Where are the Best Vietnamese Restaurants in London?

Which Vietnamese restaurants in London would Vietnamese foodies recommend?

With so much choice springing up in town, from the stalwart’s on Kingsland Road (otherwise known as “Pho Mile”) to hip new eateries in Soho; where’s the best place for a banhi mi or pho fix? Personally, I find it near impossible to go anywhere near Old Street without factoring in a quick stop at Keu to grab one of their excellent banh mi sandwiches. Made with fresh baguettes baked in their own kitchen, the roast duck is a personal favourite.

If you’re south of the river, the branch of Mien Tay in Battersea is actually much better than their Kingsland Road counterpart for some reason (try the grilled quail and the papaya salad) However, the thing I adore most about Kingsland Road is that one particular restaurant will be the go to place for a dish, and finding out what those dishes are and where to get them was a wonderful part of living just around the corner. For example, the mekong catfish in caramelised fish sauce at Loong Kee restaurant ( is still easily the best on that road. Back in 2011 I wrote a piece for the Guardian about the best Oriental food in London and recommended the char grilled quail at Hung Viet - I’m happy to confirm that it’s still just as excellent today. But what about the experts? Where (if anywhere) do they eat authentic Vietnamese food? And where do they avoid?

Ask the Experts

Uyen Luu who hosts Vietnamese supper clubs and is author of “My Vietnamese Kitchen” doesn’t really eat out in the UK when it comes to her national cuisine (she doesn’t need to - I can absolutely testify that her pho beats that of any Vietnamese restaurant I’ve ever been to hands down). However, on the rare occasions she does, she rates Tre Viet on Kingsland Road for the fried noodles and chargrilled pork noodle salads (but advises that you’re better off avoiding the noodle soups which can be bland and greasy). City Caphe a southern Vietnamese kitchen with a great special’s board is another favourite, but she recommends getting there early to avoid the long queues. And for Banh Mi, she heads to Banh Mi 11 which does a nice northern palate Vietnamese banh mi.

Van and Anh are the powerhouse duo behind Banh Mi 11 and Bep Haus. They first set up their stall selling Vietnamese baguettes in Broadway market and have also written the “The Vietnamese Market Cookbook”. They heartily recommend Bobby Chinn's House of Ho in Soho . Despite it’s mixed reviews, they adore tucking in to the smokey aubergine and spicy salmon tartare.

So next time you find yourself craving that addictive combination of hot sweet, sour and salty why not give one of these a try? I find it's a cuisine that ticks every urban sunshiney box when the appetite’s up and always makes me question what I ever saw in dairy anyway.

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