The Best Pho in San Francisco: Where to Get the Bowl That Actually Matters (2026)

San Francisco has over a hundred pho restaurants and at least thirty of them have a 4.5 or higher on Google. That rating tells you nothing. A 4.5 pho spot could be transcendent or it could be decent soup in a convenient location.

So we did what we always do: read the reviews that actually mention the pho, and scored how positive they are. The broth is what separates good from great, and reviewers know it.

The ranking

Rank 01 · The gold standard

Turtle Tower

Tenderloin · ★ 4.5 (2,800+ reviews) · $

380 mentions · 94% loved

Northern-style pho, clear broth, no herbs on the side. If you grew up on the southern style this will confuse you. But the broth is the purest, cleanest pho broth in the city. Period.

Rank 02

Pho 2000

Tenderloin · ★ 4.4 (1,200+ reviews) · $

180 mentions · 91% loved

Everything about this place is no-nonsense. Broth is rich, portions are huge, prices are fair. The rare steak pho is my default order.

Rank 03

PPQ Dungeness Island

Outer Richmond · ★ 4.3 (2,500+ reviews) · $$

210 mentions · 88% loved

Yes, the garlic noodles and crab are the famous thing. But the pho here is seriously underrated. The broth has way more depth than it has any right to at a crab restaurant.

Rank 04

Hai Ky Mi Gia

Tenderloin · ★ 4.3 (950+ reviews) · $

140 mentions · 90% loved

Old-school Tenderloin spot. The egg noodle soup is the sleeper order but the pho is consistently great. Cash only, no fuss.

Rank 05

Pho Ga An Nam

Inner Richmond · ★ 4.6 (380+ reviews) · $

95 mentions · 93% loved

Chicken pho only. That is it. And it is some of the best chicken pho you will find anywhere. The broth is light but deeply flavorful.

Why Turtle Tower?

Turtle Tower serves northern-style pho, which means the broth is clear, there is no hoisin or sriracha on the table, and herbs do not come on the side. If you have only ever had southern-style pho, this will feel like a different dish. That is the point. Reviewers describe the broth as "clean," "pure," and "like nothing else in SF." At 94% love from 380 mentions, it is the most consistently praised pho in the city.

PPQ is the surprise entry. Everyone goes there for the garlic noodles and Dungeness crab, but the pho reviews are quietly strong. Worth ordering if you are already there.

See the full pho map →

The Tenderloin advantage

Three of the top five are in the Tenderloin. That is not a coincidence. The neighborhood has the highest concentration of Vietnamese restaurants in the city, and the competition keeps everyone sharp. If you are pho hunting, start on Larkin between Eddy and Ellis.