Don't let the window bars scare you off… while the neighborhood was immensely shady, the restaurant inside was such a pleasant mom and pop shop. We tried their Bun Bo Hue and wow was it tasty. Sweet, sour, rich in broth flavor with a nice tang from the lime, this was fantastic. The spring rolls, fresh, and egg rolls, prepared hot and filled with tattoo e were also equally fantastic. Park in the parking lot behind the restaurant and you'll be okay.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lisa Han
I absolutely loved the food I ordered today, numbers 7 and 17! The restaurant was very clean and tidy, and the owner was incredibly kind, gentle, and patient. Oh, and there's a two-month-old kitten waiting to be adopted. He is adorable!Come and take him home!😊
JB Ng
This was our first time visiting this restaurant and we were so impressed with the food and kind service. My boyfriend devoured a bowl of Bun Bo Hue and another bowl of special rice noodles with bbq pork by himself 😂 highly recommended!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Anne Nguyen
I stopped by on a cool morning, and the restaurant was fairly easy to find. The place looks much more established compared to years before. What stands out most is the purple door against the white walls. Outside, there is a wooden sign placed near the entrance, with engraved lettering that appears a little faded against the wood tone. If not for the bold signage on the wall, it might be easy to miss.
The menu offers a wide variety of Vietnamese dishes, but I came here for exactly what the restaurant’s name promises—Bún Bò Huế. This iconic soup from Vietnam is famous for its rich and layered flavors. What makes it truly distinctive is the broth, traditionally simmered with beef bones and flavored with mắm ruốc Huế—a fermented shrimp paste made from tiny local sea shrimp using traditional methods. It is an essential ingredient in many dishes from Huế, especially soups and braised dishes, and carries the soul of central Vietnamese cuisine.
An authentic bowl of Bún Bò Huế usually includes: a broth made with beef bones, fermented shrimp paste, lemongrass, and chili oil; thick round rice noodles; toppings such as beef, pork hock, blood cubes, and Huế-style pork sausage; served with fresh herbs, banana blossom, bean sprouts, Thai basil, and sawtooth herb.
Here, the restaurant preserves nearly all of those traditional elements, with slight adjustments to suit local tastes. The staff were warm, cheerful, and attentive—especially Ms. Vân, along with two other team members whose names I didn’t have a chance to ask. According to Mr. Đức, the restaurant has been serving the community for 22 years.
The dining space is thoughtfully arranged, making good use of natural light from the windows. I was particularly impressed by the ink-wash painting on the wall, which adds a calm artistic touch to the atmosphere.
At the present time, with ongoing challenges in parts of Portland, it’s wise to stay aware of your surroundings when visiting this area. At around $18 for a bowl, it feels fair for such a specialty dish. Because of the distinctive aroma of mắm ruốc Huế, the dining room may have a strong scent for those who are not familiar with traditional Vietnamese cuisine.
Overall, this is a place worth visiting for the experience, and I look forward to coming back to try more dishes next time.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Minh Nguyen
The only place with good BBH in Portland
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
J Marianu
It was not bad but there was little flavor and the meat was mostly fatty. I paid $18. I would not order it again.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
Ted Vang
Ehh...menu not so great as there's no photos of the food next to the selection so it was kind of hard not know what to order. We just order noodle only.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 2
Algernon Moncrieff
Want to know what it's like to eat noodles in a family restaurant in Vietnam? This is as close as you're going to get in Portland. It's not fancy, it's not dramatic, but it's full of authentic vibe without trying. More importantly, the soup is right. It comes with the right pig parts, the right vegetables, and a little fish sauce with the right chilis. You may not care about that, but I'm a snob. Thai basil and jalapenos? With Bun Bo Hue? Wrong. And there's Vietnamese music and TV. The only things missing from actually being in Vietnam are there aren't toothpicks on your table, it's too clean, and there aren't any geckos or cockroaches. Nobody is perfect
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tai Ong
This place has great BBH I was really surprised about the flavor of the soup but was missing lemongrass, and more fermented fish (mam ruoc) if you know, you know. Still good place for the BBH soup. Also it is hard to find a good restaurant that makes it right and this place I would recommend to people. Fresh vegetables is also a must. We ordered the Shrimp fried rice, and Bun Bo Hue soup (spicy beef soup) comes with pickled banana root, beansprouts, shredded cabbage. And if you want more spice ask for xa the (crushed hot thai chili peppers).
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
SJ Smith
Just popped in for breakfast. I love that they're open for soup at 9am! Absolutely fabulous. The Bun Bo Hue was spicy but flavorful. I've never had blood chunks before but it was really good and so much cleaner tasting than liver. I'll be back!
Been coming here for years and never disappointed!
The broth tastes exactly like how I grew up eating in Vietnam! The meat always tastes fresh (recommend to add rare steaks for extra texture), and the blood pudding is very good! Veggie plate on the side is always full and fresh!
But above all is the friendly and beyond customer service, cô Hai n chú Đức have made this our favorite spot in town!
10 out of 10
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Paul
In my opinion the best place around! Love the food and the staff. Used to visit with wife and 4 daughters... treated like family
Don't let the window bars scare you off… while the neighborhood was immensely shady, the restaurant inside was such a pleasant mom and pop shop. We tried their Bun Bo Hue and wow was it tasty. Sweet, sour, rich in broth flavor with a nice tang from the lime, this was fantastic. The spring rolls, fresh, and egg rolls, prepared hot and filled with tattoo e were also equally fantastic. Park in the parking lot behind the restaurant and you'll be okay.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
I absolutely loved the food I ordered today, numbers 7 and 17! The restaurant was very clean and tidy, and the owner was incredibly kind, gentle, and patient. Oh, and there's a two-month-old kitten waiting to be adopted. He is adorable!Come and take him home!😊
This was our first time visiting this restaurant and we were so impressed with the food and kind service. My boyfriend devoured a bowl of Bun Bo Hue and another bowl of special rice noodles with bbq pork by himself 😂 highly recommended!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I stopped by on a cool morning, and the restaurant was fairly easy to find. The place looks much more established compared to years before. What stands out most is the purple door against the white walls. Outside, there is a wooden sign placed near the entrance, with engraved lettering that appears a little faded against the wood tone. If not for the bold signage on the wall, it might be easy to miss.
The menu offers a wide variety of Vietnamese dishes, but I came here for exactly what the restaurant’s name promises—Bún Bò Huế. This iconic soup from Vietnam is famous for its rich and layered flavors. What makes it truly distinctive is the broth, traditionally simmered with beef bones and flavored with mắm ruốc Huế—a fermented shrimp paste made from tiny local sea shrimp using traditional methods. It is an essential ingredient in many dishes from Huế, especially soups and braised dishes, and carries the soul of central Vietnamese cuisine.
An authentic bowl of Bún Bò Huế usually includes: a broth made with beef bones, fermented shrimp paste, lemongrass, and chili oil; thick round rice noodles; toppings such as beef, pork hock, blood cubes, and Huế-style pork sausage; served with fresh herbs, banana blossom, bean sprouts, Thai basil, and sawtooth herb.
Here, the restaurant preserves nearly all of those traditional elements, with slight adjustments to suit local tastes. The staff were warm, cheerful, and attentive—especially Ms. Vân, along with two other team members whose names I didn’t have a chance to ask. According to Mr. Đức, the restaurant has been serving the community for 22 years.
The dining space is thoughtfully arranged, making good use of natural light from the windows. I was particularly impressed by the ink-wash painting on the wall, which adds a calm artistic touch to the atmosphere.
At the present time, with ongoing challenges in parts of Portland, it’s wise to stay aware of your surroundings when visiting this area. At around $18 for a bowl, it feels fair for such a specialty dish. Because of the distinctive aroma of mắm ruốc Huế, the dining room may have a strong scent for those who are not familiar with traditional Vietnamese cuisine.
Overall, this is a place worth visiting for the experience, and I look forward to coming back to try more dishes next time.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
The only place with good BBH in Portland
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
It was not bad but there was little flavor and the meat was mostly fatty.
I paid $18. I would not order it again.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
Ehh...menu not so great as there's no photos of the food next to the selection so it was kind of hard not know what to order. We just order noodle only.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 2
Want to know what it's like to eat noodles in a family restaurant in Vietnam? This is as close as you're going to get in Portland. It's not fancy, it's not dramatic, but it's full of authentic vibe without trying. More importantly, the soup is right. It comes with the right pig parts, the right vegetables, and a little fish sauce with the right chilis. You may not care about that, but I'm a snob. Thai basil and jalapenos? With Bun Bo Hue? Wrong. And there's Vietnamese music and TV. The only things missing from actually being in Vietnam are there aren't toothpicks on your table, it's too clean, and there aren't any geckos or cockroaches. Nobody is perfect
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This place has great BBH I was really surprised about the flavor of the soup but was missing lemongrass, and more fermented fish (mam ruoc) if you know, you know. Still good place for the BBH soup. Also it is hard to find a good restaurant that makes it right and this place I would recommend to people. Fresh vegetables is also a must. We ordered the Shrimp fried rice, and Bun Bo Hue soup (spicy beef soup) comes with pickled banana root, beansprouts, shredded cabbage. And if you want more spice ask for xa the (crushed hot thai chili peppers).
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Just popped in for breakfast. I love that they're open for soup at 9am! Absolutely fabulous. The Bun Bo Hue was spicy but flavorful. I've never had blood chunks before but it was really good and so much cleaner tasting than liver. I'll be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Delicious Bon Bo Hue
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Best BBH in Portland!!
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bún Bò Huế
Best Bún Bò Huế in Portland !!!
Been coming here for years and never disappointed!
The broth tastes exactly like how I grew up eating in Vietnam! The meat always tastes fresh (recommend to add rare steaks for extra texture), and the blood pudding is very good! Veggie plate on the side is always full and fresh!
But above all is the friendly and beyond customer service, cô Hai n chú Đức have made this our favorite spot in town!
10 out of 10
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
In my opinion the best place around! Love the food and the staff. Used to visit with wife and 4 daughters... treated like family
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Such a cozy restaurant with yummy comfort food ☺️
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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