Guide to Vietnamese Restaurants in Metro Manila 2024

(SPOT.ph) It took quite a bit of time before Vietnamese cuisine would have considerable presence in the local food scene. Before we could arrive at this point where we are able to name more than five Vietnamese spots in Manila without consulting Google.

Surprising because history tells us it was way back in 1975 when the Vietnamese started coming to our shores in droves, forced by the war in their country to seek refuge in neighboring islands. Many of them found a new home in Bataan, and many still in Palawan, in an area that would eventually be called Viet Ville. Soon, they were setting up little eateries that offered food items from back home like banh mi and the like. Hence, Puerto Princesa boasts a local pho-like dish called Chao Long, and Trip Advisor actually has a list of the “10 best Vietnamese restaurants in Palawan Island.”

But if there was a place that really made Vietnamese food familiar to Filipinos, its Pho Hoa—which funnily enough originated in San Francisco in the early 1980s, albeit established by a Vietnamese named Bien Nguyen. Pho Hoa arrived in the Philippines in 1988, debuting in a little spot in Jupiter Street, Makati. Today, more than 25 years later, the noodle chain is joined by several spots serving Vietnamese favorites to Manileños with an occasional craving for pho, banh mi, bun cha and fresh summer rolls done Vietnamese style. We’ve tried a few of them and listed down here the select few we swear by.

Also read: SPOT.ph Roundup: Best Iced Vietnamese Coffee If You Need to Be Awake for 12+ Hours

Vietnamese restaurants in and around Metro Manila for your pho, Bahn mi, spring roll, egg coffee fix:

Ha Noi Pho

Ha Noi Pho in Poblacion is a two-story Vietnamese restaurant that, judging by the looks of its structure, used to be someone's residence. With its canary yellow facade and hanging Vietnamese lanterns by the entrance, it sticks out like a sore thumb along a row of concrete grey structures on Makati's J.P. Rizal Avenue. The brightness of its exterior extends to its interiors, which sports colorful murals. There are black-and-white photographs of Vietnam hanging against an accent brick wall, and shelves stocked with Vietnamese food products for sale like instant noodles, coffee, tea, and, a personal favorite: Chin-Su hot sauce.

The menu is not overwhelmingly extensive. The dish it is most known for is the Beef Noodle Soup (P325), their hefty bowl of beef pho which has flat rice noodles in a comforting beefy broth. It is served almost completely covered in thin slices of beef, white and green onions, and basil leaves.

The pho is filling on its own—it comes in a way bigger serving than what you would usually get in a Vietnam stall—but do leave space for their Fried Spring Rolls (P200), which are netted rolls with a meaty filling. We prefer dipping these in the garlicky vinegar on the table instead of in the hot sauce the dish comes with—the acidity cuts through the spring roll's oiliness.

Now, the pho and spring rolls are something we'd suggest you pair with a fruity, refreshing iced tea but you can actually skip right to the Egg Coffee (P195). This is hot coffee served with a frothy topping made of whipped egg yolk and condensed milk. Your cup is served in a bowl with warm water to keep the coffee from getting cold and the whipped egg from tasting fishy.—Bea Faicol

Ha Noi Pho is at 925 JP Rizal Avenue, Poblacion, Makati. Open Monday to Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. For more information, check out Ha Noi Pho's Instagram page.

Em Ha Noi

It might be difficult to sit down anywhere else in Manila to eat Vietnamese food if you’ve already had a meal in Pasay’s Em Ha Noi. The place is a beauty. Its yellow and green interiors—while that may not readily sound pleasing to the eye—are made picture-perfect by the lamps hanging from the ceiling, and the fact that the bones of this Metropolitan Park Building establishment look like it was of an elegant two-story residence from the distant past. Even the iced dessert station is reminiscent of an old rice farmer’s home in Vietnam.

The food is served in beautiful Asian tableware—and by a handsome and courteous Filipino waitstaff no less. The Pomelo Salad (P410) is bright and refreshing, with a generous amount of torn, gleaming pink pomelo pieces topped with fresh shrimp and thin slices of pork, sprinkled with crushed peanuts, roasted garlic, and dried onions. The Pho Bo (P399) has thin slices of tender beef, beautiful flat rice noodles, and a light and flavorful broth with hints of mint, lime, and fresh basil. It’s a hearty, earthy, healing soup that inspires images of rice field mornings.

Finally, the Bun Cha Ha Noi is served with greens, dry white noodles, and a bowl of grilled pork belly and meatballs soaking in a lightly sweet and savory, warm and clear soup slightly close to the taste of the Vietnamese dipping sauce Nuoc Cham. You are to bring some of the noodles to a provided bowl, pour the sauce over it, mix in the greens, and enjoy. Trust us, it’s one of the most satisfying slurping sounds you will ever make.—Jerome Gomez

Em Ha Noi is located at Bluebay Walk, Metropolitan Park Building, Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard, Pasay City. Open Monday to Sunday, from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. There’s also an Em Ha Noi BGC which has a slightly different menu. 

Pho Hoa

There's a reason why the Vietnamese restaurant chain is still thriving in the Philippines to this day, staying in business for almost 26 years and even surviving the onslaught of the pandemic. Their food, specifically their bestselling bowls of pho, has always been good and, more importantly, reliable. Someone we know who frequently travels to Vietnam says it's still the best place to find Vietnamese food in Manila. And as what the Ninong Ry disclosed to SPOT.ph a few months back, his loyalty to Pho Hoa is rooted in the restaurant's consistency in quality and service. They're good, whichever branch he goes to.

As the name suggests, you should order pho at Pho Hoa. You can go for the Pho Bo Kho (starting price is P335), a Vietnamese beef stew pho,  Pho Ga (P335/small, P390/large), which is the restaurant's chicken pho, or you can go with a more protein-heavy pho with the Pho Cin, Nam Gan Bo Vien (P390/small, P440/large), which has brisket, flank, tendon, and meatballs.

What we notice in other pho places in the Metro is that they tend to scrimp on the veggies—which may or may not be attributed to the fact that Pinoys aren't accustomed to having that many strong-tasting leaves in soup and stews. But Pho Hoa, aside from the vegetables already on their noodle soup, also serves a platter of beansprouts and basil with your pho; a platter which also comes with hoisin (a sweet bean paste) and lemon wedge that adds brightness to your beefy broth.

If you don't mind pairing hot soup with a hot drink, then by all means, (please) do order Pho Hoa's Vietnamese Hot Coffee with Milk (P120). This is served in a stemmed glass with condensed milk at the bottom and a Vietnamese Phin filter resting on top of the vessel. This is the traditional method of brewing coffee in Vietnam, much like in a moka pot or a French press.—BF

See list of Pho Hoa branches. For more information, check out Pho Hoa's Facebook page.

Ca Phe Saigon

Ca Phe Saigon is one of Marikina’s real hidden gems, tucked as it is in one of the residential streets connected to busy Gil Fernando Avenue. It’s actually a garage turned small, unassuming Vietnamese joint which you can’t enter without first passing through the owner’s little mint and cilantro garden. The garden, of course, is the source of the greens Ca Phe Saigon puts in its phos and fresh rolls.

While the phos in this humble joint are satisfying, as well as its Bun Cha Obama (inspired likely by the bun cha the ex-US President enjoyed with the late Anthony Bourdain in Hanoi), the real standouts are these two: 1) The tightly packed but soft Fresh Rolls (Goi cuon, P260) stuffed with rice noodles, a slice of lean pork, and shrimp. Their accompanying peanut butter sauce is just the perfect amount of sweetness and thickness that brings a whole lot of flavor to every bite of these fresh-tasting beauties. 2) The Banh Xeo (P220) which is a savory pancake that has shrimp, slivers of pork, green onions, and bean sprouts inside. We love the crunchy but soft pancake wrap and the slightly oily goodness of what’s inside. Best eaten with a dash of Nuoc Cham in each bite.—JG

Ca Phe Saigon is located at 14 Red Cedar Street, Marikina Subdivision, Marikina City. Open Monday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

BONBanhmi or Bôn Pho & Roll

Finding good banh mi in the Metro can be a tall order. There are times the baguette isn't as crunchy on the outside, or as soft and airy as one hopes it would be—like the way you remember it from that last Vietnam vacation. And then there are times when the filling isn't, well, filling. Or worse, the flavors fall flat. We've never encountered such tragic occurences with the banh mi at BONBanhmi spots, which are just some of the best places to enjoy this Vietnamese-French creation.

BONBanhmi is usually a stall or kiosk. Think a hidden gem in a foodcourt. But if you want a different dining experience, it has a sister company called Bôn Pho & Roll, which is its own restaurant, has less cluttered decor, sports a slightly romantic ambience and boasts a more extensive menu.

While the restaurant’s bestsellers are the Bun Cha Ha Noi/Ha Noi BBQ Noodles (P450) and the Xoi Man Thap Cam/Assorted Pork Sticky Rice (P380), they also carry BONBanhmi's Bahn mi—although just a little more expensive as there’s more filling. And you do get what you pay for with the Traditional Bahn Mi (P240), which is a Bahn mi you need to hold with both hands; a Banh mi made up of a crunchy baguette, cold cuts of pork and ham, hoisin sauce, pate, mayonnaise, and veggies—all of which, we are told, are made in-house.

The time we made Bôn Pho & Roll a visit, we wanted to try a different Vietnamese coffee—something other than the usual ca phe sua da. The most obvious choice was the Ca Phe Muoi/Salt Coffee Foam (P179). This is your iced Vietnamese coffee—still with the sweetness of condensed milk stirred in but topped with a salty foam that, when mixed, gives the drink a deeper flavor. There’s that strong impact of the caffeine mingling with a sweet and salty foam. 

P.S.: Don’t let the yellow-greenish shade of the service water alarm you. It's Bon Pho & Roll's pandan tea and it's refreshing. The faint sweetness of the pandan in the water is quite addicting and not at all off-putting!—BF

There are only three branches of the Bôn Pho & Roll within Metro Manila as of writing, and these are Alphaland Makati Place, I-Land Bay Plaza, and Parqal. For more information, check out Bôn Pho & Roll's Facebook page.

Hey, Spotters! Check us out on Viber to join our Community and subscribe to our Chatbot.