The short list of things that can convince us to drive across town for dinner includes: a genuine craving for pho that instant noodles won’t satisfy, friends who insist they’ve found “the real deal,” and any one of the best Vietnamese restaurants in Richmond Hill, which you’ll find right here.
Saigon Star Restaurant
$$ | (905) 731-7221 | WEBSITE
Saigon Star Restaurant feels like a modern Vietnamese tea house designed by a Saigon architect. With its warm lighting and traditional wood accents, you will not find a cozier dinner spot in Richmond Hill. If you’re looking for a bold main dish, get the House Specialty Curry Crab. Large crab is simmered in black pepper curry so richly spiced you’ll need to sip water between bites.
Their Mixed Veggies Hot Pot has crisp vegetables swimming in the savory broth’s depths—it’s like a refreshing treasure hunt for your palate. To start, get the House Special Beef Pho, a steaming bowl with tender beef and rice noodles that will warm you up (and possibly require a nap afterward).
Pho Nga Son
$ | (905) 237-8889 | WEBSITE
Pho Nga Son is a Richmond Hill staple. As the name suggests, they’re known for Vietnamese cuisine, and it’s more of a lunch or dinner destination. They’ve got a solid selection of classic dishes like Pho Ga and House Special, plus some standout options like Chicken Pad Thai and Bun Bo Hue. But one of the best things you can order here is their beef pho, which works just wonderfully as a comforting meal, especially if you get the chewy beef balls and al dente noodles in that flavorful broth.
Dear Saigon
$$ | (905) 508-1368 | WEBSITE
Dear Saigon is not only partly responsible for establishing Richmond Hill as a place to eat authentic Vietnamese food, but this cozy eatery continues to make some of the area’s best pho and an assortment of noodle dishes that should absolutely be coming home with you. Get the fragrant pho, the spicy Tom Yum noodles, or any sort of crispy chicken wings. Crowds can be intense during peak hours, but you can make a reservation.
If you forget to do that, just add your name to the list and they’ll call you when your table is ready, so you can kill time by wandering around the plaza for 20ish minutes.
Pho Anh Vu
$$ | (905) 707-0030 | WEBSITE
One of Richmond Hill’s best Vietnamese spots has a new location in the area. This Richmond Hill outpost feels more like a proper restaurant, with a spacious dining room, authentic menu, and the same great pho. (Thank goodness.) The standout dishes at Pho Anh Vu include bowls like the divine pho with rich broth and tender beef, crispy spring rolls with tangy dipping sauce, and the popular Oxtail Hotpot Pho with its light, delicious broth. It works perfectly for any and all laidback dinner plans.
You can also come here solo to enjoy a quick meal, and by “quick meal” we mean “devour several vermicelli bowls.”
Pho Hung Phat H&P
$ | (365) 550-0042 | WEBSITE
There are a lot of very good things available at this cozy neighborhood spot, but you should come for brunch for two of them in particular: the house special pho and the insane feat of flavor that is their grill beef rice dish. It’s an entire bowl of thick, chewy noodles that has a rich, flavorful broth made with real dried shrimps.
Watching the steam rise and taking that first sip is both soothing and satisfying, like a warm hug or a perfect sunset—if both of those things were filled with authentic Vietnamese flavors instead of light.
Pho Vinh
$ | (365) 550-7979 | WEBSITE
Pho Vinh serves Richmond Hill’s finest rice noodles—but only in their signature pho. That’s when this spacious Richmond Hill spot leans into its Vietnamese roots with staples like chicken vermicelli, Vietnamese curry chicken, and wide bowls of pho that overflow with tender noodles and flavorful broth. Like the menu overall, it’s a solid selection with about six standout options.
Other than the pho, must-order dishes include butter fried chicken wings, tomato and carrot based beef stew, and a crab soup rice noodles they perfected into a local favorite that made us sit back and savor every bite.
Green Lemon Grass
$ | (905) 508-5328 | WEBSITE
Though Vietnamese restaurants have become commonplace in Richmond Hill, very few places have been serving it in such an unassuming location for as long as Green Lemon Grass has. This place is still a find, and though they serve all the classics, you want to be here for the specialties. It’s about $15 per person, which gets you a generous bowl of their signature Spicy Satay Peanut Sauce Beef noodle soup. The dining area is just a dining area, and not the reason you come here.
You come to savor that savory soup base with tender beef slices while enjoying the unbeatable value of their platter that includes Vietnam spring rolls, chicken and beef skewers, Thai style fish cake, and minced shrimp on sugar cane. There are high chairs available for families with little ones. Come prepared for sticky tables and a hallway that blends right into the space.
Ngon Corner Vietnamese Cuisine
$$ | (905) 707-8858 | WEBSITE
Ngon Corner’s menu is built around three Vietnamese classics: pho, rice noodle bowls, and fresh rolls. And it delivers all of them in very generous portions.
Whether you’re craving something comforting, like the beef bone pho with its rich, savory broth, or spring shrimp rolls so fresh and flavorful your dining companions will instantly wish they’d ordered them too, this Richmond Hill spot will make you glad you came out and leave you satisfied enough that heading straight home to relax sounds like the perfect next move.
Nam Richmondhill
$$ | (905) 763-3888 | WEBSITE
Nam Richmondhill has the soul of a classic Vietnamese eatery, but serves food that’s comforting and flavorful. The interior has a familiar cozy aesthetic, with simple tables, warm lighting, and menus you can browse at each spot. The tucked-away plaza location is charming, too. It’s a great call for a quick bowl of pho, but also works if you want to eat like you’re settling in for a feast.
If you’re trying to do the latter, get the dual pho specialty and the bomb chicken wings, a satisfying plate of crispy wings with a sweet tinge.
Pho Xe Lua Vietnamese Cuisine
$ | (905) 780-8688 | WEBSITE
This cozy spot in Richmond Hill doesn’t play by the rules of a typical lunch rush. Pho with rare steak and brisket, grilled chicken and rice, spring rolls, and vermicelli bowls all share the menu here. But our go-to order is the number 101 with extra herbs and a side of chili sauce. You won’t find white tablecloths or a sommelier hovering nearby. Instead, it’s quick service and generous portions in a restaurant that feels like a family kitchen.
Andy remembers your name whether you visit on a Tuesday or a Friday, but if you’re determined to come at noon, you’ll have better luck right at 11:30am, or once the crowd has thinned around 1:30pm.
Pho Tai Bac
$ | (905) 237-7228 | WEBSITE
Pho Tai Bac is the pho to order if pho kind of bores you. The bowls at this Richmond Hill spot are fragrant and tender, but not overly complicated. The beef pho is delicious even without the optional (but highly encouraged) extra tendon and flank meat add-on. The shrimp cakes have a subtle crispiness and the coleslaw rolls come with the most perfect peanut dipping sauce we’ve ever tried.
There’s a steady weekend crowd ensuring the atmosphere never feels empty, some quick turnover, and menu options include a generous fried wings platter alongside a grilled pork so flavorful you’ll just want to savor it like a memory.