Vietnamese Food Near King William Street: Bà Năm, One Short Block into Chinatown

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

King William Street is where Adelaide gets things done — the banks, the town hall, the suits moving in straight lines. What it doesn’t have, right on the spine itself, is a bowl of phở built on an 18-hour bone broth. For that, you peel off at Grote Street and walk a couple of minutes west into Chinatown.

Bà Năm sits at 65 Grote Street: a family phở kitchen that started in a home in Trảng Bàng, Tây Ninh in the 1970s and landed in Adelaide in 2023. Not a luxury venue. Just very genuine.

How Far From King William Street?

Short answer: barely far at all. From the King William and Grote corner, it’s a couple of minutes on foot — one short block west, and you’re in Chinatown with Bà Năm on Grote Street. If you work anywhere along the middle stretch of King William, the walk is an easy peel-off from the spine: turn at Grote, keep going, follow the steam.

It’s close enough that the trip doesn’t eat your lunch hour, and just far enough off the main drag that it feels like you’ve actually left the office district. Which, on some days, is the whole point.

Why This Kitchen

Bà Năm Lời started cooking phở from her home kitchen in Trảng Bàng, Tây Ninh — Southern Vietnam — back in the 1970s. In 2023, her grandson Huynh Nguyen and owner Thi Gai Vo brought that recipe to Grote Street, and they didn’t shortcut it on the way over.

The broth simmers for 18 hours on real bones. The beef is locally sourced — Huynh still does Sunday farm runs to keep it that way. The signature Phở Tái “red coin” is paper-thin rounds of rare beef laid raw into the bowl, cooked in seconds by the boiling broth poured over the top. You watch it turn from red to rose at your table. That’s the dish.

The wider Adelaide food scene has noticed: Bà Năm was a 2025 Hostplus SA Restaurant & Catering Awards finalist in the Vietnamese category, and Glam Adelaide has featured the kitchen. But honestly, the thing that keeps King William office workers walking back over Grote is the broth, not the trophy cabinet.

What to Order: Office Lunch / After Work

On the clock:

• Phở Tái “red coin” — the fast, clean choice. One bowl, big flavour, back at your desk without the food-coma. (More in our first-timer’s guide to phở.)
• Cơm tấm — broken rice with grilled pork. The other reliable lunch workhorse if you want rice over noodles.
• Hoành thánh chiên or chả giò — quick shares while you wait for mains.

After work, with time to spare:

• Phở Thố Đá — phở in a stone bowl that keeps everything roaring hot. Worth sitting with.
• Gỏi bò tái chanh — lime-cured rare beef salad, ideal if you’ve come down with colleagues.
• Bún bò Huế — lemongrass-chilli depth phở doesn’t have. A good Friday-evening call.

We won’t quote prices here — check the live menu for the current line-up.

The Honest Bits

Straight talk, because you’re probably on a lunch break:

• Peak times mean a wait. Expect an honest 15–30 minutes at the busiest lunch and dinner windows. The broth doesn’t rush, and neither does the queue.
• Walk-ins are welcome. Most people just turn up.
• Booking works too. OpenTable is live on our book page, and groups of 8 or more should call ahead on (08) 8151 0106 so the team can set you up properly.
• In a genuine hurry? Order ahead through the app at order.phobanam.com.au — there’s a small credit on your first app order, and it turns a tight lunch window into an easy one.

Coming From Elsewhere

King William Street is just one way in. If you’re starting somewhere else in the CBD, we’ve written the walk-throughs:

• Vietnamese near Wakefield Street — three blocks south of Grote; southern CBD office strip.
• Vietnamese near Sturt Street — southern CBD fringe, one block south of Carrington
• Chinatown Adelaide — the wider precinct around Grote and Moonta.
• Franklin Street — western CBD office strip, one block north of Grote.
• Currie Street — two blocks north of Grote on the western CBD office strip (8–12 min).
• Waymouth Street — three blocks north of Grote on the western office strip (~10–15 min walk).
• Gouger Street — one block south of us on the dining strip.
• Victoria Square — a short flat walk north to Grote.
• Adelaide Central Market — a couple of minutes from the market halls.
• Rundle Mall and North Terrace — down the spine, then west into Chinatown.
• Pirie Street — eastern CBD offices, a 12–18 minute walk west to Grote Street.
• Between Rundle Mall and Pirie? Our Grenfell Street guide.
• The wider Adelaide CBD guide covers the lot.

Working a block south on Flinders Street? Same Chinatown walk, slightly different start line.

One block south of Grote on the quiet Wright Street strip? See our Vietnamese near Wright Street guide (honest 2–8 minute walk for most of the street).

The Short Version

Working or walking King William Street and want real Vietnamese? Peel off at Grote, walk a couple of minutes west, and you’re at an 18-hour broth, a red coin of rare beef, and a family recipe that’s been cooking since the 1970s.

Bà Năm — 65 Grote Street, Adelaide SA 5000. Open seven days, 11am–9pm, extending to 9:30pm over summer (October to March), including public holidays. Phone (08) 8151 0106, or order ahead at order.phobanam.com.au.

Also useful if you’re one street further south: Vietnamese near Angas Street (5–15 minute walk north to Chinatown).

Also mapped nearby: Vietnamese near Carrington Street (one block south of Wakefield on the southern CBD fringe).

Frequently asked questions

How far is Bà Năm from King William Street?

A couple of minutes on foot. From the King William and Grote intersection, walk one short block west into Chinatown and you'll find Bà Năm at 65 Grote Street. It's an easy peel-off from the spine — close enough for a standard lunch hour.

Can I fit a phở lunch into an office lunch break?

Yes, with a little planning. Bà Năm opens at 11am, so arriving early beats the rush; at peak, waits run an honest 15–30 minutes. If your window is tight, order ahead through the app at order.phobanam.com.au and your bowl is moving before you've left the office.

What should I order if I'm short on time?

The Phở Tái "red coin" — paper-thin rare beef cooked in the bowl by boiling 18-hour broth. It's the house classic and it arrives fast once you're seated. Cơm tấm is the other quick, satisfying option if you'd rather rice than noodles.

Do I need to book, or can I just walk in?

Walk-ins are welcome and most people do exactly that. If you want certainty, bookings are open on OpenTable. Groups of 8 or more should call (08) 8151 0106 ahead of time so the team can seat everyone together.

What are Bà Năm's opening hours?

Seven days a week, 11am–9pm, extending to 9:30pm from October to March over summer. That includes public holidays, so a King William Street stroll on a day off still ends in phở.