   | Vietnamese Albuquerque Restaurants Albuquerque - DowntownAsian Noodle BarMon-Thurs: 11am-9pm
Fri&Sat: 11am-11pm
Closed Sunday (subject to change)
This is the spot for a satisfying pre- or post-movie bowl of noodles, with a menu that stretches across the Asian continent. Think pho and pad Thai with a side of Japanese cold sesame noodles. The warming Thai soup is restorative on chilly days. Inside, it’s clean, classy and calm, and open until 11 p.m. on the weekends. (Alibi Staff, August 11, 2010) View/Add Reviews [ 5 ] Albuquerque - FairgroundsConsistently one of the best Vietnamese joints in town, and one of the few spots that whip up durian-fruit shakes. Dalat does a magnificent breaded frog leg appetizer. The crispy golden legs are scrumptious dipped in Dalat's salty, tangy
nuoc cham
sauce. (Alibi Staff, August 11, 2010) View/Add Reviews [ 4 ] Fareast FuzionMon-Th: 11-9 pm
Fri: 11 am-10 pm
Sat: noon-10 pm
Sun: noon-9 pm (subject to change)
You may remember Bangkok Asian Fusion, which used to occupy this place. Now there’s a grand, shiny new sushi bar, with a huge fish tank behind it that lays out generous portions of great sushi. (Sadly, the
tom yum
ain’t what it used to be.) A plate of sashimi, densely and artfully arranged, turns the table into a school of piranhas. Each variety of fish is carefully garnished with complementary flavors, with the squid tossed in wasabi tobiko being particularly memorable. The sushi salad has so many chunks of raw fish among the greens that you can’t stick your chopsticks in without getting any. (Alibi Staff, September 1, 2011) Add a Review
What says “Albuquerque” more than a Vietnamese restaurant that throws Mexican dance parties on the weekend? Miss Sai Gon recently opened in the building formerly occupied by the Last Chance Saloon, on Central near Pennsylvania. Interior stonework, 11 flat screen TVs, a full bar and a big dance floor (complete with 18-inch disco ball) make this more than your typical pho outlet. The pan-fried noodles (#24) are fried into a pancake-like mass and served cut into rectangles. Oysters on the half-shell add a touch of the Pacific Northwest to the Viet-Mex ambience. The take-out menu has more options than the dine-in menu, so people don’t get overwhelmed, explained our server. (Alibi Staff, July 12, 2011) Add a Review Albuquerque - Far Northeast HeightsEvery time we go to May Hong we kick ourselves for not going there more often. This place is great! The papery skins of the Vietnamese egg rolls are always perfectly golden, and the cinnamony pork perfectly tender. The menu here is expansive, but you can hardly go wrong. Just close your eyes and drop your finger anywhere—
bun bo hue
(spicy beef soup), ginger mussels and
goi chai
(Vietnamese salad) are particularly good. Wash it all down with a jasmine limeade or jackfruit julius. Just don’t go on Sunday—it’s closed. (Alibi Staff, August 11, 2010) Add a Review Albuquerque - I-25 Corridor
Plum Cafe Asian Grill serves a mix of Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai food that’s new to the city. Wyn Chao and his brother Brian Triem have been working for 10 months in preparation for their recent opening, but they’re a part of a family restaurant business that began decades ago. (They opened Banana Leaf in Rio Rancho, which they sold in 2006.) Plum uses the order-at-the counter model, but the dining area is spacious and elegant. Plus, its location in the Century Rio complex is right on the money for folks looking for a bite before or after the movies. Most dishes can be made vegetarian. The tama cod, battered and crispy, is glazed in a tamarind sauce that would appeal to orange chicken fans. The Thai mango curry is creamy and expertly spiced, but you can always ask to have the heat adjusted. (Alibi Staff, March 29, 2012) Add a Review Albuquerque - MidtownPho Nguyen (if you're a Vietnamese pronunciation newbie, say "Fun Win"), located in the same strip mall storefront once occupied by the casual Japanese eatery California Witches, is among the newer pho spots to join the pack. The environment is comfortable, the savory crêpes are tasty and a recent herby salad of crisp lotus stems, daikon radish, sliced carrot and sliced shrimp was refreshing and very good. (Alibi Staff, August 11, 2010) View/Add Reviews [ 6 ] Who doesn’t like a hot, inexpensive, filling bowl of pho? Or a tank of sweet-and-sour soup with catfish? We don’t know people like that, and neither should you. Having a light lunch of a papaya salad with shrimp and an avocado shake is just the thing to shake off days of stress and too many cheeseburgers. And since nothing on the menu costs over 10 bucks, you can treat your lazy, good-for-nothing co-workers to lunch. Just don’t call them names to their faces. (Alibi Staff, August 11, 2010) View/Add Reviews [ 6 ] Albuquerque - Nob HillStreetFood AsiaSunday - Thursday 11am-10pm
Friday - Saturday 11am-11pm (subject to change)
On the streets of Asia, vendors often specialize in one dish handed down through generations, preparing quick meals for passersby like hot noodle bowls, exotic sandwiches and spicy skewered satays. It’s a hotbed of cultural diversity including Vietnamese pho, Korean noodles, Japanese udon, and Malay and Chinese stir-fry. StreetFood Asia's menu offers a dizzying array of sauces, toppings, garnishes, meats, seafood, and vegetables in dinner portions or small plates in the heart of Nob Hill. Exotic bar drinks and an long list of excellent sakes adds sparkle to your meal. (Alibi Staff, July 12, 2011) Add a Review Albuquerque - Northeast HeightsThe pho is fragrant, the coffee is strong and sweet, and ordinary dishes are interesting because you want to know how this kitchen is going to finish it. Spring rolls are a level above others, well-rolled and multi-textured. This place has one of the crispiest papaya salads in town; the salad topped with two flavors of beef jerky is especially out of hand. A steamed tilapia dish yields white, flaky fish bathed in a dark, black peppery sauce and is flanked with broccoli and carrots. Nice looking desserts, wine and saki. (Alibi Staff, August 23, 2011) Add a Review  Huong Thao Vietnamese CuisineTue-Thu 11am-9pm
Fri-Sat 11am-9:30pm
Sun 11am-8:30pm
Closed Monday (subject to change) Full review: The quirky charms of Huong Thao (3/28/2013)
A good Vietnamese restaurant in an unassuming strip mall just north of Lomas on Juan Tabo. The place is quiet and the service friendly. Try the fresh spring rolls and a big bowl o’ pho. For dessert, you can’t go wrong with a creamy coconut shake. (Alibi Staff, August 11, 2010) Add a Review A delightful Vietnamese restaurant near I Love Sushi, Saigon has plenty of comfy booths if you want to eat in and speedy service if you plan to takeout. Several dishes you won’t find anywhere else feature quail. (Alibi Staff, August 11, 2010) View/Add Reviews [ 1 ]  Viet Q Vietnamese Grill10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday (subject to change) Full review: When good things come in pretty packages (9/2/2010)
Viet Q disproves the foodie rule that pretty Vietnamese restaurants are likely to disappoint. The dining room is smartly painted orange and gold, with slate floors that appear to crawl up the walls in places. An amuse-bouche of papaya salad keeps you company as you read the menu. Move on to the juicy, aromatic “grilled beef wrap grape leaf” appetizer and a plate of deep-fried salt and pepper squid. The spicy “Viet Q special noodle soup” offers a tangle of noodles and beef slices in a hot, chile-red broth. There’s plenty for vegetarians too. The clay pot tofu and rice dish is to die for. (Alibi Staff, September 16, 2010) Add a Review Albuquerque - Southeast
Try to disregard the fact that this place is attached to an auto emissions testing shop—the food is the real deal. The menu is packed with delicately flavored soups, rice and vermicelli dishes for the vegetarian and meat-eater alike. Portions are more than generous, and so are the prices. Try the lemongrass tofu. (Alibi Staff, August 11, 2010) Add a Review  Asian Grill11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sunday through Friday. Closed Saturday. (subject to change) Full review: An international flavor trip (12/2/2010)
As a cook-turned-sailor stopping at ports of call throughout Asia, Nang Thai was on the lookout for details that defined the cuisines he encountered. And now, as the owner of Asian Grill on Gibson, he’s more than happy to stand by your table and tell you about his various epiphanies. It’s clear from the sparse decor of Asian Grill’s large, clean dining space that food is the priority. Other than a television tuned to a sci-fi channel, there’s little to distract from the business of eating. Vietnamese specialties are a strong suit at Asian Grill, and while many of the recipes are carefully regional and authentic, there are also a few plates that are experiments in fusion, such as the ahi tuna steak. Other highlights include Taiwan-style flounder and pineapple beef. (Alibi Staff, December 23, 2010) Add a Review  Banh Mi CodaMon-Sat: 8:30 am-7 pm
Sun: 10:30 am-4:30 pm (subject to change) Full review: Dessert first, questions later (12/6/2007)
Oh, the glories of a Vietnamese sandwich with house-made butter, ham, pickled veggies, pâté and head cheese. If head cheese is too much of an acquired taste, coconut cake, beautiful steamed pandan buns and light, airy sesame balls are really not. Neither is watching Linda bring out a pan of fresh, hot bánh tiêu or sweet, fried bread sprinkled with sesame seeds.House-made sandwich meats are available by the pound. (Alibi Staff, August 11, 2010) Add a Review Da and Nga Nguyen set up shop in the old Talin Market building on Louisiana, one block south of Central. The Café Trang menu includes several types of spring rolls (try the shrimp sausage), grilled meats and shrimp, soups, and rice dishes that are made from scratch and to order. Café Trang also serves Vietnamese sandwiches made on special baguettes that are flown in twice a week from California, and the spicy lemongrass soup is to die for. Closed Mondays. (Alibi Staff, August 11, 2010) View/Add Reviews [ 1 ] It’s the standard-bearer for Vietnamese food in Albuquerque and recipient of Best Vietnamese in our poll every year. May Café’s dining room is light and airy, and the service has become reliably fast and friendly. Try the Vietnamese sandwich appetizer, grilled pork with rice vermicelli, shrimp in ginger sauce or catfish in a clay pot. (Alibi Staff, August 11, 2010) View/Add Reviews [ 2 ] Pho #1 may not have the speediest service, but that’s probably because it’s overwhelmed by the positive reception it’s been getting for the delicious food. There are many dishes you’ll find on the menu here and nowhere else. Do not resist the seven courses of beef or pho with rare beef. Trust us, they’re fantastic. (Alibi Staff, August 11, 2010) Add a Review  Pho SaigonFull review: Get your own bowl (6/21/2007) Full review: Pho for the fun family (1/20/2011)
Sure, there’s pho. But you’ve got to try the fried quail on sticky rice, salt-and-pepper squid, and steamed bass with ginger and green onion. The Thailand spicy-and-sour hot pot, packed with a rainbow of veggies, is cooked at your table on a portable burner. Many of the most interesting options are on the menu’s back page, listed as “family-style” dishes available only after 5 p.m. (Alibi Staff, August 11, 2010) Add a Review | 
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