10 Best Vietnamese Restaurants in New York

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10 Best Vietnamese Restaurants in New York

New York City comprises 5 boroughs sitting where the Hudson River meets the Atlantic Ocean. At its core is Manhattan, a densely populated borough that’s among the world’s major commercial, financial and cultural centers. Its iconic sites include skyscrapers such as the Empire State Building and sprawling Central Park. Broadway theater is staged in neon-lit Times Square.

Vietnamese cuisine in New York City has come of age in the past decade or so, going from a series of cafes with similar menus clustered in Chinatowns across Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens to a startlingly diverse collection of banh mi shops, bistros, regional specialists, quirky inexpensive cafes, and, yes, pho parlors, where the signature soup sometimes include renditions of the original versions from Hanoi, and joined by other delicious soups like bun bo Hue. Here are the top 10 Vietnamese Restaurants to try out in New York.

1. Bánh

Bánh is located at 942 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10025, United States. They open from Tuesday to Sunday between 6 pm to 10 pm.  And as the food-loving public got word of a new and great Vietnamese place serving up rich, flavorful pho on the Upper West Side, the lines outside of the restaurant started to form. And the line never really ended. 

Now Banh is a permanent fixture, and one of the best Vietnamese restaurants in NYC. And thank the pho gods for that. In addition to pho and bun cha, a Hanoi favorite that is unfortunately far from a staple at Vietnamese restaurants across the United States, Banh also serves banh chung chien, a deep-fried rice cake filled with pork that is also a rarity to find outside of Vietnam.

2. Ba Xuyên 

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Ba Xuyên is a storefront whipping up Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches and other fares. Their address is 4222 8th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11232, United States. They open daily from 7:30 am to 6:30 pm.

The best banh mi sandwich in New York is probably at this diminutive, no-frills spot in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. It’s jam-packed with veggies, crammed with porky goodness, and smeared with buttery silky pâté. But what really seals the deal—and this is the secret to any good banh mi—is the bread. They get their baguettes from Neri’s Bakery in Port Chester in Westchester County. Located on Eighth Avenue and 43rd Street. 

3. Bolero 

Bolero offers Vietnamese specialties served family-style are prepared in an open kitchen at this casual haunt. They open every day except Monday from 5:30 to 9:30 pm. Their address is 177 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211, United States.

Bolero is helmed by chef Matt Le Khac who relies on his deep knowledge of lost Vietnamese culinary traditions and Southeast Asian herbs to inform what he does in the kitchen. Le Khac is talented at taking traditional (and lesser-known) Vietnamese dishes and putting his own modern spin on them. Expect to find a few familiar names on the menu pho, shaking beef, banh xeo and a few things you’ve never heard of unless you’ve eaten your way through Vietnam.  

4. Bunker 

Pho-ga-chicken-pho-soup by Vu_Pham – Pixabay

Bunker helped set off the boom of excellent modern Vietnamese restaurants in NYC. Their address is 99 Scott Avenue Brooklyn NY 11237. They remain closed on Sunday and Monday, they open on the other days between 5 pm and 11 pm. Visit their website to make reservations and view their full menu. 

 Jimmy Tu is the man behind Bunker and he’s serving up the food he was raised on, mostly dishes that hail from in and around Ho Chi Minh City, the metropolis locals still call Saigon. Start with a crepe-like, smoke-mussel-and-bacon-stuffed banh xeo and then move on to entrees like the luscious pork-belly-and-pâté crammed banh mi. One nod to the north is the cha ca, a dill-spiked fish dish that originated in Hanoi. (They use salmon instead of the genus of catfish that’s used in Hanoi.) The chicken in the pho ga is also nice, as the poultry is smoked, adding a unique taste to the flavor strata. 

5. Di An Di

Di An Di offers contemporary Vietnamese cuisine served in a hip, minimalist space with lots of greenery. Their address is 68 Greenpoint Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222, United States. They remain closed on Mondays and open on the other days from 12 noon to 10 pm.

Di An Di serves up traditional fare plus Vietnamese dishes with a twist. And refreshingly, Di An Di does not shy away from Hanoi dishes, as there are few bowls of Hanoi-style pho on offer, as well as the sizzling fish dish cha ca la Vong.  Also turning up on the menu sometimes are fun and more adventurous offerings such as the delicious sweet-and-spicy crispy pig tails and the sizzling lamb belly.   

6. Em Vietnamese Bistro

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Em Vietnamese Bistro is one of the best Vietnamese restaurants in NYC with a stylish option serving banh mi sandwiches, pho, noodles, and meat dishes, plus smoothies and iced coffee. Their address is 57 Front St, Brooklyn, NY 11201, United States. They open every day except Tuesday between 12 to 9 pm.

The Vietnamese-American couple who run the place have tried to create an atmosphere of what it would be like to eat out on a Saturday night in Saigon.   The menu differs from the original location in that there’s more of an emphasis on shellfish here. It is recommended to go for dinner or weekend lunch to get the expanded menu. Then you’ll get access to the chao, a scallop-spiked rice porridge similar to the Chinese congee, as well as garlic-butter clams, mussels in a coconut-lemongrass sauce, and seafood fried rice. 

7. Falansai

Falansai is another one of the best Vietnamese restaurants in NYC. The spot with communal tables, creative Vietnamese dishes with a French twist & wine. Their address is 112 Harrison Pl, Brooklyn, NY 11237, United States. They open every day except Monday between 5:30 pm to 10 pm.

The menu changes with the season, but there are a few constants, including the supremely excellent tender crispy duck necks and “Dad’s Egg Rolls,” a holdover from the previous owner-chef: Berkshire-pork-and-wood-ear-mushroom-stuffed fried rolls with a chili-loaded fish sauce for dipping. 

8. Hanoi House  

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Hanoi House is one of the restaurants in NYC that solely focuses on the cuisine of the Vietnamese capital. The restaurant is a relaxed destination for a limited menu of imaginative Vietnamese dishes, craft beers & wine. Their address is 119 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10009, United States. They remain closed only on Monday and open on the other days of the week from 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm.

The pho here is the star of the show. As is the proclivity in the north, the broth is deep, rich, refreshingly lacking in sweetness, and especially with the side of pickled garlic. Other standouts include the shredded pig ear salad and the bun cha, a Hanoi staple that involves fried pork rolls, pork patties, and vermicelli noodles all rolled up in lettuce by the diner, dipped in fish sauce, and enjoyed. 

9. High Lua 

High Lua is a warm restaurant whipping up traditional Vietnamese noodle soups, sandwiches & rice bowls. Their address is 182 S 2nd St, Brooklyn, NY 11211, United States. They open daily from 12 noon to 10 pm. 

This Williamsburg spot, located at 182 S. 2nd Street and Driggs Avenue, is an excellent, relatively off-the-radar restaurant a few blocks from the Williamsburg Bridge. The pâté-laden banh mi here is terrific. So is the street-style Saigon pork noodle soup, laden with caramelized pork shoulder. 

The best dish, though, might be the Quang Nam chicken noodle soup, which hails from the region of the same name in central Vietnam, especially in the towns of Da Nang and Hoi An. An aromatic chicken broth gives way to flavorful turmeric rice noodles, all of which is topped with peanuts and scallions.   

10. Saigon Social 

Saigon Social deviates a bit from the usual suspects, offering up a menu that is loaded with Southeast Asian deliciousness. Their address is 172 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002, United States. They open daily between 5 pm to 10:30 pm.

It is recommended to start with the pork-belly-loaded fried sticky rice cakes and/or the tender lemongrass-spiked spareribs.  Then move on to one of the excellent mains, including the bun rieu, a Saigon tomato-and-crab soup, the legendary fried chicken sandwich, or the very good banh mi burger, which is topped with pâté, cilantro, and jalapeños.