Vietnamese Near Grenfell Street, Adelaide: The Walk to Bà Năm Is Worth It

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

Grenfell Street sits in the eastern-central stretch of Adelaide’s CBD — offices, bus stops, the back of Rundle Mall humming just one block north. It’s a street built for getting things done. Which is exactly why, come lunchtime or knock-off, it deserves somewhere slower to land.

Bà Năm is at 65 Grote Street in Chinatown, a genuine 10–15 minute walk from Grenfell’s King William Street end. Not next door — we won’t pretend otherwise — but at the far end of that walk is a phở broth that’s been simmering for 18 hours, a stone bowl still bubbling when it reaches your table, and a family recipe that started in a home kitchen in Trảng Bàng, Tây Ninh, in the 1970s.

How Far Is Bà Năm from Grenfell Street?

Honest answer: it depends which end you’re starting from. From the King William Street end of Grenfell, allow roughly 10–15 minutes on foot. From the Pulteney Street or East Terrace end, it’s closer to 15–20 minutes — a proper walk, but a pleasant one through the middle of the city.

The natural route is simple: head south toward Victoria Square, then turn west onto Grote Street. You’ll know you’re close when Chinatown opens up around you near the Central Market end — roast duck in windows, grocers stacking herbs, the good kind of busy. Bà Năm sits at 65 Grote Street, right in the middle of it.

If you’re on a tight lunch break from the eastern end of Grenfell, ordering ahead through the app at order.phobanam.com.au means your bowl is nearly ready as you walk in. There’s a small credit on your first app order, too.

Why Grenfell Street Workers Make the Walk

Bà Năm Lời started cooking phở in her home kitchen in Trảng Bàng, Tây Ninh, back in the 1970s — Southern-style, patient, no shortcuts. In 2023, her grandson Huynh Nguyen and owner Thi Gai Vo brought that recipe to Grote Street, and they haven’t loosened a single standard since.

The broth still simmers for 18 hours. The beef is locally sourced — Huynh does the Sunday farm runs himself. The Phở Tái arrives with “red coin” beef: paper-thin rounds of rare beef that cook in the bowl the moment the boiling broth hits them, turning from ruby to rose at your table. And the signature Phở Thố Đá comes in a stone bowl that keeps everything roiling long after it’s set down in front of you.

We were a finalist in the Vietnamese category at the 2025 Hostplus SA Restaurant & Catering Awards, and Glam Adelaide has featured us. But the honest description is still the one we use ourselves: not a luxury venue, just very genuine. This is Southern Vietnamese cooking in Chinatown done the slow, family way.

What to Order: Grenfell Street Lunch vs After-Work

You’ve earned a proper bowl. Here’s how Grenfell Street regulars tend to play it:

On a lunch break (you’ve got the walk both ways — order smart):

• Phở Tái — the classic. Red-coin rare beef cooked in the bowl by 18-hour broth. Fast to the table, warming, and you’re back at your desk on time.
• Cơm tấm — broken rice, a solid one-plate lunch if you’re not in a soup mood.
• Chả giò — crisp spring rolls if you’re splitting starters with a colleague.

After work (no clock, take your time):

• Phở Thố Đá — the signature stone-bowl phở. The stone bowl keeps everything hot from first spoonful to last; this is the one to sit with.
• Bún bò Huế — spicier, deeper, made for the end of a long day.
• Gỏi bò tái chanh and hoành thánh chiên — the beef salad and fried wontons round out a shared table when a few of you walk over together.

Groups of eight or more heading over after work should call ahead on (08) 8151 0106 — smaller bookings run through OpenTable.

The Honest Bits

A few things worth knowing before you set off:

• It’s a real walk from Grenfell Street — 10–15 minutes from the King William end, more like 15–20 from Pulteney Street or East Terrace. Budget for it.
• Peak waits run 15–30 minutes. Lunch rush and Friday evenings are real. The 18-hour broth doesn’t hurry and neither does the queue.
• It’s not a luxury venue. Family restaurant, wooden tables, herbs on the side. That’s the point.
• Ordering ahead helps. The app at order.phobanam.com.au takes pickup orders, and there’s a small credit on your first order through it.
• Open seven days, 11am–9pm (until 9:30pm October–March), public holidays included — so the walk works any day of the week.

Coming from Somewhere Else in the CBD?

Grenfell Street is one starting point on the eastern-central CBD map. If your desk — or your afternoon — is elsewhere:

• Two blocks south on the office grid? Flinders Street.
• Shopping one block north? See the walk from Rundle Mall.
• One block south? Our Pirie Street guide.
• On the eastern fringe? Hutt Street.
• Working the city’s spine: King William Street, or already at Victoria Square.
• Western office strip: Franklin, Currie, and Waymouth.
• Weighing the Gouger Street strip, the Central Market, or already in Chinatown? You’re practically here.
• For the full picture, start with Vietnamese food across the Adelaide CBD.

The Short Version

Grenfell Street to Bà Năm: 10–15 minutes on foot from the King William end (15–20 from the east), south via Victoria Square onto Grote Street. What’s waiting at the other end: an 18-hour broth, red-coin rare beef, a stone bowl that simmers at your table, and a family recipe that started in Trảng Bàng in the 1970s. Open seven days. Expect a wait at peak, or order ahead on the app. Not a luxury venue — just very genuine.

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.

Also useful if you're coming from the eastern CBD spine: Vietnamese near Pulteney Street or Vietnamese near Frome Street.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the walk from Grenfell Street to Bà Năm?

Roughly 10–15 minutes from the King William Street end of Grenfell, and closer to 15–20 minutes from the Pulteney Street or East Terrace end. The simplest route is south toward Victoria Square, then west onto Grote Street into Chinatown.

Can I fit Bà Năm into a lunch break from Grenfell Street?

Yes, if you plan for the walk. Ordering ahead through the app at order.phobanam.com.au means your food is nearly ready when you arrive, which matters at peak times when tables can carry a 15–30 minute wait.

What is the "red coin" beef in the Phở Tái?

Paper-thin rounds of rare local beef, served raw and cooked in the bowl by the boiling 18-hour broth. The beef is locally sourced — Huynh Nguyen does the Sunday farm runs himself.

Is Bà Năm open after work and on weekends?

Seven days a week, 11am–9pm, extending to 9:30pm from October to March — public holidays included. So a late finish on Grenfell Street still leaves plenty of time for a stone bowl.

Do I need to book?

Walk-ins are welcome, though peak periods can mean a 15–30 minute wait. Bookings run through OpenTable, and groups of 8 or more should call ahead on (08) 8151 0106.