Pho (Vietnamese Noodle Soup) can be the most traditional food in Hanoi. More than a food, Pho reflects the culture of Hanoi and the characteristics of Hanoians. In Hanoi, people may eat Pho at any time throughout the day. Although Pho has been separated worldwide, only in Hanoi, Vietnam can you see it at the original form. Rather than a food, Pho is our culture. Therefore, Pho should come the first on your list of must-try dishes in Hanoi, an indispensable thing in your Hanoi local food tour.
A bowl of Pho consists of meat, herbs, and rice noodles put together in the broth. The broth seems to be the most important and complicated part determining the taste of Pho. To make the great broth, they have to boil chicken bones, beef bones, and pork bones together in a very big with a variety of aromatics including gingers, peppers, onions, salt, and so on. The broth is savory and tasty. About meat, there are often two kinds of it including pork and chicken.
Ordering Pho for the first is a challenge for most international tourists. Firstly, some restaurants even don’t have the menu as Hanoians know how many kinds of Pho there are and what they exactly are. Even if a restaurant has a menu, the list must be so long that it makes you confused about what to choose. Therefore, we are providing you a list of kinds of Pho you may see in your Hanoi food tour. Notice that the difference between these kinds of Pho is all the meat, and the broth is usually similar.
1. Pho bo – Noodle soup with beef
Pho bo or noodle soup with beef is one of the most popular kinds of Pho. It is noodle with beef and herbs together in a bowl of broth. There are many types of beef served:
- Sliced well-done beef
- Sliced medium-rare beef
- Tendon
- Crunchy flank
- Tripe
- Fatty brisket
- Beef meatballs
Therefore, you even have many types of beef Pho to try. Next time you get to a Pho restaurant, you can just tell the cook what you want to put in your bowl of Pho. Pho is so customized.
Below are the most traditional and delicious Pho restaurants in Hanoi. If you go on a Hanoi food tour or even a Hanoi city tour, don’t forget to drop off for a bowl of beef Pho.
Pho Bat Dan
Address: No. 49 Bat Dan Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, Vietnam
Opening hours: daily from 06:30 to 8:30 and from 18:00 20:30
Price: from VND 30,000 to VND 55,000
Pho Thin
Address: No. 13 Lo Duc Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, Vietnam
Opening hours: daily from 06:00 to 20:30
Price: from VND 40,000 to VND 60,000
Pho 10 Ly Quoc Su
Address:
Store 1: No. 10 Ly Quoc Su Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, Vietnam (The original and the best store of all three)
Store 2: No. 42 Hang Voi Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, Vietnam
Store 3: No. N2A Hoang Minh Giam Street, Hanoi, Vietnam
Opening hours: daily from 06:00 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 22:00
Tel: (+84) 243 825 7338 or (+84) 915 088 586
Price: from VND 50,000 to VND 80,000
Website: pho10lyquocsu.com
Pho Vui
Address: No. 25 Hang Giay Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, Vietnam
Opening hours: daily from 07:00 to 22:00
Tel: (+84) 243 828 051
Price: about VND 50,000
Pho Suong
Address: No. 29 Trung Yen Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, Vietnam
Opening hours: daily from 5:30 to 11:00 and from 16:30 to 21:30
Price: from VND 40,000 to VND 55,000
2. Pho ga – Noodle soup with chicken
Like beef Pho, chicken Pho is one of the two most popular types of Pho in Hanoi. The broth and spices are quite similar, but they replace beef with chicken. People use every part of a chicken to make chicken Pho. Normally, the meat is put in the bowl with noodles while head, bone, liver, gizzards, and livers are used to cook the broth.
It’s up to your interest whether to choose a bowl of Pho with beef or chicken. In case you are interested in chicken Pho, we would like to recommend you some good chicken Pho stalls in Hanoi. These stalls are common spots in most Hanoi tour packages.
Pho ga Nam Ngu
Address: No. 7 Nam Ngu Street, Hanoi, Vietnam
Opening hours: daily from 07:00 to 22:00
Tel: (+84) 243 826 3508
Price: from VND 35,000 to VND 50,000
Pho Chi Yet Kieu
Address: No. 102 Yet Kieu Street, Hanoi, Vietnam
Opening hours: daily from 08:00 to 22:00
Price: from VND 35,000 to VND 40,000
Pho Cham Yen Ninh
Address: No. 64-68 Yen Ninh Street, Ba Dinh Street, Hanoi, Vietnam
Opening hours: daily from 07:00 to 10:00
Price: from VND 50,000 to VND 100,000
Pho ga Ton Duc Thang
Address: No. 172 Ton Duc Thang Street, Hanoi, Vietnam
Opening hours: daily from 7:00 to 23:30
Price: from VND 35,000 to VND 110,000
3. Pho Cuon – Vietnamese rolled noodles (Spring Rolls)
Rolled noodle is a creative way to enjoy Pho of Hanoians. To make this dish, people leave the rice noodle uncut and use it as the rice paper. Then, they add beef, vegetables, and herbs all on the uncut noodle and roll it up. This dish is served together with Vietnamese typical sauce. The sauce is a mixture of fish sauce, garlic, chili, lemon, water, sugar, vinegar. Rolled noodle is the favorite food of Hanoians, especially in the summer as it is light, fresh, and herby.
Despite not being as well-known as the traditional Pho, rolled noodle is absolutely an amazing dish. While beef noodle or chicken is always included in any food tours or even day tours in Hanoi, this rolled noodle is not because good rolled noodle stores are located near West Lake, about 5 kilometers from Hanoi Old Quarter so not suitable for a walking tour. If you are having a Hanoi private tour, you can just ask your local tour guides to take you to try some rolled noodles, but it’s not that easy in a package tour. Then, you may go do it yourself. Below are the best-rolled noodle restaurants in Hanoi that we recommend for you. Hope you enjoy Vietnamese rolled noodles.
Pho Cuon Huong Mai
Address: No. 25 Ngu Xa Street, Hanoi, Vietnam
Opening hours: daily from 9:00 to 22:00
Tel: (+84) 243 823 8563
Hotline: (+84) 973 344 556
Price: from VND 30,000 to VND 55,000
Pho Cuon Hung Ben
Address: No. 33 Ngu Xa Street, Hanoi, Vietnam
Opening hours: daily from 7:00 to 22:00
Tel: (+84) 243 829 2040
Hotline: (+84) 916 764 141
Price: from VND 20,000 to VND 55,000
Pho Cuon Duy Map
Address: No. 79 Truc Bach Street, Hanoi, Vietnam
Opening hours: daily from 09:00 to 21:00
Tel: (+84) 243 582 0800
Price: from VND 35,000 to VND 110,000
Pho Cuon Thanh Hang
Address: No. 29B Ngu Xa Street, Hanoi, Vietnam
Opening hours: daily from 06:00 to 21:30
Tel: (+84) 243 716 0317
Hotline: (+84) 983 160 317
Price: from VND 25,000 to VND 55,000
4. Pho chien phong – Puffy fried rice noodle pancakes
Puffy fried noodle pancake is a familiar and favorite food of Hanoians. It is a transform of Hanoi traditional noodle. To make this dish, they cut the rice noodles into small square segments instead of fibers. Then, they fry the noodles in boiling oil. The noodle cooked in this way is crunchy from the outside but soft and hot from the insides. It also has the attractive yellow appearance. The fried noodles are put in a dish together with fried beef dipping in the savory sauce. This dish is served together with herbs, green vegetables, and a small bowl of fish sauce. This puffy fried noodle is no longer a strange food to Hanoians, but not many tourists know about it. If you are led by a Hanoi tour guide, just tell him or her that you are keen on trying some “Pho chien phong”. If you are traveling yourself, you can drop off these following places.
Pho Cuon Thanh Hang
Address: No. 29B Ngu Xa Street, Hanoi, Vietnam
Opening hours: daily from 06:00 to 21:30
Tel: (+84) 243 716 0317
Hotline: (+84) 983 160 317
Price: about VND 55,000
Pho Cuon Huong Son
Address: No. 19 Ngu Xa Street, Hanoi, Vietnam
Opening hours: daily from 8:00 to 21:00
Tel: (+84) 243 829 0024
Hotline: (+84) 948 646 499
Price: from VND 50,000 to VND 100,000
Pho Cuon Huong Mai
Address: No. 25-27 Ngu Xa Street, Hanoi, Vietnam
Opening hours: daily from 9:00 to 22:00
Tel: (+84) 243 8238 563
Price: from VND 30,000 to VND 48,000
Website: phocuon.vn
5. Pho xao – Saute rice noodles
Rice noodles are cut into fibers like the traditional way. Then, it is fried with vegetables and many kinds of aromatics (of all which garlic is a must). All ingredients are combined together in a savory sauce which creates a really unique flavor that is easy to fall in love with and difficult to forget.
If you are interested in trying some saute noodles, just take a street food tour in Hanoi. These restaurants are recommended for you.
Pho Cuon Huong Mai
Address: No. 25-27 Ngu Xa Street, Hanoi, Vietnam
Opening hours: daily from 9:00 to 22:00
Tel: (+84) 243 8238 563
Price: from VND 30,000 to VND 48,000
Website: phocuon.vn
Pho Cuon Thanh Hang
Address: No. 29B Ngu Xa Street, Hanoi, Vietnam
Opening hours: daily from 6:00 to 21:30
Tel: (+84) 243 716 0317
Hotline: (+84) 983 160 317
Price: from VND 25,000 to VND 55,000
Pho Cuon Duy Map
Address: No. 79 Truc Bach Street, Hanoi, Vietnam
Opening hours: daily from 9:00 to 21:00
Tel: (+84) 243 582 0800
Price: from VND 35,000 to VND 60,000
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