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Cao lau at Rose VL
Nick Woo/EPDX

Portland’s Mind-Blowing Vietnamese Restaurants and Food Carts

Where to find pho, banh mi, bun bo hue, and more

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Cao lau at Rose VL
| Nick Woo/EPDX

With restaurants like HA VL gaining national attention and neighborhood pho-centric hotspots raking in locals, Portland’s Vietnamese scene continues to thrive, serving up steaming dishes filled with the fragrance of star anise and lemongrass, kissed with the brightness of fresh basil and lime. In recent years, several immigrant and first-generation-owned Vietnamese restaurants and carts have broadened and stretched Portland’s selection of Vietnamese food to include things like jackfruit banh mi, pork served with woven sheets of rice noodles, cardamom-infused iced coffee, and sweet-and-porky thit kho. Even so, those restaurants and carts proudly stand alongside the delis, noodle shops, and bakeries that have been grilling, braising, and baking for decades.

This map is intended to cover Vietnamese food broadly, from old favorites like An Xuyen Bakery and Pho Oregon to new upstarts like Portland Cà Phê and Friendship Kitchen. Pho and banh mi enthusiasts would do well to also check out Eater PDX’s maps dedicated to those dishes. Note: The points on this map guide are not ranked; rather, they’re organized geographically.

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Matta PDX

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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.

Thit Kho at Matta
Nick Woo/EPDX

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 Restaurant

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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.

Phnom Penh egg noodles
Nick Woo/EPDX

Pho Oregon Restaurant

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Open since 2003, this spacious neighborhood institution is a well-oiled machine, serving up over twenty different steaming hot bowls of pho that arrive in short order. Along with sprouts and basil, the pho ga comes with a substantial pile of delicate vermicelli noodles, tender slices of chicken, and a side of ginger-laden sweet chili sauce. Pho Oregon is open for dine-in service in its banquet hall.

A pair of chopsticks hold up a tangle of noodles above a bowl of pho, with pieces of tripe and meatballs floating among chopped cilantro and basil
Beef pho
Nick Woo/EPDX

Lela's Bistro

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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.

Pork belly banh mi
Nick Woo/EPDX

Bui Natural Tofu

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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.

Friendship Kitchen

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From the bright green walls to the cheekily named cocktails like “White Man’s Tears,” owner Trang Nguyen’s ebullient personality shines through in this Kerns restaurant with extensive outdoor seating. The menu includes traditional dishes like spicy bún bò Huế and twists like cauliflower wings and the Hoi An banh mi that incorporates Laughing Cow cheese (which isn’t exactly an aberration). The must-order, however, has to be the restaurant’s luc lac, which gets a little hit of sweetness with a touch of pineapple juice. Friendship Kitchen is open for takeout and outdoor dining.

Hanoi Kitchen

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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.

Mama Dút

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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.

Luc Lac Vietnamese Kitchen

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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.

Berlu’s pandemic pivot to a weekend Vietnamese takeout bakery was a success by most measures. Chef Vince Nguyen eventually started adding noodle soups to the menu, and now he’s reintroducing the upscale multi-course tasting menus the restaurant was originally known for — this time, incorporating Vietnamese ingredients, techniques, and dishes. The bakery remains open, and the tasting menu is available by reservation only via Tock. The bakery remains open on Sundays, for those craving springy, lime-green-colored bánh bò nướng.

Short Round

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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.

Short Round
Nick Woo/EPDX

Teo Bun Bo Hue

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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.

Van Hanh Vegetarian Restaurant

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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.

Rose VL Deli

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Nestled in a Jade District strip mall, HA & VL’s celebrated sister crafts outstanding, meticulously constructed Vietnamese soups six days a week, from Monday’s peppery pork ball soup with vermicelli noodles to Saturday’s turmeric noodles in pork broth. Also of note, chef-meets-owner-meets-matriarch Ha (Christina) Luu has been a James Beard Award semifinalist. Soups tend to sell out by 1 p.m., so those interested should arrive for a noodle brunch.

An Xuyen Bakery

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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.

BBQ pork banh mi
Nick Woo/EPDX

Portland Cà Phê

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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.

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Matta PDX

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.

Thit Kho at Matta
Nick Woo/EPDX

Lúa

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 Restaurant

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.

Phnom Penh egg noodles
Nick Woo/EPDX

Pho Oregon Restaurant

Open since 2003, this spacious neighborhood institution is a well-oiled machine, serving up over twenty different steaming hot bowls of pho that arrive in short order. Along with sprouts and basil, the pho ga comes with a substantial pile of delicate vermicelli noodles, tender slices of chicken, and a side of ginger-laden sweet chili sauce. Pho Oregon is open for dine-in service in its banquet hall.

A pair of chopsticks hold up a tangle of noodles above a bowl of pho, with pieces of tripe and meatballs floating among chopped cilantro and basil
Beef pho
Nick Woo/EPDX

Lela's Bistro

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.

Pork belly banh mi
Nick Woo/EPDX

Bui Natural Tofu

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.

Friendship Kitchen

From the bright green walls to the cheekily named cocktails like “White Man’s Tears,” owner Trang Nguyen’s ebullient personality shines through in this Kerns restaurant with extensive outdoor seating. The menu includes traditional dishes like spicy bún bò Huế and twists like cauliflower wings and the Hoi An banh mi that incorporates Laughing Cow cheese (which isn’t exactly an aberration). The must-order, however, has to be the restaurant’s luc lac, which gets a little hit of sweetness with a touch of pineapple juice. Friendship Kitchen is open for takeout and outdoor dining.

Hanoi Kitchen

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.

Mama Dút

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.

Luc Lac Vietnamese Kitchen

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.

Berlu

Berlu’s pandemic pivot to a weekend Vietnamese takeout bakery was a success by most measures. Chef Vince Nguyen eventually started adding noodle soups to the menu, and now he’s reintroducing the upscale multi-course tasting menus the restaurant was originally known for — this time, incorporating Vietnamese ingredients, techniques, and dishes. The bakery remains open, and the tasting menu is available by reservation only via Tock. The bakery remains open on Sundays, for those craving springy, lime-green-colored bánh bò nướng.

Short Round

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.

Short Round
Nick Woo/EPDX

Teo Bun Bo Hue

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.

Van Hanh Vegetarian Restaurant

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.

Rose VL Deli

Nestled in a Jade District strip mall, HA & VL’s celebrated sister crafts outstanding, meticulously constructed Vietnamese soups six days a week, from Monday’s peppery pork ball soup with vermicelli noodles to Saturday’s turmeric noodles in pork broth. Also of note, chef-meets-owner-meets-matriarch Ha (Christina) Luu has been a James Beard Award semifinalist. Soups tend to sell out by 1 p.m., so those interested should arrive for a noodle brunch.

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An Xuyen Bakery

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.

BBQ pork banh mi
Nick Woo/EPDX

Portland Cà Phê

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.

Related Maps