Austin Axis Guide to Vietnamese Food

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Chopstick Chinese & Vietnamese Restaurant

6929 Airport Blvd.

Austin, Texas

Tel: (512) 452-3999

Reader Remarks

Dong Phuong

9200 N. Lamar Blvd #104

Austin, Texas

Tel: (512) 834-1736

Web: http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/tpham/dongphuong.html

Reader Remarks

Werner Uhrig (1/17/96)

Opened just recently, Dong Phuong advertises Vietnamese fast food and bakery, but it is really a restaurant competing with Saigon next door, offering similar dishes. I like both their food and people.

Hao Hao

7001-D Manchaca Road

Austin, Texas

Tel: (512) 447-8121

Reader Remarks

Emery Berger (1/17/96)

Not in any way to be confused with their Dobie location! Yes, they are owned by the same people, but as one of the owners told me, "The food is much better here because students won't spend the money." They have some dishes which are not to be found in the other Vietnamese restaurants around town, and these are consistently excellent. There is a kind of a peanut-based "soup" with beef (almost between a soup and a stew, actually) which is just phenomenal. It is way way south (south of Stassney), but if you're anywhere nearby, it's worth the visit.

Kim Phung

7601 North Lawar Blvd.

Austin, Texas 78752

Tel: (512) 451-2464

Reader Remakrs

Brian Combs (1/16/96)

This is my favorite place in town. There is a taste in the broth of their Pho that I can't place and can't find anywhere else. I also get cravings for it.

Don't be discouraged by long lines at lunch. The table turnover is exceedingly fast.

Werner Uhrig (1/17/96)

Kim Phung is just an also-run and Johnny-come-lately.

Eric Hunt (1/18/96)

I don't understand the attraction. Their bun is almost tasteless, it's very bland and you only can make it better with judicious use of condiments from the table.

Andy Nguyen (4/25/96)

I tried Kim Phung three times, once w/ my wife, soon after I came to town in March 1992, and have not been back since. I thought the cooking was barely competent. My wife disliked it even more. For some reason, this place is immensely popular with some of my colleagues. Things have changed since then.

Little Saigon

Reader Remarks

Richard Greenwalt (4/19/96)

I took my family to a new restaurant in our area called 'Little Saigon'.

For NW Austin, I was pleasingly surprised. Here's the low down as follows:

Food taste was good to excellent (minimal grease).

Portions sizes were medium to large.

Menu listing (lunch and dinner) was comprehensive.

Service moderate, but accurate.

Prices were nominal with other establisments (Fortune 75, Hao, Hao, etc.).

Atmosphere was clean and standardized.

The restaurant is located in the Anderson Mill Shopping Center (about 2miles west on Anderson Mill Road from Hwy. 183). The restaurant is new, but I think it will do well based on the market. Plus, I have seen alot of activity in the parking lot as I pass the restaurant. I highly recommend 'Little Saigon', if you are in neighborhood.

Nhatrang

Austin, Texas

Reader Remarks

Roger L. Cauvin (9/9/96)

A new Vietnamese restaurant has opened across from Sea Dragon in the Grand Central Station shopping center. The name of the restaurant is Nhatrang. Having been a fan of Kim Phung, Sea Dragon, and Pho Cong Ly, I found Nhatrang to be superior to all of them. Their rice, pork, egg roll, and vegetable dish (#41) is delectable. They do not have a wide variety of pho, but what they have is in my opinion better than that of the reputable Kim Phung and Pho Cong Ly.

Pho Cong Ly

8557 Research Blvd.

Austin, Texas 78758

Tel: (512) 832-5595

Reader Remarks

Brian Combs (1/16/96)

I just tried this place tonight (there was a wreck on Lamar in front of Kim Phung and I couldn't get in). It was good but it didn't have that "something" that Kim Phung has. This might be because I got it To-Go, however.

Werner Uhrig (1/17/96)

Just south from Dell, in the Target parking lot is a Vietnamese soup restaurant (part of a chain, apparently). Some people like it, I think it's inferior to all the other restaurants mentioned.

Andy Nguyen (4/25/96)

This is undisputedly the best "pho" anywhere in town. Stay away from the other dishes ("bun" (rice vermicelli), rice, etc.); they're only "menu fillers".

Pho Pasteur

Austin, Texas

Reader Remarks

Andy Nguyen (4/25/96)

This is the new "pho" place on Lamar, across from Twin Dragon. This place has a much broader menu than Pho Cong Ly, and IMO, is not nearly as specialized in "pho" as Pho Cong Ly. The "pho" here is only passable: a touch too much MSG for my taste. There were a few complaints about tardy service for Westerners, but I have not witnessed it firsthand.

Quan Ba Tho

911 W. Anderson Lane #114

Austin, Texas

Tel: (512) 302-5433

Reader Remarks

Werner Uhrig (1/17/96)

And not to forget, across Lamar from Kim Phung (on Anderson just west from Computize, in the same red brick strip mall) is a tiny family run Vietnamese restaurant which last year changed name (and owner?): it's quite alright.

Anonymous (3/24/96)

This is an excellent Authentic Vietnamese Restauraunt. They server excellent Pho as well as Steamed Rice Plates. I would highly recommend this Restauraunt to anyone who would like a truly authentic Vietnamese Restauraunt experience.

Andy Nguyem (4/25/96)

(The name means "Mrs. Tho's Cafe": "quan" means a small shack-like refreshment shop, "ba Tho" means "Mrs. Tho". Yes there _is_ a Mrs. Tho.)

I have been there quite a few times. The food is authentic North Vietnamese and is quite good. The "crab soup" is excellent. The rice dishes are probably among the best in Austin.

My cousin, who is from Chicago, said that the owner used to have a place of the same name up in Chicago that was very popular with the Vietnamese crowd.

Saigon

9200 N Lamar Blvd

Austin, Texas

Tel: (512) 837-3692

Reader Remarks

Eric Hunt (1/18/96)

Small cozy viet/chinese restaurant. The bun (that other viet comfort food) is quite good, nicely charbroiled with an amazing aroma and lots of stir fried stuff, it's not all noodles. You almost don't have to add any fish sauce or additional hot sauce. The coconut curried chicken is very good as well. My vegetarian friend has high remarks for the coconut curried vegetables. The iced tea is to be avoided (I've never found a Viet restaurant that knew how to make iced tea), but the Viet/French Iced Coffee is very good. Prices are similiar to other Viet restaurants, $4 for bun. I've never tried their pho', mainly because I don't like beef.

Saigon Kitchen

4323 South IH 35

Austin, Texas

Tel: (512) 326-3969

Reader Remarks

Emery Berger (1/17/96)

Used to be up north on Lamar (the "Little Vietnam" area). Good, reliable Vietnamese food, with some extra seafood specialities, like squid curry (tasty!). Has an extensive menu.

Werner Uhrig (1/17/96)

The Saigon Kitchen Restaurant, which for years kept me fat and happy, has moved from their North Lamar location down south to near the IH-35 and Ben White intersection, on the south-east side frontage road, next to Celebration Station in the attached building to that hotel whats-its-name....

Mrs. Kim's cooking is the best in town, unsurpassed.

The old 9200 N. Lamar location (just south of the Rundberg/Lamar intersection) was renamed Saigon Restaurant. Bought out by an employee, it uses the same old Saigon Kitchen menu. She's no Mrs. Kim, but cooks O.K.

Sea Dragon

8776-B Research Blvd.

Austin, Texas 78758

Tel: (512) 451-5051

Reader Remarks

Brendan B. Boerner (1/18/96)

A combination of Vietnamese/Chinese. I haven't tried anything that is specifically Vietnamese, but they serve good basic food at a good price. After eating at Sea Dragon, I find that most Chinese places use too much oil. Their hot-and-sour soup is the best I've had which I conclude is because it's Vietnamese, not Chinese (only a soup I had at a Chinese place in Munich comes close).

Andy Nguyen (4/25/96)

This is undisputedly my favorite Vietnamese place for "banquet" food. (I regard most of the other places as "fast food" places.) The Vietnamese dishes are extremely authentic. And so tasty too! There are a few exceptions: recently, they started battering & frying the "Shrimps in Salt & Pepper", instead of just sauteeing them.

Your comment about the hot and sour soup is right on: the soup is a hot and sour fish-based soup, a Vietnamese classic.

Southeast Asia Restaurant

8557 Research Blvd.

Austin, Texas 78758

Tel: (512) 834-0306

Reader Remarks

Andy Nguyen (4/25/96)

We ate there once. Once. My cousin's family had similarly bad experiences there. (To be fair, that was soon after their debut.)

Tan Tan

Austin, Texas

Reader Remarks

Andy Nguyen (4/25/96)

This is the new place in the small strip mall behind Target. I ate there once; it was quite decent. My wife had lunches there a few times; she's less enthusiastic about it.

Greg Scheig (1/22/97)

A relatively new noodle house opened up last year. The pho and bun are, in my opinion, the best in town (they even taste good before the condiments are added!).

There are no lines, and it is very clean. And they have always had fresh basil (while Kim Phung says it is "out" most of the time).

I have eaten at all but two of the restaurants on this page, and for Pho and Bun, Tan Tan is the best. Give them a try.

Twin Dragon

9717 North Lamar Avenue

Austin, Texas

Tel: (512) 832-8393

Reader Remarks

Emery Berger (1/17/96)

One of my favorites in this area. Very pleasant surroundings, and the specials of the day are generally excellent. I'm especially fond of their hot and sour seafood soup (fish broth-based, with pineapples, jalapenos, tomatoes, and a variety of seafood).

Viet Huong

aka Eurasian Deli

Austin, Texas

Reader Remarks

Werner Uhrig (1/17/96)

And half-way between Kim Phung and Saigon on the left side of North Lamar in a little shopping center is a Vietnamese foodstore with a small cantina with food-to-go by the pound. I tried it and it was not bad at all.

Andy Nguyen (4/25/96)

A small deli/cafe place on the West side of Lamar _just_ North of 183. The owner is an older North Vietnamese woman (I can tell by her accent). The menu is small but the food is very authentic and very good. My usual there is the "Duck Soup" (rice vermicelli in chicken/duck broth, with a duck drumstick and bamboo shoots (from a can)). My wife enjoys their "Spicy Beef Soup" (soba-like noodles in a very spice beef-based broth).

Their sandwiches are great deals and very tasty.

Wok n' Go

2200 Guadalupe Street

Austin, Texas

Tel: (512) 476-7997

Reader Remarks

Emery Berger (1/17/96)

This near-campus dive features more or less tolerable Chinese buffet but the real highlight is their Vietnamese dishes (the owners and cooks are Vietnamese). I'm especially fond of the "bun tom xao", stir-fried vermicelli with shrimp and vegetables, which is done here in the traditional fashion and is up to Austin standards, a rarity among campus-area spots.

Special Bonus Section -- Best Vietnamese Food Anywhere

Contributors

Emery Berger (emery@cs.utexas.edu)

Brendan B. Boerner (bboerner@BtrvTech.Com)

Roger L. Cauvin (rcauvin@natinst.com)

Richard Greenwalt (Richard_Greenwalt-R15182@email.sps.mot.com)

Eric Hunt (hunt@metrowerks.com)

Andy Nguyen (aqn@tivoli.com)

Greg Scheig (gescheig@aol.com)

Werner Uhrig (werner@ddg.com)

Created and maintained by Brian Combs (combs@awpi.com).

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