How Vietnamese food is taking over NYC

The first Vietnamese restaurant in the United States opened in 1961 in Manhattan's Morningside Heights. But compared to hubs like Orange County, California, or Houston, Texas, where large Vietnamese communities settled, New York saw only a limited presence of the cuisine.

That has begun to change. Between 2015 and 2020, the city's Vietnamese population grew nearly 9%, outpacing New York's growth rate and fueling a surge of eateries introducing Vietnamese food.

According to the Wall Street Journal, a wave of casual Vietnamese restaurants is spreading across New York, captivating both diners and social media.

At MAM, a restaurant on the edge of Chinatown, chef Jerald Head and his Vietnamese wife, Nhung Dao, focus on street food, most famously bun dau mam tom (rice vermicilli with fried tofu and shrimp paste), a dish that has won praise from customers and critics.

A platter of bun dau mam tom with rice vermicilli, fried tofu, and pork intestines served with fermented shrimp paste at MAM NYC in New York. Photo by Instagram/mam.nyc

After operating as a street pop-up, the couple opened a permanent restaurant in 2023, complete with low plastic stools imported from Vietnam to recreate the sidewalk dining experience.

"It's not just solid, real Vietnamese food we're selling. It's the whole experience," Head told the Financial Times.

In 2024, they expanded with a wine bar called Lai Rai on the same street and plan to launch a café and banh mi shop by year's end.

Nearby on the Lower East Side, Ha's Dac Biet (Special), which opened in late 2024, quickly became one of the city's most sought-after tables with dishes like tamarind stir-fried snails, oysters with green chili, and paté chaud - a Vietnamese savory puff pastry.

Chefs Anthony Ha and Sadie Mae Burns even asked New York Magazine's restaurant critic to hold off on reviews because demand was overwhelming. The duo plans to debut a second restaurant, Bistrot Ha, later this year.

Chefs Anthony Ha and Sadie Mae Burns of Ha's Dac Biet. Photo courtesy of Ha's Dac Biet's Instagram

Just a short walk away, Banh Anh Em opened in early 2025 with a menu offering classics from across Vietnam, including Nam Dinh-style beef pho, Hanoi steamed rice rolls, and Hai Phong spicy breadsticks.

"When I first came to America, it seemed like the Vietnamese food was mostly just pho and sandwiches, and they were not like the ones from back home. That's why I decided to open my own restaurant, with my own vision," said owner Nhu Ton, a central Vietnam native who immigrated 13 years ago, as reported by FT.

The restaurant does not accept reservations, and evening waits can stretch to two hours. Ton, who traveled Vietnam by motorbike gathering recipes and ingredients, is planning a second location with partner John Nguyen.

Observers note that many Vietnamese restaurateurs in New York are using the pop-up model as a launching pad. Both MAM and Ha's Dac Biet began as temporary ventures before expanding to permanent spaces.

Pop-ups are short-term culinary events in flexible spaces like gardens, mobile counters, or even luxury restaurants. They rely on social media to build buzz.

Well-known Vietnamese pop-ups include Phoebe Tran's Be Bep, offering plant-based postpartum meals, and Thu Pham Buser's banquet series An Co, spotlighting dishes from Vietnam's northern highlands, according to New York Eater.

In 2022, Trisha Do and partner Gui Trang launched Xin Moi, a pop-up centered on family-style Vietnamese cooking inspired by the homesickness for flavors they could not find in New York. They have since taken Xin Moi abroad to Amsterdam, Paris, and Toronto, while regularly returning to Ho Chi Minh City for inspiration.

According to Do, her parents and grandparents had to contend with the hardships of immigrant life. It was only her generation, no longer preoccupied with survival, that could pair creativity with business.

"I feel like it takes a generation," she told The New York Times.