Best Vietnamese restaurants in Bangkok

Bangkok’s hottest Vietnamese restaurant right now is run by Atchara “Pla” Burarak, the restaurateur behind the Iberry group (which also just opened sought-after brunch spot Fran’s).

The restaurant is set on Soi Ngam Du Phli in Sathorn, in a 100-year-old Indo-Chinese house that features wooden decor, geometric tiles, and beautiful paintings.

As the restaurant’s name, which translates to “eat rice, eat fish” in Vietnamese, hints, Ăn Cơm Ăn Cá focuses on traditional seafood dishes as well as delightful street food. If you’re a fan of boat noodle shop Thong Smith, you’ll be happy to know that the broth used in the pho  is made by its head chef.

Located on Soi Sukhumvit 49, this homey shophouse eatery is owned by Nguyen Thuy Tien, a Vietnamese immigrant who settled in Bangkok years ago and decided to open up her own restaurant.

The menu pretty much covers everything under the Vietnamese sun, but the stand-out dish is bún bò huế, a Hue-style beef noodle soup with a salty and spicy broth. (Think of it as a more intense version of pho.)

Other signature dishes include chao tom (sugar cane shrimp), bánh xèo (sizzling pancake), and canh chua cá lóc (sour soup with snakehead fish).

At this compact restaurant, Vietnamese restaurateur Shaun Pham serves up simple dishes such as bánh mì, noodle bowls, and Vietnamese-style pan-fried eggs to Thonglor residents and many passersby. 

The restaurant is particularly proud of its Saigon-style pho, which takes several hours to cool and comes with an intensely flavored broth. Also recommended are the Vietnamese stew called bo kho, fresh summer rolls, and the aromatic Vietnamese coffee.

Nestled in Baan Dusit Thani on Soi Saladaeng 1, this establishment has been serving authentic Vietnamese dishes for over three decades. The menu takes inspiration from every region in Vietnam. Popular dishes like bánh xèo can be had, but you also have lesser-known fare like cha ca, a Hanoi dish of deep-fried sea bass served on a sizzling hot plate.

Pair these delicious eats with one of Thien Duong’s creative cocktails, which showcase the use of Vietnamese herbs and spices.

Noted food expert Gai Lai Mitwichan and his sister opened Tonkin-Annam in 2017 as a tribute to the rich culture of northern and central Vietnam, particularly the cities of Tonkin and Annam.

A must is the nem nướng (meaty pork patties or sausages, B250), and the simple yet delicious chả tôm (B250), which sees perfectly seasoned, savory-sweet shrimp grilled on a sugarcane stick. And you can’t leave without trying cà phê trứng (B80), a specialty brew from Hanoi that adds egg yolk into steaming coffee cups.