Entering Santa Clara’s Pho Hoa, one of the many Vietnamese-food chain restaurants in Silicon Valley, I walked in with high expectations, as I am a proud Vietnamese American who has been eating pho all my life.  But in this case my expectations were only partially satisfied.   

My parents and I were welcomed at the door by an employee who quickly seated us with menus. Once we decided what to eat, my parents ordered in Vietnamese, and surprisingly the employee responded. With a chain restaurant of this nature, I feared this wouldn’t have happened but it did.

After hearing about the Thanksgiving special, turkey pho, I decided to order it.

Considering I don’t like chicken pho, I had doubts about the turkey pho, but as I started to eat, I tasted something new and interesting: the pho was actually pretty decent. Even if the turkey in the soup did not meet up to the standard of Thanksgiving turkey, with its moist texture, the meat definitely added a different flavor to the dish.

Although the turkey in the soup was good, the sweet corn in the dish was overdone. Also, the broth was bland and plain, contradicting the store’s advertisements promising “savory turkey broth.”

In addition to the pho, the Thanksgiving special came with a free fruit tea, as the restaurant is partnered with Jazen Tea, a tea brand similar to Tpumps. The free drink I got was the Mango Fuzz, which I loved. The drink’s small mango bits and the mango/peach fusion was amazing.

Overall, the Pho Hoa is a good place for pho beginners and amateur eaters, but for the real deal, native eaters, I suggest it’s best to take your money elsewhere.
You can visit the Pho Hoa at 3484 El Camino Real, near Lawrence Square Shopping Center, in Santa Clara.