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    Van Nien

    5.0 (32 reviews)
    Special Hours • Closed
    Updated 1 week ago

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    VAN NIEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed

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    Nico B.

    I'm continuously surprised by the wonderful finds Portland has to offer. My latest personal discovery is Van Nien, a charming Vietnamese restaurant serving vegan favorites like bánh mì, phở, and tea and coffee drinks. I've never tried vegan phở before, so today I decided to give it a try. The noodles were well-prepared, the broth was hot, and the dish was loaded with lots of veggies and fun surprises like fresh mushrooms, large strips of dried tofu, and herbs. The broth had an an aroma and aftertaste I didn't recognize. It wasn't unpleasant, but I've been preoccupied with trying to figure it out all afternoon. I'd love to investigate the ingredients of their vegan fish sauce, which may be used in the broth. That might explain the briny aroma. The food cart is situated in a semi-permanent location with an attached dining room with overflow seating outdoors as well. I mention the dining room is semi-permanent because there is flooring, windows and insulation, and the truck is sheetrocked into the building! I'm really fascinated by the design of this place. The building is on the grounds of a budhist temple with colorful plants and statues in a garden setting. I highly suggest a visit!

    Andrea S.

    Came here after they popped up on Instagram and I'm glad I did. I got the vegan bbq pork and the fried tofu and they where both good 10/10 would recommend and will be coming back

    Reed L.

    located inside linh son temple, van nien serves affordable and yummy banh mi! service was so kind and friendly, and i appreciate the transparency in using vegan mayo. i got the vegan fish banh mi, which im guessing is some sort of soy protein wrapped with seaweed and packed with veggies. also got a coffee. had a very pleasant lunch here and the courtyard surrounding the space is incredibly tranquil.

    a menu on the side of a food truck
    Bob L.

    We are so happy that Van Nien has reopened! They are now located in the back parking lot of the Buddhist Temple, which is one street over from the Washman Carwash on SE Division. Their delicious food has once again become a significant and regular option for us to enjoy. Please give this gem of a food chariot your business.

    Menu on the side of the cart.  All bahn mi are $5
    Sara F.

    I'm so happy they're back!!! All vegetarian, super high quality, really cheap, friendly service. It takes a WHILE to get your food, so calling ahead is a good idea. Please support this awesome food cart!

    1. Gluten Jambon, Picked Carrots, and Cucumber 7. Salad Roll, Tofu, and Steam Noodles Lettuce Green tea bubble tea
    Jonathan A.

    Van Niên is a neighborhood favorite. If someone asks me where to get bánh mì, I'll recommend this family-owned food cart. Their salad rolls (includes tofu and vegan shrimp) are also my favorite. Here's an insider tip: They have green tea bubble tea - this drink is blended and the boba is cooked to perfection. It's so good that I would consider ordering two for myself. The staff are friendly and appreciate their customers. The food is affordable and quality. I've frequented Van Niên once a week for the last month. I'm hooked! You can pay with cash or card, they have an EMV terminal. Tip well and support this local small business! There's plenty of street parking within the block and the bold red cart is easy to spot along Foster Rd. The cart is located on residential property, so be respectful when you're on-site.

    Michael B.

    Amazing vegan food! Best Bahn Mi in Portland by far. Baguette is super fresh and doesn't feel like a brick like some baguettes are when they're a day or two old. Owners are super friendly and you can tell their food is made with love. I'm new to the neighborhood and will be back.

    Menu 7/26/20
    Joseph T.

    Great little truck! Everything on the menu is vegetarian. Banh Mi: Big on fluffy bread. Very generous tasty faux meat. Could have more veggies but it gets the job done. Mayo is yummy. Salad Rolls: Rolled fresh to order. Large portion. Faux meat is tasty. Needs more veggies. Fantastic peanut sauce clearly made with roasted peanuts. Owner is very friendly. If you speak Vietnamese that is for the best. If you are vegan, it may be tricky to order. This spot is an amazing value, hands down. Hours may change but the window is smaller due to Covid 19. lunch or early dinner. TL;DR: Go to spot for vegetarian Viet food that won't break the bank.

    Ashley S.

    this place is the best. it's a little family owned food cart parked right outside their residence on foster street. The woman who works here is always the sweetest angel ever! One time I was waiting for my order and she brought me waters. This most recent visit she gave me this entire rice dish for free. Everything here is vegetarian and most of everything is vegan. pls come here and support this cute lil family business!!

    #7. Very filling w tofu, some added imitated veggie shrimp (ask if they have the shrimp), and noodles! Dipped w peanut sauce.

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    3 months ago

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    6 months ago

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    2 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    2 months ago

    This place is a must visit very big portions excellent banh mi and milk tea , will be back, nice owner

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    6 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    3 months ago

    Tasty vegan food at a reasonable price. Nice, very calm atmosphere. We got B2 and B10, both really good.

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    1 month ago

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    3 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    9 months ago

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    6 years ago

    Great family owned place, great food great service. Order over phone is cheaper than grubhub

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    6 years ago

    Best bahn mi I've had. It was fast service and nice and toasty when I got it. Full of flavor. And everything is veggie-friendly!

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    6 years ago

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    6 years ago

    Didn't know it was vegetarian until we pulled up. We gave it a shot, super impressed! Really good! Would definitely hit it again!

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    6 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    6 years ago

    This place was delicious and run by friendly people. Plan on coming back to try more soon.

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    6 years ago

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    Ask the Community - Van Nien

    What happened to Van Niên? The lot is vacant. As of 3/26/2021?

    Hi, we moved to the new location and just re-opened last week

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Luc Lac - Luc Lac

    Luc Lac

    4.1(4.8k reviews)
    6.5 mi•Downtown, Southwest Portland
    •$$
    Outdoor seating
    Family-owned & operated

    Came in here after visiting long-time family friends that live in Bend who later decided to meet us…read morefor some eats in Portland proper before we headed back to Seattle. Let me tell you, if they had this place in Seattle, it would be poppin' for sure. Loved the decor, and the service was amazing. We were a party of 8, and they did the most to get us seated. They even combined two tables for us without too much wait. We appreciated this so much! This is one of those places where you order at the counter, and they bring your food to your table, although they also seat you. So you wait in line to order, and then you wait a little longer to get a seat. The menu is on a huge, lit-up billboard behind the counter, so you'll see folks crowded in that area trying to read it. The food was alright, no one was particularly blown away. I got a pho, and I would say it was okay. I think you come here more for the vibe and scratching that craving than for out-of-this-world food/flavors. The music is good, the servers were all super friendly, and it's a great vibe. Fyi, there's mostly street parking.

    Came here for weekday lunch, and there was plenty of space. I got the pho train. Perhaps, I am…read moredying from a lack of good Viet food in NYC, but this tasted good to me. Rich broth and so much meat! Again, perhaps I have NYC standards. I have had better pho but I'm surprised by some of the hate that this place gets.

    Photos
    Luc Lac - Boo'd Up

    Boo'd Up

    Luc Lac - Indoor Dining

    Indoor Dining

    Luc Lac - Papaya Salad, Luc Lac, Pho Train, Coconut Curry, Cream Cheese Wonton

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    Papaya Salad, Luc Lac, Pho Train, Coconut Curry, Cream Cheese Wonton

    Lúa

    Lúa

    4.2(188 reviews)
    6.9 mi•Mississippi, Boise, North Portland, Northeast Portland
    •$$

    The food was very good. I liked the idea of being able to choose your base and then being able to…read moreadd whatever meats you want. The egg noodle bowl on the top with fried chicken and tofu was phenomenal. The chicken was similar to fish sauce wings and the tofu was very caramelized and had a nice salty coating of sauce. The bottom was nem nướng and pork with the woven noodles. It was a very big portion, but the fresh herbs/veggies made it feel balanced. An order of spring rolls were also ordered, but wasn't in the photo. It was ordered with crispy pork belly. Based on some reviews, I was skeptical about ordering the pork belly, but I was pleasantly surprised. The skin was very crispy and you could hear the crunch from across the restaurant. The restaurant is very open with big windows, but I liked the concept of the open kitchen look. The service was really good. We ended up ordering pork belly and shrimp for our spring rolls and the worker politely came by and told us they were out of it. He was able to accommodate for it and was very kind about it. Even though you can order at the table with a QR code, the staff was very attentive.

    Lúa specializes in their woven rice noodles. I ordered their woven rice noodles with the char…read moresiu/crispt pork belly and it was very delicious. It's a Vietnamese delicacy you can't find anywhere else in Oregon so I'm glad to have to a Portland restaurant to offer this. They give a plentiful amount of fresh herby veggies combo with fresh hot rice noodles alongside tender flavorful char siu and SUPER CRISPY pork belly! The staff are friendly and the store is extremely aesthetic, the interior has this spin on modern Vietnamese style of decorations. Great interiors that's won't disappoint your date. I absolutely recommend coming here for their niche Vietnamese food!

    Photos
    Lúa - Lua-restaurant.com

    Lua-restaurant.com

    Lúa - Coming Soon!

    Coming Soon!

    Lúa - Table Spread

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    Table Spread

    Pho Hung - Powell Blvd - Phở Tái

    Pho Hung - Powell Blvd

    4.2(759 reviews)
    3.5 mi•Richmond, Southeast Portland
    •$$

    This place has the best Broken rice by far! I had just moved to Portland 3 weeks ago from Puyallup,…read moreWashington and based on the high versatility of culture around the area, I was on the hunt for Com Tam. We were brought here based on my MIL suggestion and let me tell you! The food was amazing! The environment was great and clean. The bathroom was also clean as well! My fiancé had ordered Pho and I had ordered number 41, the broken rice dish. 10/10! We also order a side of egg rolls and they were crispy and flagrant and very well seasoned! The pork chop that came with my dish was tender, I was able to cut it with my spoon and the shrimp wrapped in tofu and fried was probably my favorite! The dish also comes with shrimp as well that was delicious all by itself. We had also ordered the Vietnamese Coffee- boy did that have my heart racing, but oh tasted sooooo good! Highly recommend to anybody looking for some Pho and rice dishes! Also they are CLOSED on THURSDAYS!

    Solid, but mixed results across the menu. Pho Hung on Powell…read moreis a long-standing Portland staple, so expectations were decently high, but our visit ended up being a mixed bag. * Rice Plates (Cơm Tấm): * The Grilled Pork, Shrimp, & Crispy Tofu Skin plate was easily the highlight. The pork had a great char, the shrimp were grilled well, and the crispy wrap added a nice textural crunch. Steamed broccoli was a fresh addition, and the side broth hit the spot. * The Pork Chops with Shredded Pork Skin (Bì) & Egg Meatloaf (Chả Trứng) plate was decent, though a bit average compared to other spots nearby. The flavors were fine, but nothing particularly stood out. * Noodle Soup: The spicy beef noodle soup had a rich, deep color and a generous amount of fresh herbs and onions, though the broth lacked a bit of the punch and depth of flavor I was hoping for. Overall: It's a convenient neighborhood option with generous portions and fast service, but given the quality of Vietnamese food along Powell and 82nd, it lands right in the middle for me. Good, but not quite a standout.

    Photos
    Pho Hung - Powell Blvd
    Pho Hung - Powell Blvd - #41

    #41

    Pho Hung - Powell Blvd - Our food on Mother's Day!

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    Our food on Mother's Day!

    Cuon - Vietnamese Street Food

    Cuon - Vietnamese Street Food

    4.7(697 reviews)
    6.6 mi•Downtown, Southwest Portland
    •$$

    Was initially slightly hesitant bc of prices (banhmi should be about half this price), but so glad…read morewe came. - Beef pho is legit and comparable to our preferred SF Bay Area spots, - nem nuong cuon (spring rolls) is solid, - Vietnamese coffee is legit - banh mi with pork belly is the star of the show. Pork belly was so fresh and skin so crispy, whatever flavors they added makes it different from the typical banhmi flavors The first three would've been a solid 4 stars, but the pork belly banhmi pushes this too much closer to a 5 stars. I'll be thinking about this sandwich when I'm back in the bay.

    Downtown Portland's hidden gem for authentic Vietnamese!…read more I was walking around downtown Portland and stumbled upon Cuốn Vietnamese Street Food, and honestly, it was the best meal of my week . If you are looking for fresh, flavorful, and satisfying comfort food, do not walk--run to this spot. To get the full experience, we ordered a variety, and every single item was a hit. We started with the Beef Pho, and the broth was the absolute star. It was rich, aromatic, and deeply savory, clearly simmered for hours. It was the perfect dish on a sunny Portland day. We also grabbed a Chicken Banh Mi. The bread had that perfect crispy crust with a soft, airy crumb, and the chicken was grilled to perfection with fresh veggies and herbs. Of course, we had to wash it all down with a creamy, sweet Thai Tea--it was delicious and the perfect end to the meal. Beyond the food, the vibe is great. It's a super clean, casual spot with big windows letting in lots of natural light. It's set up for quick counter service, which makes it perfect for a fast lunch downtown, but the staff is so friendly and welcoming that you feel right at home. It's a family-run business, and you can taste the passion in the food. Highlights: · The Pho Broth: Seriously some of the best in the city. · The Banh Mi: Fresh bread, great fillings. · The Service: Fast, efficient, and incredibly kind. Pro Tip: Don't forget to grab your own utensils and sauces (the chili crisp is a must for the pho), and help yourself to the free self-serve hot tea. It's the little touches like that which make this place a winner. I am already planning my next trip back to try the Crispy Pork Belly. Highly recommend

    Photos
    Cuon - Vietnamese Street Food - Dining room

    Dining room

    Cuon - Vietnamese Street Food - Rice with meat

    Rice with meat

    Cuon - Vietnamese Street Food - Interior

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    Interior

    Van Nien - foodtrucks - Updated September 2026

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