Huong’s Vietnamese Food

Quickly becoming one of my very favorite carts. Anything I’ve tried has been great, but the highlight for me so far has been the Bahn Mi. They’re not exactly what I think of when I’m craving a Bahn Mi, but they’re awesome. Fresh veggies, huge portion, and only $ 4. I can never stop before I’ve eaten the whole thing and I spend the next two hours stuffed.

I LOVE this place! The food is straight forward, and completely affordable! The Banh Mi is great and only $ 4!!! The salad rolls are fresh and delicious… and only $ 3.50! You really can’t go wrong with Huong’s!

Salad rolls are excellent and loaded with fresh herbs like they are supposed to be!
So many of the Thai and Vietnamese places unfortunately skimp out on the herbs in their salad rolls — not a single basil or mint leaf to be found. I’ve had some Thai restaurant worker offer a poor excuse saying that they don’t include the herbs because most Americans don’t like them — needless to say I never returned to that establishment as attempting to cover up on cutting corners is not a trait I appreciate. Own it, or just don’t do it.
Their peanut sauce is absolutely heinous though — I always get the fish sauce with my salad rolls when I go here.
I’d like to try their other dishes but since they have limited weekend hours and my office is across town, I might not get a chance… I’d love it if they were open later for the dinner crowd!

I’ve eaten here the past two times I’ve been in Portland and have been amazed with the quality! Both times I ordered the lemongrass tofu with rice. The ingredients are extremely fresh and the flavors perfectly enhance the quality of the food rather than overpower it. It’s also a steal at only about $ 6 or so. One of my favorite Vietnamese places, which is saying a lot since I’m from Hawai’i and eat a lot of Vietnamese food.

A hearty medley of vegetables in this seriously divine pumpkin soup with rice or noodles. Order #2. Leftovers likely.
The moms and pops that runs this cart are very kind people. Complimentary hot tea provided while waiting for order.

Their lemongrass chicken bahn mi is great and at $ 4, a real value given how big it is. The owner is always friendly.

This is my latest go-​to cart at the 9^th & Alder pod. I’ve decided that phở from a food truck is just a bit odd, but if you’re going to do it, I suggest the chicken over the beef. They just do the chicken better, or perhaps it holds up better in the to go container. Vermicelli and stir fry dishes are spot on, and the fresh salad rolls make for a great quick pick-​up light lunch. I haven’t tried the bahn mi yet, but that’s next.
Service is amazingly pleasant and friendly, which actually matters to me. Entrees are all $ 6, which is at least a buck cheaper than anywhere else in the pod. I also like that you can call your order in ahead of time. Unfortunately, they don’t post the number when they’re closed, but it’s 971−282−1698. You can call right when they open at 11:00 am. In fact, I called and no one answered, but someone called me back approximately six seconds later. That’s good service.

Such a sweet girl taking orders and an amazing tofu bahn mi for $ 4 that was plenty for lunch.

Delicious Bahn Mi! And Only $ 4. It’s HUGE. Definitely get your moneys worth at this food cart. Be prepared though: it is spicy! So if you’re not a fan definitely make sure to say no siracha. Food does take quite a while, I’d say at least 15 or 20 minutes — but you know it’s fresh :) Fresh salad rolls are tasty as well and they come with a nice sweet peanut/​soy sauce.

I’ve discovered something about this place. A dark and nefarious secret. It happened purely by accident. I didn’t mean to watch my sandwich get made.
Why is this thing so good? Maggi Seasoning of course. Maggi — that liquid seasoning that is different in every country* but consists typically of fermented wheat, inadvisable amounts of salt, and, of course, MSG. Monosodium glutamate, in isolate (said by some to cause hearts to palpitate**, but agreed by all to taste super great) is like a Game Genie for the part of your brain that processes yumminess.
Like many who love cuisine, I believe food science has gone too far. I prefer whole ingredients, prepared with merited degrees of tradition and virtuosity. Where does this leave us with MSG? Should we feel duped when enthralled by an ingredient that shares with advertising, or brainwashing, an ability to override, or at least circumvent, our ego? That speaks directly to our brain’s pleasure regions, bypassing the ‘I’ which we, naively or not, suppose governs our thoughts if not our desires? Is MSG the reality TV of food — or is it the deconstruction of the Subject?
How is this picture complicated when we observe that, by now, MSG in general and Maggi in particular IS a traditional ingredient — that the banh mi you Instagrammed at that Hanoi food stall was sopping with the stuff? What do we do when the imperative to eat «naturally» and the imperative to eat «authentically» come into conflict?
We eat.
*Maggi is eaten the world over, but perhaps embraced most strongly in Asia. Nonetheless, it was invented by a Swiss-​German named Julius Maggi. The confluence of its Germanic origin and its regional particularity puts me in mind to write a screenplay of a German mad scientist’s hapless plot to capture the Volksgeist of every land in a bottle — and use it to conquer.
**A note on so-​called Chinese Restaurant Syndrome: researchers have been unable to replicate this syndrome in blind tests, and the symptoms proposed by sufferers are not even agreed upon. I’m inclined to trust science, but I nonetheless have had my own strange MSG experiences in the past. I once purchased a cheap mushroom soup base from an Asian market and ate it, whereupon I experienced rapid heart beat, feelings of dissociation, near-​anxiety. I read the ingredients and discovered MSG, prominently. Two days later I did what any reasonable person would do, and ate the soup again. Despite my continuing to disbelieve in MSG’s ability to produce ill-​effects, I experienced the same exact symptoms. Placebo effect doesn’t seem to account, given I was unaware the first time and convinced of MSG’s benignity the second. Nevertheless, you may choose to live your life without MSG for reasons such as these… if you call that livin’.

One of the best carts in this pod: delicious, fresh, affordable, and quick. The cashiers are very kind and the food is great. I highly recommend the Tamarind Chicken.

I have yet to find a better tasting banh mi sandwich in Portland. It’s only $ 4 and huge! If I could give extra stars I would.

Amazing vegetarian phở! A perfect soup for a cold Oregon day. The soup was very fresh with a mix of fried and fresh tofu, crunchy (not over cooked) veggies covered with a delicious broth. I wish all phở was this good :)

Best banh mi I’ve had in portland. A bit unique in that it has tomatoes, fried onion, and lots of sriracha. Flavor: price ratio is tops.

The best Phở i had in the last ten years. I lived in Vancouver and reside in Toronto. Nothing compares to the broth this food cart makes. You can tell the broth is made from scratch. The flavour is tasty and fresh. The mixed of herb and celery made it very refreshing. Everything in the bowl was just outstanding. Wish this cart is in Toronto.

This food cart has become a downtown go-​to when we’re looking for good food for decent prices. We’ve ordered their fresh spring rolls on many occasions, and they come with a thai peanut /​hoisin-​ish sauce. That being said, my favorite dish from this place is their Bahn Mi sandwich. We like it both with the pork and with the tofu (the tofu is sort of shredded and fried, and has the texture of a scrambled egg). It’s a really fresh sandwich with carrots, tomato, and cucumber, and just spicy enough. Also, they use the right bread — I dislike when places call a sandwich Bahn Mi but use traditional baguettes.
The very best thing about this sandwich (and cart in general): the portion is massive and it’s only $ 4.50. During lunchtime there’s usually a wait at the carts in this pod, so I tend to call my order in and then pick it up about 10 minutes later.

I don’t appreciate being ignored when it’s my turn to order and the chef/​man taking the orders decides he wants to have a long chat and laugh session with some women who had already ordered their food.
The situation seemed extremely ridiculous. At least two people waiting behind me decided to leave during the time I stuck it out.
After waiting for over 10 minutes while at the front of the window– I went next door and had perfectly good Thai food with great quick service.
I’ll never waste my time at this cart again.
It looks like people like the food, but if you have any time restraint or need to be acknowledged as a hungry paying customer, I suggest look elsewhere.

After reading the reviews, and being new to Portland, I had to check this cart out. The wait time is rather long if you go during lunch so I suggest calling your order in ahead of time.
I ordered the Pork Bahn Mi since everyone is raving about it. Yep. It’s delicious! They add a sweeter chili type sauce to what seems like Sriracha and it’s lovely. The bread is fresh, veggies crunchy and the pork is seasoned to perfection!
I also ordered the Rice Vermicelli with chicken. Not as special, sad to say. The chicken was lightly seasoned and they topped it off with mint — which I find weird. Typically it’s Thai basil and/​or cilantro. Needless to say, I won’t be ordering that again.
Overall, I think the reviewers are right. Huongs has a great Bahn Mi which I’ll be recommending to everyone. Too bad I am not supposed to eat Gluten otherwise, I’d be eating this sandwich weekly! Here’s to being bloated! :-)

I heard some good things about the Bahn Mi at this food cart, so I decided to give it a try. And I must say that the high praise didn’t do it justice at all! Hands down the best Bahn Mi I’ve ever had, and I’ve had quite a few.
I went with the grilled pork version and it did not disappoint in any way. The pork was packed with flavor, spicy but not too hot, tender and juicy, and the best part was that they didn’t skimp on the portion. The veggies were really fresh and crisp, the cilantro was full of flavor, and the pickled carrots… holy hell that part is unreal. You can tell it’s not just some jarred carrots, they are sweet and tangy and so fresh. Even the bread was top notch on it’s freshness and flavor.
I want this place to get the recognition that they deserve for making a phenomenal Bahn Mi… and at $ 4 you can’t beat that price! I can’t wait to go back and get it again!

This place is not my favorite cart. The lady is awesome and super nice, but I’ve never been blown away by the food. I guess I had high expectations based on the other reviews, but I usually end up here once my favorite Thai cart is closed.
I’ve had the curry and another chicken dish. Neither was worth writing home about, unfortunately.