This neighborhoody Vietnamese restaurant in West Berkeley does double duty with a menu that’s equally divided between pho and banh mi — and does a solid job in both categories. The pho dac biet here is a very respectable rendition, with a beefy, slightly sweet broth and a generous portion of meant highlighted by some nice, fatty slices of brisket. Bonus points for how tidily and efficiently the restaurant packs up its to-go orders.

During the coronavirus crisis, Monster Pho has distinguished itself in the way it has given back to the community — giving away thousands of bowls of free pho, among other philanthropic-minded initiatives. But even before that, the restaurant — along with its sister location in Emeryville — had already cultivated a following for its solid, aromatic beef pho, notable for its broth’s notes of warm spice.

Arguably Oakland’s most reliably delicious pho spot, this friendly, family-run restaurant serves one of the richest, most flavorful bowls in the area — all the more so if you doctor up the broth with some nuoc beo, or rendered beef fat with scallions, available by request on the side. (If you know, you know.)

For many years, Ao Sen was, in the eyes of many Vietnamese food connoisseurs, the be all and end all of Oakland’s pho scene — the one spot where you could score a consistently satisfying bowl. These days, pho enthusiasts have more options, but Ao Sen’s clean, rich beef broth is still a reliable favorite. The restaurant also has a newer location in Albany.

This longtime Tenderloin favorite is a neighborhood staple for its dark, flavorful Southern-style beef pho, but its most distinctive offering is probably the #26 pho kho — a dry-style beef pho that comes with all the fixings, but with the broth served on the side for sipping. And for those looking for a spicier, punchier Vietnamese noodle soup, Pho Tan Hoa is also one of a handful of spots in the city that serves a reputable bowl of bun bo Hue.

Vietnamese-born chef Rob Lam (Perle) made a name for himself in the Bay Area cooking French and upscale Cal-Asian food before opening Lily, his first Vietnamese restaurant, during the pandemic — maybe the most forward-thinking and contemporary of the city’s upscale Vietnamese spots, even in its current takeout-only iteration. His take on pho ga, or chicken pho, features a confit chicken leg and pieces of fried cruller. Meanwhile, a side of intensely rich beef pho broth is the star of Lam’s take on a French dip sandwich.

Pho is the namesake dish at Alameda’s top Vietnamese restaurant, which gussies up an array of classic Vietnamese street foods, including a wide range of different versions of pho. Slightly nonconventional options include a vegetarian pho, an oxtail pho, and a luxe version that features sliced rib eye.

This relative newcomer in Bernal Heights has garnered a following for its big bowls of savory, generously meaty pho. Beyond that, the restaurant specializes in the home-style cuisine of the southern Bac Lieu province, and it serves a wide range of dishes not commonly found at the city’s Vietnamese restaurants: shrimp-topped banh khot; bun bo Hue; hu tieu nam vang; and, especially, bun mam, the umami-laden noodle soup famous for its pungent hit of fermented fish paste.

Opened during the pandemic, this San Lorenzo newcomer already has a strong local following for its flavorful beef pho broth, as well as its selection of somewhat harder-to-find Vietnamese dishes: The bun bo Hue and crab-infused bun rieu are both strong additions to the local soup scene.