Our city’s melting pot of cuisines allows Singaporeans easy access to the kind of legit Vietnamese food best enjoyed on bustling curbsides in Ho Chi Minh, or hole-in-the-wall eateries in Hanoi. Though most of us may be more familiar with chain restaurants for a quick pho fix, there are plenty of Vietnamese food places in Singapore that are either owned or approved by natives if you know where to look.
Image credit: Little Hanoi
Little Hanoi is located in the Food Republic food court of Shaw House. The noodle bar serves Northern Vietnamese cuisine at affordable prices. This includes beef soup dishes made with broth simmered with marrow for 34 hours, and Bun Cha ($8.90), where dry-tossed noodles meet fatty grilled pork or chicken and sausage rolls. The bun cha isn’t on the main menu, but feel free to order it regardless.
Address: 1 Scotts Road, Food Republic @ Shaw House, Singapore 228208
Opening hours: Daily 10am to 9pm
Tel: 9810 5927
Website
Little Hanoi is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @anlaghien.sg
An La Ghien in Geylang stands apart from other Vietnamese restaurants in Singapore thanks to its focus on barbecue and hotpot fare. Hotpot and barbecue platters are all priced at $34.90 and come with different mixes of proteins and greens. Each serves a group of two or three, and you can add on ingredients if you wish. Apart from these two signatures, An La Ghien also has a handful of Vietnamese ala carte dishes on the menu, such as Pork Intestine Porridge ($7.90), Duck Noodles with Bamboo Shoots ($7.90), and Minced Pork Lolot Noodles ($9.90). Lolot, for those who don’t know, is a fragrant leaf used commonly to wrap meat, especially in Southern Vietnamese cuisine.
Address: 45 Geylang Lorong 27, Singapore 388177
Opening hours: Daily 8am to 11pm
Tel: 9430 0863
Website
An La Ghien is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @fukienchaw
Moc Quan prides itself in being authentic, so much so that it imports ingredients from Vietnam weekly just to make elements like the baguette for their Banh Mi (from $2.50). Centrally-located at UE Square, this Vietnamese restaurant celebrates the fresh flavours of Ho Chi Minh. Their Pho Bo (from $11.50), or beef pho, is praised for its bodied broth and the generous sprinkling of fresh herbs. Other hits include the Bun Thit Nuong ($13), which some Vietnamese dub the best in Singapore.
Address: 81 Clemenceau Ave, #01-23, UE Square Shopping Mall, Singapore 239917
Opening hours: Sun-Mon 11am to 10pm, Tue-Fri 11am to 9pm, Sat 11am to 7:30pm
Tel: 6736 0123
Website
Moc Quan is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @ironsage
For good pho, Vietnamese drip coffee, and spring rolls, Super Ngon in Lavender is a great bet. The hole-in-the-wall eatery along Crawford Road has an extensive menu of mains under $10, so you can get Beef or Chicken Pho from $9. Get the Fried Dough Stick ($1.90) too, these Vietnamese versions of you tiao are hard to find.
Address: 466 Crawford Lane, #01-08, Singapore 190466
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 8pm
Tel: 9152 6622
Website
Super Ngon is not a halal-certified eatery.
Banh Mi Thit is our team’s go-to stall for good banh mi. Just a quick walk from Aljunied MRT Station, this eatery sells some of the cheapest banh mi we’ve seen, with prices fixed at $5. Choose from beef, chicken, or egg banh mi, all served in crispy baguette loaves layered with pickled vegetables, special sauce, and mayonnaise. What makes Banh Mi Thit more of a win is that the proteins are juicy, tender, and portioned generously despite the humble price point.
Check out our Banh Mi Thit review.
Address: 543 Geylang Road, Singapore 389498
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 10am to 10pm
Website
Banh Mi Thit is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @233_banhmi
Another stall for good banh mi in the East is 233 Banh Mi, with four variations on the menu priced at $6.50. Get the Traditional, stacked with ham rolls and pate, if you want to stick to the familiar, or try the unorthodox Tuna to mix it up. Either way, you get crusty bread, piquant pickles, creamy pate, and spiced proteins with each order from this Joo Chiat kiosk. To go along with your banh mi, they have drinks like bubble tea, drip coffees, and fruit teas, priced at $2.50 each, or from $7 with a banh mi.
Address: 216 Joo Chiat Road, #01-07, Singapore 427483
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 10am to 7pm
Tel: 6694 8109
Website
223 Banh Mi is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: Derek Low
Many times have I made a pilgrimage to Joo Chiat just for Long Phung’s Pho Tai ($9.50), a pho with rare beef slices, and Com Thit Kho Hot VIt ($7.90), a happy marriage between stewed pork and steamed rice on a plate. Run by a Vietnamese woman who moved to Singapore 14 years ago, Long Phung prides itself on being a little slice of Saigon in Singapore, serving up a healthy menu of Vietnamese classics, including sharing dishes, from Stir-fried Cockles ($8.90) to Red Tilapia Hotpot (from $27).
Joo Chiat outlet
Address: 159 Joo Chiat Road, Singapore 427436
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 12am
Tel: 6440 6959
Chinatown outlet
Address: New Bridge Road, #239-241, Singapore 059439
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 12pm to 10pm
Tel: 6908 4398
Website
Long Phung is not a halal-certified eatery
For banh mi in the CBD, give Bami Express at Tanjong Pagar Plaza a chance. Baguettes are made fresh in-house and at a great price for their location. The classic Bami Saigon ($5.50) is composed of stewed pork belly, Vietnamese sausage, pork floss, as well as pickled and fresh greens. They also serve Vietnamese coffee for $1.50 to round off the meal with a caffeine fix. I’d recommend takeaway, as the small stall is really just a kiosk, though there are makeshift tables along the corridor if you’d like to eat your banh mi on the spot.
Check out our Bami Express review.
Address: 1 Tanjong Pagar Plaza, #02-53, Singapore 082001
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 11:30am to 3pm
Tel: 6443 3079
Bami Express is not a halal-certified eatery.
For a late-night supper spot, check out Miss Saigon which opens 24/7! This stall features a wide variety of dishes not commonly found in most Vietnamese stalls in Singapore. On our visit, our favourite item was the Banh Tran Cuon ($10) which had a delicious mix of ingredients, including pork floss, nuts, shallots, and dried shrimp rolled into a bright orange rice paper!
Read our Miss Saigon review!
Address: 150 Orchard Road, #02-56, Orchard Plaza, Singapore 238841
Opening hours: Daily 24 hours
Tel: 8925 3959
Website
Miss Saigon is not a halal-certified eatery.
Try May Pho Culture for their Southern-style pho! This eatery serves Pho Nam, the richer version of Pho Bac from Northern Vietnam. We liked the Tenderloin ($17.90) pho as the hot broth cooked the raw slices of beef to perfection, while the meat imparted its fatty flavours into the soup.
Read our May Pho Culture review.
Address: 150 South Bridge Road, #01-16, Fook Hai Building, Singapore 058727
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 8:30pm
Tel: 9646 2589
Website
May Pho Culture is not a halal-certified eatery.
If you live in the Whampoa area, here’s a hidden gem: Nhung Kitchen is a small stall in the corner of Balestier Point serving Vietnamese food till 3am daily! We loved their Bun Thit Bo Xao ($8.90), which was topped with a lovely variety of ingredients. This salad comprised stir-fried beef, rice noodles, and veggies mixed with a bright tangy dressing. This makes for a healthy yet filling meal at any time of the day.
Read out Nhung Kitchen review.
Address: 279 Balestier Road, #01-02, Balestier Point, Singapore 329727
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 3am
Tel: 6993 9855
Website
Nhung Kitchen is not a halal-certified eatery.
Chef Minh Vietnamese Pho is a hawker stall run by Ngo Nhu Minh, an ex-chef in Macau’s Wynn Palace—one of those atas-looking hotels you see in Hong Kong movies. With his experience in five-star restaurants, he opened a stall in Singapore serving Ho Chi Minh-style pho. The last time we went there, we got their Signature Pho Beef Combo (From $8.80) and especially loved the jelly-like texture of the beef tendon.
Read our Chen Minh Vietnamese Pho review.
Address: 721 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8, #01-2823, Hougang Mall, Singapore 560721
Opening hours: Daily 10am to 9pm
Website
Chef Minh Vietnamese Pho is not a halal-certified eatery.
Signs A Taste Of Vietnam Pho is hidden in the basement of Orchard Gateway. This is a restaurant run by a deaf Vietnamese couple who hire staff with hearing impairment. The last time we went, we got their Beef Feast Combo ($13) and were pleasantly surprised. Not only was it covered with a generous amount of beef, but their broth was also really well-seasoned! BTW, this restaurant does not impose service charge or GST, which is a rare find for its central location.
Read our Signs A Taste Of Vietnam Pho review.
Address: 277 Orchard Road, #B2-15, Orchard Gateway, Singapore 238858
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 11am to 8:30pm
Tel: 8685 4838
Website
Signs A Taste Of Vietnam Pho is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @thatfoodadv
Westies, listen up: Ba Buong Banh Mi in Jurong East has legit banh mi at wallet-friendly prices. They don’t hold back on their sandwich fillings, as proven by how each banh mi is stuffed to the brim with copious amounts of meat. The Roast Pork ($6.50) banh mi is a crowd-favourite for its succulent pieces of pork belly. For an extra $1, you can also get a cup of Vietnamese Milk Coffee to pair with your sandwich.
Read our Ba Buong Banh Mi review.
Address: 132 Jurong Gateway Road, #01-277, Singapore 600132
Opening hours: Daily 8am to 9pm
Tel: 9421 8599
Website
Ba Buong Banh Mi is not a halal-certified eatery.
Banh Mi Be Bi is a humble stall run by a mother-daughter duo! This stall makes their bread from scratch every day; the mother, Tina, starts making the dough as early as 5am. What makes this stall special is their Beef Stew Baguette ($8.50), where the bread is served plain with a beef stew on the side! The beef stew is house-made, which gives this dish a homely, comforting touch.
Read our Banh Mi Be Bi review.
Address: 375 Upper Aljunied Road, Singapore 367860
Opening hours: Daily 9am to 9pm
Website
Banh Mi Be Bi is not a halal-certified eatery.
Instead of a plane, the most you’ll have to board is an MRT that will take you to parts unknown, where these hidden gem Vietnamese food places in Singapore reside. Coupled with crowd-sourced approval from Vietnamese expats in Singapore, this is as close as you’ll get to the culinary treasures of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh and more.
For more Vietnamese food, check our list of the best banh mi in Singapore. Alternatively, read about La Saigon for legit egg coffee and banh mi.
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