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    Pho Nam Lua

    3.9 (259 reviews)
    Open 9:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Order Pho Nam Lua Takeout or Delivery

    Pho Nam Lua Photos

    Business Info

    PHO NAM LUA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Pho Nam Lua

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    Pork and shrimp spring rolls
    Ariana G.

    The first time I came here was with my family when I was in highschool. I ate here alot back in the day. Since I've moved, I haven't been able to eat here again until today. Came in for lunch and the place was packed! That made me happy that it's still popular. To start, I got the pork and shrimp spring rolls. It was very fresh and delicious. For my entree, I got the oxtail pho cause I haven't had oxtail in a while. The viet places I've been too recently don't offer oxtail so I seized my opportunity here.

    21. Pho Nam (Flank)
    Felice B.

    This is my first pho in Chicago so I can't comment on whether or not it's the best here but I can say that it is very, very good. The broth is flavorful with just the slightest amount of sweetness and they have oxtail. That's pretty special all by itself. Service is fast and efficient and the atmosphere is nonexistent. The restaurant has its own convenient parking and keep in mind that the large pho is just about bathtub-sized. I'm looking forward to trying more of the menu.

    Fried chicken wings
    Peter P.

    This is a solid pho restaurant. It's a small space, with about a dozen tables so you may have to wait a few minutes when they're busy on weekends. But it's worth the wait. The broth is punchy and hearty, the mark of a good pho shop.

    Cris R.

    Pho Nam Lua is Vietnamese Heaven! Some of the BEST pho on the Northside of Chicago. Situated within the Heart border of Lincolnwood & North Chicago, this restaurant resides within the melting pot community it proudly serves. My personal favorite food aside from the Pho in this place are the flavorful appetizers found in Pho 5lua's cripsy chicken wings, crab rangoon, and their spring rolls. They also serve up big plates of fried rice when you order, enough for 4 people per plate. Service is always fast and attentive here and the ambiance this place gives is one of community & family. It may not be the biggest restaurant and it is most definitely a whole in the wall.

    Spicy chicken wings
    Janeth R.

    Hands down THEE best pho I've tried in Chicago and suburbs. Not only is it a generous size, the price is unbeatable for the flavor it delivers. Instantly brought comfort to my soul and peace to my heart upon sipping on this broth! Meat was soft as butter melting in my mouth 11/10. The wings were the bestttt the CROONCH was REAL! The calamari was also crunchy yet soft in the inside. Amazing everything was amazing. Will definitely be back

    Lauren Z.

    By far the best PHO experience in the game. We were appalled when we noticed another Pho establishment open up right next door...we knew we had to go to the OG mom and pop shoppe when everyone was in here on a rainy day. Really great services and really great prices. The food was fantastic from start to finish. 6 crab Rangoons for 6.00...I must have been high because that felt too good to be true. Not to mention they were packed to the brim with filling and a good crunch. Great shrimp spring rolls and a solid classic choice in their #17 flank steak pho with extra noodles. They do NOT skimp on portions here. It was a magnetic experience for a gloomy and rainy day; perfect pho weather.

    Spicy chicken wings, 30. Bun Thit Heo Nuong Cha Gio
    Precious B.

    I changed my review to one star because the service here is terrible! The taste and quality of the food also deteriorated. My mother was ignored multiple times by the rude waitresses when she asked for fish sauce, they gave us a broken chipped plate to eat on till we asked for another one, the waitress grabbed the plate from the table and my father was still eating and the combination fried rice was so bland it had like zero flavor!!! I'm truly baffled how this place gets business with the kind of service they provide. We asked for to go boxes and the one they gave us had smeared blue ink all over it. I will never dine in here after today. No thank you!! All the waitresses here have zero social skills and no manners. It feels like a bad episode of M.A.S.H dining here. So depressing. Why would you serve paying customers a crusty, broken plate? Are you guys that careless? Get it together! Totally unacceptable.

    Pho Tai
    Robert S.

    I don't normally do a review after only 1 visit but thr meal that good no reason to wait for a 2nd visit Our regular Pho spot is closed on Thursday so we tried these guys out and were not disappointed at all We both got Pho Tai (Rare Beef) the Broth was on point with lots of depth and flavor The Rare beef was still pink so very fresh and the noodles weren't stuck together this was a perfect meal We both left full and very satisfied that we have a backup to our usual stop This is a small place with limited space so be patient if it busy it filled up while we were eating. just wish they made fruit smoothies for my husband.

    Seafood noodle soup
    Ruby P.

    This Vietnamese place is in a region that's close to where we were at and that we had previously been. There are parking lots (free). We got spring rolls, stir-fried egg noodles (beef) and seafood noodle soup. All were so good! They were big portions for the price. We'd like to come here again!

    Chicken wings
    Amy L.

    My favorite place in the city for bun bo hue!! I also love their pho and I also always get the Combination stir fry noodle #60 - the portion is absolutely MASSIVE. Always enough for another meal afterwards. Great crab rangoons as well, perfect ratio and always comes out pipping hot.

    Leah N.

    I saved this place on yelp a while back because I wanted to try the bun Bo hue here. I like the portion size here. I like my bun Bo hue spicy. The flavor here is missing the lemongrass taste and could be spicier. The pho is good. Lots of meat and noodle. There are two options to the pho, the bigger bowl portion pretty big. The staff are quick. The food came out pretty fast despite they are super busy today.

    11. Pho Dac Biet (Special Noodle Soup)
    Tony G.

    This place is my go-to pho spot. Mostly because it's closer to me than driving to Argyle, but also because I think they serve a really good bowl of pho. I usually go with the pho dac biet (aka the special/all the meats), but will occasionally mix it up with bun bo hue or com suon nuong (marinated pork). All of it is super solid and you'll get no complaints from me. Service is pretty prompt even when they're busy and ambiance is pretty cozy. Sometimes it'll get pretty packed and you'll need a wait, but I haven't had too many issues on that. Servers are always friendly and price is about on par with what you'd expect these days. Overall, really like this place and am so glad it opened up more north than Argyle. Definitely if you live in Evanston/Skokie I'd recommend saving the drive to Argyle and just getting your viet fix here. It's just as good and you don't have to deal with the chaos of Argyle parking lol.

    Pho Chay

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    9 years ago

    This place is much better than any pho places I tried on Argyle. If you like Tank, I can't even.

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    9 years ago

    I ordered fried rice for pick up 20 minutes ago but when i came to pick up my order it wasnt even ready...

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    10 years ago

    Great place. Very good pho good prices and good service. Their other items are also a good choice. Kobe beef pho is always good here.

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    Page 7 of 7

    Pho Nam Lua Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Pho Nam Lua

    Does the Bun Bo Hue have blood?

    No, it does not. It is a rich and orange broth and the noodles are perfectly cooked. I see no issues in cleanliness.

    View All 2 Questions

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    HaiSous Vietnamese Kitchen - Pandan Cookies

    HaiSous Vietnamese Kitchen

    4.1(690 reviews)
    10.0 miPilsen
    $$$

    Made a dinner reservation on New Year's Eve. It was nice that they didn't have a set menu for the…read moreholiday so I could pick whatever I wanted. All the food we ordered was super flavorful. We started with the wagyu appetizer which came with a chili lime salt dipping sauce which paired nicely. The fluke was really flakey and crispy on the outside. It paired well with the nuoc mam sauce. It was pretty pricey tho with the lowest market price being $75. I don't think I'd get it again but a good thing to try once. The bun cha Hanoi was another hit. Delicious pork patties but the spring rolls were especially good. The crab fried rice had good pieces of crab and had a kick. Overall, a very cute spot in Chicago with good food and service.

    Beautiful restaurant with a lot of seating options. We were warmly welcomed, service was nice, and…read morethe kitchen timing was good. Crispy chicken wings with caramelized fish sauce sounded adventurous but tasted familiar. These were definitely good but they're not mind blowing so I would probably skip them to try other things if you're on the fence. Oysters were so delicious but I hardly ever think they're not. Wagyu with lemongrass and a chili sea salt was simple but tasty. The grilled eggplant was yummy, paired with pickled shallots, fried garlic, and scallions. Definitely a good one for eggplant lovers like me. The veggie curry was good but probably the least favored of everything we had and couldn't finish it. But we made room for a little dessert! We went with the whipped rice pudding but had it without peanuts because I'm allergic. We didn't really enjoy it much. It was kind of bland and I'm guessing it might be because we omitted the nuts. It was sad to finish on a weak note.

    Photos
    HaiSous Vietnamese Kitchen - Interior

    Interior

    HaiSous Vietnamese Kitchen - Prawns

    Prawns

    HaiSous Vietnamese Kitchen - Dealers choice Mocktail

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    Dealers choice Mocktail

    Sunset Phở Caffe - 19. Beef Pho

    Sunset Phở Caffe

    4.7(517 reviews)
    5.4 miLakeview
    $$

    ambiance? 10/10 service? 10/10!!!…read morefood? 10/10!!!!!!!!! this place is SO cute. i love how small and cozy it is, with both table seating and bar seating options. the bartender and servers were so sweet, attentive, and friendly - which, in my opinion, always makes eating anywhere 10x better. i couldn't decide between the pho and the crispy noodles, so i got both... and i'm SO glad i did!!!!! the portions were absolutely huge. the chicken pho was delicious, loved it. couldn't finish it though because the real star of the show for me was the crispy noodles with the beef topping. omg. i died and went to heaven. i was audibly moaning with every bite, yes... out loud!! i will DREAM about these crispy noodles for the rest of eternity. i also got the vietnamese iced coffee, which was DELICIOUS. i spent the whole day walking around lincoln park and thought i'd have to uber home after eating, but after this meal, i felt so rejuvenated i walked 30 minutes home, no problem. so good. so worth it. get in there and tip well. recommending to anyone who loves high-quality food and great vibes.

    To the tune of Schoolboy Q's 2014 anthem, shake it for the meal of the year!…read more Coming to see long time friends in Chicago merits some caloric expedition. Seeing as we once lived together on a Clark Street, why not dinner on this N Clark St? Following my clinical parallel park job, we entered this theatre of dreams. I'll recognize upfront my bias for sloped ceilings, but this spot ticks that interior box. Sierra Mist colored lighting to make the drinks hit harder and fake skylights that unironically went crazy. Not to mention, this Croatian meets Vietnamese love story was jamming Americana all night long. Soon enough I was white-knuckling the table to keep my cool as the medley proved to be somewhere between erotic and nostalgic. One could rescue a newborn from a burning building and it would pail in comparison to the respect our waitress lavished onto us. Reason being, this lovely lady spent the entire night responding with "yes chef" to any of our interactions. In all fairness, it's understandable to assume our party of mustached men were chefs. Heck, one of us got a diet cola, isn't that a tell too? I say all this to make known the cult status that woman will have in my heart till I breathe my last breath. As for the menu, what a divine collaboration. Sequestered into some back pages lay a section for Balkan fare that served as a platform for the married-in man to showcase his swagger. Truth be told it's this food selection that brought me in and that red pepper spread that makes me stay. This skilled in-law got even more time to shine on the beer list, with my dark Bosnian beer showing every reason why. Tasty lil thing. All things considered, this is still a Vietnamese restaurant. Pho did its thing and embraced the mega serving size stereotype it so firmly holds, but it cannot sit in the poll position here. Brian, my dear friend, voiced that his girlfriend swears by Sunset's crispy noodle. Well folks, Tessa certainly knows ball! While still respectfully conversing through our meal, Brian joined the clean plate club alarmingly fast. Based on my swapski sampling of his platter I can understand why. Clear betting favorite, certified hustler, it's what to get y'all. As we wrapped our meal my other dear friend at the table, John, accidentally stated something that must serve as the slogan for Sunset Pho Caffe. He said, "It elevates the past." By golly it does and I'll raise my glass to that!

    Photos
    Sunset Phở Caffe - Really interesting German East european kinda vibe

    Really interesting German East european kinda vibe

    Sunset Phở Caffe - Reward card

    Reward card

    Sunset Phở Caffe

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    Phodega - Spicy Chicken Banh Mi

    Phodega

    4.3(404 reviews)
    6.7 miWest Town, Wicker Park
    $$

    Phodego brings a modern fresh spin on Vietnamese and SE Asian cuisine. It's small but mighty…read morelocation in Division gives a bodega feel with fun signage and Asian snacks available for purchase. Their combination chicken rice is what keeps me coming back. It the fried chicken is packed with flavor (on the saltier side) but pairs perfectly with the rice, three sauces, cilantro, and fresh cucumbers along with a side of soup broth. My partner usually orders their pho. And we're both big fans of their crispy pork skins! Better than their battered fries in my opinion. But both deeply fried and yeet-hai (iykyk!). Ube Horchata comes premade but is a delicious balance of ube and horchata; not too sweet. We've been frequenting Phodega ever since their Ashland location, but glad they didn't move far. We love having Phodego as a nearby lunch/dinner option for dine in or pick up.

    I came here during my trip to Chicago and I actually did not have any intentions going here but I…read moream so glad I stumbled upon this spot! My initial plan was to actually go to Kasama for a late lunch. Ordered an Uber and everything. The line was SO long! I wasn't sure how long it would have taken. I was so hungry but wasn't going to wait outside in the cold. So I looked for places nearby and saw Phodega was down the street! They had good reviews and based off pictures, the place looked delicious! I wasn't in the mood for pho (even though the weather was perfect for hot noodle soup) but the Hainanese chicken rice caught my eye. It was a super cute spot, small but luckily we were able to snag a table. There are only a handful of tables and they are pretty close together. It was decorated just as expected, like a Bodega of course! a trendy, hippy little shop. I think the concept is pretty cool. We were greeted by the worker at the counter and explained we can either order at the counter with her or have a seat, scan the QR code on the table and order from there. If you need more napkins, utensils, water, etc. there's a self service station by the door. For two people, we ordered a lot of food! LOL Here's our order: 1. Hainanese chicken rice 2. Salt & Pepper Chicken Skins 3. Phodega Fries 4. The Viet Dip 5. Crack Wings I will say, 5 items at a 2 person table is very crowded lol. Our eyes were definitely bigger than our tummies. Overall, the food was delicious. The gravy for the Phodega Fries was actually pretty good. We helped ourselves to to-go containers at the self service table. 5/5 from me

    Photos
    Phodega - Inside

    Inside

    Phodega - The Viet Dip

    The Viet Dip

    Phodega - Chicken Hainan Style Chicken Rice

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    Chicken Hainan Style Chicken Rice

    LC Pho

    LC Pho

    4.5(208 reviews)
    2.0 miLincoln Square, Ravenswood
    $

    I've been here a few times and my conclusion is this is a great neighborhood Vietnamese spot with a…read morelot of options. I've liked what I've tried here including their bun bowls and most recently, I got the rice paper salad. It's not my favorite Vietnamese restaurant in the city (but in fairness, there's so much good Vietnamese food) but I'd go back again when I'm in the area and want a meal. The vibes have wedding banquet hall energy and the staff has always been good vibes.

    We've had a chance to visit a couple of times now and very happy to come back and try so many…read moredifferent things. Spring rolls and Phở, of course, but also trying some of the other items on the menu. (I'm not Vietnamese, so I won't try to talk about authentic vs inauthentic). The restaurant brags about its phở broth and it's very good, very meaty and balanced. There are also large platter options (lettuce wraps, for example) and hot pot options. I didn't try the hot pot, but the group one table over had it. Speaking of the other group, so many varied entrees came out of the kitchen - it was cool to see more than just phở. The waitstaff is quick... almost to the point of impatient! But never problematic. Be aware that dishes fly out of the kitchen as they are ready. One bowl might come out way before the others. An appetizer might come out last. It just whatever is ready (it appears). Also, their takeout game is strong, judging by the amount of trays ready to go and people coming in to carry-out. It's a little far for me to do takeout, but still nice to see.

    Photos
    LC Pho
    LC Pho
    LC Pho

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    Pho Nam Lua - vietnamese - Updated May 2026

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