Walking down the streets of Ho Chi Minh City, one might find it a challenge to identify exactly which pho stall is truly the best especially with the sheer amount of street-side stalls, food stands and restaurants selling it.

But perhaps one of the best and most highly recommended pho places in Ho Chi Minh City to visit is Pho Phuong 25 in District 1. Having heard so much praise being sung by both locals and tourists, we did not hesitate to pay this humble corner stall a visit—we were far from disappointed.

For a truly authentic and out-of-this-world beef pho experience when in Ho Chi Minh City, you really have to drop by Pho Phuong 25.

Based on the only menu that was given to us, it seemed that the eatery only had one item on the menu but served with different varieties of beef cuts and offal.

Feeling a mad hankering for all things beef, we opted for the Large Bowl (75,000 VND), a monster-sized bowl that comprised all sorts of beef types from the tender brisket, to semi-rare beef slices and even cartilage and soft tendon as well.

The first thing that hits you—besides how enormous the entire bowl is—is the fragrant scent of beef broth that you just know packs unbeatable flavour. Served alongside it is an entire tray of fresh basil, lime wedges and chilli.

Brimming with an insanely concentrated beef flavour along with a heady back note of warm spices and fresh herb, the broth was pretty clean tasting yet super flavourful. Every component from the rice noodles to the individual beef slices was cooked perfectly and each mouthful was just literal comfort at its best.

Crucial to a bowl of pho bo (otherwise known as beef pho) is the addition of raw garnishes and truly, the experience was elevated tenfold when we tore bits of basil leaves into the mixture along with some lime juice and chilli.

We may not have gotten the real deal when it came down to ordering up a glass of their Vietnamese coffee but the one thing that we can admit to is that it tasted really good. Like drinking a liquified version of Kopiko.

Besides offering tasty bowls of pho, we really liked the overall atmosphere of the eatery. Featuring both indoor and open-air seating, you could easily bask in the aroma of simmering beef broth and freshly plucked herbs surrounding the entire eatery.

And another interesting thing to note if you’re a foodie is that just around the corner nestles one of the most popular street food restaurants in the whole of Ho Chi Minh City—the widely praised Lunch Lady.

Pho Phuoung
25 Hoàng Sa, District 1,
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Daily: 6am – 9pm

For more recommendations, read our Ho Chi Minh City’s guides to discover the best places to visit in the city.

When visiting Ho Chi Minh City, no one ever leaves without paying the acclaimed Lunch Lady a visit. This internationally-renowned street food stall—located just a few steps away from popular pho joint, Pho Phuong 25—is famous for their down-to-Earth, rustic charm and menu that rotates daily.

The stall made its mark less than a decade ago after the late, great Anthony Bourdain visited them as part of his food programme, No Reservations. Until today, Lunch Lady is still highly patronised by locals, tourists, as well as food bloggers from around the world—like us.

The humble stall is owned and run by Ms Nguyen Thi Thanh, also known as the Lunch Lady. An international street food icon, her modest stall in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1 is packed daily and for good reason–her food is truly out of this world. Period.

The moment you get yourself seated down, you are welcomed with an abundance of side dishes from deep-fried prawn fritters to an assortment of traditional Vietnamese spring rolls. Feeling rather stuffed, and with our stomach’s set on trying Ms Nguyen’s ever-popular Thursday Noodles, we decided to give the sides a miss.

For those of you pining for a taste of legit Vietnamese spring rolls, you’ll be happy to know that the snack is available here too. Having it alone won’t leave much of an impression, but accompanying it is a special dip that you simply must try.

A beautiful harmony of sweet, savoury and umami notes with an assertive characteristic of dried shrimp and roasted peanuts, the sauce really does elevate the taste of the spring roll, allowing the fresh herbaceous qualities from the basil to really shine through.

Lunch Lady specialises in serving noodle dishes with a different variant on the menu every day. We got ourselves what she calls, the Thursday Noodles (50,000 VND), and what it is is basically noodle soup dish with generous amounts of roasted pork belly, sliced pork, large prawns, fish cake, morning glory (kang kong) as well as cuttlefish.

The ingredients were fresh and for what the dish was worth, we were utterly shocked by how generous she was with her ingredients, but more so by how incredibly tasty the entire dish was from the rich broth to its individual components.

The broth was a hearty mix of deep, meaty flavours with a hint of savoury seafood, perfectly melded together to form a concentrated yet deeply satisfying combination of flavours. Despite it being so simple, the manipulation of skill and passion really showed, and every spoonful of the flavourful broth propelled our tastebuds into gastronomic nirvana.

Lunch Lady
23 Hoang Sa Street
Phuong Da Kao, District 1 (Quan 1)
Tel: +84 93 388 79 22
Daily: 9am – 3pm

For more recommendations, read our Ho Chi Minh City’s guides to discover the best places to visit in the city.