Best Vietnamese Food in Houston: Pho, Banh Mi and Crawfish

The best Vietnamese food in Houston is spread across two main areas, Midtown and the Bellaire Boulevard stretch of Asiatown, and across dishes that go well beyond a bowl of noodles. Houston has a large Vietnamese community, which produced pho counters, banh mi bakeries and Viet-Cajun crawfish.

Order a variety and share: a soup or noodle bowl, a rice plate, a plate of rolls and a drink. Start mild if you are new to Viet-Cajun crawfish.

Where is the best Vietnamese food in Houston?

Many Vietnamese families settled in Houston from the late 1970s on, and the first shops and cafes opened in Midtown, which became the first Little Saigon. Over time, much of the community and its restaurants moved southwest to Bellaire Boulevard and the area now called Asiatown, where strip malls hold bakeries, noodle shops and seafood restaurants side by side.

Knowing the two areas helps you plan. Midtown is closer to downtown and works for a quick lunch. Asiatown is a destination, with enough choices for a full afternoon of eating.

Where to eat Houston pho

Pho is a beef or chicken noodle soup with a long-simmered broth, and a good bowl is clear, fragrant and balanced. Pho tai (rare beef) is a classic order. Order the standard bowl first and add extras later. A plate of bean sprouts, basil, lime and chile will arrive with it.

Taste the broth before you add anything. Good pho does not need hoisin or sriracha, but both are on the table if you want them.

Where is the best Houston banh mi?

A banh mi is a sandwich on a light, crackly baguette, filled with pork, pate, pickled carrot and daikon, cilantro, cucumber and chile. Midtown has long-running banh mi and pho restaurants where you may wait for a table. The best sandwich shops bake their bread crisp and make their own pate.

The test for a banh mi is the bread. It should shatter a little when you bite it and not feel heavy. Try the classic combination, called dac biet, to compare one place with another.

What is Viet-Cajun crawfish?

Viet-Cajun cooking started in Houston when Vietnamese cooks took the Louisiana crawfish boil and rebuilt it with garlic butter, lemongrass, ginger and chile. The result is saucy, bright and messy, with the crawfish tossed in a bag of seasoning and served with corn and potatoes.

Bellaire Boulevard is the street for the lemongrass garlic butter boil, and some of the larger restaurants there let you order both a crawfish boil and a bowl of pho at the same table. Crawfish is seasonal, so ask what is available.

What should you order at a Midtown Houston Vietnamese restaurant?

If you are in Midtown for a short visit, start with a banh mi or a bowl of pho and add a side of spring rolls or a drink such as Vietnamese iced coffee, made with dark roast coffee and condensed milk. Share a few dishes if you are with others.

Most menus are long, so use the photos or ask the server for the house specialty. Rice plates, vermicelli bowls with grilled pork and broken rice dishes are all worth a try.

What are the other dishes worth trying?

Beyond pho and banh mi, a few dishes show up on nearly every menu. Com tam, or broken rice, comes with grilled pork chop, a fried egg and pickled vegetables. Bun bo Hue is a spicy beef noodle soup from central Vietnam, with a deep, lemongrass-scented broth. Banh xeo is a crisp rice-flour crepe filled with pork, shrimp and bean sprouts, folded and wrapped in lettuce with herbs and a dipping sauce.

Goi cuon, the cold rolls with shrimp and rice noodles, are the lightest starter, and cha gio, the fried egg rolls, are the richest. If you are with a group, order several and pass them around.

How do you eat at a Vietnamese restaurant in Houston?

Order a variety and share. Typical orders include a soup or noodle bowl, a rice plate, a plate of rolls and a drink. Pay at the end, and tip as you would at any restaurant. Bring cash for small places, because some do not take cards or add a fee.

Do not be shy about asking for more herbs or a different level of heat. Servers are used to questions from newcomers.

Which Houston guides pair well with this one?

Houston has more to try. The guide to the best tacos in Houston covers the Mexican side of the city, and the crawfish season guide explains when boils begin. If you are planning a Saturday, the Houston farmers markets guide is useful. More cities are on the US guides page.

Pho and banh mi are meals that regulars love to compare. When you try one, rate it in the Mosey app, note the broth and the bread and add it to a list of Houston Vietnamese places for the friend who asks next. Invite that friend with a link, and they can add their own bowl of pho or crawfish boil to the list, even if they have not joined Mosey yet. A tag such as Late Night or Group Dining tells the next diner when a bowl fits.