Turtle Tower

Got the chicken phở and oh man… that broth is delicious. Not too heavy but still full of flavor. This dish is perfect for cold, rainy days because it’ll just make your insides feel warm. Loved how it had thick noodles rather than the traditional skinny ones. This dish also gave you like real chicken but my only qualm is that the chicken to noodle ratio was a bit lacking (not enough chicken). Because the dish was so flavorful, you don’t need siracha or hoisen sauce.

I think this place is very mixed. Some things you can get here well done, other dishes are just mediocre. Service is definitely subpar though, unless you get what you want.
The dishes definitely fall under the cheaper end of the spectrum. I think this place does their chicken phở really well — you have nice wide noodles, a good amount of meat (plus more with the giblets) and a very clear broth with a strong chicken flavor. Do keep in mind they don’t have a lot of hoisin sauce or whatever other add-​ons you might be used to — what you see is you get.
On the other end, I don’t think their beef phở is very good, many places definitely do it way better.
As for service, it’s inconsistent because I keep getting different employees. While some people are alright, other people don’t speak English as well and may get items on your order wrong or completely missing. Kind of terrible, but nothing you can really do to avoid it. At least I haven’t been overcharged for anything yet.
In the past this place seemed infallible to me. But now I see it as a small joint with a couple good offerings but not without its flaws.

Turtle Tower is great for a fast cheap lunch.
You will have to wait your turn so be ready to stand in line.
What is nice is can order rice noodles or egg noodles.
Prefer the egg noodles just right with there broth.
Bring cash they do not take credit cards.
Simple, easy, fast, and casual
Food — 3
Service– 3
Price –Cheap
Décor-​2
Noise– Moderate
Casual attire
Parking — Not easy

I really hate giving bad reviews but this was place extremely annoying. I am definitely bummed because I heard good things about this place. First thus place does not serve hoisin sauce but I was aware of this so that was not a big deal. But if you need that in your phở, you have been warned.
Right when we walked in they told us to sit down but did not give us menus. We ended up grabbing them from another table. The waiter finally came over and asked if we were ready. We told him no and instead of walking away he hoovered over us until we were ready. After being rushed to order, we got the pork plate with extra meat and rare phở noodle soup. I asked for extra meat on the side. I also asked for imperial rolls and water.
When I received my soup there was no extra meat. There were two small pieces of meat so I asked the waiter if I was going to get it. He said it was in my soup. I never found more then two pieces. What was annoying is that my friend also asked for extra meat on his plate and they gave me a plethora of extra meat. After we were finishing up our meals we finally got our tiny imperial rolls that were 2.50 each. I’m not even kidding that these rolls were bite size.
After we finished our meal we asked for more water. They gave us water in child size cups and were getting annoyed that were asking for more water. When we finally got the bill we asked to spilt it between cash and card. They refused. So once again we were forced to pay all cash.
The food was okay but the service was awful. I will not be going back.

it doesnt seem as good as the one on geary but considering there arent many other choices for a nice bowl of noodle soup, this is the best option you have in the soma area.
its a small place so you should also prepare to wait if you get there around noon.
my default at turtle tower is always the chicken noodle soup so i also cant say how the other choices are.

The boyfriend and I came here on New Year’s Day to satisfy our phở craving. The place was packed but we didn’t wait longer than 15 minutes or so. Both of us opted for the #4 which is a combination of rare beef, tripe, and well done beef. We decided not to get rice plates or any other side dishes since the phở is what this place is known for.
We’ve both only tried southern style phở so this was different. No hoisin, bean sprouts, or basil given as garnishes, and the noodles were much thicker. Just green onions, and a side of jalapeños and lime.
After the first sip of soup, our eyes were as round as saucers because it was sooooooooo delicious. I can’t explain it, but it just tasted so much «cleaner» without all the frills of the phở I’m used to. The thicker noodles complemented it so well too!
That’s why this place gets 5 stars because when I’m craving phở, I will no longer be craving southern style phở. It will definitely be northern style phở! Next visit I’ll have to try their Phở Ga (chicken phở).

Since moving to SF last year, I’ve seriously been searching for a good ol fashioned hole in the wall style legit phở restaurant near my place. THE search is OVER! I’ve been her for dinner twice now and I order phở #3 every time! The food is delicious, the meat is plenty and the noodles are fresh! I really can’t say anything bad about their food.
My only complaints: wooden/​disposable chopsticks are pretty lame for a sit-​down style restaurant (don’t roll your eyes!) and it can be hard to get the server to notice your table. But I mean, those hardly reasons not to try this place.
Will be back again and again!

There was a hair in the fresh spring roll. When I told the cashier about the issue, she just said sorry and didn’t proceed to do anything else

The Phở Ga hits the spot — chicken broth and scallions are so comforting. Chicken strips dipped in sriracha add a little flavor.
The fresh spring rolls were just ok.
I think the Tenderloin Turtle Tower is better overall.

Everyone keeps talking about the phở here. I think its OK… personally I think Chicken Phở you in millbrae is even better. They don’t serve hoisin sauce here btw. Didn’t have to wait for this location.

I ordered the phở ga with no skin and all white meat. The server failed to deliver on my simple requests. The phở at this location is given with less green onions and cilantro than their other locations. Service is a bit on the slower side as well. Only one server was working every table.
Overall, Turtle Tower is still one of my favorite phở places. We can only hope that they don’t disappoint me the next time I visit.

I ate chicken phở and spring roll.
Regular size Phở is only ＄7!
It tastes good and very reasonable.

Dinner review.
Chicken noodle soup — ³⁄₅ — 7×7.
Stewed beef in wine sauce — ²⁄₅
Fried imperial roll — ²⁄₅
Grilled pork — ²⁄₅
Overall, «A-​OK» for chicken noodle soup.

Mannnn, I don’t know if it was that day or if it was me but I did not have a good expereince at Turtle Tower.
My friend and her boyfriend love this place, so I decided to try it out with her. The server was super sweet and nice but the place was a little dirty. They sat us down, but there was noodles and soup all over the table and seat. (I don’t mind, I understand he was busy) I ordered the chicken noodle soup, and we got it extremely fast.
Something about the soup turned me off, it had a weird stench to it, to the point where it didn’t smell clean. I ended up giving my roommate all my chicken and tried to go for the noodles and soup. I liked that the noodles were thick comparing it to the other phở, but it was reallllllyyyy soggy.
I am hoping the next time I go, it will be a better taste! I want to love you, Turtle Tower, I really do…
Tasty Tip: I don’t have one…

Turtle Tower serves northern vietnamese style phở! I like to think of it as a clean, simple & no fuss. It comes with the fresh noodles, cilantro, green onions, jalapenos, & a wedge of lemon. You don’t need hoisen sauce, basil, or extra veggies here. It’s still very soothing, delicious and perfect on a cold day. They are known for the chicken phở– if you order this, ask for a side of the salt, pepper & lemon dipping sauce. I prefer the Phở Chin– which is the well done flank & brisket beef noodle soup.
I’ve been having Turtle Tower delivered to my work via Caviar. I even got most of my co-​workers to order phở now so the office will sometime smell like a Vietnamese phở shop! Lol.
For fast delivery… Caviar brings the best restaurants straight to your door. Sign up to get $ 15 off your 1^st @TryCaviar order using my link!
Happy eating!

recently I’ve started getting into phở, not sure what all the other people here are talking about but I love this phở place.
Its one of the best I’ve had lately.
You can really taste the great moistness of the meat and the sauciness of the soup.
I love the sauces, they’re all good.
The desserts are great too.
This is a great comfortable place for groups and I love the location.
Parking has always been good for me here.
The prices are really decent too.

I gave it 3 stars because the food was meh, but the service was good. Perhaps it’s because I didn’t order the right thing.
I’ve heard good things about Turtle Tower, but never really wanted to drive out to downtown for it. Being in the area due to jury duty, I decided to give it a shot instead of sleeping in my hot car during lunch.
Service was good, but the dish I ordered wasn’t so great. Their menu for this location didn’t have much options, as compared to the one I am seeing online at the moment. I wanted to try their probably-​famous-​phở, but it was such a hot day, I decided to opt for grilled pork over steamed rice ($ 7.75). The pork is the most important meal of the plate, and it was dry. I was quite disappointed. Their sauce for the dish didn’t make it any better as expected. Their guava juice however comes in a can and honestly, I felt like that was the best thing I had. I should’ve given this place another chance, but it’s been so hot lately, so maybe in the winter.
Just a warning to all, try their probably-​famous-​phở! Don’t get the grilled pork! Also, they only accept cash here.

THIS PLACE SUCKS. I have no idea why people love Turtle Tower’s chicken phở so much, it’s utterly bland and tasteless.
What really turned me off from this particular location was the time I ordered their steamed chicken (without rice) to go for $ 8+. I opened the container to take a peek at my food before leaving the restaurant because my order felt really light. Turns out I got less than a chicken leg. Most of the «meat» I got was skin and bones. The waiters there were extremely rude when I raised the issue. The debate got kind of heated my friend asked the waiter if he would have paid $ 8 for the pathetic chicken platter I got, and he retorted, «Well, I wouldn’t have ordered that dish.» Total BS. In the end, I just asked for my money back and left feeling pissed.

I was excited to get phở and imperial rolls from turtle tower delivered to the office when I had to work late this past week
Summary:
— rare beef phở: the soup was warm but not piping hot by the time it was delivered, so it took a while for the beef to slowly cook. Love the wider noodles as opposed to the thin phở from other places. The soup was lighter than the usual phở, and not very flavorful.
— fish cake side dish: expensive for a tiny portion. But tasty
— imperial rolls: crispy and very flavorful. I’m a fan.
The phở was cheap but the rolls were a little pricy. Would have this again at the restaurant to try the phở piping hot!

FOOD:
I got the chicken phở and it was good. The soup base is pretty bland but thats the way I like it. You get a lot of noodles in the small bowl and a lot of meat. I couldn’t even finish mine.
SERVICE:
One guy took care of all 10 tables and I was a happy customer. Really good service.
WOULD I RECOMMEND IT? Maybe.