East and West Vietnam
Last night, at 6:30 P.M., my cell phone rings. It’s Matt.
Okay, I’m standing right outside. Now which door am I going in, Restaurant or Palace?
If you know Philly’s food scene, you’ll understand how legitimate a question that is.
On the 220s block of north 11th street sit two Vietnamese restaurants, directly across the street from one another.
I first went to Vietnam Restaurant (221 North 11th) many many years ago, when it had fabulous, dirt-cheap food in an atmosphere that could best be described as “shabby diner.” Since then, they’ve added some square footage, exchanged the formica for natural wood panelling, and (inevitably) raised the prices–which have left “dirt cheap” to become (gasp! the horror!) entirely reasonable. The food itself has remained wonderful throughout.
I stayed away form Vietnam Palace (222 North 11th) for a while, afraid that the neon sign (shaped similarly to the image at the top of this post) was suggestive of a place that was more about “Chinatown kitsch” than actual quality. However, when I joined a group of friends there (choosing to keep quiet about my reluctance) one evening a few years ago, I discovered how wrong I had been. The food at the Palace is wonderful, and, if not, dirt cheap, the pricing is entirely reasonable.
Now I can’t decide which of these two choices is my favorite. You really can’t lose, either way, but I’m wondering:
If you prefer one over the other, which did you choose? And why?
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i like xe lua on 8th and race. i think that’s the name. i’ve always called it the choo choo place. i haven’t been there in a while, but i used to love it. the shakes are amazing
I’m a fan of both as well. One group of friends prefers Restaurant, another prefers Palace. Win-win for me.
Nam Phoung on Wash Ave is also pretty great Vietnamese food, and decently priced. Just don’t let them sit you in the family section, or you’ll have kids dive-bombing you all night.
You know that I’m a died-hard fan of the Palace (I believe I was the organizer of the group with whom you went several years ago. The night of the car show at the convention center, right?). I have to admit though that I’ve only ever been to the Restaurant once, and so have never really given it a fair shot. I do love the Vietnamese food!