Table of Contents
Introduction
Just a few minutes from JR Yao Station, a small cluster of streets has quietly become home to some of the best Vietnamese restaurants in Yao, Osaka. The roots of this community stretch back to refugees who settled here after the Vietnam War, with later waves of students and workers adding to its growth from the 1990s onward. Today, thousands of Vietnamese residents call Yao home, and that presence shows up in grocery shops, bakeries, and the steady aroma of simmering broth drifting onto the sidewalk. Over several visits, I walked these streets and stopped into a handful of the restaurants and markets that reflect that history. What follows is a look at the places and the stories that make this corner of Osaka worth seeking out.
Dong An
Map: 8 Chome-5-12 Yasunakacho, Yao, Osaka 581-0085. Tel: 072-992-5723. Open: 10:00-21:30. Closed: Mon.
Our first stop is one of the oldest Vietnamese restaurants in Yao, Đông An. The small building with a roof made of interlocking ceramic tiles called sangawara is located in Yasunakacho next to Sanko Supermarket. The restaurant is named after the owners, Đông and his wife An. I later learned that their family name is Đạt. It was a pleasure meeting them and hearing them talk about their lives.
Mr. Đạt told me that he fled Vietnam on a boat in the early 80s and was rescued by an Italian ship. He had hoped to go to America, but the US was not accepting Vietnamese refugees at the time. Instead, he was given the opportunity to settle in Japan. He later met his wife in Yao, who happened to come from the same village.
He explained that many Vietnamese chose to live in Yao because the rent was cheaper than in other parts of Osaka, only 7,000 yen a month at the time for public housing. One of his sons now lives in Perth, Australia, while the other helps him at the restaurant. He also has a relative in Colorado who married an American.
Bún chả (Grilled pork with rice vermicelli)
We ordered bún chả, a classic Vietnamese dish consisting of soft rice vermicelli noodles called bún and thin slices of marinated grilled pork belly known as chả, served in an amber colored dipping broth with nước chấm, a diluted fish sauce mixed with sugar, vinegar or lime, garlic and chili. The broth is topped with crushed peanuts and thin slices of carrot and daikon. This is the dish that Barack Obama ate in Hanoi with Anthony Bourdain in 2016, drawing international attention. The Northern Hanoi style is less sweet and features a lighter broth, while the Southern adaptation is often sweeter, contains more herbs and has slightly heavier seasoning.
The dish is eaten in layered bites. First take a piece of lettuce and place a chopstick sized portion of bún noodles on top. Add a piece of grilled pork and dip the whole bundle into the sauce. The combination of smoky grilled pork, cool noodles and fresh lettuce was delicious and I cannot wait to order it again.
Gỏi cuốn (fresh spring rolls) Chả giò (fried spring rolls)
Gỏi cuốn are often translated as spring rolls, but the word gỏi means salad in Vietnamese, so salad rolls may be a more accurate description of this southern specialty that is strongly associated with Ho Chi Minh City. They consist of rice paper wrappers called bánh tráng, rice vermicelli, boiled pork slices, shrimp, lettuce and mint. In southern Vietnam, gỏi cuốn are commonly dipped in a thick hoisin peanut sauce. Our dish, however, came with the lighter fish sauce dip that is more common in central and northern regions.
Chả giò are deep fried rolls with a crispy shell filled with ground pork, mung bean noodles, wood ear mushrooms, carrot and taro. This dish is usually served at family gatherings, celebrations and during Tết. Ordering both dishes together was a good decision. The light herbal flavor of the gỏi cuốn contrasted nicely with the rich and crispy texture of the chả giò.
Bánh bèo (Steamed Rice Cake)
The friendly owners also gave us small rice cakes called bánh bèo to sample. The base is a soft steamed rice cake that is translucent and slightly glossy, with crimped edges forming a shallow cup filled with finely minced pork and bits of carrot and wood ear mushrooms cooked in a savory sauce. A full order contains six pieces, but I could easily wolf down a dozen of these tasty treats.
Trường Tiền Cafe & Bánh mì Ovan
Map: 7 Chome-6-23 Minamihonmachi, Yao, Osaka 581-0081. Tel: 090-6419-3568. Open: 7:30. Closed: Mon. Facebook.
Trường Tiền Cafe & Bánh mì Ovan is a bar that offers authentic Vietnamese style karaoke and entertainment. It serves as a welcoming place for the local Vietnamese community to sing and enjoy dishes such as bánh mì. The shop sits in a small colorful building in a residential part of Minamihonmachi. It is named after the Trường Tiền Bridge in Huế, Vietnam, where the owners are from.
This place was high on my list and we were not disappointed when we were warmly welcomed inside by the friendly married couple who run it. The wife was busy in the kitchen, so her husband took our orders. We soon discovered that we had both arrived in Japan around the same time, and that shared experience made him feel like an old friend. We visited three days before Tết, so I wished him a happy new year in Japanese. I attempted to say it in Vietnamese (Chúc mừng năm mới!), but the pronunciation was too difficult and I did not want to mangle the language.
The cafe offers bánh mì sets that include drinks. I ordered the traditional bánh mì, bún bò Huế soup and coffee for 1,600 yen. My wife chose the yakiniku bánh mì with bánh bột lọc. She was not in the mood for coffee, so the owner kindly substituted a drink called Nước tắc. That set with coffee normally costs 1,350 yen. Although I have eaten bánh mì and phở many times, I was unfamiliar with some of the items we ordered, so I hope the following information is helpful to readers.
Bánh mì
I remember when it was difficult to find bánh mì in Osaka. In the early to mid 2010s, the number of Vietnamese students and technical trainees rose significantly. More authentic Vietnamese restaurants began opening, including specialty bánh mì shops. Today they are firmly established in Osaka, and you do not have to travel far to find one.
One challenge that had to be overcome was sourcing proper bread. In Vietnam, the baguette is light and airy with a thin brittle crust, quite different from the thicker and chewier French version. Nowadays there are Vietnamese bakeries in Osaka that produce and distribute baguettes throughout the region. Some shops even bake their own bread on site.
In traditional Vietnamese bánh mì, fresh herbs such as cilantro, rau răm, perilla, Thai basil and mint are essential. In the past, most of these herbs had to be imported, but now specialty growers in Osaka supply them fresh and at lower cost. According to their Facebook page, Cafe and Bánh mì Ovan sources its herbs from an elderly Japanese farmer who lives nearby.
Bún bò Huế (Huế-style Bold Spicy Noodle Soup)
Bún bò Huế is a bold spicy beef noodle soup from central Vietnam, known for its deep lemongrass aroma and rich broth made from both beef and pork bones. It uses thick round rice noodles that differ from the flat noodles found in phở. The dish comes from Huế, the former imperial capital of Vietnam. My bowl arrived with a generous portion of sliced beef and Vietnamese ham. The savory broth was the perfect antidote to a cold winter day, and I was tempted to drink every last drop.
Bánh bột lọc (Clear Tapioca Dumplings)
Bánh bột lọc is another specialty from the Huế region. Huế is famous for small delicate royal court dishes packed with flavor. The name literally refers to refined tapioca starch. The dough is made from tapioca starch and hot water, creating a clear sticky and elastic texture similar to mochi when steamed or boiled. Our plate consisted of six chewy dumplings filled with shrimp and bits of pork belly, seasoned with fish sauce, sugar, garlic, shallots, black pepper and chili oil. They are served with nước chấm dipping sauce. The Huế version tends to be slightly sweeter and more peppery than southern versions.
Nước tắc (Kumquat Juice)
Nước tắc is a refreshing Vietnamese kumquat drink made by gently squeezing fresh kumquats with sugar, ice and a splash of soda. A slight bitterness from seeds and bits of peel at the bottom gives the drink a bright sweet and sour kick. It is very popular in southern Vietnam and packed with vitamin C. I would love to return in the summer and enjoy this on a hot day. It paired especially well with the bánh mì. I was slightly surprised that the restaurant did not offer beer, but the strong coffee and this refreshing drink more than compensated.
Yao Hai Bòn Quán
Map:8 Chome-14-22 Yasunakacho, Yao, Osaka 581-0085. Tel: 080-5290-7979. Open: 11:00-24:00. Closed: Mon.
Yao Hai Bòn Quán is a restaurant with a karaoke parlor on the second floor, located inside an old Japanese house in Yasunakacho. The crowd here was much younger, with almost everyone appearing under 30. The atmosphere was lively and boisterous in a good way. It felt like a place where young people gather to unwind after a long work week. I did not notice a single Japanese customer inside, yet the staff was fully bilingual.
I wanted to begin with a Vietnamese beer, but our server explained that they only carried Japanese beers and Heineken. That actually made sense. Why pay higher import prices when Heineken, one of the most popular beers in Vietnam, is readily available. I ordered a Heineken and it arrived with a glass of ice. I have had iced beer in summer before, but I was surprised to see it served this way on a freezing winter day. Even so, it was refreshing and perhaps slowed my pace a little.
Since we had eaten heavily at the previous restaurant, my wife was not very hungry and ordered crispy fried chicken wings in tamarind sauce for 890 yen. The menu was available in both Japanese and English, which made ordering easy. Tamarind sauce is a sweet and sour condiment made from tamarind pulp and commonly used in Indian, Thai and Mexican cuisines. The wings were enjoyable as an appetizer, though probably not one of their signature dishes. That distinction belonged to what came next.
Cánh gà chiên giòn mắm me (Crispy Fried Chicken Wings in Tamarind Sauce)
While waiting for my main dish, which required some time to prepare, I listened to the music playing in the background. Not knowing much about Vietnamese pop, I used Shazam to identify the song. It turned out to be Tuyết Chân Thật by NDMT, released less than a month ago and already climbing the charts. Another song I enjoyed was Ngày Xuân Long Phụng Sum Vầy by Hoàng Yến.
Má Heo Nướng Sa Tế (Roasted Pigs Head in Satay Peanut Sauce)
I ordered má heo nướng sa tế, translated on the menu as satay peanut sauce roasted pig’s head, and my eyes widened when it arrived. The photo had made it look like a large pork chop, so I was genuinely surprised to see half a pig’s head placed before me, teeth still intact. The dish is clearly meant for two or three people, but after my first bite of the rich flavorful meat, a gluttonous instinct surfaced and I wanted it all to myself like a Viking celebrating a victorious raid.
In traditional Vietnamese cooking, nothing goes to waste. The snout, jaw meat and even the eyeball are eaten. The meat is marinated in sa tế made with lemongrass, chili, garlic, shallots and shrimp paste. The skin caramelizes and turns slightly crisp while the fat renders and keeps everything juicy. It is served with lettuce, mint and herbs, along with pickled carrots, daikon and nước chấm.
The most prized part is the cheek, known as má, which is especially tender, fatty and flavorful. The jaw and temple meat are slightly firmer but equally rich. At group meals, elders or the host may be offered the cheek first. The eye is not usually forced on anyone, but offering it can be a gesture of respect.
The verdict? I loved it! It was rich in collagen and both soft and chewy at the same time. It reminded me that stepping outside my comfort zone is often rewarded, especially in a place like this. I’ve got to come to this place again with a couple of hungry friends.
Quán Việt Nam Phở 333
Map: 5 Chome-1-34 Takamicho, Yao, Osaka 581-0017. Tel: 080-3103-4562. Open: 9:00-20:00. Closed: Mon.
This is a small Vietnamese grocery store in Takamicho that also offers takeaway food. Despite the name, the shop has not served phở for at least six years. I often see Vietnamese shops with the numerals “333” on their signs, which I recently learned is connected to the popularity of 333 Premium Export Beer in Vietnam. Using “333” in a shop name instantly signals Vietnamese identity and is easy for Japanese customers to read.
The two main dishes available to go are bánh mì and bún thịt nướng, a popular noodle dish made with grilled pork served over rice vermicelli, fresh herbs and vegetables, all topped with a fish sauce dressing.
Already stuffed to the gills, we ordered a bánh mì to go for ¥600. It was a bit too spicy for my wife, but I enjoyed it. I recommend asking for extra pakuchi, or cilantro, when ordering bánh mì, since many Japanese customers tend to dislike the strong flavor. If you want more meat, it is better to order the char siu version and upgrade to the larger size for ¥700.
TRÀ VINH MART
Map: 4 Chome-12-33 Takamicho, Yao, Osaka 581-0017. Tel: 080-3827-7472. Open:11:00-21:00. Closed: Mon
Before heading back, we stopped off at the Tra Vinh Mart located in on the first floor of an impressive-looking three story building. The Mart seems to be affiliated with a Vietnamese food distributor located in Daikokucho, Osaka.
We filled a basket with a few essentials. Trung Nguyên Legend G7 3-in-1 instant coffee, a bold coffee and milk–style blend (cà phê sữa) combining coffee, sugar, and creamer in one packet. Phở Gà instant noodles, an easy-to-prepare version of traditional chicken pho made with rice noodles and seasoned broth. Cosy Marie crackers are lightly sweet tea biscuits often paired with coffee or condensed milk.
Bánh Pía from Hai Son, a specialty of Sóc Trăng in southern Vietnam is a round multi-layered flaky pastry known for its rich fillings such as mung bean paste, durian, or salted egg yolk. Minshifu meat floss cake (pork floss cake), a popular East and Southeast Asian snack made from a soft chiffon-style sponge cake layered with a lightly sweet creamy filling and coated in savory pork floss. The airy, cotton-like shredded meat creates a distinctive sweet-and-salty contrast with the soft cake.
