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.

The name Tay Thuong refers to a town in central Vietnam that’s depicted in painting. It’s also the hometown of the restaurant’s previous owner. Dennis Tran and Will Pham bought Tay Thuong, and based on my experience, they’re fitting successors. One owner’s family has an eight-acre farm in Riverside, which yields complementary herbs and fuels beverages like pennywort juice, an herbal, grassy concoction that they wisely sweeten. Based on the rest of the central Vietnamese menu, I get the sense that even though Tay Thuong is already on its second owner, their combination of variety, value and flavor will last longer than its chicken-centric predecessor.

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 strands of ginger.

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).

This sprawling café dates to 1988 and has a packed patio by 10 a.m., a line that rarely shortens, and a dinging Keno screen. Sandwiches showcase supple, crackly, house-made baguettes and a choice of protein, julienned daikon and carrot, cucumber, cilantro, and the possibility of aioli. Tip Top also a case of flaky pastries known as pate chaud, filled with either pork or chicken. By all means get up close and personal with the case.