The Best Vietnamese Restaurants In London

Dalston and Deptford both have a big Vietnamese demographic. While the concentration of Vietnamese restaurants in Deptford is less overwhelming, with reduced quantity comes higher quality. Eat Vietnam Bar B Grill is the restaurant to go to for an unapologetically slap-up Vietnamese meal around SE8. In fact, in London full stop. Cánh gà (chicken wings) have a tangy house glaze that’s equal parts aromatic as it is rootin’ and tootin’. Summer rolls are unlike any sad interpretations you’ve had before, while any meat off the bar-b-grill section of the menu is likely worth a spot on your table.

Popular among east London food obsessives with their own custom baguette-based Google Maps, Bánh is a brilliant Vietnamese spot in Dalston that bakes its bread in-house before generously filling them with every variety of swine under the sun. If a seat at a shared table is available at lunch, grab it. Otherwise order your torpedo and protect it at all costs. The classic bánh mì is pig on pig, with char siu, pâté, a slice of pork belly roll, ham hock, a pork patty, and pork floss—and it’s excellent. There’s a tofu curry option and comforting rice bowls on the menu too.

Sông Quê is the elder of Dalston’s many Vietnamese options. The luminous green corner spot has been a personal refuge for us and for many on numerous occasions, as well as the setting for countless rowdy group meals memorialised by nước chấm stains on the tablecloth and everyone’s t-shirts. Quality does waver, especially on busier nights, but stick with the phở (rare steak, tripe, or tendon options), bánh xèo, and bún salads and you can’t go wrong.

Hai Cafe, an arm’s-length-wide spot in Lower Clapton, is a little family affair. Its bánh mì are delicious submarine-sized, six-inch wonders—short and crunchy baguettes filled with spiced pork belly or lemongrass chicken along with head cheese, pickles, and a black sesame seed spread. The warming yellow curries (full of soothing stodge in carrots and pumpkin and paired with tofu, vegetables, chicken, or king prawns) are among the most flavourful Vietnamese curries we’ve had in London. Heads up, it’s walk-in-only.

The majority of London’s destination Vietnamese restaurants operate outside of central London, so you might be a little surprised to know that Hoa Sen in Covent Garden is up there with the best. Its signature vịt quay lạng sơn (roasted duck served in lettuce leaves with mango and salad) is a juicy and reluctantly shareable delight, while lobster and stir-fried ginger with noodles is a must if you’re feeling extravagant. That said, this is a restaurant in central that suits a single bowl of Saigon hawker rice as it does a whole crab hot pot for the table.

What Hoa Phuong lacks in space, it makes up for in the flavour of its supreme bún bò huế. The cash-only Elephant and Castle restaurant is more or less takeaway-only, save for some limited counter space and a Sylvanian Families-sized table. But you’ll rarely find this space empty given the food coming out of the kitchen. Everything is made-to-order, from the electrifying broth of the aforementioned bún bò huế to sizzling lemongrass marinated pork, and after one visit you’ll get why everyone patiently waits, cash in hand.

Spooning something as delicious as Viet Cafe’s viscous and fragrant beef stew into your gob proves that there is one true leader in the cutlery stakes. The Vietnamese cafe is a popular Camberwell lunchtime destination: curries with rice, bánh mì, and bún salads are all made fresh and packed full of flavour. Strips of pork sizzle on hot plates and piping hot spring rolls come shining out the fryer. One thing especially worth noting is the phở—it’s made with a broth so carefully tended to that you can only order bowls on Saturdays.

Kêu is a mini-chain of Vietnamese delis with locations in Soho, Shoreditch, and the City. If you’re thinking that this makes it a functional working lunch spot for bánh mì, meat with rice, and noodle dishes… then you’d be correct. But Kêu isn’t just reliable, it’s consistently delicious. The deluxe bánh mì is a go-to that combines four types of meat with a gravy-ish sauce; the roasted meats with rice is just as good (and better value) than much of Chinatown; and a cup of wonton soup is something everyone should get into the habit of ordering.

It’s hard not to get very comfortable very quickly at this BYOB spot in Deptford. Whether you’re settling down solo for a lunchtime bowl of soothing bún bò huê, or piling in with friends for sticky mock ‘pork’ ribs (the vegan menu is extensive and excellent), Viet Alley has got you covered. The dimly lit room is comfortable without being anything fancy, but is the kind of flavoursome cave you can hole up in for an hour or two with no problem at all.