The turquoise and green wallpapered dining room at Hai Hai. Deep blue chairs are stationed at wooden tables and two orange and purple paper lanterns hang above them. — From new spots like Hai Hai, to classics like Quang, the best in local Vietnamese dining

9 Top Vietnamese Restaurant in the Twin Cities

All the pho, banh mi and bun to devour

by Julie Zhou Jan 22, 2019, 11:03am CST

View as Map

From new spots like Hai Hai, to classics like Quang, the best in local Vietnamese dining

| Kevin Kramer / Eater Twin Cities

by Julie Zhou Jan 22, 2019, 11:03am CST

Home to a large South East Asian population, the Twin Cities have an abundance of excellent grocers and restaurants that ground themselves in the cuisine of the region. For those looking for a good bowl of pho or baguettes for bánh mì, there’s no shortage of Vietnamese eateries: particularly on Minneapolis’ Eat Street and along St. Paul’s University stretch. From rich, layered broths to complex, salty-sour gỏi bắp chuối here are nine essential Vietnamese restaurants in the Twin Cities.

Restaurants are listed geographically from West to East

Vo's Vietnamese Restaurant

Copy Link

Located at the corner of 34th and Lyndale, this colorful, vegan-friendly restaurant has unmissable lunch specials for Minneapolis’ Uptown crowd. For $7, pick between fifteen different combinations on offer: from bánh mì and a fresh spring roll to a coconut milk curry with steamed rice.

Open in Google Maps

3450 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55408

(612) 584-3630

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Where to Find Pho in the Twin Cities

Quang Restaurant

Copy Link

A decades-long institution, this Eat Street mainstay always bustling during dinnertime. Get an order of egg rolls to share, and pick from the wide variety of noodle soups: from flavorful vegan broths to a rich bun bo hue swimming with tender braised brisket, there’s something for everyone on their extensive menu.

2719 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55408

(612) 870-4739

Visit Website

The bun rieu, a crab meat soup is perfect for chilly days

Also featured in:

Pho Tau Bay

Copy Link

Though the broken rice platters and noodle soups are always excellent at this vibrant Eat Street eatery, don’t miss the rotating specials on the weekend menus: numbingly spicy dried pepper curries, thin rice noodles redolent of fish sauce, silken tofu braised in an unctuous tomato-beef froth.

2837 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55408

(612) 874-6030

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Hai Hai

Copy Link

Nearing on a year in their lively Northeast space, Hai Hai draws on the flavors and ingredients of Southeast Asian cuisine: from a sweet-savory rendition of chả cá lã vọng to a salad that features a tangle of shredded banana blossoms, fried shallots, pickled onions, and a pungent, sour-sweet nuoc cham dressing.

Open in Google Maps

2121 University Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418

(612) 223-8640

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Simplee Pho

Copy Link

For those closer to the southern edges of the Twin Cities, this strip mall Apple Valley restaurant is the perfect takeout spot. Get one of their combination rice plates or a chef’s special: like the thịt bò xào khoai tây, featuring shallow-fried disks of potato and thin cuts of ribeye glazed with savory-sweet oyster sauce.

Open in Google Maps

15265 Galaxie Ave, Apple Valley, MN 55124

(952) 997-7788

Visit Website

Ngon Vietnamese Bistro

Copy Link

In an industrial-modern space on University, Ngon Bistro focuses on bringing fresh, sustainable, local Minnesota ingredients to Vietnamese cuisine. Featuring a bone broth simmered from Thousand Hills marrow and knuckle bones, a bowl of pho is a must-order.

799 University Ave W, St Paul, MN 55104

(651) 222-3301

Visit Website

Broth is poured from a pot into a bowl with onions and beef slices

Also featured in:

Trung Nam French Bakery

Copy Link

For a tiny bakery with limited hours, Trung Nam French Bakery delivers big. For just $3.75, get the house bánh mì: one of their chewy, crackly-edged baguettes brushed with mayo and piled high with pork, pate, a strip of jalapeno, and shreds of lightly pickled carrots and daikon.

Open in Google Maps

739 University Ave W, St Paul, MN 55104

(651) 229-0887

Visit Website

Fresh baguette serve as the base of this classic sandwich

Trieu Chau Restaurant

Copy Link

This popular St. Paul restaurant consistently tops “best of…” lists for fans of pho across the Twin Cities--and it really is worth the wait. With their rich, layered, slow-simmered broth as the base for all their noodle soups, there’s no way to go wrong. For for something beyond pho, don’t miss their mi sate or hu tien sate: egg or rice noodles in a bright, searingly spicy broth laden with seafood and pork, served with extra chiles and pickled jalapenos on the side.

Open in Google Maps

500 University Ave W, St Paul, MN 55103

(651) 222-6148

Also featured in:

Tay Ho

Copy Link

Nestled in a bright, unfussy space on St. Paul’s University Ave, this is one of the best places in the Twin Cities for pho. The house “special pho” features a clear, complex broth fragrant with anise, crescents of white onion, a hefty sprinkle of scallions, and paper-thin slices of rare beef and tripe.