Best Pho Ga - South Bay?

[SanJoseHound]

Had some mediocre Pho Ga at Pho Thanh Long in Santa Clara. Looking to eat more pho ga now, because pho bo isn't great for my husband's gout. We like Kim Long but haven't tried their version. Haven't been to Pho Hanoi yet. There was talk recently of a Pho Ga ranking - that would be awesome.

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Pho Kim Long
2082 N Capitol Ave, San Jose, CA 95132

Pho Hanoi
1759 E Capitol Expy, San Jose, CA 95121

Pho Thanh Long Restaurant
2450 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95051

[Ruth Lafler]

An Nam Restaurant II (formerly An Nam Pho Ga) specializes in pho ga.

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Bun Bo Hue An Nam
740 Story Rd, San Jose, CA 95122

[Alice Patis]

Aaargh, I wrote a long post which I lost when I started trying to add Places links, so I'll ditch the Places links this time.

My south bay pho ga ranking effort is not complete enough to say where's the best, so below are the Good places and the Also Rans. Caveats: I haven't made it up to Pho Kim Long, but their fresh noodles & northern style would make it high in my book, and some of the Also Rans weren't horrible, they might be good enough if you live or work nearby.

The Good:

Thien Long
Pros - best broth so far, white meat tender, unborn egg available, skin non-rubbery
Cons - no fresh noodles, dark meat a mixed bag

Pho Hanoi
Pros - fresh noodles, good broth flavor, unborn egg available
Cons - too salty, too many green onions

Nha Toi
Pros - good broth flavor, tender white & dark meats, unborn egg included
Cons - no fresh noodles

The Also Rans:

Pho Ga An Nam - v. good meats (free range), but I no longer like their "sweet" broth
Pho Y - good broth but overcooked meats
Pho Tau Bay - bland broth, too much msg, tender breast, free range available
Pho Lan - bland broth, dry stringy breast, tender dark meat
Super Eggroll - bland broth but a "nice n healthy" version
Pho Bang - bland broth, too much msg

[DezzerSF]

I'm new to the South Bay scene, so my list is not nearly as comprehensive as Alice's but here goes:

Great:
Pho Kim Long - Very tasty rich broth, good chicken meat (free range?), served with innards (liver, gizzard, unborn egg)

Good:
Pho Ga An Nam - Broth on the sweet side, good free range chicken meat, served with innards (not as nicely cooked as Kim Long), blanched bean sprouts

Okay:
Nha Hang Pho Ga Vang - Broth too sweet, good chicken meat (free range?) served on the side, served with spicy nuoc cham.

Skip:
Pho Quyen 2 Noodle House - Broth too light, chicken meat on the dry side (sometimes all white meat, sometimes both), no innards

Pho Nam Restaurant - Beef broth!, dry chicken meat

I'm a fan of Pho Hanoi's pho bo but haven't tried their pho ga yet. Also I want to chime in with my favorite place in Oakland, Pho Ga Huong Que: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/473448
They somehow get their chicken liver to taste less livery, I think by soaking in cream or milk.

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Pho Ga Vang Restaurant
1180 Tully Rd, San Jose, CA

Pho Quyen 2 Noodle House
1185 W El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, CA 94087

[Alice Patis]

Hi Dezzer! I'm glad you posted, you & I have similar prefs in pho bo and pho ga, so between the 2 of us we have a pretty good list! Do you remember if Kim Long uses the fresh noodles for pho ga? (they do for pho bo) And how the noodle compared to Huong Que's "ho fun" noodle?

[DezzerSF]

Hi Alice, my notes from Kim Long only specify thin rice noodles. I also remember seeing an option for vermicelli, but no thick "ho fun" noodles like at Huong Que. It's probably safe to say they are the same ones they use for the pho bo.

The fresh, silky ho fun noodles at Huong Que are pretty similar to the "thick" noodle at Hanoi.

I was under the impression most pho restaurants use fresh noodles, as opposed to the dried ones I typically use at home, no?

I forgot to add Pho Blossom to the Skip list: Very sweet broth, white meat on the dry side.

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Pho Nam Restaurant
844 W El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, CA

Pho Blossom
1627 Hollenbeck Ave, Sunnyvale, CA

[SanJoseHound]

Thanks everyone, for the extensive info! Alice's reco of Thien Long for "best broth" really appeals to me - I'm a sucker for broth. Might be in close proximity to Kim Long this weekend, so we'll see.

[DezzerSF]

Has anyone tried "Pho Ga" at 2112 Monterey Hwy? I've read a few good reports on Yelp, so I tried to go on a Monday once, but found it closed. Apparently, it's a karaoke bar at night.