One of the newest additions to the neighborhood, Bạn Tôi opened its doors in June 2019 and is serving up dishes such as grilled squid, chicken with rice, jackfruit salad, and snails with corn. The newcomer is a close neighbor to one of Dorchester’s oldest and most beloved Vietnamese restaurants, Ba Le (see below.)

This combination take-out restaurant and market was at the vanguard of Dorchester’s then-burgeoning Vietnamese food scene three decades ago. Everything is good, but Ba Le is best known for its grilled beef banh mi, and that’s what you should eat there.

King Do is also a combination restaurant and market. Go for Vietnamese coffee in the morning — sweetened with condensed milk — and grab a banh mi (the pate and pork meat loaf is the play here) or some pho for lunch.

Phở Hòa has been doing its thing on Dorchester Avenue since 1992. Yes, the pho — and especially the pho hai san, which is served with shrimp, squid, and fish cakes — is excellent and worthy of your hard-earned dough. But don’t miss the sweet and sour soup with catfish or the wok-seared pepper steak.

The eponymous dish is served with sliced rare steak, brisket, beef flank, tendon, and tripe, and it is exceptional. Don’t skip Phở 2000’s seafood menu, though — especially the whole fried striped bass, which is served with a spicy, sweet, and sour sauce.

Chau Bakery is the place for freshly baked bread — and barbecue beef banh mi served on that very same freshly baked bread.

The bun tom nuong bi is the move at Hien Vuong. Vermicelli noodles come served with various vegetables, charbroiled shrimp, and shredded pork. This Dorchester Avenue spot also serves up a seriously good bowl of pho.

The drink game at Saigon Seafood Restaurant is strong, starting with the Vietnamese-style coffee and ending with the various fruit shakes (try the pineapple.) Stick to seafood here because that’s what this Adams Street restaurant does best: Try the spicy salt and pepper squid — and clams grilled with scallions and peanuts, too.