Best Gluten-Free Pho Restaurants in San Francisco

This article seemed a little too good to be true -- more emphasis on "longtime favorite" and "San Francisco institution" than "I've eaten here safely" and "the staff is knowledgeable" -- but I allowed myself to be hopeful.  I reached out to one of the restaurants listed via their website and got this response back:

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Thank you for reaching out. Unfortunately, our pho broth soup is not gluten free.

As such, I can't trust any recommendation in this article and, by extension, anything on this site. 

If this were a list of "top woodworking gadgets under $10" or "best views in San Francisco", it wouldn't matter that it were simply a google search repackaged as a list of recommendations but this is actually dangerous and could put people in the hospital. 

53 minutes ago, Guest Uncle Roger said:

This article seemed a little too good to be true -- more emphasis on "longtime favorite" and "San Francisco institution" than "I've eaten here safely" and "the staff is knowledgeable" -- but I allowed myself to be hopeful.  I reached out to one of the restaurants listed via their website and got this response back:

As such, I can't trust any recommendation in this article and, by extension, anything on this site. 

If this were a list of "top woodworking gadgets under $10" or "best views in San Francisco", it wouldn't matter that it were simply a google search repackaged as a list of recommendations but this is actually dangerous and could put people in the hospital. 

Which one did you reach out to, Uncle Roger?

3 hours ago, Guest Uncle Roger said:

This article seemed a little too good to be true -- more emphasis on "longtime favorite" and "San Francisco institution" than "I've eaten here safely" and "the staff is knowledgeable" -- but I allowed myself to be hopeful.  I reached out to one of the restaurants listed via their website and got this response back:

As such, I can't trust any recommendation in this article and, by extension, anything on this site. 

If this were a list of "top woodworking gadgets under $10" or "best views in San Francisco", it wouldn't matter that it were simply a google search repackaged as a list of recommendations but this is actually dangerous and could put people in the hospital. 

Restaurants can change owners, recipes, etc., without notice, so it's always important to call ahead or ask these questions before ordering. We'll update this list if we find out any info is incorrect, or has changes. Please let us know which restaurant you called.

While it is true that most pho broth is gluten-free, there are exceptions, as your comment seems to point out. It's definitely wise to check in advance with a restaurant to make sure they can accommodate your gluten-free or other dietary needs. However, without specific information on which restaurant you reached out to or ate at, it's not possible to comment in any meaningful way.

17 hours ago, Jefferson Adams said:

While it is true that most pho broth is gluten-free, there are exceptions, as your comment seems to point out. It's definitely wise to check in advance with a restaurant to make sure they can accommodate your gluten-free or other dietary needs. However, without specific information on which restaurant you reached out to or ate at, it's not possible to comment in any meaningful way.

It was Kevin's Noodle House.  I had high hopes as the Irving street location is near my kids' dance studio and they have a location in Daly City right by my wife's school.  But, alas, no, it was not to be.

I have to wonder if any research was done at all putting this list together.  When it comes to celiac, a blanket list of "go to these places" without any indications of modifications needed or comments on staff knowledge is extremely suspect.  Personally, I never review or recommend a restaurant unless I've eaten there myself, preferably more than once.  I don't get the impression that any of these places were visited to verify their suitability.  I would hate to think that the notion that pho is usually gluten free was the basis for thinking "I can just look up a bunch of pho places and it should be fine."  Because it isn't.

Thank you for the update on the name of the restaurant, which we removed from this listing. To answer your question, the author lives in San Francisco and has vetted the restaurants here. It's entirely possible that the waiter gave him bad information at the time he inquired, or that they have changed their recipe or cooks since it was written.