Where to eat Phở in Hanoi’s Old Quarter
The true origins of Vietnam’s national dish and arguably most famous export, phở, is a contentious debate. One school has its roots in the city of Nam Dinh on the banks of the Red River, while others claim Hanoi is the true spiritual home of the dish. Either way, the North of Vietnam lays claim to this simple bowl of beef-bone broth whose story dates back to the 19th century and the height of French colonialism.
Vietnam was, at the time, a predominantly agricultural country of farmers and fishing communities. As the French bunkered into this foreign land, they demanded more beef in their diets and local farmers began rearing more cattle. With this increased beef production, came a surplus of beef bones and the frugal locals put these to good use by adding them, along with the beef scraps, to the local staple of xáo trâu -- a simple dish made with slices of water buffalo meat cooked in broth with rice vermicelli noodles. The result was a deep, umami bomb broth of balanced, sweet flavour that was a hit with both locals and invaders alike, and they have never looked back.
The origins of the name ‘phở’ are equally debatable, but one compelling argument is that the name stems from the classic French dish pot-au-feu, a hearty stew of beef and vegetables. It is believed that phở became the adaptation of the French term; feu.
While this does sound plausible, what is fact is that most of the world mispronounces phở when in fact it should, phonetically speaking, be pronounced ‘fuh’. On a side note, why is the word phonetic, not spelled phonetically? And why do they make the word ‘lisp’ so hard to pronounce for people who suffer from a lisp? Alas, I digress, topics for another discussion indeed. Now, back to the phở.
Phở’s journey from local soup to world favourite started in earnest around 1954, after the Geneva Accords effectively ended French rule over Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, dividing the now-free nation into two separate states. As the country divided between the agreed ‘demarkation line’ along the 17th parallel, nearly 700,000 people fled the north to the South as part of the 300-day Operation Passage to Freedom, taking with them their entire families, livelihoods and their regional recipes, traditions and phở.
In Saigon, phở took hold and, according to many Northern phở purists, became bastardised with the addition of new ingredients such as fish sauce and sweet hoisin. Right or wrong, phở was now truly a national dish. Following the decade-long ‘American War’, phở grew its wings on the backs of the diaspora and made its way to the shores of the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia and the United States.
Despite such a long, journeyed and difficult history, the fundamentals of phở have remained virtually unchanged for over a century, a testament to perfection in simplicity if ever one was needed. The foundations and merits of the dish remain in its broth. Some restaurants, both in Vietnam and abroad, may play with the meats added to the broth; tendon (gāu), meatballs (bo vién) brisket (gãu) and my favourite, beef tripe (sãch) are common additions, but its true success is in the soup. Great broth, great phở. Average broth, average phở. You can tell if a restaurant serves decent phở if the locals hold the bowl up to their mouths to slurp it down at the end of the meal.
So, with just a few days in Hanoi, we hit the streets to find the best phở in Hanoi’s Old Town district. There are literally thousands of places to get your soupy fix in this city, but here are my favourites. If you are after more than just phở while in Hanoi, check out my article here about where to eat Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner in Hanoi.
Phở Gia Truyen Bat Dan
Address: 49 Bat Dan Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
Opening hours: 6h00 to 10h00, 18h00 to 21h00
Hanoi’s renowned Phở Gia Truyen (also known as Phở Bat Dan due to its street address) has been a Hanoi phở institution for almost 100 years - the name Gia Truyen means ‘heritage’ in Vietnamese. Here you’ll find three kinds of beef cuts to order with your pho; tai (medium rare), tai nam (medium rare flank), and chin (well done). You’ll also find the meat hanging by the kilo from meat hooks on the side of the counter when you arrive, ready for the cook to slice and add to the bowl. Like much Northern-style phở, you won’t find phở here served with plates of basil, mint and bean sprouts often found in Saigon, but the table condiments include the obligatory chillies and bottles of vinegar and fish sauce. I take the liberty to pour the fish sauce into my phở only to be very sternly reprimanded by the big boss, with an ice-cold frown that said; ‘eh!, don’t fuck with my soup’. Oui chef. The phở here will set you back $50K VND - about $3.50AUS and the fried dumplings around $10K VDN; about $0.70AUS
Phở 10 Ly Quoc Su
Address: 10 Ly Quoc Su Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi.
Opening hours: 6:00 to 14:00, 17:00 to 22:00.
Phở 10 as it is known to the locals, many of whom go as far as to say is the best in Hanoi, can get rammed at peak lunch and dinner times, but the line moves quickly and is definitely worth the wait. You can order medium or well-done beef for your phở, and order the side of the deep-fried fritters to dip into your phở. The broth is a little lighter than some other pho joints we tried, but I like a spicy kick and the plate of chillies and limes on the table really lifts the dish. A little more expensive compared to other joints, but at around AU$6 a bowl you can’t really complain.
Phở 10 - just add chillies!
08 Hang Trong Street
Address: 8 Hang Trong Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
Opening hours: 15:00 to 20:00
This is a proper back-alley hidden gem and it may take some searching to locate it, but that just adds to the adventure. Located down a dark, narrow alley between a coffee shop and a souvenir shop,..follow your nose and you’ll see a hand-written sign that says ‘looking for phở? This way’ and an arrow that leads to a flight of stairs. Upstairs you’ll find what is essentially someone's living room of their house. The owner was forced off the street by police and now sells pho from her house from 3-8 pm daily. The pho is excellent and the beef is tender and succulent. Pho cost $50K VDN
Phở Thìn Lò Đúc
Address: 13 Lo Duc, Hai Ba Trung district, Hanoi
Opening time: 6:00 AM-10:00 PM
Phở Thin in Hanoi is another soup institution, serving the same pho recipe to locals and tourist alike for over 50 years. Located on one of the busiest streets in the Old Quarter, the broth is rich and packed with umami goodness while the super thin beef is tender and almost melts in the mouth. In addition to their signature phở, they also serve a couple of stir-fried noodle dishes including “Bo luc lac” which translates to ‘shaking beef noodles’, no doubt named after the rigorous wok cooking method used to prepare them.
You cant go wrong for Phở at any of the above, but the real joy is discovering your own little secret gem. Go get lost in the Old Quarter, follow your nose and don’t be intimidated. If the locals are eating there, rest assured it will be good.
