Cafe Nhan

THE best bun bo hue in Philly! My mom is visiting from out of town and called my dad to talk about how good it was. Can’t wait to try their other food. Found a go-​to spot to order from when my picky Vietnamese parents come to visit!

So many reviewers on here saying they like Café Nhan’s Bun Bo Hue better than that of Café Diem’s, but I say they are both different and could both use improvements. It is really hard to say which is better and which is the best in Philly. Café Diem’s BBH has better cuts of beef. Café Nhan’s has better broth overall, less greasy than that of Café Diem’s. Café Nhan’s have pork blood cubes which some people may find disgusting but it does contain the deluxe ham that Café Diem charges an extra $ 1 for. I personally do not like the ham. Both BBH have pork feet but Café Diem’s contains bone and is way too chewy/​hard to eat. What I didn’t like about Café Nhan’s BBH however, was that the noodles were undercooked, not al dente, undercooked. It wasn’t chewy, but simply starchy and hard. The noodles make up a BIG part of this dish and I was dissappointed that Café Nhan’s noodles did not deliver. Café Diem’s noodles are bouncy and al dente every time.
I tried my friend’s phở and I would say the broth is the best I’ve had; beats Phở 75 and Phở Ha’s broth on Washington Ave.
I also tried their original bahn mi and the iced coffee. The bahn mi had good flavor but was super thin (could use more meat) and could use pickled daikon and carrots to add a bit more sweetness which I did not see in the sandwich. The iced coffee was too sweet (too much condensed milk and not enough coffee) and mostly fill with ice. Both were not anything spactacular.
The owners at Café Nhan were super friendly though. My table asked for more vegetables and more napkins and more water and they were beyond accomodating. It certainly feels like everything is homemade and extremely fresh.
I would give this place 5 stars if some of the recipes are improved. There’s also a 15 – 20 minute wait because the establishment is small. Hope they get more business and can move to a bigger place.

If you want authentic vietnamese food, Café Nhan is the place to go! Their menu is small, because they keep it real!

Great food. Many options and excellent service. I love Vietnamese food and this is definitely my new favorite. The complimentary iced tea is a nice touch.

Literally the most legit place for viet noodles. The chef here have a great taste and her food are the closest to the one made in Vietnam. Had their Phở and by far are the best one in philly compare to all the place on washington ave, south philly, and even upper darby. The phở broth was rich in flavor, meat tasted fresh, and the noodle was chewy. Bun Bo Hue (bbh) here is legit as well. Authentic food, cozy place and friendly staff. Excited to comeback soon to try their rice dishes.

I first discovered café nhan when I moved to Philly back in 2011 when I didn’t have a mobile to get around places and was always catching a cab or taking the bus. We’ve came across this place a few times and I’ve seen a sign they have posted outside that they do delivery. Very convenient when you don’t have a car. So craving for phở (Vietnamese noodle soup) one day I decided to give them a call and made an ordered for my boyfriend and I. We both ordered phở and summer rolls to share and had them delivered. I think they only delivered from a certain time. If I can recalled, 5pm is being their latest. I don’t know if it has change or not because I haven’t ordered from them in a long time considering I have a mobile now. It didn’t take long for them to delivered. The phở was still very warm. The broth was full of flavor and very tasty. The summer rolls were good as well. Since they also serve other soups like bun bo hue (Vietnamese spicy beef noodle soup) and bun rieu I would love to return some day and try those soups as well.

Unilocalers don’t lie! My food was delicious! I ordered the Mì Hoánh Thánh (shrimp wonton noodle soup). I ordered to-​go so it came as a «kit” — broth in one container and all the ingredients in another. I had no bowl so they gave me a small styrofoam bowl to use. It came with 3 shrimp wontons and 3 shrimp as well as all the traditional Vietnamese fixins. The seafood was not at all fishy and was obivously fresh. The flavors were amazing when mixed all together. They perfectly complimented each other. I am so happy I tried this today. The portion was just right for lunch. I’m full but not overly stuffed. If I had judged this restaurant based on what the store front looks like– I would have definitely passed it by. There’s amazing things going on inside! Thanks Unilocal for your helpful suggestions pointing me to another tasty meal!!!

The BEST Bun Bo Hue EVER in Philly!!!
I was craving for BBH and Café Diem was closed. I was a tad bit sad so with the help of Unilocal,Nhan was the next best option. Apparently, this is tucked in by a beer distributer near Passyunk and Synder. Parking is not easy accessible since it is a busy intersection, but residential street parking is convenient enough.
This little gem is definitely a hole-​in-​the-​wall… With only 2 tables! I seriously thought I was going to be disappointed, but once I took my first slurp of the soup. I was appalled. The broth is everything. Packed with flavor and enough kick of spiciness. My mouth is watering as I’m posting this review. I can’t wait to go back for another bowl.
In my opinion, this is way better than Café Diem. That alone, says a lot.

I like this place. Solid Vietnamese food, friendly staff. The phở is good, compared to others in South Philly, probably a 7 or 8 of 10. The Vietnamese hoagies are really excellent and there is a good selection. The special hoagie was fresh and full of flavor.
Best for pick-​up or delivery, although I understand there is not always a delivery person available. I picked our order up and it was friendly and quick. Very limited space for eating in.

By far the best bun bo hue spot in Philadelphia! The flavors come together great and everything is so delicious!!! All the dishes have the wonderful homemade taste! It’s a small spot but the flavors are very big :) everyone should try it! Very authentic and the staff is super friendly!

Excellent soup, nice people. There is seating for about 7 total, but takeout is easy no problem. The menu is quite short, so you don’t have to spend an hour going over your options. I would totally come here again.

Best bun bo hue in Philly for sure… and also the entire USA. Banh mi is next level. None of that cheap stuff here.
This place has replaced 3 restaurants that I used to go to.
Food they make is better than Vietnam. They have better ingredients, cleaner and much closer
Small menu of items means each one it’s perfected. Oxtail phở … orgasmic

This is a simple hole in a wall restaurant. They’re are two tables. The menu is simple. The bun rieu. This has a tomato type broth with a rice noodle.
For under $ 10 the pricing is average. Food is fairly good.

This place has the best bun bo hue I’ve ever had in Philly. It’s rich in flavor and depth, and the ingredients are always fresh. If you’re not a big fan of spice, try the phở and its delicious broth. For those looking to try out some Vietnamese food, definitely come by this small, but awesome place. The owners are also very welcoming and sweet. With my hometown being outside of Philly, this is the best place for my taste of homemade, authentic Viet food — away from home :) Happy eating!

I’m not going to write much, so people don’t find out about this place. It definitely does deserve 5 stars, though! Lots of TLC goes into the broth. Will be back soon to try their BBH.

This place has the best bun bo hue I’ve ever tasted other than my mom (and that’s hard to top). I’ve been to its competitor numerous times before as it was my go-​to for bbh (Diem). But once I leave Diem I always noticed that I would get the MSG affect in which the back of my neck would have a heavy feeling as if someone was constantly applying pressure to it. Despite the affect I would still return considering that WAS the only place I knew of that offered delicious bun bo hue. Until I found this place. And boy oh boy am I glad that I did! Her bbh is so amazing. The broth is flavorful and you can tell its of substance and not just full of MSG. She gives a very generous amount of beef with each bowl. I always leave super happy and without the MSG affect.
This review is solely on the bun bo hue. I come to enjoy this so much that I haven’t had the heart to venture out and try other items on the menu. But if you’re a BBH lover like myself — you won’t be disappointed. =D

I’m glad we stopped by this restaurant before we left Philly. I was craving for Vietnamese food and stumbled across this from Unilocal.I was a little skeptical since there are only 21 reviews and I would think 15 out of 21 were probably written by friends and family. I read through all the reviews and checked where the Unilocalers are located. I also looked through all the pictures to make sure the Vietnamese food are legit. My dad’s family is from vietnam, so I know the food looked authentic from the pictures.
It is a small family run restaurant. It’s nothing fancy so don’t expect a lot. They only have 2 tables for dine in. It’s the food that matters. The guy at the counter was very nice and polite. I think he’s the son of the owner. He offered us iced tea on a hot summer day and asked how did we hear about this restaurant when we started doing small talks. I told him I found it on Unilocal.The area does look a little sketchy, so he’s probably thinking what are you New Yorkers doing here lol…
I ordered a bun ba hue ($ 10) from Unilocal recommendations and my fiancé ordered a phở dac biet ($ 9). They are a little pricey for Vietnamese food but I love to support mom and pop businesses. My bbh was a bit spicey but I love the kick. Other Unilocalers did note that the bowl doesn’t come with enough meat. I thought the portion was very generous. They probably made changes after reading the reviews. I have to say, it was the best bbh I’ve ever had!!! The soup was amazing and all the veggies that came with us were fresh. The owner saw that my fiancé and I love bean sprouts, they gave us more without us asking. She also told us about their homemade hot sauce. She even told my fiancé to mix the chili sauce with hoisin sauce and dip the meat in it. I thought it was very sweet for them to explain to us how to properly eat phở even though we are experts at it. You can tell their food is made with love and they care about their customer’s dining experience. I wish they open one in NYC. We would definitely come back the next time we’re in town!

Alright. Here’s the deal.
It’s a pretty small place. Two table thats seats four each. They have extra chairs around so if you decide to come with a large group and dont mind sitting close to one another, Im sure they wont mind opening the folding chairs for ur party. Friendly service. And yes, their prices are a bit higher than ur normal Phở places.
We’ve always gone to this other place for their fabulous bun bo hue. So when people raved about the bun bo hue at Café Nhan, you best bet we’re ordering one to try. Broth was strong and intense. Very flavorful. The only down side is it lacked beef. You get more brisket/​tendons vs. beef. And the texture of the beef is slightly tough.
Also got a House Special Hoagie to go. Hubby enjoyed it. He loved the flavor, a flavor that stands out and cant quite put my finger on wat it is. Guess we’ll have to go back and try it again amongst other goodies on the menu!

My 1^st venture here was a tasty treat! I wanted a soup; but not phở. The Bun Bo Hue sounded good, as I was in the mood for something spicy. I was told it could be made w/​o pork, so I went for it. Asked if I wanted the spice level toned down to which I replied «no.» It was delicious. Very spicy yes!!! w/​a nice lemongrass kick. Didn’t care much for the tendons, and wished there was some more beef, but it was very enjoyable. The noodles (wheat) were thick and al dente. Abundant fresh herbs& stuff were a great addition. As was a side of dipping sauce; which was a great hot sauce w/​a dab of something in the middle, which can best be described as a nuoc nam paste.
The woman who owns the place was very helpful and friendly. She was stuffing wontons as she explained the other soups on the menu. They all sounded great! Menu is small– mostly phở, banh mi, rice platters and 5 other soups containing noodles or wontons.
The place is small, but tidy. There are only 2 tables, so you may not be able to dine-in.They do deliver, but I’m too far away.
Looking forward to returning to try something different. This place is the real deal.

Tastes just like nostalgia. What I mean by that is that I grew up with homemade Viet food and this exactly is the spot to experience that homemade love. The food was VERY authentic Vietnamese which is rare nowadays as plenty of Viet restaurants are trying to cater to the tastebuds of Americans. Oh good ol’ ‘Murica!
Food was on point. Bun bo hue was the best I’ve had in a VERY long time. The soup was savory but yet multi-​sensory taste balanced with a nice spicy kick. I could taste almost every sense of taste there is.
Place is a bit pricey for a Viet joint but you get what you pay for easily. They can charge more easily just based on the quality of food alone.