Randy F.
Yelp
**Pho Quest Stop #71**
With a solid selection of top 5 pho spots, my motivation to sample random establishments is diminished though I still try places people highly recommend.
For my latest stop, I found myself driving through Oakland's Chinatown and with a recommendation to try Pho Ga Huong Que Cafe. Huong Que specializes in chicken pho and serves a variety of chicken dishes including Hainan rice, chicken porridge, and chicken rice rolls. They also have a few ox Tail dishes although everyone in the establishment I saw ordered a chicken dish.
As a big fan of ginger Scallion sauce, Huong Que notably serves every chicken dish with a well reviewed ginger scallion sauce (too sweet to me) that is also available to purchase for home. Our orders:
Chicken with Bone (#1) - $8.50. Available in regular or large, this is their standard pho ga with both white and dark meat served bone-in. Several
noodle types are available with the most popular being a wider Ho fun or a thinner Hu Tiêu. A generous sized bowl came fairly quickly but no gizzards or more interesting cuts that many pho ga places serve. The broth, while good, was low on the chicken flavor and more dilute and clean than strong tasting. The noodles were good but the chicken pieces were average with many being all bone or with very little skin or meat. No mini chicken eggs or yolks are served either as some of the better establishments have. They do have boiled bean sprouts.
Shredded Chicken (#2) - $8.75. The shredded chicken is largely white meat and much easier to eat than the chicken with bone although it lacks the chicken skin. No chicken eggs or gizzards either but a much more popular rendition with the same broth and noodle varieties.
Chicken Thighs (#3) - $10.25. A welcome option with all dark meat and much larger pieces of thigh meat, skin, and tasty bone. This was my favorite version of the three we tried.
Overall, Pho Ga Huong Que Cafe was a solid stop. It didn't quite match up with my favorite pho ga places in Little Saigon San Jose, but a great intro to Oakland Chinatown.
Pho Ga Huong Que accepts cash only.
My Pho Quest Rankings: [San Jose, unless noted]
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1) Pho Ha Noi - BEST Pho (Overall & Northern Style)
2) Pho Cong Ly - BEST Oxtail Pho
3) Pho Y1 - BEST Pho (Southern Style)
4) Pho Kim Long - BEST Chicken Pho
5) Turtle Tower (SF) - Pho Dac Biet
6) Pho Ga Hung - BEST Cau Bun Rau Muong
7) Pho 79 (Garden Grove) - Pho Dac Biet
8) Pho Papa - Pho Dac Biet with Special Beef Short Rib
9) Pho Tick Tock - Pho Tick Tock
10) Pho Nguyen (Milpitas) - Pho Nguyen Dac Biet w/ fresh wide noodles
11) China Chen - Hu Tiêu Mì Sui Cao
12) Vung Tau - BEST Hu Tieu Ba Nam Sa Dec
13) Hai Nam - Pho Ga/Com Ga
14) Nha Hang Saigon Seafood - Hu Tieu Nam Vang (CLOSED)
15) Pho Wagon - Pho Dac Biet
16) Pho 54 - Pho Dac Biet #1
17) Com Ga Nam An - Pho Ga
18) Pho Element - Pho Ga With Giblets
19) Pho Ga Nha - Pho Ga Dac Biet
20) Nam Vang - Hu Tieu Nam Vang
21) GOGO Pho (Santa Clara) - Filet Mignon Pho
22) Kobe Pho (Cupertino) - Kobe Dac Biet
23) Phuong Thao (Sunnyvale) - Pho #12
24) Pho Wagon (Sunnyvale) - Pho Dac Biet
25) Rong Bien - Hu Tieu Mi Dac Biet Nuoc
26) Pho Ga Huong Que (Oakland) - Pho Ga
27) Quan Ngon - King Oxtail Pho #6
28) Pho #1 (Sunnyvale) - Pho Dac Biet
29) Pho 90 Degree - Pho Dac Biet w/ Oxtail
30) Pho Co - Pho Hanoi Dac Biet
31) Pho Spot - Combo Pho
32) Pho Avenue (MV) - Pho Dac Biet
33) The Sandwich Maker (Los Gatos) - Beef Pho
34) Pho Vi Hoa (Los Altos) - Pho P12
35) Pho Ga An Nam - Pho Ga
36) House of Pho - Pho Dac Biet and Bo Vien
37) Rengstorff Pho (MV, CLOSED) - Special Satay
38) Pho Vy - Egg Noodles with Pork, Chicken, Beef
39) Saigon Vietnamese Restaurant (Santa Barbara) - Beef Pho
40) Pho Little Saigon (San Mateo) - Beef Pho
41) Pho Pasteur - Pho Ox Tail
42) Pho Ga Ho Han Kiem - Pho Ga Dac Biet
43) Pho 24 - House Special Pho
44) Dalat Restaurant - Hu Tieu Dac Biet
45) Pho Minh (Cupertino) - Pho Dac Biet
46) Beef Noodle No 1 - Pho #1 (CLOSED)
47) Pho Nam (Sunnyvale) - Pho #1
48) Pho Little Saigon (Sunnyvale) - Pho #1
49) Pho Nam (Sunnyvale) - Pho #1
50) Pho To Chau - (MV) - Pho
51) Boba Pub - Beef Pho Noodle
52) Pho Garden - (MV, CLOSED) - Pho Garden
53) Pho-licious (Cupertino) - Filet Mignon Beef Pho
54) Pho Spring - House Special Pho
55) Yummee Sandwiches (Campbell) - Pho
56) LeQuy (Campbell) - Hu Tieu
57) Com Tam Nhu Y Restaurant - Pho #29
58) Pho Blossom (Sunnyvale, CLOSED) - Beef Pho
59) Noodle Bar (Seaside) - Rare beef & meatball Pho
60) Hometown Noodle (Redwood City) - Combination Pho
61) Pho Tran Vu (MV) - Hu Tieu Nam Vang
62) Big Bites (MV) - Pho
63) Pho Hoa (Cupertino) - Pho
64) Pho Ngon (MV, CLOSED) - Pho
65) Pho Binh Beef Noodle (Sunnyvale, CLOSED) - Beef Pho
66) Pho Hoa (MV) - Pho
67) Pho Ba Dau - Pho #1 with Oxtail
68) Four Seasons Pho - Pho Dac Biet
69) Pho Lynn - Pho #1
70) Fast Wok (CLOSED) - Pho Tai
71) Nam Tien - Oxtail Pho