The Vietnamese beef noodle soup that the Pham family brought to Seattle in 1982. The Boat on South Jackson serves the city's defining bowl, with brisket, flank and tendon.
Pho arrived in Seattle in 1982 when Theresa and Augustine Pham opened Cat's Submarine on South Jackson Street, started selling Theresa's weekend pho to homesick Vietnamese customers, and switched the menu over to pho within four months. The shop renamed itself Pho Bac and is generally considered the first dedicated pho restaurant in the United States. The Phams' five children have since built a Seattle empire including Pho Bac Sup Shop, The Boat and Hello Em on 12th. Seattle now has more pho restaurants per capita than any US city outside California.
3 editor picks for Pho in Seattle, ranked by editorial score. All Seattle signature dishes · Pho across every city.
Also in: Ho Chi Minh City.
The Boat ★ 4.7
international-district · 1314 S Jackson St, Seattle, WA 98144
The Boat in Seattle's Little Saigon is the original Pho Bac since 1982: the city's first pho restaurant, still a red boat-shaped building at 13th and Jackson.
Ramie ★ 4.5
capitol-hill · 1529 14th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122
Ramie in Seattle's Capitol Hill is the Nguyen siblings' 2024 modern Vietnamese room: Ba Sa veterans channelling pho and nuoc cham into Wagyu carpaccio.
Ba Bar Capitol Hill ★ 4.3
capitol-hill · 550 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
Ba Bar in Seattle's Capitol Hill is Eric Banh's 2011 Vietnamese street-food room running pho until 02:00 weeknights and 03:30 on weekends, the city's only.