Albuquerque, NMVietnamese

Pho Nho opened in 2022 on Coors Boulevard NW, where owner Vu Tran's father oversees the broth in an exhibition kitchen. Gil Garduno rated it Excellent and called its beef marrow soup one of the very best bowls of pho he has had, praising the pork ribs noodle soup as the essence of pho and the spicy lemongrass noodle soup as a favorite. Order the beef marrow pho or the pork ribs noodle soup, and add the satay oxtail hotpot if you are with a group.

Pho Ginger sits in the Mission Square shopping center on Juan Tabo Boulevard NE, its dining room decorated with a mural of life along the Mekong River. Writing for Gil Garduno's blog, Jim Millington called it the best Vietnamese in Albuquerque and singled out the baguette that anchors one of the city's better banh mi. Best bets run to the banh mi, bun bo hue, mango salad, and the rice noodle bowl with pork and beef. Come for a banh mi and a bowl of bun bo hue.

Pho #1 has served the International District from San Pedro Drive SE for more than two decades. Gil Garduno rated it Very Good and noted a menu of more than a hundred items, including a large selection of pho bo, the beef noodle soups the name stakes its claim on. The seven courses of beef, a shared beef tasting, is the house showpiece. Order a bowl of pho bo, or gather a group for the seven courses of beef.

Viet Taste opened in 2007 on Menaul Boulevard NE, founded by Huong Thi Pham in a room designed around feng shui with bamboo accents and black and white photography. Gil Garduno praised its comprehensive style of cooking, its picture perfect plating, and delicate, layered flavors, calling it close to unequaled in Albuquerque for ambience. It is a sit-down Vietnamese kitchen built for a longer meal. Order the rice vermicelli bowls and the pho, and take time over the plating.

Lime Vietnamese opened just before 2017 on Montgomery Boulevard NE, with a lineage tracing back to Albuquerque stalwarts like Que Huong and Viet Taste. Gil Garduno called its pho one of the very best in Albuquerque and noted Lime is more generous with its meat than most, without losing the flavors. Best bets include the pho, the vermicelli patties with pork and beef, and the grilled pork and dumpling soup. Order the pho and the vermicelli with pork and beef.