The Greatest Beef Noodle Soup? The Warming, Soulful, Flavorful, Mouth-Watering Beef Noodle Soup of Central Vietnam - Ngu Binh [Thoughts + Pics]

I cannot vouch for this.

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I guess I know where I’m eating next, great writeup!

Pigs bloods is very much an acquired taste. It helps if you take most of it out, but leave one or two cubes and tear them into smaller pieces and dispersed throughout the soup, rather than eating it like a meatball. After a year, you’ll want more. And yes, bun bo is indeed the greatest beef noodle soup and Ngu Binh has the best version I’ve ever had.

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Update 2:

With the chilly Winter evenings here in So Cal, all I could think about were any delicious dishes that could keep us warm for more than a few minutes, and then Ngu Binh sprang to the top. :slight_smile:

Banh Beo Chen (Steamed Rice Cake Served In 10 Individual Small Dishes):

I love the Banh Beo Chen (Steamed Rice Cakes Served in Individual Small Dishes) at Ngu Binh. These little, cute dishes of Steamed Rice Cakes turn to pure heaven when you add a bit of the Nuoc Cham (Fish-Sauce-based Dipping Sauce) to the individual dish and you scoop it up into a beautiful bite of a bit of the Dried Shrimp, a bit of crunchiness from the Pork Rind, some zestiness from the Green Onions and soft Steamed Rice Cakes. Delicious! :blush:

Mi Quang Dac Biet (Special Dry Egg Noodles with Pork, Shrimp and Fish Cake):

Their Mi Quang (Special Dry Egg Noodles with Pork, Shrimp and Fish Cake) is a nice mixture of a multitude of flavors hitting your senses all at once: A bit of the salt, sweet, spicy heat, some brininess from the Shrimp, some porky goodness from the Pork slices, nuttiness from the Peanuts and the supple Noodles. :slight_smile:

Bun Bo Hue Dac Biet (Spicy Hue Style Beef Noodle Soup):

But really the long lines and reason for us driving here is for one thing: Ngu Binh’s amazing Central Vietnamese dish, a glorious, piping hot bowl of Beef Noodle Soup goodness known as Bun Bo Hue. If you haven’t tried it yet, this is one of Southern California’s greatest culinary treasures, this bowl has brought me more happiness than many restaurants we’ve tried the past few years, it is that good! :heart:

It begins with a sip of their crimson red Beef Broth: It’s savory, spicy (but not overpoweringly so), with a beautiful, long-cooked Beef Broth flavor coming through. When you mix in the Banana Flowers and other assorted Herbs and Vegetables, and a dash of Lime, you get a beautiful balance of flavors.

The Bun Bo Hue comes with a variety of meat including their Housemade Pork Meatballs (which were delicious), along with Stewed Beef Shank, Beef Tendon, Pig’s Trotter and Pork Blood cubes.

The Stewed Pig’s Feet were tasty, but their Stewed Beef Shank and Beef Tendon were even better! :blush:

With with the thicker, straight white Noodles, this makes for a bowl that immediately warms you up all the way down to your toes. It also has so much flavor that this is truly what could be called an “umami bomb” in a bowl. Perfect for Winter and already one of my favorite bites for 2019! :heart: (@beefnoguy don’t forget to stop by on your visit.)

This was so perfect for our chilly days right now, we actually went back to Ngu Binh 3 times recently. :wink:

Ngu Binh remains the standard bearer for Bun Bo Hue (Hue-Style Beef Noodle Soup) in So Cal. At $8.75 for a small bowl (which is gigantic) and $9.75 for the large, it is an absolute steal as it delivers one of the best Beef Noodle Soups locally, bursting with flavor, reminding you of what the best comfort foods are like, heart-warming and soulful.

(Cash Only)

Ngu Binh
14092 Magnolia Street
Westminster, CA 92683
Tel: (714) 903-6000

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Blockquote At $8.75 for a small bowl (which is gigantic) and $9.75 for the large it is an absolute steal as it delivers one of the best Beef Noodle Soups locally

Love your reviews as always @Chowseeker1999, but this makes me sad. The other day, I happen to randomly run into a daughter of a similar Vietnamese establishment (quite successful with multple branches). After realizing this, I asked her if she was planning to continue her parents restaurants and she said no–it’s too hard work for such low margins–she lamented how Viet food prices are too low compared with Ramen and that it’s not something the parents wish for her either. ( I didn’t have the courage to tell her some Ramen place on the westside charges for green onions.)

We love ngu binh and the restaurants around Little saigon. We used to be happy Viet places made it to mainsteam media “cheap eats” lists and sought them out, But the more we talk to the owners (esp Viet and other people of color restaurants in ethnic enclaves) the more i realize these cheap eats prices are really subsidized by the insane hours they work and prob substandard pay for the workers.

Sorry to rant, but I wish as a collective,I wish Little Saigon restaurants should charge more appropriate for the costs and labor and not feel stuck in the 80’ and 90’s. They are no longer serving poor recent immigrant compatriots anymore.

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Hi @hppzz,

Thanks. And a great post about low-profit / challenges here. :frowning: Yah we heard the same thing from the owner of Pho 79, who said her children weren’t going to continue after she retires.

I’d gladly pay more for Ngu Binh’s amazing Bun Bo Hue! It’s so delicious and brings me food joy that it should be more than the $8.75 they’re charging.

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@OP, that food looks incredible.

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I have never seen a ramen restaurant give out free green onions.

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Hi @Nemroz,

Hope you get to try Ngu Binh one of these days. Pretty incredible stuff and it seems like it’d be something right down your alley: Hearty, heartwarming, deeply savory comfort food. :slight_smile:

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