Ignore the numbers
Many pho restaurants number their menu items: Pho 1, Pho 2, Pho Dac Biet, and so on up to Pho 12 or higher. New customers assume these numbers are standardised -- that Pho 1 means the same thing everywhere. It does not. At all.
The numbers are internal to each restaurant. Pho 1 at one place might be rare beef only. At another it is well-done brisket. At a third it is a chicken pho. The numbers exist for kitchen efficiency, not customer communication.
Ignore the numbers entirely. Use the Vietnamese names. They mean the same thing everywhere.
Every pho restaurant, regardless of how it numbers its menu, uses the same Vietnamese vocabulary for the cuts: tai, chin, gau, sach, gan, bo vien. These words are universal across all Vietnamese pho restaurants worldwide. Learn the vocabulary once and you can read any menu.
The three main types
Before you get to the cuts, there is a more fundamental choice on most menus: what kind of pho are you eating?
The original and still the default. Beef bone broth, beef in various cuts, rice noodles. When a menu just says "pho" without specifying, it is pho bo. All the cut variations (tai, chin, dac biet etc) apply to pho bo. This is what this whole guide is about.
Made with chicken broth and chicken meat -- typically a combination of white and dark meat, shredded or sliced. The broth is lighter and cleaner than beef pho, with a gentler spice profile. Excellent in its own right and underrated by people who order beef automatically. A good choice when you want something lighter, or when the weather is warm.
Made with vegetable broth, no meat or fish sauce. The quality varies enormously -- a serious pho chay uses the same spice profile as beef pho, with deep vegetable stocks built from roasted onion, mushrooms, and aromatics. A lazy version is just seasoned water with noodles. Worth asking how the broth is made before ordering at a new place.
Dac biet -- the house special
Dac biet means "special" in Vietnamese. On a pho menu, it means the house combination -- the restaurant's own selection of cuts in a single bowl, usually their most comprehensive offering. What is in the dac biet varies by restaurant, but it almost always includes tai (rare beef) and at least two or three other cuts.
Ordering dac biet at a new restaurant is the single best way to understand that kitchen. You see every cut the restaurant is proud of, all in one bowl, all in the same broth. You learn more in one visit than you would from three separate orders.
Always ask what is in the dac biet if you have dietary restrictions or strong preferences. Some versions include sach (tripe) or gan (tendon) and some people do not know this until it arrives. Most restaurants are happy to modify if asked.
Common combinations decoded
Beyond dac biet, most menus offer a range of combinations using Vietnamese cut names joined together. Here are the most common ones and exactly what they mean:
You can almost always customise by asking for substitutions. If a combination has sach (tripe) and you do not want it, ask to swap for extra chin or tai. Most restaurants accommodate this without any issue.
Sizes -- and why large is almost always correct
Most pho restaurants offer small, medium, and large. Some only offer medium and large. The naming varies -- some use S/M/L, some use Nho/Vua/Lon (Vietnamese for small/medium/large), some just say "regular" and "large."
The practical reality: a medium pho at a Vietnamese restaurant is already a substantial bowl. A large is genuinely large. If you are eating pho as a full meal -- which is the correct way to eat it -- medium is the minimum. Large is often the better call, especially if the restaurant is known for its broth, because more broth means more of the best part.
A starter-sized portion. Useful if you are sharing several dishes or ordering for a child. Most adults will finish a small and want more.
The standard full meal for most people. Enough noodles, enough broth, enough meat. Start here if you are unsure of your appetite.
Default choiceFor serious appetites, or for people who genuinely love the broth and want as much of it as possible. The correct choice for dac biet -- more room for all the cuts.
Extras, add-ons, and the side dishes
Beyond the main bowl, most pho restaurants offer a set of extras worth knowing about.
Asking for extra broth -- a small pot or ladle on the side -- is completely normal and often free or very cheap. Do it if your noodles are absorbing too much liquid, or if you want to taste the broth on its own. Any serious pho restaurant expects this request.
Usually available as a side order of plain blanched noodles, served dry so you can add them to your broth as needed. Useful if you are very hungry or if you finish the noodles but still have broth left.
A firm, steamed pork sausage wrapped in banana leaf, sliced and served on the side or inside the bowl. Not pho itself, but a very common accompaniment in Vietnamese restaurants. Worth trying if you see it.
Fresh rice paper rolls with shrimp or pork, herbs, and vermicelli -- served cold with peanut dipping sauce. A classic starter or side to pho. Lighter and fresher than the fried version.
Many Vietnamese pho restaurants also serve com tam -- broken jasmine rice with grilled pork, egg, and accompaniments. If the restaurant does both pho and com tam, they are likely doing both well.