Despite being one of the world’s historic dining capitals, New York City has long been thought of as a Vietnamese food desert. As recently as 2016, Vietnamese cuisine could largely only be found in Chinatown, where old-guard restaurants opened by early ethnically Chinese-Vietnamese immigrants served up classics like pho noodle soup and banh mi, or Vietnamese sandwiches. In the past few years, however, the city has seen a surge of new chef-driven, second-generation Vietnamese restaurants emphasizing quality and sustainability of ingredients, elevated design, and more polished service. Last year, Grubstreet’s Chris Crowley wrote: “It’s never been a better time to eat Vietnamese food in NYC.”
The upward trajectory of Vietnamese food in NYC shows no sign of stopping, even as the impact of the pandemic hits restaurant and bar owners particularly hard. Indeed, in 2020 alone, several promising new concepts have landed on the scene, dealing with outdoor dining regulations and necessary health measures on top of all the usual headache of opening a restaurant in this city. And thank god for their resilience: The latest wave of concepts are offering diners a first look at hyper-regional fare, ambitious presentations, and even traditional Vietnamese desserts.
From a Vietnamese bakery hawking colorful confections to a hyper-focused pop-up (ending next weekend) that serves a rare, pungent northern Vietnamese specialty, here are five excellent newly-opened Vietnamese restaurants to visit in New York City in 2020—or when you feel comfortable dining out.
Mam NYC
Run, don’t walk to Mam NYC’s last pop-up this weekend. For the past two months, former Di An Di chef de cuisine Jerald Head and his wife Nhung Dao Head have been taking over Lower East Side chicken pho mainstay Bep Ga on Saturdays and Sundays serving bun dau mam tom, a northern Vietnamese dish associated strongly with the palate and presentation of the capital, Hanoi. The star of the dish is mam tom, the pungent condiment of fermented shrimp, which Jerald encourages mixing with squirts of fresh calamansi juice and whisking with chopsticks until bubbly. Once the sauce is activated, guests can use it as a dip for bun (rice noodles) along with sticky rice pork patties, blood sausage, pork belly, and intestine—all presented on a wicker basket “plate.” Not to be missed is the menu’s only other dish: sumptuous strips of beef “jerky” dipped into a bed of wild-foraged ants—yes, ants!—which have been imported from Vietnam’s Gia Lai province then fragrantly roasted with lemongrass, chili, and salt.
Bolero
When Bolero officially opened in February, it was seen as one of the most exciting additions to the Vietnamese culinary landscape—headlined by a duo of Michelin-recognized chefs: Matt Le-Khac, formerly of Blue Hill, and co-chef Jimmy Tan, formerly of Benu in San Francisco. Sadly, quarantine delayed their plans until last month, when Bolero re-opened with a brand new menu for the fall as well as an in-house Bolero Grocery Store hawking artisan goods like Red Boat Fish Sauce. According to Bolero’s website, the self-proclaimed concept is “a deep dive into Vietnam.” The menu certainly lives up to this, running the gamut from lesser-known dishes like banh nam Hue (Vietnamese rice tamales with shrimp) to twists on classics, like cha ca La Vong (turmeric-and-dill catfish) presented here as a full salad with mustard greens and little gem lettuce. As can be expected from the chefs’ New American pedigrees, much of the herbs used are sourced locally, including from Le-Khac’s family farm in Pennsylvania. As for the name? “Bolero” refers to the Spanish-influenced style of ballad that became popular in 1950s Saigon until it was outlawed during the Vietnam War.
Ban Be
Despite the wave of new-school Vietnamese restaurants, the Vietnamese dessert canon has not yet received its due—until now, perhaps. The brainchild of Vietnamese-American baker Doris Ho-Kane, Ban Be taps into Southeast Asian ingredients like coconut, pandan, mung bean, jackfruit, and ube in an array of presentations from to cookies and mooncakes. Though Ho-Kane had planned to open a brick-and-mortar shop, she decided to take her operation online selling cookie tins and other desserts for the time being. Offerings change regularly, but a recent standout for the Mid-Autumn Festival was the banh deo—a soft and chewy mochi-like cake that Ho-Kane filled with pineapple and banana. Check Ban Be’s Instagram to find out to find out what new treats they are offering.
Bambu
This beloved San Jose-born Vietnamese drinks shop opened an NYC outpost in Chinatown earlier this year, which closed temporarily and reopened officially in May. The focus here is che, a broad category of Vietnamese dessert drinks typically served hot or cold with crushed ice and consumed with the help of a spoon. Offerings range from the classically-oriented Bambu Special—layering fresh coconut meat with pandan jelly, longans, and basil seed in coconut water—to a creamy smashed avocado drink with rainbow jellies, which nods to a common Vietnamese snack of avocado with condensed milk. Also on the menus are teas and Vietnamese coffees.
Saigon Social
Fans of Vietnamese food in NYC may be surprised to learn that Saigon Social just this year. That’s because chef-owner Helen Nguyen, formerly of Daniel, has spent the last two years making a name for herself with dozens of critically-acclaimed pop-ups across town. Naturally, the opening of her debut restaurant, a Vietnamese comfort food kitchen called Saigon Social, was hotly anticipated. But when COVID-19 effectively shuttered the New York City restaurant industry, Nguyen decided to switch gears, preparing and delivering over 15,000 hot meals for frontline workers. Now, Saigon Social is open for both delivery and 0utdoor dining, turning out Nguyen’s straightforward but playful renditions of Vietnamese classics including: garlic noodles with fried soft shell crab and brisket pho alongside “fusion” favorites like a house banh mi burger with an 8-oz dry-aged patty, Maggi seasoning-oxtail gravy, and foie gras pate.
