[San Jose, CA] - Pho Hà Nôi

Since I knew I would be in the San Jose area, I wanted to find a good pho place to go to. I am a big fan of Northern Style pho, so in doing some research, I found Pho Hà Nôi. The pictures I saw on their Yelp page looked very similar to Turtle Tower. This made me pretty excited to give it a try. Feel free to compare the pictures by checking out my original Turtle Tower post. Please note that the bowls at Pho Hà Nôi were bigger (no size options for the chicken only large).

 One of the biggest draws for me would be the house made noodles. In case you are really into the thinner noodles, they have that as an option also. They name their specialty chicken pho "chicken with intestine," but there are no intestines in there. Or maybe it was meant to be a secret and I wasn't supposed to share? At Turtle Tower, they tell you that it's chicken and giblets. If asked, I would have trouble saying which I like better. Both are very good. It would be nice though, if at Pho Hà Nôi they let you choose a smaller size since I feel like I get too full from the bowl and can't enjoy as many sides as I would like. I really wanted to try the Vietnamese style Hainanese chicken rice, but with the big bowl of pho and the crab spring rolls, it was impossible.

 The crab spring rolls are very good, even though I don't remember there being too strong of a crab taste. It does make a good appetizer if you have a few people with you though.

 Parking can be pretty hard to come by, but because I read that in the reviews, I just parked in the first open spot I passed and just walked over. There are at least three plazas on that big block and after eating, it was nice to walk around and digest a bit before getting back in the car. If you aren't too stuffed, there is a hipster looking pearl milk tea place across the street that looked promising. Again, too full, so I'll have to check it out next time. 

House special "chicken with intestine" - chicken breast, gizzard, and liver

House made noodles

House special beef pho - rare steak, brisket, tendon, and tripe

Nem cua bể/crab spring rolls 
A lot of people recommended the Hainanese Chicken. While the chicken itself is pretty good, and that extra bowl of broth is fantastic, don't go in expecting it to be real Hainanese Chicken if you are used to how it's prepared in Singapore or Malaysia.



Teeny tiny bottles of fish sauce... that you won't need because it's all about the broth here

Their grand mural that takes up an entire wall  

It's a little hard to find, but just keep driving or walking straight to the back of Vietnam Town and it'll be there. If you're not sure, peep inside and see if the mural is there. There are a ton of pho restaurants in these plazas.

 Address:
969 Story Rd
Ste 6048
San Jose, CA 95122

 Yelp

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