annam-vl-best-pho-soup-vietnamese-restaurant_michael-novak_sousoq Portland’s Best Spots for Steaming Bowls of Pho — At SE Belmont’s Annam VL, noodle soups rotate daily.

As Portland’s largest Asian ethnic group, the Vietnamese community has helped shape the cultural and culinary vibrancy of the city’s southeastern quadrant for more than 40 years. The area’s restaurants, cafés, delis, bakeries, and markets supply Portlanders with a staggering spectrum of Vietnamese cuisine—today, it’s not uncommon for pho spots to extend beyond the gently spiced beef noodle soup, also ladling bowls of bò kho, bún bò Hue, and mì Quảng. Many of these businesses are family run; the children and grandchildren of the original owners greet visitors at the door, or deliver plates of Thai basil and jalapeños at individual tables. In recent years, second- and third-generation-run pop-ups and restaurants have added further texture to the scene, offering lesser-known regional dishes and incorporating Southeast Asian ingredients in contemporary American fare.

But still, pho remains supreme in Portland’s Vietnamese dining scene. Maybe it’s the delicate nature of the broth, its long and gentle simmer and warm spice; the pile of noodles, and how they feel weighing down your chopsticks; the portions and cuts of tendon or brisket or tripe; the piles of fresh herbs; the hoisin and hot sauce. Whatever the reason, the restaurants below have honed their versions of the ubiquitous beef noodle soup, as a hangover cure at weekend brunch, a salve for homesickness, or simply a stellar midweek lunch.

Annam VL

Sunnyside

For years, the family-owned soup cafés Rose VL and Ha VL have humbly maintained their reputation as the sites of Portland’s top pho, with unassuming storefronts revealing packed tables upon entry. The latest addition, Annam VL, follows a similar model to its sibling restaurants: a rotating roster of daily soups, made in small batches to keep things fresh and dialed in. (That might mean soups sell out, which can cause some FOMO among the VL devotees.) Saturdays are for pho, specifically the restaurant’s Pho Annam shop special—a glistening beef broth topped with wide rice noodles that balance easily on chopsticks amid garnishes of culantro (not cilantro), sautéed garlic beef, and meatballs. More than a dozen other soups and noodle dishes make their appearances Wednesday through Sunday. They include lesser-known specialties influenced by the chefs’ southern Viet background, which often lean sweeter with coconut juice and palm sugar. Find items like hu tieu my tho (rice noodles in pork and dried seafood broth), bún cà ri gà (vermicelli in chicken curry broth), and mì hoành thành (egg noodles in pork broth)—which regularly sell out by 2pm.

Cuon

downtown

The family behind Cuon has been feeding Portland’s downtown office workers lunch since 2015, and it’s well worth a midweek jaunt to devour forearm-length banh mi and bowls of rice noodles in their spacious, bright dining room. Consider the pho, or should we say phos: Chicken and beef broths simmer overnight, seasoned with spices like star anise, cardamom, and ginger; they serve as the foundations for beef, chicken, shrimp, and tofu pho, or come à la carte, a cup or bowl of consommé sans accoutrements. The noodle soups arrive already dressed with cilantro, green and white onions, and black pepper; gussy them up with bean sprouts, basil, lime, and jalapeños, which arrive on the side to stay perky and fresh. The menu otherwise is short but sweet, offering banh mi, rice, and noodles topped with crunchy spring rolls and tender grilled meats.

Friendship Kitchen

Kerns, northwest district

Friendship Kitchen deserves special recognition for the interiors of its two locations, colorful and playful backdrops for the Vietnamese favorites ahead. They share the same classic pho recipe: Its beef broth simmers for 10 hours, resulting in a clear and brightly seasoned bowl served with a choice of brisket or hand-cut tenderloin. But the restaurants’ other pho variations also shine—the eight-hour chicken, aromatic and light, or the vegan-friendly pho chay, fragrant with classic pho spices and remarkably clear. Despite the continuity in pho recipes, the Friendship Kitchens are far from duplicates: Northeast Glisan’s slings bar-friendly street foods and fast-casual bites, while the Northwest Thurman merges Viet-French cuisine with Southeastern delights like nasi lemak and chili crab noodles.

Luc Lac

downtown

Aesthetically, Luc Lac could be considered the Vegas of Portland pho shops for its unapologetically flashy ambience. Neon reds and blues illuminate the dining room, which sits under a canopy of suspended paper umbrellas. A durian horchata pairs well with the beef pho, the owners’ grandmother’s recipe heavy with five spice, a blend from southern China with sweeter spices like cinnamon and cloves. It comes with a choice of meats—combinations of lean brisket, springy meatballs, and round steak, plus the “train,” their take on a pho dac biet. The menu also covers a wide array of Vietnamese American standbys like banh mi, vermicelli bowls, crispy rolls, and rice bowls, plus the restaurant’s namesake dish, a French-Viet beef tenderloin dish spiked with Hennessy.

Pho Hung

Richmond, Powellhurst-gilbert

The 30-year-old Pho Hung shares similar homey traits with many of the other longstanding pho restaurants on this list, where unfussy interiors and elevator-friendly jazz set the vibe. The sound of stainless steel teapots of oolong hitting the table might evoke a wave of nostalgia for some diners, while pho newbies can easily navigate a menu divided into user-friendly categories like the Favorites, the Familiar, and the Adventurer’s Choice, accompanied by pictures of pho meat cuts for reference. Any bowl with soft tendon should be a priority, especially the show-stopping Super Bowl: It comes with rare round steak, well-done brisket, fatty brisket, soft tendon, honeycomb tripe, and meatballs. It even challenges Tân Tân for the biggest bowl of dac biet. Pho Hung also has a location on 82nd Avenue, with similar offerings.

Pho Mekha

roseway

Pho Mekha has become a Vietnamese food mainstay of Portland, its dining hall buzzing at night with patrons sipping spiked Vietnamese coffees alongside bowls of mì Quảng and bún. The subtly sweet, five spice–based pho broth arrives with a combination of beef cuts like tender flank, tripe, and tendon, as well as the customary plate of pho garnishes—bean sprouts, lime, white onions, and basil. While its broth is lovely on its own, Pho Mekha’s lineup of tableside sauces and condiments sets it apart from any other spot on this list: think pickled peppers, minced garlic, and fresh chili sambals, in addition to the obligatory hoisin and Sriracha. Order a chanh muoi salty lemonade soda or hot egg coffee alongside your pho and be sure to save room for a post-dinner bánh chuoi (banana cake).

Pho Oregon

madison south

On Saturday mornings, the old-school dining room of of this nostalgic stalwart fills with patrons from all walks of Portland life, as it has for more than 20 years. Many consider Pho Oregon the gold standard for pho in the area, with a nuanced, understated broth and beautifully tender cuts of beef. Pho is certainly the main attraction here, with 22 styles mixing and matching round steak, tendon, tripe, and other standard accompaniments. Plus, a minimal price difference between the small and large bowls incentivizes diners to go big or go home.

tan-tan-cafe-best-pho-vietnamese-soup-restaurant_judiaann-woo_un9xp1 Portland’s Best Spots for Steaming Bowls of Pho — With dishes like pho dac biet, Tân Tân has established itself as a Beaverton institution.

Tân Tân

beaverton

This legendary Beaverton deli has ladled bowls of pho since the 1990s, when refugees Vinh Tran and Mai Nguyen opened on SW Broadway as one of the few Vietnamese restaurants in the area. But those unfamiliar may think the restaurant is much newer than it is. With a name that means “new beginnings,” Tân Tân’s minimalist interior, branded sauce line, and curated shelves of locally made condiments exemplify the restaurant’s commitment to staying relevant in the growing sea of Portland businesses on the west side. Beef pho comes with a variety of options like soft tendon, brisket, tofu and vegetables, or even just rice noodles. But the pho dac biet is where Tân Tân gets to shine, loaded with mouthfuls of every cut of beef you’ve seen on a pho menu: fatty and lean brisket, eye-round steak, meatballs, flank steak, soft tendon, and tripe. Beyond pho, the menu is packed with deeper cuts from Vietnamese culinary lexicon, like bò lúc lắc, bánh xèo, and canh chua.

Thom

concordia

Thom owner Jimmy Le accumulated a small cult following for his focus on rigorous simplicity and flawless execution: His restaurant originally served only four items, though the menu has since grown to include dishes like bún cá ri gà (curry noodles) and bò kho (beef stew). But the restaurant’s pho is one of the OGs, and it shows. A third-generation family recipe, the flagship pho bo is reflective of Le’s 30-plus years cooking alongside his parents at their restaurant, Pho Le, in Vancouver, Washington. A steaming bone marrow broth simmers for 24 hours with spices like cloves, mushroom seasoning, coriander, and charred ginger and onions, and is finished with a tangle of rice noodles, tenderloin, brisket, and meatballs. Vegans should make a beeline for the pho chay, a plant-based, 18-hour broth; Le uses the same herb mix as the beef, but swaps the bone marrow for veggies like cabbage, jicama, and daikon. It hits the table brimming with bok choy, straw mushrooms, and Ota tofu. Grab some snacks like imported Asian chips and Foco fruit drinks to go from the mini market on your way out.

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