When the weather turns, Chicago reaches for a bowl of pho. The city's center for it is Argyle Street in Uptown, the heart of Chicago's Vietnamese community, where several of the best bowls sit within a few blocks of each other. But some of the most interesting pho is elsewhere: in Lakeview, Lincoln Square and a Wicker Park corner store.
How pho works
Pho (say "fuh") is Vietnamese noodle soup: a clear broth simmered for hours with spices like star anise, clove and cinnamon, poured over rice noodles and thin-sliced beef. The bowl arrives with a plate of herbs, bean sprouts, lime and chilies, and you finish it yourself.
- Phở đặc biệt (or pho dac biet) is the house special: a mix of beef cuts, usually rare steak, brisket, tendon, tripe and meatballs. It's the best way to judge a shop.
- Keep it simple with rare steak and brisket if tendon and tripe aren't for you.
- Taste the broth first, before you add hoisin, sriracha or lime. That's where the work went.
Argyle Street
- Hai Yen: the standout bowl on Argyle, beefy but light, with warm spice. Order the phở đặc biệt.
- Pho 888: a clear clove-and-anise broth in a no-frills room. Order the phở đặc biệt.
- Pho 777: a big, classic Argyle dining room, good for groups.
- Danang Kitchen: central Vietnamese cooking. The pho dac biet has a light broth with real lift from star anise, clove and cinnamon and wide, chewy noodles. Bring a friend so you can also order the mi quang, turmeric-yellow rice noodles with shrimp, pork and a sesame rice cracker.
Lakeview
- Sochi Saigonese Kitchen: a Michelin Bib Gourmand Saigonese spot on Belmont, and the pick for a sit-down night out. Order the Saigon phở.
- MK Noodle: a small, regulars-filled shop on Lincoln Avenue with a light, gingery broth that leans a little sweet. Order pho with brisket, tripe and meatballs.
- Sunset Phở Caffe: a cozy Clark Street spot pairing deep beef pho with a few Yugoslavian dishes. Get the beef pho and the ćevapčići spring roll.
Beyond
- LC Pho in Lincoln Square: glass chandeliers and clouds painted on the ceiling, and a gingery, aromatic broth finished with black pepper. Build your bowl with fatty tendon or thin flank, and start with the banh xeo.
- Phodega in Wicker Park: half pho counter, half corner store. Order the pho with meatballs, plus chicken skins. The easy pick if you're not making it to Argyle.
Make a day of it on Argyle
Argyle is right off the Red Line, and it's an easy neighborhood to eat your way through. After pho, it's a short walk to Birrieria Zaragoza on Broadway for goat birria, or up to Hopleaf in Andersonville for a Belgian beer. Our Andersonville, Uptown & Edgewater guide has the rest.
Want a richer noodle soup? See our ramen guide. New to the city? ChicagoApartmentBuildings.com is our guide to apartment buildings across Chicago.