Phở khô Pleiku: how to eat it and where

Phở khô means “dry phở”, and it is served as two bowls: one with rice noodles tossed in sauce, one with hot broth on the side. The first time those two bowls land on your table you may freeze, unsure which is for mixing and which is for sipping. So here is how to eat it first, and then which shop to pick based on the ward you are staying in.

What lands on your table

Phở khô, also called two-bowl phở, has been a highland dish for more than half a century. The noodles sit in one bowl and the hot broth in the other, and you eat them separately rather than pouring one into the other.

The meat is split too. Finely minced lean pork goes on the blanched noodles with fried shallots, while thin slices of young beef or veal are blanched quickly and dropped into the broth. The broth is simmered from bones over a low flame for five to seven hours, which gives it depth, yet it drinks light and gently sweet with little seasoning. The noodles are ivory-white and chewy, not clear like noodles in regular phở, and come with lettuce, celery and basil.

To mix it, spoon the sauce into the noodle bowl, toss until every strand is coated, then add a little chilli sate for aroma and heat. Ground bean sauce and sate are the two things this dish cannot do without. If you are unsure, ask the owner: at Hùng Ròm and Phở khô Minh they usually come to the table to show you. Sip the broth from its own bowl and keep it out of the noodles.

Show this to the staff

Point at the line you need, or hold up your phone.

The noodle bowl comes with minced pork, so keep the pork line handy if you avoid it.

Staying in one area? Eat there

The five shops below sit in three wards, Pleiku, Hội Phú and Diên Hồng. Pick the one nearest your hotel, since all five serve proper two-bowl phở. Hours may decide it: three close around lunchtime, while Hùng Ròm and Bé Tư stay open into the evening. The table at the end has the exact times.

Pleiku ward: the easiest choice downtown

Three shops are in Pleiku ward, the most convenient if your hotel is around the centre. We recommend Nhớ Phố Núi for an airy, clean room and a gift bag to take home, Hồng for a gentle, sweet broth, and Minh if it is your first bowl and you want someone to show you how to mix it.

Phở Nhớ Phố Núi

Clean, airy room, and you can carry a gift home. You can order chicken phở khô, beef phở khô or the special mixed bowl, and there is regular broth-style phở too. The rice noodles come from a traditional noodle workshop using rice from the Phú Thiện area, and on the way out you can buy a gift pack of dry phở with black sauce, fried shallots and pork crackling. Go in the morning.

10 Nguyễn Tất Thành, Pleiku ward · Open in Maps

Phở khô Hồng

Hồng is the mild one: the broth is clean and sweet, and the sauce is balanced rather than salty or sugary. If you like a stronger, richer sauce, it may feel a touch light. Order the rare-beef phở khô: thin noodles like hủ tiếu in a minced-pork sauce close to a pâté, topped with fried shallots, pork crackling, tender rare beef and blanched bean sprouts. A bowl is about 55,000 VND (October 2026). There is also beef-ball phở, which differs from the beef-brisket version by two balls that taste like beef sausage.

22-24 Nguyễn Văn Trỗi, Pleiku ward · Open in Maps

Phở khô Minh

Minh is the one to try first: this is where the owner explains the dish, even to a small child. The owner shows you how to eat and mix it, prices are fair and the room is clean. Order the dry bowl in a black-sauce style with extra chilli and a bowl of sweet bone broth with tender meat, about 35,000 to 45,000 VND a portion (October 2026). It shuts at lunchtime, so come in the morning. If the owner does not come over, show the second line of the card above.

Nguyễn Lương Bằng street, Pleiku ward · Open in Maps

Hội Phú ward: coming in from Trường Chinh

Hội Phú is out from the centre, so if you are staying here or riding in from the Trường Chinh side, there is no need to go downtown. Hùng Ròm is the pick, and it is the one that serves dinner. One diner found it shut around 8 pm, so come a little early.

Phở Khô Gia Lai - Hùng Ròm

Hùng Ròm is a good first bowl because the owner shows you how to toss the sauce. Order the rare-beef phở khô (the first line of the card above) with a splash of soy sauce, a squeeze of lime and a little fresh chilli, plus a bowl of broth with beef, tendon and beef balls. A bowl costs about 40,000 to 45,000 VND, and a fried-dough stick 5,000 VND (June and July 2026). If someone in your group prefers regular phở, the shop also serves Nam Định-style beef phở. At peak hours expect a wait, as service can slow when it is busy.

127 Trường Chinh, Hội Phú ward · Open in Maps

Diên Hồng ward: Bé Tư is the closest

Phở khô Bé Tư

If you are staying in Diên Hồng ward, Bé Tư is the nearest option here, and the phở is good. Portions are on the small side, so if you have a big appetite, order extra.

244A Phan Đình Phùng, Diên Hồng ward · Open in Maps

Opening hours side by side

Hours change, so look at Maps or phone before a long trip. For more morning options and older phở shops such as Ngọc Sơn and Nữ, see breakfast in Pleiku, or linger after your bowl over coffee in Pleiku. Everything else is under Eating.