South Bay: Banh Canh 3 Mien

There aren't a lot of restaurants that serve banh canh in the Bay Area.  Even less that do it well.  When VT came down to San Jose a while back, she suggested we try Banh Canh 3 Mien:

The restaurant was pretty empty for a Saturday evening:

We both ordered the banh canh dac biet ($15.50) as that's what we were there for:

Think Vietnamese udon in a goopy soup with crab, shrimp, and pork:

We added on a side of Chinese donut ($3) to help sop up all that soupy goodness:

I was pleasantly surprised by the banh canh.  The noodles were nice and chewy while the soup base was thick and well flavored.  A squeeze of lemon definitely brought it to the next level.

My favorite place for banh canh is still My Canh in San Francisco.  The soup there is more flavorful and they're much more generous with the crab.  They also serve bo tai chanh (a raw beef salad of sorts), which is to die for.  

However, going into the city is something I usually try to avoid unless absolutely necessary.  So now that I know there's a decent banh canh on my side of the Bay, I can see myself going to Banh Canh 3 Mien whenever the craving hits.

If you don't like going into the city either, give Banh Canh 3 Mien a try.  It's not quite the same, but it's good enough.  Make sure to bring cash though!

Banh Canh 3 Mien

958 Story Rd

San Jose, CA 95122

(408) 288-5679