Fat Pho: Delicious Beef Broths & Fresh-Made Noodles

Fat Pho, as its name suggests, deals in the Vietnamese staple of pho and street food favorites. 

It’s hailed as a hip-n-trendy chain that is lauded for its tasty noodle soups, consistency, and affordability. 

About

Fat Pho

Fat Pho, Fengsheng Li

Fat Pho opened in January 2020, and despite it being a really difficult time to open a new brand, it succeeded with flying colors. 

There are currently nine locations in Shanghai, three in Hangzhou, and one in Chengdu. Each store sports its own design and theme, ranging from an almost club-like space to one that’s inspired by old train cars. 

Fat Pho, Pudong Kerry Center (Courtesy of Yeap Lab)

Fat Pho, MixC (Courtesy of Yeap Lab)

Fat Pho, Tianyaoqiao (Courtesy of Fat Pho) → →

Fat Pho, Kerry Center Hangzhou (Courtesy of Fat Pho) → →

Spaces are very visually appealing! Plus, at the bigger locations like the flagship at Fengsheng Li on Maoming Bei Lu, there's even room for a DJ. (Yeah, they also host DJs on the weekends.)

Fat Pho, Fengsheng Li (Courtesy of Yeap Lab)

The Food

Fat Pho

Beef Broth, Fresh Noods, Street Snacks

Fat Pho's menu features some of the best of Vietnamese street foods and noodles, but mainly pho, which they take great pride in. 

Essentially what makes a good pho is good broth that is freshly made and clean tasting, good quality beef, sliced or in meatball form, and good noodles that have spring and texture. Everything else is just window dressing IMO. Though, some would argue that the Sriracha adds magic to the broth... I’m all about the original flavor of the soup. 

Fat Pho makes their broth fresh daily and in-house. Despite the number of locations, they do not employ a central kitchen (so the broth is never frozen), nor do they use pre-packaged powders (much to the offense of the co-founder when I asked). 

It’s also worth noting that Fat Pho uses fresh noodles, a tailor-made recipe produced in a factory and delivered daily. It's slightly thicker and springy than the dried store-bought ones. 

The broth is made by boiling then simmering 50kg of angus beef bones per pot of stock for a minimum of 12 hours. 

Massive vats of beef stock gently cook to reduce cloudiness, and impurities are skimmed as soon they arise. The result is a clear and clean tasting broth that’s beefy and seasoned. 

Combination Beef Pho (¥65) 

The entry level pho is ¥55. But the one everyone ends up ordering is the combination beef pho (¥65), which has thinly sliced beef, meatballs, beef tendons and tripe. 

Fat Pho takes the beef game up a level by offering M6+ and M9+ beef, the latter being the most luxe version of pho out there. 

M9+ Rangers Valley Wagyu Beef Pho (¥288) 

Thin slices of M9+ wagyu over noodles with all the accoutrements. Soup is poured tableside to cook the beef, which melts the fat into the broth. 

Here are some of the other dishes: 

Spring Rolls (¥28/four) 

Liver Pate (¥28) – House-made pate served with baguette. It's a servicable liver pate, nothing too fancy, lightly seasoned.  

Tiger Prawn Rice Paper Rolls (¥38) – A light starter. Prawns, shredded veggies, and vermicelli wrapped in rice paper. Be sure to utilize the chili sauce on the table with this one.  

Char-Grilled Pork with Dipping Noodles (¥65) – Bun cha, grilled meatballs and pork belly, served in a house mix of fish sauce and seasoning, served with vermicelli. 

This is my second favorite dish when it comes to Vietnamese restaurants, mostly because I love the saltiness of the fish sauce. 

Slow-Cooked Beef Brisket Soup (¥65) served with rice or baguette. A clean tasting soup with the pho soup base with additional aromatics, heirloom carrots, and raw onion. 

Poke Vegetarian Vermicelli (¥48) – An all-veggie option of vermicelli and shredded vegetables. Served with fish sauce mix on the side.

Beef Brisket Yellow Curry (¥48) - A mellow curry that's sweet on entry but gives a spicy kick at the end. Served with rice. 

They also have barbecued skewers, including pork (¥28), chicken (¥24), beef (¥38), three skewers per order. 

It’s relatable (noodles and street food), tasty (good broth), and affordable (entry level pho is ¥55). What more do you need for a feed? 

Fat Pho, MixC (Courtesy of Yeap Lab)

Fat Pho's locations are usually rammed during lunch and dinner. But that quickly subsides once the peak hour is up. Also available via delivery.    

By the way, that super luxe M9+ Rangers Valley Wagyu Beef Pho I was raving about? It's now available for ¥128 with a drink. 

The deal runs from now until December 31, 2023; available in store at all locations except at SWFC and Xintiandi Plaza venues. You'll need to get on Dianping to claim the deal, but just ask your server and they'll show you how. 

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Sponsored by Fat Pho

Fat Pho

Locations

Jing'an: Bldg 1, Fengsheng Li, 245 Maoming Bei Lu 茂名北路245弄丰盛里1号

62483537

Sun & Mon-Thu, 10:30am-9:30pm, Fri-Sat, 10:30am-11:30pm

Huangpu: B2, Xintiandi Plaza, 333 Huaihai Zhong Lu 淮海中路333号新天地广场B2层

53098725

Daily, 10:30am-9:30pm

Putuo: 2/F, Bldg 3, Foodie Social, 1143 Xikang Lu 西康路1143号鸿寿坊3栋2楼

62677655

Daily, 10:30am-9:30pm

Minhang: LG149, MixC, 1599 Wuzhong Lu 吴中路1599号万象城LG层149

54299628

Daily, 10am-9:30pm

Xuhui: 1/F, Ascendas Plaza, 333 Tianyaoqiao Lu 333天钥桥路333号腾飞大厦1楼

54652378

Daily, 10am-8:30pm

Hongkou: LG42, Ruihong Tiandi, 181 Ruihong Lu 瑞虹路181号瑞虹天地太阳宫LG层LG42号

65151757

Daily, 10:30am-9:30pm

Pudong: B107, Pudong Kerry Center, 1378 Human Lu 花木路1378号浦东嘉里城B107

58341668

Daily, 10:30am-9:30pm

Pudong: B105, SWFC, 100 Shiji Dadao 世纪大道100号上海环球金融中心B1-B105号

50862011

Daily, 10:30am-8:30pm

Yangpu: L3-44, Hopson One, 1099 Xiangyin Lu 翔殷路1099号上海五角场合生汇3楼L3-44

55958050

Daily, 10:30am-9:30pm

Hangzhou: B216, B2, MixC, 701 Fuchun Lu 富春路701号万象城B2层B216

0571-81395899

Daily, 10:30am-9:30pm

Hangzhou: L401, Kerry Center, 385 Yan’an Lu 延安路385号嘉里中心L401

0571-86939539

Daily, 10:30am-9:30pm

Hangzhou: L179, MixC, Liangzhu Jiedao良渚街道城北万象城L179WB号

0571-87178599

Daily, 10:30am-9:30pm

Chengdu: L1-12-1, 45 Chunxi Lu Beiduan 春熙路北段45号L1-12-1号

028-81189388

Mon-Fri, 10:30am-10pm; Sat-Sun, 10:30am-10:30pm

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