SF’s most famous pho restaurant is opening a 2nd location

One of San Francisco’s favorite spots for rich, Hanoi-style pho is planning a location in Cow Hollow. Turtle Tower (opens in new tab), the beloved family-owned Vietnamese restaurant in the Financial District, is tentatively scheduled to open a second restaurant in February at 3145 Fillmore St.

The space, previously the home of Ricco Mediterranean, was simply too good an opportunity to pass up, according to Kathy Pham, daughter of chef and founder Steven Thang Pham. “It has strong foot traffic, both locals and visitors, and a community that values local institutions,” she said.

The expansion is noteworthy given Turtle Tower’s back-from-the-dead story. Founded in 1999 in the Tenderloin, it grew to an empire with four locations citywide. But during the pandemic, they shuttered, one by one, culminating in 2023 with the SoMa outpost. Pham revived the beloved restaurant this year with a more upscale Turtle Tower in the downtown space that formerly housed Italian restaurant Barbacco. 

Cherished for its clear broths and spring rolls known as banh cuon, Turtle Tower 2.0 added what Pham calls “street finger foods,” including chicken wings, a fried wonton wrap, and papaya salad. Pho remains the biggest seller, but pan-fried beef noodles are also popular.

The restaurant’s FiDi iteration is also notable for having a full bar — plus a kitchen that serves until 3 a.m. The Fillmore Street location will also have a bar, Pham said. As for the 3 a.m. cutoff, “we’ll test it out and see how the neighborhood receives us.”

Late-night pho could be an ideal fit for the area. Cow Hollow is a hard-partying neighborhood with a considerable culinary pedigree, and that block of Fillmore Street is home to heavy-hitters like Balboa Cafe and Atelier Crenn. 

Pham hinted at the possibility of additional Turtle Tower locations but declined to give a timeframe or identify possible sites. “Oh gosh,” she said, “We’re doing our best.”