The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has just issued Decision No. 2328/QD-BVHTTDL to include Hanoi pho in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

Previously, the Hanoi People's Committee submitted a proposal to register Hanoi pho folk knowledge in the list of national intangible cultural heritage.

As of 2023, there are nearly 700 pho shops in Hanoi, mainly concentrated in the districts of Ba Dinh, Hoan Kiem, Cau Giay, Dong Da, Hai Ba Trung, Thanh Xuan, Long Bien. Traditional pho brands (with more than 2 generations of making pho) usually only specialize in selling beef pho or chicken pho, mainly concentrated in Hoan Kiem, Ba Dinh, and Hai Ba Trung districts.

Hanoi has many long-standing, famous pho restaurants that attract a lot of diners both domestically and internationally. Depending on taste, each diner has their own "standard" pho address. However, when it comes to pho in Hanoi, where customers are willing to queue up and sit on the sidewalk, we have to mention Bat Dan traditional pho, Ho Loi pho, Gam Cau salty pho, Tam Mai Anh Tuan pho...

Bat Dan Traditional Pho (Hoan Kiem): "Queue-up" specialty

When it comes to popular pho restaurants in Hanoi, Pho 49 Bat Dan (Cua Dong, Hoan Kiem) is a name that cannot be ignored. The typical image here is a line of people lining up at the restaurant door, which has appeared on many international media channels.

The restaurant has two opening hours: 6-10am and 6-10:30pm. However, if you arrive between 8:30-9:30am, you will most likely have to wait in line, order, pay at the counter, and bring your bowl of pho to your seat.

Pho Bat Dan sells 3 pho dishes: rare, well done and rare flank, with an average price of 50,000-60,000 VND/bowl. According to the owner, the restaurant's secret is fresh, delicious ingredients.

Bat Dan Traditional Pho is one of the pho restaurants in Hanoi recommended by Michelin Guide in the Bid Gourmand category (good food quality, affordable price) in 2023 and 2024.

Pho Ho Loi (Tay Ho) is often overloaded.

Although not located in the center of Hanoi's Old Quarter, in recent years, Pho Ho Loi has become a hot topic on social media with scenes of customers lining up and filling the restaurant.

The owner of this pho restaurant is Ms. Ho Thi Mai Hoa (44 years old). Ms. Hoa once shared with VietNamNet that more than 10 years ago, when her father - Mr. Ho Loi was old and weak, she felt sorry for her father's passion for beef pho, so Ms. Hoa convinced her family to let her take over the pho restaurant. She researched, wrote down the recipes her father taught her, practiced cooking, and then boldly stood in the kitchen.

The restaurant has a spacious location. Inside, there are 10 tables, accommodating about 40 guests. Right at the entrance, there are additional small tables, serving 15-20 guests. However, during peak hours, especially on weekends, customers still have to wait in long lines. That is why many people call this a "subsidy-era" pho restaurant.

The restaurant sells many different dishes from rare, well-done, flank, brisket to red wine sauce, stir-fry, pho core, ribs. The price of each bowl of pho ranges from 40,000-70,000 VND, all of which are listed specifically for diners to easily choose.

Pho Au Trieu (Hoan Kiem): Customers are packed from inside the restaurant to the sidewalk.

In 2023, Pho Au Trieu was awarded the Bib Gourmand award (good restaurant with affordable prices) by Michelin. The owner of the restaurant is Mrs. Phi Nga - granddaughter of Mr. Tu, owner of the famous Pho Tu Lun brand in Hanoi for the past 80 years.

The restaurant has a spacious and airy space with 4 large tables (each table for 4 adults) and 4 small tables (each table for 2 adults). However, around 8-9am every day, the restaurant is very crowded with customers, sometimes having to wait in line or arrange plastic chairs, carry pho and sit on the sidewalk to enjoy.

Unlike most pho restaurants in Hanoi that use clear broth, Mrs. Nga’s family’s pho uses cloudy, rich broth. Each pot of broth is simmered from beef bones and meat from 5am the day before until 6am the next morning before being sold.

Currently, the price of cooked pho at the restaurant is 55,000 VND and rare pho is 65,000 VND. Diners order special bowls, with different prices depending on their requests.

Pho Oanh (Tho Xuong, Hoan Kiem): Customers coming and going in droves

Not far from Pho Au Trieu is Pho Oanh. The restaurant is located in a small, old house with no sign... but is always bustling with customers. The restaurant gate is just wide enough for two people to avoid each other.

In the house, apart from the pho counter, any empty space is arranged by Mrs. Oanh and her husband - the owners. During peak morning hours, especially on weekends, dozens of tables and chairs in the house and in the yard are packed with customers. Mrs. Oanh's husband even had to put plastic chairs on the sidewalk of the neighbor's house so that customers could sit and eat pho.

Every day, Ms. Oanh prepares two large pots of broth, each pot simmering about 20kg of beef bones. She orders 60-70kg of meat and beef bones of various types from a long-standing establishment to ensure a stable and quality source of raw materials.

While pho in the old town has skyrocketed in price, with many restaurants reaching 60,000 - 80,000 VND/bowl, Mrs. Oanh's pho still maintains the price at 30,000 VND.

Pho Tam (Mai Anh Tuan, Dong Da): Customers line up and take numbers like in the subsidy period

In the morning, when passing Mai Anh Tuan Street (Dong Da, Hanoi), many people are surprised to see 10-12 customers lining up to get a number, order, and pay in front of a pho restaurant. On weekends, the number of customers is even higher, as one group leaves, another group takes their place, and the sidewalk is filled with cars. Inside the restaurant, there are 40-50 customers at a time.

Ms. Tran Thi Tam (67 years old), the owner of the restaurant, has been selling pho for 42 years. According to Ms. Tam, queuing to get a number is a process her family applies to ensure that customers are served in the correct order, limiting chaos and confusion, which affects the enjoyment of pho. The restaurant is crowded with customers, but they usually only wait 10-15 minutes.

According to customers, the restaurant's broth is clear, sweet, light, and a bit bland. The beef is fresh, firm, and chewy.

The restaurant's menu includes rare pho, well-done pho, rare flank pho, crispy tendon pho, and beef stew pho, ranging from 40,000 - 60,000 VND/bowl.

Salty Pho on Gam Cau Street: Expensive but still crowded

Pho Man Gam Cau is famous on the "Hanoi Old Quarter Pho map" with its "salty" taste and "rich" price, from 50,000-80,000 VND/bowl.

After a long closure, in early 2024, this pho restaurant reopened, creating a fever on social media. Although some praised the "rich flavor" and others criticized the "salty" taste, diners still flocked to the restaurant to enjoy the food. Some shared that they had to wait an hour to eat pho.

Ms. Ha (owner of the pho restaurant) said that the restaurant officially opened in 1981. When she first opened the restaurant, she named it Tuan Ha. But because of her habit of cooking quite salty food, over time customers started calling the restaurant salty pho.

The space of the restaurant consists of about a dozen tables inside and a row of plastic tables placed near the door, running along the sidewalk. Overall, the restaurant is a bit old.

In addition to the rich broth, which is even "salty" to many people's taste, the restaurant attracts customers thanks to its specially made, chewy, delicious pho noodles and fresh, crispy, sweet beef tenderloin. The pho is served with green onions, coriander, and spicy vinegar and chili.

Pho at the restaurant costs from 50,000 VND/bowl, of which beef pho costs up to 80,000 VND/bowl. It is estimated that in a few hours in the morning, the restaurant serves hundreds of diners.

Korean newspaper suggests 4 delicious pho restaurants in Hanoi: Some places require queuing, some don't have lemon After visiting Hanoi, reporter Park Jeong Bae of Chosun (Korea) wrote an article introducing beef pho and places to enjoy this dish.