Tu Thanh - San Diego

My mum and I love this little restaurant! Bún riêu and bún măng vịt are always our go to along with chả and their lemongrass sausage. The ginger dipping sauce is delicious! Service is good here and it has a chill atmosphere. One of our favorite places to eat in San Diego.

If you don't care about the ambiance, Tu Thanh is the place to go for a rare but authentic Northern Vietnamese noodle dish called Bun Mang (noodles with bamboo shoots . You can order Bun Mang with different proteins (duck, chicken, fish balls, shrimp, crab, etc. . What makes Tu Thanh special is they use fresh bamboo shoots instead of dried and hard-to-chew ones. The broth is savory with a hint of sourness. Bun Mang Duck is a must. My wife had a different type of soup called Bun Rieu (Crab, Shrimp, Pork Tomato Noodle Soup and said it was excellent. Our server was nice but don't expect prompt or good service. This is another hole-in-the-wall place. You are pretty much there for these special and rare noodle soups from Northern Vietnam that you won't find anywhere else.

This one is the hidden gem.The salad was so refreshing combine perfectly with ginger dipping sauce.And the duck is cook wonderfully, no ducky-smell, the broth is clear and no taste of MSG.Additionally take fried meatloaf, it’s so tasty.Only thing is they don’t have enough of people so u have to wait some minutes, and please be patient, they speak Eng not really well ?

This one is the hidden gem.The salad was so refreshing combine perfectly with ginger dipping sauce.And the duck is cook wonderfully, no ducky-smell, the broth is clear and no taste of MSG.Additionally take fried meatloaf, it’s so tasty.Only thing is they don’t have enough of people so u have to wait some minutes, and please be patient, they speak Eng not really well ?

This probably the most authentic Vietnamese place ever. I'm Vietnamese I wouldn't have heard of this place unless a friend of mine told me. It's a hidden gem among the Vietnamese community. Of course they are not specialize in the common plates are known to Americans, like Phở or Bánh Mi. The most famous disk there is bun mang vit, which translate to vermicelli noodle soup, with Bamboo shoots and ducks. They will give you a bowl of simple broth and noodle but it's so flavorful, a side of salad and boiled duck on the side and the ginger sauce to dip the duck meat in. I went twice and every time order the same dish. Would need to come back for a different choice next time