Shank & Bone: The Restaurant Is Named After the Order, and Most People Miss It

Overview

Shank & Bone has been doing modern and classic Vietnamese on University Avenue in North Park since 2018, out of a small room with vintage bikes on the walls and a map of old Saigon.

It came from people who already knew what they were doing. Per San Diego Eater's coverage of the opening, it was created by Han Tran and Jay Choy, who run Ebisu Sushi in Hillcrest, with partners Lam Nguyen and Phuc Vo of Crab Town.

Here's the one thing to understand before you go, because it changes what you order.

The restaurant is named after a specific bowl of pho, and most people don't order it.

The Signature Pho S&B is $27, and it contains shank, oxtail, rare eye of round, flank, brisket, and bone marrow. Six cuts. The name over the door — shank, bone — is a description of what's in that bowl.

Walk in without knowing that and you'll do what most people do: order the Phở Tái at $18, the standard rare-steak pho, which is perfectly good and is not what this place is for.

And bone marrow runs through the whole menu, not just the one bowl. It's the actual throughline here:

• Roasted Bone Marrow & Bánh Mì Crostinis — $17, with a cilantro chimichurri
• The Shank & Bone Bowl — $16 — bone marrow and bones in beef broth, no noodles at all, limited availability
• The Tri Tip & Bone Bánh Mì — $25, served with a side of bone marrow for spreading

That last one has a catch worth planning around: it's Thursdays only, until it sells out. Snake River Farms American Wagyu smoked brisket, cilantro chimichurri, Viet pickles, red onion, jalapeño — with marrow on the side. If that's what you want, you're going on a Thursday, early.

What to Order at Shank & Bone

The flagship:

• Signature Pho S&B — $27. Shank, oxtail, tái, flank, brisket and bone marrow. The order the restaurant is named for, and the one to get on a first visit.

The bone marrow thread:

• Roasted Bone Marrow & Bánh Mì Crostinis — $17. Marrow with cilantro chimichurri and crostinis cut from bánh mì. The starter to build a meal around.
• Shank & Bone Bowl — $16. Marrow and bones in beef broth with no noodles. Limited availability, and the most direct expression of what this kitchen is about.
• Tri Tip & Bone Bánh Mì — $25. Thursdays only, until sold out.

The one everyone photographs:

• Phở-Rench Dip Bánh Mì — $17. A Vietnamese French dip — brisket, shank, flank and eye of round with bean sprouts, Thai basil, cilantro, onions, hoisin and garlic in a bánh mì, served with a side of pho broth for dipping. It's a genuinely clever dish and it's the thing to order if you want something you haven't had before.

Beyond the beef:

• Phở Khô (Dry Pho) — $20. Wok-sautéed shank, eye of round and brisket over flat pho noodles with house chili soy, with the broth served on the side instead of in the bowl.
• Bánh Xèo Tacos — $17. Vietnamese savory crepes in taco form — pork, shrimp, bean sprouts, jicama and mint in a coconut-turmeric shell.
• Bò Tái Chanh, Beef Carpaccio — $18. With Viet vinaigrette, fried shallots, mint, crushed peanuts and watercress.
• Saigon Chicken Wings — $15. Six, crispy, in a sweet-spicy fish sauce glaze.
• Phở Cuốn, Rice Noodle Rolls — $10. Three per order, filled with grilled ginger beef, with peanut dipping sauce.
• Bò Kho Beef Stew — $20. Spicy aromatic Vietnamese beef stew with a whole toasted baguette.

If you're not eating beef:

• Phở Gà — $19, a rich chicken broth, and you can ask for dark meat, white meat or both.
• Phở Đồ Biển — $20, crab, calamari and shrimp in chicken pho broth.
• Phở Chay — $18, a proper vegan bowl: bok choy, carrot, Chinese broccoli, broccoli, fried organic tofu and mushrooms in vegan broth. The vegan options here are real, not an afterthought — there's also a vegan bún bowl at $18 and a tofu bánh mì at $12.

And the cheap way in:

• Naked Pho — $11. Just the thing if you want to taste what the broth actually does.
• Bánh mì run $12 to $13 for grilled pork, chicken, shrimp or tofu — the most affordable lunch on the menu.
• Kids' pho is $10 to $11, with a noodles-and-broth-only bowl at $8.

At the bar, the cocktails lean into the theme — there's an "old 'pho'-shioned" with Maker's Mark, cardamom bitters, anise, clove and burnt orange, and a "saigon fling" with tequila, house sour, sambal chili paste and roasted jalapeño.

How to Visit Shank & Bone

• Address: 2930 University Avenue, San Diego, CA 92104 — North Park
• Phone: (619) 458-9085 · Email: shankandbone@gmail.com
• Hours: Monday, Tuesday and Sunday, 12–9 p.m. · Wednesday through Saturday, 12–10 p.m. (see the note below — their ordering page lists earlier closes)
• Reservations: They don't take online or email reservations — their contact page says so in capitals. Call or walk in.
• Takeout and delivery are available through their online ordering page.
• Call for holiday hours, per their contact page.
• Thursday is the day to go if you want the Tri Tip & Bone Bánh Mì. It's limited and it sells out.
• Heads up on the bill: they split checks a maximum of four ways. Worth knowing before a group dinner.
• Peanut allergies: the kitchen asks you to avoid the rice and bún options due to potential cross-contamination, and to tell your server about any allergy.

The Takeaway

Go on a Thursday, early. Start with the roasted bone marrow crostinis, order the Signature Pho S&B, and if you've got a second person with you, add the Phở-Rench Dip so you can try both.

What makes Shank & Bone worth writing about isn't that North Park has good pho. It's that this kitchen picked a thing — bone, marrow, the long-simmered parts — built the menu around it, and then named the restaurant after the bowl. Most places with a signature dish bury it at position eleven. Here it's on the sign, and people still walk past it.

For more San Diego spots worth knowing, browse our Local Picks — and if North Park is a neighborhood you're weighing rather than just eating in, our Hillcrest vs. North Park comparison covers both, and our North Park neighborhood guide goes deeper.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Shank & Bone? At 2930 University Avenue, San Diego, CA 92104, in North Park. There's one location.

What is Shank & Bone known for? Bone marrow and long-simmered beef pho. The Signature Pho S&B ($27) contains shank, oxtail, rare eye of round, flank, brisket and bone marrow, and marrow appears in three other dishes on the menu.

Does Shank & Bone take reservations? Not online or by email — their contact page states that plainly. Call the restaurant at (619) 458-9085 or walk in.

How much is pho at Shank & Bone? From $16 for the meatball pho to $27 for the Signature Pho S&B, the short rib and the smoked wagyu. The standard rare steak phở tái is $18, and there's a "Naked Pho" of just broth and noodles at $11.

Does Shank & Bone have vegan options? Yes, and real ones. Phở Chay ($18) uses a vegan broth with bok choy, carrot, Chinese broccoli, broccoli, organic fried tofu and mushrooms. There's also a vegan bún bowl ($18), a tofu bánh mì ($12), vegetarian spring rolls ($10) and a kids' vegan pho ($10).

What's the Phở-Rench Dip? A Vietnamese take on a French dip — brisket, shank, flank and eye of round with herbs, hoisin and garlic in a bánh mì, served with a side of beef pho broth for dipping. $17.

Is the Tri Tip & Bone Bánh Mì available every day? No. It's available starting Thursdays until sold out. It's $25 and comes with a side of bone marrow for spreading.

Who owns Shank & Bone? Per San Diego Eater's coverage of its 2018 opening, it was created by Han Tran and Jay Choy — who also run Ebisu Sushi in Hillcrest — with partners Lam Nguyen and Phuc Vo of Crab Town.

Do they do takeout? Yes, through their online ordering page. They also note they'll split a check a maximum of four ways.