Pho Ga Ha, a humble chicken pho restaurant on Hang Hom Street in Hanoi's Old Quarter, has been named one of 11 new Vietnamese establishments to receive a Bib Gourmand distinction in the Michelin Guide 2026, recognizing restaurants that offer high-quality food at affordable prices.

Michelin invitation mistaken for a scam

According to the Michelin Guide, the restaurant has won over diners with its rich and flavorful bowls of chicken pho, featuring tender chicken, silky rice noodles, fresh herbs and steaming broth. Sticky rice with chicken and side dishes such as young eggs and chicken gizzards are also customer favorites and often sell out early. The guide further notes that the eatery remains busy from morning until midnight.

In mid-May, owner Bui Thu Ha, 58, and restaurant representative Ha Thi Them received an invitation to attend Michelin's award ceremony in Hanoi. Michelin representatives later called to confirm their attendance. However, both women initially believed the invitation was part of a scam.

"At that time, we were receiving many fake food orders, so I was very cautious. I truly regret not attending the ceremony. Michelin's recognition is a meaningful reward for me and my staff after nearly 20 years of selling chicken pho," Ha said.

A neighborhood favorite for nearly two decades

Ha opened the restaurant in 2008 as a sidewalk stall on Hang Hom Street, serving only in the evenings from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. As regulations on street-side businesses became stricter, she moved into the current premises, a modest 40-square-meter space with a ground floor and mezzanine level.

Today, the restaurant operates from 6 a.m. until midnight, with peak crowds arriving between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. and again from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

During lunch hours, diners fill every table while Ha and two staff members work continuously at the front counter, slicing chicken, blanching noodles and preparing steaming bowls of pho, vermicelli soup and dry noodle dishes to order. Two additional employees handle serving and cleaning duties.

Ha said she developed the chicken pho recipe herself, refining it over time with feedback from neighbors in the Old Quarter.

"Fortunately, I seemed to have a knack for the business. Just a few years after opening, the restaurant became very popular. In the beginning, I only sold traditional chicken pho because the sidewalk space was too small for anything else. Customers even had to carry their own bowls and sit on plastic stools," she recalled.

To expand the menu, she later added dry chicken pho, mixed noodles, sticky rice with chicken, cabbage salad and chopped chicken platters.

The restaurant now serves roughly 30 chickens per day. Ha sources free-range laying hens crossed with fighting chickens from Thanh Ba District in Phu Tho Province and Son Tay on the outskirts of Hanoi, with each bird weighing around 4.5 kilograms.

"We are a casual neighborhood restaurant, and this type of chicken offers the best balance between quality and price. The birds come from large farms, with firm, naturally sweet meat and crisp yellow skin. I don't use capons because their bones are larger and the meat is tougher. Hens provide more meat and a sweeter flavor," she explained.

A fully loaded bowl of pho featuring thigh meat, breast meat, young eggs and liver costs VND80,000 ($3.10).

The broth is simmered from pork bones for eight to ten hours before chicken bones are added for another two to five hours, together with chicken stock, roasted ginger and roasted onions.

"The broth must be cooked slowly and carefully skimmed to keep it clear. Using a large quantity of bones creates a naturally sweet flavor without relying on additives," Ha said.

Chicken is sliced and served throughout the day to ensure the meat remains moist and tender. The process, however, means customers often wait longer during peak hours.

A favorite among international visitors

In addition to traditional chicken pho, the restaurant's dry chicken pho and sticky rice dishes are particularly popular.

The dry pho features softened rice noodles topped with sliced chicken and dressed with a sauce made from soy sauce, sugar, fish sauce and vinegar, enriched with chicken fat and finished with roasted peanuts and fried shallots.

For sticky rice, the restaurant uses premium Nep Cai Hoa Vang glutinous rice.

"We soak the rice for only about two hours and steam it for 10 to 15 minutes. The grains remain glossy and separate, neither mushy nor sticky. It sells especially well during winter evenings and late-night hours," said Them, the restaurant's long-time employee and representative.

Yalinie from Sri Lanka, along with Australian friends Mel and Bridget, visited the restaurant shortly after arriving in Hanoi as part of a street-food tour.

It was their first time trying dry chicken pho.

Following their Vietnamese guide's recommendation, they added garlic vinegar and chili sauce before mixing everything together.

"The flavor is completely different from the pho I've eaten in Melbourne. The noodles are coated in sauce, while the chicken, herbs, chili and crunchy toppings create a wonderful combination," they said. "This is a fantastic start to our two-week journey exploring Vietnam."

American visitor Peter Bryan, who has eaten both beef pho and chicken pho while living in California's large Vietnamese community, also praised the restaurant.

"The pho here is balanced, flavorful and definitely worth trying," he said.

According to his guide, one reason international tourists enjoy Pho Ga Ha is the owner's friendly attitude and flexibility.

Foreign visitors often stop at four to six different eateries during a food tour and prefer smaller portions at each location.

"Tourists can order a bowl of pho for as little as VND25,000 to VND30,000, or whatever budget they have. The portions are smaller than a standard bowl but still include all the ingredients," the guide explained.

A standard bowl typically costs between VND50,000 and VND60,000 ($1.95-$2.35), with diners frequently praising the generous portions and balanced flavors. The restaurant's narrow frontage means parking space is limited, and customers should expect a wait during busy periods.

Besides Pho Ga Ha on Hang Hom Street, several other chicken pho restaurants in Hanoi have also been recognized by Michelin, including Pho Ga Cham Yen Ninh, Pho Ga Nguyet, Pho Ga Tien and Pho Ga Huyen Huong.

Linh Trang - Nguyen Huy