1 Pho Le – Famous pho brand in Saigon
1.1 General information about Pho Le restaurant
Address:
– Branch 1: 413-415 Nguyen Trai, Ward 7, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City.
– Branch 2: 303-305 Vo Van Tan, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City.
Business hours: 6:00 a.m. – 12:00 a.m.
When it comes to Vietnamese cuisine, it is impossible not to mention pho – a traditional dish, familiar to the daily life of local people but with an appeal that reaches the world. Among the long-standing Northern pho restaurants, Pho Le is cooked in a typical Southern style, creating a unique difference in modern Saigon. The taste of this bowl of pho is better than that of another bowl of pho depending on many factors, however, at Pho Le, the art of seasoning and long-standing family experience are the core for the development of this Michelin-starred restaurant.
The Michelin-starred flavor of Pho Le is the perfect combination of the art of seasoning and the restaurant’s long-standing family experience. Photo: @kikiphung
1.2 Origin of the “favorite” pho restaurant of many diners
According to Vietnamtravelio, Pho Le has been around since 1970, founded by a Vietnamese of Cantonese origin. The restaurant was named after his wife – a woman of Cambodian royal origin. Initially, Pho Le opened right on Thanh Thai Street, after a few years moved to An Dong Market and operated there for a long time. Since the end of the last century, the restaurant moved to 413 Nguyen Trai (District 5) and has been operating until now with another branch at 303 Vo Van Tan (District 3).
When passing by Pho Le, you will be easily attracted by the large sign written in two languages ​​Vietnamese and Chinese, colorful, with English right above. Because the original branch is located in areas with many noodle, hu tieu, and dumpling shops with strong Chinese cuisine, the brand name sign is designed quite similar to the style of Chinese restaurants.
Pho Le was established in 1970 and currently has two branches located on two major streets in Saigon: Nguyen Trai (District 5) and Vo Van Tan (District 3). Photo: Atan Lok
2 What makes Pho Le restaurant attractive?
2.1 The taste of Le Pho is one of the best in Saigon
Le Pho conquers the hearts of diners with its flavor blending traditional Northern cooking methods with some typical Southern ingredients and seasoning styles. Like many other restaurants, this place serves a full range of rare, beef, brisket and meatballs. A serving usually comes with a plate of fresh vegetables to eat with. And a plate of lemon and chili, adjust the flavor as desired or combine chili sauce, black sauce, satay as a dipping sauce for meat.
Regarding the topping, the beef served with pho is thinly sliced, and when eaten, you can clearly feel its softness. The flank and brisket are sliced ​​thicker, with lean meat mixed with chewy and crispy fat. The beef balls are split in half, and the pieces are large. The pho noodles are small and soft. The pho broth is not too strong in the aroma of star anise and cinnamon, but has a natural sweetness, and there is often a layer of golden fat on top, which is rich but not too fatty to make you feel full.
Le’s pho bowl impresses with extra tender beef, flank, fatty flank, chewy beef balls and typical Southern pho noodles. Photo: Trung Di Lung Tung
Although at Pho Le restaurant, diners can enjoy the exact flavor they want because they can order anything from beef balls, rare, flank, brisket, tendon to fatty broth… But to eat in the most authentic Southern style, the steps are:
– Sip the broth to feel the natural flavor.
– Adjust to taste by spraying with black bean sauce, red bean sauce, squeeze lemon and add a few slices of chili.
– Pick some coriander, basil leaves, Vietnamese coriander… and add directly to the bowl.
– Mix well and enjoy your bowl of pho to your liking.
You can adjust the flavor to your liking with lemon, chili, soy sauce, and familiar herbs and vegetables that go with pho. Photo: Trung Di Lung Tung
2.2 Plus points for branch location and space
Both Pho Le branches in Saigon are located right on the street front, easy to find and have comfortable parking. Branch 1 has a long history, so it has a more Chinese restaurant style. Meanwhile, branch 2 is more modern, spacious, and has a floor where you can enjoy pho while watching the street scene. On the walls of each branch are carefully framed articles and certificates from the famous travel website TripAdvisor for positive reviews from international diners.
In addition, although always crowded, the tables and chairs here are cleaned and sanitized very carefully by the staff, creating a comfortable space for eating and drinking. The kitchen area is separated from the customer service area and the cart has separate compartments for beef balls, meat, eggs, instant noodles, etc., also showing cleanliness and neatness. This is probably the reason why from 6:00 a.m. until late at night, every time you pass by Pho Le branch, it is always crowded with diners.
Not only does the restaurant serve quality Southern-style pho, it also has a spacious, airy and clean space. Photo: Tan Vinh Nguyen
Pho carts have separate compartments to arrange and preserve each type of ingredient, helping staff quickly prepare dishes for diners. Photo: Timothy Chan
2.3 Professional service standards
The service at Pho Le is extremely professional, impressing tourists with its professionalism. Right from the moment the car stops, the staff warmly welcomes, guides the car, takes the card and quickly guides the diners to the most comfortable table area.
After ordering and informing the kitchen, at the serving area there will be a staff who specializes in blanching the noodles and putting them in the bowl. Then they pass it to another staff who skillfully arranges all kinds of rare meat, flank, brisket, meatballs and pours in the broth depending on whether the bowl is regular, mixed or special. Depending on your taste, you can ask the staff to add green onions, finely chopped onions or curly split onion heads or not.
Another strong force will be present, waiting to finish preparing and quickly bring the pho to the table. At the same time, observe and clean the empty tables to prepare for guests to enjoy the delicious food.
3 Suggestions for 3 pho dishes to try when coming to Pho Le
– Rare flank pho: As the name suggests, this pho bowl has two main toppings: rare beef and brisket. Rare beef is usually tenderloin or shank, which can be chewy and delicious when eaten. Rare meat tends to be sweet and soft, mixed with an attractive bone broth.
– Pho with meatballs: Pho Tai Vien is the restaurant’s best-seller, earning Pho Le many 5-star reviews. The combination of rare beef shank and selected beef balls creates a unique highlight for the entire bowl of pho.
– Mixed Pho: This is the most expensive pho dish at the restaurant, but in return, a bowl like this includes many premium ingredients. From stewed beef tendon, beef brisket, beef ear dipped in beef to beef balls with the aroma of black pepper. When poured over the fragrant broth, the light taste and the soft pho noodles bring an amazing feast to the taste buds.
The most delicious and also the most expensive dish at Pho Le is the mixed pho bowl with all the premium ingredients. Photo: Pham Vlog
The list of delicious pho restaurants in Saigon is not complete without Pho Le with 2 branches in District 5 and District 3. Not only is it often crowded and a favorite restaurant of the majority of food lovers, this is also a dining address that Michelin Vietnam has included in the prestigious Bib Gourmand list. Don’t hesitate to save it to your own travel and experience guide.
