Hoa Bien

1105 University Ave. W.
St. Paul, MN 55104
651-647-1011

Category: Vietnamese

Rating (Scale 1-10, with 10 being the highest):
Food: 6
Service: 7
Ambience: 5

Recommendation: Good. This University Avenue eatery serves up great Pho soup.
Hoa Bien is located on University Avenue in St Paul, which is now home to some of the Twin Cities’ best ethnic restaurants… Krua Thai, Little Szechuan, Que Nah, Mai Village, and Cambodia Cheng Heng are all at the top of their categories. Like other Asian eateries it is sparsely decorated but has a nice, clean, and inviting atmosphere. The staff is very eager to please. The crowd is very diverse.

The menu is authentic and diverse. The Hot and Sour seafood soup is Andrew Zimmern’s favorite but we’ve never tried it. Although we love their Pho (noodle soup), we find the meat to not be very flavorful. The last time we were here, we tried the Pho without any meat, which was just as flavorful and fragrant. The soup consists of a flavorful clear broth, served with rice noodles and meat (you have some options here). The servers bring a side of jalapeno peppers, sprouts, lime wedge, and Thai basil that you can add to your soup. The fresh Thai basil has a beautiful scent to it. We add all of these in plenty because it adds to the flavor and texture of the dish. The traditional way to eat this soup is with the chopsticks in one had and a soup spoon in the other – once you get the hang of it, you’ll have fun. Note that if you decide to bring some leftover Pho home, throw out the lemon wedges. Overnight, they become very bitter and make the broth taste inedible. The Spring Rolls are served with a hoisin sauce and have a very light and fresh flavor. The Iced Coffee, made traditionally with Chicory Coffee and sweetened condensed milk is nice and strong. The fresh Coconut water is a nice treat and a great way to cool off in the summer heat. They also serve Steamed buns filled with sausage and pork at the register for a few dollars but we’ve never tried them.

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