This is my second pho experience in the district and I can 100% this one was best so far. I really enjoyed the broth and the beef was very fresh. The greens were also bright and crisp. Amazing service, definitely will come back. The pho was amazing! Note that they recently had a name change to golden river, same owner/staff. The place can be empty at times but I think it’s because the lunch crowds eats fast.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Rare Beef Pho
Mark Rehborg
Excellent shaved ice! Drop what you’re doing, and go here now. Great way to cool down on a hot day!
Raymond K.
We mostly order our favorites here, pho with tendon and the combination pho. The portions are generous, and they come with lots of leafy greens and bean sprouts. The restaurant looks clean, and I especially like that the wait staff appear respectful and polite. By this, I'm comparing with another place we go to in Kaimuki, where I don't get as good a feeling from the servers.
Thien Huong L.
I tried a lot of dishes from here but the stand out one is the house special soup or Trieu chau egg noodle soup. It came with a fried shrimp chip that is really good! The pho and chicken curry was alright, but my hubby likes their Banh mi. Service as prompt and the server is nice and polite.
Austin R.
I loveee this place!! The first time I ever tried. It was with my boyfriends parents I love pho & this is the best place I've ever ate PHO I try to go there a lot now and I do I go very often after trying this place my bf mom them been regulars for A very long time and I'm next on that list. I get the spicy beef noodle soup and OMG it is the best ever!!! Like I love it so much I love the jalapeños and all the vegetables you get they give very generous portion. We also got the spring rolls which I freaking love so much it tastes so good!!!! and we get a order of side chicken wings, which also taste very bomb. I love the crisp of it. Though it does take a while to make but it's definitely worth the wait. My boyfriend also had tried their Ramen for the first time because he doesn't really like FHO but he said he really like those noodles cause he usually just get barbecue chicken plate which is also very good but I'm sticking to the pho. Parking is a little rough, but very much worth all the trouble. I'm telling you guys they're orange shake is also the best like it's fresh you can taste the orange and you can also get the orange bits and that's how you can tell it's fresh their Thai tea very good as well. I've tried it all. I just this is the first time that I am actually writing a review that is long overdue. I very much appreciate this establishment They are Very nice very good customer service. They did just changed their hours though so they now close at 2:30. They no longer close at 4 o'clock. I don't know if it's temporary or if they're going to change it back but you should definitely call the restaurant before visiting.
Tabitha M.
I'm addicted to their beef stew with (fragrant) rice. It is different then local beef stew so please understand the difference! The pieces of meat is not chunks of beef, but more beef pieces and tendon. The broth is so tasty!! Especially with their flavorful rice.
Maxime Ung
The best food for excellent prices
lua kai
It's a nice owner who shows a gentle expression.I ate pho, but the meat was soft and delicious.
I just moved to Oahu and was craving banh cuon so I ordered this dish to go. I wanted to love it so badly but the flavors were underwhelming. It wasn't seasoned very well and even the fish sauce tasted bland. Trust me, I didn't think that was possible. Now, I don't know if I am just being biased because I am so use to my moms banh cuon but as I reflect on this dish, I would not recommend this dish. I will give this place another try because the service was great! I will try other dishes though.
Andy F.
The beginning of this month, this seemingly persistent virus finally caught up to me. Felt like I went through the wringer (does anyone still use this idiom???). I was sapped of energy. 5 days later I needed to return to work--fever free and negative. What can I have for lunch? A lot of food places outside are usually unhealthy. If healthy, it's cold and raw. Thankfully, there's always Pho to save the day. I went on a Pho quest to restore my Force--visiting only new places along with an old one and only in Chinatown. I started my quest at Golden River Restaurant. It's been at the corner of River and North King Street for decades. I remember going there a couple of times as a boy with my Yeye (paternal grandfather). Everytime we go to Chinatown, we have Bahn Mi, usually at Bale (or we go to McDonalds :p). I was a child who never complained or threw any temper tantrums to go somewhere, and whatever food you put in front me, I'll eat and finish it (all still true today). I write this review having already tried the Pho at almost every Vietnamese restaurant within that block (one left, who knew it closes on FRIDAY!!). Every place has its pros and cons. If I had to rank Golden River, it'd be at the bottom, but that doesn't mean it was bad. The pros: the amount of ingredients. You get a lot more of everything here. The beef tendon and rare steak are the best here. Big pieces of tendon and tender rare steak. Plenty of vegetables, sliced onion, cilantro, and scallions. Noodles were also plentiful and had taste. Another pro was the seating. It was surprisingly quiet, cool, and comfortable inside. You could not hear all the cars passing by. The con was the broth. It didn't taste bad. It was just very one note. I could not taste the herbs and spices. It didn't feel savory or hearty. It was almost like salt/MSG and water. But all the meat and fresh ingredients made up for it. Overall, the pho wasn't bad. You get the most ingredients here. Just the broth doesn't measure up. It's still better than anything outside of Chinatown, but within Chinatown, other places are better. Service was good though. Food came out fast.
Lily D.
I remember back in the day there used to be a really long line to dine at this restaurant over the weekend (it seemed much bigger back then, or maybe it's because I was also very small) lol Parking is a little rough around the edges in Chinatown but you can definitely score a free parking spot on Sundays! This is one of two places that I know of that offer banh coun. It's one of my favorite dishes and not many places offer this. It was about $12 a plate and takes about 15-20 minutes to make. The restaurant was practically empty when I went, but a few other patrons came in shortly after as it was becoming lunch hour. Service was pretty standard to any Vietnamese restaurant and I'll definitely be back again when I have cravings
Joyce L.
This review has been long overdue as my husband and I have been visiting this place for almost ten years now! We used to be regulars before I gave birth to my 21 month old - and when I say regulars, I mean we were here AT LEAST twice a week LOL This is hands down our favorite pho restaurant and I highly doubt that will change. We're pretty simple - we usually just get the pho with some spring rolls...but man is it GOOD. Their broth has so much flavor! I've tried many pho places on the island in which it tasted like the broth was either watered down or loaded with MSG. But not this place! Portions are generous and you cant beat the price! HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS PLACE. :)
Jerry X.
Got the Hainanese Chicken and Beef Stew noodles with egg noodles. Chicken was cooked really well and good portion. Only thing was didn't come with chicken soup but the chicken rice and meat was very flavorful. Beef stew noodles was super good. The beef itself looks like braised brisket and they had a lot of cartilage in it. Beef was very tender and soup very flavorful. Like many Chinatown restaurants, you just need to let the food speak for itself. Will definitely be coming back here.
Stop by for
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
The food is average.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
This is my second pho experience in the district and I can 100% this one was best so far. I really enjoyed the broth and the beef was very fresh. The greens were also bright and crisp. Amazing service, definitely will come back. The pho was amazing! Note that they recently had a name change to golden river, same owner/staff. The place can be empty at times but I think it’s because the lunch crowds eats fast.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Rare Beef Pho
Excellent shaved ice! Drop what you’re doing, and go here now. Great way to cool down on a hot day!
We mostly order our favorites here, pho with tendon and the combination pho. The portions are generous, and they come with lots of leafy greens and bean sprouts. The restaurant looks clean, and I especially like that the wait staff appear respectful and polite. By this, I'm comparing with another place we go to in Kaimuki, where I don't get as good a feeling from the servers.
I tried a lot of dishes from here but the stand out one is the house special soup or Trieu chau egg noodle soup. It came with a fried shrimp chip that is really good! The pho and chicken curry was alright, but my hubby likes their Banh mi. Service as prompt and the server is nice and polite.
I loveee this place!! The first time I ever tried. It was with my boyfriends parents I love pho & this is the best place I've ever ate PHO I try to go there a lot now and I do I go very often after trying this place my bf mom them been regulars for A very long time and I'm next on that list. I get the spicy beef noodle soup and OMG it is the best ever!!! Like I love it so much I love the jalapeños and all the vegetables you get they give very generous portion. We also got the spring rolls which I freaking love so much it tastes so good!!!! and we get a order of side chicken wings, which also taste very bomb. I love the crisp of it. Though it does take a while to make but it's definitely worth the wait. My boyfriend also had tried their Ramen for the first time because he doesn't really like FHO but he said he really like those noodles cause he usually just get barbecue chicken plate which is also very good but I'm sticking to the pho. Parking is a little rough, but very much worth all the trouble. I'm telling you guys they're orange shake is also the best like it's fresh you can taste the orange and you can also get the orange bits and that's how you can tell it's fresh their Thai tea very good as well. I've tried it all. I just this is the first time that I am actually writing a review that is long overdue. I very much appreciate this establishment They are Very nice very good customer service. They did just changed their hours though so they now close at 2:30. They no longer close at 4 o'clock. I don't know if it's temporary or if they're going to change it back but you should definitely call the restaurant before visiting.
I'm addicted to their beef stew with (fragrant) rice. It is different then local beef stew so please understand the difference! The pieces of meat is not chunks of beef, but more beef pieces and tendon. The broth is so tasty!! Especially with their flavorful rice.
The best food for excellent prices
It's a nice owner who shows a gentle expression.I ate pho, but the meat was soft and delicious.
Restaurantji Recommends
I just moved to Oahu and was craving banh cuon so I ordered this dish to go. I wanted to love it so badly but the flavors were underwhelming. It wasn't seasoned very well and even the fish sauce tasted bland. Trust me, I didn't think that was possible. Now, I don't know if I am just being biased because I am so use to my moms banh cuon but as I reflect on this dish, I would not recommend this dish. I will give this place another try because the service was great! I will try other dishes though.
The beginning of this month, this seemingly persistent virus finally caught up to me. Felt like I went through the wringer (does anyone still use this idiom???). I was sapped of energy. 5 days later I needed to return to work--fever free and negative. What can I have for lunch? A lot of food places outside are usually unhealthy. If healthy, it's cold and raw. Thankfully, there's always Pho to save the day. I went on a Pho quest to restore my Force--visiting only new places along with an old one and only in Chinatown. I started my quest at Golden River Restaurant. It's been at the corner of River and North King Street for decades. I remember going there a couple of times as a boy with my Yeye (paternal grandfather). Everytime we go to Chinatown, we have Bahn Mi, usually at Bale (or we go to McDonalds :p). I was a child who never complained or threw any temper tantrums to go somewhere, and whatever food you put in front me, I'll eat and finish it (all still true today). I write this review having already tried the Pho at almost every Vietnamese restaurant within that block (one left, who knew it closes on FRIDAY!!). Every place has its pros and cons. If I had to rank Golden River, it'd be at the bottom, but that doesn't mean it was bad. The pros: the amount of ingredients. You get a lot more of everything here. The beef tendon and rare steak are the best here. Big pieces of tendon and tender rare steak. Plenty of vegetables, sliced onion, cilantro, and scallions. Noodles were also plentiful and had taste. Another pro was the seating. It was surprisingly quiet, cool, and comfortable inside. You could not hear all the cars passing by. The con was the broth. It didn't taste bad. It was just very one note. I could not taste the herbs and spices. It didn't feel savory or hearty. It was almost like salt/MSG and water. But all the meat and fresh ingredients made up for it. Overall, the pho wasn't bad. You get the most ingredients here. Just the broth doesn't measure up. It's still better than anything outside of Chinatown, but within Chinatown, other places are better. Service was good though. Food came out fast.
I remember back in the day there used to be a really long line to dine at this restaurant over the weekend (it seemed much bigger back then, or maybe it's because I was also very small) lol Parking is a little rough around the edges in Chinatown but you can definitely score a free parking spot on Sundays! This is one of two places that I know of that offer banh coun. It's one of my favorite dishes and not many places offer this. It was about $12 a plate and takes about 15-20 minutes to make. The restaurant was practically empty when I went, but a few other patrons came in shortly after as it was becoming lunch hour. Service was pretty standard to any Vietnamese restaurant and I'll definitely be back again when I have cravings
This review has been long overdue as my husband and I have been visiting this place for almost ten years now! We used to be regulars before I gave birth to my 21 month old - and when I say regulars, I mean we were here AT LEAST twice a week LOL This is hands down our favorite pho restaurant and I highly doubt that will change. We're pretty simple - we usually just get the pho with some spring rolls...but man is it GOOD. Their broth has so much flavor! I've tried many pho places on the island in which it tasted like the broth was either watered down or loaded with MSG. But not this place! Portions are generous and you cant beat the price! HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS PLACE. :)
Got the Hainanese Chicken and Beef Stew noodles with egg noodles. Chicken was cooked really well and good portion. Only thing was didn't come with chicken soup but the chicken rice and meat was very flavorful. Beef stew noodles was super good. The beef itself looks like braised brisket and they had a lot of cartilage in it. Beef was very tender and soup very flavorful. Like many Chinatown restaurants, you just need to let the food speak for itself. Will definitely be coming back here.