The Best Vietnamese Food in Houston
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The best Vietnamese food in Houston, according to the experts: the Michelin Guide, the Houston Chronicle, and the James Beard Awards have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Nam Giao comes out on top.
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The Blind Goat and Annam hold the next two places. The Infatuation shows up on more of this list than any other guide, with the Houston Chronicle next.
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Rank 1. Nam Giao
Vietnamese
Steamed rice cakes topped with fried pork rinds arrive at nearly every table in this Little Saigon restaurant, and plenty of regulars stop right there and just keep ordering them. The kitchen specializes in the elegant cuisine of Hue, central Vietnam, and holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand. The server will warn you that you've ordered too much, which is your cue that the order is about right.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Bib Gourmand
- Houston Chronicle Houston Chronicle: #22 · Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2023 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Texas · Ai Le
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Houston Chronicle #22 · Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Texas · Ai Le
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Rank 2. The Blind Goat
Modern Vietnamese
The awards
- AAA AAA: Three Diamonds
- Eater Eater: The 38 Essential Houston Restaurants
- Houston Chronicle Houston Chronicle: Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
- AAA Three Diamonds
- Eater The 38 Essential Houston Restaurants
- Houston Chronicle Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
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Rank 3. Annam
Contemporary Vietnamese
The dining room at this contemporary Vietnamese restaurant in Autry Park runs in cream and white, with booths wide enough to actually spread out. The menu threads French technique through Vietnamese cooking, and the portions are generous enough to make sharing feel less like a virtue and more like a strategy. The Michelin Guide awarded it a Bib Gourmand, which tracks with the pricing. Bring people you like.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Houstonia Honorable Mention · The 10 Best Restaurants That Opened in Houston
- Eater The Best Restaurants in Montrose
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Rank 4. Thiên Thanh
Vietnamese
A cash-only Vietnamese lunch spot in a Bellaire Boulevard strip center that sets a giant pitcher of fish sauce on every table before you've said a word, which tells you what the afternoon holds. The specialty is bánh cuốn, soft rice paper crepes folded around mushrooms, grilled pork, and dried shrimp. You add the bean sprouts yourself and dunk accordingly. Bring bills, a loose waistband, and zero concern about your shirt.
The awards
- Houston Chronicle Houston Chronicle: Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 22 Best Restaurants In Houston's Chinatown
- Houston Chronicle Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
- The Infatuation The 22 Best Restaurants In Houston's Chinatown
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Rank 5. Brisket & Rice
Vietnamese Barbecue
The awards
- Texas Monthly Texas Monthly: The 50 Best BBQ Joints in Texas
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Rank 6. Bodard Bistro
Vietnamese Bistro
Bodard Bistro is a small, casual Vietnamese spot on Bellaire Boulevard, where the dining room doubles as a greenhouse and nobody seems to mind the foliage getting the best seats. The kitchen leans Mekong Delta, so the tamarind-and-pineapple catfish soup shows up next to pork sausage spring rolls and crisp little shrimp pancakes. It's an easy, inexpensive meal, and The Infatuation put it on its Houston Chinatown list.
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 22 Best Restaurants In Houston's Chinatown
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Rank 6. Bún Cha Cá Đà Nang
Da Nang Vietnamese Noodle Shop
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 22 Best Restaurants In Houston's Chinatown
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Rank 6. Hai Cang
Chinese Vietnamese Seafood
Hai Cang is a Vietnamese-Chinese seafood house on Bellaire Boulevard where the platters of crab, lobster, and noodles arrive at a scale better suited to a group than a date. The lobster comes wok-fried in dry spices and the Dungeness is fire-red, so napkins are less a courtesy than a survival strategy. Bring a crowd, because the lazy susan has to earn its keep.
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 22 Best Restaurants In Houston's Chinatown
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Rank 6. Thim Hing Sandwich
Vietnamese Sandwich Shop
Thim Hing is a cash-only bánh mì counter where people leave carrying sandwiches by the armload, as if provisioning for a long voyage. Around lunch, trunks get loaded with plastic bags of the stuff. The baguette runs rail-thin and loud when you bite it, which means more crunch per square inch than the usual loaf. Bring cash, order for everyone you know, and expect to be the slowest person in line.
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 22 Best Restaurants In Houston's Chinatown