At these top Seattle restaurants, try Vietnamese favorites like Saigon-style fried rice and banh mi. We combed through millions of reviews from popular websites to bring you only the best Vietnamese restaurants in Seattle. So go ahead and enjoy the best green papaya salads and egg coffees in Seattle at these excellent establishments. If your favorite restaurant isn’t on this list, let us know. Please share your favorite restaurants in the comments section at the end of the article.
Banh Town
Where: 10414 Holman Rd N, Seattle, WA 98133
Baguette sandwiches, as the name suggests, are the order of the day here. However, there are a few pleasant surprises in the lineup. Like the banh mi with corned beef, or the one with chicken braised in soy sauce and butter with sweet onions and a hint of melted mozzarella. A thicket of herbs, jalapeno, and pickled vegetables balances out the rich meats. For the time being, this small establishment at the intersection of Greenwood Avenue and Holman Road serves solely as a takeout and delivery app counter.
Bun and Oc
Where: 1306 S King St, Seattle, WA 98144
The extensive menu is divided into mollusk categories: sea snails, winkle snails, and Canadian yellow spotted snails. To put it another way, this bamboo-trimmed room is serious about seafood. The namesake Bun OC (Hanoi-style rice noodle soup with snails) has a complex, briny broth, but nongastropodal classics like lotus root salad and fish cakes draped across balls of crispy rice are standouts. Especially with the addition of the house green chili sauce.
ChuMinh Tofu and Vegan Deli
Where: 1043 S Jackson St, Seattle, WA 98104
Beyond the vibrant pastel walls, there’s a glorious pay-by-the-pound buffet with curry, tofu, braised jackfruit, eggplant, and assorted “meat” that’s the stuff of meatless dreams. Tanya Nguyen, the owner, also makes tangy noodle soups and a banh mi with faux crispy pork skin, which is popular with carnivores. Online ordering makes life easier.
Dong Thap Noodles
Where: 303 12th Ave S Suite A, Seattle, WA 98144
Sure, the bathtub-sized “super bowls” of pho are a novelty, but the real draw here is the housemade rice noodles, which are soaked, ground, and fashioned over several days. A visit to this yellow-walled spot just off Jackson doubles as an opportunity to explore Vietnamese soups, such as lemongrass-infused bun bo hue or hearty hu tieu, which are often overshadowed by our collective love of pho.
Green Leaf Vietnamese
Where: 418 8th Ave. SouthSeattle, WA 98014
When Peter Kuang and his family opened their small restaurant in 2005, word spread quickly. Prominent chef-fans sang its praises, attracting a new generation of diners who are discovering the allure of Banh Xeo and Vietnam’s traditional seven courses of beef. Kuang’s family has opened (and closed) a few more locations around town over the years. Due to Covid challenges, they are currently operating with a simplified menu. However, the Banh Xeo remains crisp and fresh, and its fan base remains as strong as ever (these days, says Kuang, vermicelli bowls are a top seller).
Huong Binh
Where: 1207 S Jackson St, Seattle, WA 98144
When you see elderly Vietnamese ladies chatting at a four-top while assembling their lettuce-wrapped bundles of Banh hoi rice noodles for lunch, you know you’ve arrived at the right place—a restaurant tucked away in a busy plaza on Jackson. The new owners continue founder Lien Dang’s commitment to Hue cuisine, from spicy bun bo hue beef noodle soup to Banh Beo, steamed rice cakes topped with ground shrimp and scallions.
Lan Hue
Where: Pacific Rim Center, Seattle, WA 98104
From the bakery case’s pate Chaud and baked or steamed hum bao to the pate, ham, meatballs, perfect shatter-prone baguettes, and even the mayo that populate the sandwich menu, this stylish banh mi shop (from the family behind Hue Ky Mi Gia’s miracle chicken wings) makes almost everything in house.
Pho Bac Súp Shop
Where: 1240 S Jackson St., Seattle, WA 98144
Seattle’s first pho shop grew from a humble boat-shaped structure across the parking lot into this tropically styled space, with broad windows displaying the steam of all those bowls of rich pho served within. The menu expanded to include cocktails, Vietnamese-inspired snacks like fries with lemongrass dipping sauce, and soups like turmeric noodles and short rib pho. The new downtown location serves the same great noodles as the original, as well as banh mi on house-baked bread and (coming in October) a hidden cocktail bar upstairs.
Saigon Deli
Where: 4142 Brooklyn Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105
No seating, no-frills, but yes—some of the best banh mi in town on a fresh-baked baguette with grilled tofu and veggies or three types of ham. Others prefer snacks made in-house, such as shrimp spring rolls, chicken with rice, or minced pork wrapped in banana leaf inside steamed rice.
Stateside
Where: 300 EAST PIKE ST – SEATTLE, WA 98122
“Fusion” feels like an entirely inadequate word for Eric Johnson’s ode to Vietnamese flavors, a love he developed while working at Jean-Georges in Shanghai and exploring Southeast Asia whenever he could. Johnson’s background in high-end restaurants informs his thoughtful explorations of the flavor crossroads of Vietnam and China, such as master stock crispy chicken and Vietnamese iced coffee creamsicles.
Tamarind Tree
Where: 1036 South Jackson Street, Seattle, WA 98104
Tam Nguyen expanded the city’s definition of Little Saigon in 2004 with a deeply atmospheric dining room serving a massive menu of meticulously prepared Vietnamese regional staples. Little has changed, except for Seattle’s growing awareness of how fortunate we are to have this place. Tamarind Tree is also a rare destination these days for a proper Bo 7 Mon, Vietnam’s traditional seven-course beef meal.
Thanh Son Tofu
Where: 1248 S King St., Seattle, WA, 98144
Tofu can be a destination in and of itself, as evidenced by the lemongrass, chive, and other varieties made fresh and sold by the pound here. Thanh Son began as a tofu production company before branching out with an unexpectedly glittering deli space on King, with solid banh mi and a crazy fun build-your-own che (beverage by way of dessert) menu.
Banh Mi Deluxe
Where: 6408 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S Seattle, WA 98118
If you park behind this Rainier Avenue shop, you’ll see duck and pork belly hanging in a glass enclosure on the side of the building, a literal window into the careful ingredients that go into satisfying baguettes. The banh mi menu includes some classics, such as the pork belly, as well as newer versions with bulgogi and kimchi. Banh mi cameos with egg and avocado are also unexpected but thoroughly enjoyable. Inside, Boss Tea, a sibling bubble tea business, has its own counter.
Billiard Hoang
Where: 3220 South Hudson Street, SEATTLE WA 98118
There’s no one racking at the pool tables right now, but this low-key billiards hall off Martin Luther King Jr. Way South also doubles as an impressive Vietnamese restaurant. One with a diverse menu that includes banh mi, vermicelli bowls, and rice plates. Sure, Billiard Hoang serves good pho, but it also provides an opportunity to try other noodle soups, such as tomato-broth Bun Rieu.
Huong Duong
Where: 7136 Martin Luther King Jr Way S.Seattle, WA 98118
We should all be so lucky to have a restaurant like this in our midst—crispy Banh Xeo, vermicelli bowls full of crunchy vegetables and rich grilled meat, and a mango salad you could (and should) eat every day. Plus a few less-common dishes like duck noodle soup and a pork chop with caramelized fish sauce and a fried egg on top. Huong Duong translates to “sunflower” in Vietnamese, which explains the bright-yellow walls in the relaxed dining room.
Rainier Restaurant
Where: 6400 Martin Luther King Jr Way S, Seattle, WA 98118
Yes, Anthony Bourdain’s visit for The Layover was pretty cool. But we didn’t need a celebrity chef to tell us that this sprawling two-level dining room was special. A diverse menu features unusual meat—grilled snails, deep-fried quail—but the kitchen takes just as much care with traditional dishes like Banh Xeo or a short rib rice plate (the menu also includes Chinese dishes). The whole catfish, fried until its skin crackles beneath your chopsticks like radio static, is an event for large groups and families.
Ba Sa
Where: 101 Winslow Way East, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
Plates of butter beef with garlic fried rice, spicy truffle wontons, and mussels in a coconut and lemongrass broth are among the many delights on Winslow Way. Trinh and Thai Nguyen, siblings, weave French technique and local ingredients into a menu fit for a special occasion or a round of drinks and a plate of honey tamarind chicken wings. The tranquil dining room near the main drag also has a large patio.
Da Lat Quan
Where: 9988 15th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98106
Three emphatic words are displayed in large letters on the front window: com (rice), pho, and bun (rice noodles). But, at least on your first visit, go straight to the large menu’s specialty section, which is filled with noodle soups from central Vietnam. The Mi Quang combines shrimp, quail eggs, and sparerib bits in broth with a thicket of wide turmeric noodles, topped with peanuts and caramelized onions. Big bowls of bun Rieu or spicy beef noodle soup known as bun bo Dalat are also popular. It’s no surprise that nearly every table in this soaring room has a plume of steam rising from a soup bowl.
Huong Xua
Where: 9629 16th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98106
A deli on Sixteenth Avenue Southwest was a low-key local favorite until last year when The Seattle Times praised it for its banh mi. Sandwiches are piled high with veggies, notably pickled daikon batons. The meat is nearly as generous, all contained within a flawless baguette. Huong Xua was severely damaged when firemen responded to a nearby fire on September 13. The deli is temporarily closed, and Full Tilt Ice Cream, a nearby business, has set up a Go Fund Me page to help with the rebuilding.
Ba Bar
Where: 550 12th Ave, Seattle, WA, 98122
Where: 500 Terry Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109
Ba Bar is easy to take for granted because it is always there for you. At 10 a.m. on a Tuesday, three locations serve consistent high-quality pho, slushy cocktails at happy hour, and a menu based on Saigon street food: vermicelli bowls, crispy imperial rolls, and five-spice rotisserie duck. Sophie Banh ensures that the food remains excellent, while brother Eric keeps things current, such as adding stylish covered and heated patios and establishing a formidable pastry program.
Monsoon
Where: 615 19th Ave E, Seattle, WA, 98112
Where: 10245 Main St, Bellevue, WA, 98004
Eric and Sophie Banh’s elegant Vietnamese restaurants still sparkle as brightly as they did when the first Monsoon dazzled the city in 1999. The original 19th Street location and its Bellevue outpost each have their own personalities, but both nail consistency—in the warm service, the grilled beef la lot, drunken chicken, and clay pot catfish, and the allure of weekend dim sum brunch. Jon Christiansen, the beverage director, ensures that the cocktails are on point, and the Seattle rooftop remains one of the city’s best, most secluded patios.
Mr. Saigon
Where: 215 Pike St, Seattle, WA 98101
Where: 734 12TH AVE, Seattle, WA 98112
Where: 161 S Washington St, Seattle, WA 8104
Huy Tat’s family owns the excellent Lan Hue banh mi shop (as well as the equally spectacular Hue Ky Mi Gia), but he launched his own fast-casual brand in an attempt to position these sandwiches squarely in the center of Seattle’s pre-pandemic lunch scene. Of course, much has changed since then, but not Mr. Saigon’s banh mi—a fusion of classic and modern creations made from scratch.
Vinason
Where: 2134 Westlake Ave, Seattle, WA 98121
Where: 6621 S 211th St, Kent, WA 98032
Where: 22830 NE 8th St, Sammamish, WA 98074
Where: 499 Urban Plaza, Kirkland WA 98033
It all started with an unassuming counter on Westlake, serving filling pho and vermicelli bowls topped with grilled organic meat from the walkup window. If this formula was a sure thing for Amazon lunchers, it has proven even more successful with three subsequent locations that offer actual seating as well as an entire wall of automated pour-your-own beer taps.
Ricky Head is Editor in Chief and Publisher of VietShowNow. He brings over 20 years of experience as a columnist, reporter, and photo journalist. In addition to concert coverage, he is a Content Creator, Writer, Photographer, and Videographer based in Seattle, Washington, and he photographs hundreds of concerts, festivals, and events each year. He takes pride in providing rich, high-quality images at a rapid pace.
- Ricky Headhttps://www.vietshownow.com/author/head/
- Ricky Headhttps://www.vietshownow.com/author/head/
- Ricky Headhttps://www.vietshownow.com/author/head/
- Ricky Headhttps://www.vietshownow.com/author/head/
