Pho in Palo Alto

Pho is the dish most people mean when they say they want Vietnamese food. In Palo Alto you can get a bowl at four places: a pho specialist on University Avenue, a Thai and Vietnamese kitchen in Midtown, a modern Vietnamese dining room that serves a wagyu version at lunch and a fast-casual counter at Town & Country Village. A second branch of the downtown pho shop sits in Cupertino, about 11 miles south. The larger Vietnamese scene in San Jose is a longer drive.

Our Vietnamese food guide covers the full menus at these restaurants. This page stays with the noodle soup itself: the broths, the cuts of beef, northern versus southern style, the prices on posted menus and when each kitchen is open. Every place named was confirmed in late October or early November 2026 through its own website or a verified page in our business directory. Places outside Palo Alto are within about 12 miles of downtown.

Pho at a glance

What pho is

Pho is a rice noodle soup from northern Vietnam. The broth is the whole point. Cooks simmer beef bones for many hours with charred onion and ginger, then season it with star anise, cinnamon, cloves and fish sauce. Flat rice noodles go into the bowl with thin slices of meat and the hot broth is poured over the top. The heat of the broth cooks any raw beef on the way to the table.

Two regional styles show up on Bay Area menus:

• Northern style. Clear, savory broth, fewer garnishes and usually no bean sprouts. Green onion and cilantro go in the bowl. Pho Ha Noi cooks in this tradition and says on its menu that sprouts are free on request.
• Southern style. A slightly sweeter broth, served with a plate of bean sprouts, Thai basil, lime, sawtooth herb and jalapeño, with hoisin and sriracha on the table. This is the version most Americans first meet.

Pho bo is beef pho and pho ga is chicken pho. Chicken broth is lighter and cooks faster, so it suits a cold or a quick lunch.

Reading a pho menu

Pho menus list cuts by their Vietnamese names. A few words decode most of them:

• Tai. Rare beef, sliced thin and cooked by the broth. Pho Ha Noi uses USDA Choice flap meat.
• Chin. Well-done beef, usually flank.
• Nam and gau. Brisket and fatty brisket.
• Gan. Tendon, soft and gelatinous after long cooking.
• Bo vien. Beef meatballs, springy and a little peppery.
• Dac biet. The house special with a mix of everything. It is the best way to try several cuts at once.
• Duoi bo. Oxtail, rich and on the bone.

If you are new to it, order rare beef and brisket. Both are easy to like and the rare slices show off how hot the broth is.

Pho inside Palo Alto

Pho Ha Noi, 185 University Avenue

Pho Ha Noi is the Palo Alto branch of a Bay Area group that started on Story Road in San Jose. Its Palo Alto menu page describes the beef broth as a 24-hour bone marrow soup. The company says it buys Angus beef from Harris Ranch and free-range brown chicken from Stockton Poultry and imports its pho spices from Vietnam.

The beef list runs long. The Special Combination Pho (pho bo dac biet) brings rare flap meat, flank, brisket, tendon, short rib meat and meatballs in one bowl. Other choices include the Rare USDA Choice Flap Meat & Flank Pho, a pho with 1 LB of Short Rib on the bone, an Oxtail Pho and a Sautéed Flank Steak Pho. On the posted menu most full bowls run from about $18 to $22. A No Meat, Beef Broth Pho costs far less and a Kid Size Pho comes well done or with meatballs. The chicken side covers a Combination Chicken Pho, a Chicken Thigh Pho and a Chicken Breast Pho.

Two other soups here are worth knowing. The Spicy Hue Noodle with 1 LB of Short Rib is bun bo Hue, a lemongrass and chili beef noodle soup from central Vietnam. It is a good second visit once you know the pho. The menu also sells Chinese breadsticks for dipping, a habit common in Hanoi.

The Palo Alto hours on the website are 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday, with dinner until 10 p.m. on Friday. Weekend lunch runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Plan around the afternoon break.

Indochine, 2710 Middlefield Road

Indochine cooks Thai and Vietnamese food in Midtown. Its online menu lists Pho Ga with rice noodles and chicken and Pho Tai with tender beef slices, both in the soup section, priced in the high teens. It is a simpler bowl than Pho Ha Noi's, but it means a table can share pho alongside green curry and pad thai. Lunch runs Monday to Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Midtown has free surface parking nearby.

Tamarine, 546 University Avenue

Tamarine is a modern Vietnamese restaurant with sit-down prices. Its menu lists a Beef Pho Soup at lunch only, made with SRF American Wagyu beef, rice noodles, red onions and herbs. An Imperial Wagyu upgrade costs more. Lunch runs Monday to Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., so this is a weekday bowl. It suits a business lunch when a shop-style pho counter feels too casual.

Asian Box, Town & Country Village

Asian Box is a fast-casual Vietnamese counter at 855 El Camino Real. Its menu lists Chef Gracie's Grandma's Pho, a bone broth soup with grilled chicken, rice noodles and the usual pho garnishes. The company says its entire menu is gluten-free. Because the counter stays open through the afternoon, it is the reliable choice between lunch and dinner. It is also across El Camino Real from the Stanford campus and Palo Alto High School.

Pho a short drive away

Pho Ha Noi's Cupertino restaurant at 10100 South De Anza Boulevard is about 11 miles from downtown Palo Alto. The brand's website lists it with lunch and dinner every day and a break in the afternoon. It is handy if you are already shopping at Main Street Cupertino. Our Cupertino food guide covers the rest of the area.

Castro Street in Mountain View, about 6 miles south, has a long run of Asian restaurants. See our Castro Street guide if you want to browse in person. For the biggest choice, San Jose's Story Road and Tully Road hold many pho shops, including Pho Ha Noi's original restaurant at 969 Story Road. That is about 20 miles away, outside the range of this guide. Pho Ha Noi's website also lists a Berkeley restaurant expected in early 2027.

How to order and eat pho

1. Taste the broth first. A good broth needs nothing. Decide after the first spoonful.
2. Add herbs and lime. Tear basil leaves into the bowl and squeeze in a wedge of lime.
3. Keep sauces on the side. Many cooks prefer you put hoisin and sriracha in a small dish for dipping meat rather than stirring them into the broth.
4. Push the rare beef under. It finishes cooking in seconds. Leave it on top if you like it pink.
5. Use chopsticks and a spoon together. Lift noodles with chopsticks and sip broth from the spoon. Slurping is normal.
6. Ask for extra noodles or broth. Pho Ha Noi sells extra noodles and side bowls of brisket or meatballs.

Dietary notes

• Vegetarian. Most pho broth is made from bones. Pho Ha Noi's posted menu lists a vegetable pho served in chicken or beef broth, which is not vegetarian. Ask any restaurant how the broth is made before you order a meatless bowl.
• Gluten. Rice noodles have no wheat. Hoisin and some soy sauces do. Asian Box says its menu is gluten-free.
• Fish sauce. It seasons nearly every pho broth. People with fish allergies should ask.
• Kids. Pho Ha Noi sells a Kid Size Pho. Well-done beef or meatballs suit children who do not like rare meat.

Taking pho home

Pho travels well if it is packed right. Pho shops put the hot broth in one container and the noodles, meat and herbs in another. At home, bring the broth back to a boil, put the noodles and meat in a large bowl and pour the broth over the top. Rare beef will cook in the hot broth just as it does in the restaurant. If you drive more than 15 minutes, ask for the beef on the side. Our takeout guide has more on ordering ahead around town.

When to go

Pho is a breakfast food in Vietnam, but in Palo Alto it is a lunch and dinner meal. Weekday lunch on University Avenue is busiest from noon to 1 p.m. The rainy season from November to March is peak pho weather. A cold, wet evening is when lines form downtown. For a quieter meal, arrive at the start of a service. Pho is also one of the better values downtown, since one bowl is a full meal. Our cheap eats guide lists more ways to eat well for less.

Frequently asked questions