Vietnamese Food & Phở Near East Terrace, Adelaide

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

East Terrace runs along Adelaide’s eastern park lands — and a genuine bowl of Southern Vietnamese phở is a flat 12–22 minute walk west to 65 Grote Street in Chinatown.

Bà Năm isn’t a luxury venue — it’s a genuine Vietnamese kitchen opened in 2023 by Huynh Nguyen and Thi Gai Vo, cooking recipes that started in Bà Năm Lời’s home kitchen in 1970s Trảng Bàng, Tây Ninh, in Southern Vietnam. The broth simmers for 18 hours on real bones, no concentrates or powders, and the signature Phở Thố Đá arrives in a stone bowl still boiling at your table. If you live, work, or walk the park lands near East Terrace, this page covers exactly how far the walk is, what to order, and how to skip some of the queue.

How Far Is Bà Năm from East Terrace?

East Terrace is the eastern park-lands edge of the Adelaide CBD — distinct from Hutt Street further into the east-end fringe, from Frome Street one corridor west, and from the already-mapped North, South, and West terraces. The walk to Bà Năm is mostly flat: head west across the grid toward Victoria Square and King William Street, then continue west along Grote Street into Chinatown. You’ll find 65 Grote Street a short stretch past the Central Market strip.

• Central East Terrace (Grenfell / Pirie / Flinders latitudes): about 12–18 minutes — the straightest cross-town walk. Head west on Grenfell, Pirie, or Flinders, then swing onto Grote via Victoria Square or King William.
• Northern East Terrace (toward North Terrace / Botanic Gardens): about 15–22 minutes — angle south-west toward the city hinge, or drop via Rundle Mall / Pulteney before cutting west onto Grote.
• Southern East Terrace (toward Wakefield / Angas / Carrington / South Terrace latitudes): about 15–22 minutes — track north-west toward Victoria Square, then west on Grote into Chinatown.

It’s a genuine lunchtime or after-work walk across the square mile — long enough to build an appetite, short enough that the bowl is waiting on the other side. If you’re on a tight window, order ahead through the app at order.phobanam.com.au so your food is underway before you leave. There’s a small credit on your first app order.

What to Order After the Walk

You’ve earned a proper bowl. Start here:

• Phở Thố Đá — our signature stone bowl phở. The broth arrives still boiling at the table, so the last spoonful is as hot as the first.
• Phở Tái — the classic. Our “red coin” rare beef is sliced paper-thin and cooks in the bowl in front of you. Read more on the phở tái page, and if you order the stone-bowl tái dine-in, you’re automatically in the TÁI CLUB monthly lucky draw.
• Bún bò Huế — for spice-leaning days, the bún bò Huế brings lemongrass heat.
• Cơm tấm — broken rice with grilled pork, egg and pickles. The lunch that makes the walk back feel shorter.
• Gỏi bò tái chanh — lime-cured rare beef salad, bright and sharp, good for sharing.
• Finish with a Vietnamese iced coffee for the stroll back toward the eastern park lands.

Still weighing options? Our honest take on what makes a good bowl of phở in Adelaide lays out how we think about broth.

An 18-Hour Broth from a Trảng Bàng Home Kitchen

Bà Năm started long before Adelaide — in the 1970s home kitchen of Bà Năm Lời in Trảng Bàng, Tây Ninh, in Vietnam’s south. Founders Huynh Nguyen and Thi Gai Vo carried that recipe here and opened on Grote Street in 2023.

The method hasn’t been shortcut. The broth simmers for 18 hours over real bones — no concentrates, no powders. The beef is local, topped up with Sunday farm runs. At peak times you might wait 15–30 minutes for a table, and we’d rather tell you that straight than pretend otherwise. Not a luxury venue. Just very genuine. In 2025, the restaurant was named a finalist in the Vietnamese category at the Hostplus SA Restaurant & Catering Awards — finalist, not winner — and Glam Adelaide has featured the kitchen twice. The honest measure is still the broth itself.

Practical Notes from East Terrace

• Address: 65 Grote Street, Adelaide SA 5000 — in Chinatown
• Walk time: about 12–18 minutes from central East Terrace at the Grenfell / Pirie / Flinders latitudes; 15–22 from the northern (North Terrace / Botanic) or southern (Wakefield–South Terrace) ends
• Hours: open 7 days, 11am–9pm (until 9:30pm October–March), public holidays included
• Phone: (08) 8151 0106
• Walk-ins: always welcome; honest 15–30 minute wait at peak
• Bookings: OpenTable via /book/ — groups of 8+ please call ahead
• App: order ahead at order.phobanam.com.au — there’s a small credit on your first app order
• TÁI CLUB: order the stone-bowl tái dine-in and you’re in the monthly draw — details on the TÁI CLUB page

Coming From Somewhere Else in the CBD?

East Terrace completes the park-lands terrace ring. If you’re starting elsewhere:

• Vietnamese near Burnside — second-ring eastern foothills (Greenhill Road / Burnside Village).
• Vietnamese near North Terrace
• Vietnamese near South Terrace
• Vietnamese near West Terrace
• Vietnamese near Hutt Street
• Vietnamese near Norwood — first eastern-suburbs guide (The Parade / Kent Town / Magill Road edge)
• Vietnamese near Frome Street
• Vietnamese near Pulteney Street
• Vietnamese near Rundle Mall
• Vietnamese near Grenfell Street
• Vietnamese near Pirie Street
• Vietnamese near Flinders Street
• Vietnamese near Wakefield Street
• Vietnamese in Adelaide Chinatown
• Vietnamese food across the Adelaide CBD
• Vietnamese near the Central Market
• Vietnamese near Hindmarsh — first western-suburbs guide (Port Road / Bowden / Thebarton edge)

The Short Version

From East Terrace, Bà Năm is a flat 12–22 minute walk west across the CBD into Chinatown — via Victoria Square onto Grote Street. Order the Phở Thố Đá stone bowl or the red coin Phở Tái, know the broth took 18 hours, and use the app if you’re short on time. Open 7 days, 11am–9pm (later in summer).

Bà Năm — 65 Grote Street, Adelaide SA 5000. Open seven days, 11am–9pm (until 9:30pm October–March), public holidays included. Phone (08) 8151 0106. Order ahead at order.phobanam.com.au — there’s a small credit on your first app order. Bookings via OpenTable; groups of 8+ please call.

Coming from the suburb north of the park lands? See our guide to Vietnamese near North Adelaide — honest walk and drive times from O’Connell Street and Melbourne Street across to Chinatown.

Frequently asked questions

How far is Bà Năm from East Terrace?

It’s a mostly flat walk of about 12–18 minutes from central East Terrace at the Grenfell / Pirie / Flinders latitudes west across the CBD into Chinatown, and about 15–22 minutes from the northern end toward North Terrace / the Botanic Gardens or the southern end toward Wakefield through South Terrace. Head west toward Victoria Square, then along Grote Street — Bà Năm is at 65 Grote Street.

What is the “red coin” Phở Tái?

It’s paper-thin round slices of rare beef — the “red coins” — served over noodles and cooked right in the bowl by the boiling 18-hour bone broth. The beef finishes cooking in front of you in seconds. We use local beef, topped up with Sunday farm runs.

What is Phở Thố Đá?

Phở Thố Đá is Bà Năm’s signature stone bowl phở. The heavy stone bowl keeps the broth boiling when it reaches your table, so the rare beef cooks tableside and the soup stays piping hot to the last spoonful. Order the stone-bowl tái dine-in and you’re also in the running for the TÁI CLUB monthly lucky draw.

What are Bà Năm’s opening hours?

Bà Năm is open 7 days a week, 11am–9pm, extending to 9:30pm from October through March. That includes public holidays. At peak times, expect an honest 15–30 minute wait, or order ahead at order.phobanam.com.au.

Is the broth really simmered for 18 hours?

Yes — the broth simmers for 18 hours on real bones, with no concentrates or powders. The recipe comes from Bà Năm Lời’s home kitchen in 1970s Trảng Bàng, Tây Ninh, and the beef is local, sourced on Sunday farm runs.