Restaurants

Pho Clement 2 in San Francisco

Every neighborhood in San Francisco has great local cafes and restaurants for quick meals.  Truly, living in San Francisco means you can eat as much cheap and “fast food” as you like, only it doesn’t have to be McDonalds.  With a huge Asian population, a great fast food is a hot bowl of pho noodles, however this time we not only tried a dry noodle salad instead of our standard bowl of rice noodles – but we also forgot to tell the server and got a big dose of MSG.

We’ve been to the sister restaurant of Pho Clement 2 that is actually on Clement Street called Pho Clement and liked it.  A range of noodle dishes and soups that never fails to satisfy my appetite.  They have a huge loyal following but also unfortunately, the decor includes some serious florescent lighting that I really dislike so my husband stops in more than I.  Recently we were at a local paint shop when we noticed Pho Clement 2 two doors down, and the warm looking interior.

Dry noodles Combo @ Pho Clement 2

Being hungry but with a long list of errands yet to run, we decided to give it a go, to avoid any hunger arguments.  Hours later, I wish I could have gone to Vinh Loi instead.  I was happy with the dry noodles and the BBQ pork though the price was a bit more than I expected at $8.  The portion was huge and the service was pretty fast, though it felt like they were on autopilot.

All of the menu looked as good as their original restaurant, and I think the real downside to the experience was that their food automatically comes with a “little MSG” unless you ask them to exclude it.  We did see this notation on the menu but forgot by the time they came for our order.  The excess sodium stayed with us for hours afterward.

The awning and menu reads that they serve both Chinese and Vietnamese dishes, which is true.  However next time I will stick to the Vietnamese sandwich for $3.50, if they hold the MSG.

5423 Geary Blvd
(between 18th Ave & 19th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94121
(415) 876-2828
Open 8:00am to 10:00pm daily

Their sister restaurant is Pho Clement
239 Clement St
(between 3rd Ave & 4th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 379-9008