Golden King Restaurant

I have been here many times, usually when I am in the area where I need a quick bite or this would be a place for dinner after a basketball session. They offer authentic pho, Vietnamese dishes, rice plates, shareable items and much more. The staffs here are very welcoming, well trained and understanding where I never encountered any issues during any of my visits. Everything is made to order which is just the way I like it and I never mind the wait since I am a very patient person. I recommend this place to all pho lovers, if you need a quick bite just like me or for anyone on a limited time. I definitely will be back to tryout the other delicious options they have to offer.

A good place to eat when in Chinatown. The prices are low, and the food delicious. They prepare the food rather quick, so this is also a good place when you have limited time. The place features a quite extensive menu, with many classic dishes to choose from. I loved the Five Spice chicken. And they serve tea as soon as you get in.

Love the prices here and how quick the service is! I came here on a Thursday night with no line at all and the food came very quickly! Food: I got the vermicelli with pork and imperial rolls and really appreciated the flakiness and crunch of the rolls in addition to the fish sauce! I also tried the standard pho bowl which was quite average but the vermicelli had a great portion size and great flavor! Service: The waiters let us stick around for a long time which was super nice of them and we stayed for about two hours! Ambiance: Super casual, felt like an eatery and was very much a quick cheap place to eat! I enjoyed my experience and would go for huge portions at low cost!

#1 Vietnamese restaurant in San Francisco. We ordered Bun Bo Hue and Bun Thit Nuong, which was delicious. We were so satisfied with the Bun Bo Hue, it is an authentic Vietnamese flavour. We tried so many Vietnamese restaurants in SFO but turned out so disappointed. However, Golden King is a lifesaver.

Was craving some broth and Pho was the solution! This place was so very yummy!!! The meat was cooked perfectly and the noodles were delicious! Plus the Chia iced tea was delicious! Definitely will eat here again.

Chinatown has three Golden restaurants all within a five-minute walking distance from each other. I mean there is the Golden Flower Vietnamese Restaurant, Golden King Vietnamese Restaurant and the Golden Star Vietnamese Restaurant all close to each other. After trying Golden Flower, I decided to give Golden King a try. It is located on Clay & Walter U so it's in the heart of Chinatown and almost opposite to Golden Star. At the peak lunch hour on a Saturday the place had only 2 tables full, so it seemed pretty empty. I decided to get the Vietnamese style beef stew noodle soup ($9) to-go. As expected I had to pay in cash as it was cash only. After ordering it was a short 10-minute wait and I was on my way. I got two containers, a container for the broth and another small Chinese takeout container for the noodles. The broth was really good and the noodles were fine. Overall this was pretty good. Price-wise it was in-line with what you would pay at other Golden restaurants in the area. I'm going to have to come back and try some stuff of their menu as I liked what I got. A strong 4 stars is how I'd rate this place.

Food was poor. Extremely greasy. Tea was literally just water. Service was bad, and the owners children were constantly running through the restaurant. Unclean tables. WiFi was the only redeeming quality.

Good, fast Pho that oddly doesn't show up when I search Pho. Let me assure you that they've got the good stuff! The tea sucks and really is just brown hot water but it comes with the table. Ask for water, believe me. This is a five minute walk from my desk so I come here often.

Was looking for a Vietnamese restaurant in the Chinatown area and found Golden King. There were a few parties inside but the wait was reasonable. Was a pleasant ambience for small groups. Grilled Pork & Imperial Rolls - delicious pork & rolls combination, fish sauce topped it off well House Special Beef Noodle Soup - not the best but still decent, nice tender meats Bun Bo Hue - also not the most authentic but still delicious, meaty sour umami broth flavor Overall, the food was decent, with some standout dishes that make it worth a visit. Golden King may not be the pinnacle of Vietnamese cuisine, but it's a solid choice for a fulfilling meal in Chinatown.

5 spice chicken? More like no spice chicken jerky! This was the worst "5 spice" chicken plate I've ever had in my life and to be honest, it's the only bad one I've ever eaten. Never thought you could mess it up. -deep fried(huhHhh) -no flavor(was there any seasoning??!!?!) -dry(how do you overcook chicken thigh??!?!! Imperial roll was also overcooked the rice paper was burnt for a good portion.Unusual amount of flies even for a restaurant in Chinatown. Cant decide between the 2 restaurants that are right next to each other? Go to the one across the street, golden star, and no I'm not being paid.

We had lunch here while walking around Chinatown in the rain. I got extremely lucky and was able to get a parking spot, paid parking meter which is incredibly in short supply in Chinatown. We stumbled on this Vietnamese Pho restaurant. It was not busy at lunchtime, so we ordered quickly after we were served hot tea. I got the shrimp broccoli which was pretty good and the wife got the medium size bowl of pho with beef along with an order of egg rolls and a glass of lemonade. Overall the service was good, the server was nice and the food was good and plentiful. I would recommend.

The worst Vietnamese restaurant I've ever been in. I ordered Five Spice Chicken Vermicelli. It was a full breast and attached leg. I also ordered a side of Imperial Rolls. The chicken tasted good, but the vermicelli was soggy and the amount of veggies in the bowl was minimal. The sauce was bland. The Imperial Rolls were tiny and overcooked. Should not have been surprised as the restaurant was empty on a busy Saturday afternoon in Chinatown where there were plenty of tourists, but apparently the locals don't like it either. If you want food vermicelli bowls, go to Pho 84 in Oakland, they also have the best Imperial Rolls.

I walked into the restaurant, and it was freezing cold. The woman, who appeared to be the owner, was rude and seemed uninterested in serving my children and me. I ordered two bowls of pho and had to specifically request chili oil, as it's apparently not considered a standard accompaniment here. She brought out just one small tablespoon of chili oil for both bowls, so I had to ask for more--because who doesn't enjoy chili oil in their pho? The broth was flavorful, I'll give them that, but the overall experience was disappointing. I won't be returning, and while I didn't feel she deserved a tip, I still left one.

Very bad service very disgusting the lady speaks very beaten, we asked for an order of spring rolls and she asked us, shrimp or pork?, we tell her that shrimp and dise ohh no, those only come from the two meats shrimp and pork you can't have just one, so bring the one you want, bad customer service. They cook what they want

I was surprised by the number of low reviews. I tried their vegetarian bun today at the San Francisco night market and it was fantastic. Maybe it's not a traditional Vietnamese bun but the flavor of the fish sauce is very good. I tasted some chopped galanga in the sauce too. I've never had a fish sauce like this before with bun. I'll definitely be visiting the restaurant after this!

Love the prices here and how quick the service is! I came here on a Thursday night with no line at all and the food came very quickly! Food: I got the vermicelli with pork and imperial rolls and really appreciated the flakiness and crunch of the rolls in addition to the fish sauce! I also tried the standard pho bowl which was quite average but the vermicelli had a great portion size and great flavor! Service: The waiters let us stick around for a long time which was super nice of them and we stayed for about two hours! Ambiance: Super casual, felt like an eatery and was very much a quick cheap place to eat! I enjoyed my experience and would go for huge portions at low cost!

Honestly not sure why this place doesn't have a higher rating on Yelp! I placed a to-go order and everything went perfectly. Food was ready in a short amount of time, the house special beef pho is delicious, good portion, tasty, and the soup is piping hot (very important when it comes to rare beef!). The containers all meet my picky standards -- the noodles are in a wide black plastic bowl (important for distribution and access to toppings!), and the soup in a separate container wrapped in Saran wrap. It also comes with a little baggie of veggies, lemon, and sauce. More importantly, the staff are so nice even though it was a pick up order! They all greeted me and handed me the order in no time. When I left, they all thanked me and wished me a good day! Really, what more can I ask for in an one minute encounter? Will definitely go back and highly recommend!

I got the chicken with noodles and imperial rolls. The lunch itself is pretty sizable and more than enough for 1-2 meals. It also comes with a salad in the container. But I didn't really enjoy the favors and will probably skip it next time.

Spring Rolls Their imperial rolls are a must try. There is pork, wooden ear and other stuffs in it. It's specially fried so it's different from other spring rolls. It's a must-try.

I eat Vietnamese food at least once a week.. for me they got the best beef stew in the city.

To Go only. Cash only. No sign that it's cash only but good thing I had cash. Lady was not the happiest person. Pho was good! Lots of meat and noodles. My biggest downfall with the pho is that there was little vegetables. When I got the food she did not want to open the bag and she was pushy to get me out the door. When I did get out I checked the bag and I went back to get chili oil. Glad I didn't walk far away. Food makes up for the service. Not that expensive. I got #2 for $10.50

Imo the best pho in this area - certainly one of the restaurants with the more friendly staff. Came in right before closing and they were as friendly as could be! Beef looked much fresher than the other pho restaurants in the area. Portions seem to be a bit larger too. Restaurant itself was much cleaner than others in the area!

Did Uber eats from here and ordered up their beef pho with beef balls and imperial rolls! Yum! Just what I needed on noodle soup cravings! Standard pho bowl with the basic ingredients served up! Savory and it fills the spot! I didn't need a lot of water afterwards, which means not a lot of MSG in their broth! Imperial rolls tasted delicious and they know how to make not only the filling right, and also the fish sauce provided on the side! It went well complimenting each other!

The only reason to come here is if 1. You like supporting family businesses, 2. You are just looking for a cheap meal in Chinatown. I appreciate their extensive food menu and the pictures of those meals on the menu. However, the quality of the food itself has nothing to appreciate. I had the spicy shrimp with fried rice. When you cook seafood or meat, if you are coating it in a sauce, you still have to season the food with salt and pepper and whatever before you but the sauce on so that the meat itself has some flavor! This is not how food is cooked here so there was not much flavor the shrimp. Interestingly enough, their white rice tasted better than their fried rice, ha!

One thing I noticed that Golden King does differently from other Vietnamese joints is they put toasted garlic bits into some of their pho dishes. This makes the pho quite flavorful! The restaurant is a half a block from Kearny Street so very close to the Financial District; you don't have to go far to get pho.

Great service, amazing food - underrated place. I got the sweet and sour chicken with rice and it was the right amount of spiciness

TL;DR friend from Texas said #13 was the best beef stew he's had in the Bay Area PLUSES: + friendly & fast service + yummy broth + perfect noods DELTAS: - cash only

My friend Alex owns this restauraunt and I finally got to try it. I got the Phò and the Imperial Rolls and it was very delicious. Got to play with him and I had a great time at the restauraunt.

The food is delicious and fresh, the service was friendly, and everything was delicious and well made the summer rolls were super crisp

It would be great restaurant if. I have a culinary degree in EU and I know old chicken it was re fried and it looks and taste like chicken jerky with no flavor whatsoever also looked like someone had bite of it too I'm furious and they lucky I'm not going to call health inspector on their business cause I know at this time all the food industries are suffering cause of COVID-19 just don't sell customers leftovers it's disgusting! That being said I have to give them a credit for their Pho which was very good there for I give them two stars.

Quite a no frills decor. It's near the touristy Grant Avenue, yet isn't filled with many tourists. Appeared to have a bunch of regulars that seemed to know all the workers. The pho is ok (hence the 3-stars), but this city has a lot of pho so it's hard to carve out a spot at the top. Xe Lua: I'm huge fan of beef pho on a rainy day (...or any days for that matter) so even an ok bowl is still a great lunch. The noodles were nice and firm. The broth was decent, but I've definitely had better at the pho shops in Little Saigon. I opted to skip tendon and tripe, since I'm just not into the texture. The remaining meat was doled out in a generous portion. The slices of beef were already cooked by the time I got my bowl; I prefer when restaurants make a pile of rare sliced beef so only the portion touching the broth is good. The beef balls were very tasty. And the flank was quite hearty.

Tasty vermicelli and beef. Good steamed rice. The staff is friendly. Authentic atmosphere

Chinatown has three Golden restaurants all within a five-minute walking distance from each other. I mean there is the Golden Flower Vietnamese Restaurant, Golden King Vietnamese Restaurant and the Golden Star Vietnamese Restaurant all close to each other. After trying Golden Flower, I decided to give Golden King a try. It is located on Clay & Walter U so it's in the heart of Chinatown and almost opposite to Golden Star. At the peak lunch hour on a Saturday the place had only 2 tables full, so it seemed pretty empty. I decided to get the Vietnamese style beef stew noodle soup ($9) to-go. As expected I had to pay in cash as it was cash only. After ordering it was a short 10-minute wait and I was on my way. I got two containers, a container for the broth and another small Chinese takeout container for the noodles. The broth was really good and the noodles were fine. Overall this was pretty good. Price-wise it was in-line with what you would pay at other Golden restaurants in the area. I'm going to have to come back and try some stuff of their menu as I liked what I got. A strong 4 stars is how I'd rate this place.

Whenever I'm in SF this is the pho go to spot. Always cures a hangover and the broth is just so yummy. I could eat here everyday. If you enjoy soup and feeling great after a meal this is one of my favorites.

It does seem a shame that Golden King is viewed as the ugly stepsister to Golden Star across the street. At least I assume they're joined at the hip since they share the same menu. But is this a case of Cinderella wearing dirty undies beneath her Vera Wang knock-off gown? I'm not sure what I meant either...but yes, the ambiance at Golden King is a bit on the dank side compared to Golden Star. Yet, Golden King has a health inspection code of 96, while Golden Star scored just a 90. Can it be that perhaps the glass slipper is on the wrong foot, your Highness? Hmmm, not really. There isn't a hugely marked difference in the pho served at both places, but I do feel I don't get as hearty a bowl of goodness at Golden King. Maybe it's the haphazard way the place looks or the overwhelming use of formica or the plethora of plastic plants. I can't quite put my finger on it, but like many others, I come here when the line goes out the door at Golden Star. As usual, I was in a hurry for lunch today and ordered the $6.50 Pho Ga Dai, which is really a big bowl of chicken noodle soup (see my photo). Hmmm, not bad but not that special either. I had to share a table with a spiky-haired youngster who kept yelling into his cell phone in Cantonese. My God, the 80's are over, my boy. Nope, we didn't bond.... So the Prince may prefer the skinny girl with the smudge on her face over the fat broad with the flat feet, but perhaps that fat broad wouldn't leave the Prince to play with the pool boy at a Sandals resort on their honeymoon. Again, I'm not sure what I meant either ...but hey, I guess I would pick Cinderella after all 'cause you don't care if ugly walks out on ya. FOOD - 3 stars...passable pho AMBIANCE - 2.5 stars...kinda on the dank side, even for Chinatown SERVICE - 3 stars...speedy without the how-ya-doin' warmth TOTAL - 3 stars...gee, if I didn't have that stupid meeting at 1pm, I would wait in line at Golden Star

Walking up and down Clay street, how come I never really noticed this Vietnamese restaurant? Well, my friend brought me here and he said it's the only 1 of 2 Vietnamese places he likes in the area. So, I'm game. I notice the prices seem a bit more and don't have a whole lot of time to peruse the menu because it's lunch and I have to order quick. I pick #2 ($5.00), which is the pho with everything except the beef balls. My friend orders #1 ($5.45), which is everything, of course! They also give you individual plates of bean sprouts, jalapenos, green stuff, and lime, so you can pretty much take the plate and dump everything in your bowl without feeling like you're a hog or getting everything all over the table during the transfer part from plate to bowl. When my bowl arrived, I understood why the prices were more - it was the BIG bowl! (Not the gigantic one at some places!) Well, it was a big enough bowl for me at least! I usually get the smaller version when they offer two sizes. And there was a butt load of noodles in there! They definitely weren't skimpy on that! Service was standard. The waitress took our order, brought our orders quickly to the table, gave our check at a decent time, and our bowls were taken away when we finished. The place was clean overall, and had a mix of people dining there. I would go back. I didn't leave hungry and the place was pretty decent. Perhaps the star ratings would go up if I tried a few of their other dishes as well. Update! 09/14/07 - Went back last week for lunch on a Friday and it was packed! We ordered the spring rolls and the five spice chicken dish. The spring rolls were fresh and tasty. The five spice chicken was okay, not as good as PPQ on Irving though. The egg roll that came with my chicken dish though was really good. It reminded me of Chinese sticky rice at a dim sum restaurant, but deep fried. I think I'll have to order the egg rolls as an appetizer the next time. (I added pics of my eating in the business profile section!)

Mm... pho with a lot of Chinese influences; what else would you expect eating at a Vietnamese noodle shop located in SF Chinatown? Regardless, the pho here was actually not too bad, but I've had better. My friends and I showed up around noon and snagged us a table. It got REALLY busy between 12 and 1, and there were many large crowds inside. Luckily the restaurant is pretty big so that wasn't a whole lot of trouble getting a table. Once seated, the nice servers gave us tea, which was nice to have instead of just iced water. My friend got the imperial rolls and I got their usual combo pho (#1) that I aim for at pho places. The imperial rolls were delicious. The plate contains six for $6, a decent price for some great Vietnamese egg rolls. The pho I had wasn't too bad either. There was a generous helping of meat, but I'd say I have had better broths. My friends also got an order of Vietnamese Iced Coffee, which turned out too bitter so they asked for some more condensed milk... and they delivered.

My partner and I ordered their grilled pork & imperial rolls vermicelli bowl and their special beef pho for takeout during shelter in place. It was our first time here since our usual Vietnamese restaurant is closed during sip. Takeout: Ok this place gets it when it comes to takeout. Everything was still hot when we picked up to the 20-25 min it took us to sit down and eat. Its well worth getting there on the earlier side of the estimated pickup time! Food: We were impressed by the quality of the food (especially given the prices!) and honestly not sure why this place doesn't have at least 4 stars...the noodles in both dishes were cooked perfectly and its become our new favorite imperial rolls place in the area. Also everything in my pho was packaged so carefully - soup in a separate container, bean sprouts and thai basil and sauce packets in a lil bag, and noodles and meat in a takeout box. Staff: Friendly staff. Everyone in there is also wearing a mask, and to keep the 6 foot social distancing they placed a table by the door for your safety and theirs. We'll be back for more takeout and hopefully soon we'll get a chance to dine in!

I had a #2. The order was big but soup wasn't so great. Come here for pho is you're hungry. otherwise go somewhere else... Maybe I go to Golden Star in the alley instead. This place takes credit cards too. So that is a plus for people do not have cash.

MealPal pickup: the lady who greeted me was super sweet. They don't get order notifications from MealPal so she told me to call ahead next time and the food will be ready when I arrive. I had the grilled beef bun vermicelli noodle salad and the portion was huge. The noodle was good consistency but the beef and the sauce was way too sweet for my liking. This is just my personal preference towards savory but I probably wouldn't order that dish again.

Plenty of tables and decorated with bunch of plants and other Asian decor. Nothing about pho places are notably special and the service is all the same. Their imperial rolls are mediocre. The beef pho wasn't the best I've ever had but I loved that I had the same portion of noodles to my meat, that hardly ever happens! The noodles were stuck together when served which they could've done better at tearing them apart. The beef was tender, the tripe wasn't as chewy, and the beef tendon was long pieces. The broth could've been a little more rich. Not sure if it was the pho or the iced Vietnamese coffee I had with it, but almost immediately after I had to go to the bathroom! Place is pretty far from the workplace so not sure if i'd make the trek to come here again. I'm sure there are better pho places that are closer by.

This place is solid! We got the Five Spice Chicken with vermicelli and the Seafood Chow Fun. Both were around $8-9 and came in big portions. The chicken was tender and flavorful and with the cold noodles and refreshing vegetables made a really great dish for a hot day. The seafood chow fun wasn't too salty and had a variety of seafood. We also got the 3 color bean drink, which is sweet and fun. We left stuffed and satisfied.

Of all the Vietnamese restaurants in that area, this one is our favorite. Very fast service, noodle soup is always of high quality, a lot of beef of different types, rich broth. My favorites are House Special Beef Soup Noodle and Vietnamese Style Beef Stew Noodle Soup. But keep in mind: cash only.

I was excited to try the spicy beef pho (bun bo hue) because I love spicy noodle soups. I ordered from door dash so maybe that was a mistake. I was a bit disappointed with it. Extremely oily, I had to wash my hands every time I touched any part of the soup package because my hands got so greasy. I received 3 pieces of meat from the soup and couldn't finish the beef cubes because it was so dry and tough to chew. I actually spit it out and threw them away and I am definitely not a picky eater. I wish they packaged the vegetables better because when I picked them up, they all spilled into the bag. They should've taped it or put a knot on it to prevent this. The noodles were okay. I have ordered their vermicelli bowls and Viet coffee before and they're delicious hence the 3 stars. Maybe it'll be better if I dine in and eat their pho.

Got the lemongrass beef vermicelli. I'm not sure why Vietnamese restaurants here use this unappetizing yellow lettuce for their vermicelli. The vermicelli was lacking bean sprouts, daikon, Thai basil, and cucumbers. It's not a vermicelli if you're missing those core ingredients. Not to mention the beef was not very flavourful. I also got the pho, it was delicious. Broth was decent and there was lots of meat. However, I did not receive the garnishes when ordering through UE. The bean sprouts, Thai basil, and jalapeño were missing. Because of that reason, I would probably not order delivery from here again. It seems like if you eat at the restaurant, they include it there though...

Came here today to try out their Chicken Noodle Soup. It was very good and comforting. I liked how they added cabbage to it. I got there before the lunch rush, so my order came pretty quickly. I liked how there were separate men and women's restrooms.

Amazing noodles and very kind owners and wait staff. Definitely worth checking out !!

[M]ona: 3 Stars [W]ayne: 3.5 Stars Average: 3.25 Stars + Inexpensive - Service - Cash Only [W] We came here because the Vietnamese place across the street was too packed. After all, this was the Chinese festival weekend and I was expecting everywhere to be busy but not this place.....so we tried it out. It wasn't too bad actually. We ordered the hot Vietnamese coffee http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/4HeUBskEaGZ2qlnGtBcy7A?select=fRaop7aP6gesB8j9Yn3UNQ, the chicken curry http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/4HeUBskEaGZ2qlnGtBcy7A?select=QR9-OpS1LaGigMifJx6elA, and BBQ pork vermicelli with imperial rolls http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/4HeUBskEaGZ2qlnGtBcy7A?select=7ky4_Vh-iQhIlKRHOHHvxw. The weird thing was that for the hot tea, they gave the condensed milk with the tea dripping on top and a hot water mug for the water. I'm sure a lot of you are like, whats wrong with that? But for some reason it doesn't seem very restaurant like I suppose? The chicken curry was kinda good. But like all Chinese/Vietnamese places, they usually make it out of powdered curry which taste kind of pasty. I don't know how to explain it but it definitely tastes like there was no effort to making this dish. The vermicelli on the other hand was good like it always is. If you've ever ate a vermicelli at a vietnamese spot, then I suppose they all taste the same. Service in Chinatown are usually non-existant. When we got in they're kind of attentive, then when it got a little busier, obviously bye bye service and time to flag everyone down.

Chinatown's Clay Street has two good Vietnamese restaurants.(Golden Star and here, Golden King). Usually these two places are busy during noon time, but really quiet in the early evening. You can't go wrong with any of the two places, which is several feet away from each other. I took four of my "massive" co-workers here for an early dinner. Co-workers had various rice plates and soups respectively. I had #43 for $7.25, which is the Grilled Pork with Sliced Imperial Rolls and soft Vermicelli Noodles. I may not know the name of many Vietnamese dishes, but I'm sure many of you know what I'm referring too. And every item in the bowl is cooked fresh with fresh Bean Sprouts, Sliced Daikon and Carrots. The dipping sauce adds a spicy kick to my bowl of noodles. My co-workers loved all their foods. One of my co-worker had the 3-bean multi-color drink on ice. And for an ex-lineman in college, he thought the drink was refreshing. Another one of my colleagues just got a raise and paid all our meals in cash, in which the restaurant only accepts. The waitresses are nice and accommodated our needs. I'm definitely coming back here for dinner.

Best place for Pho in Chinatown! Been coming here for years, about half a decade now, and this place is still crackin'. They give you large portion size and the beef broth actually has taste! Also, it's pretty inexpensive (your in freakin' chinatown afterall) and fills you up pretty good. However, I do believe that a pho restaurant is the best place to operate a family daycare. (The owner sometimes will have her baby in her hand and the son will be in the back table doing homework or watching the Disney channel. You'll see)

Ok, this is my new place to go for Vietnamese food. Co-workers love to go to the Golden Star across the street, and not sure why. Golden King has a much wider selection, cleaner, and not so damn tight seating. All those are big pluses in my book. I ordered the Lemongrass beef w/ imperial rolls, egg, rice. Good amount of beef and it was thinly sliced...just as I like. I'd definitely be returning to try some of their pho.

The pho bo kho here is amazing! Check out the photo I posted of it!! My lunch crew always used to go to Golden Star across the street, but since it's so busy, we've started coming to Golden King, and I'm so glad we did! I always used to get the regular beef pho at Vietnamese restaurants, but because of Golden King, I discovered the magic of pho bo kho. It has thicker, spicy broth, and has huge chunks of delicious beef. This spot has also gotten very busy lately (the crowds probably followed us from Golden King!), so go a bit earlier if you intend to go during the lunch hour. Say it with me now... PHO BO KHO!!!

I love this place!! They are very consistent with the quality of the food and the food tastes great. I love the noodles with pork and shrimp. They make fresh lemonade and Vietnamese coffee. The place does get busy during lunch, so be prepared. They only take cash (just like most places in the chinatown area).

9/4/13 Lunch 3.5* Rumors have it that this place and Golden Star near Plymouth Garage are sister restaurants (different branches of family). So with Golden Star is packed to the gunwales with five different parties sharing a table, I came to the quiet oasis of Golden King. Usually I get pho but on a very balmy day and my back as already semi-soaked, I opted for the dry vermicelli. The BBQ Pork & Imperial Roll bún ($7.50) was standard fare. Unlike many other restaurants, Golden King gives you more meat than rolls in the combo. Slices of pork are marinated and tasty. Asian preparation of meat is all about marinade. Golden King pork is not an exception. I could taste an aromatic mix of shallots, garlic, lemongrass, honey, fish sauce, and sesame oil that has permeated the meat. The rolls, however, are a bit disappointing. The meat stuffing has too much of a fish sauce taste. They are also smaller. Overall it's not a bad place for quick lunch. It's actually one of the better places in the area for pho and bún.

I could go on and on about my love of SF and Chinatown most of all, but after trying several different pho places in my 3 days there I stumbled into this little gem of a restaurant after resting my feet at Portsmouth square. Not much in the way of décor, I was the only white girl in there, I was given hot tea and a bowl of pho and left completely alone. These are all good, nay, great things. I had the pho tai with the meat served on the side..I like it more raw than cooked and lemme tell you the broth was phoking goooood! Full of flavor and the noodles were perfectly done. Now if I can find a place this good in Dallas..

We stopped in here for lunch and I had the Crispy Noodle (#49) and my wife had a pho. Both were excellent. The place was fairly clean, though the bathrooms were questionable. This place appears to be family run and that is always enjoyable to see.

DECENT. (3 stars) When did Pho Gai have chopped intestine as chicken meat? - PHO, ok - PRICES, ok - SERVICE, good - AMBIANCE, roomy After the run club, some friends from the club and I decided to get something to eat afterwards. We really had no intention to come here after trying to figure out if we want ramen, Singapore food, chinese, vietnamese.... we ended up settling for this place because it was the closest Pho spot. HEFFER-STYLE STATUS. PHO GAI (+$7) - Asked for rice noodles and when it came out it looked like decent pho. Broth was good, had better and had worst at other places. My noodles were clinging together and didnt break loose as I'd like them too. I had to switft thru my chicken meat to make sure "is this chicken???" to find out that half of it was chicken meat and half of it was likely chopped chicken intestine?!!!! I'll just eat the noodles and call it even from there. HA! COMBINATION #1 (recommended by owner) - One of my friends ordered this and THERE WAS ALOT OF MEAT. Just had to put that in my review because you don't see pho bowls with that much meat in it. Will I be back? I'd rather walk across the street and Golden Star or a block and a half down to another Pho place on Washington street. Until the next review....