Vietnamese Food & Phở Near Unley

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

Unley has Unley Road — but for genuine Southern Vietnamese phở, the short trip north across the park lands to Bà Năm in Chinatown is the one locals keep making.

Unley sits south of the park lands and Greenhill Road — a suburb of tree-lined streets and a well-known dining strip along Unley Road. What it doesn’t have is a Southern Vietnamese phở house simmering real bones for 18 hours. For that, you head north across the green belt to Adelaide Chinatown, where Bà Năm at 65 Grote Street has been serving a family recipe from 1970s Trảng Bàng since 2023. This guide covers the honest travel times from different corners of Unley, the best route, and what to order once you arrive.

How Far Is Bà Năm from Unley?

Let’s be upfront: Unley is not a five-minute stroll from Chinatown. The park lands sit between you and the CBD, so the walk is longer than an inner-city street hop — but the drive is short, and the tram into town is a clean middle option.

• Northern Unley / Parkside edge (toward Greenhill Road): about 25–40 minutes on foot north across the park lands into the CBD, then west to Grote Street; drive or rideshare roughly 8–12 minutes.
• Unley Road dining strip / central Unley: walking often runs 40–55+ minutes — tram, bus or rideshare is the smarter call; driving is about 10–15 minutes.
• Southern Unley toward Malvern and Unley Park: walking is usually not practical (50–70+ minutes); driving is roughly 12–18 minutes depending on traffic.

The natural route: head north toward South Terrace or up King William Street into the CBD, then turn west onto Grote Street into Chinatown. If you’d rather not walk the full length, take the tram or bus into the city and it’s a short walk from the CBD stops near Victoria Square.

One clarification, because the names confuse people: Unley (the suburb south of the park lands) is different from South Terrace (the CBD’s southern boulevard on the city side of the green belt). Think of it the way North Adelaide relates to North Terrace — same compass word, different side of the park lands entirely. If you’re actually starting on the terrace itself, our South Terrace guide has shorter, CBD-scale directions.

If you’re timing your arrival around a longer trip, it’s worth ordering ahead on the app at order.phobanam.com.au — there’s a small credit on your first app order, and it takes the guesswork out of the peak-hour queue.

What to Order After the Trip

A trip across the park lands earns 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. A solid lunch after the trip.
• Gỏi bò tái chanh — lime-cured rare beef salad, bright and sharp, good for sharing.
• Finish with a Vietnamese iced coffee for the trip back south across the 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 Unley

• Address: 65 Grote Street, Adelaide SA 5000 — in Chinatown
• Travel: about 25–40 minutes walk from the Parkside / Greenhill Road edge of Unley; 40–55+ minutes from Unley Road / central Unley (prefer tram or rideshare); drive or rideshare roughly 8–18 minutes depending on where you start
• 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?

Unley is the first suburb guide south of the park lands — the southern counterpart to our North Adelaide guide. If you’re starting elsewhere:

• Vietnamese near Burnside — second-ring eastern foothills suburb (Greenhill Road / Burnside Village).
• Vietnamese near South Terrace — the CBD boulevard, not the suburb
• Vietnamese near Whitmore Square
• Vietnamese near Sturt Street
• Vietnamese near Gilbert Street
• Vietnamese near Gouger Street
• Vietnamese near King William Street
• Vietnamese near Victoria Square
• Vietnamese near North Adelaide
• Vietnamese near Prospect — second-ring northern suburb (Main North Road / Prospect Road)
• Vietnamese near Norwood — first eastern-suburbs guide (The Parade / Kent Town / Magill Road edge)
• Vietnamese in Adelaide Chinatown
• Vietnamese food across the Adelaide CBD
• Vietnamese near Hindmarsh — first western-suburbs guide (Port Road / Bowden / Thebarton edge)
• Vietnamese near Goodwood — second-ring southern suburb (Goodwood Road / tram).

The Short Version

From Unley, Bà Năm is a 25–55+ minute walk north across the park lands depending on your corner of the suburb — or an 8–18 minute drive. 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.

Frequently asked questions

How far is Bà Năm from Unley?

It depends where in Unley you start. From the northern Unley / Parkside edge near Greenhill Road it’s roughly a 25–40 minute walk or an 8–12 minute drive. From the Unley Road strip allow 40–55+ minutes on foot (tram or rideshare is easier) or 10–15 minutes by car. From southern Unley toward Malvern and Unley Park, walking can exceed 50–70 minutes, so driving (about 12–18 minutes) is the practical call. The route runs north across the park lands toward South Terrace or King William Street, then west on Grote Street into Chinatown.

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.