Vietnamese Near Wakefield Street, Adelaide: Walk North to Bà Năm

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

Wakefield Street sits in the southern half of the Adelaide CBD, running east–west and quietly full of offices, medical practices and people who need a proper lunch. The good news: some of the best Southern Vietnamese food in the city is only about three blocks north. Bà Năm, at 65 Grote Street in Chinatown, is an 8–15 minute walk from most of Wakefield Street — close enough for a lunch break, far enough that the phở feels earned.

The Walk from Wakefield Street

Wakefield runs one block south of Angas Street, so you’re one extra block behind our Angas Street regulars — honestly, nothing much. Head north and the streets tick past in order: Wakefield, Angas, Wright, then Grote, where Chinatown opens up.

Your walk time depends on where along Wakefield you start:

• Near King William Street or the Victoria Square end: about 8–12 minutes north. This is the sweet spot — practically a straight line. More on the civic hinge at Victoria Square.
• Near Morphett Street, on the western end: about 10–15 minutes angling northeast into Chinatown. Separate guide: Morphett Street.
• Toward Hutt or Pulteney streets, on the eastern end: allow 12–18 minutes. Still very doable, but if you’re on a tight lunch window, order ahead on the app at order.phobanam.com.au and your bowl will be moving by the time you arrive. Longer East End framing: Hutt Street.

If you’re closer to Angas or Wright, you’re one or two blocks nearer again — the Chinatown pocket is genuinely close-in for the whole southern CBD grid. Bà Năm isn’t a linger-for-two-hours luxury venue; it’s a fuel-up spot, so the walk-eat-walk-back loop still fits a normal lunch break from most of Wakefield Street.

If you’re on a tight lunch break, 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.

What to Order Once You Get There

The bowl that draws people up from Wakefield is Phở Tái, and specifically the “red coin” version: paper-thin rounds of rare beef served raw on the side of your bowl. You drop them into the broth yourself and watch them turn from red to rose to done. It works because the broth arrives properly hot — 18 hours over real bones, locally sourced beef, no shortcuts.

For the full effect, order it as the Phở Thố Đá stone bowl. The stone keeps the broth at a rolling heat, so the red coin actually cooks at the table rather than just warming through. If you’ve been wondering what people mean when they talk about the red coin and the bone broth at this place, that’s it — no theatre beyond what the heat does on its own.

Not everyone wants phở on a warm Adelaide day, and the rest of the menu holds up:

• Bún bò Huế — the spicier, lemongrass-heavy central Vietnamese noodle soup. Bigger flavour, more heat.
• Cơm tấm — broken rice with grilled meat. A solid, filling desk-fuel plate if soup isn’t the mood.
• Gỏi bò tái chanh — lime-cured rare beef salad, sharp and fresh. Good as a starter to share or a lighter lunch on its own.

If you’re weighing this against other bowls in town, we’ve put our case in our honest take on the best phở in Adelaide — read it and judge for yourself.

The Kitchen Behind It

Bà Năm is named for Bà Năm Lời, whose home kitchen in Trảng Bàng, Tây Ninh — southern Vietnam, 1970s — is where these recipes started. Huynh Nguyen and Thi Gai Vo brought them to Grote Street when they opened in 2023, and the operation still runs on the same logic: broth over real bones for 18 hours, beef sourced locally, and Huynh doing Sunday farm runs himself to keep it that way.

In 2025, Bà Năm was named a finalist in the Vietnamese category at the Hostplus SA Restaurant & Catering Awards — finalist, not winner, and we’d rather say that plainly than dress it up. Glam Adelaide covered the story. It’s nice recognition for a place that has never tried to be more than what it is: not a luxury venue, just very genuine. More on Southern Vietnamese cooking in Chinatown.

Practical Notes for the Wakefield Street Crowd

• Address: 65 Grote Street, Adelaide — in Chinatown, roughly three blocks north of Wakefield.
• Walk time: 8–12 minutes from the Victoria Square end of Wakefield; 10–15 from the Morphett end; 12–18 from the eastern end near Hutt/Pulteney.
• Hours: open seven days, 11am–9pm (until 9:30pm October–March), public holidays included.
• Peak times: expect an honest 15–30 minute wait at the busiest lunch and dinner stretches. Turnover is quick, but we won’t pretend queues don’t happen.
• Ordering ahead: the app at order.phobanam.com.au lets you skip some of that, and there’s a small credit on your first app order.
• Bookings: walk-ins welcome; you can book via OpenTable at /book/. Groups of 8+ should call ahead on (08) 8151 0106.
• Pace: it’s a fuel-up spot, not a long-lunch venue — you can realistically walk from Wakefield, eat well, and be back at your desk outside of peak.

Coming from Somewhere Else in the CBD?

If Wakefield isn’t your street, we’ve written honest walking guides from most corners of the city grid:

• Vietnamese near Carrington Street — quiet southern CBD fringe, one block south of Wakefield
• Vietnamese near Sturt Street — southern CBD fringe, one block south of Carrington
• Vietnamese near Angas Street — one block north of Wakefield and one block closer to us.
• Vietnamese near Wright Street — two blocks closer still.
• Vietnamese near Gouger Street — the dining strip south of Grote / Market.
• Vietnamese near Victoria Square — the civic hinge near Wakefield’s western end.
• Vietnamese near Hutt Street — East End fringe.
• Vietnamese near Pulteney Street — eastern CBD spine / uni end walk west to Chinatown.
• Vietnamese near Frome Street — one block east of Pulteney; RAH / uni / eastern office walk west to Chinatown.
• Vietnamese near Morphett Street — the western approach.
• Vietnamese near King William Street — the spine of the city.
• Vietnamese in Adelaide Chinatown — our home turf.
• Vietnamese food across the Adelaide CBD — the wider picture.
• Vietnamese near the Central Market — our closest landmark neighbour.

The Short Version

Bà Năm is at 65 Grote Street in Chinatown — not on Wakefield Street, but a genuine 8–18 minute walk north depending on which stretch of Wakefield you’re starting from. Order the Phở Thố Đá stone bowl with the red coin rare beef if it’s your first visit, the bún bò Huế if you want heat, or cơm tấm if it’s a rice kind of day. Open seven days, 11am–9pm (9:30pm October–March), walk-ins welcome, honest waits at peak. Order ahead on the app if you’re on the clock.

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 Wakefield Street?

About three blocks north — roughly 8–12 minutes on foot from the King William / Victoria Square end of Wakefield, 10–15 minutes from the Morphett Street end, and 12–18 minutes from the eastern stretch near Hutt or Pulteney. You’ll cross Angas and Wright streets on the way to Grote Street in Chinatown.

Can I fit a visit into a lunch break from Wakefield Street?

Yes, especially from the western half of the street. Peak-time waits run an honest 15–30 minutes, so if you’re on the clock, order ahead through the app at order.phobanam.com.au and pick up. There’s a small credit on your first app order.

What is the “red coin” everyone mentions?

Paper-thin rounds of rare beef served raw on the side of your Phở Tái. You drop them into the 18-hour broth yourself — especially in the Phở Thố Đá stone bowl, which keeps the broth hot enough to cook the beef right at the table. The beef is locally sourced; Huynh Nguyen does the farm runs himself on Sundays.

What are Bà Năm’s opening hours?

Seven days a week, 11am to 9pm — extended to 9:30pm from October through March. That includes public holidays.

Do I need to book, or can I just walk over from Wakefield?

Walk-ins are welcome, and most people just turn up. If you’d rather lock it in, book via OpenTable. For groups of 8 or more, call ahead on (08) 8151 0106 so the kitchen can sort you out properly.