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3.5 stars. I've heard about Mai Phung from a YouTuber and stopped by for lunch on a Saturday. It was pretty good overall, but it was missing something. We waited about 30-40 minutes with a few parties ahead of us. They'll take your order while you wait. The restaurant itself is very tiny, no-frills, and more of an eat-and-go kind of spot. We ordered the bánh canh tôm cua, which they're known for. It came with a good amount of crab, shrimp, and meat, and the noodles had great texture, but I found the broth a little lacking in flavor. Would recommend adding in lime and fish sauce provided at each table. My partner got the bún thịt nướng chả giò but thought they skimped on the egg rolls and grilled pork (they used the same meat from the bún chả, which I didn't like). For the wait and food, I probably wouldn't come back since there are so many other great Vietnamese options in the area.
It'd be hard to stumble upon this place unless you were specifically seeking out their signature dish, Banh Canh, or Vietnamese thick noodle soup. However, I'd encourage anyone who hasn't had the dish before to try it if you're a fan of a thick starchy broth and wonderfully chewy udon noodles. There are different meat options to go along with the soup - crab, pork, etc., or any combination of. There's also a "light" broth option which is less thick but equally delicious. Aside from the soup, the egg rolls here are deliciously crisp and crunchy as they're made with rice paper instead of the standard egg roll wrapper. The restaurant is a great example of a hole-in-the-wall that's 100% worth trying. Expect to wait 20-30mins to be seated during normal dining hours due to the low room capacity and popularity of the restaurant (the food comes out really fast though!).
Mai Phung is well regarded for Banh Canh. They are open for dine-in limited hours, until 3pm offers take out until 7pm. I went on a Monday afternoon and there was a bunch of people waiting outside for a table. It's a small spot with limited tables but I only waited 10-15 minutes. I ordered the #1, Banh Canh Tom Cua Thit. Vietnamese udon with crab, shrimp and pork. I love the chewy texture of the thick noodles. The soup reminded me of Rou Geng Tang, a Taiwanese thick soup but is still considerably different in flavor profile. It was delicious albeit a bit bland so I had to add the lemon and fish sauce that's on every table. I also added a ton of the chili sauce which I absolutely loved. It's very spicy and has the flavor profile of puréed fresh chilis. Tread lightly if you don't have a high heat tolerance like I do. Overall, it's good, albeit a bit pricey for what it is. In each bowl theres two shrimps, generous with the pork, but didn't really notice much crab. Still one of top Banh Canhs in my books!
I've heard about Mai Phung for a while on social media. I came with my mother for lunch on a Monday. We waited probably around 15 minutes and there were about two or three other parties before us. Be sure to sign in on the notepad. There are a few plastic stools in the front. While you're waiting, they will take your order to add it to the queue for the kitchen. When our turn was up, we were seated at small table for two. I noticed another gentleman by himself at a table for four people. Hmmmm. Anyhow, there were about five tables total inside or maybe six. It was very warm inside since there is no AC. This is a type of life where you eat and leave as quickly because it's a no-frills no ambience type of place. That's fine with me except it was pretty hot. They charge you a dollar for a little tiny paper cup of water. I ordered the number one since this is their specialty or what they're known for. My mom had the bun thit nuong cha gio. My noodle soup had a good amount of crab pieces and shrimp. It seemed like there was not a lot of noodles though. I thought the broth was a little bland. I guess I'm just not a big fan of this type of soup. If there is a next time, I'll try the bun rieu. My mother was not that crazy about her dish. She said she didn't really like the egg rolls that much. For the price, the wait and the taste of the food, I likely will not be returning when there are so many other places in the area. I try to support various mom and pop restaurants, but for the previous stated reasons, I don't think we'll be back.
I've been coming here for over three years, and it's easily one of the top three spots for bánh canh tôm cua in Orange County. I recommend arriving early, since the line gets long around lunchtime. They take your order while you wait though, so your food comes out quickly once you're seated. I'm also a huge fan of adding extra lemon to my Viet noodle soups, so I love that each table has plenty of pre-cut slices for self-service. This place really knows what it's doing.
Mai Phung in Westminster is such a solid, no-frills spot if you're looking for genuine, local Vietnamese comfort food. It's super casual inside with a very local vibe, and the kind of place where you come strictly for the food rather than a fancy setup. They're super well-known for their Bánh Canh, and for good reason--the thick, chewy tapioca noodles in that rich, comforting broth are incredible and easily the main event here. But surprisingly, their Phở Đặc Biệt is also excellent. The broth is deep and flavorful, the meat cuts are generous, and it easily competes with a lot of the dedicated phở spots around Little Saigon. To wash it all down, their Vietnamese iced coffee is a must--super strong, rich, and gives you that perfect, intense sweet-and-bold kick. Just a heads-up that the line can get pretty long, and the wait takes a while since they seem a bit understaffed. But once you finally get seated, the food comes out piping hot. If you're in the area and don't mind a wait for authentic, heavy-hitting noodle bowls, Mai Phung is definitely worth dropping into.
Ate again at this tiny restaurant with my Vietnamese speaking friend. She ordered for me "bun thit Nuong cha go". It was for me an absolutely flavorful and satisfying broth noodle soup with pork & shrimp. Make sure to arrive early to get a seat at this restaurant with only a few tables or plan on ordering take out.
server was rly nice, i wasnt used to the starchy thick texture of the soup but i can tell this place is a whole in the wall price is a bit pricey for the quality though, it's a nice homey vibe
This place was recommended by my Vietnamese brother-in-law. He said the Banh Canh is better than his mother's (lol). We got here on a rainy day and there was still a line out the door. We decided to wait it out. The menu is on their window and very simple. We got the banh canh with Chinese donut. It was delicious. The soup had so much flavor and the noodles were nice and chewy. I like that this restaurant actually uses crab meat in their soup. The cilantro was a nice touch too. Staff were very nice and worked fast to get us in.
Ordered the Shrimp & Crab Udon without Pork at Mai Phung to-go and it was delicious. Broth is thick and flavorful with good amount of crab and nice size shrimp. The udon noodle was thick with a good chew to it. Service was quick and accommodating to our request. Family owned business ambiance - quaint and simple - nothing to rave about. Over-all the Shrimp & Crab Udon is delicious (Banh Canh Tom Cua)
I highly recommend Mai-Phụng if you're craving authentic Vietnamese comfort food! Everything is made with care, the portions are generous, and the flavors remind me of a delicious home-cooked meal. I especially love the warm, welcoming atmosphere. It's a wonderful little spot, and I hope more people come by and give it a try!
Very limited seating and quite busy on weekends of course, but worth the wait. We arrived around 1pm and got seated by 1:50pm for a table of 2. There's a yellow notepad near the entrance on the window sill which is where you can write your name and party number down if staff is too busy serving tables. They go down the list and take your order prior to getting seated, menu is taped to the window to view. 1. Banh Canh Tom Cau Thit -thick silky rich broth perfect for cold weather with silky noodles, wished it was slightly more chewier. Shrimp was fresh with a crisp snap. Crab was fresh and flavorful but there were a few crab cartilage here and there but not too many, just spit them out. Pork was thinly sliced and tender. I'm from San Gabriel Valley and there aren't many restaurants that serve Banh Canh. I personally think it's worth the drive out here. 15. Phan Cha Gio (eggrolls)- so crispy! It's the rice paper type of eggroll, paired well with my hot bowl of Banh Canh. Pork filling was juicy and tender.
A small restaurant with limited seating but is usually busy, as they are only open a few hours of the day. There was a notepad outside to add your party's info onto and a few short, plastic seats available for use. A few minutes before being seated, the host would take your order. So after being seated, you'll just wait a bit longer for the food to arrive to the table. I had the banh canh cua tom thit and the noodles and broth consistency were nice. The noodles were soft and bouncy, while the broth had just the right amount of thickness for my liking. The toppings were plentiful and the bowl itself was filling. The banh canh is what they're known for but honestly, I was overhyped for it. Don't get me wrong, it was ok but I was expecting much better. Would I crave it again? No. Would I wait as long for it? Probably not. But it's probably good to have when you do crave banh canh since there's not too many other places in the area that serves it well. My group also had the bun thit bo xao and mi kho tom cua thit. The bun thit bo xao was said to be not as appetizing compared to the mi kho. The mi kho was said to be flavorful and enjoyable, and it also came with a small side of broth. Prices on the menu is a flat charge. So, if it was $17, your total is $17. Also, heads up! There's no A/C in there and the door stays open. So be prepared to be hot while eating, unless it's cool outside.
6 months ago
3 months ago
Came by for lunch the other day and it was a decent experience. Parking was available in the private lot or on the street. There are half a dozen tables indoors and a few stools outside for waiting. There is a wait list outside the restaurant and the staff takes orders while waiting for tables. It was interesting to see the competition amongst the restaurants as it appeared that the restaurant a few doors down kept on soliciting diners in line to check out their restaurant instead with no line... Once seated, the order arrived quickly. The queue for a table took about ~20 minutes. The iced Vietnamese coffee was strong and quite tasty. I wasn't able to finish. The cha gio was decent although a touch pricey at $16 for a plate of fried egg rolls served with a side of lettuce. The banh canh that seems to be a house special was decent. Portions were on the smaller side and the udon came out slippery and al dente. The crab tasted like it was frozen and/or from a can. ~$27/head for lunch. Menu prices seem to be "tax included" and I didn't see anyone leave any tip on the table or with the staff. read more
2 years ago
I am in love with these small mom and pop shops around OC and need to start dining more at this places. Parking in this plaza is a little tight and inside is small too. There are 23 food items on the menu. We got the crab noodle soup (#1) and fried rice (#23). Bánh canh tôm cua had a thick broth with udon like noodles. So yummy. Squeeze a few lemons and it's perfect. I was surprised how much I liked the fried rice. It had that crispy rice burn from the wok. We will be back to try more dishes. read more
3 months ago
8 months ago
Place is amazing. One of the best pho dac biet and banh canh tom cua I ever had. I will definitely recommend this spot. It's small so expect a wait but it's worth it. read more
3 months ago
1 year ago
If you're a fan of Vietnamese food (or just delicious food in general), Mai Phung in Westminster is a must-try, I only had one dish during my visit, the banh canh cua but WOW, it was incredible. The broth was rich and flavorful, perfectly thick and comforting without being too heavy. And the crab? So, so good. Fresh, sweet, and tender--basically the star of the bowl. I couldn't put my spoon down and literally finished the entire thing in under 10 minutes (no shame ). It hit all the right spots. While I only had the banh canh this time, I noticed they also serve bun thit nuong and egg rolls which looked amazing coming out of the kitchen. Definitely planning to come back and try those next! If you're in the area and craving Vietnamese comfort food done right, give Mai Phung a visit. You won't regret it. read more
10 months ago
Their banh canh tom cua thit (#1 on their menu) is so good! Very flavorful and very generous with their real crab meat. Their spicy sauce is extremely spicy! I thought I handle heat well, but it was overwhelming for me haha it was tasty though! You can buy a jar for $10 read more
Came here because everyone online says they have the best banh canh. This tiny hole in the wall only have several tables so it makes a long wait. We were there 10 mins before noon. Got seated almost an hour later. We got their popular items which is #1 banh canh with pork and crab, pho tai and egg rolls. We have some better Eggrolls in Dallas so these don't impress me that much. My husband says the pho is normal. While the banh canh is good, I didn't think it was an hour wait good. The soup contains lots of crab meat and the consistency of the broth is thick to my liking but the flavor is mild. The chili sauce is so spicy which I like. read more
2 months ago
2 years ago
This place was decent. The noodle udon soup was good, and the crab flavor and meat are definitely there. I got the egg rolls since I wasn't as hungry and it came with lettuce, chicharrones and fish sauce for dipping. The wait was long since they only have 5-6 tables. We waited almost one hour for a table of 3. It's a hole in the wall place, but those have the best food usually. I will come back, but maybe get it to go or go during non peak hours. read more
This restaurant is so small for the amount of traffic that goes on here due to popularity. They literally have 8 small tables of two. I waited about 30 minutes until we were seated at 12 noon on a weekday. They took our orders while we were waiting. Service was good but to an extent because the main guy was working all the tables and the cashier stepped in when needed. The guy and gal were attentive and professional even when it was super busy. We got the #1 banh canh, #5 vermicelli noodles, #15 egg rolls, and the mung bean pandan drink. The banh canh had so much lumps of crab meat and loaded with protein. At first it didn't look like a lot but it filled me up and I was stuffed. The flavor was good but maybe I'm just not that into banh canh. The vermicelli noodles had grilled pork that was charred and had good flavor. The egg rolls were delicious and fried with rice paper and not egg roll wrappers. They gave us plenty of veggies to wrap the egg rolls and plenty of dipping sauce. The mung bean pandan drink was so good we bought a gallon of it to bring home. It was worth the try coming here but for the price and wait I'm not too crazy about it. Maybe ordering takeout would be better. read more
Food was so good. There's only one size to their banh canh. You can taste the freshness of the ingredients. It is a small mom and pop restaurant with only 6 tables. We waited about 5 minutes, the staff took our orders before sitting down. read more
If you're looking for the best banh canh, Mai Phung is your spot. They have the most flavorful, satisfying bowl of banh canh. The broth is rich, thick, and packed with savory goodness. The crab meat is plentiful and shrimp are large. The wait can be crazy because there's only a few tables, but banh canh is not the same to-go. It's worth the wait! read more
10 months ago
1 year ago
Hole in the wall place but food is amazing. Their crab and pork tapioca noodle soup is phenomenal. There is usually a wait to get seated but it is worth it. A must try read more
11 months ago
For the price they're charging, the quality has gone down so much! The food is just ... decent, does not have the "wow" effect anymore. They also charge $1 for iced water in a noodle soup restaurant with no AC, so you know it's gonna be SUPER hot. If they have no line and no waitlist, consider it's a red flag LOL read more
2 years ago
One of the best banh canh places you can try. Small location, so you can expect a bit of a wait, but definitely worth it. The chili sauce is outstanding. Would recommend! read more
Apparently listed as closed on Friday but that wasn't the case today. They only served soup options when I came in which I had ordered the Bun Rieu. I can see why people would line up for this type of food. Very authentic and gives nostalgia home cooked vibes. They dice their tomatoes into perfect cubed portions. Self serve bottle of mam Tom is always a plus! read more
I asked my OC friends for the best banh canh recommendations & they all said Mai Phung. This was mom & dad approved (they are super picky w their food). This is def a hole in the wall place but a true gem once found ! The banh canh was so flavorful & rich + the broth was thicccc. The best part of it all is how fresh the crab meat, shrimp and pork are. What's even better is they're not stingy at all with the meat xD I feel like nowadays most places will skimp you out on the meat portions. The prices on their menu are after tax & for $16 a bowl is saur worth it in my opinion. My dad ordered the pho tai and absolutely loved that as well. There was almost no wait when I went (probably because it was the end of the lunch rush), but I can see why the wait would be so long because they have such a small space. They also take your order while you're waiting to get seated which I found super efficient. Overall I'm so grateful & content I got to try out Mai Phung :-) read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
Mai Phung is always a must have when we're in the area. We will always get the egg rolls, banh canh and crab fried rice. They are super efficient and nice when it comes to ordering and getting the food to table. Pricing has stayed consistent over the years and they definitely maintain their hole in the wall vibe, which is great. I also recommend the lime soda if you need something by bubbly, not too sweet and very refreshing! read more
I haven't tried any other banh canh spots in OC, so I can't compare this to much, but Mai Phung is delicious none the less. Although there can be a lot of people waiting and the place is very small, they move very quickly. I came here with 2 other people and we waited probably about 20 minutes despite there being 7 groups ahead of us. The host will take your order while you're in line to speed things up, so I do recommend you not leave the area because they will call your name and if you're not there they will skip you. When you sit down, the food comes out super quick! We ordered #1 with the crab, shrimp, and pork with the tapioca noodles. The broth is delicious, very flavorful and has a nice body to the soup consistency, but not super thick either. There are big pieces of crab and shrimp, and the noodles are perfect! Still have a bite to them and not overcooked. read more
2 years ago
I've been meaning to try this place for a while. I've seen this place talked about around social media and was excited to try their Banh Canh Tom Cua which is hard to find in other Vietnamese restaurants in California. The place is small and kinda warm inside. I came right before the lunch rush and got the last table before a long line of people who had to wait. From what I've seen on the other people's table, most got a bowl of Banh Canh Tom Cua Thit Heo ($16) which is the most popular item and what they specialize in. The food comes quickly and it's a thick orange broth seasoned nicely with pork slices, shrimp, cooked crab meat with thick udon-like noodles called banh canh. The noodles were not overcooked or overly starchy. The shrimps and crab meat were plentiful and the broth was thick and flavorful. The guy who took my order was nice. No restroom and parking can get packed. read more
Fyi - they close at 3pm for lunch since we showed up around that time the first time and we had to leave We finally came at 11am on a Saturday and there was already a line and you put your name down on the list. I found Mai Phung from an influencer saying this place had the best banh canh so I knew I had to try it. They're very efficient in that they take your order while you're waiting outside so they bring your food a couple minutes after you sit down. This was my first time trying banh canh and wow this place is the place to try it. It has a sort of sour and thick broth with lots of crab. The udon noodles are cooked perfectly to a bouncy texture. Basically every table inside had this dish. We also got the pho which was the same price at $17. It has a darker broth and thicker noodles than the pho places I've tried but still amazing. The beef was a bit dry and pricy for pho. I loved that they drowned both soups in lots of black pepper read more
3 months ago
1 year ago
The food at this restaurant is just average, the crab soup is dry and very salty, the service is not good, we arrived long ago but they served the guests who arrived later. I don't think I will come back read more
I LOVE MAI PHUNG!! Truly the definition of hole in the wall for sure. Their banh canh always hits the spot! But on weekends there will be a wait unless you go right when it opens. The egg rolls are also really good as well. Price is decent and service is pretty fast. This place is one of my favorite places to eat in OC. read more
The best bánh canh cua in town. ORDER BÁNH CANH CUA AND THANK ME LATER. They also have chả giò and bún thịt nướng good too. They pretty busy all the time but you can order ahead while you're waiting,so when you seated food will come out. Nice service. And for anyone love spicy like me, you can also buy the chili from them. It will burn your butty holes read more
7 months ago
8 months ago
3 years ago
Came to this place because I was craving bánh canh, and I have to say their bánh canh is AMAZING! I've never been to a restaurant to order bánh canh specifically, but this place changed the game for me. This place is on the smaller side, and is more ideal for 2-4 person parties. Their service was very quick and efficient - took our order before we even sat down! I ordered Bánh Canh Tôm Cua. Very flavorful! They have a spicy sauce that is a great addition to the Bánh canh, but if you're bad with spice like me, I'd recommend at most putting 4 drops in there before it gets too spicy and you start sweating haha. They also provide lot of limes for you to add in! Definitely a great lunch place for if you're craving a warm noodle soup of some sort. Also as a head up they do charge $1 for water. Overall, great experience and will be coming back here again!! read more
1 year ago
Oh my gosh, this place has been bookmarked for so long and I'm so upset I haven't eaten here sooner. It's AMAZING! It's a small spot, with around 6-7 tables and we arrived about 15 minutes after they opened. Got seated at the last available table but people were already starting to wait in line. Banh cảnh was sooooooooooooo good!!!! The crab, thick broth was perfection. My boyfriend also got the bun cha Ha Noi and it was also so delicious. They gave a generous amount of veggies and sauce to dip. Egg rolls were crispy. I'll be back every single week. MUST EAT! read more
More info about Mai Phung
8415 Westminster Blvd
Westminster, CA 92683
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(714) 890-1155
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Do they accept Card?
Yes we do, no minimum charge, we take everything except check. Thank You
Is this place closed?? Every time I come here it's always closed during working business hour.
I suggest calling them ahead of time. They do close on random days of the week. I noticed that too.…
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