Ok folks,
Happy New Year. This will be my final post for this project. I thank you all for the past 4 years on this sub.
I have some thoughts to share.
I may get flamed badly for pulling these thoughts out of my head and put them here. But who cares, new year, new thing to whine:
After 4 years of this project and to this point, 14 years of relentless quest to find you the pure and authentic version of what I, myself consider Vietnamese food, the food that I grew up eating, I finally declare one simple truth: NYC, at the current state, does not and cannot offer that very product.
To be clear: What i've craved all these years is Vietnamese Vietnamese food, not Vietnamese American Food. This is where my bias, frame of view and personal taste lie. So please understand that before we bark at each other in the comment section.
I do not care about my credibility (since it was already down the drain with a lot of you or "who tf is this guy?" to begin with) nor how this project may go on in the future, I need to get this out of my chest. The simplest comparison i can make is: to all the top Viet spots on my list, can only offer you the Diet version of Coca Cola. But it simply does not give you the original. Some of you will go ahead and clown me "Well I've always liked Diet Coke anyway". But yet, that is how I feel at the moment.
In all fairness, many have come to warned me about this over the year by simply stating that NYC Vietnamese food scene is mediocre at best and underwhelming and overpriced at worst. Although there are legitimate ounces of truth behind these claims, I did believe that NYCViet food scene is on the rise and changing for the better, with upcoming faces and an entire new generation who were willing to change the age old narrative, the stigma and make a living doing so.
And believe it I do. This is not to discredit anyone who's in the scene, making the food I love and keep my homesicknees at the minimum. This is just an opinion of a sole person and this is me staying true to the original intent of this project.
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So TLDR, what am i rambling about:
Viet food in NYC is changing for the better and this project will move on as long as I see it serves a purpose.
Viet food in NYC is currently not a true one-to-one experience, to me.
Ok, so a lot of you may feel confused and wonder "what the hell is this clown on about? Ofc you cannot have a one-to-one experience, you're not in Vietnam." That is very true, and that's how i tamed and contextualised my expectation for over a decade. But that truth shatters when another city shows me that it can be done (I will discuss this another time).
"Ok sure this guy finally got out of his bubble and see the world. What's new?" Yeah that is new.
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To frame the magnitude of this realization, a couple of things:
This will be my last Reddit post on this sub. Yes, i will stop bothering you. I will not return until either NYC gives me that original Coke, or when/if I decide to leave NY.
There will be a blank spot (0) on the list and it will stay blank until one comes along to fill that authenticity card. If time runs out (when i decide to leave), I will just put the restaurant that's responsible for shattering my world at this very moment.
For the YouTube stuff, i will have more stuffs coming along, whenever i feel like it. Yes, stuffs.
The original list will keep going, though i feel like besides Banh Anh Em, 2025 has been about filling spot 12 and below. I stop to see the point. I will keep going for the remaining 20 ish spots i have left. So expect more bloat in the list (or surprises, hopefully…)
For those of you who disagree with me all these years, this may not matter much to you anyway. But I appreciate the discussion.
For those of you who's been following the project, i cannot thank you enough for all the recommendations. It gave my expectation some run for its money, but honestly, not that many haha… I kid. I appreciate you.
For those of you who don't know about the project, i apologize for apprearing on your feed. Here's a very biased list of Viet restaurants i put together for 14 years. Now you get to reap the fruits of my labor for 14 seconds:
https://www.tuuthreee.com/imnotafoodblogger/2021/6/15/current-viet-food-eateries-ranking
by 2u3ee
32 Comments
Good shit. Thanks for your contribution and discussion over the years! I loved reading it
Very happy to see Mam on top. Their signature dish is incredible, but their pho might be even better.
Amazing work. Thank you.
Great list thank you! Have you tried moc mac in the east village ?
Still no Sao Mai?
Thanks for the work! If youre ever in New Orleans there is some very talented people doing some very good Vietnamese cooking, but I’ll leave that up to you.
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Solid list. Has all my go-tos and favorites. Some ranked higher than I would and some lower but I like the reasoning behind each one. I believe Ten Ten has gone out of business, or at least seemed to be so when I was by there a month or two ago. You’re right that they had a good pho. Their marketing and storefront presence killed them I think, because even knowing Vietnamese food I couldn’t tell at first it was a Vietnamese restaurant. I go to get unicorn ice cream cones on occasion next door. The boys who opened Ten Ten seemed really nice and came out one day because they liked my Con Cho t-shirt so we chatted a bit.
EDIT: Turns out they aren’t closed! They are worth trying for sure.
I traveled to Philly for pho, oh my goodness, it blows any spot that is listed here. Pho 75 to be exact.
Those philly pho needs to travel and move up here
Enjoyed reading your opinions! Thanks for this little project of yours 🙂
cant lie, I been to mam and it was what made me realize I dont like “authentic” viet food lmao give me the basic ahh pho/banh mi
As someone who grew up in Little Saigon in California, this list feels…Instagrammy. Vote me down but Philly has great spots, and for Madame Vo and Di an Di to be high on this list is just criminal. A spot like Pho Ga Vang – cheaper, more homely, not catering to the $25-bowl crowd should be way higher than La Dong. Go to the Bronx and get out of the convenience of Manhattan-centric ethnic food.
Looks like I’ve got some work to do… I went to Banh Anh Em last week and honestly, it was the best Vietnamese food I’ve had in the city (I had the Bánh Xèo and the Bún Riêu, definitely going back this month). Also going to check out Mộc Mạc next (which I believe is a new place).
Also, shoutout to “Pho Viet Nam” on Avenue U, Sheepshead Bay. It’s a no frills, decent Vietnamese place with suitable pricing.
As someone whose lived in major Vietnamese hubs – born and raised in Little Saigon OC, moved to Houston for family, relocated to San Jose for work (and now in NYC) – you can 100% have true as you call true one-to-one experience outside Vietnam.
Viet food is growing yes in NYC, but I hardly define it as scene changing. Also the prices are insane at some places. Yes Vietnamese should have upscale dining and pricing to break the stigma that Vietnamese food can only be cheap food, but I can’t believe that Im paying almost 20 dollars for some avantgarde BS banh mi. Growing up my grandma built and owned a Vietnamese bakery when she immigrated that including baking their own banh mi at like single digit prices. There’s something to be said about the lack of good price accessible places in NYC.
Nice! Thanks for the write up!
Will take some time to read through. But def agree the ranking for Mam.
Authentic Vietnamese food (the same applies to Cantonese) is hard to come by in NYC, but I wonder if one could find it in other Vietnamese community concentrated city/neighborhood e.g. San Jose, and Austin, TX? I have heard praises for the Viet food there from friends.
While I am not Vietnamese, I had traveled to Vietnam before and I think many of the mom and pop shops in Little Saigon in San Jose might be up your alley.
Moc mac?
Thanks for giving nha minh some credit. It’s a hidden gem.
Thank you for your service!
Always love your content and thoughts bro, my Viet food prophet in the city
My kingdom for a decent bun cha.
I’m a white guy from the West Coast, but I’m tempted to quit my corporate job and learn how to make it just to fill this massive void in the NY food scene.
Vietnaam in UES?
I recently moved here from Orlando, Florida, which has a sizable Vietnamese community district and an excellent range of authentic Vietnamese food—restaurants, bakeries, markets, and small family-run businesses. I’ve been surprised, and honestly a bit underwhelmed, by the Vietnamese offerings in New York.
I live right next to *Banh* and *Saiguette*, both of which come highly recommended from civilians, but neither has quite hit the mark for me. Something about the food often feels white-washed or incomplete, as if the flavors have been mucked up. I haven’t yet encountered the vibrancy, depth, and aromatic intensity I’m used to. What I’m craving is a deeply fragrant broth with real clarity—one where each layer of flavor is distinct—so good it knocks you out from the MSG symptom complex-induced coma after a bowl of noodle soup.
And on a related note: why is it seemingly impossible to find *hủ tiếu* in New York? It’s my favorite Vietnamese soup, yet it feels entirely absent here. Used to be able to find it all over cities in Florida. Does the city’s Vietnamese food scene primarily cater to northern regional cuisine, or am I just missing something?
thank you for your service. very happy to see a lot of my go-to’s on here, especially em’s. no non la? love their BBH
Very useful list, but as someone who goes to Pho Banh at least 1-2 times per week every single week in the past 3 years, I can say without a doubt I would not be putting that place anywhere near my top 50. It’s ok at best. Personally love La Dong and Em Bistro used to be my favorite but the trip to Brooklyn was just too insane.
I’m so happy you put High Lua here … I can never understand the lack of love. High Lua & Chef Papa are the only spots that make me think of home and my childhood.
My experience is that Vietnamese food is much better in Chicago – Argyle Street area. No doubt in Minneapolis as well.
Wait what’s wrong with Madame Vo Pho?? My girlfriend wants to go and that’s what I wanted..
Have you tried Mekong in bk?
Thank you and I feel you. Any downstate New Yorker can lament to others about bagels and pizza but you just don’t know till you know.
This is great thank you so much!
I did a quick read of the places I had personally tried and I’m happy to report the meat on the Bun Cha at La Dong has improved (there’s no skewers anymore but there are still the carrots)
Excited to try the other spots!
Kind of a long shot, but do any of these places have grilled cheese oysters/seafood? While I was Houston I got the pleasure of going to a Vietnamese seafood joint and I still think about the food there all the time and have never seen anything like it in NYC
This is incredible! Thank you so much for sharing, I’ve tried many of these but there’s so so many not on my radar and I can’t wait to explore.
One recommendation as a thank you – you must check out Diem Eatery on Atlantic! Some seriously good classic banh mi (though they make other kinds too)