Hi, I’m David.
My name is David. I’m 14 years old and I live in San Francisco, aka the 7x7, aka 49 square miles (also the 1849 gold rush).
I love pho. Luckily, there are a lot of pho restaurants in San Francisco. My goal is to review all of them, or until I am really sick of eating pho.
FAQ
What is your rating system?
I rate pho on broth, meat, noodles, and bonus points. I try not to punish a restaurant if I am eating carryout or delivery which naturally is not going to be as good as fresh. So, if I bring it home, I will usually make sure it is nice and hot and will eat it in a big glass bowl.
What do you order?
At every restaurant I am reviewing, I will order a Pho Tai, because every restaurant has it so my reviews will be very even. You might be wondering what Pho Tai is. Pho Tai is normal beef pho but the meat is rare steak that cooks in the hot broth.
What do you put in your pho?
Lime juice, bean sprouts, and a usually a squeeze of hot sauce. I will try the broth before I put in the hot sauce.
What is your favorite pho restaurant in San Francisco?
Kevin’s on Irving Street in the Inner Sunset — I’ve been going there regularly since I was 4, and I think I’ve sat at almost every table. However, I work hard to be neutral and unbiased in my reviews of other restaurants.
Do you have a list of all the places you will try? Are you doing it in some order?
I will post a list soon (there are A LOT of pho restaurants). My order is determined by where I have to be for school or activities.
Where can I learn more about pho?
You can start by eating it. I also like this Sporkful podcast.
What’s up with pho restaurant names?
A lot of pho restaurants have ridiculous names like Pho Ever, What The Pho, and Pho Real. I’ve noticed these restaurants are usually in places where people don’t know very much about pho. Maybe the names make the restaurant seem cooler.
Other pho restaurants have numbers in their names, or their names are Vietnamese. In my opinion, these are usually the better restaurants, and are in areas where people are more familiar with pho. The number is usually an auspicious year, like the year the owner was born, came to America, or had good luck.
Who are your pho heroes?
Mikey Chen is my pho hero. I went to Vietnam before Covid-19 and we went to the pho places that Mikey recommended. Awhile ago my mom got me a Cameo video from Mikey reminding me to do my homework more carefully and for a minute I thought she actually knew him (she doesn’t). He’s my hero because he made an entire job out of eating and being a YouTube star.
How can I get in touch with you?
Email me at davidpho49@gmail.com. If you have a good pho place to recommend I definitely want to hear about it. I am 13, so please don’t send me anything weird.