Vietnamese pho is the Lang Van east Charlotte signature, a slow-simmered beef-bone broth ladled over rice noodles with thin-sliced beef, served with herbs,.

Vietnamese immigrants brought pho to Charlotte's east-side corridor along Shamrock Drive and Central Avenue starting in the late 20th century, after the post-Vietnam-war resettlement programmes through the 1980s. Lang Van opened in 1990 and was awarded Charlotte's only Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2025 for the family-run kitchen's pho and broader Vietnamese menu. Le's Sandwiches and Saigon Palace round out the canonical Charlotte Vietnamese addresses.

Where to eat Vietnamese pho, Lang Van style in Charlotte

1 editor pick for Vietnamese pho, Lang Van style in Charlotte, ranked by editorial score. All Charlotte signature dishes · Vietnamese pho, Lang Van style across every city.

  • Lang Van

    Order The pho and the banh xeo crispy crepe; the menu is broad but those are the dishes that earned the Bib.

    Lang Van is the east Charlotte Vietnamese institution that won the city's only Michelin Bib Gourmand in the 2025 American South guide for pho.

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More places near Lang Van

Not on this list, but close by, nearest first. Every one is in our guide with its address, hours and what to order.

Make it at home

Serves 44 hrIntermediate

Ingredients

  • 1.5kg beef knuckle and shin bones
  • 500g brisket
  • 1 large onion, halved
  • 5cm piece ginger, halved
  • 5 star anise pods
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
  • 3 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 30g rock sugar
  • Salt to taste
  • 400g flat rice noodles
  • 300g raw eye-round beef, sliced paper-thin
  • Garnish: bean sprouts, Thai basil, lime wedges, sliced chili, sliced onion, hoisin and sriracha

Method

  1. Char the onion and ginger directly over a gas flame or under a broiler until blackened. Set aside.
  2. Boil the beef bones and brisket in fresh water 5 minutes. Drain and rinse the bones to remove scum.
  3. Toast the spices (star anise, cloves, cinnamon, coriander) in a dry pan 1 minute until fragrant. Tie in a cheesecloth bundle.
  4. Combine the cleaned bones, brisket, charred onion and ginger, spice bundle, fish sauce and rock sugar in a stock pot. Cover with 4 litres water.
  5. Simmer 3 hours minimum. Remove the brisket after 90 minutes; slice when cool.
  6. Strain the broth. Season with salt.
  7. Cook rice noodles to pack instructions. Drain.
  8. Assemble bowls: noodles, sliced brisket and raw beef, ladle hot broth on top to cook the raw beef. Serve with garnishes.

Editor tip. The blanch-and-rinse step on the bones is what gives clear broth. Skip it and the broth comes out cloudy and flat.

Common allergens: Gluten.