Pho Tau Bay LTT – Santa Ana – 714-531-6634

Pho Tau Bay LTT – Santa Ana – 714-531-6634

3610W. First St, Suite C, 92703, closed Mondays, Open Tues-Sat: 8am – 8pm, Sun & Holidays: 8am – 4pm.

This place used to be famous for it’s hand made banh cuon (bun koon) but with my latest visit, the portions were sparse. The Pho here is not my favorite, I would go here for the banh cuon instead, although I like the Banh Cuon Tay Ho portions better.

Quan Bun Ban Mai – (714) 891-5397

Quan Bun Ban Mai – (714) 891-5397 or (714) 891-5367 – Westminster, 92683, Tues-Sun 8AM – 8PM

Can Bun Dac Biet (Khan Boon Dak Beak) – Famous for noodle soup, not the Pho Noodle kind but a seafood with vermicilli rice kind. Horribly stinky place located in the most littered strip mall/grocery complex of Little Saigon known as ABC Market and Bank of America. I’m not a seafood lover but my husband assures me this is the best Can Bun Dac Biet place. I normally order the bland Bun Thang (Boon Tan – Tan as in Tanya with out the ya on the end) which is shredded cha lua (vietnamese style sausage) and egg strips.

Banh Cuon Tay Ho 4 – Westminster – 714-839-1389

Banh Cuon Tay Ho 4 – Westminster – 714-839-1389

9629 Bolsa Ave, 92683

One of the best places for banh cuon, thin rice sheets served with parboiled beansprouts and cha lua (pork ham) and fish sauce. You can get the rice sheets alone, banh uot, or with shredded pork mushroom filling, banh cuon nhan thit which is my favorite. Also served with fried yam/shrimp tempura.

This place is quite the roach motel, a strong smell of fish sauce and your feet stick to the ground.

Newport Seafood Restaurant – Tan Cang – Santa Ana (714) 531-5146

Newport Seafood Restaurant – Tan Cang – Santa Ana (714) 531-5146 or (714) 531-1009 – 4411 W. First St, 92703

Tom Hum (Toam Hoom) – Lobster in a savory sauce. There are a number of Chinese-Vietnamese restaurants serving large family style banquet meals with a majority of the specialty in seafood dishes

Van Restaurant – Garden Grove (714) 530-6858

Van Restaurant – Nha Hang Van – Garden Grove (714) 530-6858 or 530-4551  – 14122 Brookhurst St, 92843

Banh Xeo Dac Biet (Bun Sail Dock Beak) – A crispy thin crepe filled with shrimp, pork, beansprouts, and sometimes bean paste. Served with lettuce and herbs and nuoc mam (nook mum). This place specializes in savory pastries filled with meat: banh tet, banh gio, banh chung, banh it, banh gai.

Quan Thanh – Santa Ana – (714) 775-4838

Quan Thanh (714) 775-4838 – www.thanhrestaurant.com  120 S. Harbor Blvd, ste H, 92707

Food is always good at any of the 3 Thanh restaurants, but this one is the worst in cleanliness and a turn off.

Com Tam (Gum Tum) – translates to broken rice. A filling meal of rice with delicious grilled meat or seafood, served with pickled vegetables, sometimes with egg-foo-young patty or a fried egg. Drizzle the fish sauce all over and you’ve got a pretty tasty rice dish.

Pho Nguyen Hue – Westminster (714) 839-8916

Pho Nguyen Hue – Westminster (714) 839-8916 – 10487 Bolsa Ave, 92683

Some people like Pho Nguyen Hue for the low prices and value for money. They give generous portions but the lack of cleanliness is a turn off for me.

Pho (Fuh) – Most popular noodle soup of Vietnam. Rice noodle with meat usually beef, onion, ginger broth, beansprouts, lime, and basil. There are hundreds of Pho noodle shops and each one depends on personal tastes. A common misconception is that you have to drink all the broth in the entire soup thus Pho is too filling of a meal. But in reality most people just eat the noodles and meat and leave a large portion of the broth uneaten. Pho broth is very fatty by the way so it is unhealthy to drink it in large amounts on a daily basis.

Pho 79 – Garden Grove (714) 531-2490

Pho 79 – Garden Grove (714) 531-2490 – 9941 Hazard Ave, 92843

A favorite for many Vietnamese but not mine because the ambiance is Roach City. Pho (Fuh) – Most popular noodle soup of Vietnam. Rice noodle with meat usually beef, onion, ginger broth, beansprouts, lime, and basil. There are hundreds of Pho noodle shops and each one depends on personal tastes.

A common misconception is that you have to drink all the broth in the entire soup thus Pho is too filling of a meal. But in reality most people just eat the noodles and meat and leave a large portion of the broth uneaten. Pho broth is very fatty by the way so it is unhealthy to drink it in large amounts on a daily basis.

Pho 86 – Garden Grove (714) 531-0512

Pho 86 – Garden Grove (714) 531-0512 – 10528 McFadden Ave, 92843, closed on Tuesdays

This is absolutely my favorite Pho place for Chicken Pho (Fuh Gaah) with the big noodles (Bun Lun). However, it is literally the roach motel. Not too long ago, a kind patron tapped my shoulder while I was engrossed in eating my favorite soup and pointed to my feet – a large cockroach was scuttling across my shoes. If bugs don’t bother you then it’s worth it, anyway, the soup is boiled at such a high temperature that the flies would die if they fell in your soup, heck, it’s protein.

Pho (Fuh) – Most popular noodle soup of Vietnam. Rice noodle with meat usually beef, onion, ginger broth, beansprouts, lime, and basil. There are hundreds of Pho noodle shops and each one depends on personal tastes. My favorite is Pho Ga (Fuh Gaah)- chicken soup at Pho 86 with the wide noodle, ban lon (Bun Lun)

A common misconception is that you have to drink all the broth in the entire soup thus Pho is too filling of a meal. But in reality most people just eat the noodles and meat and leave a large portion of the broth uneaten. Pho broth is very fatty by the way so it is unhealthy to drink it in large amounts on a daily basis.

Hai Yen – Garden Grove (714) 590-9366

Hai Yen – Garden Grove (714) 590-9366 – 14211 Euclid St. # D, 92843

Hu Tieu (Who Tew) – Clear soup with noodles and meat. Similar to Pho but the broth is much lighter and clearer. I like having this with the large noodles, ban lon (Bun Long).