16 Best Vietnamese Restaurants in Berkeley

“No-frills, small pho shop that offers quality noodles and fast service. They have reasonable prices for the area ($17 per bowl) and usually plenty of seating.

The downside is they don't provide glasses of water and instead give you water bottles if you ask for water.

Very friendly and attentive staff.“

“Grabbed some hot pho on a rainy day. Also had their monthly special: spicy beef noodle soup and grilled pork/shrimp wrap rolls. Everything was delicious. They are very generous with meat portions and even the bean sprouts/thai basil were very fresh. 5%off if you pay cash. Will come back.“

“Super fresh banh mi with organic tofu! (4/5 Green Stars)
I wish I had tried this place earlier! I had the banh mi with organic tofu for lunch and the total cost, including tax and a 20% tip was $10.50! I was ravenous and had some concerns that it may not be enough – or come fast enough! However, the lady who took my order prepped the sandwich in as much time as it took me to take a few photos. Also, there was really a lot of tofu in the sandwich – two thick layers of it – so in the end it was pretty darn filling.

There were several memorable things about the sandwich, which I ate without any distraction even though I would normally read while eating. The bread was at a perfect state of crispiness – like a proper French roll – very light and also lightly toasted. The crunchy veggies – the daikon in particular, added a freshness to it that counterbalanced the umami of soy and tofu. I’ve only had a couple of banh mi sandwiches in my time but this one was not only the best so far but has also set a pretty high bar to measure others against.

I’m giving the Sidewalk Street Food 4/5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact. It’s a woman-owned and run business that offers affordable food in a fairly unaffordable neighborhood. Every dish option – banh mi, salad bowl, pho, and spring rolls all had a tofu option. Some of the other options – chicken and pork – are among the more sustainable choices for meat eaters. However, beef and shrimp are among the worst options Sidewalk loses a star for that. My sandwich was pretty much zero-waste in that it was wrapped in a sheet of paper and delivered in a reusable basket.“

“This place is so good, I’ve had the beef pho twice and it’s hits every time. Truly so good. The gentleman at the front welcomes everyone and is very nice. Extremely fast service. You should take your friends and coworkers here for lunch :-)“

“Genuinely, everything I got was good. We’re visiting from NYC and now I gotta go tell them there’s major competition! Bread in the banh mi was perfect, all the grilled meat was perfectly grilled and not even remotely dry, everything was fresh, house made sriracha and chili sauce. Best sea salt creme coffee I’ve had in years. Very friendly service, they even offered free ube ice cream which I ended up buying because it was so good!!“

“This was my first visit, and since it was a rainy day, I decided to try their pho. There’s something comforting about a warm bowl of soup on a cold, wet day. The soup had a rich, deep flavor that was enjoyable, but not remarkable. For comparison, my favorite pho spot is still Pho Vi Hoa in Palo Alto, which I feel has more balanced and complex flavors.

Ordering here was straightforward. You place your order at the counter, and the staff delivers your food to the table. The service was efficient and friendly, which added to the overall experience.

For starters, I ordered A2: Fresh Shrimp Spring Rolls. They were fresh, light, and paired well with the accompanying peanut dipping sauce. As for the main dish, I went with the Rare Steak Pho, adding extra noodles for $2. While the broth and rare steak were satisfying, I realized the portion of noodles was already quite generous without the extra. If you’re someone with a hearty appetite, you’ll likely find the regular portion sufficient.

Next time, I’ll skip the extra noodles and focus on the base dish. It’s a solid spot for a comforting bowl of pho, but I’d still rank it below my go-to pho spot in Palo Alto.“

“Amazing food with outstanding service!!“

“This place is absolutely phenomenal! I got the chicken pho, which had a marinated chicken option. Soup broth was very tasty. My husband got the banh mi combo, which comes with a broth soup and an imperial roll. They also have a nice juicer and makes refreshing fruit/veggie juices to round the meal out. I got the Refresher juice which has cucumber, Apple, mint. Service was great too! A lot of natural light in the restaurant. Good vibes.“

“Amazing food with outstanding service!!“

“The luncheon meal served to me was catered and was delivered promptly to our dinning location with a group of twenty people celebrating two birthdays. The order was still hot from its preparation and arrived with all necessary flatware along with a celebratory and festive attitude. The catered food was roasted chicken thigh and leg served with tender cabbage and perfectly steamed fluffy white rice. The chicken had an appealing medium roasted brown color prepared with what I could taste as soy based seasoning, slight sweetness and other enhancing aromatic flavors. The chicken was roasted to an ideal doneness and was tender and juicy, flavorful, easy to cut and of a sizable quantity. The gracious lady appearing with the catered order was courteous and kind, prompt as I mentioned and made sure the delivery was as exactly requested. The entire experience was positive, the roasted chicken was delicious, it all went smoothly and I would definitely suggested Camille Restaurant to others.“

“The food here is great. But, I've reached the limit on what my pocketbook can Justify for a bowl of broth. I started going here pre-pandemic, but since then the cost has increased twice. The cost is almost double what it was. I had the small seafood pho with tip was 23.00. Really not a lot of seafood either to justify it. Go, enjoy your meal. But expect to pay more then you would expect.“

“The pho has a very New York, homemade flavor — absolutely love it. It’s rich, comforting, and hits all the right notes. With all due respect, though, I’d recommend sticking to the main dishes. The desserts don’t quite match the quality of the meals.“

“best Banh Mi’s you can get in the area. 😋“

“Food is great ! Service is so so . They did forget a dish and were a bit slow even after the happy hour rush ended . They brought the bill before asking whether we wanted dessert ( we did ) this time and the last time we came . Still I’d go back as the food is too good!“

“Freshrolls and Bowls are my most favorite places where I have eaten at Berkeley location twice a week and sometimes at 4th street in SF and they both serve an amazing fresh food and homemade drinks.
I had two of their bowls and four fresh rolls this week and still want to come back for more , the bowls and rolls are filled with all fresh vegetables , look so pretty colorful and topping with the delicious well marinated grilled chicken or pork, the rolls are made so tight and with an crunchy crispy goodness in them to deliver an perfect harmony taste.
Their homemade limeade is impressive with a taste of fresh ginger and basil combined to deliver a refreshing delicious beverage, and also their Mint Lychee Jasmine Tea and Vietnamese Iced Coffee are also give an unforgettable experience.
Anyway , I would recommend this place a thousand times and thank you Freshrolls and Bowls.“

“I was hesitant to come back after I had a bad experience a year ago before they rebranded; which a lot of the older reviews reflect. VERY happy to say that they've improved significantly, I got the five spice chicken with an iced coffee and both are fantastic. Meat tastes great and the bread is perfect. Worth giving them another shot if you started avoiding this place like I did before.
Friendly staff too.“