Pho (Noodle) – Hanoi

For a long time now, Pho has been considered the delicacy of Hanoi cuisine and known as one of the best food in the world. It's always an irresistible attraction to any traveler who wants to discover the Hanoian eating culture. That's why people say, “No trip to Hanoi is complete without eating a bowl of pho."

Hanoians eat pho for breakfast as it's delicious and full of nutrients to keep you energized for the entire morning. Pho restaurants are scattered along virtually any street, especially in the central districts. 

For a long time now, Pho has been considered the delicacy of Hanoi cuisine and known as one of the best food in the world. It's always an irresistible attraction to any traveler who wants to discover the Hanoian eating culture. That's why people say, “No trip to Hanoi is complete without eating a bowl of pho."

Hanoians eat pho for breakfast as it's delicious and full of nutrients to keep you energized for the entire morning. Pho restaurants are scattered along virtually any street, especially in the central districts. We will guide you the best places to eat Pho in Hanoi:

Best restaurants for beef noodle
1. Pho Bat Dan
Address: 40 Bat Dan Street, Hoan Kiem Dist, Hanoi

• Any Hanoi local know Pho Bat Dan due to its long queue throughout the day. It may discourage you at first, but come on, if queueing will bring you to the best pho in Hanoi, then it's definitely worth the wait, right? The beef inside Bát Đàn's pho is fresh, cooked to perfection, and well sliced.
•  
• The broth is sweet, thanks to the beef bones being carefully stewed for hours. It's exactly how you would describe an authentic bowl of the best pho in Hanoi, hence what makes Pho Bat Dan a must-visit restaurant for any pho lover. Established 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 ’80s.
•  
• But the most exciting 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 always to have at least one other person to go with you here. One will wait to order while the other goes inside the restaurant to reserve the seats for both.

2. Pho Thin
Address: 13 Lo Duc Street, Hai Ba Trung Dist, Hanoi

• Pho Bat Dan, Pho Thin is equally 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, chili sauce, vinegar, or fish sauce to make the bowl more flavourful. And let's not forget eating pho with a few sticks of Chinese cruller, then you will understand how Hanoians eat pho as a culture.

3. Pho Ly Quoc Su
Address: 10 Ly Quoc Su, Hoan Kiem Dist, Hanoi

• There are some 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 choices to serve all customer's preferences, from well done to rare steak or heel muscle. Thanks to the carefully selected ingredients, a massive plus of Pho Ly Quoc Su is the flavorful broth.
•  
• 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 relatively 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.
•  
• You should eat this with additional spices such as pepper, chili sauce, vinegar, or fish sauce to make the bowl more flavourful. And let's not forget eating pho with a few sticks of Chinese cruller, then you will understand how Hanoians eat pho as a culture.

4. Pho Suong
Address : 24B Trung Yen Alley, Dinh Liet Street, Hoan Kiem District

• Pho Suong was previously Pho Thang Loi (Victory Pho), together with Pho Tu Do (Freedom Pho) and Phở Thu Do (Capital Pho) they made the top 3 best pho in Hanoi during the old days. After years of being shut down, the restaurant came back to the market around 30 years ago, under a new name, which is Pho Suong. Suong in Vietnamese means ‘satisfy’, according to the owner, the restaurant was named so to trigger customers' curiosity.
•  
• The light and sweet broth is the highlight of Pho Suong, which is made from stewing beef bones and meat for hours. The beef is also on point, well done steak is not dry and manages to retain a certain level of moisture. Each piece of beef is carefully thin-sliced, tender, and meaty.