The Most Popular Vietnamese Food: 10 Dishes to Know and Order
What is the most popular Vietnamese food? Ask ten people and phở will top almost every list — but Vietnamese cooking runs much deeper than one bowl of noodle soup. This guide walks through ten of the most popular Vietnamese dishes, what each one actually is, and how to order it. Better still, you can try every one of them at Nón Lá Express, inside the Tangram food hall in Flushing.
Why Vietnamese Food Is So Popular
Vietnamese food is built on balance. A rich, slow-simmered broth meets a squeeze of lime. Smoky grilled meat meets a pile of cool herbs and pickles. Salty fish sauce meets a little sugar and chili. As a result, most dishes taste bright and fresh rather than heavy.
Herbs do a lot of the work, too. Thai basil, cilantro, mint and bean sprouts often arrive on the side, so you can season your own plate. Meanwhile, rice — as grains, noodles or rice paper — holds almost everything together. For a deeper history, Wikipedia’s overview of Vietnamese cuisine covers the regional styles of the north, center and south.
Below are the Vietnamese food names worth knowing first. Each one comes with its Vietnamese name, so you’ll recognize it on any menu.
The 10 Most Popular Vietnamese Food Dishes to Try
1. Phở Bò (Beef Pho)
Phở is Vietnam’s best-known dish, and it comes from the north of the country. Flat rice noodles sit in a clear beef broth, then thin slices of beef go on top. In phở tái, the beef goes in rare and cooks gently in the hot broth. Phở đặc biệt — “the special” — piles on several cuts at once.
At Nón Lá Express, the Rare Eye Round Beef Pho is our phở tái. The Phở Special is our đặc biệt, with rare sliced beef, brisket, flank, tendon, tripe and beef meatballs. Every bowl comes with bean sprouts, Thai basil, lime and jalapeños on the side. For a bowl-by-bowl breakdown, see our guide to the best pho in Flushing.
2. Phở Gà (Chicken Pho)
Phở gà swaps beef for chicken and a lighter, clear chicken broth. It’s gentler than beef phở, which makes it a favorite on cold days and for first-timers. Our Fresh Phoenix Chicken Pho uses tender poached chicken over silky rice noodles. If you like heat, the Spicy Pho comes with chicken or eye round in a chili-forward broth.
3. Bún Thịt Nướng (Vermicelli Bowl)
Bún thịt nướng is a southern Vietnamese favorite and the best answer to “what if phở, but cold?” Thin rice vermicelli is topped with grilled meat, crisp lettuce, fresh herbs and pickles. Then you pour nước chấm over the whole bowl and toss it together.
Our Rice Vermicelli Bowl lets you choose the topping: spring rolls, grilled pork, chicken or ribeye.
4. Gỏi Cuốn (Summer Rolls)
Gỏi cuốn are fresh rolls — nothing is fried. Soft rice paper is wrapped around shrimp, vermicelli, lettuce and herbs, and the rolls are dipped in a thick peanut sauce. They’re light, cool and easy to share, which is why they show up on nearly every list of popular Vietnamese dishes.
5. Chả Giò (Fried Spring Rolls)
Chả giò are the crispy cousin of summer rolls. The filling is rolled tight, then fried until golden and shattering. Ours are filled with seasoned pork, shrimp, mushrooms and vermicelli, and served with nước chấm for dipping. Order them as a starter, or as the topping on a vermicelli bowl.
6. Bò Lúc Lắc (Shaking Beef)
Bò lúc lắc means “shaking beef.” Cubes of beef are seared in a very hot wok, and the cook shakes the pan so every side caramelizes. Garlic, onions and peppers go in at the end. It’s one of the most popular Vietnamese dishes for anyone who wants a rich, savory plate instead of soup. Our Shaking Beef Rice serves it over white rice.
7. Bò Nướng Sả (Lemongrass Beef)
Lemongrass is one of the signature smells of Vietnamese cooking. In bò nướng sả, beef soaks in a lemongrass marinade and then goes on the grill. Our Lemongrass Beef Rice uses ribeye, so it’s tender with a smoky edge.
8. Cơm Sườn Nướng (Grilled Pork Chop Rice)
Cơm sườn is a Saigon staple: a thin pork chop, marinated and grilled until it chars at the edges. In Vietnam it’s often served over broken rice (cơm tấm). Our Pork Chop Rice uses a lemongrass marinade and comes, like all our rice plates, with white rice, pickled vegetables, fresh herbs and nước chấm. See every plate in our guide to Vietnamese rice plates in Flushing.
9. Cánh Gà Sả (Lemongrass Chicken Wings)
Fried wings are a classic Vietnamese street snack, usually with garlic, fish sauce or lemongrass. Our Lemongrass Chicken Wings are fried crisp in a lemongrass-garlic marinade and served with a tangy dip. They’re an easy starter for the table.
10. Cà Phê Sữa Đá (Vietnamese Iced Coffee)
No list of the most popular Vietnamese food is complete without the coffee. Cà phê sữa đá is strong coffee dripped slowly through a small metal phin filter over sweetened condensed milk, then poured over ice. We brew ours in a phin, hot or iced, with condensed milk or black.
Two more drinks are worth knowing, too: chanh muối (salted limeade) and nước mía (sugarcane juice), which we press fresh when it’s in season. Read more in our guide to cà phê sữa đá and Vietnamese drinks.
Nước Chấm: The Sauce Behind Popular Vietnamese Dishes
If one flavor ties Vietnamese food together, it’s nước chấm. This dipping sauce mixes fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, water, garlic and chili. It’s salty, sour, sweet and spicy all at once.
You’ll use it more than you expect. Pour it over a vermicelli bowl, spoon it onto rice plates, or dip spring rolls in it. That’s why every rice plate at Nón Lá Express comes with a side of it.
More Vietnamese Food Names Worth Knowing
A few more classics round out any list of Vietnamese food names. Bánh mì is the famous Vietnamese baguette sandwich. Bún bò Huế is a spicy beef noodle soup from the central city of Huế, made with thick round noodles and lemongrass. Cơm tấm is “broken rice,” the base for many Saigon-style plates. None of these is on our menu at the moment, but they’re well worth knowing.
What to Order at a Vietnamese Restaurant
First time? Here’s an easy way to build a meal from the most popular Vietnamese food on the menu:
- Start with something to share: summer rolls if you want light, spring rolls or wings if you want crispy.
- Pick a main: a bowl of phở if you want soup, or a rice plate or vermicelli bowl if you don’t.
- Add a drink: Vietnamese iced coffee, salted limeade or sugarcane juice.
Coming on a weekday? Our lunch special covers exactly that, Monday to Friday from 11 AM to 3 PM: a half-portion appetizer, any noodle or main, and any drink.
Where to Try the Most Popular Vietnamese Food in Flushing
Every dish above (except the three “more names” classics) is on the Nón Lá Express menu. You’ll find us at stall FH17 on the second floor of the Tangram food hall — here’s our guide to eating at Tangram Mall.
Address: Nón Lá Express, Tangram Food Hall, Stall FH17, 133-33 39th Ave, Flushing, NY 11354
Hours: Monday to Sunday, 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Phone: (347) 690-1999
Short on time? Order online for pickup, or find us on Grubhub and Seamless.
Vietnamese Food: Common Questions
What is the most popular Vietnamese food?
Phở is the most popular Vietnamese food, both in Vietnam and abroad. Close behind are bún thịt nướng (vermicelli bowls), gỏi cuốn (summer rolls), chả giò (fried spring rolls), bánh mì and cà phê sữa đá (Vietnamese iced coffee).
What is Vietnamese food like?
Fresh, balanced and herb-heavy. Most dishes combine rice or rice noodles with grilled meat or a clear broth, plus fresh herbs, lime and a salty-sweet sauce like nước chấm. It tends to taste lighter than many other Asian cuisines.
What should I order at a Vietnamese restaurant for the first time?
A bowl of beef or chicken phở is the classic first order. If you’d rather skip soup, try a vermicelli bowl or shaking beef over rice. Add summer rolls to share and a Vietnamese iced coffee.
What is the difference between spring rolls and summer rolls?
Summer rolls (gỏi cuốn) are fresh and served cold in soft rice paper, usually with peanut sauce. Spring rolls (chả giò) are fried until crispy and dipped in nước chấm.
How do you say “let’s eat” in Vietnamese?
“Ăn nào!” — it’s written on our menu, and it’s the best way to start any Vietnamese meal.
Ăn Nào — Let’s Eat
Now you know the most popular Vietnamese food and what to call it. The best way to learn the rest is to taste it. Stop by stall FH17 in Tangram, order a bowl of phở and a plate of summer rolls, and work your way down the list.
