in fish sauce, add veggies + spring roll on top large piece lettuce, wrap, & eat!
First introduced to this restaurant by Joie Y. (Thank you, Sis!), I have come here a bunch of times over the years & each time have enjoyed both the food & service including my most recent experience. Heard comments that the downtown Chinatown Phở places have a better soup taste but I haven’t tried them yet. After I do try them & agree is when I’ll return here to adjust my rating.
Until that time, may your Phở warm your tummy & your heart ! :)

Super Phở is located on Waialae avenue, across from the public park between 7 – 11 and Tamura’s. I’ve been here a couple times, but usually go to different Vietnamese places if I find myself craving phở in kaimuki. Super phở is smaller than other Vietnamese places in the area, and the restaurant itself is oddly shaped.
They offer a very extensive menu, like pages and pages of phở options, rice plates, noodle plates, salads and hotpot. The food items I’ve tried have all been delicious, I particularly like pad thai and lemon beef salad, but I’ve never really had bad experiences anywhere else, so super phở isn’t exceptional.
Recently, I came here to get phở take out. The service was so fast! 5 minutes after I ordered, I was walking out the door with a huge bag of food. They had prepared the soup and noodles separately, with an additional bag of veggies. They also gave me numerous containers of sauces. All for $ 10, and it was hot and yummy when I got home.
I’ve always found street parking here, but I think there is a lot in the back too. They also offer yummy drinks and desserts in addition to their wide range of food options.

Should I listen to my 10 non-​Vietnamese friends giving this place an average score?
Or…
Should I listen to my REAL Vietnamese friend giving this place a perfect score?!
Okay, I do admit I’m not a phở connoisseur per se, like most think they are, but I do know phở somewhat having lived 50 miles north of little Saigon a.k.a. San Jose, CA! Ironically where my REAL Vietnamese friend is from!
But…
I’m not here to discuss the one million phở places I frequented from San Francisco to San Jose a.k.a. little Saigon. «Do you know the way to San Jose?» I’m here to talk…
SUPER PHO!
Okay, so now the question… Is this place «super duper» like my REAL Vietnamese friend said, or is it another «average Joe» spot like what my non-​Vietnamese friends say. First, let’s discuss the place…
SUPER AMBIANCE:
Very white. No, I’m not a bigot, silly. I mean lots of white table cloths, white noodles, and white walls, however as white as it is– it’s still very cluttered with the dozens of Buddhas, lucky cats, and fake tangerine trees! It’s super clean, so that’s a plus, but the layout falls short on feng shui points.
SUPER SERVICE:
Immediately greeted with the stereotypical smiles you see on those Jackie Chan movies — wait he’s Chinese, oh nvm! Overall a friendly staff, but try to avoid questions because you’ll probably get a «yes» even if she meant «no». Like my REAL Vietnamese friend said there’s a language barrier here.
Well, at least you know it’s REAL Viet-​na-​mese!
SUPER GRUB:
It’s definitely authentic and fresh like my REAL Vietnamese friend said. On my last visit here I had the BBQ chicken rice plate. My lunch companion had the chicken phở (she’s not Vietnamese if that means anything). It was good. We both cleaned our white plates! The only problem I had was my non-​Vietnamese friend asked a question about shrimp and if I recall was answered with a «yes», but I think the server meant «no». Whatever it was… Something was missing. Hmm. I’ve also had the BBQ pork w/​spring rolls over cold vermicelli rice noodles, too. The flavor was legit, but my problem was the lack of quantity. Greedy non-​Vietnamese, me? Maybe?
So yes, I would recommend…
SUPER PHO!
Yup, it’s good, but do carry a caution flag when ordering. Keep the questions to a minimum and I would suggest ordering what you’re familiar with. Has all the standard Vietnamese cuisine you would expect, but my only complaint was the serving size. Then again… Most of us doing these reviews are non-​Vietnamese, right? So, we eat more, right? I mean seriously have you ever seen a FAT Vietnamese? Have you? Not I!
«Do you know the way to San Jose?
I’ve been away so long
I may go wrong and lose my way
Do you know the way to San Jose?
Bah, bah, bah, bah, bah…» — Dionne Warwick
BIG KAHUNA TIPS:
Located on busy Waialae Ave., small shared parking lot or metered street parking.
Accepts Cash or CC.
OVERALL GRADE: 3.5-STARS!
(I’ve had better, but it’s good enough — just wish they gave more!)
LIVE ALOHA…
Unilocal REVIEW #370

Super Phở is correct! Their phở is very good at the Kaimuki location. I enjoyed coming to the restaurant when I need some comfort phở food, especially when I feel a little bit under the weather. The food and service is super-​phở good here. The staff is very friendly but sometimes they’re not too helpful if you’ve any questions about the menu. I think it’s because of the language barrier. Place is bright, clean and no frills except they got too many Buddha and lucky cats tchotchkes on the counter! I guess the concept of «less is more» seems to escaped the restaurant’s decorator.
On my most recent visit, I ordered the Bun Bo Hue (spicy beef noodles) and it tasted authentic. Generous amount of tender beef and pork hock pieces filled up the bowl and the spicy chiles worked so well with this Northern specialty dish. The quantity of the chiles used was just enough and not «unbearably» spicy. It’s nice they give you a big plate of bean sprouts, basil, saw-​tooth leaf, and mint herbs. Another dish I had was the delicious lemon beef salad. It was marinated well, served with fresh and crispy lettuce, slices of tomatoes, thin onions, lots of coriander herbs, pearl onion chips and crunchy chopped peanuts sprinkled all over the top. Delish!
However, the one dish I come here for would be the 7-​course beef. It’s a yummy, yummy feast. Super Phở is definitely a favorite on my list of Top 8 Vietnamese restaurants on island. I will not hesitate to return and dine here anytime or any day of the week. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for their competitor Hale Vietnam located in the same neighborhood.