Bún Bò Huế

Bún bò Huế is the spicy lemongrass beef noodle soup from the city of Huế in central Vietnam. It uses thick round rice noodles (bún lớn), a red broth built from annatto oil and shrimp paste (mắm ruốc), and a generous mix of proteins — beef shank, pig knuckle, pork roll, and often congealed blood. It's not a mild dish, and a great bowl announces itself before you taste it.

Philadelphia's Vietnamese community is concentrated along South 8th Street, Washington Avenue, and Passyunk Avenue, and that density has produced a handful of kitchens that make a serious bowl. The three spots below each pull from a central Vietnamese cooking tradition, and the regulars at each will tell you their pick is the best in the city — usually with good reason.