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Vietnamese Restaurants in Raleigh, Cary and Durham

Vietnamese restaurants in the NC Triangle

Find the best pho, banh mi and Vietnamese rice plates in the area! From Raleigh, to Durham, Cary and beyond...

July 7, 2014 by Ron Wen 12 Comments

Triangle Banh Mi Challenge, the Best Vietnamese Sandwiches Around!

QueHuongMarket-C

If you enjoy Vietnamese food, you understand that there are basically four categories or types that it comes in: pho (soup), com (rice), bun (noodles) and last but not least, banh mi (sandwiches).  A melding of Asian and French, banh mi are delicious and flavorful sandwiches with meat, pickled veggies, cilantro, jalapeno and a bit of mayo spread for depth.  When it’s done right you get hit with all these textures and flavors.  Crunchy warm bread with a soft fluffy inside.  Savory meat, rich mayo, spicy, sweet and acidic from the condiments.  And a bit of veggie crunch to balance out the richness of the other ingredients.  My favorite spot in SF was a place called Saigon Sandwich on Larkin Street which specialized in banh mi.  These two Vietnamese ladies would stuff these delicious sandwiches all day long and it was a total bargain at under $4.  So of course here in the Triangle, I decide to try and find out who had the best banh mi in the area.  Or at least the best of the places I tried!  Are you curious now?  Read on and see how Battle Banh Mi for the Triangle unfolds…

Front of Dalat in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining
Front of Dalat in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining

(Updated 10/12/15) My first contender in the Battle of banh mi off is the old-school Dalat over at Mission Valley Plaza. Dalat has been in the hood for ages and I haven’t been back here in years.  But I’m happy to say the space has been spruced up and looks WAY better than I remember.  I grab a seat at the bar and order up a grilled pork and meatball banh mi.  Unfortunately since it’s early, they don’t have any shredded chicken!  It takes a bit of time but eventually I get two paper-wrapped sammiches and haul them back home.

Banh mi from Dalat in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining
Banh mi from Dalat in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining

I unwrap these banh mi bad boy’s and what we have is an 8″ sub in warm crusty french bread for $5.50.  It’s a short stubby sandwich that’s well stuffed.  For condiments, mostly carrot with some daikon, plenty of cilantro, jalapeno and a cucumber slice.  The meat filling is decent, the grilled pork is a bit over-marinated and sweet (fish sauce?).  And the pork meatball banh mi?  Sort of crumbly and decent but not my favorite banh mi filling but I didn’t have much choice.  There’s some decent spread (mayo) on Dalat’s banh mi and value-wise, they are good for price.  A pretty filling sandwich but a bit sloppy in terms of how they were put together.  But overall the balance of the sandwich was decent with strong flavors.  My one major complaint was the cilantro.  Too much stem and not enough leaf.  Still I’d have to give Dalat’s banh mi a 7 out of 10 for a thumbs-up!

Banh mi from Pho Vietnam in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining
Banh mi from Pho Vietnam in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining

Next on my banh mi hit list was Pho Vietnam on Buck Jones Road near the Raleigh-Cary border.  I had reviewed Pho Vietnam a while back as a solid choice for Vietnamese.  For my visit, I ordered up two sandwiches: a roast pork and grilled pork.  Unfortunately they didn’t have chicken banh mi on the menu, boo!  The place is busy so it takes about 15 minutes for my sandwiches and Vietnamese drip coffee (cafe sua da).

Pork banh mi from Pho Vietnam in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining
Pork banh mi from Pho Vietnam in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining

My banh mi show up at the table in two paper pouches and they are about the same size as Dalat’s, about 8″ to 9″ long and stubby.  The sandwiches look like they’ve been assembled better and the bread used has a bit of crust but is lightweight fluffy.  There’s a good mix of carrot and daikon, two pieces of cucumber to fill up the entire length of the sandwich along with better quality cilantro and a good layer of mayo.  The filling is solid with a slice of flavorful grilled pork or pink-tinged roast pork.  The grilled pork is the big winner and I have no problem wolfing it down.  The roast pork is decent but a colder sandwich with a slightly different spread.  Not my favorite but the banh mi at Pho Vietnam are solid at $3.95 per sammich, a much better deal than Dalat.  I’d give Pho Vietnam banh mi an 8 out of 10 but I’m still hoping for better!

Inside of Mo-Te in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining
Inside of Mo-Te in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining

Next up on the Banh Mi Battle is Mo-Te, a small Vietnamese eatery tucked away off of New Hope Church Road in Raleigh. This place reminds me of the mom and pop Vietnamese places I’d find in SF.  Bland store-front, laminated menu of bubble teas, refrigerated case with Vietnamese sweets and of course, a little Vietnamese guy behind the counter.  He looks really serious while I order up two banh mi and my cafe suda (VN coffee) but finally cracks a smile and wants to know if I’m Vietnamese (nope).  It’s early so the order goes in back and I see him toasting up the buns in an oven which is a good sign.

Banh mi from Mo-Te in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining
Banh mi from Mo-Te in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining

I head out with one styrofoam cup and two banh mi in wax paper bags!  And the banh mi from Mo-Te look solid, especially at $3.95.  They’re jammed with meat and maybe 10″ long.  I start off the roast pork with is not the usual slices but small minced pieces bathed in red marinade.  Overall the sandwich is good, layered with a cucumber slice, cilantro and a bit of daikon-carrot.  What seems to be missing is they mayo spread and jalapenos.  I’m also not picking up much pickled taste from the veggies so even though this banh mi is satisfying, it doesn’t really bring all the flavors together.  Oddly enough I’d call it a bit plain.  The chicken banh mi is also good with plenty of roasted white meat but again, lacks that flavor punch of a really good sandwich.  So solid effort but still behind Pho Vietnam’s version, 7 out of 10.

Front of Taste Vietnamese in Morrisville, NC Triangle Dining
Front of Taste Vietnamese in Morrisville, NC Triangle Dining

Banh mi battle continues on with Taste Vietnamese in Morrisville!  I had to call in my order and picked the sandwiches up a bit later and the place was so busy, it took a while.  So Taste’s banh mi probably had been sitting around for 45 minutes or so before I was able to get them home for lunch, disadvantage.  And I definitely thought their banh mi looked smaller, so I wasn’t sure what to expect!  Thankfully, I was finally able to order up a chicken banh mi which was a first for me in this contest!

Banh mi from Taste Vietnamese in Morrisville, NC Triangle Dining
Banh mi from Taste Vietnamese in Morrisville, NC Triangle Dining

Unwrapping the Taste banh mi, they were about 7″ or 8″ long and only about 3″ across which is the smallest of all the sandwiches I’ve tried.  Starting with the chicken, the banh mi was well-stuffed with dark meat.  A bit of daikon, cilantro, daikon and spread, my first bite is decent and I taste some marinade.  It’s a good sandwich with decent balance but I was thrown off by the flavored chicken and it was light on the pickled tang from the veggies.  The pork banh mi was similar, roast pork shreds marinated and well-stuffed.  Similar deal, a good sandwich but not as well balanced and flavorful as some of the others I tried recently.  Meat in both banh mi was a touch dry which could have been helped with more spread but not the case here.  For $4 per sandwich, they’re not a bad deal but definitely not at the top of the banh mi heap.  6 out of 10 due to size and marinade, boo!

Chicken banh mi from Taste Vietnamese in Morrisville, NC Triangle Dining
Chicken banh mi from Taste Vietnamese in Morrisville, NC Triangle Dining

My fifth banh mi came after initially writing this post, my favorite Vietnamese restaurant Pho Far East has these sammiches but it’s not on the menu! So a tip on my Facebook reminds me to check them out and of course I can’t resist.  A week later I’m at Pho Far East, they’ve got ham (?) and grilled pork but it’s an easy choice to go with the latter given the dishes I’ve tried here.  15 minutes later I get a bag o banh mi ($4/each) and I’m headed home!

ToGo banh mi from Pho Far East in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining
ToGo banh mi from Pho Far East in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining

Back on the ranch, I unwrap the package and Pho Far East has packaged the condiments (pickled carrot, daikon, cilantro, jalapeno) separately, nice touch!  The sandwich has lots of grilled pork, some spread and two spears of cucumber.  Coolio, because now I get to customize and bling out my banh mi but I jam as much as I can in there.

Bare banh mi from Pho Far East in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining
Bare banh mi from Pho Far East in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining

The bread is warm and a bit crusty and the soft insides has soaked up juice from the pork.  My first bite and yum, the Pho Far East is well-stuffed and has the tang of the veggies along with the sharp pop from the jalapeno, nice!

Cut banh mi from Pho Far East in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining
Cut banh mi from Pho Far East in Raleigh, NC Triangle Dining

And it’s a bigger sandwich at about 9″ with plenty of filling, similar to Mo-Te but more tasty.  I finish both of them off which is probably not a good idea but who wants a cold banh mi?  Given the price, I’d have to give the banh mi at Pho Far East a 9 out of 10 because it delivers size, taste and a decent value, a cut above Pho Vietnam, woohoo!  If only they had roast chicken here…

BanhMiHaLong-Truck

Next up for Battle Banh Mi is Banh Mi Ha Long food truck! A newer option that’s only available on Sunday’s for lunch, they do a grilled pork, grilled chicken and combo banh mi for $5 a sammich.

Banh mi Ha Long food truck, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Banh mi Ha Long food truck, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining

At 9″ long and good width, it’s a substantial looking banh mi but runs a bit short on meaty filling. But thankfully what’s in there is tasty with some char and caramelized meat! Add in a good balance of pickled carrot, cilantro and jalapeno and you get a spicy mouthful. Only improvements would be to add more spread, daikon and a bit more meat. But a very good banh mi! I’m giving it an 8 out of 10 right now…

Pho 9n9 pork banh mi in Durham- NC Triangle Dining
Pho 9n9 pork banh mi in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

Next up on the banh mi list is the venerable, Pho 9n9. While it’s better known for its pho, Pho 9n9 does a pretty solid banh mi. About 9″ long and filled with slightly marinated grilled pork, cucumber, daikon, carrots, jalapeno and spread, I was surprised at how good Pho 9n9’s banh mi is. While a bit unconventional and pricey at $6, it’s a worthwhile sammich. For lunch they serve it with summer or egg rolls as a special for $8.99

So while there are a few more contenders to try in Battle Bahn Mi (Pho 919, Pho Super 9), I’d have to go with Pho Far East as having the best banh mi in the Triangle, Pho Vietnam in second and Mo-Te in third tied with Dalat and Taste Vietnamese rounding up the list. And I have to confess none of them came close to the banh mi I would get while living in the Bay area but what can you do?  Although I have heard the Vietnamese food in Greensboro is really good, anyone up for a road trip?!

 

Dalat- Raleigh  (7 out of 10 stars, bahn mi)

Raleigh, NC 27606

 

Pho Vietnam- Raleigh  (8 out of 10 stars, banh mi)

1284 Buck Jones Road

Raleigh, NC 27606

 

Mo-Te- Raleigh (7 out of 10 stars, banh mi)

3901 Capital Boulevard #163

Raleigh, NC 27604

 

Taste Vietnamese- Morrisville   (6 out of 10 stars, banh mi)

152 Morrisville Square Way

Morrisville, NC 27560

 

Pho Far East- Raleigh  (9 out of 10 stars, banh mi)

4011 Capital Boulevard #133

Raleigh, NC 27604

 

Banh Mi Ha Long Food Truck- Raleigh (8 out of 10 stars, banh mi)

Princess Nail Supply

1300 Buck Jones Road

Raleigh, NC 27606

Hours: 11am to 4pm on Sundays

 

Pho 9n9 (7 out of 10 stars, banh mi)

2945 S Miami Blvd #102,

Durham, NC 27703

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Filed Under: Food, Overviews Tagged With: Banh Mi, Vietnamese Restaurants in Raleigh, Cary and Durham

March 1, 2014 by Ron Wen 4 Comments

Pho Vietnam Brings Some Asian to the Raleigh-Cary Area

Front of Pho Vietnam, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Front of Pho Vietnam, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining

I have to confess that outside of the food Holy Trinity of Italian-Chinese-Mexican, I’d have to say Vietnamese is my next, most favoritest food type.  With the mix of Asian and French flavors, the cuisine is very similar to Chinese but tweaked a bit with some slightly different flavor profiles and spices.  And it can be done in so many different ways: on bread (banh mi), on rice (com) and on noodles (bun).  So when I heard that Pho Vietnam was opening up in the old Hot Point Cafe space on Buck Jones, I was pretty excited since that area is within my work-lunch range.  After stalking it for a month or so, I finally see online that it’s open and the reviews are coming in.   Zero will-power here, I had to stop in today for an inaugural lunch!

Pork and egg roll bun at Pho Vietnam, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Pork and egg roll bun at Pho Vietnam, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining

The space here looks a lot different then what I remember from Hot Point outside of the patio area outside.  Inside there’s more light, more white and and odd ordering set up.  By the kitchen area there’s a cash register where you put in your order. No counter, just tell the man up front what you’d like!  The menu here is sorta small for Vietnamese, about five pho’s, a handful of rice and bun dishes and some house specials.  I ask the gentleman up front if they’ve ever had a restaurant before and he shakes his head no, so we’re talking about restaurant newbies.  It looks like they’ve still got more work to do on the space but we are still here to eat!  My friend orders up the grilled pork and egg roll bun so I decide to go different and do the beef pho (assorted cuts) and order a banh mi, side-snack.  Don’t judge, I’m taking it home for dinner later!  Or so I thought…

Beef pho at Pho Vietnam, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Beef pho at Pho Vietnam, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining

Pho Vietnam is the real VN deal, they’ve got holders at each table with sriracha, soup spoons and wooden chopsticks.  But don’t fret if you’re not an expert with sticks, there are forks in the back if you can’t deal with those bad-boys.  The place already is sorta busy with Vietnamese folks so I’m hopeful.  They bring out a smallish plate of condiments (bean sprouts, jalapeno, basil and lime).  A bit less than what I’d expect at my other VN favorites.  My smallish bowl of pho comes in a red deep bowl and is flecked with a bit of oil and quite clear.  Thin slices of beef are cooking in the broth, I squeeze some lime in, tear some basil leaves up and drop in some crunchy sprouts, yum!  The noodles for this pho is a bit thicker and substantial, the broth here is decent but a bit under-spiced although I’m sure with some additions it’ll be fine.  But overall I found this pho to be an acceptable bowl, but not particularly flavorful or inexpensive.   The summer rolls I ordered to start were decent but the peanut sauce on the side was darker (hoisin) than usual and stronger than I like.

Pork banh mi at Pho Vietnam, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Pork banh mi at Pho Vietnam, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining

So I get back to the office and my overall thought is that I liked Pho Vietnam.  It’s a decent VN pho shop but definitely a cut below Pho Far East and a bit more expensive.  But you know what?  I’m still glad to have it in the hood and within my lunching range cause I’ll be back. Sometimes you’re just in the pho-mood and this place will take care of your craving.  And the banh mi?  Well, I tore into that back at the office (yeah, I’m a pig) and it was solid.  Needed a bit more meat and spread but fine for the $4 I paid.  So here’s to Pho Vietnam bringing some more authentic Asian eats to W. Raleigh/Cary.  While it could be better, it’s certainly good enough..

 

Pho Vietnam

1284 Buck Jones Road

Raleigh, NC 27606

 

Location on Google maps

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Filed Under: Raleigh, Restaurant & Bar Reviews Tagged With: Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants in Raleigh, Cary and Durham

August 8, 2013 by Ron Wen 2 Comments

Taste Vietnamese in Morrisville

Taste Vietnamese, Morrisville- NC Triangle Dining
Taste Vietnamese, Morrisville- NC Triangle Dining

“Turn left on Wade Ave and take a right on Dixie Trail” said my iPhone.  But no, I was trying to get to Taste Vietnamese out in Morrisville, not Taste in Raleigh!  Punched in some new data and off I go, eventually showing up at the old Mawa’s restaurant.  In its new remake as Taste, some of the old colors and decor remain but the new Taste is all about the spice and flavoring of Vietnamese cuisine, one of my favorites.

Inside of Taste Vietnamese, Morrisville- NC Triangle Dining
Inside of Taste Vietnamese, Morrisville- NC Triangle Dining

I grab an open booth by the window, Taste Vietnamese is a casual cafe with plenty of open space.  Bright hued paint on the walls large counter up front along with some plate glass windows, probably some remnants from its previous incarnation as an African restaurant.  A quick check of the menu and it has all the Vietnamese standards:  rolls, pho, banh mi, com (rice plates), bun (noodle bowl) along with some other entrees and bubble tea, cool!  A slightly shorter menu than what I’d typically find in a down-home Vietnamese eatery but plenty enough to choose from.

Summer rolls at Taste Vietnamese, Morrisville- NC Triangle Dining
Summer rolls at Taste Vietnamese, Morrisville- NC Triangle Dining

I order up some summer rolls along with grilled pork-shrimp bun.  They’ve got some beer here at Taste (Corona and Heineken) which makes the waiting a bit easier. My summer rolls show up first, two smallish, tightly wrapped rolls.  Some people call VN summer rolls a salad roll because they are filled with cold noodles, mint, lettuce carrot along with some shrimp and pork.  Taste’s version is decent, not outstanding but definitely fills the need.  My bun plate shows up which is a bit odd.  I’ve eaten a LOT of Vietnamese over the years and it’s typically served in a large open bowl, so yeah it’s different.  Taste-wise, the bun here is pretty good with nice grilled-charred shrimp, tasty pork which contrasts against the cold, noodles.  A great dish for the summer but I’ll admit that Taste’s version was a bit off for me.  The noodles were a bit thicker, broken into smaller pieces and a bit wet which made for tricky eating with chopsticks.  Typically the noodle for bun is a not that wet and cooked at full length which makes for easier pick-up with chopsticks.  The texture of the noodles here was more pasta-like which may be another nod to a more Americanized palate.

Gilled pork bun at Taste Vietnamese, Morrisville- NC Triangle Dining
Gilled pork bun at Taste Vietnamese, Morrisville- NC Triangle Dining

When all is said, I do like Taste Vietnamese.  It does a decent job with the flavors of Vietnam but just misses a bit in small ways.   However, since I live about 2 miles from Pho Far East, it would be hard for me to find a reason to eat here again unless I was in the area.  But for those of you in the hood, give Taste Vietnamese a try if you’re up for some flavorful Asian cuisine!

 

Taste Vietnamese

152 Morrisville Square Way

Morrisville, NC 27560

919.234.6385

 

Location on Google maps

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Filed Under: Morrisville, Restaurant & Bar Reviews Tagged With: Vietnamese Restaurants in Raleigh, Cary and Durham

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