Kim Sơn Restaurant

This place is a Balboa St staple. Well-priced, delicious food with large proportions. Relatively quick. Staff is super nice. If you’re hungry and in need of a warm, filling meal, come here. BBQ Pork and 5 spice chicken rice/noodle plates are phenomenal and pho is hard to beat. Imperial rolls are a given. Great vegetarian options too. Getting hungry just writing this review…

I always go here with family and friends. It’s a perfect pho shop. I get the Bun Bo Hue all the time. My boyfriend got the wonton noodle soup. Workers here are very kind!

I was planning to come here several times and ended up here today. So far this place is the best among all that I have visited as a lover of Vietnamese soups. There was such a place on Irving, but after 35 years of business, it closed. And so I found the same quiet, unobtrusive place with good food. Look at this thick, flavorful soup - it's very good! I recommend.

Really delicious veggie pho here! The staff were very friendly and courteous. I definitely recommend this place! 😋 There is something here for all pallettes :)

Not many pho places around here so I was really happy to find this spot. Their serving sizes are hefty and food doesn't take a long time to come out. The imperial rolls were sooo good and crispy and flavorful. The pho was pretty standard. 4* review because there were a lot of flies flying around bothering us during our meal :(. I'd come back though!

So yummy and hit the spot. This restaurant feels like a quaint family-run business. The veggie soup warmed my soul. Affordable prices considering the portions are huge!

Read online reviews and decided to give this place a try. Wholesome Vietnamese comfort food. Tried the house special pho and it was great. Large portion, TONs of meat (which is a big bonus) and tasty broth. Definitely will come back to try out other dishes that all look delicious. The server was attentive and just have a very homy vibe 😀. If you are in this neighborhood, you should give this place a try. 🍜👍🏼💯🤩☺️

Best authentic family run Vietnamese in the city. Bun rieu is excellent.

Been coming here since I was a child and I still love it! Great people and good food. Five spice chicken - 4.5/5, so much flavor, especially on the skin. Tender meat and large portions. Combination #1 pho - 4.5/5, huge serving of pho with loads of meat! Broth tastes good, not overwhelmingly salty. Bun rieu - 4.5/5, good flavor and a decent amount of food. They give shredded lettuce to add yourself. I really like the meat they have. Imperial rolls - 5/5, crispy and hot! Paired with fish sauce.

A classic spot for your casual viet food needs. A staple of outer mission for a go to spot for pho of rice plates. Busy on weekend afternoons, we came by and had to wait a few minutes to get seated. A standard pho spot interior with just the right amount of grunge to know your soup is gonna taste good. FOOD: PHO. Always a classic and can't go wrong. Flavorful soup, but still light and with the right noodles that aren't overcooked. Excellent meat options for whatever part of the combo you like. Feel confident coming here for a solid bowl of pho. Imperial rolls. Definitely a necessary part and they hit it just right. Crispy outside, with a little bit of chew and flavorful, juicy filling with the right fish sauce dip. Classic and recommended. BBQ pork rice plate. One of my personal go tos and they do it well in their own way. A little sweeter than a lot of other places, but their pork is also a bit fattier which I appreciate as there were no dry pieces. Served with the standard sauce and always tastes good with Sriracha. Definitely a good option. Just wish it was a bit more charred. Overall a go to place for your simple viet needs. Reliable bowl of pho or rice plates. Friendly and helpful staff. I will be back.

I've had a good amount of pho around the city, and Kim Son has one of the most reliable Pho Tai. If someone asked me to describe pho, I'd probably describe it just the way Kim Son makes it. The Pho Tai's broth is clean yet rich, with that savory depth I like when I'm craving a comforting bowl. The slices of beef are placed delicately on top, cooking just enough in the hot broth to stay tender with every bite. I love how they keep it simple with onions and scallions, letting the flavors speak for themselves. I do tend to drown out my pho with a zigzag of Hoisin and Sriracha, so most have that same profile of taste. The noodles are thin and chewy but quite filling. The price is also perfectly cheap (all things considered) at under $15! The restaurant has a relaxed vibe, perfect for a casual meal without any fuss. Service was smooth, and the staff made sure we had everything we needed. This isn't one of those trendy pho spots like GAO in the Sunset, this is a good old school spot where you come for reliably good food that warms you up from the inside out. What this place is actually known for is their BBH Bun Bo Hue. I personally don't ever order it, but it is my significant other's favorite here. My other friends rave about it as well. My only ding for this place is that it has constant flies roaming around at times, but that also makes it authentic as well lol. I wouldn't go as far to say to travel across town for Kim Son, but if you are close by it is definitely worth a try.

The table were not cleaned well, oil drops and such. My bowl was chipped. Pho bowl was ok, not great. Bathroom full of graffitis. Overall not a great desire to go back

Glad to have a pho place nearby. It's not bad. The chicken pho uses the same beef pho broth but it is allergen friendly for me. The portions are okay not extensive for the rice dishes. I'm glad they have the fish cakes which are good.

Yum. Bun cha was exactly what I needed after an 8 mile stroll around the city. Pork was super flavorful, spring roll a tad too oily. Iced coffee was also delicious.

Don't want to fight hipster babies at a seat at the Laundromat? Kim Son is right down the block with a huge range of pho options for no wait. I got the five spice chicken pho which was a steal since it came with a huge delicious chicken thigh. Imperial rolls were good too!

Kim Son is the definition of bang for your buck! It's in a great neighborhood near other nice cafes and shops, so that's how we found Kim Son. We ordered a plate of pork chops and the serving was enough for two. Also, we've never been served nouc cham in a soup bowl, so we drank from it thinking it was soup lol- please don't be an idiot like us. As for the pork chop, it was a little too fish sauce (?) heavy for our likings, so sharing the plate was great. I also think it would've been more balanced with a larger serving of fresh veg to eat it with! Overall, a decent meal and worth a visit. It was pretty packed when we came in for lunch, so it seems like a local favorite. Thanks Kim son.

We were greeted and seated right away by a friendly waiter upon entering this mom and pop restaurant. They have an extensive menu. We decided to order the bbq pork with egg roll over vermicelli and the special combination rice plate with pork chop and egg roll. The food came out in a timely manner. The bbq pork was kind of dry and flavorless even eating it with the sauce. The egg rolls were crunchy and tasty. The pork chops were very tender, juicy, and flavorful. I can taste the lemongrass that was used in the marinate. They were cooked to perfection as well. This was one of the best pork chops that I ever had. The prices are fairly reasonable and they were generous with the portions. We will be back for more pork chops. We also want to try their fresh spring rolls, pho, and desserts.

So glad we tried this lowkey Vietnamese spot in The Richmond. I can honestly say this was probably the best VALUE meal that I've had in all of SF thus far. For $15 you can get a massive portion of Pho with generous portions of meat--sliced beef, beef balls, tendon, and tripe. The sliced beef was very soft, tender, and juicy, and the Pho broth was very rich and tasty. Overall, the Pho that I had here was definitely one of the best that I've had in the entire city. The restaurant itself is nothing special, similar to most places in The Richmond. Small, not super fancy, but don't let that fool you because the food is phenomenal and the service is extremely fast. They had our food ready in no time. If you're craving some Pho for a low-cost and generous portion, this is definitely the place to go!

Very solid vietnamese restaurant for spring rolls and pho! I have been here a few times now and what first captured my attention was their Roll your Own spring rolls with rice paper. This is one of the few places I've found in the city that does this dish. #60 Banh hoi dac biet (combination with fine vermicelli): Comes with rice paper, imperial rolls, BBQ pork, sugar cane shrimp, and a huge plate of veggies. Definitely enough food to share between 2-4 people. You take the rice paper and fill it whatever meat/veggies you want, then dip it into their sauce (seems like a fish sauce base). #2 Pho dac biet (house special beef pho): This is their combination beef pho with tripe, tendon, meatballs, sliced beef, and flank. Great flavor and hits the spot on a cold SF day. #41 Mi xao đơn thấp cam (crispy noodle with seafood, veggies, chicken): This wasn't our favorite. I think the noodles were overcooked so it was hard. Very large portion though! #24 Bun rieu (crab paste and tomato noodle soup): This was a decent bun rieu! Good flavors but I think they are better at making pho though to be honest. If the combination platter is too much for you, try their appetizer of just the Imperial Rolls! Super crispy and sooo good. Seems like a family-run spot so service can be on the slower end when it's really busy, but they were always kind! Will definitely go back for their pho and spring rolls.

Incredible lunch spot with portions so generous you'll never walk away hungry. The combo plate offers shredded pork, bbq chicken and prawns, a crustless Vietnamese quiche, imperial rolls and rich and salad - all for under $20! What a deal! Other delicious dishes include the crispy noodles and my date enjoyed the pork chop, which was huge and tasty. Service is prompt and attentive at this family run operation and the vibe is very casual but clean.

This is my go to place for an excellent bowl of pho. Is there a number one combo special is fantastic! The broth is fantastic, and the selection of different cuts of meat are awesome. I also love their fresh prawn and pork rolls. My daughter always gets the boon and says it's always excellent. The owners are very nice and hospitable, and the prices are very good too.

The Bun Rieu broth here is very flavorful and tends to be my go-to item when here. This time, also ordered the sliced rare beef w/ lemon. Must say this was an enjoyable dish - flavorful and there was a lot of beef.

Delicious pho!! I ordered their veggie pho with chicken broth. Love the variety of fresh veggies (especially the shiitake mushrooms). Service was great and this was a really delicious meal. Will come back!

I've been a patron of Kim Son since the 90's. My favorites were their 3 been drink and five spice chicken. After 30 years, they are still serving the same delicious dishes. Perhaps it's a different chef or owner but we enjoyed our to go dishes; Five spice chicken, Claypot cat fish and vermicelli with eggs rolls. Ambiance is typical for this cuisine and price range. This place continues to be one of my fav viet places.

Staff and service was terrific, the place is clean and we enjoy eating there. I read one person review who gave it one star because they wanted to use the bathroom but weren't customers. You should not be able to review a place you didn't even eat at . Reading the other reviews this person gave makes me realize how petty and ignorant some people are. So if you are looking for a good place to eat with great food and prices this is it. If you're looking to use the bathroom with out being a customer go find a gas station

Authentic. Delicious and fresh! The owners are friendly snd all staff were very attentive. Went back twice in one week, plan to make this hidden gem a regular spot for me and my family. My kid loved it so much (see pic!)

We came here looking for a delicious bowl of soup since it can be cold and foggy in Richmond. Though the place looks unassuming and very authentically Asian, the noodles were very delicious and the service was super fast. I ordered the grilled pork noodle, which is essentially a bowl of regular pho without the meat, accompanied by grilled pork on the side. Though it may sound like a boring combination, it actually works remarkably well, as it allows me to savor the simple yet intricate flavors of the broth more fully. The grilled pork itself was very juicy, tender, and flavorful. Additionally, we also tried the bun bo hue, which was hearty, spicy, and meaty--a perfect combination for the cold weather in San Francisco.

Best Viet restaurant in all of SF. I've eaten here several hundred times Generous portions, incredible flavors.

Can up on this spot while attending the far out fest. Was pleasantly surprised by how delicious it all was. The 5 spice chicken tasted like was marinated for a week! The chicken broth was so flavorful. Will be back to try the pho.

We heard Pho Kim Son is one of the best neighborhood gem restaurants in Richmond District. So my husband & I tried this restaurant for the first time. The restaurant was decent in size but clean. Two servers approached our table and nicely asked if we were ready. So many good food to choose from the menu. We ordered the deep fried Imperial Rolls as our appetizer, my husband had grilled BBQ pork, shredded pork, baked egg meatloaf over broken rice, and I had the seafood pho. They were delicious. I don't mind coming back.

This restaurant is great. Good food. The service is good. Staff is very attentive. My wife and I eat there all the time.

Soooo good!! We got the 1. House Beef Noodle Soup. Each bowl is humongous! The biggest I've ever seen. Warning that it did come with tripe, however, which was not expected. It has slices of beef and beef meatballs as well. It was so delicious. Single stall bathroom (1 male + 1 female) which was was very clean. Shared sink outside of stalls. They do NOT accept ApplePay or digital wallets, however, so don't forget to bring cash or a credit card.

Loved Vegetarian Noodle Soup with Beef Broth and Vegetarian Imperial Rolls. Such big portions!! Will definitely be back. Love the service and all the sauce options at the table. Delicious quality.

Best Vietnamese restaurant, best family owned restaurant. My daughter was grown in utero off of this found alone! We miss you Steve! Please update us if you open up somewhere else!

The Lunch Combination Rice plate ( I ordered BBQ Beef) was really good. The service was great . Very clean not too loud place. For sure I will return with the family.

Very good broth and well flavored meat, but my pho dac beit (#2 in the pho section) suffered from shrinkflation. They offer a veggie spring roll, which surprisingly was not stuffed to gills with rice noodle and paltry lettuce. It was stuffed with cabbage, carrots and tofu. Quite excellent for my veggie friends. The veggie pho didn't suffer from the same shrinkflation as my pho.

Portion sizes were very large and the food was authentically made; I think the fish sauce was lacking. The service was good, they were attentive to my family who were unfamiliar with a certain style of one of the foods, but a bit unaccommodating for some of my mom's requests. A very sweet family restaurant with lots of room, i hope to come back again with friends someday!

This is a pleasant place to get Pho ga. I liked the broth which is one of the best in San Francisco. The shrimp bbq plate was okay but the true star of the place is the Pho. A must visit for Vietnamese food in San Francisco.

Great menu choices. We went for carry out and service was very quick and efficient. My wife and I had the combination plate, chicken and beef. Both were excellent. The imperial rolls were crisp and tasty. Good value and very friendly.

Let me tell you, the crispy imperial rolls were so damn delicious! I've been missing that type of setup with the lettuce, noodles and carrots. I love wrapping the rolls with all those extra fixings, so good! The rolls were perfectly crisp, with all the vegetables packed perfectly. Not soggy whatsoever. I also enjoyed the vegetarian pho. I was apprehensive of ordering it because generally, the broth is never worth wild. After reading another review, I thought why not! It definitely had me going back for more. I will be back!!

The chicken cabbage salad was delicious! So fresh and refreshing! Good flavors...I'd highly recommend this great neighborhood place for authentic Vietnamese fare.

Pho tai - broth was flavorful, beefy, slightly sweet, can definitely taste the msg but I liked the balance it had. Better pho than some other pho places in the city. Would consider eating here again. Next time: get the pho with grilled pork on the side. I figured out that I like the broth clear and clean with the sweetness coming through without the beefy parts muddling the broth flavor. 3.5 stars for food + 0.5 stars to support this local business :-)

This is a casual neighborhood gem that serves great pho. It's not fancy. The utensils (soup spoons, chopsticks) and condiments are in self-serve plastic bins on each table. Maybe I'm OCD, but I give my spoon and chopstick a good wipe down. They do not ask for proof of vaccination, but the tables are spread out at a safe distance. You get good food at reasonable prices here. We came here a little after noon on a Saturday, and there was no wait for a party of 4. The food came out pretty quickly too. What we ordered: + Grilled BBQ pork pho (#11) - the grilled bbq pork is served on a separate plate instead of in the soup. This preserves the smokey flavor of the pork. This is so good. + Fish ball pho (#19) - pillowy fishballs in tasty broth and noodles. + Imperil rolls - crunchy fried veggie egg rolls. I could eat a plate of these. If you like good food without a lot of frills, this is the place.

Food/Taste/Flavor: 3/5 - very different ratings depending on dish 5/5 - (2) Pho Dac Biet which is the house special beef noodle soup with all the beef options and (6) Pho Tai, Gan which is fresh sliced beef & tendon noodle soup. Both have fairly clear broth that's nicely flavored with an earthiness rather than just being salty. The soup was still hot that it cooked the sliced beef when poured over. Onion and cilantro is automatically included in the noodles with options of bean sprout and lemon 1/5 - Special Combination Rice Plates with pork chop, egg roll, rice, and soup. It's always disappointing when the rice is bad in a rice dish :( Part of it seemed like old/leftover rice since it was stale with some crunchy chunks, and stuck together. The pork chop, while nicely flavored, was dry and hard to chew. The egg roll was decent but not amazing Ambience: N/A - ordered food to go Service: 4/5 - may have slight language barrier and the older gentleman was starting to wrap up for the night so it does take a few moments to catch his attention Value for price: 3/5 - worth for the pho, would skip the rice dish

Good food, good price, big portions. The BBQ pork was cooked well (not dry) and the imperial roll filling was seasoned well and perfectly crispy. Would have liked more of the lettuce, cucumber, and carrots but that's fine. My friend got the #1 pho and liked it too. Service was fast. Would come back!

Had the hu tieu nam vang and my wife went with some pho dac biet. The hu tieu wasn't bad, though maybe a tad undersalted. The pho was probably better (though I like it less as a dish). Pretty generous with the amount of meat they give you. I wanna go back for the banh hoi.

A great place for a bowl of recovery pho after a night out. The portion sizes here are decent, and they give a lot of meat with the pho! The broth is on the saltier side, but the pho overall is still pretty good. Will have to come back to try other menu items sometime.

I love the Crispy Noodles so good and the servings is big can't finish by myself and the Pho soup was really yummy this is the best Pho I ever had!!! Lots of choices on their Menu !! Service is amazing!!! An the place is clean!!! Five Stars for this place!!

If you're in the outer Richmond neighborhood on a cold day, I'd recommend coming here ordering a large bowl. Service comes out in a timely manner. Plenty of street parking.

Probably 3+, close to 4. It's pretty good. I had the combo beef pho. Everything was good, flavor, quality of ingredients. The ratio of meat to noodles was high; it was lighter on the noodles than many places, but I thought it was about right, maybe could be slightly more balanced. For low-carb folks, it's a good ratio. Soup had good flavor. My only suggestion or preference would be fresh noodles. I just prefer the fresh noodles. Overall, solid pick.

Solid 4 stars. I tried #2 Pho, Bun Cha, Bun Rieu, and thai tea. All food is well seasoned (not overly salty or sweet) and the portions are good. The pho broth and ingredients are fresh. The fried roll on Bun Cha was crispy and filling. Bun Rieu tasted like tomato egg drop soup. The egg is very soft, not overcooked. I will come back.

The service was really good and the pho was awesome. Also the spring rolls. Broth was tasty and they aren't cheap on the meat! Loved that haha :) tysm!

Got their pho with tendon and sliced beef and it was delicious. The broth was super clean which was nice. We also ordered their spring rolls, I think it was one of the best ones I've had in a while.

AlwaYs friendly and fresh. Good value, people very friendly. I have been going here since the 80's. Highly recommended

Fast, friendly service. Tasty food. Lots of pork and beef entrees, but also some chicken and vegetarian options. Right by the movie theater.

We ordered special combination rice plates. One was bbq chicken thigh and it so dried as though it was cooked twice. Second was bbq pork chop and it was not tender. What happened tonight. It was not a good meal and we spent $40 for something we didn't finish and toss. We cannot reheat this for another meal. Sad

This is the best Vietnamese restaurant in the Richmond, although there isn't many to pick from. Turtle Tower is also good but it closed during the pandemic. The food here is authentic and yummy. This is my second time here. The first time, my parents and I tried the 7 color items with rice and combination vermecilli wraps. The second time, we tried the 3 color items with rice, vermicelli with egg rolls and grilled pork, and #2 pho. The major difference for the rice is that the 7 color one comes with chicken, sugar cane meat, fried wrap, and egg roll. I liked the 3 color one with 2 pieces of pork chops better since the other one doesn't come with any pork chops. I also highly recommend the combination vermecilli wraps for an authentic experience, as most restaurants in SF doesn't sell this. Great family business and customer service!