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The Infatuation
The Best Vietnamese Restaurants In SF
By Julia ChenRicky Rodriguez,
14 days ago
A lot of the Bay Area’s top-tier Vietnamese food can be found in San Jose or East Oakland, but SF has its fair share of fantastic spots. Many are concentrated in the Tenderloin’s Little Saigon, the area packed with tiny takeout-only sandwich shops and casual phở places on and around Larkin Street. But you can also find bún riêu, garlic noodles, and bò tái chanh scattered throughout the city, whether you’re looking to get fancy at a place with cocktails and a tasting menu or want to stroll in for bún bò huế on a random weeknight. Oh, and if you’re looking specifically for bánh mì, we’ve got a guide for that, too.
This Little Saigon counter-service spot always attracts a line at lunch time, and for good reason: Saigon Sandwich serves the best bánh mì in SF. Every element of the hallowed sandwich is fine-tuned: the roll is crackly yet fluffy, the roast chicken and pork meatballs are saturated with umami, and the accompanying cucumber, carrots, and jalapeños are fresh enough to make farmers market produce cower in fear. Oh, and they’re $5 each.
Bodega SF is a bún chả party every night of the week. This Northern Vietnamese spot right off the Powell St. station is the perfect place to take visitors, or anyone who wants thinly sliced filet mignon in the form of a tangy bò tái chanh and cocktails inspired by Hi-Chews and red bean. Ordering a la carte is fine, but the fun move is to go with a group and order the $90 (per-person) eight-course tasting menu. It's served family style, and you get an enormous amount of food. Afterward, head downstairs to The Felix for more drinks (and sometimes some dancing).
This casual Vietnamese spot in Little Saigon is a multi-level phở oasis made with richly spiced broth, grilled meats that are charred yet never dry, and imperial rolls fried until bubbly and translucent. It can be hard to narrow things down from a menu with about 75 dishes, so gravitate toward the crab-packed bún riêu the size of a dunk tank. This is an ideal place to eat alone if you’re on a half-hour lunch break, or whenever you want soup that won’t leave you hungry in a few hours.
At Thanh Long in the Sunset, you’ll don the requisite plastic bib, wave around butter-soaked crab legs like birthday sparklers, and take down a spread of the best Vietnamese seafood in SF. Not only is this longstanding special occasion spot a temple of all things roast crab, it’s also the birthplace of garlic noodles (they’re still made in a secret kitchen hiding in the restaurant). Make sure the noodles are on your table, along with the pepper-coated crustacean you’re about to get extremely familiar with.
Don’t expect to order any phở at Anh Hong, which you’ll realize as soon as you see the small “No Pho!” sticker on the door. Instead, look to the bánh hỏi at this casual big group restaurant in the Outer Richmond. These make-your-own rolls combine fresh ingredients with just the right ratio of smoked meats and tangy sauce. They’re served with a heaping plate of mint, basil, bean sprouts, carrots, cucumbers, and loads of nước chấm. There are eight different fillings, but we like the grilled shrimp with a nice char and the slightly sweet grilled pork of the nem nướng the best. And make sure to also get the excellent bò tái chanh on your table.
Kevin’s has been an Irving phở hot spot for years—just look to the crowds that form daily outside this Vietnamese standby. They’re waiting to fill up on gorgeously fried egg rolls, fragrant phở dặc biệt, and hefty vermicelli bowls topped off with a glug of nước chấm. The cafeteria-sized dining room is an efficient operation, so don’t be intimidated by the line. You’ll be polishing off bowls of bouncy egg noodles and watermelon slushies before you can even say Kevin & Chris’s Noodle House five times fast.
Lily is a Richmond spot doing upscale, punched-up versions of classic Vietnamese dishes, and you should come here when you want to celebrate a milestone in your nicest sweater. Bring a date to share cocktails and garlic noodles under the intricately carved ceiling panels, or slide up to the bar for an “I deserve this” solo meal. The dishes are as stylish as the space, like the whole fish curled around a bed of saucy pineapple chow fun, or the shaking beef finished off with edible flowers and a soft poached egg.
The noodle soups at this Tenderloin Vietnamese cafe are so big that you might fall in. While swimming in some tomato-heavy bún riêu isn’t logical, slurping it down at this cheery, teal-colored spot in five minutes flat is. Yes, get the soups, but also the bánh mì stuffed with fall-apart pork meatballs and specials like the bánh uot chay: perfectly bouncy rice noodle rolls topped with plant-based pork and a heap of crispy shallots. Their hearty portions will fill you up for $15 or less. Note that it’s cash-only.
Noodle soups make up the majority of the menu at this relaxed Sunset spot, from thick egg noodles topped off with shredded chicken to rice noodles with wontons, fish balls, or hunks of fall-apart stewed beef. The one worth traversing the Avenues in sandals for is the egg noodle soup with wontons and a massive braised duck leg. The bone pulls right out, and the broth is clear and umami-packed. If you’re looking for a good way to spend $15, join the lunch crowds settling into the red leather booths—this place gets packed midday.
While the giant crab on the wall at Yummy Yummy in the Sunset might make you think that's the ordering move, focus on any one of the six excellent phở instead—like the phở tái with its extra rare, thin slices of beef, chewy noodles, and rich broth. Or, go for the bún chả ha noi which has sweet sauce and charbroiled slices of pork. Grabbing a table here is always easy, just keep in mind that they close at 8pm on the weekdays and 8:30pm on the weekends.
Tú Lan’s imperial rolls alone earn it a spot on this guide. They’re fried until bubbly and a deep golden brown, and loaded with enough pork and noodles to constitute a meal. But visit this decades-old, classic spot in SoMa for their other entrées, too—like the saucy ginger chicken, and anything involving the charred pork straight off the open kitchen’s grill. Snake your way to the tables in the back of the long space if you want to stay a while, or swing by and take home a fragrant haul in a plastic bag.
The menu at this giant Vietnamese spot is longer than your never-ending to-do list, but focus on the phở, especially the dặc biệt phở kho. The rich, smooth broth is served on the side (it’s practically two dishes in one), and the long egg noodles come loaded up with peanuts, tendon, flank, brisket, tripe, and rare steak. Follow that up with the creamy cà phê sữa đá sweetened with condensed milk for the perfect wake-me-up kick. Just get here early because they close at 3pm and have no qualms about kicking you out immediately—they have a big space to clean.
When you’re looking for a last-minute spot for a group, it’s tough to find a place that hits the golden trifecta of easy-to-get-in, affordable, and delicious. Enter Quê Việt. This restaurant next to the Caltrain station is ideal for a last-minute Vietnamese meal that will never disappoint. The long menu has lots of range with everything from phở to bánh hỏi to a simple but delicious charred chicken thigh rice plate. In other words, bring a lot of friends and try a bite of everything.
Banh Mi Crunch is the best bánh mì shop west of Van Ness. They have eight options, each with rich fillings like sliced grilled pork or crispy lemongrass beef. Every sandwich is packed to the brim, all on bread that’s crispy on the outside and delightfully soft on the inside. The sandwiches are the best thing to get—and the most portable lunch option, which is important when there are only a few seats inside—but the big rice and noodle plates are an excellent heftier pick.
Pho 808 is one of the many spots for Vietnamese noodle soup near Little Saigon, but it’s the most spacious by a long shot—the big round tables are perfect for zero-effort group dinners. The dặc biệt has a dark broth that’s slightly sweet and highly swiggable. If you’re not in the mood for hot soup, the vermicelli with extra thin slices of caramelized grilled pork is a standout, along with the wiggly bánh cuốn with pepper-dotted pork. More often than not, this spot is the epitome of chill, so you can kick back with your entourage and stay until you become one with your chair.
Gao Viet Kitchen is the only place in SF charging $110 for a bowl of phở. And while the kiddie pool-sized, highly photogenic “Phozilla” is loaded with lobster, filet mignon, bone marrow, and other expensive buzzwords, it’s not the reason to come to this upscale-ish spot—that honor goes to the more traditional Vietnamese staples on the extensive menu. This two-story spot excels at dishes like bánh cuốn that stay chewy even when drenched in nước chấm, ultra-light bánh khọt, and glistening five-spice pork belly. Split it all with a hot date or your entire extended family while sipping on a cocktail with phở-spiked rum from the full bar.
Hai Ky Mi Gia is a Tenderloin noodle shop that’s bustling at all times of the day. The deceptively big dining room with archways and hanging orchids is a revolving door of neighbors, double dates, and solo lunchers coming in for their fix of broth and noodles. Order anything involving their thick egg noodles—they’re firm without sacrificing chew, and best when topped with a braised duck leg that gets more tender the longer it sits in the soup. They also do a solid bún bò huế with slippery rice noodles, and extra strong coffee that you should order no matter what time it is.
The beefiest phở in the city can be found at Viet Quan Vietnamese Noodle House. The one at this casual Parkside spot comes with all the usual cow cuts—meatballs and a mound of thin rare slices—plus an entire beef rib that sticks out of the bowl like a flag announcing that this is certified Beef Territory. The other Vietnamese standbys are also well-executed, like the crisp-edged bánh xèo and the thick curry noodle soup. Viet Quan's is a straightforward sit-down, eat, and leave operation, but no one’s stopping you from taking advantage of the endless tea refills and staying awhile.
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