Reviews for The Ripple of Smiles in Honolulu, HI
If you are into pho, this is a great spot to check out! If I were to describe how their pho tastes, I would say full of flavor,... fresh ingredients (which make the pho have a smooth clean taste to it) with plenty of noodles, meat, and veggies. They also havelots of vegetarian and vegan options on their menu for those who are curious. The summer roll is a nice and safe way to startbefore your meal as the veggies are nice and crisp, the peanut sauce goes really well with the rolls, and is not too fillingbefore your main dish. This place is my go to spot when I'm craving pho and have even changed some of my friends opinion on phoafter trying it here. One thing to look out for is that parking is extremely limited, so ubering might save you the headachewith finding parking. Also if ordering takeout, double check to make sure your bag of veggies are fresh. Although they leavethe veggies in the fridge and are fresh, on rare occasions I've received the bag of veggies with freezer burn (bean sproutsbrown and the basil leaves wilted). Also if you order summer rolls they sometimes forget to add foil or a sheet at the bottom toprevent the rice paper from sticking onto the paper container, so I suggest double checking. I would rate it 5 stars if thetakeout issues are resolved. Read more
They have plenty of options and the menu looked good. The signs were very enticing and yet when we started dining we were... utterly disappointed about one after the other. 1. The server wore heavy perfume that it lingered after she walked away, weshould've left by then. 2. The tables were so small and the plants were not properly taken cared for especially if youre sittingdirectly under it. 3. Vegan coffee, whatever kind of 'milk' they put in was very chunky. 4. Papaya salad, sweeter than norm andwe had to mix it ourselves in the small plate that it was served on. 5. The house special was a piece of boneless skinlesschicken thigh served with veggies that was not fresh. I.E. the dried up cucumber on the photos. 6. The eggplant curry lackedflavor, boiled and smothered with the curry sauce along with some dried up carrots. I believe fresh should be taken off fromthe signs. Spent over $80 for 2 people. The place is a lackluster. I dont know if we just came on an off day nonetheless we willNEVER recommend this place to anyone. Read more
This place pushes very hard on a ?clean cusine? marketing angle for their food. They do offer lots of vegetarian and vegan... options which are not readily available in other places. However the promise of ?your mind being blown? by the vegan housespecial etc falls a bit short - I tried the special with tofu myself. There are some nice flavors but definitely not mindblowingly good. The iced coffee is definitely worth a try though. Another random note - when I visited (early dinner) the musicwas of the obnoxious smooth jazz variety and a bit too upfront in the ?outdoor dining? area. It did change for the better as theevening progressed. Read more
The Ripples of Smiles has easily become one of my favorite spots on Oahu. They specialize in ?healthy? portions and also have a... great vegan menu. Parking in the area is kinda limited, but well worth the trip for the quality of food. I?d definitelyrecommend this for a first date spot. The outside portion has nice fairy lighting as well (feels very intimate). Read more
4+ if not 5 stars. Excellent service, nice outdoor seating area but along a busy and noisy street. Very fresh, tasty food with... good flavors. The portions are just right. Had eggplant and mushrooms with lemongrass vermicceli and mushrooms. I recommend andwill be back. Read more
This place is a gem. We love sitting outside which they have cleverly covered so you?re not distracted by the very busy streets.... They also allow dogs to sit outside. There is an extensive vegan menu. I have eaten the pho, ban mi, lemongrass tofu, lemongrassmeat alternative, vegan spring rolls. Nothing has disappointed me. The coffee is absolutely delicious. Parking can bechallenging but I have always found parking available-just an awkward lot. Service is prompt. Read more
Nice little place that serves tasty vegan food in a clean and friendly environment. Also, serves delicious salmon and veg pho.... Clean toilet. Friendly staff. Very popular. Online table reservations and take-always. l Read more
I ordered the stir-fried noodles with mushrooms. There were only around 6 small pieces of mushrooms in the whole dish. The... noodles tasted like $1.00 ramen. The flavor was okay, but I felt ripped off for paying $17.00 for carrots, green onions, andnoodles. I will not return. Read more