Honored by Michelin Guide for 3 consecutive years, 4 pho restaurants in Hanoi still cause controversy

Cham chicken pho costs from 75,000 VND/bowl. Photo: Linh Trang

This is the third year that Michelin Guide has appeared in Vietnam. In 2025, Michelin awarded stars to 9 restaurants in Vietnam, 63 restaurants received Bib Gourmand (good and cheap restaurants) and 109 Michelin Selected restaurants (Michelin selected) along with a number of individual awards.

In Hanoi alone, there are 9 pho restaurants named. Although most of these pho restaurants have been open for a long time and have a large and stable customer base, they still cause controversy on social networks for different reasons.

Cham chicken pho causes controversy over price

Cham Chicken Pho has been on the Michelin Selected list for three consecutive years. Michelin recommends: The chicken pho at this small shop may be more expensive than average, but the chicken is high quality and the broth is delicately seasoned.

Cham chicken pho is a restaurant that is no longer unfamiliar to diners in the capital. However, this is the pho restaurant known as "the most expensive in Hanoi", causing controversy.

Each bowl of pho costs from 75,000 VND to 160,000 VND. If diners order additional thigh meat, wings, eggs... each serving can cost up to 200,000 VND.

"A bowl of pho is full, the chicken is delicious but the price should stop at 50,000 VND. The current price is one and a half times, twice as expensive as pho restaurants in Hanoi"; "Many pho restaurants cost 40,000-50,000 VND/bowl but it is still very tasty, full and clean. This price is too high";... are some comments from diners.

Ms. Cham - the owner of the restaurant, once shared with VietNamNet reporter that she personally prepared the chicken and used the bones to make the broth. The broth was simmered for about 7 hours with herbs.

With over 30 years of experience, she can tell if a chicken is cooked enough just by looking at its skin color. "I can filter and slice 100 pieces of chicken like 1. The chicken must be cut with thick, even fibers, not mushy but firm, sweet, with crispy golden skin," she said.

The restaurant uses hand-sliced rice noodles instead of machine-sliced noodles to make them softer. However, this type of noodles has the disadvantage of being easily broken, and since it has no preservatives, it can only be kept at room temperature for about 4 hours. Whenever it is almost sold out, Mrs. Cham calls for more.

According to Ms. Cham, the restaurant has a large number of regular customers because for many years, she has always maintained stable food quality and used fresh ingredients.

Despite the controversial price, Cham chicken pho is still crowded.

Nguyet chicken pho is criticized for its space.

Pho Ga Nguyet on Phu Doan Street, Hang Trong Ward, Hoan Kiem District has been honored for 3 consecutive years in the Michelin Guide's Bib Gourmand list.

For many years, Pho Nguyet has been very popular, and is one of the most famous chicken pho restaurants in Hanoi. The processing counter is located right at the door of the restaurant. Customers order, the chef debones, slices the meat, and arranges the golden, juicy meat parts into bowls.

Nguyet chicken pho broth is clear, fragrant, sweet and naturally fatty from pork bones.

In addition to pho noodle soup, the restaurant also serves chicken pho mixed with a small bowl of broth.

A bowl of pho at the restaurant costs from 50,000 VND.

However, the restaurant received negative reviews about its service space.

The restaurant has a small space, about 50 square meters. Because it is located next to a motorbike repair shop, many customers complain about the smell of machine oil. There are also opinions that the restaurant is not clean, because there is trash under the tables that the staff has not had time to clean up.

Au Trieu beef noodle soup causes controversy because of sidewalk seating

For three consecutive years, Pho Au Trieu has been awarded the Bib Gourmand award. Unlike most Hanoi pho restaurants that use clear broth, the pho here has a cloudy, rich broth. Each pot of broth is simmered from beef bones and beef from 5am the previous day until 6am the next day before being sold.

The brisket is completely hand-sliced by Mrs. Nga, the owner, into even pieces. The fresh beef is sliced by machine, but before serving the rare pho, Mrs. Nga uses a knife to pound it and flatten it, skillfully placing the meat in a bowl and pouring the boiling broth over it.

The restaurant has a cloudy, rich broth with its own unique characteristics.

The restaurant has a spacious and airy space, which can accommodate about 30 guests at a time. However, due to the large number of customers, customers often have to wait in line or arrange plastic chairs, carry pho and sit on the sidewalk to enjoy.

The image of customers sitting on plastic chairs on the sidewalk has caused controversy on social media. Many people think that the taste of pho here is not good enough to warrant such a long wait and such a "miserable" eating experience.

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Customers sitting on the sidewalk enjoying Pho Au Trieu

Pho 10 Ly Quoc Su Western customers line up, Vietnamese customers find it normal

Pho 10 Ly Quoc Su has also been on the Bib Gourmand list for 3 consecutive years. The restaurant is located at the intersection of Ly Quoc Su and Chan Cam streets, with a spacious space, cool air conditioning, and a capacity of more than 40 guests.

The restaurant is often full and customers have to wait in line in front of the door, especially foreigners.

The restaurant has received many positive reviews from international diners on social networking applications. This is also one of the addresses that regularly appears in international media when talking about delicious pho in Hanoi.

However, on culinary groups, many Vietnamese diners rate the taste of pho here as normal, without any special features.

According to the Michelin team, Michelin Guide's appraisers come from 20 countries, with international standards and highlighting the unique identity of each country. Restaurants must meet 5 criteria, which are common standards worldwide : Food quality, cooking skills, flavor harmony, the chef's personality expressed through the dishes, and the consistency of the dishes over time and across the entire menu.
HA (according to Vietnamnet)

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/3-nam-lien-duoc-michelin-guide-vinh-danh-4-quan-pho-o-ha-noi-van-gay-tranh-cai-414496.html