Pho Gia Truyen

Pho Gia Truyen, at 49 Bat Dan Street in the Old Quarter, is one of the best-known pho shops in Hanoi and a fixture on the Michelin Guide's Bib Gourmand list for good-value cooking. The name simply means family-tradition pho, and the shop sticks to what it does best: bowls of northern-style beef noodle soup, made to order at the front counter, with no distractions.

The menu is short. Hanoi pho is about the clarity of the broth and the quality of the beef, and here you choose between three cuts: rare flank, medium-rare round or well-done brisket. Each bowl is assembled at the counter as you order, with flat rice noodles, the beef of your choice and hot broth ladled over the top. Pho is best eaten as soon as it is served, while the broth is at its hottest and rare beef is still tender. Two extras are worth knowing about: quay, crisp fried dough sticks that you dip into the soup, and a raw egg yolk, which adds richness when stirred into the hot broth.

It is cash only, so bring Vietnamese dong. The Michelin Guide tags it as worth queueing for and as a place to eat like a local, so expect a line at busy times; a bowl of pho is a quick meal, so queues tend to move. Be ready to share a table at peak times, as is common in Hanoi's busy noodle shops.

Opening hours are split into two sessions every day: 6am to 11am and 5pm to 9.30pm. Breakfast is the classic time to eat pho in Hanoi, and going early in the morning gives the best chance of a seat and the full choice of cuts. The evening session is useful if you want a light, inexpensive dinner. The shop suits solo travellers, budget travellers and anyone who wants to eat as locals do.

Bat Dan Street is in the Old Quarter, in Hoan Kiem. Don Duck, another Michelin Bib Gourmand address, is on the same street, so this corner of the Old Quarter is a good place for a casual food walk.