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.

Hoang Yen – Westminster – 714-531-8833

Hoang Yen – Westminster – 714-531-8833, 9600 Bolsa Ave Ste N, 92683
Small, new restaurant located next to Luc Dinh Ky II. They serve a number of vietnamese dishes, but the Chao Ca is good here. Chao Ca (CHOW KA) is a rice congee soup with fish Ca, or chicken Ga (Gaahh) that is normally served when one is sick like the American Chicken Noodle Soup, it is a comfort food that is good for those who have problems chewing.
The Bun Vit Sao Mang (Boon Veet Sow Mung) is good here too. That’s rice noodle soup with Duck and Bamboo Shoots.

Thang Long Restaurant – Westminster – (714) 531-9400

Thang Long Restaurant – Westminster – (714) 531-9400, 9550 Bolsa Ave #115A, 92683 Mon-Sun 9am-3am.

This took the place of the fancy Saigon Restaurant which didn’t do very well. Bright green walls and modern white chairs, no real specialties here but the Com Ca Salmon – Salmon and Rice dish is grilled and tasty. Small portions, not very crowded but spacious.

Grand Com ga Hai Nam – Garden Grove – (714) 638-1310

Grand Com ga Hai Nam – Garden Grove – (714) 638-1310, 9904 Westminster Ave, 92844

Located in the Mall of Fortune complex close to the Hong An and Binh Minh restaurants. This place specializes in Com Ga Hai Nam (Come Gaah High Nam) which is chopped pieces of cold chicken still on the bone served with Vietnamese salad/herbs and ginger fish dipping sauce. Not my favorite because the chicken is tasteless and cold for my Americanized palatte, but the Com Ga Xe Phai (Come Gaah Sair Five) is quite good which is shredded chicken with herbs tossed in a tangy sweet vinger sauce and chicken broth cooked rice. I tried the Pho Ga Kho (Fahh Gaah Ho) which is dry Pho Ga but it was tasteless and I wouldn’t recommend it. Go for the regular Pho Ga soup not the dry version if you want to try the soup here.

Hanoi Restaurant – Westminster – (714) 901-8101

Hanoi Restaurant – Westminster – (714) 901-8101, 9082-9086 Bolsa Ave, 92683
Hanoi is the Northern capital city in Vietnam with a name like that you know they specialize in Northern cusine like Bun Cha Ha Noi (Boon Ja Ha Noy) which is cold vermicilli noodle, Vietnamese greens, and beef and pork where you mix it up yourself. There is also Cha Ca Thanh Long (Ja Ka Ton Long) which is the sizzling curry fish served with fresh fragrant dill herbs where you also mix yourself with vermicilli noodle, greens. Bun Oc (Boon Oak) here is also good which is snail vermicilli soup.

Pho Thang Long – Westminster – (714) 839-4955

Pho Thang Long – Westminster – (714) 839-4955, 9550 Bolsa Ave #115F, 92683
This Pho noodle restaurant opens until 3AM so late night party’ers can come here if they are craving a bowl of Pho. Usually Pho late at night is saltier than a fresh batch in the morning because the broth has been stewing for quite a while. Watch that sodium intake! My husband is fond of the Pho with the beef meatballs here, Pho Bo Vien (Fuh Ball Vean) that is Vietnamese style meatballs where they cut it in half and there’s a chewy texture due to the tendon meat they mix in with the beef. A lot of people like the Pho Tai (Fuh Tie) which is very slim sliced steak while I like Pho Nam Gan which is beef brisket and tendon meat. There are also other traditional Vietnamese meals served here but I’ve rarely tried them. Most of time, non-Pho dishes aren’t good at Pho places and they take a long time to make since people rarely order them.
This is one of the newer modern places where it doesn’t look like a roach motel.

Huynh Restaurant – Westminster – (714) 531-7379

Huynh Restaurant – Westminster – (714) 531-7379 – 9500 Bolsa Ave # B,  92683

Another one of the new, modern Vietnamese restaurants that are popping up around Little Saigon. This one is surrounded by a bunch of new restaurants that hopefully will survive. Right on Bolsa Ave this little mom n’ pop restaurant is clean with good service and good food that is reasonably priced. They advertise their specialties as Bun Cha Ha Noi, Pho Ga, Cha Ca Thanh Long. I’ve only tried the Pho Ga and it’s ok, about on par as those other 50% off Pho Ga special places not as good as my favorite roach motel Pho 86. My husband is very fond of the Bun Oc (Boon Oak) here which is a noodle soup with snail meat. He says they serve more snail meat in the soup than most places. He also says the Com Phan Gia Dinh (Come Fun Ya Ding) is good here which is family style Vietnamese meals with a variety of soup, fish dish, meat dish, vegetable dish.

Quan Hop – Westminster – (714) 689-0555

Quan Hop – Westminster – (714) 689-0555 – 15640 Brookhurst St, 92683

This place is owned by a brother of the Quan Hy owner. The food is somehow not as tasty. It’s ok, but if I had a choice I’d go to the Quan Hy place which is usually packed during lunch time so this could be an alternative if you don’t want to wait. Nothing spectacular stands out but it serves the same Bun Thit Nuong (Boon Tick Noong) – Noodles with meat, mint, beansprouts, lettuce with fish sauce. A light and healthy meal. Interestingly, this place used to be Pho Noodle shop but the lore is that a Mexican cook somehow fell in a vat of Pho broth and died & the Pho shop was never the same since. They had to close down. I don’t know if it’s a true story or not.

Quan Minh Ky – Westminster – (714) 839-8734

One of many new, modern Vietnamese restaurant built in the large complex next to the older Quan Hy complex. This place has one of the most affordable Shaking Beef meals. Bo Luc Lac (Baw Luke Luck) – Diced cubed beef with salad. They serve it with either garlic rice, fried rice, or plain rice. I like it with plain rice because their rice options are too oily. They also have an expensive version of it which I have not tried. The specialty here Mi Hoanh Thanh Minh Ky is the Wonton Noodle soup with egg noodles. Nothing spectacular but not bad if you like wonton n’ egg noodles. Try it with the large egg noodles. A nice little place that is clean and modern.

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.