Golden River Restaurant

Ordered banh hoi with bbq pork, beef ball,and a fried fishcake which came wrapped around a sliced stick of sugar cane. Talk about infusion of flavors! The fresh vegetables (mint, basil, cucumbers, and lettuce) were so crispy and clean, it made the DIY experience easy and enjoyable. Everything from the rice paper wraps to the condiments was authentically delicious! Can't forget the pickled veg & peanut w/onion garnish too.The place was packed but it was surprisingly quiet...just how I like it. 100% recommend!

First time eating inside this restaurant after passing by it hundreds of times. The pho combination tastes good but the soup gets cold fast. I still enjoyed it.

The beginning of this month, this seemingly persistent virus finally caught up to me. Felt like I went through the wringer (does anyone still use this idiom???). I was sapped of energy. 5 days later I needed to return to work--fever free and negative. What can I have for lunch? A lot of food places outside are usually unhealthy. If healthy, it's cold and raw. Thankfully, there's always Pho to save the day.I went on a Pho quest to restore my Force--visiting only new places along with an old one and only in Chinatown. I started my quest at Golden River Restaurant. It's been at the corner of River and North King Street for decades. I remember going there a couple of times as a boy with my Yeye (paternal grandfather). Everytime we go to Chinatown, we have Bahn Mi, usually at Bale (or we go to McDonalds :p). I was a child who never complained or threw any temper tantrums to go somewhere, and whatever food you put in front me, I'll eat and finish it (all still true today).I write this review having already tried the Pho at almost every Vietnamese restaurant within that block (one left, who knew it closes on FRIDAY!!). Every place has its pros and cons. If I had to rank Golden River, it'd be at the bottom, but that doesn't mean it was bad.The pros: the amount of ingredients. You get a lot more of everything here. The beef tendon and rare steak are the best here. Big pieces of tendon and tender rare steak. Plenty of vegetables, sliced onion, cilantro, and scallions. Noodles were also plentiful and had taste.Another pro was the seating. It was surprisingly quiet, cool, and comfortable inside. You could not hear all the cars passing by.The con was the broth. It didn't taste bad. It was just very one note. I could not taste the herbs and spices. It didn't feel savory or hearty. It was almost like salt/MSG and water. But all the meat and fresh ingredients made up for it.Overall, the pho wasn't bad. You get the most ingredients here. Just the broth doesn't measure up. It's still better than anything outside of Chinatown, but within Chinatown, other places are better. Service was good though. Food came out fast.

We stopped by here for lunch today, along the way to watch a Korean movie at Regal Dole Cannery.Service was quick and respectful as usual. My wife ordered the Pho with Tendon, and I, the Combination Pho.First the leafy greens and bean sprouts arrived. We use this time to remove the leaves from the stems in preparation to soaking them in the hot soup. Shortly afterwards, our piping hot bowls of pho were served. My wife enjoys hers with Chili Garlic Sauce, which has a clean aftertaste and enhances the already tasty broth. At most other Vietnamese restaurants, we have to specifically request this sauce, but here at Golden River, it's available at the tables along with other condiments.Although we both had medium-sized pho, they were enough to warm us up and satisfy our appetites on this cold rainy day.This is our go-to place to enjoy a bowl of beef noodle soup when we're in the area.https://www.facebook.com/groups/hawaiikorea/permalink/1835728043468212/

Great food! I had the pho and always love it even on hot days. Hidden gem is the salted plum drink, it's a bit pricey but the flavor is excellent

I just moved to Oahu and was craving banh cuon so I ordered this dish to go. I wanted to love it so badly but the flavors were underwhelming. It wasn't seasoned very well and even the fish sauce tasted bland. Trust me, I didn't think that was possible. Now, I don't know if I am just being biased because I am so use to my moms banh cuon but as I reflect on this dish, I would not recommend this dish. I will give this place another try because the service was great! I will try other dishes though.

I remember back in the day there used to be a really long line to dine at this restaurant over the weekend (it seemed much bigger back then, or maybe it's because I was also very small) lol Parking is a little rough around the edges in Chinatown but you can definitely score a free parking spot on Sundays! This is one of two places that I know of that offer banh coun. It's one of my favorite dishes and not many places offer this. It was about $12 a plate and takes about 15-20 minutes to make. The restaurant was practically empty when I went, but a few other patrons came in shortly after as it was becoming lunch hour. Service was pretty standard to any Vietnamese restaurant and I'll definitely be back again when I have cravings

Wow! This hidden gem has some really delicious food, great service and unique menu items. I'm already looking forward to going back!They have Bánh cuốn which is toothsome soft rice noodle wrappers (almost like if mochi and ravioli had a baby) stuffed with seasoned mince pork, woodear mushrooms and shallots, with meatloaf slices and topped with fried shallots and green onions. Served with lettuce, mint, basil and bean sprouts. Theirs was as amazing as I remember it when I was in Hanoi. Definitely try this dish! It's hard to find in most Vietnamese restaurants. We also got the Bánh xèo, a savory fried pancake made of rice flour, water, and turmeric powder stuffed with tender slices of pork, shrimp and bean spouts and served with lettuce, basil and mint to make wraps with. The pancake is fried in coconut oil to give it a distinct flavor and the pancake is crispy. This was another amazing dish!We also got the spring rolls (not pictured) and they were also perfectly cooked and the filling was savory and properly portioned in the wrapper. The owner was willing to make me a Hanoi style iced coffee, which had raw egg yolk mixed with condensed milk and served with strong drip style cafe du monde brand coffee. It was rich/ sweet/delicious (and strong!). Service was very friendly and helpful and the food came out fast.

I'm addicted to their beef stew with (fragrant) rice. It is different then local beef stew so please understand the difference! The pieces of meat is not chunks of beef, but more beef pieces and tendon. The broth is so tasty!! Especially with their flavorful rice.

We enjoyed a flavorful lunch. The veggie egg rolls were light and crispy. The vegetables were tender and seasoned just right. The pho broth was clear and flavorful. The meat was thin and tender. A true delight.