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By Kristie Hang
The San Gabriel Valley has long been known as a mecca for delicious and authentic Chinese food. But did you know that there are a number of Vietnamese restaurants that can give Wesminster's Little Saigon a run for its money? Here's a list of worthy competitors that will save you the trouble of going all the way to the OC for Vietnamese food.
Banh Xeo (Photo by Kristie Hang/LAist)
VIETNAMESE CREPES
The star at Banh Xeo Quan is Banh Xeo, a Vietnamese crispy crepe that is filled with shrimp, fatty pork, diced green onion and bean sprouts. For those more adventurous eaters, the restaurant also does a great balut (boiled duck egg with a small embryo inside) on weekends.
Other standouts include their amazing freshly squeezed sugarcane juice, mung bean pandan drink, Banh canh (Vietnamese-style "udon" in crab soup), and their Dac Biet Northern-style Pho.
Banh Xeo Quan is located at 8742 East Garvey Aveune in Rosemead, (626) 288-2699
Bun Mam (Photo by Kristie Hang/LAist)
FERMENTED ANCHOVY NOODLES
Because of the complexity of the broth, Bun Mam is an item not usually found on a Vietnamese menu. This salty, pungent, yet delicious fermented anchovy noodle soup is an acquired taste. The smell can be off-putting at first, but the lime and herbs kick in to make it a very scrumptious and unique dish.
Another must-try is the deer meat sate noodles. For vegetarians, Ha Tien Quan also offers an extensive veggie menu that tastes just like its meat dish counterparts.
Ha Tien Quan is located at 529 East Valley Boulveard in San Gabriel, (626) 288-1896
7 courses of beef at Thien An (Photo by Kristie Hang/LAist)
7 COURSES OF BEEF
Bo 7 mon is the place for all those beef-lovers out there where you can find 7 courses of beef each prepared a different way. The courses include: beef and shrimp salad, raw beef shabu shabu, grilled beef marinated with lemongrass, beef wrapped in wild betel leaf, grilled ground beef sausage mixture with spices, steamed beef meatball with nuts, mushrooms, and spices and beef porridge. The other signature dish here is their roasted whole catfish.
Thien An is located at 8837 East Valley Boulvard in Rosemead, (626) 286-6665
(Photo by Kristie Hang/LAist)
CHARBOILED PORK SPRING ROLLS
If you love pork, Nem Nuong Ninh Hoa is the best place in the SGV to get charbroiled pork skewers and spring rolls. Another specialty is their Banh Beo (steamed miniature rice flour cakes with dried shrimp).
Bonus: Make sure to order their skinny egg rolls. Each egg roll has a whole fried shrimp inside.
Nem Nuong Ninh Hoa is located at 9016 Mission Drive in Rosemead, (626) 286-3370
Comfort food at Nha Trang (Photo by Kristie Hang/LAist)
COMFORT FOOD
Simplicity at its best: There are a total of 5 dishes at Nha Trang. Standouts are their Bun Bo Hue (Spicy Vietnamese Hue-Style Beef Noodle Soup) and their Bun Rieu (A northern Vietnamese crab and tomato soup).
Word of advice: Although there are three locations of Nha Trang in the San Gabriel Valley, the Monterey Park location consistently tastes the best of the branches.
Nha Trang is located at 742 East Garvey Aveune in Monterey Park, (626) 288-8825
(Photo by Kristie Hang/LAist)
FREE RANGE CHICKEN
Lazy eaters, rejoice! Chicken here is de-boned for you! With only a handful of menu items, the specialties at Pho Ga Bac-Ninh are their free-range chicken options. The flavors of the chicken pho and Hainan chicken rice are brought out by the finger-licking good sweet and ginger dipping sauce that is provided.
Bonus: For those more adventurous eaters, there's an appetizer with chicken gizzard, liver, heart and quail eggs.
Pho Ga Bac-Ninh is located at 605 North New Avenue in Monterey Park, (626) 288-1448
PHO NOODLES AND EGG ROLLS
Pho Pasteur has very good broth and noodles, but their standout is their Northern Pho. Northern-style Pho uses wider, more slippery noodles, has a stronger beef flavor, and uses a lot of star anise and fish sauce.
Bonus: Grab an order of their egg rolls that are layered with taro. FYI: It's hard to find Vietnamese restaurants that use the traditional egg roll skin to make their egg rolls anymore. Most try to get by with Chinese Wonton skins instead of using the harder to wrap rice paper. Thumbs up for Pho Pasteur for doing it right!
Pho Pasteur is located at 8821 Valley Boulevard in Rosemead, (626) 292-5888
(Photo by Kristie Hang/LAist)
CLAYPOT FISH AND SWEET AND SOUR SOUP
The specialty at My Hanh is family-style Vietnamese set meals. Their large combo deal includes a salad, soup, claypot fish, fried fish, and egg rolls. They also have Ca Nuong (baked whole catfish).
Best dishes: claypot fish, sweet and sour hot pot soup with okra, pineapple, fish, bean sprouts, bamboo sprouts, tomatoes.
My Hanh is located at 8450 Garvey Avenue in San Gabriel, (626) 579-5112
(Photo by Daisy C.)
TAPIOCA DESSERT AND LIMITLESS CHOICES
Saigon Eden is underrated. Their food is full of flavor and you don't go home feeling thirsty after your meal, unlike many other Vietnamese restaurants that pile on the MSG. The best part of eating here comes after your meal: the complimentary mung bean tapioca and coconut milk dessert tops off the experience.
Saigon Eden is located at 980 East Las Tunas Drive in San Gabriel, (626) 287-3158
(Photo by Kristie Hang/LAist)
OG STATUS
Golden Deli is one of the oldest Vietnamese restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley. Despite doing little to no renovations over the years, Golden Deli’s food has been consistently on point. They have an array of dishes on their menu. The pho noodles, vermicelli, and other dishes have generous portions sizes. Thumbs up for also being one of the few Vietnamese restaurants left that make proper Vietnamese-style egg rolls.
Golden Deli is located at 815 West Las Tunas Drive in San Gabriel
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
(Photo by Eileen T./LAist)
BROKEN RICE
If you are looking for a filling meal, try the Vietnamese broken rice. It is also known as Com Tam, a dish made from rice with fractured rice grains. At Com Tam Thuan Kieu, you can go through all the topping choices and pay a la carte pay per topping or order the gargantuan 10-meat combination. I did the topping math and there are a possible 64 permutations of broken rice plates. You can customize your plate any way you want it. Combos variations range from egg rolls to baked egg to pork chops, etc.
Com Tam Thuan Kieu is located at 120 East Valley Boulevard in San Gabriel, (626) 280-5660
(Photo by Kristie Hang/LAist)
"KOBE" BEEF PHO
Noodle Guy has a variety of Vietnamese dishes that are done right, however their most quirky item would be their "Kobe" beef pho aka American Wagyu Beef. The Kobe Beef Pho is worth trying if you don't mind the splurge, although personally I think it’s overrated. Instead, try sticking with one of their other pho noodles, filet migon pieces with tomato rice, Banh Beo (Steamed rice flour cakes with dried shrimp), or any of their vermicelli dishes.
Noodle Guy is located at 1257 E Valley Boulevard in Alhambra, (626) 284-1868
(Photo by Kristie Hang/LAist)
FAMILY-STYLE EATING
Its unfortunate name aside, My Dung is almost identical to My Hanh (mentioned above) in that their specialty is family-style sets. (Eds. note: the restaurant also goes by the name Tan Khai Hoan—in fact both names are on the restaurant's placemats.)
Standouts: Canh Chua (sweet and sour soup with either catfish or shrimp, claypot braised catfish, ca kho (Vietnamese Braised Fish in a clay pot).
My Dung is located at 8232 Garvey Avenue in Rosemead, (626) 571-0379
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Kristie Hang is an avid world traveler that spends 3 months a year in Asia. She has an affinity for bizarre foods and is also the co-founder of the 626 Foodettes Blog, a hyperlocal food blog highlighting culinary options in the San Gabriel Valley. You can follow her on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.
Related:
The 10 Cutest Foods In The San Gabriel Valley
The Best Pineapple Buns In The San Gabriel Valley
