My roommate keeps telling me the only real Vietnamese food is an hour south in Stanton or Westminster and she is probably right, but I am not driving to Orange County on a weeknight for pho.
I am in Venice and I will happily go as far as Santa Monica or Culver City, further if it is genuinely worth it. Half the places near me are those clean minimal spots where the pho is fine and eighteen dollars and you forget it by the time you park.
So where is the real stuff on this side of town? Pho, banh mi, bun bo hue, I am not picky, I just want it to taste like somebody cared.
Tran Cafe on Wilshire in Santa Monica!! Tiny counter place, the banh mi is around seven bucks and I grab one on the way back from the beach constantly. Go before two though, they run out of the good stuff and I have been sad about that twice now.
You are right that the Westside is thin for this, but Orange County is not your only other option. Quan Vietnam on Sunset in East Hollywood is the one I send people to, the bun cha is what I order and it is somehow still under fifteen dollars.
Closer to me, Ktown Pho on Western does a proper broth and stays open late, which matters if you are coming from a night out in Venice. Both are maybe twenty five minutes from you at that hour. The trick is to stop measuring them against Westminster and judge them against what is actually near you, because on that scale they are very good and you get to be home instead of sitting on the 405 at eleven.
Let me be honest, nothing on the Westside beats the drive. When I am down that way anyway I stop at Pho Hue Oi in Torrance, and the broth there is worth the forty minutes. Most of what is close to me in the Marina is convenience food with a Vietnamese name on it.
Pho 87 on North Broadway in Chinatown!! It has been there forever, the pho tai is around twelve dollars and it is still one of the best bowls in the city.
I know that is a real drive from Venice, but if you are ever Downtown for anything, make that your meal. Family run, no design budget, just the food. That is the version that tastes like somebody's actual kitchen instead of a concept.
If you ever end up out my way, Golden Deli in San Gabriel is the one worth the drive, and I say that as someone who hates driving east on a weeknight. There is usually a line, the egg rolls are the reason people stand in it. Not a Westside answer, but you asked for the real thing.
Try Variable Cafe between Marina Del Rey and Mar Vista. It’s very close. Most people don’t realize it’s actually a real restaurant (because it says “cafe”) with great Pho. It’s vegan on top of that. Win-win.
Ktown Pho Kobe Is the spot for you. Not next door, but as you said, there isn’t much next door. Most other places are Thai restaurants. They have Wagyu house Pho and other specialties. Their broth is flavorful. I go there whenever I have a cold. Comfort food.
She isn’t entirely wrong. That area around Stanton, Cypress, Garden Grove, offers amazing Pho places.
The truth is, there are a lot of places halfway down, that match the quality. Redondo Beach/Gardena have a couple great Vietnamese restaurants (Pho South Bay, NAM).
The Westside doesn’t compare to these areas. The only option is to go east (Koreatown / Downtown), but even these neighborhoods don’t compare.
Variable Cafe doesn’t look bad to be honest. So if you are okay with Vegan food.. give it a try.
I swear there was a place in Culver City, but I can’t find it anymore and I don’t remember the name. It was a small place with decent Pho. Very authentic, almost tasted like the food I had in Vietnam. The closest one I remember now is Pad Thai On Beverly.
It was a small place with decent Pho. Very authentic, almost tasted like the food I had in Vietnam. The closest one I remember now is Pad Thai On Beverly.