← Guides · By Ray Lei · Published 2026-11-14

What should I order at a Vietnamese restaurant besides pho?

Try bún chả (grilled pork with cold noodles), cơm tấm (broken rice with grilled pork chop), or gỏi cuốn (fresh spring rolls). Vietnamese cuisine stretches far beyond pho — most menus carry at least twenty distinct dishes, each with its own broth, noodle type, or cooking method.

Pho is the dish that introduced Vietnamese food to much of the world, and it deserves its reputation — a good bowl of pho is a remarkable piece of cookery, with a broth that takes hours to build from bone, charred onion, and whole spices. But ordering only pho at a Vietnamese restaurant means missing most of what Vietnamese cuisine actually does. Vietnam stretches over 1,700 kilometers from north to south, and the food changes dramatically across regions — from the delicate, herb-forward cooking of Hanoi in the north to the sweeter, bolder flavors of Saigon in the south, to the fiery complexity of Hue in the center.

Most Vietnamese restaurants outside Vietnam draw from several regions at once. A typical menu includes noodle soups (some with pork broth, some with beef, some with crab), grilled pork dishes, rice plates, fresh and fried rolls, and a sizzling crepe. This guide introduces ten dishes worth ordering, with the Vietnamese names, what each contains, and what to watch for if you have dietary restrictions.

For pho specifically, see the pho dish guide which covers broth styles, cut choices, and how to dress the bowl.

Ten dishes to order at a Vietnamese restaurant

Vietnamese	Romanization	English name	What it is	Main ingredients	Allergen notes
Bún bò Huế	Boon baw Hway	Hue spicy beef noodle soup	Spicy lemongrass beef and pork broth with round vermicelli	Beef, pork, lemongrass, shrimp paste, round rice noodles	Traditionally contains shrimp paste (shellfish); may contain pork blood cake
Bún chả	Boon chah	Grilled pork with cold noodles	Charcoal-grilled pork patties and belly in a dipping broth, with cold rice vermicelli and herbs	Pork, fish sauce, rice vermicelli, fresh herbs	Traditionally contains pork and fish sauce
Bánh mì	Bahn mee	Vietnamese baguette sandwich	Toasted baguette with pâté, cold cuts, pickled daikon, cucumber, and chili	Wheat baguette, pork pâté, pork cold cuts, pickled vegetables, chili	Traditionally contains wheat and pork; often contains gluten
Bún thịt nướng	Boon tit noong	Grilled pork noodle salad	Cold rice vermicelli topped with charcoal-grilled pork, fresh herbs, pickled vegetables, and crushed peanuts	Pork, rice noodles, peanuts, fish sauce dressing	Traditionally contains pork, fish sauce, and peanuts (tree nut cross-contamination possible)
Cơm tấm	Guhm tahm	Broken rice plate	Broken jasmine rice with grilled pork chop, shredded pork skin, and steamed egg meatloaf	Broken rice, pork, egg, fish sauce dressing	Traditionally contains pork, egg, and fish sauce
Gỏi cuốn	Goy kooN	Fresh spring rolls	Shrimp, pork, rice vermicelli, and herbs in translucent rice paper, served cold with peanut sauce	Rice paper, shrimp, pork, rice vermicelli, peanut sauce	Traditionally contains shellfish (shrimp) and peanuts
Bánh xèo	Bahn say-oh	Vietnamese sizzling crepe	Large crispy rice flour crepe filled with shrimp, pork, bean sprouts, and mung beans, wrapped in lettuce to eat	Rice flour (gluten-free), shrimp, pork, coconut milk	Traditionally contains shellfish and pork; the crepe batter is typically rice-flour based
Chả giò	Chah yaw	Fried spring rolls	Crispy fried rolls filled with pork, mushroom, glass noodles, and carrot	Pork, glass noodles, mushrooms, rice paper or wheat wrapper	Wrapper may contain wheat; traditionally contains pork
Bún riêu	Boon ryew	Tomato crab noodle soup	Tangy tomato broth with crab and shrimp paste, topped with fried tofu and tomatoes	Crab, shrimp paste, tomatoes, tofu, rice vermicelli	Traditionally contains shellfish (crab, shrimp paste)
Cao lầu	Cow lao	Hoi An pork and noodle bowl	Thick chewy noodles with sliced pork, crispy rice crackers, greens, and minimal broth — a Hoi An specialty	Special lye-water noodles, pork, bean sprouts	The noodles are unique to Hoi An; outside Vietnam they may differ; traditionally contains pork

What makes Vietnamese cuisine distinct from other Southeast Asian cuisines

Vietnamese cooking is defined by freshness and balance. Where Thai food layers heat with sweetness and sourness in cooked sauces, Vietnamese food typically adds those elements at the table: a plate of raw herbs (rau thơm), bean sprouts, lime wedges, and chili sits beside most noodle dishes so you adjust the bowl to your taste. The cooking itself tends toward cleaner flavors — lighter broths, less oil than Chinese cooking, less coconut cream than Thai.

Fish sauce (nước mắm) is the foundational condiment, used the way soy sauce is used in China and Japan. It appears in almost every dipping sauce, dressing, and broth, so if you have a fish allergy you will need to flag this explicitly with every dish. Most Vietnamese restaurants can substitute soy sauce in dipping sauces for vegetarian or fish-allergic diners on request.

Practical notes

Herbs are served alongside, not on top. At a table with a noodle soup, you receive a plate of bean sprouts, basil, mint, and sometimes banana blossom or sliced chili. Add them directly to the hot broth or eat them alongside cool noodle dishes. This is standard practice, not optional.
Dipping sauces are specific to each dish. Bún chả comes with a nuoc cham broth for dipping; fresh spring rolls come with peanut sauce; bánh xèo gets a lighter fish sauce dressing. The sauce pairing is part of the dish — do not substitute the sauces across dishes.
Ask about shellfish if you have an allergy. Shrimp paste, crab, and dried shrimp appear in many broths and are not always listed on the menu. Confirm each dish with staff and carry a written allergy card.
Rice paper versus wheat wrappers. Fresh spring rolls (gỏi cuốn) always use rice paper and are gluten-free. Fried spring rolls (chả giò) may use rice paper or wheat wrappers depending on the restaurant — the wheat version is more common in some regions. Confirm if gluten is a concern.
Northern versus southern style. Restaurants run by families from northern Vietnam (Hanoi) often serve more austere, herb-forward dishes with clearer broths. Southern-style restaurants (Saigon) tend toward sweeter sauces and more garnish. Many restaurants blend both traditions.

Discover what to order with ChefBear

Scan the menu at any Vietnamese restaurant and ChefBear will explain each dish, show you a photo, and rank options by how well they match your preferences. Useful when the menu runs to forty items and you have a couple of dietary requirements to track across a large table.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between bún bò Huế and pho?

Bún bò Huế is a spicy lemongrass and shrimp paste beef broth noodle soup from Hue in central Vietnam. It uses round rice vermicelli (bún) rather than the flat rice noodles (bánh phở) in pho. The broth is deeper, spicier, and more intensely seasoned than pho's clear, star anise-scented broth. Bún bò Huế traditionally contains beef and sometimes pork, including pig's blood cake.

What is bún chả?

Bún chả is a Hanoi specialty of grilled pork patties and pork belly served in a sweet, tangy fish-sauce dipping broth, eaten with cold rice vermicelli noodles and fresh herbs. The pork is charcoal-grilled, giving it a smoky char. It traditionally contains pork and fish sauce.

What is cơm tấm?

Cơm tấm is a southern Vietnamese rice dish made with broken rice grains served with grilled pork chop (sườn), shredded pork skin (bì), and a steamed egg meatloaf (chả trứng hấp), plus fish sauce dressing. The broken rice has a softer, slightly chewier texture than whole-grain jasmine rice. It traditionally contains pork, egg, and fish sauce.

What are gỏi cuốn and are they the same as chả giò?

Gỏi cuốn are fresh spring rolls — shrimp, pork, rice vermicelli, and herbs in translucent rice paper, served cold with peanut sauce. They are not fried. Chả giò are fried spring rolls — a crispy shell filled with pork, mushrooms, and glass noodles, deep-fried until golden. Both appear on most Vietnamese menus but are quite different in texture.

Is Vietnamese food suitable for people with shellfish allergies?

Vietnamese cuisine uses shrimp and shellfish widely, including in sauces, broths, and fillings. Fish sauce (nước mắm), a staple condiment, contains fish. Shrimp paste (mắm tôm) appears in some broths like bún bò Huế. Fresh spring rolls typically contain shrimp. If you have a shellfish or fish allergy, confirm each dish with staff before ordering and carry a written allergy card.