Some of Chicago’s most sought-after pho can be found in a strip mall on the Northwest Side. Pho 5 Lua is prized among Vietnamese locals and its eponymous dish stands above most other versions in the area with a complex and aromatic broth accompanied by additions like fatty wagyu beef, hunks of oxtail, brisket, tripe, and meatballs. Order online through the restaurant’s website.

Edgewater’s upscale Vietnamese restaurant Pasteur has drawn cadres of fans for decades with a menu that highlights French colonial influences. Though its attractive dining room is closed, a sip of its deep, flavorful pho broth — simmered for 6 to 10 hours — can mentally whisk diners to happier days of digging into steaming bowls with friends inside the restaurant. Ownership now refers to the business as Simply Pasteur, an amalgam of the original name and that of Simply It, their Lincoln Park restaurant that closed last year. Order online through the restaurant’s website.

Though it hasn’t always fostered the same notoriety as other Argyle restaurants, Uptown Pho serves a traditional bowl featuring eye round steak, flank, soft tendon, tripe, and beef meatballs that’s every bit as hearty and flavorful as those served by the big names in the area. Not to mention that its bo la lat, seasoned beef rolls wrapped in betel leafs, are things of beauty. Order online via Grubhub.

An anchor of Uptown’s Vietnamese community for more than two decades, Tank Noodle delivers some of the best-known bowls of pho the city. The restaurant relies on a time-tested family recipe for popular options like Tank’s Special Combo Pho, which comes with sliced beef, well-done brisket and flank, soft tendon, tripe, meat balls. Order online through the restaurant’s website. Note that restaurant owners have recently been criticized for attending the pro-Trump rally on January 6 in Washington D.C.

Fans beat a path to Pho Viet in Uptown for aromatic bowls of pho studded with strips of flame-kissed rare steak and other meaty add-ins. The unfussy, family-owned spot also features chicken-based pho ga for a slightly lighter take on the heartwarming classic. Order online via BeyondMenu.

Urbanbelly, the Asian-fusion brainchild of acclaimed Chicago chef Bill Kim, offers an unapologetically untraditional type of pho that is still ranked among the top bowls locally. Kim’s coconut curry pho is beloved by many for its slightly sweet and acidic broth accompanied by herbaceous lemongrass chicken. Order online via Caviar, DoorDash, or Ritual.

Downtown stalwart Le Colonial has served upscale Vietnamese-inspired dishes in formal digs for more than two decades in Chicago, relocating from its original Rush Street spot in 2018. True to form, its bowls of pho are pricier than those seen in Uptown, but dedicated fans say the complex oxtail broth and rich beef tenderloin is worth the cost. Order online through the restaurant’s website.

Mary Nguyen Aregoni and Theresa Nguyen, the eponymous siblings of Saigon Sisters, first began introducing unfamiliar Chicagoans to Vietnamese cooking at their French Market outpost in 2009. In the years since, they’ve launched a full-service location that features their creative approach to the cuisine. Though many are drawn to the wildly popular banh mi, customers shouldn’t overlook the pho — especially the roast beef option with added meatball. The restaurant also operates a location in Streeterville on Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s second floor. Order online through the restaurant’s website.

Pho is literally the name of the game at Pho Cafe, where staff know how to perfectly package soup, noodles, and condiments for transport — a skill of enormous value during Chicago’s ban on indoor dining. The broth comes out so hot that it will still cook thin-cut meats when it hits the bowl at home. Order online through the restaurant’s website.