The Great Saigon Pho Hunt: Trying The Michelin-Selected Pho Spots In Ho Chi Minh (Intro)

As a lover of food, I found a new purpose when the Michelin Guide released its list of restaurants for Vietnam.

We moved to Ho Chi Minh City in April last year, and Michelin announced their list in June, as if welcoming me to the city.

Being a housedad, I was the guy who had time to spare to queue up for Hawker Chan’s original location in Singapore for an hour to order everything his shop had to offer just to see what the hype was about. With the luxury of having some time to spare now that we are in Ho Chi Minh City, I took it upon myself to try out some of the restaurants on the list.

Since moving to Vietnam, what I learned is that there is good food practically everywhere. Walking the streets during the morning, I would capture various delectable scents on the streets. Whether they are cooking to prepare for lunch or dinner service or just serving cooked food in the morning, these people know good food.

There are 11 pho spots in Ho Chi Minh, and I’m proud to say that I have tried them all.

It’s Pho-king Different

In our first week here, Che brought us to a chicken Pho place near her office. It’s this street restaurant where you can sit on the sidewalk on small chairs and eat on a small table. It’s not for the picky eater, like Vino, who complained about the heat, the noise, and the mosquitoes.

In his defense, there were indeed pesky mosquitoes, it was damn hot that day (and most of the days here), and there were motorcycles passing right beside us on the sidewalk. But we’re here for the food.

I’ve had Pho before in the Philippines and in Singapore, but that first bite I had of that glorious noodle soup hit differently.

The broth was clear but flavorful. They serve you a ton of veggies for garnish, some lemon, and some chili if you want to add to the taste, but the base soup is nice enough on its own. I picked Pho for my noodles, and it wasn’t quite the same as any I had before. It was soft but not sticky. It’s like eating ramen, but with a different texture.

Mind you, this was not even on the Michelin Guide, so I looked forward to more tasty offerings.

Pho is something that locals eat for breakfast, so I thought this would be a good starting point for this adventure in Vietnam.

The Adventure Begins

As mentioned, there are 11 pho spots in Ho Chi Minh, with some of them hailed as Bib Gourmand (great value for money) while others are just recognized as being selected. 

Among these eateries are those that specialize in various cuts of beef, maybe a couple of them offering both chicken and beef, and one that sells chicken exclusively. 

In all of my adventures, I never had to deal with crowds like I had to back in Singapore. While the coffee culture here is one that welcomes you staying for even one hour or more for just one cup of coffee, the street food spots like these pho restaurants are more straightforward. You eat, then you go. 

You may have to share a table with other people if you’re alone, and it’s really no issue. You share the same condiments and veggies like friends, but you don’t even have to talk. It gives a sense of community, which feels nice especially if you’re eating alone.

Over the next few blogs, I’ll share some of the stores I tried, and I offered some scoring, which I should say is not really too accurate because it’s not based on any kind of science, just my personal preferences.   

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