27 Oct 2025 7 min read

things i think about while powerwashing 145

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Normally when I have people visit me in New York, we do classic New York things. We see New York sights, we eat New York bagels and pizza. Lots of Korean food (lol).

Esteemed subscriber Kristi Nguyen has decided to have a different take on this trip. And so after she landed Saturday morning, we spent the next 36 hours seeing New York by going to some of the best Vietnamese restaurants around the city!

It started with this list: some guy’s top NYC viet eateries. Gracing the top 10 are two familiar names: mam (which I went to with esteemed subscribers Emily Ding and Jennifer Wang recently!) and nom nam (which I used to live next to). The rest of the tip I had heard of but let’s be honest — UWS (for Bánh, pronounced baynh) is kind of tough to get to from Long Island City …. and I have no other excuses.

The list and the Reddit post provided some input here as well: mam of the LES seems to be a clear favorite, with banh also following close behind. Rather controversially, Di An Di of Greenpoint was listed very high (there are valid and invalid complaints here). And to round it off Kristi had seen another Banh in the Lower East Side that was more of a bakery!

So we got off the subway, to my apartment, ate a quick lunch, then went hurtling towards the Upper West Side for Bánh.

Bánh (Upper West Side, Maps)

Instead of being smart, I decided to take Kristi for a long walk in Central Park. In the wake of a rather dry season, the leaves had not reached the brilliant red I had seen last year. Maybe I just have to wait — it’s better not to eat an unripened fruit. So in the spirit of doing what I say, we meandered to Bánh fast enough to get there five minutes before opening and in the late stages of a New York Line.

We were ahead enough in the line to be seated within the restaurant’s colorful interior, where a long bench ran away from the door towards the back, with multiple single tables seated along it. One by one, I saw bowls of pho slowly arrive at each of the tables. Though it had been a rather chilly day, Kristi and I decided we were going to eat a little out of the com-pho-rt zone.

We ordered the Bánh Đập (smashed rice cake), xôi xéo thịt kho (sticky rice with caramelized pork belly) and the gỏi gà (chicken salad).

Immediately, I think the simplest dish was the best: the gỏi gà (chicken salad). It was simple and fresh! It felt super healthy, and the fish sauce really carried it. The crisp of the freshly cut vegetables accompanied the softer textures of the chicken very well, especially considering the sauce that was sitting at the bottom of the bowl. The Bánh Đập was a close second, but I think I didn’t add enough sauce on the pieces I was eating. I did like how light it was and generally how crunchy it was as well! Unfortunately, I thought the xôi xéo thịt kho was a little randomly put together — it didn't feel cohesive but still tasted pretty good.

Mắm (Lower East Side, Maps)

Mắm gets a lot of street cred from me for two reasons: a) I saw a lot of older Vietnamese people hanging out here, b) they have a cash discount for a reason. When I last came here with Jennifer and Emily I had a great time but sitting on a small stool on the side of a New York street kind of hurt my knees a little (working on that). Sitting inside was much better. I wouldn’t object to sitting outside in a warmer time or climate but … maybe not today.

Esteemed subscriber Kristi Nguyen enjoying the twice-fried prawns

But who cares about that! The food was the main star: we ordered the Tôm Chiên (twice-fried prawns!) and ốc bươu nhồi thịt (snails stuffed with pork) as starters, which a man who we later found out was the owner of the restaurant brought out to us. We finished the meal with the nấm cuốn — a platter of various fungi and vegetables that you are supposed to wrap up in provided mustard leaves and dip in a fermented tofu sauce.

ốc bươu nhồi thịt (snails stuffed with pork) and tôm chiên (twice-fried prawns).

This restaurant was definitely the most exciting of the three. If Bánh was a cute homey meal, but Mắm was a no-holds-barred introduction to the world of Vietnamese food. I don’t think I could say it any better than renowned food critic and excellent writer, Pete Wells:

“Many of the things that make [Mắm] so exciting — the rare ingredients, the specials that show up out of nowhere, the menus that make few concessions to American palates — would be difficult if it were a real restaurant with a market rent and payroll to worry about.”

This was written in 2023 when Mắm was still a pop up hanging on near the Hester Street Playground. It thrives today — having hired at least three more people beyond the original husband/wife duo and crept into three other adjacent storefronts. On summer days, the restaurant spills out onto the street, bringing with it an fresh and exhilarating experience.

Di An Di (Greenpoint, Maps)

Di An Di is in a strange place. Generally, I found Greenpoint to be a fairly intriguing place as the intersection of really trendy and really good restaurants popping up and gentrification. But Di An Di, which was honored by the Michelin Guide in 2023, seems to attract some controversy. During his Youtube video, the guy who made the top NYC Viet eateries list basically hedges and defends his choice for quite a while before getting into what he enjoys. Reading through Google reviews, a few recurring points come up — gentrified menu, price, and bad pho. For some, “the worst they have ever had.”

For some reason, I liked it — as did Kristi! We had spent 30 minutes hemming and hawing on whether or not to go in but boy, that phở thìn hà nội was worth it.

We ordered the gỏi gà (chicken salad) and the phở thìn hà nội (one each). We quickly ate our portions — devouring the chicken salad and working through the phở with haste — before walking it off along the East River. First: this place is expensive. The bill turned out to be $87, with tip for two bowls of phở ($25 each) and the gỏi gà ($19). The price is hefty. That is a valid complaint. But calling this place bad? Maybe a stretch.

Gỏi gà (chicken salad). My new favorite food!

According to the aforementioned video, the phở being sold here is a particular type of Northern Vietnamese broth created by this guy Thìn. With Northern Vietnamese phở broth already being so thin and light — reminding me of a Wonton soup broth or something — this one also adds a bit of a kick that increased as the chilis sat in the soup. The bowl includes meat, but is laden with vegetables — bringing together a surprisingly light and delicious meal. And this is before I get to the fresh rice noodles that are made on site! A little wider than normal pho noodles, they’re soft and bouncy and delicious.

I can see why people might not like it. There were some menu options I saw on Google Maps that genuinely did not look that good. But to call this place bad? Unsure. I did get a very limited selection so I will give those people the benefit of the doubt. But if you want pho especially with a lighter broth: come here. You will find what you want here. And leave significantly poorer.

Special mention: Bánh by Lauren (Two Bridges, Maps)

This Bánh is a bakery in Two Bridges, across the street from the very hip and trendy Golden Diner. I did not have much of an appetite when I got here but was very happy to have tried their pandan chiffon cake and … bread slice? It was wonderful! And true to their motto: not too sweet!

Pandan chiffon cake and ... pandan bread slice thing.

museum of the week

I also took Kristi to the Met! Here are some pictures as well as an interesting factoid she told me: Renaissance paintings are a bit darker since they are painted first in monochrome, then painted again using the actual colors! That’s part of why they’re so moody and dramatic too.