The pho menu needs a major improvement or facelift. Pho noodle itself is great, but the pho menu needs to get with the 21st century. Here’s why.

Existing Pho Menu - Too Many Choices

Vietnamese pho is poised for an explosive growth around the world; it already started by some estimates. Pho as a dish should retain its authenticity, taste and tradition, but the pho menu needs to be upgraded if pho stands any chance of really going global and staying global. Pho menu needs a better appeal to a wider audiences outside of the Viet communities.

Too Many Unnecessary Choices

Starting in North Vietnam, Pho Bac or Northern Pho is pretty much available at street vendors as a single dish. Once brought to the South in 1945, pho took on more elaborate form with many options of meat and garnishes added. Pho restaurants in the South present customers with a menu that include all combination and permutation possible of the same pho bowl. Forty five years later the same practice continues, as it migrated with Viet immigrants to all corners of the globe.

Looking at the pho restaurant market, there are really only 2 groups of pho customers: one already knows pho, the other does not.

The fact is, when ordering pho, Vietnamese and many many non-Viet diners do not need to look at the menu. On rare occasions, he/she (more likely a she through my observations) may want something else for that meal, thus he/she wants to look at the pho menu. But for the vast majority of us, we know what we’re there for.

Much Improved, More Simplification Still Needed, Pho Hoa Franchise Menu Page 3

The Trouble With Current Pho Menus

So what’s the real problem? Considering the non-Viet clientele and those new to pho, let’s start with these:

• Too many choices. Too many combinations and permutations of the same thing as already described above.
• Unfamiliar ingredients and terminologies. Let’s face it, pho is ethnic food outside of Vietnam, definitely in the U.S. Facing the challenge of conveying pho and its ingredients in English terms, early Viet immigrants did okay by strictly translating ingredients. At times these translations are a little too literally and may not be suitable for menu use.
• Culturally “unconventional,” odd, strange and scary meat parts. Many meat ingredients in pho are nonexistent on an American or Western dinner plate. When you talk about diners taking a “risk” to try the tendon, tripe, etc., you pretty much just created an obstacle in helping pho expand in popularity.
• Lack of explanation on proper use of garnishes. Thai basil, culantro and bean sprouts are important pho experiences, along with the chili sauce and hoisin sauce for pho. “Foreign” diners are left on their own to figure these out by themselves.
• Missing chicken meat choices for chicken pho. Beef pho is the king of pho, but chicken pho is very good too. On most menus chicken pho may be mentioned as a single item. This is true even for restaurants well known for their chicken pho! What more, that single chicken pho item is listed as the last item under the beef pho menu. Pho restaurants in the U.S. are missing an opportunity to sell thousands of chicken pho bowls to non-red meat diners.

Good Explanation of Ingredients and Options, Pho Hoa Franchise Menu Page 4

What Is Pho Really?

Why not just tell or show what pho really is? If you really look at it, pho is quite simple to serve and to order, and the menu should reflect this fact. Any bowl of pho (pho bo or pho ga) consistently contains the following:

• Pho noodle, or bánh phở: the square variety of rice noodle.
• From-the-kitchen garnishes: the standard chopped green onions (scallions) and cilantro.
• Pho broth: either beef or chicken broth option.
• Choice of meats: various beef or chicken meats. Chicken pho has many options or choices of chicken meats and parts as well, but these are excluded or omitted outright.

Once served at the table, diners can further customize with additional garnishes and sauces. That’s it. There are not 20 or 25 pho dishes to choose from.

Pho Menu For Mainstream Appeal

Existing pho menus can benefit from a good facelift. A very attractive design, with clear explanation, and great graphical elements will help take pho menus, and pho itself, mainstream. Content-wise, solution for a better pho menu should consist of the following characteristics:

1. Simplify description of pho choices. Keep it easy to understand.
2. Explain ingredients and their terminologies. Add photos or other helpful visual cues.
3. Describe unfamiliar meat choices and meat parts. Elaborate on their tastes, textures, etc. and why they’re important to pho.
4. Provide instructions on how to enjoy the garnishes and sauces. Present brief dos and don’ts.
5. Provide clear options for phở gà or chicken pho. Add a separate section for chicken pho and give it the same level of attention as beef pho section.

Several pho restaurants already made attempts to improve their menus, most probably to differentiate from the competition and/or to appeal to more clientele. In doing so they are (deliberately or inadvertently) taking their pho menus in the right direction. For now these are the exception rather than the rule though, and it will take more to go mainstream.

David McGaw's Repaired Pho Menu

Pho Hoa (the franchise) incorporated some innovative features in their menu, which are very helpful for pho diners. See the graphics above.

To the right is another great example. It’s David McGaw‘s repaired pho menu. It’s got many elements that can provide inspiration for improved pho menus. Read his full write-up on pho menu.

So pho restaurants, having a large pho menu does not equate to having quality pho – the two are mutually independent. But having clear and easy to understand pho menu will improve your clientele’s pho experience, and will definitely attract new business.

Pho franchises should take note.

Improving the Pho Menu For Mainstream Appeal is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Updated 12-30-10. Vietnamese pho is an easy dish to pick up and enjoy. To the casual diner, consuming pho only requires your ability to place your order, and hold chopsticks and spoon in your hands. For those ready for the next level, pho etiquette is your next goal. There are specific customs to follow, while other protocols are left to individual interpretation and choice. Here’s a collection of pho etiquette to help you come closer to pho and Viet culture.

As pho is street food to the Vietnamese people, you wouldn’t expect too many complex rules. After all, you’re in the noisy street, it’s hot and humid, you’re hungry and all you want is a bowl of pho. Regardless of whether you’re in the streets of Saigon or Main Street U.S.A., this article gives you some guidelines on pho etiquette. In fact, what you have here is a combination of Vietnamese table etiquette, Vietnamese traditions, and common habits.

Vietnamese table etiquette and traditions were born out of the fact that individuals hold specific status within both the family and society, and he/she must know his/her place within this disciplined system. Like most other Asian cultures, the single most important thing to understand is give respect to the elders. If you remember this then rules of etiquette and tradition are not as bad as they may sound. On the other hand, common habits are something that will change with the times, depending on where you grew up and how you lead your life. There are numerous individual habits that can be considered acceptable, but I’ll just touch on the more common ones here, and invite readers to share their own experiences in the comment section.

I’m assuming you’re already proficient with a pair of chopsticks, so here we go.

“Sitting” Etiquette

And you thought it’s just about eating pho right? Not so fast. Before everyone sits down, look at your table and the arrangement of the chairs. Decide where the head of the table is (or the most important sitting position) and yield to the eldest or most respected person in the group. But it gets more complicated. If there’s a very respected male (regardless of age,) then he may be the one to get “the chair.”

It’s pretty easy if you know the tradition, but for those not sure, just do the safe thing: if you know for sure you’re not the eldest or most respected one in the group (I hope so,) then don’t rush to grab a seat. Hang back and let things fall into place. Someone will ask you to sit somewhere, and that’s what you want. Easy.

“Ordering Pho” Etiquette

Etiquette for ordering pho is fairly straightforward. For first-time pho diners finding yourselves alone in a pho restaurant, a little help from the order taker is obviously required. Needless to say, if you’re in a group then assistance from an experienced friend is obvious. For the experienced pho diners, you probably already know what you’re doing. In any case, however, it’s proper to let the more senior member of the group order first. This is consistent with the “respect for the elders” consideration discussed earlier. Everyone else can select their orders in turn, and the youngsters’ foods can be ordered by one of the adults.

You can find a number of other articles discussing ordering pho, so I’ll just highlight a few important things here.

1. Ordering pho by the numbers. Just don’t. Many already know my stand on this issue. Suffice it to say, if you order by the numbers then you’ll be stuck to one restaurant, and once you find yourself first time in a different restaurant, you’ll be fumbling with the menu like someone who never had pho before. Not cool.
2. Order your pho in Vietnamese. Modern and experienced diners are a sophisticated bunch. If you can tell good pho from bad pho, then you might as well order it using its own name.
3. If you’re going to have rare beef (bò tái) with your pho, go for the sliced raw beef on the side. You’ll really show your knowledge on how to enjoy pho, because cooking that raw beef in your hot broth at the table gives you the best tasting pho tai, period.
4. If you’re going to have chicken pho (phở gà), inquire about the free-range chicken, and opt for either white or dark meat side dish with dipping fish sauce with ginger. Extra points if they also serve unlaid eggs.

For more reading on ordering pho and pho menu, see

• “Understanding the Pho Menu: No More Ordering Pho by the Numbers,”
• “Tips on Ordering Pho Your Way: Just Tell Them What You Want,”
• “How to Order Pho in Vietnamese,”
• “Pronouncing Pho and Ordering Pho For the Confused and the Timid.”

“Wiping Down Your Chopsticks and Spoon” Etiquette

It’s a habit for most Viet pho diners to wipe their chopsticks and spoon before eating their pho in restaurants. Some will start doing this as soon as they sit down at the table, even before ordering. This is an old habit of pho being a street food for the working class in Vietnam, and old habits die hard. But don’t worry, your typical neighborhood restaurants are used to Viet clientele doing this. They do not mind as it does not necessarily reflect on the restaurant’s sanitary condition. In fact it can be a sign of the client “making himself/herself at home,” and it is good for the restaurant, especially if it’s a repeat customer.

Progressive restaurants are very conscious of the image that wiping chopsticks gives to their shops. They’d rather not have wiping going on as they’re trying to attract more non-Viet clientele. Some restaurants have begun to insert pairs of chopsticks in paper sleeves, an admirable attempt to show their care for the clients’ well being. No matter, people still wipe, even though they know those plastic chopsticks have been through the commercial washer just like at any other Grade A establishment. Alternatively, a few restaurants also make available individually wrapped disposable wood chopsticks which seems to successfully prevent wiping; who wants splinters right?

Now if you’re in a high-class, five-star restaurant, then wiping down your chopsticks may reflect badly on you. Be aware of your surrounding, the environment and the other diners. If the restaurant expects you to be a snob, then be a snob and do not make it look like you don’t belong.

To wipe or not to wipe? You now know where and when.

“Personalize Your Pho” Etiquette

Once your pho is at the table, everything you do from here on out is your own business. There normally are 2 things you may want to do before digging in: adding the garnishes (sprouts, culantro, basil, lime and sliced peppers,) and adding the sauces (hoisin sauce for pho and hot chili sauce, mainly the Sriracha brand in the U.S.) that are already at the table. Whatever your preferences, don’t let anyone tell you “you must have this or you must add that.” These are entirely optional per your own taste. Pho does not require you to have anything added, but adding some of these can enhance your pho.

In Saigon you can find a humongous plate of basil, culantro and sprouts served at your table. You’ll also get more lime and Thai peppers than you can handle, so quantity is not a problem regardless of your party size. But in the U.S., and I imagine elsewhere outside of Vietnam, you normally get a plate of garnish just enough for two people. I mean just enough: a couple of stems of basil, some culantro (if you’re lucky,) some sprouts, 2 pieces of lime and a few slices of peppers. Understandably many of these items are not cheap, and the restaurant has to make money to stay afloat. If there are more than 2 in your party then they will serve additional garnish plates as required.

Really anything goes, but do consider the following:

• Garnishes: Let the elders go first, again out of respect. You’ll also see younger persons selecting the fresher herbs and offering them to the respected individuals (her mother, father, etc.) On the other hand, it’s fair game between brothers and sisters, so that’s cool.
• Garnishes: Unless you know your dining companion well that he/she doesn’t eat certain herb, you’re expected to split the garnish plate half and half, including the 2 pieces of lime. One for you, one for her. Easy.
• Raw sliced beef side dish: Some like to cook these immediately by putting them into the hot broth before the garnishes and sauces. Others pace themselves to get the just-cooked or rare texture and taste every time. It’s your choice, but make sure the broth is still hot enough when you dip in your last piece or it will be quite rare!
• Dipping hoisin sauce and hot sauce: Some like to squeeze a mix of these sauces into a small saucer so they can dip their beef in during the meal. This gives you extra kick in flavor, depending on what you prefer, sweet (hoisin) or hot (chili.) This is also great for dipping meatballs if you ordered some.
• Side dish of free-range chicken (pho ga): the chicken side dish sometime comes with chicken heart, liver, etc. If there are unlaid eggs then they would already be in the bowl with the broth and pho noodle. The fish sauce with ginger is for dipping the meats and is never poured straight into your pho bowl. So regardless of how much you love fish sauce or ginger, don’t dump it in! It’s for dipping only.

Stricter traditional codes also call for the elders and respected ones to be invited to have the first taste of the food. But in less formal situations, you can just wait for them to take a first sip, and then go for it yourself.

By the way, because many Viets are Catholics, saying grace can be a common practice. If you have a Catholic friend at the table, be aware of this and give the person time to finish his or her prayer, then everyone can dig in at the same time. It’s the right thing to do.

“Slurping Your Pho” Etiquette

You’ve done everything correctly up to this point. Your original intent to simply grab a quick bowl of pho seems ages ago. But finally, this is the moment! Chopsticks in one hand (left or right,) spoon in the other, you go for it, with gusto. Of course it’s really not “anything goes.” Eating noodle does require some slurping, and pho is no exception. So go ahead. Slurp. Just don’t overdo it. On the other hand, depending on the environment and situation, when in doubt, don’t do it, because civility still counts in any culture.

“Finishing Your Pho” Etiquette

The proper way to finish a meal in Vietnam is to put your chopsticks across your bowl, like making a bridge. This may conflict with Japanese convention to never bridge chopsticks over a bowl, but Viet traditions follow many Chinese traditions, and this is one of them. While second and subsequent Viet generations outside of Vietnam begin to lose this tradition, it still is the accepted way to end a meal.

If you’re still eating your meal then do not bridge your chopsticks at any time, because it’s not the proper way. If you need to rest your chopsticks, then rest them on the table with the eating ends on a chopstick rest (if available) or over a napkin or plate edge to keep clean. You can observe this practice by Viet people in many restaurants. Simple, respectable, and elegant.

Must you use toothpicks after the meal? Then cover your mouth while using it.

Oh one last thing. While it’s okay to order pho to go or take out, taking leftovers with you is a no-no. You only have one chance at a bowl of pho. Plus it’s disgusting, however you look at it.

“Paying and Tipping” Etiquette

Tipping

Except for more expensive restaurants where service charges or tipping may be added or expected, servers at most “typical” pho shops in Vietnam do not expect tips as part of their service. Tipping, to the common Vietnamese (the working class,) is not what a Westerner may think. Tips are normally looked at as “spare change” or handouts that a worker would rather not accept. Except for beggars, workers, including those providing a service, do not want to be seen as accepting handouts. Tourism to Vietnam will change this over time, but for many places not impacted greatly by foreign visitors, tipping will probably continue to be nonexistent and not expected.

Early Viet refugees carried this exact mindset to the western world. You can still see the same attitude among many Viet even today – this despite living in the U.S. for more than 30 years. With Vietnamese food going mainstream in the U.S., tipping is becoming more commonplace and acceptable by the Viet service providers.

So what do you do? For U.S. restaurants, definitely leave tips. But if you’re in Vietnam, leave tips if you’re in a big city. If you find yourself in a place out in the boondocks, then tipping is not expected. But if you still must do it, then give it to the server directly and separately, with sincerity and friendliness. Or if the owner and server are one and the same (or family members) then just add more to your payment and ask them to not return the change. Not “keep the change,” but “no need to return the change.”

Paying for your meal

Americans and other non-Viet diners may have noticed that most Viet restaurants do not present checks at their tables. This is not bad service. It’s just because the restaurateurs do not want to look like they’re trying to shove you out the door by asking you to hurry up and pay. This is the common Viet restaurant way and it exists here in the U.S. too.

There have been major misunderstandings on both sides. The restaurateurs could have learned that western diners expect checks at their tables. But most restaurant operators never had a chance to be in American social environment and did not understand this. Likewise, Western diners never understood that most Vietnamese restaurants do not ask customers to pay this way for a reason. What we have is a perfect example of clash of culture. Fortunately, Viet restaurateurs and the younger generations are making headway, while non-Viet diners are making progress as well.

So what do you do knowing all this? Just do what the “regulars” do. Sometime knowledgeable servers will recognize a non-Viet customer and will present a check after your meal (while not necessarily doing the same for Viet customers.) But if this is not the case, then you (and everybody else) just go to the register and pay there. No more confusion.

Summary: Pho Etiquette

There you have it. Pho Etiquette. I know, many of us just want a bowl of pho, but I believe knowing these, and maybe practicing at least some of them, will get you much closer to your pho than you would have otherwise. Pho etiquette gives you pho nirvana, so to speak. Enjoy.

Pho Etiquette is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Updated 08-04-10. Per a request from Barb Carter over at the “Tips on Ordering Pho” post, here are audio files to help with your pho ordering in Vietnamese language. The selection is based on a typical pho menu one may find at many Viet restaurants. So drop me a note in the comment if I missed anything and I’ll add it.

First a few words about convention. In Vietnamese, the word “tô” means “bowl.” When ordering a bowl of pho tai, for example, a Viet would call a “tô phở tái” or just “tô tái.” If you’re already in a pho restaurant, then saying “phở” is redundant and is really not necessary (but optionally okay.) If you’re in a Viet restaurant that also serves pho, then ordering a ”tô phở tái’ would be more appropriate to make it clear that you want pho and not another dish. So for those who find saying pho a little challenging, “tô” will solve your problem!

Note: The “t” in “tô” pronounces as a hard t like in French (e.g., Tour de France) or in Spanish (e.g., Latino,) and not like a soft t in English (i.e., tow truck.)

For pho bo or beef pho, as noted in “Tips on Ordering Pho,” the seemingly endless pho options on the menu are really permutation and combination of the available meat cuts and types that you can mix and match. The most common options are:

• bo chin (sliced well-done steak),
• bo tai (sliced rare steak),
• nam (flank),
• ve don (crunchy flank),
• gau (fatty brisket),
• gan (tendon),
• sach (tripe) and
• bo vien (beef meatballs, normally with tendon).

So without further ado, here is the audio pho menu. As always each has the Southern Viet accent followed by Northern Viet accent.

1. Pronounce: Tô Đặc Biệt Xe Lửa (pho dac biet xe lua) – special (combo) large
   size pho
2. Pronounce: Tô Đặc Biệt (pho dac biet) – special (combo) regular size pho
3. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Nạm, Gầu, Gân, Sách (pho Tai, Nam, Gau, Gan, Sach) -
   rare steak, flank, fatty brisket, tendon, tripe pho
4. Pronounce: Tô Chín, Nạm, Gầu, Gân, Sách (pho Chin, Nam, Gau, Gan, Sach)
   - well-done steak, flank, fatty brisket, tendon, tripe pho
5. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Chín, Gầu, Gân, Sách (pho Tai, Chin, Gau, Gan, Sach)
   - rare steak, well-done steak, fatty brisket, tendon, tripe pho
6. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Chín, Nạm, Gân, Sách (pho Tai, Chin, Nam, Gan, Sach)
   - rare steak, well-done steak, flank, tendon, tripe pho
7. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Nạm, Gân, Sách (pho Tai, Nam, Gan, Sach) – rare steak,
   flank, tendon, tripe pho
8. Pronounce: Tô Tái (pho Tai) – rare steak pho
9. Pronounce: Tô Chín (pho Chin) – well-done steak pho
10. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Chín (pho Tai, Chin) – rare steak, well-done steak pho
11. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Nạm, Gân (pho Tai, Nam, Gan) – rare steak, flank, tendon
    pho
12. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Nạm, Sách (pho Tai, Nam, Sach) – rare steak, flank,
    tripe pho
13. Pronounce: Tô Nạm, Vè Dòn (pho Nam, Ve Don) – flank, crunchy flank pho
14. Pronounce: Tô Chín, Nạm, Vè Dòn (pho Chin, Nam, Ve Don) – well-done steak,
    flank, crunchy flank pho
15. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Gầu (pho Tai, Gau) – rare steak, fatty brisket pho
16. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Nạm (pho Tai, Nam) – rare steak, flank pho
17. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Gân (pho Tai, Gan) – rare steak, tendon pho
18. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Sách (pho Tai, Sach) – rare steak, tripe pho
19. Pronounce: Tô Bò Viên (Southern)/Tô Phở Bò Viên (Northern) (pho with meatballs) – Viet meatball pho
20. Pronounce: Nước béo (fatty broth) – Southern/Northern similar

Pho Pronunciation – How to Order Pho in Vietnamese is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

There are probably 2 reasons why a non-Viet speaking person wants to know how to pronounce phở. The obvious reason is to be able to order your favorite dish at the restaurant. The other is to be able to talk about and share it with others about your own satisfying gastronomic experience. Being able to do both well becomes the third reason. Why? Because we’re social creatures, and enjoying and sharing food experience is the best satisfaction of all social experiences. But it can be tricky.

So reading the article on Pho Pronunciation still leaves you confused? And “Tips on Ordering Pho” still gives you pause? Well a few readers felt the same way. In fact some indicated to me that they’re still confused, if not more confused, because they still hear different pronunciations of phở. Non-Viet speakers are really looking for something consistent sounding and repeatable, and what they hear from the different sources (including my own on this site) just don’t sound the same and therefore not duplicable.

On Pronouncing Pho

Here are a few things to keep in mind when listening to pho pronunciation while trying to learn to say it.

1. People just don’t speak the same way. Consider how tough it would be for a non-English speaker to learn American English from a New Yorker, a Louisianan and maybe a Californian. The accents alone would be confusing and to the untrained ears, the same word will sound differently depending on whom you talk to. This is why I recorded the audio files in both Northern and Southern Vietnamese, the 2 most prominent Viet accents, when applicable,.
2. It’s one thing to show how a single word sounds, it’s another to demonstrate how it should sound in conversational sentences. Demonstrating how a word sounds in a sentence is the only way for the listener to understand and recognize the word in practical scenarios. A single sound can’t help you speak another language. This is why I recorded the audio files in single word pronunciation plus in complete sentences, often with slower then faster rates of speech.
3. A word such as phở can be used in both Vietnamese and English sentences. There’s no translation for it from Viet to English. A native Vietnamese speaker (especially one with good command of English) will tend to say phở differently when speaking in Viet and in English sentences. This means he/she says phở the correct way when conversing with other Vietnamese, but inadvertently adjusts the pronunciation in such a way to sound ‘normal’ in English, which results in the added confusion. This is why I recorded both Vietnamese and English phrases with phở pronunciation spoken in Viet accent throughout. It’s the only way to get consistency.

So the best thing is to provide consistent, repeatable, varying and practical usage and scenarios, which I attempt to do with the series of audio recordings. My hope is that, with the various ways and context that phở is spoken, the listener will understand and find a way to say phở in his/her own way, correct but different. It’s the same way a Northern Viet and Southern Viet understand each other: we know the word and how it should sound, we know the context in which the word is used, and we know the other person’s accent, so our ears can make the proper adjustments. That’s exactly how we understand each other. I guess that’s why communication is both an art and a science.

On Ordering Pho

Alright, so here are some final thoughts. You may get a funny look from the order taker while trying to order pho in a restaurant. What do you do? Your situation will probably fall in one of these 3 scenarios:

• You’re really mangling the Viet word very very badly, in which case a little more practice is in order. Just have a fun moment and keep trying while pointing at the item on the menu. Absolutely resist the urge to order by the number. Even when the order taker says, “oh you mean number 3?”, just say “that’s right, phở tái chín sách, please.” Practice makes perfect.
• You’re pronouncing your pho selection to perfection that any Viet-speaking person would be proud of, yet the order taker still looks baffled. It may be that he/she didn’t expect such fluent Viet language coming out of your mouth. So just give him/her time to recover, and try again.
• You know you did okay with the pronunciation, but still feel like a fool because the order taker just wouldn’t understand you. He/she may be just messing with you and trying to put you back in your place (where a non-Viet speaking person belongs, i.e. ordering by numbers.) But don’t fret or give up. As a last resort, politely point to the item, smile and say it again. You’ll get what you want. Plus a little respect too.

Pronouncing Pho and Ordering Pho For the Confused and the Timid is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Ordering pho has always been a baffling matter to many. A pho menu, for the unacquainted, will seem like a mishmash of words that are as good as gibberish. And what’s with all those numbered choices of combination and permutation of ingredients?

In an attempt to help an unfamiliar customer order a bowl of pho, Vietnamese restaurants inadvertently make their menus more complex than needed. But if you love pho, then knowing how to order pho is a must. It’s pretty easy if you just keep these 3 things in mind: how much pho you want (regular or large size bowl), what the ingredients on the menu means, and which ones you like.

Which Bowl Size?

Bowl sizes come in small or regular called “nho” or “nhỏ”, large or “lon” (“lớn”), special or dac biet, and the locomotive/train size bowl or xe lua. The train bowl is for the adventurous pho connoisseur, and it is also quite large for the average eater.

Beef Pho or Chicken Pho?

The two main types of pho are pho bo and pho ga, or beef pho and chicken pho, respectively. Depending on the restaurant you choose, you may also come across vegetarian pho, and semi-vegetarian pho dishes such as seafood pho or shrimp pho, as called by a few restaurants. In actuality, these non-beef and non-chicken soup noodle dishes are really “hu tieu” and not pho. For a good definition of pho, read the articles “What is Vietnamese Pho?” and “The History and Evolution of Pho.”

So take your pick: beef pho or chicken pho.

What Beef Parts Do You Like?

For beef pho, you have a variety of beef parts to choose as the ingredients of your beef pho. The most basic meat that you can have added to your beef pho is sliced rare beef steak, which is called “bo tai” (“bò tái” or just “tái.”) This is an ideal choice for first time pho eaters. It’s not too exotic, tastes great and represents the typical minimal pho very well.

However, if you want something closer to the classic beef pho, choose ingredients such as “nam” (or “nạm”) or sliced beef flank in addition to “tai.” This means that you could order a pho dish called “pho tai nam” and you’re good to go. So to stay simple: pho tai, pho nam, or pho tai nam. Pretty easy.

Outside of these two most basic beef cuts, there are a lot more exotic beef parts such as “gân” or tendon, “sách” or tripe, “chín” or brisket, vè dòn or crunchy flank, gầu or fatty flank, chín nạc or sliced beef brisket, and bò viên or meatballs. The meatballs in a pho dish are not to be likened to the meatballs you encounter in Italian pasta dishes. Pho meatballs are a bit chewy because they contain pieces of beef tendon and cartilage. Yum!

What Chicken Parts Do You Like?

If you prefer chicken pho, you also have a wide selection of chicken meat parts such as chicken back, chicken neck, chicken wings, and organs such as heart and liver, even unlaid chicken eggs. These may sound strange to non-Asians but are commonplace in Asia and very tasty. If you get a restaurant that serves free-range chicken, gives a choice of side dish of dark or white chicken meats, and serves with a side dipping fish sauce with ginger, then you are in pho ga heaven.

Try the Garnishes…

Maybe garnish is a misnomer when applied in the case of pho. Pho garnishes are not just for decoration and embellishment. You actually eat them as part of the experience.

When it comes to pho garnishes, the standard fare includes “giá” or bean sprouts, “chanh” or lime wedges, “rau quế” or basil, “hành” or scallions, “ngò” or cilantro, ”ớt” or jalapeno or Serrano chilies. Some restaurants offer more options, such as “rau ngò gai” or culantro, or sawgrass, also known as saw leaf herb. Culantro is abundant in Vietnam but harder to get in the U.S., hence it’s an option. Pho garnishes are always served with the meal, which means you do not have to order them, but knowing what they are and what they are called will help you anticipate and try them to get the taste that you want. By the way, putting garnishes in your pho is strictly a personal preference, so don’t let anyone tell you that you have to put them in your bowl.

… and The Sauces

You can also choose from various optional additions, such as the popular hot chili sauce or “tương ớt” (Sriracha brand or equivalent), hoisin sauce for pho or “tương ăn phở”. These sauces are always available at your table like salt and pepper in western restaurants. Again using the sauces is a personal choice. Many mix them directly in their pho broth, while some mix them in a small saucer for dipping the meat.

So now you are armed with the basics of pho menu with some knowledge on how to order pho. For ”advanced” pho ordering, read my article on “Tips on Ordering Pho Your Way: Just Tell Them What You Want.”

Finally, just for the fun of it, here’s Anthony Bourdain eating pho and drinking Beer 33 in Vietnam.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsSiA-JHm0U

Understanding the Pho Menu: No More Ordering Pho by the Numbers is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Updated 08-12-10. Ordering a bowl of Vietnamese pho is as easy as eating it. The one rule to remember is to just order what you want. If you didn’t grow up eating pho, or even if you’ve ordered pho yourself before, here are a few tips to enhance your pho eating experience and order pho like a pho expert.

By the way, for those who need a little help with pronunciation, check out these posts:

• Pho Pronunciation: You Can Say It, Pronounce Pho, Say: Phở…
• Pho Pronunciation – How to Order Pho in Vietnamese
• Pronunciation of Pho and Other Vietnamese Words and Phrases

So here goes with tips on ordering phở.

1. Ordering by the number is for… the novice. Actually, you don’t need to look at the menu if you’re going to have pho. Don’t worry about the seemingly endless choices of pho on the menu, and certainly don’t order by the numbers. As soon as you sit down at your table, you’re ready to order. In fact for the best and quickest service, don’t tell the server to give you a minute or two. Just know what you want and the restaurant would appreciate your quick decision.
2. Pho menu. If you must look at the menu then the following can help. There can be up to 20+ items for pho, but there are really 4 varieties you’d care about.
   • By far the largest group (first 15 or so) is for pho bo (beef pho) which you can order in any combination and permutation of meat cuts (see 6 and 7 below). The first and second are almost always reserved for Pho Dac Biet Xe Lua (locomotive size combo-everything including the kitchen sink) and Pho Dac Biet (large size combo). Beside Xe Lửa (locomotive,) Vietnamese also use other large metal man-made machines to denote “very large” size pho bowls, so you may find such item as Phở Tàu Bay (airplane,) Phở Hàng Không Mẫu Hạm (aircraft carrier,) and Phở Xe Tăng (a tank, as in the panzer.) Ha ha, we were in a war, you know.
   • The rest are just various combinations of available meat (beef) types. If you want something not on the menu, just say it. For example, if you want pho bo with absolutely no meat, then they’ll make it for you. Parents order these for kids all the time.
   • The next group is pho ga. There are not that many ways to do pho ga, so you may have 1 or 2 items here.
   • Pho chay or vegetarian pho. For restaurants offering real pho chay (absolutely no meat, using separate preparation and cooking utensils), a few will show up at the end of the pho group on the menu or in a specialty section. If pho chay is not on the menu and you still want some, then just ask them. It’s a good chance that they have them.
3. Easy choices: pho bo or pho ga. There really are 2 types of pho, beef and chicken. You want to decide which pho you want. The default is always pho bo.
4. Bowl size. Most pho places will have regular and large sizes, with kid size if you really want it (or just order a larger size with an extra bowl to share with the young one). Pho Dac Biet Xe Lua mentioned above is really the combo in large size, while the Pho Dac Biet is just a combo regular size. If you’re lucky you will find a restaurant that will go out of its way to give you more food than you want. Check out my friend Mason’s post on “Pho Hoa Thai: Bay Area Pho” or my own “Biggest Bowl of Pho I Ever Had: North York, Toronto.” A side note: Some years back you could even find “Pho hang knong mau ham” which translates to aircraft-carrier-size pho, the mother of all pho! Or if you’re in the Bay Area, Pho Garden’s Pho Challenge has got the size you want.
5. Ordering pho ga. If you want pho ga, you’ll have one of 2 scenarios:
   • White meat chicken pieces already in the bowl when served, or
   • White or dark chicken meat (bones on) on the side with a side ginger fish sauce for dipping. Run-of-the-mill restaurants will only serve the first choice mentioned above, but good pho shops will offer chicken on the side. Rarely will a restaurant do both; there’s no reason to do the former when you’re already offering the latter. And if they have free-range chicken: extra goodness!
6. Ordering pho bo. If you want pho bo, it’s still pretty simple. Here’s what you need to know:
   • You can mix and match any of the available cuts and types of beef, regardless of what the menu says.
   • Available are:
     • bo chin (sliced well-done steak),
     • bo tai (sliced rare steak),
     • nam (flank),
     • ve don (crunchy flank),
     • gau (fatty brisket),
     • gan (tendon),
     • sach (tripe) and
     • bo vien (beef meatballs, normally with tendon).
   • You can order bo vien and bo tai as side dishes. Bo tai slices are raw to be dipped in the hot broth at the table by the pho consumer. Just be aware that restaurants may refuse to offer this due to health department regulations.
7. Other options. You’d never guess but there are ways to further customize your pho. This is what the pho connoisseurs do. Depending on your preferences, and if you have a good restaurant that knows how to serve pho, just ask for any of the following:
   • Nuoc trong (non-fat broth, this is what everyone gets by default),
   • Nuoc beo (fatty broth, with extra fat, yum…),
   • Tai song (very rare meat),
   • It banh (less noodle, “banh” refers to “banh pho” which is of course the pho noodle itself),
   • Nhieu banh (more noodle),
   • It thit (less meat)
   • Nuoc beo hanh tran (fatty broth with blanched onions on the side),
   • Gia chin (side order of steamed bean sprouts),
   • Khong hanh (no scallions),
   • Khong hanh ngo (no scallions/cilantro),
   • Khong hanh tay (no onions),
   • Hanh giam (vinegar onions on the side)

You’re now ready for some real serious pho adventures. For most people a regular size bowl of pho bo is totally sufficient. But for a few, getting pho exactly right can only be achieved by ordering pho their own way. If a restaurant doesn’t serve as described in these tips, then their pho quality may be questionable.

So have fun on your next pho outing. And let us know how you make out.

Tips on Ordering Pho Your Way: Just Tell Them What You Want is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles