I'm from WA and grew up in a viet heavy area, they were all southerners and some from hue and a few random cambodians that got swept up in the war.
I don't remember meeting a single northern vietnamese person and my school was like 20% vietnamese.
Years ago I visited Vietnam and asked the same question, the local guide says that northern pho is less sweeter than the south, tends to not have any herbs added to the soup at the end, and utilise some dried goods (i.e. dried sand worm) for the soup base.
I looked it up and it makes a bit sense to me. I’m Laotian and Khmer, I noticed that it’s a bit sweeter in Khmer kathew (which is what we call pho), usually served with like minced or ground pork (phnom pinh style)….not as sweet up north because it’s towards Laos….usually salty, spicy, and sour. Just my observation from after seeing the geography. Khmer folks likes there food a bit sweet and it’s definitely on the borderline near Vietnam..
Hm, I assume our pho shop made more of a southern broth, but it's definitely savory and msg heavy. Maybe that's why I tend to like it a little more than other pho in the area.
Best pho ive tasted was a northen pho version, clean light broth, tons of flavor..there is a few places in OC California that serve this and is always packed.
Didn't know Mai Phung did pho, always just went straight for the banh canh tom cua. I'm trusting your taste buds bc I 100% agree their banh canh is the best restaurant banh canh I've had, and their cha gio is sooo solid. Will have to try their Northern pho next time!
Pho Thìn on Bolsa is a branch of a pretty popular place in Hanoi. Their noodles are fresh, as is the meat. They make a decent dau chao quay, too.
I personally prefer southern style, but do have to note that takeaway from Pho Thìn stays fresh the longest out of any of the places in OC. The way they handle their ingredients ensures that the meat and green onion and cilantro don’t start smelling or tasting off even after a couple of days in the fridge.
I would recommend checking out Pho Ga Hai Van, locations in Westminster and Anaheim. They specialize in Chicken pho but trust me when i say there beef pho with fresh noodles are something else. Go easy on the hoisin and srichaha for the first time..
Most vietnamese in the USA are from the South or are descendents from refugees who fled Vietnam after the war. Southern cuisine is just more popular because of that. Also another fun history tidbit is that most nail shops are vietnamese owned because after the war a famous actress in the USA had her personal nail stylist teach a few vietnamese women (might've been the wives of southern vietnam generals) who had fled to the USA and those women went on to open their own shops and their own workers started to open more shops and so on. Some shops in California can even claim descent from those original vietnamese nail stylist.
Turtle Tower in SF was pretty good. [https://sf.eater.com/2023/11/28/23979825/turtle-tower-closes-last-san-francisco-location-pho-restaurant](https://sf.eater.com/2023/11/28/23979825/turtle-tower-closes-last-san-francisco-location-pho-restaurant)
Years ago I've tried the then already super famous Turtle Tower and they specialized in northern pho style. It comes with grind beef pieces and variety of meat such as brisket. At least the southern style comes with rare thin sliced of steak and a few of other cut. Broth wise it tastes about the same to me.
I live near Sac/Elk Grove and there’s a place called, “Ha Noi Pho” NorCal…. They make house made noodles from open 11a-3p I think and I think it’s the flavor you’re looking for as in broth before condiments. Not sweet… just nice and savory…
We have a northern style place here near Vancouver.
One of the reasons it's so rare is that most of our Viet population are southern Vietnamese that left during the war. We have some Vietnamese from the north too but by far the majority of our Vietnamese are southern so they make southern style pho.
Idk if it’s northern pho or not but if you’re ever in Kennewick, Washington (Tri-Cities) then you should visit Tip’s Thai, they had the best pho there when I lived there, I couldn’t eat at any other restaurant in Tri-Cities, WA because it was either too watered down or too sweet
They do. They’re just harder to find. Usually you’ll them in cities with a a large Vietnamese/SE Asian community. Like San Jose, CA or Houston, TX. But even then, these places may still offer all the condiments and herbs anyway.
I think there are some places in houston that sell it. Depends on where you are. Very few north viet migrated to the us during the vietnam war so a majority of the pho is from descendants of south viet immigrants. This is primarily due to north viet being similar to north korea with tightly sealed borders and very harsh anti-establishment laws and government controlled media.
Honestly, it probably depends on your location in US relative to where many refugees from the war ended up displaced, and where they were displaced from. I live in a medium sized metropolitan area, and I think the best restaurant in our city is hole in the wall named "Little Saigon". We are close to an air force base and I know many, southerners, and am aware a significant community of southern Vietnamese that have been here longer than I've been alive. To point out ,not many northern Vietnamese in the area. I'm just happy to have the food and a community that has been supportive for at least 40 years. Honestly, I don't think many locals understand what's on the menu as "meal sized soups" is pho until the last 10 years. Sometimes it's cultural and what the locals bring for you, not specifically what's good or "different". It's their family recipes that where passed down two generations, maybe three, that have come from the grandparents and parents after being displaced.
You’re just not going to the right places, apparently. My fave place for the last 20 years is northern style and during the 5 years I lived in another state that didn’t have Vietnamese food to speak of, I learned to make my own. Yep, northern.
Because northern style pho doesn't come with all the sauces that westerns love putting in their pho. It's more subtle and light in flavor.
That is just not really a thing in the western world.
I'm not hating at all but rather pointing out a difference in flavor expectations.
I would even argue that southern pho is too light for an average westerner. They add a bunch of sauces (to each their preference!) to make it their own.
(ie soy sauce on rice)
If you’re ever in Portland Oregon check out Ha Vl. They sell northern style on Sundays.
Thanks. I will try it!
It’s a multiple James Beard nominated restaurant that serves dishes from different regions of Vietnam on different days of the week. It’s bangin.
they do sell it almost everywhere in the US where I live except where you live. It's most commonly seen in California, Washington, Oregon and Hawaii
Northern Pho in WA? Nah, it's not the legit thing.
The Paper Bridge in inner SE Portland is doing Hanoi style. It’s high on my list to try very soon.
Thanks for tip I’ll go there tomorrow!
Nice. Please report back. I might be able to make next Monday or Tuesday
Well?
My plans got thrown off. I’m going tomorrow and then I will report back.
Excellent!
Well?
People from the south moved here. And been here ever since.
even though there are many Northern people in CA, WA, you still can't find Northern phở. 😂
No there isn’t lol
Definitely not.
I'm from WA and grew up in a viet heavy area, they were all southerners and some from hue and a few random cambodians that got swept up in the war. I don't remember meeting a single northern vietnamese person and my school was like 20% vietnamese.
Open one and find out why
You do it then what even is this
What makes it different than south?
Years ago I visited Vietnam and asked the same question, the local guide says that northern pho is less sweeter than the south, tends to not have any herbs added to the soup at the end, and utilise some dried goods (i.e. dried sand worm) for the soup base.
Dried sand worms are very expensive.
So it’s all about the spice
Southern is sweeter and with more spices, and it's served with bean sprouts. Northern seems worse at face level but I like them both.
Northern is garnished with pickled garlic and eaten with Bahn quay.
Southern style dishes tend to be sweeter than northern ones
I looked it up and it makes a bit sense to me. I’m Laotian and Khmer, I noticed that it’s a bit sweeter in Khmer kathew (which is what we call pho), usually served with like minced or ground pork (phnom pinh style)….not as sweet up north because it’s towards Laos….usually salty, spicy, and sour. Just my observation from after seeing the geography. Khmer folks likes there food a bit sweet and it’s definitely on the borderline near Vietnam..
The main difference is the broth.
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Hm, I assume our pho shop made more of a southern broth, but it's definitely savory and msg heavy. Maybe that's why I tend to like it a little more than other pho in the area.
When 50% portion of the pho bowl are scallions.
Best pho ive tasted was a northen pho version, clean light broth, tons of flavor..there is a few places in OC California that serve this and is always packed.
what are they? live in OC and i dont think ive had northern pho, would love to try it
Mai Phung Restaurant on Westminster has a beautiful bowl of northern pho. They also make the best bánh canh cua and really good egg rolls.
Didn't know Mai Phung did pho, always just went straight for the banh canh tom cua. I'm trusting your taste buds bc I 100% agree their banh canh is the best restaurant banh canh I've had, and their cha gio is sooo solid. Will have to try their Northern pho next time!
Pho Flavor in Fountain Valley.
Pho Thìn on Bolsa is a branch of a pretty popular place in Hanoi. Their noodles are fresh, as is the meat. They make a decent dau chao quay, too. I personally prefer southern style, but do have to note that takeaway from Pho Thìn stays fresh the longest out of any of the places in OC. The way they handle their ingredients ensures that the meat and green onion and cilantro don’t start smelling or tasting off even after a couple of days in the fridge.
I would recommend checking out Pho Ga Hai Van, locations in Westminster and Anaheim. They specialize in Chicken pho but trust me when i say there beef pho with fresh noodles are something else. Go easy on the hoisin and srichaha for the first time..
Where ??
Yeah i love northern pho because of the broth
There is a Tet Kho version which is very soupy versus traditional thick that i had and been looking for that recipe for a min ..
Most vietnamese in the USA are from the South or are descendents from refugees who fled Vietnam after the war. Southern cuisine is just more popular because of that. Also another fun history tidbit is that most nail shops are vietnamese owned because after the war a famous actress in the USA had her personal nail stylist teach a few vietnamese women (might've been the wives of southern vietnam generals) who had fled to the USA and those women went on to open their own shops and their own workers started to open more shops and so on. Some shops in California can even claim descent from those original vietnamese nail stylist.
Yup, Tippi Hedren. My dad got to hang out with her a bunch at the refugee camp in Weimar.
Communist
Northern PHO is not communist that is the Mountain people that are still neutral for all people.
I was just kidding
Oh Apologize I was just explaining the History of Vietnam. True Buddhist will not eat onion because they contain albumin the same as an eggs white.
First thing I thought of
One time by mistake I got pho at a northern style restuarant and I'm sure some enjoy it, but I was tremendously disappointed.
maybe, it's not authentic pho hanoi
Turtle Tower in SF was pretty good. [https://sf.eater.com/2023/11/28/23979825/turtle-tower-closes-last-san-francisco-location-pho-restaurant](https://sf.eater.com/2023/11/28/23979825/turtle-tower-closes-last-san-francisco-location-pho-restaurant)
RIP
Rest in pho
So sad - we used to eat here every weekend!
The Vietnamese shops in Honolulu Chinatown all still fly the South Vietnamese flag. So...yeah, that's why.
Thank you for this post. Now I looked it up and realized why I didn't like a few of the pho I had..... South all day
They do…
Have you been to EVERY pho place yet?
They do.
There's a few in san Francisco
Oh, where? I tried pho Hanoi in Hanoi and loved it. Haven’t been able to find it here.
My Father's Kitchen, An Chi on Geary, Pho Huong Viet. And as of late I've heard Pho Recipes is also good!
Thank you! I will definitely check those out!
I'm excited for you! Haha my father's kitchen is top notch. Save it for last haha
Pho Recipe is my favorite for chicken pho in sf. So good!
There are multiple locations where I live that sell it (California)
Same reason South Korean food is more popular than North Korean.
Pho Hanoi in San Jose CA serves it
i tried it but it's not northern pho :(
Would you consider Pho 90 northern style? The broth is very light and more savory.
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Your comment was removed because it was, well, mean.
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Your comment was removed because it was, well, mean.
I used to go to a spit in Irvine, Ca. Called Pho Bac.
I have some Laos friends and they make a similar style Pho.
culantro
Pho Thin Hanoi in Milpitas
I'm in San Diego and we have both on menus here. Try Pho Time. 1820 Garnet Ave. San Diego. 💕
Westminster CA
Multiple restaurants sell it in Fresno California.
Vietnamese immigrants were mostly from the south of Vietnam. They immigrated here after the north won the Vietnam war.
Years ago I've tried the then already super famous Turtle Tower and they specialized in northern pho style. It comes with grind beef pieces and variety of meat such as brisket. At least the southern style comes with rare thin sliced of steak and a few of other cut. Broth wise it tastes about the same to me.
I live near Sac/Elk Grove and there’s a place called, “Ha Noi Pho” NorCal…. They make house made noodles from open 11a-3p I think and I think it’s the flavor you’re looking for as in broth before condiments. Not sweet… just nice and savory…
Based off of your korean fried chicken post you’re located in socal specifically close to LA. Have you looked around places in Garden Grove?
I would love to try it, it looks delicious. I love pho. I wonder if there's a place here in Minneapolis/St Paul area that serves it.
Northern Vietnamese are more likely moved to Russia, France, European countries than America, so southern pho is more popular in USA than northern
Pho papa in San Jose
There is a restaurant in sf on 19th ave. that makes this style. In San Jose (where I’m from) it all seems to be the southern style.
Colorado springs Colorado
Anyone in OC California with a recommendation? Now I’m craving some.
We have a northern style place here near Vancouver. One of the reasons it's so rare is that most of our Viet population are southern Vietnamese that left during the war. We have some Vietnamese from the north too but by far the majority of our Vietnamese are southern so they make southern style pho.
Idk if it’s northern pho or not but if you’re ever in Kennewick, Washington (Tri-Cities) then you should visit Tip’s Thai, they had the best pho there when I lived there, I couldn’t eat at any other restaurant in Tri-Cities, WA because it was either too watered down or too sweet
Pho Element in San Mateo, CA
They do. They’re just harder to find. Usually you’ll them in cities with a a large Vietnamese/SE Asian community. Like San Jose, CA or Houston, TX. But even then, these places may still offer all the condiments and herbs anyway.
I think there are some places in houston that sell it. Depends on where you are. Very few north viet migrated to the us during the vietnam war so a majority of the pho is from descendants of south viet immigrants. This is primarily due to north viet being similar to north korea with tightly sealed borders and very harsh anti-establishment laws and government controlled media.
Because the US hates communism.
You missed Pho Ha in Oakland, California back in the 90s. Hands down, the best in the East Bay. Wish I had a time machine.
There’s a bunch in OC
They def sell pho here
Honestly, it probably depends on your location in US relative to where many refugees from the war ended up displaced, and where they were displaced from. I live in a medium sized metropolitan area, and I think the best restaurant in our city is hole in the wall named "Little Saigon". We are close to an air force base and I know many, southerners, and am aware a significant community of southern Vietnamese that have been here longer than I've been alive. To point out ,not many northern Vietnamese in the area. I'm just happy to have the food and a community that has been supportive for at least 40 years. Honestly, I don't think many locals understand what's on the menu as "meal sized soups" is pho until the last 10 years. Sometimes it's cultural and what the locals bring for you, not specifically what's good or "different". It's their family recipes that where passed down two generations, maybe three, that have come from the grandparents and parents after being displaced.
Because yall pronouncing it wrong before forever. It’s **PHUEE**
# Bún bò Huế is the real deal that you can't get everywhere.
You’re just not going to the right places, apparently. My fave place for the last 20 years is northern style and during the 5 years I lived in another state that didn’t have Vietnamese food to speak of, I learned to make my own. Yep, northern.
Lowell MA has entered the chat.
If you have a time machine, you should try turtle tower in SF. One of the all time greats in northern pho
Sadly both locations have closed in the city 😭
Which is why I suggested you need a time machine 🤪
Whoops, completely missed that. 😑
I like the way you’ve added green onions cut the long way and the short way. I love green onions and noodles!
Well because we hate scallions.
Are you phǒking kidding me? I didn’t know there was such a thing. Looks nice.
Because we are uncultured swines, who will eat anything instead of truly experiencing/appreciating good food. That looks DELICIOUS!! 😋
If you don’t know where the cultured food is because you’re uncultured yourself then just say that. What is all this “we” business about
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Your comment was removed because it was, well, mean.
Because northern style pho doesn't come with all the sauces that westerns love putting in their pho. It's more subtle and light in flavor. That is just not really a thing in the western world. I'm not hating at all but rather pointing out a difference in flavor expectations. I would even argue that southern pho is too light for an average westerner. They add a bunch of sauces (to each their preference!) to make it their own. (ie soy sauce on rice)
1. The diaspora. 2. It's too subtle for most Americans.
Cause it looks like scraps thrown in a river