I love the diversity in Edmonton’s food scene! Lately, I have noticed an influx of Vietnamese restaurants but it’s not just the usual mom-and-pop pho shops (though those are awesome too). Instead, there’s been a shift highlighting the iconic street food of Vietnam. Being Vietnamese myself, this makes me super excited so I thought I’d share some of the latest spots where you can enjoy some different dishes, because there is so much more than just pho and vermicelli in the world of Vietnamese food!
Mai Mai – Viet Street Kitchen
14221 23 Ave
Mai Mai Viet Street Kitchen recently opened up in the Terwillegar neighborhood. The space here is more intimate and they’re primarily looking to focus on take-out but if you get a chance to dine in, their interior is beautiful with many retro-vintage Vietnamese pictures and memorabilia. I really loved the vibe here and will definitely try to dine in again.
As you can predict from their name, the menu itself focuses mostly on street food items. While they don’t necessarily have the cheap, street food prices – you can’t really get these dishes anywhere else so I’d say the price is worth paying to try some unique dishes. I thought the dishes we tried were excellent so no complaints. I recommend the:
- Banh Khot, mini crepes
- Saigon Roll, a spring roll wrapped inside a salad roll, extra crunchy
- Prawn & Sweet Potato Fritters, a fun snack to start off with
I hope to stop by again to try more of their dishes. They also have a cocktail/drink menu that looks great and I notice they are adding new additions to their menu periodically, as seen on their Instagram.
Da Kao
9750 170 St
Located in the Terra Lossa area in the west end, Da Kao is bringing a simple but fresh take on Vietnamese food to Edmonton. A visit here is laid-back and easy, they are also really adding to the experience with the iconic red stools, metal cutlery boxes and all that you would find at the stalls of street food vendors back in Vietnam too. This brought up some nostalgic feelings. During my visit, I tried their Peanut Sate Noodles, the Bun Bo Hue and Vietnamese Chicken Wings.
The soup noodles were satisfying, and the peanut sate soup was especially comforting. The wings had plenty of umami flavours being seasoned with fish sauce, I just wish they were bigger/there was more meat but they were crispy. We also ended off with one of their signature desserts: Da Kao House-made Flan Cake & Ice Cream, which was nice and creamy. If you’re looking to try something unique and embrace the street food experience, consider their Passion Fruit Deep Fried Shrimps or Da Kao Dragon Fruit Salad Rolls, they also serve banh mi.
Chi & Em
10542 82 Ave
Head to Whyte Ave and you can find Chi & Em. Inside, they’ve got a lot of cool and modern Asian-inspired decor, providing an insta-worthy backdrop for your food pics. They brand themselves as an Asian bistro, serving both Vietnamese and Japanese eats, but I’ve gotta include them here as they gained some popularity for their bucket list items which consists of a few Vietnamese street eats/dishes, overall. Dishes such as Bo Ne (Vietnamese beef steak and egg on hot pan), a Vietnamese Meat Platter or Banh Tam Bi Mien Tay (Signature Viet Noodles in Coconut Cream) can be found here. Unfortunately, I did not try the bucket list options for myself yet but if you’re headed there, keep it in mind. When I visited, I ordered the Viet Beef Carpaccio, Bun Bo Hue and one non-Vietnamese dish: pressed salmon sushi. I personally did not enjoy the carpaccio and sushi too much but thought the bun bo hue was decent. If I were to come back, I’d be a bit more adventurous and try their bucket list items. Nonetheless, another option for Vietnamese street food! Plus, they have some Vietnamese Egg Coffee.
Miss Saigon
6187 Currents Drive (Windermere)
10355 78 Ave (Whyte Ave)
Miss Saigon is probably the only late night spot for Vietnamese food in the city. I blogged about their first shop on Whyte ave a while back but they recently opened their second location in the Windermere area, which is really nice inside. With this new location, there are also some new and unique dishes.
They’re putting a modern twist on Vietnamese favourites with things like a pho cocktail and Phoritto. Notably, there will be an A5 Wagyu beef pho available at their new spot and the broth is poured table side. If you are up for something less traditional than pho and vermicelli, they also have dishes like the Phu Quoc Island Pineapple Fried Rice (which comes out in a pineapple!) or Seafood Noodle Soup.
Co Chin Saigon
10632 100 St
Though not new, this spot deserves an honourable mention for their features on non-traditional Vietnamese dishes. If you follow me on social media, you know that Co Chin Saigon is a restaurant I frequent every now and then for some really good Vietnamese food. I actually have a separate blog post on them but wanted to include them in this list because they are one of the only restaurants (if not the only one) to offer some specialty Vietnamese dishes such as Bun Cha Hanoi, Banh Xeo and more that you might not find elsewhere. If you plan to visit, definitely consider checking out their specials, which change daily. My go to order here always consists of Bot Chien (fried rice flour cakes), and an egg coffee. My visits have also typically landed on the weekend and the Saturday/Sunday specials are my favourite and worth trying: Bun Cha Hanoi (Saturday special) and Combo Beo Loc Tran Duc (Sunday special). Otherwise, you can’t go wrong with their Bun Bo Hue!
I hope this inspires you to try some new restaurants and *different* Vietnamese dishes. Though nothing can beat the real experience on the streets of Vietnam, there are definitely some really great contending options to enjoy the delicious flavours of Vietnamese street food right here in Edmonton. I’d love to hear about your experiences if you have visited any of these restaurants or if you have any others to add, let me know!
Eat with Sharon 
That looks amazing!
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