When Turtle Tower closed both its Tenderloin and SoMa locations in 2023, San Francisco lost its most uncompromising Northern Vietnamese pho specialist. The restaurant that refused to put hoisin or basil on the table—insisting customers taste the clear, delicate chicken broth the way Hanoi intended—seemed gone for good. Then, on March 12, 2025, new managing partners Arash Ghanadan and Hilwim Wong reopened Turtle Tower at 220 California Street in the Financial District, bringing back the phở gà that made it a destination for the best Vietnam food in the city. The menu is leaner now, the bowls cost nearly double what they did before closure, and the small-size option has vanished entirely. But the broth is still crystal-clear, the approach still stubbornly Northern, and lunch crowds still pack the 84-seat space by noon.
Planning a pho crawl across San Francisco or trying to time your visit before the Hanoi-style wings sell out? Karpo builds custom routes around restaurant hours, wait times, and neighborhood parking—so you hit Turtle Tower and other Vietnamese spots at exactly the right moment.
Why Turtle Tower's Chicken Pho Defines Northern Style
Most Vietnamese restaurants in the United States serve Southern-style pho, the kind that arrives with a plate of basil, bean sprouts, jalapeños, and lime wedges alongside squeeze bottles of hoisin and sriracha. Turtle Tower serves none of that. Its phở gà follows the Hanoi template: a clear chicken broth simmered until it tastes of nothing but chicken and subtle spice, a tangle of rice noodles, shredded poached chicken, and a scattering of green onion and cilantro. The restaurant is named after the historic Turtle Tower—Tháp Rùa—that sits in Hanoi's Hoàn Kiếm Lake, and the kitchen treats that heritage as non-negotiable.
The large bowl of phở gà now costs $20, nearly double the pre-closure price, and it's the only size available. The portion is substantial enough that most diners leave satisfied, but the sticker shock is real for anyone who remembers the old pricing. The phở tái, made with rare beef instead of chicken, runs the same price. For a different texture and a more complex build, order the bún thang: rice vermicelli in chicken broth with shredded chicken, pork, and thin ribbons of fried egg. Appetizers like spring rolls hover around $8 to $12, but the Hanoi-style fried chicken wings—crispy, lightly seasoned, and intensely popular—sell out by 12:30 p.m. during lunch service. Arrive before noon if you want them.
Financial District Location and the Marina Outpost
The new Financial District address at 220 California Street puts Turtle Tower on the cable car line, a few blocks from the Embarcadero and within easy walking distance of half a dozen parking garages. Street parking is free after 6 p.m. on weekdays and all day Sunday. The nearest garages sit at 150 California Street, 101 California Street, and 1 Embarcadero Center, all within half a block. The dining room seats 84, with counter seating along one wall that turns over fastest for solo diners and pairs during the noon-to-1 p.m. lunch rush. Groups of four or more should expect a wait during peak lunch, but dinner service is quieter.
Turtle Tower's Marina location at 3145 Fillmore Street keeps different hours and serves a late-night crowd that no other San Francisco pho spot attempts. Monday through Thursday it closes at 9:30 p.m., but Friday and Saturday it stays open until 2 a.m., with a happy hour running from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. that draws night-shift workers, bar hoppers, and anyone craving a bowl of phở gà after midnight. The Marina location also runs a daily happy hour from 2 to 5 p.m. Both locations take to-go orders in-house or by phone—call 415-613-5426 for the Financial District spot or 415-298-0897 for Marina—and allow 20 minutes for pickup.
Booking Strategy and Friday's Early Close
Turtle Tower operates first-come, first-served for small groups, but counter seating makes it easier for singles and pairs to grab a seat even during lunch. Large groups of eight or more can email info@TurtleTowerSF.com to arrange seating, and Yelp reservations are available for groups up to eight. The Financial District location keeps regular hours Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., but closes at 3 p.m. on Fridays only. That early Friday close catches visitors off guard, so plan accordingly if you're thinking of a late-week visit.
As of March 2025, the restaurant's alcohol license is still pending, so no beer or wine is available yet. The old Tenderloin location at 635 Larkin Street and the SoMa spot are both permanently closed; any online references to those addresses are outdated. Banh mi sandwiches, once a menu staple, are no longer offered at the reopened location.
How Turtle Tower Fits Into San Francisco's Vietnamese Food Scene
San Francisco's Vietnamese food landscape tilts heavily toward Southern-style cooking, which makes Turtle Tower's Northern focus unusual. Bodega Bistro in the Tenderloin at 607 Larkin Street is sometimes mentioned as an alternative for Northern-style pho with a similar clear-broth approach, though current operational details are hard to verify. Lily, at 1800 Fillmore Street in Japantown near the Marina, offers Vietnamese cuisine closer to Turtle Tower's second location, but specifics on its pho program remain unclear. Pho 2000 in the Mission District represents the more common Southern style, with all the traditional garnishes and condiments Turtle Tower deliberately omits.
Turtle Tower's insistence on simplicity—no hoisin, no basil, no sriracha on the table—makes it the best Vietnam food choice in San Francisco for anyone curious about how pho tastes in Hanoi. The restaurant doesn't accommodate diners who want to drown their broth in sauce or pile on herbs. The kitchen's philosophy is that if the broth is good enough, you don't need to add anything. That approach won't please everyone, but for pho lovers who want to understand the Northern style, Turtle Tower remains the city's clearest example.
What to Order and When to Go
Start with the phở gà. The chicken broth is the reason people come back, and the large bowl justifies the $20 price if you're hungry. If you want beef, the phở tái delivers tender rare slices that cook gently in the hot broth. The bún thang is worth trying for its layered textures—shredded chicken, pork, and egg ribbons in a lighter, more aromatic broth than the standard pho. If you arrive before 12:30 p.m., order the Hanoi-style fried chicken wings; after that, they're usually gone.
Lunch between noon and 1 p.m. is the busiest window at the Financial District location, so aim for an 11 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. arrival if you want to avoid a wait. Dinner is far quieter, and the kitchen maintains the same quality throughout service. The Marina location's late-night hours make it the better choice if you're eating after 9 p.m., and the post-11 p.m. happy hour on Friday and Saturday nights is a rare chance to eat excellent pho in San Francisco when almost everything else has closed.
Getting to Turtle Tower in the Financial District
The Financial District location at 220 California Street sits on the California Street cable car line, making it accessible from Union Square, Nob Hill, and the Embarcadero without a car. If you're driving, the garages at 150 California, 101 California, and 1 Embarcadero Center are all within half a block, and street parking is free after 6 p.m. on weekdays and all day Sunday. The Marina location at 3145 Fillmore Street is easier to reach by car or bus, with more street parking available in the evening. Both locations take to-go orders, but the Financial District spot sees heavier lunch traffic, so calling ahead—415-613-5426—and allowing 20 minutes for pickup saves time. Remember that the Financial District location closes at 3 p.m. on Fridays, while the Marina spot stays open until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. The best Vietnam food in San Francisco requires a little planning, but Turtle Tower's phở gà is worth the effort.
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Ask Karpo first
Turtle Tower's Friday early close and sold-out chicken wings by 12:30 p.m. mean timing matters. Ask Karpo first to check current hours at both the Financial District and Marina locations, compare wait times during lunch versus dinner, and build a route that connects Turtle Tower with other Vietnamese spots or Financial District stops. Karpo maps real-time restaurant status and parking in San Francisco so you don't waste a trip.
