My wife’s parents were the original owners of Banh Mi Ba Le in San Francisco in the early 80s. They moved it over to Oakland in the 90s but sold it soon after my wife’s uncle was murdered at the shop during a robbery. They still make the best Banh Mi sandwich but sadly the restaurant is now open only a few days a week. Apparently they can’t find enough workers due to fear of daily crime in the area. The neighborhood has never been great, but now it is truly dangerous. My wife finally managed to move her parents near us in Walnut Creek after living on Foothill Blvd for 30 years.
@@HiDidYouEatYet After they moved I had to train my wife’s parents on how to call the police. They never called OPD for anything due to lack of response and fear of retribution from criminals. I told them Walnut Creek police are bored and will respond if you call them! 😂
I am sorry.. most of us Californians can't even get ahead of bills. So, to hear you speak of how your parents worked their heads off, only to have to give it all up in the end.. is heartbreaking. Makes you want to not even try.
I worked right across the street from their spot in Oakland for years and would eat there 3-4 times a week. Loved the bahn mi, bahn xeo and the avocado smoothie with boba. I moved out of the area but I miss that spot so bad.
Bruh this list is LEGIT. My Vietnamese family only went to these spots growing up. Banh Mi Ba Le for lunch, Pho King for dinner, and Pho Ao Sen on the weekends, Cam Huong for every snack in between. This video warmed my heart ❤️
Never was able to make friends growing up in Oakland but I’m glad that your view of Oakland is so close to my own experience. Thanks for making heart warming views of our hometown
Cam Huong's fried rice and chicken legs were and always will be GOAT. The Oak location was the first time I ever experienced and fell in love w/ banh mi. Great content as always!
I live in St. paul MN and we have a ton of Vietnamese stores and restaurants here too, which I love. I am not Vietnamese but I have fallen in love with their foods and grocers. There’s a store here called Little Saigon actually, several Bahn Mi places and large grocers selling all Asian products. A Vietnamese friend showed me how to make my own Bahn Mi, pickle daikon and carrots, where to buy Geo Lua, how to make egg yolk Bo, and I learned how to make Bahn mi vegetarian with pink mushrooms. The hardest thing I have seen is finding the exact correct bread for them. A lot are not right but are sold as the right baguette but it isn’t
@AKayfabe I'm also from the twin cities, grew up frequenting the grocery stores and restaurants on University Ave. If you're looking for a good french baguette for banh mi, check out trung nam french bakery. They offer the classic banh mi with the cold cuts and other baked items. Their hours are limited!
just remember one of the rules of vietnamese spelling is N before H, the opposite of German. bánh mì (wheat bread), hành (onion), lạnh (cold), đánh (fight), banh (ball), anh (honorific for older male), and a whole lot of other words end with N-H.
Dude I just want to say my wife and I have been loving all of your videos! I grew up in Alameda/Oakland with practically the same environment as yours it seems. I've been showing my wife your videos and explaining how it was going to these places growing up. I also think its amazing you sharing the love to these businesses that mean so much to us. Keep it going man!
Appreciate the kind words! I also spent a lot of time in Alameda too, and I think there's a ton of us with these shared experiences growing up over here
SHOUT OUT TO CAM HUONG!!! one of the best in the bay. A true staple. I go there so often. Big love to Pho King and Pho Hoa Lao too! This video warms my heart.
Thank you for shining light on our Asian community through these dark times brother . Much love n respect from the Asian communities in southern Cali salute 🫡
That Pho Ga place is one of the best in Oakland. Love the bone in chicken with noodle soup. Ask for chicken on the side won't regret it. It's gives the meat more texture instead of the being soggy unless you like it that way.
My childhood in a video! You guys absolutely captured every aspect of why this part of Oakland is just so special. I hope more people can see the beauty and history of theses areas and establishments ❤
Respect. I worked in Louisville Kentucky and visited Japanese restaurant and meet the owners, I remember being invited to their family party, they were Vietnames, I asked why not sale pho and boba. He said, out here people only know Japanese food. 2012 to 2018. I am glad to be back home Surfer Frank Downey California
TK is my shit. For first timers you’ll get used to not needing the menu. Super fast paced but DELICIOUS food. Shout out Champa Garden too even tho it’s not Vietnamese food.
It’s a shame the city of Oakland is failing these businesses and the people. They contribute so much to the city through taxes, culturally, food but the safety concerns, the neglect from leaders, are unacceptable. saw all these businesses get started and thrive only to be disappointed by the city.
I just speed-ran through these videos and loved them. As someone who grew up right off High and Mac as a kid, I share a lot of the same core memories especially surrounding food. Great stuff would love to see more like this. Best of luck on all your future endeavors
This hits home for me so much! Thank you for sharing some of my favorite spots and more, I can’t wait to check out some of these spots and revisit the places I’ve eaten at
Nice to see videos covering Little Saigon, Oakland. However I felt Chai Thai Noodles and The Best Dim Sum & Pastry was worth mentioning, they’ve been around for so long. Also, our local bobas and che shops, Quickly’s and BAMBU is a sweet addition to our town.
I love Chai Thai, and still go all the time. Used to stop by Best Dim Sum all the time too when I was younger. This video just barely scratched the surface, but might revisit again with a part two later on!
thank you for making this video and encouraging ppl to shop here! i grew up going to little saigon/e 12 all the time and my aunt has a hair cutting shop there so this video was super nostalgic to me :') i hope we can continue to encourage folks to shop local and keep family owned businesses alive in spite of all the gentrification and safety issues happening in the neighborhood 🧡🙏🏼
I grew up on 19th Ave and went to school in the San Antonio District. Still go back often and volunteer at the local school on occasion. So amped to see places I’ve been to on your vid…. Keep up the calm smooth talking reviews with subtitles and bits of history. Would you believe there used to be a dairy plant on E14th in the 60’s? Was located near Banh Mi Ba Le…..also the Laney College parking lot used to be Frank Youell Field, original home of the AFL Oakland Raiders. Keep up the reviews….
Cam Huong and Ba Le were the spots for lunch. On occasion I’ll go on a lunch run and pick up orders for my coworkers at the hotel I worked at in Emeryville. I hope they continue to stick around. Thanks for sharing with everyone how special this place is to a lot of us.
I still remember Cam Huong when they first opened in the Oakland Chinatown location. It was my go-to lunch place as I worked in Chinatown and sometimes I would get a takeaway box of something for dinner before heading home. The place was always busy b/c it served good food and cheap. Back in the 80s, a banh mi cost $1.25 to $1.50, so was a box of bbq chicken and fried rice or noodles. The family is from San Jose.
Oakland is a very cool city -- and a great foodie town,as its creators draw on The Town's entwining diversity. From Michelin-starred meccas to coolio cafes and eateries in every nabe, reflecting, well, just about every community on the planet, Oakland's culinary creators have mad chops like those in San Francisco -- but, I think, what distinguishes Oakland's culinary artists is that their creations are often narratives of immigration, dislocation, restoration, community new and old, uniqueness and fusion: paradox and clarity. Whether it's Michelin-master Shyabout (himself an Oakland son of an immigrant chef) or the very places you list here, Oakland vibes. Lovely video.GREAT tips. I now live in San Francisco but work in Oakland. I'm literally adding your suggestions to our meal tours. Je vous en remercie! Kudos!
your video brought back so many memories from when my kids were younger at the park picking up snacks at the best and cam huong. i hope the city can reconstruct the playground soon!
while im still young this video really hit home for me and really made me appreciate my childhood, great video and especially love cam huong at the end, my dentist is right next to it so i have millions of memories going there after everytime with my family, keep up the great work
Growing up in Oakland I can totally relate... It seem like there were a lot Chinese families from Vietnam in the area. The conversations you sometimes hear in the background are 50/50 Canto and Viet. The Viet style Cantonese takes a little getting used to... But anyways.... It's funny you use the Cantonese pronunciation for Cam Huong. lol
Bro I used to go to the Cam Huong in China town all the time back when I went to Laney. Miss that place so much and I was so bummed to see it gone. Awesome video bro. Makes me wanna explore my back yard even more.
Just wat i needed, taking notes. Everytime i have frends over we barely know where to go cus ive only been here 2yrs & im always working but im saving all these locations!!
I haven't lived in the bay since I was 14, but man, even now at 33, I miss the community and the food. Especially TK Noodle. Plsss, open one in SoCal. T_T
Damn, this hit home. I have eaten at every single spot you listed. Im Filipino but my favorite food is Vietnamese. I just moved to Pacifica and damn I lowkey shed a tear watching this. Oakland is home and the food is what makes it so comforting. I really do hope all of these businesses are here to stay till when my daughter reaches my age.
One of my fondest memories was going out to lunch from work (12th & Broadway), heading down to Cam Huong on Webster and getting some delicious food. People are missing out on Oakland eats.
I love this. I have watched so many good videos but never found anyone talking about Oakland/Alameda. So many great spots!! Thanks for representing, and if you haven’t already try tacos el pasia in Oakland. Best tacos I’ve ever had.
My favorite thing about cam houng is that I would stop by every once in a while after classes before they close, they would always sell their rice plates at half price, as most of the leftover food was either going home with the workers, or tossed out. Thanks cam houng! For hooking up a poor college student back in the day lmao
Great video, I am a professional photographer who has spent much time in Vietnam. My go to spot for decades is Tay Ho at 12th ave and Webster. But recently I have found a new favorite restaurant is Dan Nang Quan on East 12th st. Best pho bun bo Hue!
The new Pho King are the newer owners that took over the original space for a couple years, then they moved. The old owner came back from Vietnam and decided to reopen. They are not affiliated.
Banh Mi is one of the great sandos of the World. In LA, I hit Sandwich Express in the Valley. Their pork meatball banh mi is BOMB. Thanks for posting these spots in Oaktown. I will hit them up when I head up there.
Man I used to hit up all those Pho places in Little Saigon when I worked at my Brother’s liquor store(Jackson’s Liquor). Never had Pho until I started working in that area. Now Pho is one of my favorite foods to eat especially on a cold rainy day…only Beef combo will do.
Great video! Looking forward to more content! I just moved to Oakland a few months ago and it's great to see some positive content about Oakland for a change! ❤ I'm gonna go explore Little Saigon this weekend!
Im going be out that way later today. Thanks for your video, i know where to eat. Your video come right on time. Great video, drop a like. Keep up the good work.👍
Lemon Pepper also has the best chao long, porridge with all the pork organs, but that's only available on the weekend. The owner is probably the nicest restaurant owner in all of Oakland!
Bro take a chance and go to VN and Vlog it. It’s time to explore outside the box. All these places are just generic band-Aids to satisfy the craving that cannot be met here in the US. Good luck 👍
Pho Hoa Lao was always my go-to when I came back to Oakland to visit my mom and uncle. I could never interest mom in going there, but I took my uncle, and he loved it as much as I still do. They’re both gone now, but whenever I am back in Oakland, that’s where I go for my pho and my avocado shake.
Part of Little Saigon is definitely an extension of Chinatown. For many ethnic Chinese that emigrated out of Vietnam in the 70s, putting roots down and establishing business in Chinatown is far more straightforward when language and culture are essentially the same. This also encouraged ethnic Vietnamese to settle near to the Chinese from Vietnam creating one big melting pot as you mentioned
I also suggest you give Wing Wah Pho Ga (a few doors down from Aosen) a try. IMO, their best is the BBH and roll noodles. WWPG's BBH is a little diff. from Pho King cuz they are less emphasizing on the lemongrass-y sate but more on the cooked beef tendon and brisket (nicely cooked). The broth base is prob. a mix of the chicken and beef broth. I used to like pho king at its old location but then the taste is not quite the same after they've moved. Thanky Ky surpassed Vien Houng regardless on services and food quality and the chili sauce is a bomb (they sell it too). The owner (if still the same) is quite a funny Viet-Chinese gentlemen. Before my fd and I travelled to HaNoi in 2015, I asked him do u think pho is Vietnam is at least 10times better? He said no way to due the high quality of beef and herb in the US. Surprisingly u find Canada, Australia and New Zealand, they all have very good pho. Anyways, this area is a gem for authentic Vietnamese food. I hate to see how much crime happen to it and think the best way to fight is to continue supporting them.
I can't speak a lick of Vietnamese in my city.... and the Little Saigon in my city is like.... a natural place I can go to. Like.... I don't even feel out of place shopping in the majority of that neighborhood.
@@HiDidYouEatYet Yah! It's a mix of Vietnamese and Chinese Community, a lot of stores have things written in Vietnamese, Chinese, and English. A lot of the stores that open there are Vietnamese-Chinese, Shun Fat for example, lol, all over California. I've grown up eating lots of things Vietnamese (like Nem Chua) and Chinese in origin. Could walk into most of the place and It would feel natural to me.
Ive been hitting up little saigon ever since i was a little kid. It was always a treat going there with my mom bc id always get some snacks from ba le or some random chips from sun hop fat. Its sad that now the city has completely neglected not just asian business but businesses in general in Oakland. Its low key a shame to be claiming Oakland nowadays bc of how broken the city is. Also, i need that green "Did you eat yet?" Shirt ASAP. Lastly, I'm so glad the owner of Thanh Ky made it in the background of your vid. I'm happy he's still out there.
