In the quest for delicious street-food, often the best spots are not the most obvious. That is certainly the case with Bánh Xèo Phương Nga Dặng Dung.
Halfway along an unsuspecting backstreet in Tân Định you’ll find a quiet, unwelcoming, fenced-off alleyway. At the end lies a narrow, concealed pathway – no more than 2 meters wide – leading to a small house frying up ‘Vietnamese pancakes’. If not for the collection of scew-whiff signs pinned to neighbouring lamp posts and fences, one would be hard-pushed to know there was any sort of eatery here at all.
In the doorway sit 3 ill-fitting plastic tables and a handful of matching, tiny, blue stalls – enough to accommodate at most a dozen awkwardly seated punters at one time.
This lunch spot offers a small menu of 4 items: 2 types of Vietnamese ‘pancake’, fresh spring rolls and Vietnamese-style yoghurt.
The bánh xèo here is cooked Siagonese-style: fried in a large rounded pan, plated whole (like a giant, crispy crepe) and eaten wrapped in lettuce and mustard leaves (without rice paper), dipped in fish sauce (nước mắm).
Mmmmmm… crispy.
The small restaurant serves up bánh khọt too: small, fried pancakes (not too different to bánh xèo) topped with mung beans (đậu xanh) and prawns (tôm). They are crispy and flavoursome and, for me, easier to chow down on than a bánh xèo the size of my head. They come with an optional coconut dressing, though I’d recommend dipping in nước mắm instead.
Bánh Xèo Phương Nga Dặng Dung also offers gỏi cuốn (fresh spring rolls). They are neatly rolled and served alongside a rich, hoisin-based dipping sauce.
Prices are fairly high by street-food standards, though fully warranted by the taste.
Bánh xèo = 40K VND
Bánh khọt = 50k VND/10
Gỏi cuốn = 8K VND.
It’s open every day from 11am-5.30pm. You’ll find it at 32 Đặng Dung, Tân Định, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh. Be sure to check out map below for the exact location.
Vegetarian options available (order without shrimp). Pancakes may contain gluten (though are normally made with rice flour).
To view the location, click in the top right of the map (to open) and search for ‘Bánh Xèo Phương Nga Dặng Dung’.