Soup Junkie

When I first tried this place I initially left a review on the Phở Beef noodle and, although I still agree with my review on the Phở Beef noodle, I never had time to update the love I developed for their bun rieu noodle throughout the remainder of 2012 – 2013 (my time in SF). The bun rieu crab noodle become a weekly routine for me. I recently revisited SF and friends, and looked near and far for soup junkie. I have craved the bun rieu noodle so much and was really sad to hear they had closed down.

I think Soup Junkie served better beef noodles (phở) than any I’ve been to around the financial district. I bought mine to-​go and I’m my sure of the price since my coworker bought it for me, but it wasn’t more than $ 10 — which is a very good price for fidi.
The broth was a bit oily but it was more flavorful than other phở spots around that area. The beef balls were my favorite! It had so much taste :) I was also super full at the end of the meal. I wanted to drink up all the soup but it’s probably not a good idea hah. Will be back!
It is a small store you walk by on Market with no seatings so you literally order and leave.

If you are craving traditional phó then don’t order from here. All around it just wasn’t good. The noodles are wide and the broth is bland. I only got a few sprigs of basil and nothing else. The chicken was LOW QUALITY. Dark meat with gristle.

I’ve only been there once and I already love it and want to go back! I had their beef phở.

This review is for the Veg phở. Very bland and unhealthy soup. Every sip/​bite of the soup was oily and I wonder why? Don’t understand the need to make a phở so greasy. And this is called a veg phở with no veggies except tofu and dried mushroom. The mushrooms never softened and it was hard to chew. Nothing nice to say about this place except the fast service. This is not a sit down place just a soup stand to pick up. Very disappointed and hope they can throw in a real vegetable or two to continue calling it a veg phở

I am so sad to do this, as 2 years ago this was one of my favorite lunch spots in the financial district, but I hate to keep a misleading review up when the quality of this place has declined pretty drastically…
I agree with other reviewers, once this place got recognition, the quality has sharply declined. I used to look forward to having this soup, with the curled water spinach, carefully partitioned and arranged separated dry soup from broth. I even loved the little asian soup spoon that so thoughtfully came with the meal… i didn’t mind paying close to $ 10 for this, even though i knew it was a bit steep for a working lunch.
As I write this, I am looking sadly at my half eaten soup, and realize almost everything about the soup has changed–
–the containers which used to be plastic and resembled a soup bowl are now two chunky paper containers that are soggy and soup soaked;
–the soup spoon is replaced with a run of the mill plastic spoon, which makes it nearly impossible to arrange a bite of both noodles, crab and broth;
–the presentation is hastily done and without any care– it literally looks like someone extremely hungover just threw this together;
— the crab omelette is cold and the meatballs are small, only 2 now;
–the broth has become salty and extremely greasy;
— there were BARELY any vegetables included. a few struggling bits of cilantro, maybe two tiny slivers of what is supposed to be a tomato, and no mint or basil like before;
— they literally don’t even care anymore. I ordered ahead, and picked up my pre-​bagged soup right away. As I walk the 5 blocks back to my office, I start noticing crab soup dripping all over my jacket, down my arm, down my leg. It pretty much ruined my outfit, and now I smell strongly of crab soup. I’ve ordered this soup at least 50+ times and know the deal about carrying soup back to the office. I get to my work kitchen to clean myself up, and VOILA– the container containing soup was NOT EVEN COVERED. NOT EVEN COVERED AS IN OPEN SOUP SPLOSHING AROUND.
I was once a huge fan, but this has just become unacceptable. Until they actually do some quality control and get their act together, I do not recommend this place.

The five spice chicken here is soooooo good! I’ve had it in their veggie noodle soup (don’t judge me) and plain. It’s just so tasty and delicious. I’ve ordered from Soup Junkie so many times that I can’t keep count. I’ve had the chicken porridge, veggie noodle soup, pulled pork sandwich, five spice chicken over noodles… And all of it was good.
It’s a quaint location so very easy to miss. But they are fast. If I call in an order at 11, it’s ready in just a few minutes.
The only thing that’s a little annoying is that when you go to their site, some items are listed but they don’t actually have it. Like the spiced chicken curry and their buns. The chicken curry has been on their menu for over a month but not available. If it’s not going to be offered, just take it off so no one else is met with disappointment when trying to order.

I wanted something different for breakfast today, a change from my usual piece of toast and a hardboiled egg or oatmeal. Rather than a bagel or breakfast burrito, I chose to go to Soup Junkies since there was no line — a first!
The jook was kind of expensive — $ 7.50 — but delicious. It was a bit thinner than I am used to, but the chicken bits were tasty and not fatty (a pet peeve) and I loved the soft boiled egg. I saved it til nearly the end and the yolk was perfect from being in the hot jook for several minutes.
I’ll be back to try the phở.

If you want something outside of the usual sandwich/​salad fare of FiDi, but you need something quick, Soup Junkie will be your best friend. It is literally a hole in the wall with two small tables in front. I was feeling a bit under the weather and couldn’t leave the office for too long, so I felt like takeout phở was calling my name.
I got the Chicken Phở (~$ 8 – 9). I love chicken phở because it has a lighter flavor than beef phở and leaves me less lethargic. The soup and noodles/​toppings come in separate, carefully-​sized containers, so you can bring them back to your desk and pour the soup in over the phở. The soup is fresh and not overloaded with oil or MSG/​salt. The chicken was actually surprisingly well-​cooked, and the noodles did not clump together. I could imagine eating a similar bowl in a sit-​down restaurant.
Soup Junkie also has other Vietnamese food options, like Banh Mi and Vietnamese Iced Coffee. They take credit card through Square. All around a solid lunch joint!

Soup Junkie can easily be missed when there aren’t patrons waiting around for their orders during lunch. There are a couple of tables, but most people seem to grab and go. They seem to specialize in Vietnamese dishes, the name may not give that away, but they’ve got phở, banh mi, and other things you’d find at a Vietnamese spot.
Came to soup junkie to try out their tomato and crab noodle soup (or Bún riêu). Definitely one of my favorite Vietnamese noodles soups. It’s essentially a tomato broth with crab and vermicelli noodles. It only took about 5 – 7 minutes for my order to be ready. And my meal was pretty great, definitely delicious for chillier days. They give you lots of noodles and a good amount of the crab omelette. Although I do wish that there were more veggies. It was about $ 10 for the meal, a bit of the pricier side, but this is expected in the FiDi, and this type of noodle soup is pretty rare in this neck of the woods.

Stopped here on a whim with a few minutes to spare before starting work. This place is the definition of a hole in the wall (because that’s literally what it is) so it’s the ideal spot to grab something to take back to work with you.
I ordered the #5, the five spice banh mi, and by itself it was $ 7. I ordered a bottle of water, which brought my total to $ 9. I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s not worth the price, but given the fact that you can get a banh mi at most places for a few bucks (including the sandwich stand that’s nearby), it’s not at all a deal.
The sandwich was very delicious, with a generous amount of chicken, which was cooked and seasoned wonderfully, but the amount of veggies was a bit on the stingy side and they were all smashed into the crease of the bread. The bread was very good though and extremely fresh. However, the overall size of the sandwich was small, both in width and length.
Overall, very tasty and fresh, very fast service (with two people ahead of me and seven minutes to get to work, I still managed to get to my desk a minute early), made-​to-​order, but a bit overpriced for what I got. Not sure if I’d go again.

Chicken sandwich was good for lunch.

For some reason I ALWAYS walk by this place despite being on the hunt for a vietnamese sandwich during lunch. It’s literally such a hole in the wall between the plethora of Starbucks on Market that you’ll need to be super alert so you don’t miss it!
My fav is the chicken sandwich (ga nuong). This place is perfect if you need a quick sandwich but don’t want Subway or any other American sandwich chains. The service is pretty quick, as I think everything is prepped for lunch and just thrown together upon order. The sandwich is your typical vietnamese sandwich. Chicken isn’t dry although I would prefer more pickled daikons and carrots since those are my fav.
You’ll need to wait at least 10 minutes for your order since they can get kinda busy during the lunch hour. But it’s a great place to go if you’re in a rush for food.

UPDATE.
Terrible.
1. Stick to the Bun Reiu soup (only)
2. DO NOT order the Thai Lettuce Wrap
3. If the picture doesn’t look appealing, better believe neither does the real thing
4. Can I get a reimbursement!!!
Decided to try something new off the menu and after two bites I wanted to return it. Opened up my box to see the ugliest Thai lettuce wraps. The ground chicken was splattered all over the lettuce leaves. The lettuce leaves were soggy. Why couldn’t they separate each item so everything doesn’t look weltered? I could not even pick up the lettuce leaf and eat it as it should be eaten. The taste of the ground chicken was disgusting — the flavor is WAY OFF. It tasted like straight fish sauce and salt. I might as well have ordered packets of salt and have the same lunch. Heck, might as well drink ocean water if I wanted Thai lettuce wraps from here. Nothing could dilute the taste in my mouth. This was the worst Asian lettuce wrap I have ever had in my life. Trust my judgements!!! Highly recommend NOT to order.
Please take it off the menu.
Until the next review…

One of my go to spots on those cold SF days. Prompt service. Good tasting food.
Crab omelette broth is a win! Great flavor. Phở is fine, had better elsewhere.
Maybe I eat like a monster but I would’ve liked a little bit more veggie or other caloric substance in the noodle soups because I seem to get hungrier faster on the days I have noodle soup from here.
Almost perfect for a cold SF lunch break but if you are like me and tend to eat a lot, you may need to supplement your lunch with a snack in the afternoon ;) but that may just be my fast metabolism talkin.

Really cool that they offer dynamo donuts and bicycle coffee (including Vietnamese iced coffee); but I decided I’m not a fan of Dynamo (too oily, not fluffy enough, too sweet) and don’t enjoy the flavor of Bicycle Coffee (cold or hot).
Still love Soup Junkie and would highly recommend if you like Dynamo since they pick up a fresh batch every morning!

7×7 100 Best Things To Eat In SF Before You Die 2013
#93 Bun Rieu at Soup Junkie
After discovering Bun Rieu, I grew to have a greater appreciation for Vietnamese cuisine. I used to only get phở for the fear of venturing outside of my comfort zone. Now, I embrace it and can’t wait to have my world shaken up again!
With that being said, I’ve had my fair share of Bun Rieu and have certain expectations. The broth should be savory, balanced with acidity from the tomatoes and lime with a slight wisp of fish sauce and rounded out with gentle heat notes. Ideally, the crab should lend a delicate sweetness to the broth without being overpowered by everything else.
For a small hole in the wall shop, Soup Junkie does an adequate job of capturing the essence of Bun Rieu. They do make a slight twist to their version by serving a crab omelet instead of the traditional free form of eggs and crab on top. I thought it was cooked well and went with the dish but the crab flavor was completely lost. I felt the ratio of crab to egg was 1 to 4.
The dish was also served with two pork meatballs which I found to be quite flavorful and wished there were more. Portion wise the noodles and broth were fair for what you paid. Last but not least, the broth was substantial in flavor but really heavy handed in salt. While not authentic enough to my liking, a decent broth nonetheless.
Overall Thoughts
A slight twist on a classic rustic soup that makes a good attempt but does miss the mark

Highlights:
— Crab and tomato soup for lunch in the FiDi! I was so excited to try it since there isn’t any other place around that serves this dish and it didn’t disappoint. I loved the tofu and thinly sliced curled water spinach provided. The flavor in the soup was good and not too red/​salty. Crab omelette is unique and pork meatballs were a bit salty, but it definitely hits the spot on the cold day!
Improvements:
— Pulled pork sandwich: As much as I wanted to like it, the pork was really dry. Nothing really impressed me.
— Spring rolls: They were big, but mainly filled with veggies and noodles.
Tip: Only opened until 2:30 PM. Come early to ensure you get the best selection as they do run out of items closer to closing and to avoid waiting in line.

Tried Soup Junkie on a whim to get my crab and tomato soup fix. I am a big critic when it comes to Vietnamese food. After reading the reviews, I had to try it. I walked over, waited in line to order and then waiting about 15 – 20 mins for my soup. When I got back to my office, I was surprised to find that the soup was still piping hot and the separate bowl with the noodles was packed full of veggies as well as a couple of meat balls and the egg omelet.
I normally love the «rieu» when it comes to Bun Rieu. My mother and I have made it time and time again as it is my favorite Vietnamese dish. Soup Junkie came close but missed some key items. Real Bun Rieu consists of ripe tomatoes, shrimp and minced crab mixed together with the egg. You can also add tofu as well. Shrimp paste (mum tom– the stinky grey stuff) can also added as an addition. However, as a pop-​up turned shop, I can appreciate the fact that they went the more conservative route yet have managed to get some of the aspects right.
Soup Junkie’s soup it light and not oily. The tomatoes are fresh as well as the veggies. The serving is plenty. It is definitely enough to tackle my soup cravings. I do enjoy it nonetheless as it is a filling lunch. Especially when I am craving Vietnamese soup.
The chicken phở is also great. Fat rice noodles with a flavorful soup with cha and bean sprouts. Delish.

I decided to go to the Soup Junkie since it’s so cold today. I was contemplating on whether I should order the Bun Rieu (since I had it last time and thought it was good) or the Chicken Porridge. I ended up ordering the Chicken Porridge and I’m glad I did!
The Chicken Porridge has rice, chicken, sliced ginger, green onions (which I asked to take out), and slow cooked egg. I love that the chicken was so moist and there was no MSG. Normally, I get really thirsty after eating porridge from restaurants, but this did not happen from Soup Junkie.
Lines can get quite long during lunch so I suggest ordering by phone first.