Bac Nam

A very friendly Vietnamese restaurant with great food. I had Phở Tai for lunch then took my bride back for dinner and had vermicelli noodles with spring rolls/​chicken… GREAT!!! The Phở broth is perfect. This place is worth any wait there may be. Highly recommend. We’ll be back.

«I’ll be Bac, Man»
I have been here three times, and I know I will be a regular here, especially when there is a show at Blaisdell.
At the very casual, but busy restaurant, I recommend calling ahead for reservations especially during primetime and weekends. The atmosphere is casual and service is adequate to above average (depending on how busy it is). But it is all about the food! The first time I was here, I got the standard phở and vermicelli. What I didn’t realize is that you have to try the other Vietnamese food such as the crab curry (expensive but worth it) with bread, beef wrapped in lot leaves, and tamarind shrimp. All tasty and the value is amazing as you will always have leftovers… Unless you are like me and eat everything because it’s that good.

We came for my kalabash grandma’s birthday and the food was absolutely delicious. The standouts for me were the tamarind shrimp, the crab curry with baguette, lemon beef salad, and spring rolls. The staff was so attentive and even got creative with a carrot to hold Grandma’s birthday candle. Will keep coming back every time I’m in town.

You must have the spicy grilled beef short ribs (see my photos) so delightfully good! The proprietor is very kind and sweet which is also a place that makes you feel at home! Start off with the chewy fresh summer rolls, slide into the refreshing lemongrass beef salad, and dive into the salt pepper shrimp wuth the short ribs as the entrée all for a value of $ 50 for two, delightful!

If you’re willing to deal with street parking and limited parking in the back of the restaurant, this place has the food you want. The phở is pretty good. Stick to the combination. Great deal and good size. That’s what I love most about this place. The food is Ono and it’s for a good deal. Friendly and quick service to top it off.
Can’t get enough of the spicy white thick noodles (bun bo hue). There is another spicy phở that has yellow noodles in a spicy broth with lots of beef in it too. I like this one more then the bun bo hue, it’s listed right above the bun bo hue in the menu! I can’t remember the name, sorry folks.
There are these amazing steamed shrimp dumplings you dip in fish sauce.
The oxtail soup is okay, lots of greens. To the point the Choy sum in the oxtail overtake the taste when it should be about the meaty richness of the soup.
For the beef short ribs, it was juicy and flavorful. It was served with rice that has a green onion and clear oil sauce on top of it that made the dish perfect. I could eat the rice by itself with that green onion and mystery sauce.
I’m loyal to this place. I end up coming back all the time.

Terrific Vietnamese food. Very authentic. Large portions. Lack of parking is the only reason I don’t give it 5 stars.

After my 2 year old had her shots today she need some good comfort food quick! Bac nam to the rescue! Bac nam has the most flavorful phở soup and in my opinion the freshest leafs and bean sprouts. Usually when I order from other phở places I order side order of sliced onion but Bac nam is the only spot that has the right amount that comes with the soup. Tried the Vietnamese steam dumpling too and was hoping more gyoza/​mandoo style but it’s the real sticky kine like the Chinese dumpling style.
If you been here before, you know how friendly and accommodating the owner is… Nice family business with awesome phở!

Very legit! I would recommend coming with a group so you can get lots of things. The standouts are:
Spring rolls: Served with vermicelli, lettuce, and mint for wrapping, these are super light and crisp almost melt in your mouth. I know you think you know what a spring roll is, but you have to try these.
Unchoi: Perfection in a delicious, impossible-​to-​replicate sauce. They somehow get it just right without overcooking.
Basa fish hot pot: These fish steaks comes out in a bubbling sauce, ready to pour over rice.
Also, you can (and have to) BYOB if you want beer with dinner which of course you do.

I was wondering where to go for dinner last night. I had been Netflix binge-​watching «No Reservations» two weeks ago, and recalled the episode where Anthony Bourdain was exalting the simple, soulful flavors of Vietnamese food. And I thought to myself, shamefully, well, all I really know of Vietnamese food is phở and that cold noodle thing with the cut-​up spring rolls in it, so it’s probably time to expand my Viet food repertoire. After researching Unilocal for a bit and consulting Grant S. and Thomas O., I settled on Bac Nam.
Location: On the right side of South King St., across from Morio’s (happy shiver*) and Jack in the Box. Coming down Pensacola, you’ll want to get in your far right lane as fast as possible, as Bac Nam is located literally 100ft after the left turn onto South King, and you’ll want to snag a metered street parking right in front if you can. There is also a tiny lot in the back, I’m told, but I was lucky to get street parking last night.
Ambiance/​Service: Clean, bright, simple. Some ethnic décor scattered about, and a welcoming frontman (presumably the owner) who presides at the register and greets you immediately when you walk in. You get menus and water quickly. I understand when it’s busy, but I hate when I have to ask for either.
Food: Excellent! I’m proud to say that I’ve now tasted something other than phở and banh-​mi if someone asks me about Vietnamese cuisine. Forgoing the phở, my dining buddy and I settled on garlic ong choi (a nice portion, and a good thing to order if you’re trying to alleviate the heaviness of other heavy or fried dishes), bbq chicken (just ordinary, but tasty), a shredded pork roll (like a summer roll with thin, cold rice wrapping, and the classic orange, sour sauce for dipping), and white rice (fragrant, and a joy to eat plain).
Last and best of all, the coup de grace’ to any diet: crab curry served with a crusty, warm baguette for dipping. Much-​touted among Unilocalers, the crab curry is deserving of its praises, and it was the one dish I knew I absolutely had to order that night. Spicy and unctuous, I think the secret to the crab curry was all the oils and fat and crabby goodness that had seeped out of the crab meat and been infused into the dark red curry. There was nary a word spoken between my dining buddy and I when we tucked in to the crab curry, only groans and sighs and eye-​rolling and aggressive bread-​grabbing, because running out of our dipping implement would be the worst thing in the world at that moment. And when the baguette was gone, unceremoniously ripped apart, dipped, and guzzled, our order of rice got the crab curry treatment. My god, it was good. Superlatives fail me here. My dining buddy actually ordered a crab curry to go afterwards, because he needed his family to try it.
Really good food, and cheap. I have my eye on the fried chicken with butter for next time. I’m not sure how much help ong choi will be there. :c

I used to come to Bac Nam for lunch every now and then since my workplace is just two blocks away. Whenever I go to a Vietnamese restaurant, I would order the combination beef phở 80% of the time. The last two visits to Bac Nam were huge disappointments. The mistake that they made twice in a row is considered unforgivable in my book. When you order phở, you’d expect the broth to be steaming hot… especially when a good amount of people like to have the rare meat on the side. Not only was the soup not hot, it was lukewarm at best. After I put my rare meat in the broth, all it did was wash off the blood from the meat. So I was literally left with a bowl of phở that contained bloody pink broth and uncooked meat. When this happened to me the first time, I just brushed it off thinking I came at the wrong time (although it was prime time lunch hour.) I was with my coworker and even he gave me that «eww» face. The second time it happened was when I came during dinner time with my family. From that second incident on, I have not been back to Bac Nam and have recommended my friends & coworkers not to go… unless they wanted bloody soup.

Seriously love their food. But ironically not the phở as much. Their various curries, rolls, fried chicken, ung choi, and vermicelli are awesome. What is awesomest though is their basa fish paste hotpot. O… m…g. I’m not a creature of habit and I almost never order the same thing twice, but this hotpot of deliciousness has got me hooked. Like mouth orgasm good. I savor every single bite until there is fish no more. Mmhm.

Bac Nam is truly phở-​nomenal! I seriously can’t believe I haven’t written this review yet, seeing as I have been coming here for YEARS. After going to a bunch of different Vietnamese restaurants, Bac Nam still holds a very special place in my heart. There are many things that sets it apart from other Vietnamese eateries, but the most IMPORTANT thing is their service. The owner is the nicest man you will ever meet and you can catch glimpses of him as he hustles around the restaurant, always adorning a bright smile. When I come here, I usually get the phở, because that is just my Vietnamese staple. However, I have tried some of their other dishes such as their curries and I have to say those are also AMAZING. The lamb curry is so rich, but in a good way. Okay, just imagine this: you scoop up a tender piece of lamb from your bowl and as it melts in your mouth you pull a piece from your fresh, warm baguette and dip it into the curry and proceed to pop that into your mouth. HEAVEN. SIMPLY HEAVEN.
This place can get crowded as it is popular amongst Japanese tourists, so it is definitely worth coming early. OH! It’s BYOB, so yeah… don’t forget that important little detail.

We had Bac Nam for the first time today for lunch. We were lucky and found parking in the rear so that was a good start!
We tried the following:
— summer roll — good, the pork was fresh unlike some other places. Didn’t care too much for the sauce as it was on the tangier side.
— banh bot loc (dried shrimp dumplings) — would not recommend. Was really excited for these as you don’t see them on many menus, but the dumpling shell was super chewy and hard to bit through, also very greasy.
— bun rieu (crab noodle soup) — husband’s first time trying and he enjoyed it. Nowhere as good as my moms, but decent.
— bo kho (beef stew) — the best thing we had here and probably one of the better bo khos I’ve had at a restaurant.
— side of rice — this came with the bo kho and like other reviews recommend: get it! The sautéed green onion on top is moneyyy.
I don’t have anything bad or good to say about the service, it was really average. Overall just average. May come back if we have time before leaving the island but ONLY for the bo kho and rice.

I’m no phở-​connoisseur, but Bac Nam is definitely on my list of top phở restaurants – it’s where I go to die happily in broth. :D The broth is packed with flavor… good enough to not need much additions and I appreciate all the «meat» (aka meat, onion, etc.) put in as well. Makes for a deliciously, satisfying meal!
Bac Nam does offer many more Vietnamese options aside from phở, but honestly, I am happy with the phở and you would be too.
Located on S. King Street (right-​hand side of street) is this little family-​owned establishment ready to feed your hungry soul (or stomach). They are so welcoming and ready to serve your appetite and your spirit. Like many have mentioned there is a tini-​tiny parking lot behind the building OR street parking right in front. I’ve noticed recently that many tourists are finding out about this spot so make sure to plan accordingly.

Tasting and price are good.
Japanese tourist a lot and local a lot.
Famous crab curry with bread.

Bac Nam is a casual restaurant that’s good for dinning in and take out. We’ve called ahead and had lunch for 20 in their second dinning room, food came out in a reasonable amount of time, and everyone generally enjoyed their meal.
While I’ve tried different items like their Green Papaya Salad, Pork Chops, Spring Rolls, Vermicelli Noodles and Fried Shrimp, my hands down favorite is the Crab Curry with French Bread. This is easy luxury. No shells, no fuss. The curry is thick and rich with lots of real crab. A small order will feed 2 – 3. Skip the rice and scoop up the curry with hunks of crusty bread. If you like curry and crab, try this! Now that I’ve found it, it’s Crab Curry every time.
When you check out Bac Nam here’s what you need to know. They have a small parking lot, driveway is just past the restaurant, or find street parking. They have individual plates and also dishes meant to be eaten family style, like did I mention, this Crab Curry they make??? Enjoy!

Came here with the work crew and had the Phở sadly the noodles were overcooked otherwise it was ok, went again and this time stayed away from the Phở and was really happy with the beef curry although it came in a shallow bowl actually a plate it was very flavorful and tasty I think I found my favorite here…
The service seemed pretty quick and water was refilled often so no complaints there, we walked so didn’t have to deal with looking for parking although I’m not sure as I don’t think there is that much parking around. But I’m sure I’ll be back again.

What a great find after living my entire life as a townie and only now patronizing this establishment.
I have to apologize that I was so hungry that I just threw everything in and took a messy (still delicious) picture.
I ordered the rare steak phở and it was soooooo goood! The broth was savory, but not overpowering. Most Phở places have lighter broths, and if it is savory it tends to be oily or too salty for my taste.
The noodles were cooked perfectly and they didn’t swell up while I was eating; it didn’t feel like that bottomless bowl of noodles with cloudy
Broth that you might sometimes get at other restaurants.
The beef was sliced a bit on the thicker side, and I prefer thinner slices.
My friend had the spring roll salad and he jumped into it so quicky that I didn’t have time to take a picture. I guess I could have because it would still look yummy!
The service was fast and efficient. Its a nice cool place and seats more than it appears from the outside. Even during the lunch hour rush we were served promptly and politely. I did feel a bit rushed at times. I guess they’re used to people being in a rush, and faster quality service is better than slow poor service anyday.
They do take out, so call ahead and there’s parking on the street or in the back of the building.

For those of you who have not crossed over or beyond the «phở» line, there is another world of culinary bliss waiting to tantalize your palate in Vietnamese cuisine.
I have been a patron of Bac Nam forever or rather for last 10 years when they first opened in the early summer of 2004. I recalled how it was just a tiny place, about half the size of its current space. The entire restaurant used to be only the size of its current ewa-​end section but they’ve since doubled in size due to their authentic and amazing food. In their early days, it was so cute and adorable to see their 2 kids (maybe they didn’t think so at the time) frequently help out at the restaurant. The kids measured hip-​high and they gave good service like setting up the eating utensils, carried glasses of water to the tables for the customers and even gave us the final check to pay. The value of work ethics were taught very early on to these kids. Now they’re all teenagers and they still help out around the restaurant.
From the get go, the food was amazing and it is still as awesome as it were in those days. As with any restaurants, there is no perfect restaurant serving all perfect dishes. You just have to know what items to order and this holds true for any restaurants or eateries. Bac Nam’s food is fantastic and they have such a loyal fan base and repeat customers keep on spreading the word. I love 80% of their menu items and my «favs» are always come out consistently great. Someone can blindfold me and have me order in this manner and I still wouldn’t mind eating whatever dish my finger happened to select at that particular moment. I never get tired of eating there so I go often. The added bonus Bac Nam has is that they allow BYOB; it’s just a great value and service they provide. Such an awesome and hardworking family but still friendly and humble.
Bac Nam is my to go place whenever I want to eat really good and flavorful. I’m not a bland-​foodie fan. There are some dishes requiring lots of work and time and Bac Nam do them so well instead of putting out a simple menu commonly seen here in many Vietnamese restaurants. Amazing cook the lady owner is; she used to be the cook at Phở One before they struck out on their own. I wish I could cook like her; especially her incredible nuoc mam sauce. After many attempts to re-​create this Vietnamese fish sauce, I gave up on trying.
Throughout the years, I’ve introduced many friends, work associates and visitors from all over to Bac Nam and 99 percent of them have requested to eat at Bac Nam when they’ve returned to the island. One down side I sometimes wish they could change: use round tables but it would be impractical with their current space’s configuration. Now wouldn’t that make it an even better family-​style restaurant?

It has been many years since I last ate here. The last time I came here was to celebrate a friend’s 60^th birthday where we took the whole side dining room and the front tables were used as a buffet table. There were only a few tables available for walk-​in so this place was packed. Because the menu was pre-​ordered, food came out and it was a great experience.
I came here last night with 6 other people and walked out soooooo disappointed. It was so awful I don’t even know where to start.
First of all, the food that came out was barely warm. Granted I had a meeting at nearby Zippy’s so I came in a little late but as I sat down and several dishes came out of the kitchen and took some food, it was barely warm!
Next, between the 7 of us we ordered 6 dishes (french bread and rice NOT included in the 6), our server FORGOT 2 of them! Our server was perhaps the son of the owner and probably a student and he may have tried hard but didn’t deliver the minimum service that we deserve.
I had to ask for water refills THREE times before he brought over the pitcher. Keep in mind that the third time I ended up being sarcastic to his father who probably put some heat on the son who then immediately came over. By the time he filled all cups, I was the last one and my cup didn’t even make it halfway full. Did he bother to come back with more water? NO!!!
We asked for more rice as the crab curry dish came out and waited for about 10 mins and nothing was brought over. I then walked up and asked the father about our rice order and then the son comes over with a plate of rice with some green onions on top. But the rice was COLD!!!
Being fluent in Japanese there were quite a few tables with Japanese tourists dining so this place was PACKED. If you’re going to be featured in a guidebook you need to have proper servers and this young boy should be a busboy handling water, cleaning tables, etc. but NOT as a waiter. Perhaps this place cannot facilitate a full house and we just happened to dine on a bad day? I don’t know…
Here is what we ate:
1) Deep-​Fried Stuffed Chicken Wings (³⁄₅)
By the time I arrived it was sitting on the table and everyone already had their share so naturally it was cold. Would have tasted better but it was generously stuffed with meat and some veggies and came with the traditional NUOC CHAM sauce (fish sauce, sugar, lemon, shredded carrots, chili and sugar).
2) Grilled beef rolls w/​fresh veggies wrapped in rice paper (²⁄₅) in Vietnamese BA LA LOT (?)
This dish was also on the table when I arrived so it was also cold. You had to wrap them up as it was served nicely on a platter. I was fortunate to have them rolled by a friend as I didn’t want to struggle and get my hands dirty! The meat was flavorful but a little on the dry side. You dip them in the NUOC CHAM sauce so it was juicy but I first tried it «as-​is» where I found out it needed some moisture.
3) Crab Curry (³⁄₅)
A very flavorful dish and it was also barely warm when it arrived on our table. I noticed neighboring tables with Japanese nationals had this same dish so I had my hopes high. It was too gloppy with too much cornstarch to thicken it. This dish here may be convenient as only the crab meat is served but the curry crab at Mai Lan on Keeaumoku which uses a whole dungeness crab with shell is much tastier in my opinion. This was served with both a toasted french bread roll (the only thing that came out of the kitchen that night for me) and a plate of rice.
4) Tamarind Shrimp (⁴⁄₅)
Also very flavorful and you can taste the tamarind sauce. I found myself wanting more sauce to spoon over my rice! The shell was soft so you could eat the whole thing. Again, the shrimp came out warm where it would have been better piping HOT.
5) Lamb Curry (²⁄₅)
This is one of the dishes our server forgot to put in the order. When it came out it was barely warm!!! The meat was tender and the sauce was good but again, gloppy sauce.
I feel bad writing this review. Food was overall disappointing with AWFUL service. It’ll be a looooong time if I decide to come back here to dine again.
NOTES:
1) Parking available behind the restaurant specifically for Bac Nam (signs available for the stalls).
2) Despite the bad service our leader opted to give 20% tip.
3) Our server forgot our order of BUN XIAO (mung bean crêpe) and we cancelled it.
4) BYOB here with no corkage fee.