10 Restaurants to Try The Yummiest Vietnamese Food in San Jose, Bay Area, California

10 Restaurants to Try The Yummiest Vietnamese Food in San Jose, Bay Area, California

Originally submitted by Tam Vu, a foodie who knows the best places to eat the best Vietnamese food in San Jose and surrounding cities. 

After many years blogging about my traveling, I realized I rarely if not at all wrote about Vietnam. I guess, I consider traveling as visiting/knowing some place/thing new and different. While I crave and rant about the most mundane things happening the other cultures, I don’t find it’s worth to talk about what going on where I am. You may feel the same.

Last month, I returned to the Bay Area to visit my family. Food was the you-can-not-ignore item, even activity, during my daily routine. (I have never eaten so much food in a short period and gained a few pounds.) Besides dishes served on a silver plate to my room by my parents, I got called away for food-hunting rides by my aunts, cousins, and friends. I’m not that fussy when it comes to food, but my family do. They want to go to a particular restaurant for a particular kind of food.

Having listening in on so many conversations recommending place A to eat Z, I thought it would be useful to foodies and budget travelers to know where to eat Vietnamese and what to eat when they’re in San Jose, the Vietnamese community in Northern California. I asked my foodie cousin to write up a list of budget places you can check out when you feel like having a Vietnamese treat.

1. Com Tam Thien Huong: The restaurant is located in a Vietnamese mall, so it is not very difficult to find the place. This place is pretty popular too so you can ask people to direct you there. They have a variety of Vietnamese broken rice (com tam) dishes mixing grilled meat (beef/pork/chicken), BBQ rib, fried eggs, tofu cake, pork skins. My favorite is broken rice with grilled meat and fried egg. They are also famous for their seafood plate.

Address: 1111 Story Rd #1086
Website: http://www.yelp.com/biz/com-tam-thien-huong-san-jose

Editor’s note: Across the street, you’ll find Com tam Thanh which serves the same dishes, and many people consider this place to be better. Either way, can’t go wrong.

2. Gio Cha Duc Huong: They have the best cha lua or gio lua, also known as Vietnamese pork roll or Vietnamese ham, in the Bay Area. A roll is made of lean pork, potato starch, and fish sauce. If you want good quality, this is the place to go. To get the freshest cha lua of the day, you should come early in the morning.

Address: 2569 S. King Rd. #C-1
Website: n/a

3. Bun Bo Hue An Nam: Bun Bo Hue, a spicy lemongrass-based noodle soup served with vermicelli type of noodles, has become a popular noodle soup, next to Pho. The noodle is not the same as Pho, and the taste is distinctively different. The noodle broth is great and full of flavor. The beef is fresh, and its tenderness is just amazing. Usually eaten with fresh veggies. Spiciness might be an issue for many people, but you can add for less spice. Screw the Pho, you literally can find it everywhere nowadays. Try this soup instead.

Address: 740 Story Rd # 3
Website: http://www.yelp.com/biz/bun-bo-hue-an-nam-san-jose

4. Lee’s Sandwiches: Vietnamese sandwich at its best. The Vietnamese sandwiches or banh my here are fresh out of the oven. The meat is fresh, and you have a variety of meat. (The Vietnamese sandwich is more or less similar to the American Subway and the French baguette in term of look.) The grilled pork and grilled chicken are some of my favorites. There is also a secret menu that waits for your ask. There are many different kinds of sandwiches. While this place has a few tables and chairs for sit in, it is more of a pick-up-and-go. Not only sandwiches, there is a lot of pre-made pantries, sweet drinks and deserts that you can grab to go.

Address: There are many locations. Please find them on their website.
Website: http://www.leesandwiches.com

5. Pho Kim Long: The beef in the Pho is one of the best around San Jose. The meat is well-cut and properly seasoned. The broth is a signature flavor for Pho, which makes it even more tempting. One thing unique about the Pho’s beef is that you can choose many other parts such as tendon or tripe. The noodles are soft, and the combination of the noodles, meat and broth is just great. Also, here you get more bang for your buck. The soup bowl is bigger. You get more meat compared to other restaurants in the area. The service is extremely quick and friendly.

Address: 2082 N Capitol Ave
Website: http://www.yelp.com/biz/pho-kim-long-restaurant-san-jose

6. Banh Bao Kim Loi: This bakery, no doubt, has one of the best Vietnamese Banh Bao, steamed bun, in the Bay Area. The stuffing inside Banh Bao is one of the most moisture I have ever tried. The bun is stuffed with pork, quail eggs, vegetable, and mushroom. The meat is fresh and together with the fluffy dough, Banh Bao has become the most sought-after at this bakery. Here they also have vegan buns which consist of either vegan stuffing or plain coconut pastes.

Address: 1716 Tully Rd
Website: http://www.yelp.com/biz/kim-loi-banh-bao-san-jose

1. Lau Hai San: The best of the best hot pot (lau) in the Bay Area. One of the best hotpot dishes here is Thai Spicy Hotpot. The broth is spicy enough for you to feel it. There are a lot of food items served in this hot pot, They are all fresh when served and mixed really well.

Address: tbd
Website: tbd

8. Street food from the Central (banh beo, banh nam, banh ram) :- Banh beo is a type of mini steamed rice cake topped with dried shrimp and fried pork skin, served with light sweet fish sauce sprinkled with sliced jalapenos. Banh Ram is pretty interesting because it’s made from steamed rice dumpling on top of deep-fried rice dumpling and topped with dried shrimp and minced green onions. Dip it in the fish sauce, take a bite and experience this crunchy and sticky texture going on in your mouth.

Address: this is not a restaurant, only recommendation of the food you should try.

9. Hu Tieu Nam Vang & Banh Khot at Vung Tau: Vung Tau restaurant has two yummy dishes that you have to try, Hu Tieu Nam Vang and Banh khot. Banh khot or shrimp cupcake appetizer is fun and delicious. Hu tieu Nam Vang, another kind of noodle soup, comes with a special sauce, a giant crab claw, and three different types of noodles to choose from: egg, rice or glass noodle. Unlike most Vietnamese noodle soup dishes, the broth is served separately so you can pour the soup into the noodle and eat it like you do other noodle soup or you can eat it dry. Fantastic food and service.

Address: 535 E Santa Clara St
Website: http://www.vungtaurestaurant.com

10. Quan Chay – Vegetarian Restaurant: This place is suitable for vegetarians. Their Bun Bo Hue (see above) will leave you with a runny nose and dying for a glass of coconut juice. Their Pho is rich and creamy having almost a floral-like taste. Both soup dishes are served with a rich plate of vegetables. The one downside is that it is too small and accepts only cash.

Address: tbc
Website: tbd