The San Diego Traveler

If you like Vietnamese food, here’s a restaurant that you’re likely to overlook, but shouldn’t. 

Kim’s Vietnamese Noodle House is a little dive tucked into an ugly strip mall in San Marcos.  They may not look like much, but their menu boasts over 200 items, and from my sampling, I’ll bet they’re all good. 

I tried the Com, Tom, Thit Nuong, Cha Gio, or rice with grilled pork, shrimp and eggroll.  The meat and shrimp were both tender.  The eggroll was fried and cut up in sections.  All of this was served over a large bed of rice and vegetables.  

Frankly, I was surprised at how delicious everything tasted, and it was even better with the accompanying dipping sauce.  Entrees range in price from $5.75 to $6.95, with this entree sitting in the middle at $6.25, a definite value.

If you prefer a more traditional meal of vietnamese noodle soup, your choices are extensive, including rice noodles, soft noodles, sticky noodles, egg noodles and rice vermicelli.  To these, they can add pork, steak, tripe, brisket, tendon, meatballs, shrimp, beef stew, chicken, tofu, and more.  The variations are nearly endless.  Prices start at $4.50 for a small bowl of soup, up to $6.95 for a Super size (as shown above). 

I tried the Hu Tieu Do Bien (or seafood, rice, eggs and noodles) and it was everything you could want from a noodle soup, with plenty of protein and noodles to fill you up, fresh herbs, and a deeply flavored broth for characteristic flavor.

I also sampled the Goi Cuon (a cool, translucent rice paper spring roll packed with salad, prawns and mint) and the Thit Bo Cuon La Nho (grilled beef wrapped in grape leaves).  Each was fresh and flavorful.

There’s nothing fancy about this restaurant, but what they lack in ambience, they make up for in authentic vietnamese fare and courteous service.  I will definite be back, and recommend you give it a try the next time you’re in San Marcos.  It’s a real find, at 159 South Rancho Santa Fe Road.  (Sorry, no website.)  It’s open 7 days/week 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.  For more information, call (760) 471-2572, and tell them you found them on The San Diego Beat.

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