Metalwood Salvage in Cully also houses a small food cart pod, including Matta, a Việt Kiều cart that serves both chef Richard Le’s family recipes and first-gen riffs developed by Le and co-owner Sophia Le. That means, on any given visit, diners may find comforting fare like thit kho — braised pork belly and soft boiled egg floating in succulent caramel, coconut, and chilis — or a double cheeseburger, served on a toasted pandan bun. The menu items rotate depending on the day, but there’s no going wrong by ending a meal with a green pandan doughnut and a Vietnamese drip coffee. It’s open for walk-ups.

Airy and stylish Lúa on North Williams comes from the team behind Vietnamese deli, Lotus Kitchen, so it’s guaranteed that the banh mi game is on point. Where the modern restaurant also excels is in little touches like the house-made boba and bánh hỏi, woven rice vermicelli wrapped into rolls to accompany proteins like crispy-skinned slices of pork belly and grilled meatballs. The shop’s bánh hỏi also comes with pickled vegetables and cucumber slices, topped with crushed peanuts and mint, plus nuoc cham for dipping. It’s open for onsite dining and takeout.

Pho Mekha’s savory and aromatic pho stocks are lauded as some of the best in Portland, though the larger menu is also well-stocked with other fantastic noodle soups. Mekha’s Mì Quảng, swirling turmeric noodles tangled in tail-on prawns and quail eggs, is one of the city’s best, thanks to its tangy-yet-savory broth. Another great choice, available at the NE Sandy Blvd locale, is the Phnom Penh noodles, garnished with chrysanthemum greens — try ordering them dry with the pork broth on the side. Most soups come with a side plate of sprouts, herbs, and a host of condiments to choose from, including the signature house garlic. Pho Mekha is open for dine-in, takeout, and delivery.

Located in a 1908 Nob Hill Victorian on NW 23rd Avenue, Lela’s Bistro dishes up anise-blessed bowls of pho alongside flaky, 12-inch Binh Minh baguettes filled with mouthwatering proteins like tender pork belly or succulent bulgogi. For those that cannot stand to make a choice, the banh mi has an optional side of a cup of pho. Lela’s is open for takeout, delivery, and outdoor dining.

As the name implies, this little Montavilla shop specializes in tofu, though that’s underselling what’s on offer. Sure, there’s freshly made tofu in varying levels of firmness, but there’s also ready-to-eat fried tofu flavored with lemongrass or fried onions, as well as salad rolls incorporating sliced tofu, and golden fried tofu pockets stuffed with minced pork and scallions. Colorful layered desserts and delicate rice flour crepes are often available (items can sell out before closing) for anyone averse to the multifaceted charms of bean curd.

North Vietnamese dishes are the specialty at this spacious, family-run restaurant in Montavilla. The restaurant is a stalwart for hot noodle soups like the crabmeat and escargot vermicelli, as well as its steamed rice crepes with lime-chile dipping sauce. There are loads of meatless options, too, including a vegetarian version of fish sauce. Hanoi Kitchen is open for takeout and delivery.

Pop-up turned counter-service restaurant, Mama Dút, is a welcome addition to Portland’s meat-free Vietnamese food scene. Owner Thuy Pham might be known for mastering the art of mock pork belly, but she also makes banh mi and buns stuffed with shredded jackfruit and chik’n fried oyster mushrooms, as well as vegan baked goods like hot dogg mylk buns and whoopie pies in fun flavors. Extras like fermented carrots, house-made kimchi, vegan phish sauce, and eggless kimchi aioli take everything up a notch. Mama Dút is open for takeout.

Diners can twirl vermicelli as late as midnight at this pink parasol-studded, café-meets-trendy-bar in downtown Portland. The menu is extensive, offering everything from sugar cane shrimp to rice plates and stir fries, with creative cocktails as an added bonus. Even with the addition of a covered outdoor seating area, wait times can still be treacherous; those unwilling to wait can opt for takeout or delivery.

This Vietnamese street pub housed in a long, narrow space on Hawthorne Blvd serves pan-fried sticky rice cakes filled with pork belly and mung beans and grilled mussels in coconut milk. Cocktails like the Tiger King, essentially vodka-spiked Thai iced tea, round out the menu, and extras like housemade fish sauce, lemongrass-infused hot sauce, and roasted peanuts flavored with chiles and lime leaves are available to-go.

There’s really just three choices at this Jade District restaurant: a lighter profile pho ga with bone-in chicken, a beef pho complete with bone-in ribs, or its namesake, a tangy-salty-spicy-sweet soup from Central Vietnam that comes brimming with pork knuckles, congealed blood cakes, and rice noodles. Each comes with a pile of fresh sprouts and herbs. It’s arguably the city’s finest version of the dish, available to devour onsite or via takeout.

Vegetarians and vegans, rejoice. For meatless spins on traditional Vietnamese dishes, the mindful Buddhist nuns at Van Hahn know what’s up. A must-try is the house special, a faux roasted “pork belly” made from bean curd, wheat, tapioca, and rice flour. Van Hanh is open for takeout.

This neighborhood fave is home to some of the best banh mi on the east side. Portlanders can choose from over a dozen different banh mi sandwiches, such as barbecue pork and veggie tofu, stuffed in fresh-baked crusty baguettes. Those looking for something outside the baguette can grab a meatball bao. Diners should also save room for one of the bakery’s many French-inspired pastries, including its guava cookies.

Micro-coffee roaster, Portland Cà Phê, wants to raise Vietnam’s profile as a coffee producer. Run by a former barista whose family owns the House of Bánh Mì, Kimberly Dam branched out on her own during the pandemic. Of course, the cafe serves Vietnamese iced coffee with condensed milk, though it also offers matcha and hot chocolate flavored with optional syrups, including rose, ube, and lavender, as well as a selection of banh mi. The cafe has also developed house roasts for other local Vietnamese spots, Matta and Mama Dút.