The Evolving Vietnamese Culinary Scene in Portland

Portland is a renowned "foodie city," known for its delicious donuts, an abundance of food carts that span across all cuisines, and a thriving coffee scene. And beyond that, there's even another layer to the city's culinary identity that celebrates the Vietnamese community’s resilience and collective history through food. While the Vietnamese community only makes up 2% of Portland's population, it is one of the largest shares among major U.S. cities, yet its history has remained largely undocumented. After the end of the Vietnam War, a wave of refugees fled and settled in and around Portland. These families put down roots and built lives along corridors like SE 82nd Avenue, now one of the most ethnically and racially diverse stretches in Oregon, and home to thousands of Vietnamese speakers. While food plays a central role in many cultural gatherings, the first Vietnamese restaurants in Portland often served comfort dishes, like pho and banh mi, and kept their menus more focused and influenced by the dishes and style of Southern Vietnamese cuisine.

• Memoire Cà Phê is moving to a new spot on NE Alberta Street in the summer of 2026! After first opening in 2024, the cafe quickly became a favorite in the neighborhood for its Vietnamese-inspired breakfast dishes and creative coffee drinks. Through the joint efforts of friends and local superstars: pastry chef Lisa Nguyen (HeyDay PDX), chef Richard Le (Matta), and coffee roaster Kim Dam (Portland Cá Phê), the trio dedicated the cafe to the memory of beloved family members. This translates to family-favorite recipes with a modern touch or reinvented classic breakfast dishes with Vietnamese twists. The offerings range from gluten-free chicken and pandan waffles, a shrimp coconut milk omelet with fish sauce, scallions, and fried garlic, to a hearty breakfast burrito with homemade Thai Chile avocado salsa and stacked with a fish sauce bacon and eggs. The drinks are just as delicious, with Vietnamese egg coffee, an iced peach-matcha latte with coconut cream, and pandan soda with an espresso shot! Open daily from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.

• The Paper Bridge (Bún Chả Cầu Giấy) brings the flavors of Northern Vietnam to southeast Portland, inspired by the Cầu Giấy district of Hanoi. The cozy, refined restaurant highlights house-made rice noodles, from-scratch sauces, and thoughtfully crafted regional dishes that balance traditional techniques with a modern touch—making it a standout stop for Vietnamese cuisine lovers. Recently, Paper Bridge was featured in the New York Times and shares their delight in seeing Northern Vietnamese dishes and flavors in contrast with a majority of Americans being familiar with dishes that come from the flavors of Southern Vietnam. Open Thursday-Monday from 10:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. - 9 p.m.
  
  
• Sôi Bowl is the newest food cart at Core Collective Oregon Eateries Bar & Food Carts on SE 82nd. Created by the family who owns Pho Hung, one of Portland's most beloved and trusted pho restaurants in the historic 82nd neighborhood, the food cart offers authentic Vietnamese flavors built on 35 years of tradition. The food cart encourages diners to customize and build their own pho bowls with a variety of meats and veggies, or choose from the OG Dac Biet, a veggie pho or even a kids' size! Make sure to add one of their tasty appetizers and bánh mì. Open Wednesday-Sunday from 11 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. and on Tuesdays from 5 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
  
  
• Friendship Kitchen NW: From Saigon 2 Singapore is women-owned, and a special part of the queer couple's love story. In 2022, Wei-An Tan and Trang Nguyen met in the space that is now Friendship Kitchen 2 when both were alone, sad, and had “given up on love.” They share dishes that come from both their native birthplaces, Saigon for Nguyen and Singapore for Tan, and aim to create a space that is safe and open, yet cozy and always welcoming for everyone. Some of the fan-favorite dishes are the laksa and chile crab alongside bowls of pho and bánh xèo. Open Tuesday-Sunday from 12 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
  
  
• The name Berlu (bear-loo) comes from the French expression hurluberlu, used to describe “an eccentric person.” Like Chef Vince Nguyen himself, Berlu is at times eccentric but always authentically so. Berlu opened in 2019, offering their perspective of PNW cuisine through an artful tasting menu. Months after opening, they were forced to close in compliance with COVID-19 restrictions and reopened in 2020 as a Vietnamese bakery. Through the bakery, Vince was able to connect with his Vietnamese heritage and highlights traditional Vietnamese dishes with local, organic fruits and vegetables. They are a dedicated gluten-free/celiac-friendly bakery and their pastries do not use dairy. They offer a selection of traditional and progressive Vietnamese pastries, drinks, and a few savory dishes for dine-in and takeout on Thursday-Sunday from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Berlu Night Market is every Thursday from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.
  
  
• Annam VL is brought to you from the same family who owns Rose VL Deli and Ha VL (also two great options for Vietnamese comfort soup places), and they're doing what they do best —small batch noodle soups that change daily. Their focus is on more unfamiliar regional soups that they've enjoyed as a family. Open Wednesday–Sunday from 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. or until sold out.