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Pho sensation opening new Bay Area location "Berkeley"
The owners are opening a new location in Berkeley.
A Vietnamese restaurant known for attracting lines across the Bay Area is opening its first location in Berkeley, mere blocks away from the UC Berkeley campus.
Pho Ha Noi, which has five locations in San Jose, Cupertino, Palo Alto, Milpitas and Fremont, announced on Instagram Friday that their latest venture will soon open at 2435 Telegraph Ave.
The announcement quickly gained traction on social media, especially from Berkeley students who live in the area. One TikTok video about the new location saw over 14,000 views, hailing the spot as potentially the “best hangover cure ever.”
The owners, Helen and Harry Nguyen, opened the first location of Pho Ha Noi at San Jose’s Vietnam Town shopping center in 2016. Their use of fresh, expensive ingredients initially left the business in financial trouble, but word of the restaurant eventually “exploded,” Helen Nguyen later told the Chronicle. In 2019, they were able to open a second location in Cupertino and have been expanding ever since.
The Nguyens did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Berkeley expansion.
There’s no word yet about the menu for the new location, but every iteration of Pho Ha Noi is known for its beef pho. The bone marrow broth is simmered for over 24 hours in a large vat designed by Harry Nguyen and includes cuts such as rare flap meat, tendon, brisket and short rib.