OK, bear with me on this. This is gonna take some convincing, because I’m about to tell you that the best thing you can get at Coda Bakery, Albuquerque’s premiere Vietnamese sandwich shop, is a tofu dish. Tofu isn’t inherently awful. But it’s not inherently exciting either. And at a restaurant that serves up some damn fine grilled pork, meatballs and lemongrass beef bahn mi (sandwiches) and rice noodle bowls, tofu just seems like a dish of last resort for underprivileged vegetarians. But Coda bills itself as a “Vietnamese deli and tofu house,” and its scallion tofu is transformative. It will change your mind about what tofu is and can taste like. Coda serves up small blocks of dry tofu deeply fried into golden brown bricks. The outside is firm and chewy, and this inside is pillowy soft, the perfect consistency of well-cooked scrambled eggs. The green onions mixed in give it a profound flavor beyond just soybean, and you should soak it in the accompanying dip of soy sauce and Sriracha for an extra punch of taste. You can get it served in a sandwich ($10.25), but it’s best eaten all by itself like the comfort food it is. Get two of them, though. One is never enough. At $1 each, they’re a major bargain and a great side dish to any of Coda’s delicious sandwiches. I personally love me a heo nướng – grilled pork banh mi – but its just not a complete meal without those delicious scallion tofu hunks on the side.
Coda Bakery
201 San Pedro Dr SE Ste B1
Mon. – Sat. 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Sun. 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A Variety of Vietnamese For You
Café Da Lat
Underrated Vietnamese standby with a huge menu and some great house specialties (bacon-wrapped shrimp, pork and eggplant, lime leaf beef, caramel catfish).
5615 Central Ave. NE
Mon. – Sat. 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Basil Leaf Vietnamese
1225 Eubank Blvd. NE
Noodle soups, salads, rice dishes and other classic Vietnamese fare served inside a serene modern space.
Wed. – Sat 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sun 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Mon. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
2000 Vietnam Restaurant
The infamous emissions testing/restaurant. But the food is delicious and comes out to you in huge portions.
601 San Mateo Blvd. NE
Mon. – Sat. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Viet’s Phở
If it’s pho you’re looking for, this place serves it up in all its noodley goodness.
4208 Menaul Blvd. NE
Tue. – Sat. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. & 3:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sun 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. & 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Viet Com Restaurant
2010 Wyoming Blvd. NE Ste. C
This simple, tidy strip mall joint serves up curries, fried rice and spring rolls, plus the expected pho and noodle dishes.
Wed. – Sat. 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.. Mon 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Hương Thảo Vietnamese Cuisine
Pho and other traditional Vietnamese eats (including boneless stuffed chicken wings!) fill the menu at this family-owned fixture in a strip mall.
1016 Juan Tabo Blvd. NE Ste. B
Tue. – Sun. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Pho Ginger
Vietnamese restaurant specializing in flavorful pho and a variety of vegetarian dishes.
1331 Juan Tabo Blvd. NE #2F
Thu. – Tue. 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Viet Taste
This longstanding Vietnamese restaurant offers tons of soups and stews and some fun drink options (jackfruit shakes, Vietnamese egg coffee).
5721 Menaul Blvd. NE
Mon. – Sat, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Phở Linh Vietnamese Grill
Grilled meats, vermicelli dishes, spicy soups and sweet curries tell you this popular place has got some Vietnamese variety.
9100 Central Ave. SE
Mr. Pho
Located next to A-1 Oriental Market, this traditional Vietnamese joint offers wealth of noodle-based options (with or without that tasty pho beef broth).
6205 Montgomery Blvd. NE
Wed. – Mon. 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.