Updated 09-22-09. Here are some stats on Vietnamese pho restaurants in the U.S. – part of a market analysis project I’m working on. The results are still preliminary but worth sharing. I had many sources, but the data presented here came from PhoFever.com’s own Pho Restaurant Directory. Thanks to Tom Nguyen of PhoFever.com for keeping up the database. I’ll share other interesting info as they become available.

Caveat #1. The pho restaurant industry in the U.S. is quite dynamic, and with the popularity of pho on the increase, new pho restaurants are open all the time. I don’t think there is a list anywhere that can call itself a complete pho restaurant directory. Since many available pho restaurant lists are really voluntary efforts, meaning the restaurants are either submitted by the restaurateurs themselves, or by diners giving reviews, the “most complete” list would have to be one that is active and updated often. I think PhoFever.com’s directory is a good starting point.

One thing is for sure: the actual pho restaurant industry is larger than shown here. Once we can include them all, I’m sure adjustments of the rankings for some markets will need to be made. Not all, just some.

Caveat #2. Because of the dynamic nature of the pho market and the voluntary nature of these databases, absolute numbers are not available at this point. Much more important, though, are trends for relative comparison and quick glance purposes. You won’t find exact numbers here, or anywhere else.

Caveat #3. Many many Vietnamese restaurants offer pho, but some specialty restaurants do not. Though they exist, I don’t expect many non-pho restaurants present in PhoFever.com’s Directory.

On with the stats. Below are some snapshots of the data. The market analysis itself is much more extensive. Click on the graphics to get larger versions.

Top U.S. Cities With Pho Restaurants

The first graph shows the top 15 American cities with the largest number of pho restaurants. Many of us take for granted that we have a pho shop right around the corner, within driving distance, or multiple places to go for our pho fix. For many others, such luxury is not available to them. Much more detailed stats to come.

Pho Restaurants in California Cities

An overwhelming number of Vietnamese live in California, with many many more pho lovers who are not Vietnamese. Here are the number of restaurants doing business in California cities. San Francisco leads the pack with trendy places, high tech-mined population, cool young and old people (both restaurateurs and diners,) and a huge number of Chinese/Viet descents. My San Diego is not doing too bad at rank number 5. Collectively though, Orange County is still the place to go if large numbers matter to you.

Pho Restaurants by States

Of course east and west coasts of the U.S. have the most pho restaurants. Houston, Texas stands its own ground smack in the center of the country, of course with a very large Viet presence there. So what’s amazing? It’s the fact that, though still sparse in many places, there are now pho restaurants in all 50 states, including Alaska, Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota! The U.S. is a big place, so there’s still some more work to do.

Stay tuned for more stats from the analysis.

Pho Restaurants in the United States – Pho on the Move is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Editor’s note: From time to time LovingPho.com features guest posts offering various interesting views on pho. This is a guest post from a Filipino acquaintance.

Updated 09-15-09. Vietnamese pho is, without argument, the most well-known noodle dish in Vietnamese cuisine. Pho noodle has swept all across the world, making those who tasted it so enamored with the dish that they always want more. So how is Vietnamese pho doing in the Philippines, a mere 1000 or so miles east of Saigon? Are Filipinos as taken in by pho as, say, the Americans and the Australians?

Filipinos Loves Foods

No doubt, Filipinos love good food. They have an active interest in food and they will try anything at least once. And since the Philippines is the land of the infamous balut (duck embryo) and barbecued chicken intestines, among other exotic fare, you can be sure in the knowledge that Filipinos can be adventurous with their food.

This innate love for good food and the fact that the Filipinos are quick to embrace foreign cultures explain why foreign cuisine is so well represented in the Philippines. Spanish, Tex-Mex, French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Indian, Australian, German, Middle Eastern – you name the cuisine, and you are highly likely to find it in the Philippines. No surprise, Vietnamese cuisine is well represented in this country as well.

Vietnamese Pho in the Philippines

Admittedly, the craze for Vietnamese pho has not yet taken root in the Philippines. The presence of pho in the Philippines can be felt, and pho does have its own fan base among Filipinos, but not as strongly as might be expected. The Philippines is a melting pot of cuisines and pho is just one among many that are trying to gain the fickle taste buds of the Filipinos.

In the Philippines, pho has strong competition among both foreign and local dishes. Japanese and Chinese noodle soups are well loved by Filipinos, at least partially because they are very good and because they’ve been here much longer than pho. The notorious tom yam soup from Thailand has its own followings. In fact the Filipinos themselves have their own soups that are just as flavorful as pho.

Nonetheless, if you are in the Philippines and you want pho, just head to one of the numerous malls in the country. You will inevitably find a Vietnamese restaurant there that serves pho. Some of the more popular Vietnamese restaurant chains in the Philippines are:

• Pho Hoa. Pho Hoa belongs to a franchised chain whose parent company is based in California. Pho Hoa serves pho in the southern Vietnamese style, and diners can choose from many standard meat cuts they want in their pho.
• Pho Bac. Pho Bac (Northern Pho) is also a franchised chain in the Philippines. Contrary to its name, the place does offer a choice of southern Vietnamese style pho.
• Pho 24. Pho 24, the most successful chain of restaurants specializing in pho directly from Saigon, Vietnam, also has a presence in the Philippines. Company owner Ly Quy Trung has expanded his company worldwide through franchise agreements, and the Philippines is among those covered.
• Independent pho shops. Many Vietnamese in the Philippines patronize other independent Vietnamese restaurants and Vietnamese pho shops as well. These are general established by Viet refugees before the franchises came in, their quality are very good, and they continue to be strong competitors in the pho war.

Pho Still Has A Long Way to Go Yet

If you want pho in the Philippines, you will definitely find it inside many malls and in Vietnamese and Chinese ethnic business areas. Authenticity is generally up there, and pho in the Philippines is as good as one can get within and outside of Vietnam. It has its niche of followers, but it still has a long way to go in the Philippines.

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Pho in the Philippines: Have Filipinos Taken to the Pho Phenomenon? is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Updated 05-09-10. One can say that Vietnamese pho is one of Vietnam’s cultural ambassadors, spreading awareness of the Vietnamese heritage through its flavors and its heartiness. It can easily be argued that pho has taken root most strongly in the United States because of the large Viet population, but its presence can definitely be felt elsewhere. France is one of them, and the influence of pho in France is nothing short of phenomenal. Like many other places outside of Vietnam, the popularity of pho in France is undeniable.

Pho and the French Influence

Colonization, and the shared history that it brought, has put strong ties between France and Vietnam. As most of us who know our world history, Vietnam was once known as the French Indochina under the rule of France. It was only in 1954, when Vietnam was split into the North and the South, did France relinquish its dominion over the country.

Many Vietnamese culinary experts believe that pho is actually the Vietnamese version of the pot au feu, the French beef stew. Renowned French chef Didier Corlou describes certain similarities between pho and the pot au feu, such as the use of beef marrow bones to create the broth, the time it takes for the broth to cook, and the charring of garlic and onions to add a sweet, roasted flavor to the dish. View an in-depth discussion of “The History and Evolution of Pho.”

But this is perhaps where the similarity ends. Vietnamese ingenuity made pho uniquely Viet, with the use of star anise and other Vietnamese ingredients in the broth. The Vietnamese of the south made the dish even more distinct by enhancing the experience using lime juice, hoisin sauce, Thai basil, sliced chili and culantro.

So, one can say that among the reasons why Vietnamese pho is popular in France is because of the shared qualities between pho and pot au feu. Pho is familiar enough to the French to make them feel safe in enjoying it, and yet pho is exotic enough to challenge their sense of culinary adventure. Personally, I think colonization has made the French and the Vietnamese forever tied in a special bond of language, food, and culture.

How Pho Came to France

Pho is definitely a Viet concoction. But given that the coming of the French gave impetus to the creation of pho, how then did the child find its way back to the home of its mother, so to speak? The answer is that France was one of the destinations chosen by the Vietnamese refugees after Saigon fell to communism in 1975. For many Vietnamese, France is the “natural” other homeland outside of Vietnam. Many Viet traveled there even before 1975. There were already familiarity in the way of life between the two peoples. The Viet refugees knew that they could restart their lives much easier in France, and many did.

In fact, long before the Fall of Saigon, there was already a small Viet community living in France. Many Vietnamese have been coming to their conquerors’ homeland, perhaps brought to the country as retainers by their French masters.  Or perhaps these people sought France on their own to seek fortunes they would not have had if they stayed in Vietnam. Surely many Viet learnt about the western ways, in education, mathematics, science, politics and business, from the French. But Viet communities in France never really took roots until after 1975, when it was clear that they had to leave their own country behind.

As always, where there are Vietnamese, there is pho.  And regardless of pre- or post 1975, Vietnamese immigrants who came to France will always have pho to fall back on.

Pho in France: Hearty Fare for the Budget Traveler

Another possible reason for the popularity of pho in France – or at least in Paris – is the fact that restaurants serving pho is the place that travelers on a tight budget go to for a good meal. You can get a hearty serving of pho in Paris for the average price of €6.00, which is pretty close to U.S. pho prices. Whether you get the petit bowl or the grand bowl, you will get what you have expected to get – the rich and aromatic broth, the chewy rice noodles, the filling slices of beef and all the herbal fixings that come with each bowl.

Newsweek’s Budget Traveler website is one of those sites that promote Vietnamese restaurants to budget travelers visiting Paris. Restaurant reviewer and author Alexander Lobrano’s article entitled “Affordable Europe: Dining wisely in Paris” says that the wise budget traveler will not go hungry if he or she visits the large Asian neighborhoods located near the Place d’Italie.  There are many places here that serve enticing, satisfactory and largely affordable pho.

Pho is especially famous in Paris’ Chinatown found in the 13^th arrondissement. The area is considered as the main quarters of Asia in the country. This area is teeming with Asians who have brought more than their culture to the country. The area is as varied as a bowl of pho and has become a cultural landmark home to both Asian and French natives, all bound together by a love for the distinct Asian culture, and of course, the cuisine.

Finding Pho in Paris

So Mr. Lobrano named the Asian neighborhoods around Place d’Italie as a good starting point in your quest for a good bowl of pho in Paris. While there are many Vietnamese restaurants here that serve home-style Vietnamese cooking, including pho, I can’t even beginning to list out and comment on all places worth visiting. Rather I’ll just highlight a few here to give you some flavors of what you may find in your travel in France and Paris in particular. Hopefully pho connoisseurs in France will want to share their pho experience and contribute their views in the comment section.

Among the most popular of these Vietnamese restaurants in this area are:

• Pho Banh-Cuon 14.  Also known as Pho 14, this restaurant is located 129 avenue de Choisy, 13th arrondisement, near Metro Place d’Italie, right at the entrance of Chinatown. Pho Banh-Cuon 14 specializes in pho, with many different cuts of beef available for the customer’s choosing. It’s so popular among Parisians and foreigners alike that it is almost always crowded even during the off-hours. In fact, finding a table can sometimes be a challenge, especially during breakfast and lunch times. Restaurant reviewers Heather Stimmler-Hall and Gary Lee Kraut wrote interesting blog posts about Pho Banh-Cuon 14. Also check out La Vie Cevenole’s own Dreaming of Phở article.


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• Le Bambou. Not too far away, located at 70 rue Baudricourt, Metro Olympiades, is Le Bambou which is a small place serving pho and other Vietnamese specialties in the true Asian fastfood style that may be an affront to European dining etiquette but is satisfying nonetheless. Author Joyce Hor-Chung Lau describes her experience dining at Le Bambou in her New York Times blog. I particularly love her note:

As in small Asian restaurants all over the world, the emphasis is on the food, not decor, comfort, presentation or etiquette. Good service is based on how hot the food is, how quickly it is served, and never mind if it’s literally thrown onto the table without so much as a nod.


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• Pho Hoa Pasteur Saigon. Right next door to Le Bambou, as the photo above shows, is Pho Hoa Pasteur Saigon. Personally I would give any Pho Hoa Pasteur serious consideration, and in this case it looks like Pasteur has come full circle, so to speak.

If the Chinatown area in Paris is a bit too much for you, pho can also be found in another secondary Asian quarter in Paris, located around the metro Belleville quarter. The area lies at the junction of the 11^th, 12^th, 19^th, and 20^th arrondissement and is an area full of southeast Asian restaurants of all kinds offering cuisines from Thailand, China, and Vietnam since the 80s. There are several Vietnamese restaurants there where you can order and enjoy a great bowl of pho. Although a lot of French are not familiar with the authentic taste expected from pho, most pho restaurants in France are often packed with people, especially during breakfast and lunch. One popular Vietnamese restaurant in Belleville is the Hawaienne where you can enjoy great-tasting Vietnamese food including pho. The restaurant is located at 15 rue Louis Bonnet at the 11^th arrondissement. As always, when in doubt, go where the Viet people go.

Obviously, pho restaurants in France are not limited to the Asian quarters in the country. Like many places outside of Vietnam including the U.S., Canada and Australia, you will find Vietnamese restaurants where Vietnamese live as they are scattered in various places around France. With a Vietnamese population around 250,000 living in France (as of 2001), which is the third largest outside of Vietnam after the U.S. and Cambodia, you can definitely find pho restaurants, or Vietnamese restaurants in general, at many places you visit.

As always, whether you are sampling pho in Paris or anywhere else in the world, when you visit a Vietnamese restaurant, the quality of its pho is the gauge by which you judge the quality of their food. Also, remember the rule of thumb when it comes to eating pho in a restaurant: The smaller the menu is, the better the restaurant’s pho is bound to be. This rule applies everywhere, whether it is pho in France or anywhere else in the world.

Pho in France, or pho en France. Either way, there’s a nice little ring to these words.

Pho in France – Petit or Grand Pho, It’ll Be Just Like Home is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Updated 10-23-09. With its awesome goodness, it’s no wonder Vietnamese pho made a strong foothold in many places outside of Vietnam. Pho may be the national dish of Vietnam, well entrenched in Vietnam’s culture and history, yet once again pho has crossed cultural boundaries to be embraced in a foreign land. This time: Australia.

One can easily say with certainty that the people from Down Under are just as crazy about Vietnamese pho as their American counterparts. Just as in other countries across the globe, what had started as an attempt of Vietnamese immigrants to derive what comfort that they can from a bowl of noodle had become a countrywide sensation. Australians love their pho just as much as the Vietnamese do, and the presence of pho in Australia is almost as prominent as it is in the United States.

How Pho Came to Australia

The story of how pho came to Australia goes pretty much the same way as the arrival of pho in other countries went. The key year is 1975 and the key event is the Fall of Saigon. During this time, an exodus of Vietnamese refugees escaped Communist rule, fleeing their homeland in droves and arriving in refugee camps in the Philippines and the island of Guam.

While many Viet refugees made it off the islands for settlement in the United States or Europe, many others were accepted by the Australia. In addition there were also Boat People who never did come to the refugee camps. In reality, they somehow found their way to Australia directly by sea. Australia was the longest distance that many Vietnamese Boat People with their rickety boats have traveled to escape communism in Vietnam.

Given their mutual experiences of pain, hardship and sorrow from being uprooted from their homeland and exiled in a foreign country, the Vietnamese clung to each other as they formed their own communities in Australia. Now all major cities in Australia have their own Vietnamese community.

And as they always say, where there are Vietnamese, there is bound to be pho. Pho is a remnant of home and is something that the Vietnamese cherished and held on to. Their love and passion for pho is a love that did not diminish despite the passage of time, the long physical distance and the generations removed from home. Australians picked up this love that the Vietnamese had for their pho and learned to love it for their own. Pho is just good food.

Australian Adaptation of Pho

Regardless of what happens, pho will always maintain its authenticity by the Vietnamese who enjoy it everyday. The Australians learned to love pho the way it is, the rich and hearty soup noodle that the Vietnamese introduced to their palates. But this is not where the story of pho in Australia ends. As the Australians and Vietnamese Australians took to this new dish, the dish also began to morph itself in order to adapt to its new surroundings.

Beef is not a problem in Australia; in fact, it is one of the few countries where beef comes cheaply. There are many farms and ranches that raise cattle for beef on this island-continent, so there is always a steady supply of beef in the market.

The same, however, cannot be said for the herbs and spices that make Vietnamese pho such a refreshing dish to eat. At least in the earlier years (post-1975,) few of the spices required in making pho are grown locally, and so are the herbs. In other words, herbs and spices are somewhat expensive in Australia. As a result, the kind of pho served typically in restaurants in Australia is more reminiscent of pho bac, the frugal pho served in the northern regions of Vietnam. A bowl of pho bac is traditionally not served with the familiar plate of garnishing that contains basil leaves, bean sprouts, culantro, chopped Serrano chili and lime wedges.

The focus of pho bac is the rich and meaty tastiness of the broth itself, something that northern Vietnamese cooks believe does not need any livening up from additional herbs and spices. Pho in Australia is veering towards this trend, where the broth is richer and beefier, unspoiled by indulgent herb garnishing.

The rich meatiness of the broth is not the only thing that distinctly characterizes pho in Australia. Many pho reviewers in Australia also noted that pho in Australia is somewhat sweeter than what you may be used to in, say, the United States or in Vietnam itself. This sweetness in pho in Australia is often said to be a nod to the southern Vietnamese style, or is an influence of Thailand on the dish.

In recent years, with abundant availability of all ingredients and free communication and trade across all borders, you can pretty much find and order any pho you like.

Pho – Bridge in Diplomacy and Art

Honorable Stephen Smith Having Pho with Ly Quy Trung of Pho 24. Photo courtesy foreignminister.gov.au

Pho does not only serve as a way to fill a hungry stomach or to satisfy a craving. Pho can also play a role in forging diplomatic relations and be a medium of expression in art.

In July 2008, the Honorable Stephen Smith, the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, made the news and scored points for Australia in Vietnam when he made a visit to a popular Pho 24 in Hanoi. There, he donned a chef’s apron and hat, visited the kitchen, and fixed a bowl of pho for himself. He then enjoyed this meal in the company of Pho 24 founder Ly Quy Trung. You can read more on the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs website, and on this VietNameNet.vn page.

According to the VietNamNet Bridge report on the event, “the Australian Foreign Minister’s experience at the pho restaurant in Hanoi was a chance for him to further understand the extended cooperation between Vietnam and Australia in education.”

Pho is also the staging point for the Australian traveling exhibition called “I Love Pho.” It is a multimedia exhibition organized by Cuong Le, who also served as curator for the project, and it included works from renowned Vietnamese Australian artists.

In an interview with the Chubby Hubby blog, Australian pho expert Cuong Le said that inasmuch as pho is a well-loved dish both within and outside Vietnam, the Vietnamese “only become mad about pho when we are displaced physically and spiritually.” Pho sits at the heart of Vietnamese culture and Vietnamese Australians, and most Vietnamese all over the world, eat pho as a way to maintain a throbbing link with that heart.

Finding Pho in Australia

The Australian continent is a big place. There are Vietnamese restaurants scattered all over Australia, and there are still many more restaurants that specialize in serving only pho. These restaurants come in different styles – fast food joints, food court kiosks or classy, fine dining establishments. Many restaurants are reputed to serve a good bowl of pho cooked in the evolving “Australian style” – with a rich and meaty broth, tender beef cuts and not a lot on garnishing. Others, like Saigon Bay Restaurant, are taking Vietnamese pho, and Vietnamese cuisine in general, to the next level of quality and service. These include web-based ordering system, home or office delivery, discount campaigns, online table reservations, and catering for private and corporate functions, all while maintaining the authenticity of the dishes.

If you want to find the best Vietnamese and pho restaurants in Australia, head over to Mansfield Park Campbelltown (about 6.2 miles or 10 kilometers north of Adelaide, South Australia) or to Bankstown (in Sydney, New South Wales.) Some natives also point straight to Footscray (near Melbourne, Victoria,) Richmond (Melbourne, Victoria) and Springvale (south-east of Melbourne, Victoria) for excellent, authentic pho.

Pho Bà Rịa 2, 54c Hanson Road, Woodville Gardens SA 5012, Australia

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Phở Chú Thể, 270 Victoria Street, Richmond, VIC, Australia

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Richmond is located at the inner city of Victoria and is in the midst of Australia’s cultural divergences. In fact, Victoria Street in Richmond is also called Little Saigon since it is the site of one too many Vietnamese businesses, most of which are in the food business (of course.) Chu The Pho Bo Ga is a great pho restaurant with branches both in Richmond and Footscray. If authenticity is the most important factor for you, then these are worthy places to visit. Here’s a description of Richmond from visitvictoria.com.

Victoria Street is known as Little Saigon and is the heart of Melbourne’s Vietnamese community. The long stretch of eateries, butchers, fishmongers and grocers starts at Hoddle Street and extends to the Yarra River in Abbotsford. Don’t expect white linen tablecloths and hovering waiters – Victoria Street is about the hustle and bustle of fast, fresh and exceptional Asian food at a bargain price.

Ah… take me there now.

Moon Festival in Cabramatta, Sydney. Photos courtesy visitnsw.com

Other concentration of pho shops can be found mainly in Sydney in New South Wales, of course Melbourne in Victoria, and Brisbane in Queensland. Websites like Eatability.com.au and bestrestaurants.com.au have good restaurant listings to find pho in Australia. I prefer Eatability.com.au because it has easier navigation so you can find your pho faster. Yeah! Here’s a sample link to find Vietnamese restaurants in Sydney.

Perhaps one of the more exciting developments regarding finding pho in Australia is the news that Ly Quy Trung, the owner of the popular pho restaurant chain Pho 24, has announced that his company will be expanding in the Asia-Pacific region soon. One of the countries his company is targeting is none other than Australia. Now I don’t expect Pho 24 restaurants to put any existing pho restaurateur out of business. But the Australian expansion is a strong indication that pho is growing strong here, and if U.S. pho “industry” is any indication, there should be room for all to enjoy – for those who cook and serve, and for those who dine and consume. May the best pho survive!

John Street, Cabramatta, NSW, Australia.

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Pho in Australia: Plenty of Great Pho in the Land Down Under is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles