#41 Turtle Tower - The Big 100 Eat

Turtle Tower's Pho Ga (chicken noodle soup) is #41 on 7x7 100 Things you must try before you die in SF list. The original Turtle Tower is in Tenderloin and the lines at lunch are long. I lived in the Tenderloin for a few years as a child since it was one of the neighborhood my parents settled in after the Vietnam War. The neighborhood has changed for the better. Many of the down trodden government apartments have been torn down and replaced with smaller complexes.




My family is partial to Turtle Tower because it is Northern Style. My parents are from Hanoi and the Pho Ga is as authentic as it gets. The only condiments are fish sauce, lime and jalapeno peppers. The hoisin sauce and plate of bean sprouts and herbs are not served like other restaurants. The broth is crystal sweet with none to minimal MSG. They use free-range chicken and soft slippery chow fun noodles. A perfect ale to cure a cold.


I like a side of chicken internal organs (gizzards, hearts, liver)




Skip the Beef Pho since they use the same broth but add beef instead of chicken.



Turtle Tower
631 Larkin St
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 409-3333
Hours: 8-30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Have you ever eaten Pho @ 8 in the morning? You'll be surprise how busy the restaurant is!