Phở Hòa Lão Vietnamese Restaurant

They serve one of the best Vietnamese beef balls and all the intestines noodle soups in Oakland. However, it's a little on the pricy side. Parking is easy—many Seatings. Staffs are friendly too. Updated on 9/18/23 The business is returning—many customers sit inside and outside during lunchtime. But the prices are also getting prohibitive high. Customers, be warned!

Best Pho in Oakland. I've tried them all and although some are close ... Pho Hoa Lao is delicious.

As a long-standing patron of your establishment I was disheartened by the hostile, rude and unwelcoming service experienced during my recent visit. My family and I have consistently supported your restaurant, yet we left feeling nauseous and quite unsettled.

I tried the Number 1 Special combo at Phở Hòa Lão Vietnamese Restaurant, which includes a mix of ingredients like rare steak, well-done brisket, flank, tendon, tripe, and spring rolls. The pho was satisfying but not exceptional. It's a good spot to curb your pho craving. The standout was their fresh and generously portioned spring rolls, accompanied by tasty peanut sauce. *Keep in mind, this place is cash only.

Vietnamese restaurant with foods so authentic in detail but so universal that everyone can enjoy. Very reasonable price compared to others around the area. A little matter I should point out is that the guy, maybe the manager there when I came, seem not interested to look at you when passing the menu, or sleepy not even taking your cash payment. If this improves, it must be a place to stop by if you come to Oakland! Updated 4/04/2025: Recently i come here for breakfast once or twice per week. I have always been disappointed in the cashier. They only take cash and mock at you sometimes when giving back change. For this reason, I lowered them one star.

I went this morning to get some food the food they are very rude disrespectful. There is other places way better then this place at the same area

Chicken pho is my favorite here with clear noodles. They have the whole menu of phos so you can't go wrong but trust me, you won't find better chicken pho. The bowls come in three sizes S,M, or L so you don't need to get more than you can finish but even the small bowls are very filling. Come check these guys out, you will not be disappointed but bring cash; they don't take cards.

The old pale Vietnamese guy (main server) is extremely rude. I thought it was personal, but it’s all over the internet. He throws the menus on the table, acts impatient, and seems like he would go insane if spoken to. He’s the worst part about coming here. The soup is good though.

Been going here for several years as they are very consistent. The service is average but they are very fast. Since the space is quite large, we were seated immediately, orders taken quickly, and food served within 5-10 minutes. #33 Steak & Brisket Pho * 3.75/5 stars * Broth is very hot and steaming, has a nice aroma * Good amount for a regular size * Nice proportion of noodle to meat * Meat is not high quality, very tough Overall a solid bowl of pho but not the best.

It's lunchtime again at one of my favorite lunch spots. The fun is good here absolutely delicious. It comes out nice and hot. I ordered steak and tri-tip with the side of pork chop over rice.. and my food came out nice and fast. I love the service here.

We call this place bollards! I get the 22 small, fresh spring rolls, and a small pot of tea and everything is always delish. I appreciate that they give you a ceramic cup for your hot tea (no plastic for me) and always serve the food quickly. I wish it weren't cash only but I know that before I go so it's all good. I'd recommend if you're looking for some good pho.

I recently tried the Number 1 Special combo at Phở Hòa Lão Vietnamese Restaurant, which includes a mix of ingredients like rare steak, well-done brisket, flank, tendon, tripe, and spring rolls. The pho was satisfying but not exceptional. It's a good spot to curb your pho craving. The standout was their fresh and generously portioned spring rolls, accompanied by tasty peanut sauce. *Keep in mind, this place is cash only.

Since changing my positions at my job, having pho when you want is far and few. Being that I haven't been able to go for 6 months and you walk in and you're greeted like you just came in the day before is the best kind of service. Even remembering your order. My go to is the 16. Rare steak with tripe, steak on the outside. I prefer the steak to be rare and tender. The broth is always clear and perfectly seasoned. So perfect you don't really have to add anything to the broth. I tend to side bowl a little hoisin and sriracha to put on each bite to be able to savor the broth as is after. My coworkers have ordered other items and really enjoyed their meals. I think you'll enjoy anything you order. We haven't had a bad meal yet. Side note cash only.

Hi everyone I'm Erick with Stoneitup on Yelp & bayareastoneitup on Instagram for more contenT. This Pho house is one of my favorite joints in Oakland, they might as well call it the STONEITUP special when I order, so what I do is order pho with nothing but the tendons, noodles and please don't skip out on the greens they give you on the side. If you ask me I think that's one of the power sources in the soup so I always break them up and in the pho and down they gO! Order a generous LARGE so you can take a bit for lunch time to double the joy & experience and also save you some money on lunch timE! Ambiance is very peaceful, especially if your not Asian right, it's like if your not even therE!

Came to eat here with my dad and my boyfriend on a weekday morning. It was quite empty with tons of seating. There was plenty of parking as well. The employees greet you in and are there helping around from time to time so service was great. We got the pho Dac Biet Bo Vien and there were so many toppings. We got tons of noodles and meat. Inside there were mostly just seating so not much on the walls. The pho broth was delicious and clear. They gave us hot tea and a ton of pho toppings. If you're nearby, I would recommend this location to grab a bite to eat.

Not sure if it's cuz we went earlier than rush crowd.. but first there was a lady bug in our soup. Then a fruit fly. So be careful eating here? We didn't make a big stink outa it .. things happen. Take out container is $0.6 (which was also super dirty, we had them switch it out twice) Food portion is generous and fast service. I do like that they have a parking lot.

Literally so good!!! This is my family & I's favorite pho restaurant - we've been coming here for YEARS and they never disappoint. Everything is so reasonably priced. Haven't came back here in like 3 months and was in a food coma after eating!! The only sucky thing is that you have to pay for takout boxes/containers so we always bring our own here :(

This place is always busy and for good reason. the pho is consistently good. Would recommend if anyone is visiting the city and craving pho!

My son often orders out and includes me on this thoughts. He texted me if I wanted anything here. I'm not really a pho guy, so I said any pork plate. I can't even pronounce the dish, but shredded pork and vermicelli was delicious. I remembered to mix it up, since the bean sprouts and cabbage was underneath. A nice refreshing citrus sauce was not overwhelming) just used 1/2). The egg roll was crispy and not too oily.

I stumbled upon this restaurant by accident and it was amazing!!!! Pho, Rice Pate, and Fried Chicken was so delicious. Fast &. Friendly service and reasonable prices. They only take cash so keep that in mind.

This is a to go review, pick up on Tuesday, around 1pm. I usually come here to dine in, as pho doesn't really taste the same when you order it to go. Whenever I want simple and traditional bowl of pho (no tricks or specialty meats such as oxtail, beef rib), this is my to go place. Service is fast (ordering and receiving meal), soup is hot, and you know exactly what you are getting. Called in my order and went to pick up shortly after. I usually order my pho noodles not cooked, because the noodles usually break up into small pieces if it is cooked ahead of time. I cook the noodles and heat up the soup at the same time, drain the noodles, add the meat on top, and then add the soup. This will make your to go order of pho as close as it should taste like at the restaurant. The restaurant provides the fixings - veggies (beansprouts, lime, basil) as well as the sauces. Ordering and pick up process was fast and easy.

The food is good, the service is not the best. When I walked in I was not greeted nor directed to where to go. A staff yelled across the room to grab a menu and sit down. A minute later, the same staff member came to get my order when I hadn't looked at the menu yet. When I said needed more time, they rolled their eyes and left. Later when the food arrived it was good, the seafood and broth were good. The part for which I give this place 2 stars is because when I went to pay they told me I could only pay in cash. There was no sign, they never told me at the start that it was cash only. They need to put up a sign saying it's cash only. I left my phone and walked somewhere else to get cash. As someone who has issues walking this way as very hard for me. If you come here be prepared with cash !

My go to pho spot for over 15 years. This place easily has the best pho in the east bay hands down. They got everyone beat on broth and meat portions. Staff here is friendly as well. They got a separate parking lot that can prevent you from getting bipped too

This is my first and last time to eat at this location. The space was smaller than Pho King at Lake Merrit, but it was decent, and the service was ok. My friend and I want to try a new Vietnamese restaurant and BEWARE, this is a cash-only restaurant. They need to put that on their front door somewhere because that is one of the rare times we have cash on hand. They didn't have Bún bò Huế, so I chose to get Pho, and my friend got a rice plate. All I remember is that it was bland, and it was ok not that Impressive. It wasn't take-home material. My friend usually cleaned the plate, but they had a lot of rice left over.

I was next door so decided to stop by to get some pho. I got the combination pho to go. It was a lot of food for the price and it was packed well. They do ask if you want the noodles cooked or not. Lots of side spouts, jalapeños, basil, and cilantro in a separate bag. When I got home the soups was still pretty warm. The overall flavor is average, nothing special. The service was fast and cash only.

Too inconsistent. Sometimes great Other times very watery. For richer and more consistent broth prefer pho huong que down the street

We've been here many times. They are fast and reliable with decent sized portions. There are so many great pho places in Oakland so I wouldn't put this at the top but they are good and solid. They've recently opened outside tables in the front. I'm not sure they spray things down so I brought my own spray. The outside is right in their parking lot which is where we sat. They have a decent sized parking lot which is why we go there. Parking on International Blvd can be difficult and there's some crazy driving at times. I've never had a problem getting a spot here. The younger man and older woman are friendlier. The older man is not. It bothered me that he took our order with his mask down.

Wow! Just wow! I'm very big on Vietnamese dishes and this place delivers!! The flavors, the fresh food. You can see the kitchen from the dining area(immaculate). Staff very friendly. Homemade chicken pho blew my mind. Real Gem

Racial discrimination at it's best! I tried to order a steamed rice and I was charged $7. They refuse to accept my credit card and said you people don't have cash.

After always going next door for Vietnamese food I decided to stop in. Initially the gentleman is gruff with me when I ask if I can sit outside. He comes back to hand me a menu and stands there. No greeting. I ask if he had Bun Bo hue and very aggressively says no I don't. I then ask him if he is having a bad day and he tells me "man, just order. I have had a long day." (Very aggressively) I also have had a long day and I decided to take a break after 7 hours to get food at his establishment. Maybe it was a one off scenario but that waiter should not work for you or anyone. He walked away from me and I went somewhere else after he told me to go. He was the rudest person I have ever met for no reason. He should definitely get fired. I people manage and no one on my team would keep their job if they acted like that.

CASH ONLY Came here looking for some good soup or pho that are in the area, so my friend recommended this place. Located in Oakland, expect to do street parking if their lot is full. The service here is pretty quick; although to be honest it did not seem very friendly. They do take your order quick and the food comes out quick too which is good. My boyfriend and I both ended up ordering a pho dish and although it was good, there was nothing really memorable about the food. They do charge extra though for anything you want including the tea which...I don't know how I feel about it to be honest. I would also have to say that when we asked for extra items such as "extra lime" they were slow on that and I had to ask a couple times for it. In the end, I would come back because of the quick service, but the downfall of the place is the food not being memorable and the service of the servers.

This spot is childhood! I've been coming here since forever. There's a parking in the front which is a bit narrow but spacious. I would order the Pho with rare steak on the side. They're very generous with the amount they give. I am satisfied with the amount I am paying for the food. It's inexpensive and filling at the same time. The broth is decent with a good amount of flavor. They give a lot of rice noodle! So therefore if you're hungry and want to save a buck or two, this is the spot. Ps: Cash only

Nothing truly special about this place. I was a bit skeptical at first. I had to try it since I've driven by it so many times. The service was good. Only thing i didn't like, as soon as I sat down, a gentleman sat there looking at me and waiting for me to order. I truly wanted to take my time. Also two flies wouldn't leave me alone. So It was late lunch, I was debating if i wanted Pho noodles soup or not. Started with shrimp spring rolls. It was good, tasted like it was freshly made. Then I ordered a combo plate with pork chop, 2 friend chicken wings, and egg roll. Egg roll didn't have any flavor. It was just super greasy. Chicken wings were okay, a little bland. Pork chop as good. It came with the soup, so that was a small intro to their Pho Soups. There's other pho spots with in the area, not sure if I would come back any time soon. But the owner's son (as it seemed) had good customer service.

bad experience，the server's is not friendly at all，giving me bad attitude，I will never come back anymore

When I want a Vietnamese style Teochew (#22), noodle soup, this is the place I like to go. Sweet and tasty chicken broth (I think it's chicken broth) and full of various meat, like chicken, pork, shrimp, fish cakes and fish balls. For those who doesn't like the fishy taste, don't worry, the soup isn't fishy at all. They give really generous portion. I order large every time and end up rolling myself out the restaurant. I think my regular size will fill me up but just a little extra dollar or so, why not supersize it. I normally order the eggrolls too but since I was eating alone, it was too much food but the eggrolls are also good here. Crispy and not oily and the fish sauce that comes with it has the perfect sweetness.

always my go to spot for pho or a rice plate. usually come here on Thursdays with my coworker. we both have tried pho, rice plate and the Vercelli noodles. service is fast and efficient. food comes out in about 5 mins and the portions are huge. the rice plate I normally just finish half and bring the other half home for the kids to eat. they have parking lot too which is a huge plus.

*3.5 This is your typical Vietnamese restaurant, but it does tend to get packed on occasions. I've had the bun thit nuong cha gio and the dac biet bo vien. Their bun thit nuong cha gio is one of the best I've had and the amount of food you get is so filling. I left the restaurant with leftovers to snack on later that day. Tip: pour the nuoc mam on everything but the eggrolls so they don't get soggy! The #1 pho was good too. If you don't like the noodles that it usually comes with, you can order to sub for a different kind. The broth was flavorful and a little salty for my liking. My favorite part about the pho was the tendon. It was cooked so perfectly, almost melt in your mouth like. It was soft to the bite and not hard or chewy at all. Their parking lot is inconvenient and street parking is hard to find. Their service isn't the best either but my bf's parents know the owners so that may have changed my experience here.

Food and price is decent Manners and service is terrible A guy walked up while I was eating slammed a stack of menus and left it of the table, stood next to me while I'm eating and staring out the window, then just walked away and left all the menus and ignore me when I asked him to remove the menus

THE BEST soup base and a great amount of ingredients!! The environment tho, it's your typical mom & pop place, so don't expect to have fancy service or setting. Parking is limited, so you may have to drive around the block a few times if you go during lunch hours.

I love Pho Hoa Lao Restaurant on 720 International Blvd / 8 Ave, in Oakland. Which is my #1 favorite Vietnamese Pho Restaurant. I liked the Beef Stewed w/Ho Fun 紅燒牛腩河粉and the Special Combo Pho特別火車。

Not much has changed here other than the prices over the years. Still some solid msg filled pho with good portions. Everyone knows this spot by the green sign. The parking lot can be tricky in busy times and it is cash only. The service is pretty bad but the pho don't change.

This place has the best broth I have had with pho. Deep flavors that coats the cravings full of noodles and garnish. This is one of my favorite.

This is a decent pho place. It's the only one that's open at 8am in the area so I stopped by here for breakfast. It's no-frills simple food. I got the Pho Tai Nam which came with rare beef and flank. The flank could have been better quality. The broth was very soothing and nourishing. It was on the light side, which is perfect if you're having pho in the morning. There was also a stronger sweetness coming from the onions in the broth. Overall the meal including hot tea and tip ends up being $9.50. Can't beat that!

The menu is pretty extensive everything from soups to vermicelli and rice dishes. The list of Pho choices (19 choices) can be a bit overwhelming. If you're looking for a classic Pho, pick from #1-3. Pho #1 & #3 are the same with the main difference being the size (Pho #1 is large, Pho #3 is medium). If you like meatballs with your Pho then choose #2. We were craving for some hot soup basically looking for a re-do of some mediocre Pho & Bun Bo Hue we had at another restaurant in the Mission District. My Vietnamese friend recommended this place & it was right on the money. I went for the #3 Pho and it was delicious. The broth was nice & clear and came out piping hot. There was a lot of variety of meat (slices of beef, brisket, flank, tendon, & tripe). My friend's Bun Bo Hue was pretty good as well. It came with all the fixings typical of a Bun Bo Hue. For dessert, we shared the Three Color Bean Drink w/ Coconut Milk -- it was delicious! The food definitely hit the spot. Food comes out quickly. There's a parking lot and although it's pretty packed, there are lots of seating available.

I'm basing this entirely off the food because the other stuff may be questionable. I love the food here, I've been coming here since forever and it remains to be my favorite pho spot. Noodles are great (both egg and rice) and the meat tastes amazing. This is the only pho where I actually enjoy drinking the broth. I like to get the meat combos because it comes with a decent amount of food. Definitely will be full for awhile after this!

We decided to try Pho Hoa Lao since our usual pho spot was packed. It was an unsatisfying meal. I had issues with my pho tai with tripe. (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/VDYZKVHUv4v3UsZ3cNLObA?select=8-Wt0rRLAqu7GI8EkzQeQg) 1) Size: tiniest "small" ever. 2) Temperature: lukewarm broth. 3) Amount: barely any noodles. 4) Broth: surprisingly sweet in a bad way. Then my 3 color drink was exceptionally small. Tiny glass and half of it filled with ice. (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/VDYZKVHUv4v3UsZ3cNLObA?select=2ZKCQsI_CXmvi6jspeIifw) No plans to revisit. Goodbye.

Wow this place is so good that everybody's discovered it. No problemo, the service is quick and friendly. The joints at Pacific East Mall are much closer for us but this is totally worth the drive. We've been eating here for about 10 years! Time flies. Update: to make the vermicelli dish diabetic-friendly, just remove most of the rice noodles. You won't miss them. And of course say "no" to the gorgeous iced coffee :-(

I've been coming to this place since I as long as I can remember, at least 15 years. It's the first place I had pho & I just ate there again today.... still perfect! The parking lot is small & hard to get out of so be weary of that. When I walking in around 1pm there were plenty of seats & the host pointed us to a table in the middle of the restaurant. Once we made our decision & put our menus down he promptly took our order. I ordered the #35 (seafood) small portion with thick noodles & it came out in about 7 minutes... it was PERFECT!! There's really no better way to explain. They don't have chili sauce, a friend was a bit surprised, but I didn't mind. I was fine with the options I was given (sriracha & hoisin sauce) You pay for your meal at the front which is really convenient for groups & they only take cash! I will forever be pho-loyal to this place!!

Parking lot is small, service is average. For a quick bite and a bang for your buck this is the place. The food is average, but they're generous giving huge portions for cheap meals including rice plates and soups

Came here for some pho, what ever spot I visit, I always get the rare steak & tripe with egg noodles. We got seated right away, order was taken within two minutes and our noodle soups were brought out fairly quick, mind you it wasn't so busy that's why. I end up buying a small, the small size noodle soup it's really small, next time I'll opt for the medium size. Lol. Parking was alright as well.

Just ate the pho Thai and the portions are huge, they offered me an option of separate meat or not.

Old man in front very rude, food horrible, I found bugs in my soup, they don't let people use their parking lot even though it's not even a quarter full, so people have to double park and cause traffic. Bad business

My favorite Pho spot, been going for decades. Sure you can find a fancier bowl elsewhere but this is the good stuff.

I really needed this big bowl of delicious spiciness. I will definitely return again. If you want a big bowl like this, bring cash because its the only form of payment they take

There is one of the older guy hosts who takes down orders. He was unbelievable rude and disrespectful. I have been coming here quite consistently past 2 years. The service provided is not acceptable. Not a single person came by to see if I needed anything. Today will be my last day. There are many other Vietnamese restaurants around I can go instead of here. They raised price of food so I don't think it is all that cheap anymore...

Real deal. Shocked not more people here on a Saturday night. #1 pho was amazing. 41a vermicelli BBQ pork & egg roll was yummy with a 3 color bean drink and jackfruit smoothie. Fast, cheap & really good. Highly recommend. Bonus: parking lot & 2 decent unisex bathrooms

Love this Pho place in Oakland, for a few good reasons, 1. parking spaces on their lot, 2. Pho is always tasty and soup is nice and hot, 3. service is always excellent, 4. fast service especially when you hungry. 5. very reasonable prices. will always come back!