The Top 10 Vietnamese Restaurants In New Orleans

In the 1960s and 70s, many Vietnamese migrants flocked to New Orleans to escape the Vietnam War. Upon arrival, new residents discovered that their native food shared many similarities with Louisiana Creole cuisine. Today, New Orleans is dotted with Vietnamese fusion restaurants, serving classic dishes like phở, bún, cơm, and bánh mì as well as multicultural twists on established favourites. We take a look at 10 of the very best Vietnamese restaurants in New Orleans.

1. Ba Chi Canteen

Restaurant, Vietnamese

Ba Chi Canteen use traditional Vietnamese recipes as the basis from which to explore new possibilities and mix Vietnamese flavours with new cuisines, including Japanese, Korean, and Thai. The restaurant’s main focus is on mixing up the classics. The menu features ‘bacos’, a Mexican spin-off dish made from steamed buns filled with meat and accompanied by various homemade garnishes. Ba Chi Canteen allows a ‘bring your own bottle’ policy but serves strong Vietnamese coffee for a post-dinner treat, complete with thick condensed milk.

2. Dong Phuong

Bakery, Restaurant, French

In Vietnamese, Đông Phương translates as ‘East’, which is apt given the restaurant’s location in the eastern part of New Orleans. Dong Phuong is both a bakery and a restaurant, having been an important part of the city’s Vietnamese community for over 30 years. Many people claim that Dong Phuong makes the best French bread in the city, by which they mean New Orleans-style French bread with a hard crust and cottony-soft interior. In addition to their baked goods and Asian sweet treats, the Dong Phuong serves breakfast and lunch and offers catering services. Try some of their signature dishes such as shark fin soup and stir-fried lobster.

3. Magasin

Cafe, Bakery, Grocery Store, Vietnamese, Fast Food

Located on Magazine Street in Uptown New Orleans, Magasin fittingly occupies a space that was once a grocery store. Today, it has a clean, contemporary feel, with white surfaces and wide windows allowing in streams of natural light, but the atmosphere remains as friendly and casual as it always has been, with most menu items priced at under $10. Magasin’s speciality is its unique twist on classic Vietnamese dishes, spring rolls are filled with Chinese sausage and fried eggs, bringing a Western all-day-breakfast vibe to the classic spring roll. Magasin’s bánh mì are made using French bread from La Boulangerie, a nearby bakery preparing the very freshest baked goods daily.

4. Lilly's Café

Cafe, Vietnamese

Lilly’s is a casual Vietnamese café in the heart of the hip Lower Garden District. Its hand-crafted signs and wooden furniture contribute to a friendly, welcoming atmosphere. At Lilly’s, the focus is on classic Vietnamese staples such as phở, bún, cơm, and bánh mì (or Vietnamese po-boys as they are sometimes referred to in New Orleans.) The menu is vegetarian and vegan friendly, offering tofu as a delicious, healthy alternative to meat. Customers rave about the Lilly’s appetiser rolls, a spring roll stuffed with shrimp, pork, soft avocado, strawberry, and strings of vermicelli noodles. Fried Oyster Appetizer from MoPho | Photo by Rebecca Ratliff/ Courtesy of NewOrleansOnline.com

5. MoPho

Restaurant, Bubble Tea Shop, Asian, Fusion

MoPho is a one of the foremost Vietnamese fusion restaurants in the area, run by chef Michael Gulotta, the former chef de cuisine at John Besh’s August. Gulotta doesn’t attempt to merely recreate authentic Vietnamese cuisine, but rather believes his creations ‘bridge the Mekong Delta and the Mississippi Delta’. The menu offers familiar Vietnamese dishes such as phở and bánh mì, whilst also featuring the flavour of hogshead cheese, New Orleans hot sausage, and fried oysters with blue cheese. Guests can also enjoy the novelty alcoholic bubble tea, available in classic cocktail flavours such as the familiar ‘Old Fashioned’ and ‘Wedding Cake’. Mopho is located in the Mid-City neighbourhood, with an understated yet elegant atmosphere.

6. Pho Noi Viet

Cafe, Restaurant, Vietnamese

Pho Noi Viet owners Kim and Vinh Vu first experienced the work behind operating a restaurant when they aided the opening of Pho King, a pop-up Vietnamese restaurant inside Lost Love Lounge in the Marigny neighbourhood. Today, the Vus are the proud owners of Pho Noi Viet in the Lower Garden District, just down the road from Lilly’s Cafe. Pho Noi Viet serves some of the most popular varieties of Vietnamese dishes, including a unique take the on the classic bún Vietnamese noodle salad, topped with tofu and smothered in a secret recipe curry sauce.

7. Pho Ga Qua Minh

Restaurant, Vietnamese

Phở gà is a spicy Vietnamese chicken noodle soup, complete with rice noodles and a variety of poultry cuts, and is, as the name suggests, a specialty at Pho Ga Qua Minh. The owners Nhi Li and Minh Dao deliberately included phở gà in the title of the restaurant’s in order to distinguish it from surrounding eateries specialising in beef phở. Many guests, however, also praise Pho Ga Qua Minh for its duck soup, which is unparalleled anywhere in the city. Located in a strip mall in Marrero, Louisiana, Pho Ga Qua Minh may not appear to be a fine dining establishment on first sighting, but is well-respected institution renowned for serving high-quality Vietnamese cuisine.

8. Pho Tau Bay

Market, Restaurant, Vietnamese, Seafood

Emeril Lagasse reputedly loves Pho Tau Bay and makes a point of grabbing a meal in the restaurant whenever he is passing through town. Aside from this endorsement, Pho Tau Bay has its own rich culinary history dating back to the 1960s, when Karl Takacs, an American soldier stationed in Saigon, met and fell in love with the daughter of a prolific restaurateur. Her name was Tuyet, and she and Karl eventually left Saigon for New Orleans to escape political unrest. The couple operated a stand in the Algiers Flea Market, along with Tuyet’s sister and brother-in-law. By 1982, they had saved up enough money to open their permanent restaurant. Pho Tau Bay is famous for its delicious, aromatic phở, a broth noodle soup with chicken, pork, beef, or seafood.

9. Saigon Grill Deli

Deli, Market, Restaurant, Vietnamese

Located in the Hong Kong Food Market, Saigon Grill Deli is a popular West-bank spot for excellent take-out Vietnamese food. Hong Kong Food Market opened in 2005 and is primarily an extensive, comprehensive farmer’s market, offering specialty Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, and Filipino ingredients. Saigon Grill Deli offers delicious take out sandwiches, salads, BBQ dishes and desserts. If you like the taste and ritual of home-cooking, check out the market for ingredients such as rare chilli paste and Korean kimchi.

10. Tan Dinh

Restaurant, Bubble Tea Shop, Vietnamese

Tan Dinh is a New Orleans favourite amongst chefs and restaurateurs, including Chef John Besh and restaurateur Max Ortiz. Located on the west bank of the Mississippi River, the establishment has been owned and run by the Vu family since the 1900s, ensuring the flavours and spices are truly authentic, used in recipes that have stood the test of time. Diners recommend the jasmine iced tea, the fun bubble tea, the sticky Korean ribs, and the chicken wings tossed in fragrant lemongrass sauce or covered in lashings of garlic butter.

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