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Vietnamese Near the Adelaide Convention Centre: Why the Walk to Grote Street Is Worth It

★ As featured in Glam Adelaide — 2025 SA Restaurant & Catering Awards finalist

If you’ve just stepped out of a session at the Adelaide Convention Centre — or you’re killing time before a show at the Festival Centre — and you’re craving something warmer than a conference sandwich, here’s the honest tip: the best bowl of phở near the Riverbank isn’t on the Riverbank at all. It’s about a 15–20 minute walk south, at 65 Grote Street in Chinatown, where Bà Năm has been ladling 18-hour broth since 2023.

Bà Năm isn’t a new idea — it’s an old one that travelled. The recipes come from Bà Năm Lời’s home kitchen in Trảng Bàng, Tây Ninh, where she’s been cooking since the 1970s. Her grandson Huynh Nguyen and owner Thi Gai Vo brought that kitchen to Adelaide in 2023, real bones, Sunday farm runs and all. It’s not a luxury venue, just very genuine — which, after a full day of lanyards and lukewarm coffee, might be exactly what you’re after.

Warm timber tables, black metal chairs and rattan pendant lights inside Bà Năm Restaurant on Grote Street, Adelaide — menus on the tables and chalkboard specials on a corrugated wall
Inside Bà Năm on Grote Street — the Chinatown dining room waiting at the end of a 15–20 minute walk from the Convention Centre and Riverbank.

Where Is Bà Năm From the Convention Centre, Festival Centre and Casino Precinct?

Bà Năm sits at 65 Grote Street in Adelaide’s Chinatown — not on the Riverbank itself, but an easy, mostly flat walk south through the CBD. From the Adelaide Convention Centre, the Festival Centre or the casino precinct on North Terrace, allow about 15–20 minutes on foot. You’ll head down through the city grid, past Victoria Square, and land in the middle of Chinatown, right by the Central Market end of Grote Street. It’s a genuinely pleasant walk on a decent Adelaide day, and a good way to shake off a morning of plenary sessions.

If you’re mapping the wider neighbourhood, our Vietnamese near Rundle Mall guide covers the eastern shopping walk, our Vietnamese near Hindley Street guide covers the West End after-show route, our Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown Adelaide guide covers the precinct itself, our Vietnamese lunch near Central Market guide covers market day, and the Vietnamese food in Adelaide CBD overview ties the CBD together. This page is specifically for the Convention Centre / Riverbank / Festival Centre approach — conference lunch, pre-show dinner, or a post-session bowl when the venue café won’t cut it.

Bà Năm Restaurant exterior on Grote Street, Adelaide — hanging BÀ NĂM RESTAURANT sign above the glass shopfront, about 15–20 minutes on foot from the Adelaide Convention Centre
65 Grote Street — hanging Bà Năm sign on the Chinatown strip, about 15–20 minutes on foot south from the Convention Centre and Festival Centre.

Why Walk 20 Minutes for a Bowl of Soup?

Because of the red coin. Bà Năm’s Phở Tái arrives with paper-thin rounds of rare beef laid over the noodles, and the boiling 18-hour broth cooks them right there in the bowl in front of you. That broth — the 18-hour broth & red coin method the family has used since the 1970s — simmers on real bones for a full 18 hours before it ever meets your table. No shortcuts, no powder, no fuss.

The beef is locally sourced, and Huynh still does his Sunday farm runs to keep it that way. If you’re weighing up where the best phở in Adelaide actually is while you’re in town for a conference, this is the bowl the venue food court can’t compete with.

What to Order: Conference Lunch, Pre-Show Dinner or Post-Session Groups

Solo and on the clock between sessions? A small Phở Bò at $20 (large $22) is quick, warming and won’t leave you nodding off in the afternoon keynote. If you’ve got a bit more time, the Phở Thố Đá at $25 — phở served in a sizzling stone bowl — is the one people photograph, and the full Stone Bowl Set at $39 is a proper sit-down feed. Fans of something with more chilli heat should look at Bún Bò Huế, $20 small or $22 large, or $25 in the stone bowl.

Bringing colleagues or a pre-show group? Start with gỏi cuốn or chả giò at $14, and share a crackling bánh xèo at $22. Gỏi Bò Tái Chanh at $25 is a bright, citrusy rare-beef salad that goes down well at a table of mixed appetites, and Cơm Sườn Bì Chả at $20 sorts out anyone who’d rather have rice than noodles. Round it out with a Vietnamese iced coffee — cà phê sữa đá or đen đá at $8 — a Trà Đào Cam Sả peach tea at $10, or a fresh Nước Dừa coconut for $8. Order a stone-bowl tái dish and you’re in the running for the TÁI CLUB monthly lucky draw, too.

Clear phở broth in a hot stone bowl with beef balls and spring onion, beside a plate of paper-thin red-coin rare beef and a plate of fresh herbs and bean sprouts at Bà Năm Adelaide
Phở Thố Đá — the stone bowl keeps the 18-hour broth boiling so the red-coin beef cooks at your table.

Timing Your Visit Around a Conference Day

Bà Năm is open seven days, 11:00am–9:00pm, stretching to 9:30pm over summer (October to March) — which covers a conference lunch break, a pre-show dinner before the Festival Centre, and a late feed after evening drinks at the casino. Fair warning: at peak times there’s an honest 15–30 minute wait, so if you’re on a tight schedule, come a touch early or a touch late. Bookings are on OpenTable, and if your delegation is eight or more, give the family a ring on (08) 8151 0106 so they can set you up properly. Prefer to order ahead and time the walk? order.phobanam.com.au has the full menu.

As featured in Glam Adelaide: Chinatown family phở spot serves up grandma’s authentic recipe · Named among Adelaide’s best restaurants of 2025 (finalist). Bà Năm was a 2025 Hostplus SA Restaurant & Catering Awards finalist in the Vietnamese Restaurant category — finalist, not winner, and we’re happy to say it straight. The broth still gets its 18 hours either way.

Make It Part of Your Riverbank Day

The walk from the Convention Centre to Chinatown is one of the nicer accidental tours of Adelaide you can take — down through the CBD, past Victoria Square, into the buzz of Grote Street with the Central Market humming next door. A bowl of 18-hour phở in the middle of a conference day isn’t just lunch; it’s the bit of the trip you’ll actually tell people about.

So next time the session breaks and someone suggests the venue café, offer the alternative: about 15–20 minutes on foot, a bowl of red coin Phở Tái cooking in front of you, and a family recipe that’s been going since the 1970s. Bà Năm, 65 Grote Street. See you down there.

Coming From Adelaide Oval?

On footy or cricket days, the walk south from the ground to Grote Street is about 20–25 minutes. Our dedicated Vietnamese near Adelaide Oval guide covers pre-match lunch, post-siren share tables, and honest peak-wait timing.

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Frequently asked questions

How far is Bà Năm from the Adelaide Convention Centre?

About 15–20 minutes on foot. Bà Năm is at 65 Grote Street in Chinatown — south of the Riverbank, past Victoria Square, near the Central Market.

Is Bà Năm good for a quick conference lunch?

Yes — a small Phở Bò is $20 and arrives fast. Just allow for an honest 15–30 minute wait at peak times, so time your break accordingly.

Can I book for a group after a conference session?

Bookings are available on OpenTable, and groups of 8 or more should call ahead on (08) 8151 0106 so the family can look after you properly.

What is the red coin Phở Tái?

Paper-thin rounds of rare, locally sourced beef that cook in the bowl when the boiling 18-hour bone broth is poured over them at the table.

What are Bà Năm’s opening hours?

Seven days, 11:00am–9:00pm, extending to 9:30pm in summer (October–March) — handy for pre-show dinners near the Festival Centre.