…and you’ll get all of that in just the one dish if you undertake a tour of London’s Vietnamese restaurants listed below.
Often described as less oily than Chinese food, less spicy than Thai food, and not as heavy as an Indian, Vietnamese food, with its focus on broths, raw foods, lean meats and additive-free cooking, has found it’s a niche in London’s restaurant market.
It’s no wonder then that the south-east Asian cuisine has seen a continued rise in popularity after its initial boom eight or so years ago, driven predominantly by health-conscious Londoners and Barack Obama’s appearance on Anthony Bourdain’s TV show eating the popularised Hanoi specialty, Bún chả Hà Nội.
To get your fix of pho, bún chả, bánh mì, rice paper rolls and more, try one of the Vietnamese restaurants below. Or, better yet, try them all!
1. BúnBúnBún, Hoxton and Dalston
We’ll give you three guesses as to the specialty of this pair of Vietnamese restaurants. Each bún dish—steamed rice vermicelli noodles and salad served with your choice of main—is an all-in-one meal fit for kings and paupers alike. Select the main ingredient, choosing from the Hanoi specialty of mini grilled pork patties, monkfish, chicken, ribeye beef, goat, or king prawn, and quite a few more.
There’s also pho (obviously), rice meals with fried duck and slow-cooked pork belly, and so much more at only £11.50 — as well as whole fishes with your choice of sauce to share. There’s enough on the menu to make you want to go back and try what you didn’t the first time round.
📍 134B Kingsland Road, Hoxton and 511 Kingsland Road, Dalston.
🚇 Nearest stations are Hoxton and Dalston Junction.
2. Phát Phúc, Chelsea
If what you’ve got to spend on a meal is just a tenner, then Phát Phúc (that’s ‘Happy Buddha’ in Vietnamese, believe it or not) is the noodle bar for you.
Located in a courtyard just off the King’s Road, this noodle joint makes its stock from scratch, infusing flavour over a number of hours to achieve the authentic Vietnamese taste for its specialty — pho. Choose from chicken, beef, duck, and vegetable varieties and savour the healthy goodness just like so many others have — evident by the many Phát Phúc t-shirts we’ve seen around town.
Not in the mood for noodles? No problem. There’s duck pancakes, spring rolls, dim sum, chicken dumplings and pork buns available, all for under £5.
📍 151 Sydney Street, Chelsea.
🚇 Nearest station is Sloane Square.
3. Cây Tre, Soho and Hoxton
When Hieu Trung Bui, owner of Cây Tre, first arrived in London over twenty years ago, he was disappointed with the Vietnamese restaurants in the city. So, to help ward off homesickness and satiate cravings, he opened his own Vietnamese restaurant — because if you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself.
Today he has a Vietnamese kitchen family with a second Cây Tre restaurant having opened in Soho, as well as another two ventures focusing on other Vietnamese specialties.
To really make the most of your visit, it’s best to go with your crew and order to share. It’s the only way you’ll be able to sample a bit of everything. But you’ll want the pho all to yourself.
📍 42-43 Dean Street, Soho and 301 Old Street, Hoxton.
🚇 Nearest stations are Tottenham Court Road and Hoxton.
4. Sông Quê Café, Hoxton
When ‘mum’ handpicks all the chefs at Sông Quê Café—the bright-green painted Vietnamese restaurant—and passes her knowledge onto them while still keeping a watchful eye over the simmering stock, it’s no wonder that this family-run business has turned clients into friends. Russell Brand is one of its more notable mates.
Pho is, once again, the specialty here — but we’ve also heard that the spicy squid, stewed fish pot and the hot and spicy beef and pork noodle soup are more than worth a try. And once you’re done eating, you can’t pass on the Vietnamese coffee, hot or cold, to rouse you from your food coma.
📍 134 Kingsland Road, Hoxton.
🚇 Nearest station is Hoxton.
5. Kêu, various locations
The second venture of Cây Tre’s owner, Kêu has opened three brilliant Vietnamese restaurants in a short period of time. Specialising in more of the ‘grab and go’ varieties in Vietnamese cuisine, this unsurprisingly includes their brilliant bowls of soups. The bánh mìs are where it’s at, though. All of them made to order in house, and the selection available is enough to make your mouth water while waiting in the queue.
The original, where one should always begin, comes with mortadella sausage, pork floss, homemade chicken liver paté, spiced pork belly, spicy mayo and ham terrine. But then there’s also honey-glazed pork shoulder, roast duck, coconut chicken, and a smoked aubergine version for vegetarians.
📍 168 London Wall, City.
📍 332 Old Street, Old Street.
📍 9 Poland Street, Soho.
🚇 Nearest stations are Moorgate, Old Street and Oxford Street.
6. Miến Tăy, various locations
A group of four family-run Vietnamese restaurants, Miến Tăy is named after the southern Vietnamese region from which the family originates. As such, its menu focuses on dishes and ingredients customary to the area, which predominantly is vegetables and fish, since the Mekong river is a major food source for the region.
One of the most popular items on the menu is the seafood hot pot, a spicy and sour soup packed full of fresh seafood (squid, prawn, eel, scallop, mussel, and seabass) and vegetables, making it the perfect dish to share with other seafood lovers. Another regional specialty is the chargrilled quail with honey, garlic & spices, which is a must-try.
For those visiting Fulham and Shoreditch, it’s good to know that they accept BYO (charges apply).
📍 45 Fulham High Street, Fulham.
📍 106 Kingsland Road, Shoreditch.
📍 433 Lordship Lane, Wood Green.
🚇 Nearest stations are Putney Bridge, Hoxton and Wood Green.
7. Bánh Bánh, Peckham and Brixton
When grandma leaves behind a recipe book, the family at Bánh Bánh takes inspiration because, with years of experience as a chef in 1940s Saigon, grandma knows a thing or two about traditional Vietnamese cooking.
Expect to see the classic summer rolls and BBQ beef in betel leaves on the menu, as well as pho and a bún noodle salad. But the real treat comes with the periodical changes reflecting what ingredients are in season. Most people can’t pass on the Bánh Knot pancakes (mini turmeric, coconut and tiger prawn pancakes), and we reckon you won’t either.
📍 46 Peckham Rye, Peckham.
📍 326 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton.
🚇 Nearest stations are Peckham Rye and Brixton.
8. Banh Mi Bay, various locations
Self-described pioneers of the bánh mì in the UK, Banh Mi Bay has been serving up quality Vietnamese food right across London for some time.
Their aromatic meats are cooked on an open chargrill after having been left marinating overnight, allowing them to become the stars of their respective dishes and leaving customers wanting more. A go-to on the menu is the five-spiced lamb, marinated in honey and soy and served with bell peppers and onion. For a bit of variety, check out the weekly special, showcasing delicious dishes from around Vietnam.
📍 4-6 Theobalds Road, Holborn.
📍 33 Cannon Street, St. Pauls.
📍 21 Rathbone Street, Fitzrovia.
📍 Food Court, Surrey Quays Shopping Centre.
🚇 Nearest stations are Chancery Lane, St. Paul’s, Goodge Street and Surrey Quays.
9. Green Papaya, Hackney and Hoxton
Not strictly Vietnamese only, Green Papaya also serves up a selection of Xi’An cuisine, a city in central China marking the eastern end of the Silk Road.
What’s good about this place is that you can try at least two styles of noodles from different countries. You could order the Mount Qi pork noodles traditional to Xi’An, which a little birdie told us have made it into a good food guide in China. Alternatively (or as well as, of course), you could opt for the Vietnamese pho or bún.
Back on the Vietnamese tip, the food is everything you’d expect from Vietnamese cuisine – fresh and flavoursome. Just try the grilled marinated chicken thigh, marinated in fish sauce, garlic, lemongrass, galangal turmeric, and other herbs and spices.
📍 191 Mare Street, Hackney.
📍 97 Kingsland Road, Hoxton.
🚇 Nearest stations are Hackney Central and Hoxton.
10. Sen Viet, King’s Cross St. Pancras
Rounding off this list of the best Vietnamese restaurants in London is Sen Viet – a casual, no-frills spot in King’s Cross which offers all the Vietnamese favourites from summer rolls to pho and traditional baguettes too.
It’s super cosy inside and the food is absolutely delicious – we’d recommend going for the spicy noodle soup and wash it down with an ice-cold bottle of Saigon or Hanoi.
📍119 King’s Cross Road, King’s Cross St. Pancras.
🚇 Nearest station is King’s Cross.
So there you have it – a roundup of the best Vietnamese restaurants in London. So whether you’re looking for a steaming bowl of phở or are wanting a tasty bánh mì baguette, you’re sure to find what you’re looking for here!