Pho is a flavorful Vietnamese dish that has a strong appeal, whether in the North or the South. Here are the 15 most famous pho restaurants in Saigon for you to explore.
1. Pho Le
Pho Le is one of the most delicious and crowded Pho restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). Although it has a very professional service style, you have to wait a long time because the restaurant is very crowded. Despite that, most of the guests still feel very happy.
The most important highlight is the typical taste here. A bowl is always in a state of fullness, including both soft and chewy noodles, tasty broth, full of beef and beef balls, and many other vegetables.
Pho Le is the topmost typical and delicious Pho, following the Southern flavour, which has conquered and satisfied most of the diners in Saigon.
- Address: 413 – 415 Nguyen Trai, Ward 7, District 5, City. HCMC
- Opening hours: 06:00 am – 01:00 am
- Price range: 40,000 – 55,000 VND
2. Pho Dau
Pho Dau has the syle of Pho Bac (Nothern Noodle) that many Saigonese people like to taste. So, plenty of noodle shops in the South still keep the standard North recipes. One of the most famous eateries in Saigon but with the right North standard is Pho Dau restaurant near Nguyen Van Troi Bridge. In the past, people called this shop Pho Nguyen Cao Ky because Mr Nguyen Cao Ky (a famous people in Saigon) often came here to enjoy.
During many years of operation, this noodle shop has never disappointed Bac Pho lovers. The bowl has a delicate aftertaste of the broth with the thinly sliced onions. Pho Dau is not served with bean sprout, but not herbs and black soy sauce.
- Address: Department 288, Alley 288 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, District 3, HCMC
- Opening hours: 5:00 am – 11:00 am
- Price range: 65,000 – 75,000VND
3. Pho Thin Ha Noi
Pho Thin Ha Noi is one of the famous Pho Restaurants in Hanoi, and it opens in Saigon with the same flavour of the North style. The noodle of the shop is not too big to eat and is served with very soft beef. Most people coming to this restaurant want to taste rare-beef noodle soup (Phở tái lăn) – a typical and prominent type of Pho Thin.
A bowl of Pho Thin does not contain too many spices, but it does not lose its strong flavour. The owner of the restaurant has taken care of the seasonings to the noodles, so the Pho bowl looks more delicious and attractive than many other noodle shops. To create the right Hanoi Pho, the chef has to cook cow bones from 8 to 10 hours to be able to create the most perfect and richest broth.
- Address: 62 – 64 Tran Luu Street, District 2, HCMC
- Opening hours: 06:30 am – 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm – 10:00 pm
- Price range: 40,000 – 66,000 VND
4. Pho Phu Vuong
Compared to many famous noodle shops in HCMC, Pho Phu Vuong restaurant appears quite late. But since its inception until now, this restaurant has quickly satisfied many customers in Saigon.
Pho Phu Vuong has long been famous for its delicious Pho bowl because the broth had the specific flavour and sweet taste, and it’s good to eat with beef balls.
Pho Phu Vuong Restaurant welcomes a lot of famous Vietnamese artists, countless foreign guests. This restaurant quickly asserts its brand name as well as the delicious taste.
However, the restaurant still has some disadvantages when serving the noodle for a long time, making customers wait. But, with its attractive taste, it makes customers feel happy to wait for a great flavour of the noodle soup.
- Address 1: 333 Le Van Sy, Ward 1, Tan Binh District, City. HCMC
- Address 2: 120 Nguyen Thai Binh, District 1, HCMC
- Opening hours: 7:00 am – 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
- Price range: 50,000 – 80,000 VND
5. Pho Hung
Pho Hung is one of the few noodle brands that are not only famous in Vietnam but also overseas. Although this shop now has many addresses in Saigon, they are in a crowded state. This proof shows that Saigon diners love Pho of this brand name.
The noodle soup is made from pure beef, then stewed with more than 10 different herbs, so it always has a rich taste and typical flavour. Each bowl at Pho Hung is carefully cared for in the layout to the broth and noddle quality. Everything combined is harmonious and beautiful. In particular, the beef balls are big, fragrant, and crunchy. Besides, a bowl at Pho Hung Restaurant is quite big so please do your best!
Besides, the space of the restaurant is also spacious and airy. The service staff is enthusiastic and attentive. All these things have helped Pho Hung attract more tasters.
- Address 1: 243 Nguyen Trai Street, Nguyen Cu Trinh Ward, District 1, HCMC
- Address 2: 288 Nguyen Tri Phuong Street, Ward 4, District 10, HCMC
- Opening hours: 06:30 am – 03:00 am
- Price range: 50,000 – 70,000 VND
6. Pho Chua Thanh
If you are too familiar with the steamy Pho soups, Pho Chua Thanh, a Pho style o Lang Son in Northwest Vietnam, will surely give you a new look and a unique experience of this kind of noodles. Different from many traditional types of Pho, so for the first look, you can confuse Pho Chua Thanh with grilled pork vermicelli. But if you enjoy it, you will find its taste very special.
Pho Chua Thanh does not have much broth, but the diners mix all together to taste. The noodles have both sour and sweet taste. Eating Pho Chua Thanh, you have to be very patient, eat slowly to enjoy it. So, when tasting the sour noodle, you feel the time seems to slow down.
- Address: 242/101 Nguyen Thien Thuat, Ward 3, District 3, HCMC
- Opening hours: 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
- Price range: 30,000 – 40,000 VND
7. Pho Kho Gia Lai (Gia Lai Dry Pho)
For each region with a different style of cuisine, Pho has its own unique flavour and colour. If Lang Son has its strange sour noodles, Hanoi has hot steamy bowls of noodles, Gia Lai (in Central Highlands Vietnam) owns a unique dry Pho.
Many Gia Lai people consider dry Pho as the soul in their culinary culture. A complete set of the dry noodles always includes 2 bowls: one bowl of broth contains ground beef, beef balls, a little pepper, and chopped cilantro; the second bowl is to hold rice noodles. When tasting, the diners will use the noodle to put in both of the first bowls to feel softer and warmer to enjoy the noodle.
However, you can still enjoy the flavour of Pho Kho Gia Lai without having to go to its homeland. It is because in Saigon there is a restaurant that specializes in serving this kind of Pho, named Hoa-Po-Lang or Pho Kho Gia Lai. With a very typical taste and a little strange, dry Pho conquers plenty of customers in Saigon.
- Address: 207 Tan Son Nhi Street, Tan Phu District, HCMC
- Opening hours: 07:00 am – 01:00 pm and 05:00 pm – 10:00 pm
- Price range: 35,000 – 55,000 VND
8. Pho Bo Phu Gia
Pho Bo Phu Gia on Ly Chinh Thang street is always a crowd of people coming in and out. Typically, on weekends are busier, the whole shop only has limited tables, but people still line up sequentially to enjoy the great taste at this restaurant.
Phu Gia Pho will be an ideal suggestion for those who love the taste of Hanoi Pho. The broth has a strong flavour, without much fat, but sweet. Unlike many other pho shops in Saigon, the scallions in Pho Phu Gia are not chopped but just split and put on a bowl of noodles. In particular, the broth pot of Phu Gia beef noodle soup is always in a state of steamy and clear colour with a thin oil layer on the surface, looking extremely attractive.
Also, the Pho of the restaurant is not accompanied by vegetables and black soy sauce like in many other pho restaurants in Saigon though there is some bean sprout. When tasting the noodle here, the guests can add more lemon, chilli sauce, garlic pickled with vinegar, chopped onions, and split scallions
- Address: 146E Ly Chinh Thang, Ward 4, District 3, HCMC
- Opening hours: 06:00 am – 11:00 am and 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
- Price range: 35,000 – 55,000 VND
Pho (Vietnamese noodle soup) at each region has a different flavor, so it is worth tasting Pho in Saigon at least once. You can come to one of the best Pho restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City which we introduce.
Besides, when you want to taste the other dishes, please check the local food in Saigon here.