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The range of eating options is staggering in Little Saigon, a Vietnamese wonderland that spans four Orange County towns: Garden Grove, Westminster, Fountain Valley and Santa Ana. Despite dozens of trips to the area, there are always new surprises. The depth and breadth in these interwoven neighborhoods continues to astound me, and driving down streets like Brookhurst, Bolsa and Westminster makes it increasingly clear that there are still plenty of restaurants to explore. Learn about my favorite Vietnamese restaurants in Little Saigon, listed in alphabetical order.

Pho Hong Hung – Garden Grove ↓
MUST ORDER DISHES: Caramel Shrimp with Crispy Rice (Com Chay Tep Rim), Roasted Chicken with Egg Noodles (Mi Ga Ro Ti), Steamed Chicken Thigh with Sticky Rice (Xoi Ga Dui Luoe), Chicken, Egg, and Chinese Sausage with Sticky Rice (Xoi Man)

Pho Kimmy – Westminster ↓
MUST ORDER DISHES: Special Combination

Pho Kimmy has been open for over three decades. It’s named for family matriarch Kim Vu, who hails from Saigon, where her father ran a pho shop. That’s where she learned soupcraft. She moved to the States and worked as a computer programmer before mastering the ways of Vietnamese noodle soup, which daughter Nancy Nguyen now helps oversee. “Special combination” contains every possible meat but chicken and meatballs, and is a great option for first timer diners who are learning what they like best.

Pho Tau Bay L.T.T. – Santa Ana ↓
MUST ORDER DISHES: Banh Cuon Nhan Thit, Menu Item #4

Pho Tau Bay L.T.T. specializes in banh cuon, delicate steamed rice cakes that are folded around fillings and topped with a variety of ingredients. This is a branch of the Ho Chi Minh City restaurant of the same name, located at 433 Ly Thai To (L.T.T.). The grandmother runs the Saigon original, so when the daughter and granddaughters opened the Little Saigon offshoot, there was already a built-in customer-base of homesick immigrants. There are framed photos of the Saigon original on the wall, featuring rows of motorbikes parked outside and Grandma preparing banh cuon. Pho Tau Bay L.T.T. makes all their steamed rice cakes to order, and it just comes down to choosing the fillings. Menu item #4 utilizes every possible ingredient, featuring banh cuon filled with ground pork and black tree ear mushrooms, topped with crispy fried shallots and pork floss, fluffy shredded pork. The plate’s rimmed with two varieties of Vietnamese mortadella and comes with a little plate of crunchy bean sprout salad.

Quán Bún – Garden Grove ↓
MUST ORDER DISHES: Bánh Cuốn Đặc Biệt, Bún Bò Huế Đặc Biệt, Canh Bún

Quan Hop – Westminster ↓
MUST ORDER DISHES: Banh uot cuon thit bo nuong, Bánh ít ram, Bún Chá Hà nôi, Iced Mint Tea

This stylish Vietnamese café debuted in 2006 courtesy of the Ton family, which also owns Quan Hy nearby. Quan Hop is further from the epicenter of Little Saigon, so it’s a less hectic way to enjoy matriarch Kim Toa Tran’s Hue-style dishes. According to our waiter, the name means, “people from Hue who come to be happy and eat.” Turns out you don’t have to be from Hue to enjoy Quan Hop. The sleek space rests in a horseshoe-shaped strip mall and features decorative bamboo, wood floors, a curved wood bar, yellow walls and modern track lighting. A backlit water wall showcasing the restaurant’s name connects to a well-populated fish tank, which during my visit included a poor man’s Nemo (fewer stripes) and a standard-issue Dory (the blue one in the movie). Quan Hop’s food is about as good and affordable as Quan Hy, and the restaurant’s less crowded.

Quan Hy – Westminster ↓
MUST ORDER DISHES: Cha Gio, Bun Thit Bo Nuong Dac Biet, Goi Mit, Com Ca Chien Bo Sa Lach, Soda Xi Muoi, Sesame Mung Bean Fritters

Frustrated insurance man Bao Ton opened this sleek restaurant with his family in 2003. Bao smartly relied on his mother’s central Vietnamese recipes. Quan Hy means “happy” in Vietnamese, and that’s exactly what you’ll be after a meal there. Two big fish tanks divide the stylish dining room. A bridged, bamboo-lined goldfish pond resides near the entrance. Other interesting design elements included shelves of Vietnamese pottery and woodwork, plus mounted Vietnamese stringed instruments and a large panoramic black-and-white photograph of a castle in Hue, where Bao’s parents are from. On sites like Chowhound and Yelp, posters have been known to turn their backs on international restaurants that have the nerve to display style or achieve popularity. Bao Ton and his family have proven with Quan Hy (and nearby Quan Hop) that popularity doesn’t have to prompt compromise.

Thanh My – Westminster ↓
MUST ORDER DISHES: Cha Gio, Nai Xao Lan hoac Nai Nuong, Che Ba Mau

This Bolsa Mini Mall landmark was one of the first Little Saigon restaurants, the name derived by combining the first names of the owner and his wife, and even after more than 30 years, Thanh My has still managed to remain relevant. Since Thanh My has a first ready, first served policy, you may very well receive a sweet “3 color” drink (Che Ba Mau) before crispy Imperial rolls (Cha Gio) or venison curry (Nai Xao Lan hoac Nai Nuong), but that’s okay, especially when they’re both so good. No matter what you order, expect a bowl of warm mung bean pudding, strewn with pearl-like tapioca balls and featuring ginger strands.

Thanh Thi Bakery – Westminster ↓
MUST ORDER ITEMS: Bông Lan, Banh Bo Nuong (Honeycomb), Khoai Mi Nuöng (Baked Cassava)

Thien An – Garden Grove ↓
MUST ORDER DISHES: Bo 7 Mon

Thien An specializes in Bo 7 Mon, seven courses of beef, and the restaurant offers a staggering amount of food for under $20, easily feeding two people. The progressive, prescribed meal includes special beef and shrimp salad (Goi Bo Tom Thien An), beef fondue (Bo Nhung Dam), griddled lemongrass beef (Bo Nuong Vi), beef wrapped in aromatic Hawaiian la lot leaves (Bo Nuong La Lop), “grilled jelly ground beef sausage mixture with spices and charbroiled” (Bo Nuong Mo Chai), loosely packed meatballs (Bo Cha Dum) and “special beef and rice soup” (Chao Bo).