Updated: 31 Aug 2021
Pho Hanoi - Hanoi Noodle Soup, for a very long time now, has been considered the delicacy of Hanoi cuisine and known as one of the best food in the world. It is a must try food for any traveler who would like to discover the Hanoian eating culture. If you have not eaten Pho Hanoi, you have not come to Hanoi. Hanoians eat pho for breakfast as it’s delicious and full of nutrients to keep you energized for the entire morning. You can easily find Pho stall at many corners of streets, especially ones in the central districts. Today, I would like to share why Pho is the most popular food of Hanoi locals.
Many tourists love Vietnam not only because of the majestic natural beauty but also by the great cuisine. The most typical dish that most foreign tourists know when coming to Vietnam is ‘Pho’. Why is it so famous?
The reasons why we love Pho Hanoi?
Pho Hanoi - Noodle Soup is very hygene and food for you.
Contrary to most delicious foods, one substantial serving of pho is usually less than 400 calories, which is pretty great considering that the calorie intake you’re getting is actually pretty nutritious, unlike those empty calories you would get from something like a cheeseburger. If you really want to go through a full-on healthy meal with your pho, look for a veggie option. The vegetables possible, from carrot to baby bok choy, can provide vitamins A through D, and if you opt out of your preferred meat, some vegetables also offer a lower-calorie source of protein.
Pho Hanoi looks attractive. Anyone would like to eat right away.
While I’ve been going on and on about how delicious pho tastes, it’s an absolute necessity to add that pho can just look so pretty too, especially for all you food bloggers out there. The white noodles just pop against the canvas that is the caramel coloured broth, and the slices of beef, fanned over the bowl of heaven, with the slightest bit of pink showing, are like little pink decorative pillows with a brown trim. Add the common bright green garnishes of lime, scallion, jalapeno or bird’s eye chili peppers, and you’ve got yourself a well-rounded meal both in nutrients and colours. Plus, you know you’ve gotta snap a pic of you and a friend slurping those pretty noodles up like the classy and totally refined duo you are.
Pho Hanoi is very CHEAP.
Thankfully, at almost any pho restaurant you go to, one bowl of pho will probably cost you less than 5$. If the menu says it’s over 5$ and there’s no description, chances are there’s some fancy stuff in that Pho.
Pho Hanoi is very CONVENIENT.
Now that it has grown so popular, restaurants boasting a specialization in pho are now almost as popular as your local Chinese takeout or pizza place. The trend became quite popular with the “hipster” scenes in towns like New York and Montreal, but since then almost every type of person living outside of Vietnam wants a taste of their famous cuisine, so restaurants have spread accordingly. Now, no one is saying that every single pho place you come across is going to be memorable, or even authentic, but if the trend keeps growing, perhaps in a few years there will be at least one that meets these standards close to all of us.
Pho Hanoi is good for any weather.
Although all soups are great, especially in the winter, or on a cold rainy day when you just crave that warm feeling in your belly, pho has most of those other soups beat for its efficiency in the summer as well. While it does have that hot broth that can get you through a thousand winters, this broth is also very very light. It isn’t oily, like in most chicken noodle soups, or pureed, like in tomato; it’s just heavy enough so that it doesn’t feel like you’re eating seasoned water, but light enough to tide your hunger over in the summer if you’re not really bothered by its temperature. But who are we kidding? With its amazing flavour, how can one say no to that in any weather, even if the temperature does kind of bother them?
Where to find the best Pho Hanoi?
Pho Ly Quoc Su
There are three branches but the best Pho in Hanoi, according to local eaters, is the original restaurant, located at number 10, Ly Quoc Su street. Pho here is delicious with lots of choice to serve all customer’s preferences from well done to rare steak or heel muscle. A huge plus of Pho Ly Quoc Su is the flavorful broth, thanks to the carefully selected ingredients. The beef here is always fresh and tender. Pho Ly Quoc Su also has positive feedback for its crunchy sticks of cruller, which helps to elaborate on the taste of your hot bowl of noodles.
This “best Pho in Hanoi” restaurant is quite small so sometimes you have to wait for a while in rush hour. However, it has air conditioning and comfortable tables and chairs to help make customers more content, especially during the hot summer days.
Address:
Branch 1: 10 Ly Quoc Su street - Highly recommended because it is located in old quarter and the first one.
Branch 2: 42 Hang Voi Street
Branch 3: N2A Hoang Minh Giam Street
Price: 60,000 – 85,000vnd/person. It’s not cheap but rather average in price for a popular authentic Hanoi pho brand.
Opening hours: 6am to 2.30pm and 5.30pm to 10pm.
You can take a look at our video about Pho Ly Quoc Su in Hanoi.
Pho Bat Dan
You must queue to wait for your turn. It is the traditional thing of Pho Bat Dan? So why it worths your time? The beef inside Bát Đàn’s pho is fresh, cooked to perfection and well sliced. The broth is sweet, all thanks to the beef bones being carefully stewed for hours. It’s exactly how you would describe an authentic bowl of best pho in Hanoi, hence what makes Pho Bat Dan a must-visit restaurant for any pho lover.
Established for almost 70 years, Pho Bat Dan is known not only because of its excellent pho but also for its unique queueing culture, which has been occurring for decades and was a part of popular culture during the 80’s. But the most interesting point is that no one seems to become impatient but rather calmly waits for their turn. It’s a self-service restaurant, so you must wait your turn and take your self-served food to your table, there’s no waiter to do it for you! Our tip from the locals is to always have at least one other person to go with you here. One will wait to order whilst the other goes inside the restaurant to reserve the seats for both.
Address: 40 Bat Dan street, Hoan Kiem district.
Price: 30,000 – 50,000vnd/bowl. Extra 5,000 for adding 1 egg.
Opening hours: 6am to 10am, 6pm – 8.30pm, it’s especially crowded on the weekend mornings. Be sure to avoid these rush hours if you don’t want to experience the endless waiting.
Pho Thin
Compared to Pho Bat Dan, Pho Thin is equally as one of the best pho in hanoi although it was established after and is further from the city center. The most famous dish here is stir fried medium rare steak noodles. The steak is quickly stirred with ginger, onion and garlic before being added to the bowl with the noodles. The broth of Pho Thin is a bit fattier than that of some other restaurants but it doesn’t make you feel sick. You should eat this with additional spices such as pepper, chilli sauce, vinegar or fish sauce to make the bowl even more flavourful. And let’s not forget eating pho with a few sticks of Chinese cruller, then you will definitely understand the way Hanoians eat pho as a culture.
Address: 13 Lo Duc street, Hai Ba Trung District
Price: 40,000 – 60,000vnd/person. The waiter will collect your payment right after you order
Opening hours: 6am to 8.30pm.