How to eat pho like a local

To eat pho like a local, taste the broth before adding anything, add herbs and lime a little at a time, hold chopsticks in one hand and a soup spoon in the other, and eat while it's piping hot. Many regulars also keep hoisin and chili sauce in a small side dish rather than stirring it into the broth.

There's no single "correct" way, and people in Vietnam eat pho in many styles. But these habits will help you enjoy the bowl the way it's meant to be enjoyed.

Step 1: Taste the broth first

Before adding anything, take a spoonful of broth on its own. The broth is the soul of pho, and cooks often spend hours on it. Tasting it first lets you appreciate it and decide what, if anything, it needs. Some pho lovers consider dumping sauce in before tasting a little disrespectful to the cook, though nobody will scold you.

Step 2: Add herbs and greens a little at a time

If your bowl comes with a side plate, which is typical in the South and in many pho restaurants abroad:

• Tear Thai basil leaves off the stem and drop a few in.
• Tear culantro (ngò gai) into small pieces, since it's tougher.
• Add bean sprouts in a small handful; push them under the broth if you want them slightly softened.
• Squeeze in some lime, a wedge at a time, and taste.
• Add fresh chili carefully, especially bird's eye chilies.

Adding herbs gradually as you eat keeps them fresh instead of wilted. The pho toppings guide explains each item.

In the North, especially Hanoi, the herb plate is often smaller or missing, and you might add garlic vinegar, chili or lime instead.

Step 3: Decide on sauces

Most pho tables have hoisin (tương đen) and chili sauce (tương ớt) such as sriracha. You have two common options:

• The side dish method: Squeeze a little of each into a small saucer and dip pieces of meat as you eat. This keeps the broth clean.
• The stir-in method: Add a little directly to the bowl. Plenty of people do this, especially in the South.

If you stir in, start small. Hoisin is sweet and strong, and it's easy to drown the broth.

Step 4: Use chopsticks and spoon together

The classic technique:

• Chopsticks in your dominant hand, soup spoon in the other.
• Lift a small bundle of noodles with your chopsticks and rest them on the spoon.
• Add a piece of meat or an herb leaf on top if you like.
• Sip a little broth from the spoon along with the noodles.

The spoon acts as a mini bowl, helping catch drips and cool the noodles. You can also lift noodles straight to your mouth and use the spoon just for broth.

Step 5: Is slurping okay?

Light slurping happens, especially with hot noodles, and in casual pho shops nobody minds. You don't need to be loud about it, though. Leaning over the bowl and bringing the spoon close helps avoid splashes on your shirt.

Step 6: Eat it hot

Pho is best eaten right away, while the broth is very hot and the noodles are still springy. If you wait, the noodles soften and absorb broth. Don't let it sit while you take photos for too long.

Step 7: Finish the broth, or don't

You're welcome to drink the broth at the end. You can lift the bowl to sip the last bit, which is common in casual settings. Leaving some broth is fine too. Pho broth can be salty, so if you're watching sodium, leaving some behind is reasonable.

When do people eat pho?

In Vietnam, pho is traditionally a breakfast food, often eaten early in the morning at a street stall or neighborhood shop. Today, people eat it any time of day, and pho shops abroad serve it from lunch to late night.

Extras worth trying

• Quẩy: Fried dough sticks, more common in the North, torn and dunked in broth.
• A raw egg yolk or a side bowl of broth with egg (trứng chần), offered at some shops.
• Extra meat or a side of tendon, if you love a particular cut.

Ordering tips

At a pho shop, you'll usually choose:

• Size: small, regular or large
• Meat: rare steak (tái), brisket (chín), meatballs (bò viên), or a mix often called "đặc biệt" (special)
• Noodles: most shops use one kind of fresh flat rice noodle

Saying "Cho tôi một tô phở tái" means "One bowl of pho with rare beef, please." In the North, a bowl is often called bát rather than tô.

Pho etiquette in short

• Taste first.
• Add toppings gradually.
• Keep sauces modest or on the side.
• Use the spoon and chopsticks together.
• Eat it hot.

If you'd like to make it yourself, start with the beef pho recipe for a weekend.

On your next bowl, try the first three spoonfuls with nothing added, then build it up step by step, so you know exactly what each topping does.