The Capital’s Renowned Late-Night Pho Spots Still Buzzing During Holidays

For pho enthusiasts, going a few days without it can feel like something is missing, and a week without it can leave one craving. The thought of pho is always on their minds. Walking past a pho restaurant, the distinctive, potent aroma of the broth makes it impossible to walk away. Especially during late-night hours, after work or social gatherings, many people crave a bowl of pho, regardless of how full or tipsy they may be, to sober up.

During extended holiday breaks, people tend to indulge in continuous outings, and when they return home late at night, their rumbling tummies may prevent them from falling asleep. That’s when they seek out pho restaurants, like a trusted friend who understands their unspoken desires.

Hanoi’s late-night pho restaurants don’t need to advertise; they maintain a calm and relaxed atmosphere, and customers spread the word and find their way there. Late-night pho is slightly different from daytime pho. The bowls are usually smaller, with less noodles and meat, but the quality of the meat and broth must be exceptional. Eating pho at this hour is about savoring and indulging, creating a longing for future late-night cravings.

Below is a list of delicious late-night pho restaurants in Hanoi that are open during the National Day holiday. These establishments remain busy even on holidays.

Train Street Pho

This late-night pho joint, established in 1968, still exudes the traditional flavors of Hanoi’s pho. The restaurant operates from a spacious sidewalk, and the staff know the regular night-time customers so well that they often don’t need to take orders; they just prepare the pho. The stall is decorated in the style of an old-fashioned pho restaurant. Bunches of green onions as green as rice seedlings and a few red chilies tied together with a string, along with some fresh, tender, and soft beef—some cooked, some rare, some with cartilage, and some with fatty brisket—are hung on iron hooks.

Initially, this restaurant had no name, and the owner simply sold pho where they lived. As the restaurant is located next to the train tracks, customers affectionately gave it the name it now bears on its signboard. Diners not only enjoy a hot bowl of traditional pho but also get to watch trains passing by in the late hours, an ambiance that evokes old Hanoi’s charm.

Many customers appreciate the sweet and savory broth of Train Street Pho, and even those living far away try to fight off sleep to come and enjoy it. While the bowl may not be overly large, the flavors meld together beautifully, creating an irresistible aroma. Notably, the rare beef is perfectly cooked and not dry at all. The restaurant is open from 6 pm to 2 am.

Address: 3 Tran Phu, Hoan Kiem District.

Mrs. Beo’s Late-Night Pho

In addition to pho soup, this restaurant also offers stir-fried pho, which is very popular. The beef shank at Mrs. Beo’s is renowned for its delicious, crunchy texture, leading some playful customers to call it the “bodybuilder pho restaurant.”

The restaurant only opens for business after the street lights come on, around 7:30 pm, and immediately attracts a crowd. There are many regulars, so even without bright lighting, the restaurant’s appeal remains undiminished. The pho soup here has a clear, sweet taste due to the use of many bones in the broth; the noodles are thin, and the rare beef is tender, while the beef shank is crunchy.

The stir-fried pho is dry, without any greasy sauce. The stir-fried bok choy is moist and just cooked, retaining its sweetness and freshness. The well-marinated beef shank takes on a dark brown color when stir-fried, and because it’s done skillfully, it doesn’t retain any water. Savvy diners can appreciate the indescribable sweet and crunchy taste of the beef when they bite into it. For those who enjoy a snack with their drinks, there’s a dish of beef shank with broth and blanched beef shank served with deep-fried dough sticks and fresh herbs.

Address: 11 Hang Buom, Hoan Kiem District.

Hang Ngang Late-Night Pho

A list of Hanoi’s delicious late-night pho restaurants would be incomplete without mentioning Hang Ngang’s exquisite rare-well-done pho. The name may sound unfamiliar to some, but if you know it as the famous “Hang Ngang Street Pho,” you’ll probably want to give it a try, and once you do, you’ll be hooked.

Previously, the restaurant only sold pho from a mobile cart on the sidewalk, but because the pho was so tasty, customers kept coming in droves. That’s the beauty of late-night pho: if it tastes good, customers will come, and they won’t care about the ambiance or seating. If there aren’t enough seats, customers will ask for an extra chair, holding their bowl in one hand and chopsticks in the other, and they’ll eat until they’re satisfied without realizing how much time has passed.

For pho connoisseurs, the flavor is the most important factor, and Hang Ngang Late-Night Pho retains the classic taste of old Hanoi pho. The broth is made from beef bones and pig bone marrow, skillfully combined with spices. The noodles are soft and elastic, and the meat is sliced thin and easy to eat. The restaurant also offers delicious and hearty pho with braised beef shank. The staff are attentive and enthusiastic.

Address: 61 Hang Ngang, Hoan Kiem District.

Thật Late-Night Pho

Thật Late-Night Pho only serves three dishes: well-done pho, rare pho, and pho with braised beef shank, and they’re all delicious. The noodles here are soft, and the beef is cut into bite-sized pieces. The aroma of the broth is intoxicating, warming the stomachs and tantalizing the taste buds of anyone who passes by.

Despite its small size, the restaurant is always busy, and for 40 years, it has only opened during the late-night and early-morning hours. Selling 300 bowls of pho a day is a common occurrence. This famous late-night pho restaurant always has three large pots of broth boiling away (one for rare and well-done pho, one for braised beef shank, and the largest one for bone broth), with smoke billowing out. It’s hard for passersby to resist the temptation of that aroma, and they often end up sitting down for a bowl.

Address: 48 Tran Nhat Duat, Hoan Kiem District.

Cho Gao Late-Night Pho

Cho Gao Late-Night Pho is also known as Hang Chieu Mobile Pho. When the owner moved the restaurant, regular customers followed, and the number of customers only increased. The opening hours of this famous Hanoi late-night pho restaurant are also quite unique: from 3 am to 10 am. The mobile pho here is the classic Hanoi pho, with broth made from bones, thick noodles, and fresh rare beef or well-done beef with crunchy braised beef shank.

Address: 7 Cho Gao, Hoan Kiem District.