Japanese customers line up to eat pho far from the center of Hanoi, praising it as delicious.

Not only did the Japanese guest praise the delicious pho in Hanoi, with its rich beef broth, but he also commented that the price was quite cheap compared to the full portion with a variety of meats.

Papaken (born 1989) is a Japanese content creator, living in Hanoi for more than 2 years.

On his personal YouTube channel with hundreds of thousands of followers, Papaken regularly shares videos about his travel and culinary experiences in Hanoi and some Vietnamese provinces that he has had the opportunity to visit.

In a recent video, Papaken took his two children to a pho restaurant located quite far from the city center. This is a place that some YouTube users recommended to him on his personal channel.

Foreign dishes in Hanoi 0.png — Papaken and his two children went to a famous pho restaurant located far from the center of Hanoi.

The pho restaurant is located on An Duong Vuong Street (Tay Ho District), about 10km from the Old Quarter. The restaurant also received many good reviews on Google, so Papaken decided to come and experience the pho here.

Arriving at the restaurant at noon, Papaken and his two children, Michan and Kaikun, were surprised to see that the restaurant was still very crowded. The seats were full, and many customers had to stand in long lines waiting to order.

“The restaurant is only open from morning to 1pm. There is still about an hour left until closing time but there are still a lot of customers. The restaurant is so popular with locals, so it must be delicious,” Papaken said.

Customers lined up waiting their turn to order.

At the restaurant, Papaken ordered 2 rare and well-done pho dishes, totaling 80,000 VND, and 1 special pho dish, priced at 70,000 VND, plus 3 glasses of iced tea for 15,000 VND.

When the hot pho was served, Michan and Kaikun exclaimed with delight, “It looks delicious.” Papaken said that the pho here uses thin rice noodles, which is exactly his preference.

While enjoying the meal, the Japanese guest kept exclaiming, praising the delicious pho, the rich broth, and the characteristic aroma of beef.

Japanese guests eat pho outside in Hanoi 1.gif — Japanese guests continuously expressed satisfaction while enjoying delicious pho.

He revealed that he had experienced many pho restaurants in the old town, and found that each restaurant had its own flavor. However, he commented that the pho here was the most flavorful and suitable for his taste.

“Pho has different flavors depending on the restaurant. Some restaurants have strong spices like star anise and cinnamon, but others have a strong beef flavor. This restaurant has almost no smell of those spices and can clearly taste the beef flavor. This is the style I really like,” Papaken shared his feelings.

Screenshot 2025 02 13 114150.png — Papaken's daughter also praised the beef pho as delicious and meaty.

The father of two also praised the variety of beef, the large pieces, the freshness, and the richness of the spices. “The pho is extremely delicious, and the beef is also delicious,” he added.

Papaken rated the special pho bowl as being full and meaty, so the price of 70,000 VND/serving is quite cheap. He thought that perhaps because the restaurant is not located in the central area, the price is more affordable.

pho ho loi 1.jpg — The pho restaurant that the Japanese guest visited was always crowded despite being located quite far from the center of Hanoi. Photo: Linh Trang

Sharing with reporters, Ms. Ho Thi Mai Hoa - owner of the pho restaurant that Papaken and his three children visited, said that to cook delicious pho requires meticulous and careful preparation of ingredients.

The restaurant uses thin, flexible, chewy noodles that soak up the broth. The fried dough sticks are homemade by the owner's younger brother's family. The restaurant also imports beef from a familiar source early in the morning.

The restaurant's pho has a cloudy, slightly fatty and rich broth. Photo: Linh Trang

According to Ms. Hoa, the pho broth is simmered for 18 hours. For the bones, she chooses fresh and delicious ones, soaks them for 4-5 hours with ginger, lemon, and salt, then washes them and blanches them in boiling water mixed with wine and ginger to remove the odor.

"To have a delicious broth, you must have a lot of bones and meat. I personally mix the pho broth every day. In addition to the simmered bones, I also add pure fish sauce, seasoning powder, rock sugar, grilled ginger, spring onions, cardamom, cinnamon and star anise," she said.

The restaurant currently serves many different pho dishes from rare, well-done, flank, brisket to red wine sauce, stir-fried, pho with core, and tender ribs. The price of each bowl of pho ranges from 40,000 - 70,000 VND, and is publicly listed for diners to easily choose.

Photo: Papaken - family Life in Vietnam