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While a lot of food stalls and restaurants in Hoi An serve Pho, it’s not easy to find a truly authentic-tasting one, especially in Hoi An’s Old Town.
Too often we ordered Pho and were disappointed: It tasted like ordinary soup, lacking the distinctive Vietnamese flavors, herbs and side dishes to add to the bowl.
Luckily, we stayed one month in a lovely local neighborhood on Hoi An’s outskirts, getting spoilt with traditional Pho by local breakfast vendors.
Knowing how cheap and delicious authentic Vietnamese noodle soup can and should be, we set out to find the best Pho in Hoi An 🍜
On this list, you will find our favorite Pho spots in Hoi An where we had truly unique Vietnamese food experiences.
Phở (pronounced “fuh”) is a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup with a flavorful broth, rice noodles, herbs, and usually beef or chicken. The broth is simmered for hours with beef bones, star anise, cinnamon, cloves and other spices for a rich and aromatic flavor. Yum!
What Type of Pho is served in Hoi An?
The most traditional Pho in Hoi An and Vietnam is made with beef. Sometimes you can choose chicken, but we found beef to be the best.
You can choose from many types of beef such as brisket, flank, fatty flank or raw beef. We usually chose Pho Tai which is raw beef.
I know raw beef sounds a bit gross! But it is not raw when you eat it. The meat is sliced raw into your bowl of Pho and the broth cooks the meat in front of your eyes.
I found that the Pho Tai quite often had the most tender meat. So it was my go-to. But if you like fattier meat you should go for the brisket or flank.
The soup has to have a strong, meaty flavor but not smell like farm animals (yuck!). The soup should be clear with bubbles of fat rings that naturally occur when boiled for hours.
If the owner who runs the food stall doesn’t speak English, just remember that Pho Bo (Phở Bò) stands for beef 🐮 and Pho Ga (Phở Gà) for chicken 🐓
Pho at a local food stall in Hoi An costs between 25-50,000 VND (1-2 USD) and is served for breakfast or dinner. It’s hard to get one for lunch as almost all places are shut at midday, even though it says on Google Maps that they are open all day.
Where to get the Best Pho in Hoi An?
If you want to try authentic Pho in Hoi An, you’ll need to leave the restaurants behind and look for local food stalls where generations of families prepare bowls of traditional Vietnamese noodle soup.
We found that Pho in Hoi An restaurants lacked flavor and ingredients and tasted like Western chicken or beef soup. Plus, they would charge twice or even triple the price of local food stalls 👀
Tip: For a truly local experience, stay away from places that charge more than 60,000 VND (2,40 USD) for a bowl of Pho and don’t specialize in making Pho.
Another indication of a truly authentic local Pho in Hoi An is that it is served alongside a plate of raw ingredients, such as chili, sprouts, lime, herbs and peanuts that you can add to your bowl.
We had to ask a street vendor what the white, thin slices on the plate with the sprouts were, which reminded us of the pickled ginger that comes with sushi. It’s green, pickled papaya! 🥭
Adding these extra ingredients makes all the difference and after eating many bowls of Pho in Vietnam, we think that the freshest and tastiest herbs are in Hoi An!
If you are interested in how to make Pho at home or want to see how it’s made (or hear how “Pho” is properly pronounced 😅) Asian-American chef Jet Tila shows it in this 8-minute video:
Best Pho Spots in Hoi An on a Map
While we tried several different Pho places in Hoi An’s Old Town, we recommend going outside of it for the most authentic and local Pho flavors. The prices will also drop.
Tip: Click on the icons to see more details. To add this map to your Google Maps account, tap the star icon next to the map title on desktop or click the enlarge icon [ ] on mobile. Find it later in Google Maps > You > Maps on mobile or Google Maps > Saved > Maps on desktop.
1. Quan Pho Lucky
- Best Pho in Hoi An!
- Price: 50,000 VND (2 USD)
- Hours: Mornings & Evenings
- Location: 42 Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, Hội An (Google Maps)
- 5.0 from 70 reviews
In our opinion, Quan Pho Lucky serves the best Pho in Hoi An. The only problem is trying to get there when it is open!
After the first bowl, we were hooked. The portions are huge, and the Pho is packed full of flavor. We did not even feel the urge to add any sauces, which is always a good indication of a rich, flavorful broth.
All the herbs and sprouts were also super fresh and crunchy, and the owner was super friendly.
Visiting Quan Pho Lucky is the perfect Vietnamese street food experience: Delicious food served on the side of the road just outside the super touristy area by a super friendly local.
As I mentioned above, the only problem we had was trying to get there when it was open. The Google Maps times are not correct as it says that it is open all day, every day. But they shut during the day and on some days, they were shut in the evening.
So for the highest chance of catching Quan Pho Lucky when it is open, head there in the morning for a breakfast Pho.
Tip: Make your own Pho! Hoi An is a great place to join a cooking class where you’ll first shop for all the ingredients at a local market and then prepare your own Pho.
2. Quan Com Som Pham
- Best Local Restaurant Pho in Hoi An
- Price: 35,000 VND (1,40 USD)
- Hours: 7 am–9:30 pm daily
- Location: 54a Hải Thượng Lãn Ông, Hội An (Google Maps)
- 4.9 from 430 reviews
Quan Com Som Pham was the second-best Pho in Hoi An in our opinion and our go-to for a quick dinner.
Because it is a proper restaurant and not a street vendor, the opening hours of Quan Com Som Pham are much more reliable.
The broth at Quan Com is a deep brown color and has a rich flavor. I liked that Quan Com had a nice open seating area with lots of fans but never felt too touristy.
Quan Com is also a great place to try some “broken rice” dishes. Broken rice is the pieces of rice that are broken during the milling process.
The rice was used by poor farmers who could not afford high-quality rice all the time. To me, the rice does not taste that much different. But the meat served with the rice at Quan Com is delicious.
I loved coming to Quan Com for Pho or a broken rice dish. It is a solid local restaurant that will not let you down.
Tip: At Quan Com you are near Hoi An’s tranquil rice paddies, the popular Coconut Boat Tours and the Tra Que Vegetable Village which we recommend visiting! 🌾
3. Pho Nguyen Hoi An
- Authentic Pho run by a lovely local family
- Price: 40,000 VND (1,60 USD)
- Hours: 6 am–9 pm daily
- Location: 104 Nguyễn Trường Tộ, Hội An (Google Maps)
- 4.9 from 35 reviews
Pho Nguyen is a spot that we only ate at once, but wish we could have come more often!
It is your classic Vietnamese Pho eatery with metal tables, a super friendly local family and delicious Pho.
Immediately when we arrived, we were greeted by a smiley older lady who made sure we had a fan blasting on us – which is always necessary in the heat of Hoi An 😅
We chose our usual Pho Tai which is raw beef soup. The raw beef was cut fresh at the shop and cooked in the broth.
The meat was nice and tender and the usual herbs and sprouts that came with it were fresh and plentiful. We even got a refill of them and some extra peanut sprinkles!
I did not find the broth here as flavorful as at the other Pho places further up the list. But Pho Nguyen still serves one of the best bowls of Pho in Hoi An in my opinion.
Tip: Pho Nguyen is a 10-minute walk away from this Vietnamese Coffee-Making Class where you will learn how to make coconut, egg and salt coffee, a must-try in Hoi An!
4. Pho Lien Nga
- Best Pho in Hoi An’s Old Town
- Price: 40,000 VND (1,60 USD)
- Hours: 6:30 am–8:30 pm daily
- Location: 02b La Hối, Hội An (Google Maps)
- 4.8 from 225 reviews
Pho Lien Nha is very conveniently located if you are craving Pho in Hoi An’s Old Town or are walking around the night market (which we think you can skip).
Despite most restaurants around, they serve a bowl of authentic, inexpensive Pho which comes with a generous serving of fresh herbs and sprouts.
But I also have to say that there was something negative about the experience, hence this place is a bit further down on this list.
When we arrived, the ladies working there almost seemed to ignore us. We were missing the usual friendliness that we had gotten used to at other Pho eateries around Hoi An.
We didn’t get around to eating there a second time, so we don’t know if it was bad luck that day. I just hope that you get better service than we did because the place and Pho were good!
Tip: Pho Lien Nga is a stone’s throw away from where you can hop on a 20-minute boat ride along the lantern-lit-up river at night. It’s very touristy but nice to watch. You can get a skip-the-line Hoi An River Boat ticket here.
5. Pho Thanh
- Traditional Pho in Hoi An
- Price: 35,000 VND (1,40 USD)
- Hours: Mornings & Evenings, Saturdays closed
- Location: 64 Nguyễn Tất Thành, Hội An (Google Maps)
- 5.0 from 9 reviews
Pho Thanh was our second go-to Pho restaurant in Hoi An. We have eaten here so many times we cannot even count 🙈
The main reason we came so often was because it was close to our accommodation on the outskirts of Hoi An.
Pho Thanh is on the main road out of Hoi An on the way to Da Nang. So it will not be convenient to get to if you are staying in the Old Town.
But if you are also staying in the outskirts of town, Pho Thanh is a solid option. We were always served our Pho with a huge pile of fresh tasty herbs and the broth was always great.
On some days, the broth was much fattier than on other days, but we liked the variation. It depended on the cuts of meats they got from the neighboring market.
For 10,000 VND (0,40 USD) more, you can add more meat, which is convenient if you want to make your bowl more filling or like your Pho meaty.
The guy who ran Pho Thanh was friendly but not the smiliest. But after visiting nearly every day for a month, we managed to start getting a smile from him! 🙂
6. Pho Lien
- Hidden Gem Breakfast Pho
- Price: 25,000 VND (1 USD)
- Hours: 5:30-9:30 am, Sundays closed
- Location: W827+XPR Hội An (Google Maps)
Pho Lien was our go-to breakfast Pho while we were in Hoi An. This was once again because it was close to our accommodation.
But the Pho here was excellent and for 25,000 VND (1 USD) a real cheap eat. The lady running the stall was super friendly and always welcomed us with a huge smile.
We loved coming to Pho Lien because it is a super local spot and we never saw any other foreigners. Pho Lien doesn’t even have an official pin on Google Maps!
Eating there was a true local experience. It seemed like all the locals would find it a bit funny that we were eating there and treated us like celebrities.
Once again, Pho Lien is not convenient to get to if you are staying in the Old Town. But it is one of the best Phos in Hoi An if you would like to experience a super authentic and local no-frills breakfast Pho.
Tip: Pho Lien is very close to Fefe Coffee, which is one of our favorite cafes in Hoi An. They serve excellent coffee surrounded by plants and are together with Pho Lien a great spot to explore Hoi An like a local.
7. Bonus: Bun Bo Hue O Gai
- Richer, spicier broth than Pho 🌶️
- Price: 40,000 VND (1,60 USD)
- Hours: 6 am–12 pm daily
- Location: 119b Đ. Trần Cao Vân, Hội An (Google Maps)
- Reviews: 5.0 from 5 reviews
Bun Bo Hue was a dish that I had never heard of before I arrived in Hoi An. It is similar to Pho but with quite a different flavor.
Many people say that it is better than Pho! That is a huge claim, so I decided I had to try it out.
As the name suggests, Bun Bo Hue is a dish that is from Hue. So to get a truly authentic dish, you should probably eat it in Hue.
But I found a very good local spot in Hoi An called Bun Bo Hue O Gai, run by a friendly couple from Hue.
It’s just down the road from the famous Banh Mi Queen, which in our opinion sells the best Banh Mi in Hoi An!
The Bun Bo was delicious. It has a much richer, spicier broth than Pho and round rice noodles. I loved the intensity of the flavor but some people might find it a bit too much for breakfast.
So if you like your food to pack a lot of flavor, then I highly recommend tracking down a bowl of Bun Bo Hue while you are in Hoi An.
Hungry for more? (Sorry for the pun!) But on Lily’s local street food tour you will try 8 other must-try dishes and cheap eats in Hoi An! 🥢
HOI AN TRAVEL CHECKLIST
These are the sites we found super helpful when planning and booking our trip to Hoi An. For more, check out our Travel Resources.
✔ SafetyWing – Our top pick for travel health insurance. We’ve been insured with them for 4+ years and love how simple and affordable it is to get covered.
✔ Airlo – The eSIM we used for mobile data in Vietnam. It’s set up in minutes, cheap and worked great in Hoi An.
✔ 12Go – Where we booked all our buses and trains across Vietnam, including to and from Hoi An. It’s easy to use and shows you many options.
✔ Booking.com & Agoda – Where we found the best hotels and homestays in Hoi An. If you’re staying longer than a week, Airbnb can also be a great option.
✔ GetYourGuide & Klook – Where we found lots of fun activities in Hoi An like a local food tour, cooking class, lantern workshop and coconut basket ride.
✔ Grab – Works like Uber and is super popular in Hoi An. So be sure to download the app before you go.
Enjoy Eating Hoi An’s Best Pho!
While we had to go a bit off the beaten path to find traditional, authentic and budget-friendly Pho in Hoi An, the effort was more than worth it.
We discovered local gems serving some of the most flavorful Pho we have ever had.
Not only did we love tasting different styles of Pho, but we were also touched by the friendliness of the street vendors, who spend hours every day simmering the broth to perfection before serving it.
It might sound cheesy, but we truly felt connected to the locals and the Vietnamese culture through the food. That’s why I highly recommend stepping outside Hoi An’s Old Town for the best Pho experience!
You can easily combine your visit with some of Hoi An’s best things to do or sample more of Hoi An’s must-try dishes. I’ve linked my favorites below.
READ ALSO
- 15 Incredible Things To Do in Hoi An
- Where to Eat the Best Banh Mi in Hoi An
- 18 Best Hoi An Cafes for Coffee & Views
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