For an elevated take on phở, my personal pick would be Sep, the Vietnamese fine-dining grill overlooking Tai Kwun.

While the restaurant, helmed by former private chef Dobee Lam, offers a rave-worthy tasting menu based around live fire cooking—featuring everything from carabineros prawns with Da Nang shrimp roe to Hoi An poulet made with dry-aged three-yellow chicken—phở lovers are advised to visit for lunch where they can tuck into a bowl of phở bò with 44 Farms Angus beef and homemade rice noodles. Soothing and multi-layered, the phở can be upgraded with Hanwoo 1++ ribeye cap for an extra beefy kick.

- Gavin Yeung, senior dining editor

19/F, High Block, H Code, 45 Pottinger Street Central
 

You see, I’m more of a Bún Riêu enthusiast, hopelessly devoted to those crabby-tomato flavour bombs. But when the craving for pho strikes, Cô Thành is a much-appreciated comfort.

Their phở gà is a steaming ensemble that features fragrant yellow chicken broth, soft chicken tendrils, enough spring onion and coriander to scare off some dates, and a good chunk of crispy golden brown fritter nestled on a bed of flat rice noodles. They’ll even swap out the traditional noodles for hand-cut ones for a smidgen more. I tell you, nothing mends the soul/hangover quite like a bowl of phở like this.

- Fontaine Cheng, dining editor

Cô Thành, several locations

When I am hit by phở cravings—something that happens quite often—I turn to Bun Cha Vietnamese, a hole-in-the-wall eatery in a quiet corner of Kennedy Town. But what the restaurant lacks in space, it makes up for in the quality of its food.

I usually choose phở bo (beef pho). The rice vermicelli is as smooth and the broth as aromatic as you’d expect in a typical phở, but what makes it phở-bulous is the thinly sliced sirloin beef which has been cooked medium rare so that it retains its tenderness. The soup is topped off with basil leaves, onion and spring onion, which adds an element of freshness. Oh, and if you want some extra kick, just add the lime and chillies that are served separately.

- Suchetana Mukhopadhyay, digital sub editor

Bun Cha Vietnamese, G/F, Full Harvest Building, 6-18 Hau Wo Street, Kennedy Town

Eating a good bowl of phở feels like you’re getting a hug from the inside, and An Choi in Sheung Wan gives big hugs.

Their phở bo—only available on Mondays—consists of perfectly toothsome rice noodles, a light yet deeply flavourful broth, and a generous portion of beef balls, tenderloin and raw slices topped with fresh herbs, onions and beansprouts. Enjoying this delicious combination of crunchy, silky, soupy and tender textures among the authentic Vietnamese decor of the restaurant is worth waiting for, and helps set the tone for an excellent week ahead.

- Amalissa Hall, digital style writer

Shop A, 15, 17 Mercer St, Sheung Wan

Where can you find a bowl of phở for just HK$27 nowadays? Kam Loi Vietnamese Noodles hasn’t changed its menu or pricing since it opened its door in 1995, and while it’s all the way in a hidden mall in Kwai Chung, it’s one of those little shops in the neighbourhood that people keep going back for its comfort food offerings.

The beef bone broth is slowly cooked overnight, which adds depth to the flavour of the phở. And don’t forget to order a cup of freshly made herbal tea, such as the class five flowers tea for just HK$7.

So what’s the owner’s secret to keeping the restaurant going for almost three decades besides having a group of loyal regulars? The landlord values their relationship more than anything and has kept the rent much lower than the market rate all these years. If that’s not what the spirit of Hong Kong is, I don’t know what is.

- Ashley Yue, project manager at Tatler Dining

Kam Loi Vietnamese Noodles, Shop 13, G/F, Tak Cheong Building, 1001 Kwai Chung Road Kwai Chung

I stumbled across the North Point branch of Nha Trang by pure chance. My wife was craving Vietnamese and we had been trampling around only to find every other Vietnamese restaurant in the neighbourhood closed. But what should have been a “make do” situation turned out to be a fantastic stroke of luck.

Their phở is delicious and with its upmarket spin on the diner offering a comfy unpretentious vibe, it’s not a bad place to sit and nom noodles either. Make sure your eyes aren't bigger than your stomach though, while the sides are extremely tempting and tasty, the bowls are definitely big enough to fill you up. I recommend trying the simple perfection of their shredded chicken phở ga before diving into anything else.

- Rick Boost, Gen.T Hong Kong digital editor

Nha Trang Vietnamese Canteen, several locations

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