Com Tam Ninh Kieu

4 stars for folks who don’t have a lot of exposure to phở. I rate it three in comparison to my experiences eating phở on the west coast and Vietnam
My latest phở quest has brought me to The Bronx of all places. Under the 4 train in Kingsbridge station lies a four star rated Unilocal spot that claims it serves California style phở. It does not. Noodles are a bit too thick and their che 3 mau is aight.
But the cash only policy and all Vietnamese environment was a nice touch (plus it was good to actually speak Vietnamese again). I’ll go again, but due to lack of better choices in the city.

My fiancé and I have come here a couple times and each time we leave and go home feeling sick or end up being sick. After the third time we learned our lesson and will not be going back.
This place really does have great food though. It taste authentic and delicious. It’s hard to find a good phở place in the bronx or better yet in nyc. Maybe it’s because when I go here with my fiancé it’s usually for breakfast and our stomachs can’t handle the saltiness? I don’t know what it is but three times is too much to be just a coincidence. You don’t think about getting sick while eating the food since it’s good. Its a couple minutes afterwards that you feel it, like on your drive home. We are so sad that we feel this way about this restaurant.

My favorite Vietnamese spot in all of NYC. So affordable! I love their sandwiches or bbq pork meals. Stop reading and go!

You cannot question the legitimacy of a place with a name like «Com Tam Ninh Kieu». I actually checked google translate and there is no translation for that which only further verifies the authenticity of this place.
So onto the phở. The soup base is full of so much flavor. Usually I like to pour in the sriracha sauce and a hint of the duck sauce, but I did not add anything to my soup because it was just so good. The noodles are pretty incredible as well since they are the flat noodles (think fettuccine) and slightly more chewy than the typical angel-​hair style noodles found in most phở. My ONLY complaint about the phở was that the portion is smaller than most places. I definitely wished there were more noodles.
I also had the spring rolls and egg rolls which were fine. I liked how they served cold tea although they could have refilled my cup more often since they use small Styrofoam cups.
The other entrees they served there looked pretty good too so I’ll have to make my way back there some time.
Who would have thought… amazing phở in the Bronx? Strange but true.

I still love this place. The owner/​waitress is quirky, ok yes, She’s still crazy but it gives a sweet, genuine, fun, humorous eccentric touch to a Vietnamese place that is under the dusty train, in the North Bronx, urban, bustling, loud, simply put… out of place. With all that I haven’t been there for about 10mths, and she still remembers I don’t like pork. That counts for something in my book.
Take her recommendations if you don’t know what you like and if you do get what you want. Just go with the flow, she’s not trying to up charge you as I read in another review, certainly nothing sinister at play, just trying to please you. She’s so excited to show off Vietnamese food, happy that I ate it while I was pregnant so now my son likes it she says.
I will say that the container charge is offputting and if it was my first time going there it would be a huge turn off. I’d rather pay more per plate.
The food is still very very tasty, my 4 year old as he slurps on his noodles kept saying this food is delicious and he’s been to hundreds of restaurants. The shrimp cake app is so simple and incredibly delicious, just dip it in the vinegar sauce wrap in some pickled carrots and diakon and devour. The phos are all always a hit. I prefer the rice, pork chop and fried egg and shrimp cake. I also enjoy the BBQ beef everytime. Try the condiments and if she gives you other samples try those too. I have had Vietnamese desserts and random things that I probably can’t name.
I haven’t tried any of their more traditional dishes but promise myself to venture out the next time I’m there.

I got the #1 combination phở. Humongous bowl of steamy hot flavorful beef broth with al dente rice noodles, rare beef, brisket, tripe and tendon for beautiful skin, hair and nails. I was very happy with my order since I am having trouble finding a Vietnamese place close to home in NJ.

In this neck of the Bronx, Vietnamese is hard to come by. This gem is great! Just be careful or you’ll miss it walking by.

Delicious phở! Yes the basil and bean sprouts are incredibly fresh! Noodles are firm, broth not too salty, a lot of meat! Maybe the best phở I’ve had in NYC, will need to try it once more to be sure.
Spring rolls were different, not up my alley. They tasted gamey, not sure how that happens.
Service and Vietnamese restaurants have never mixed in NYC, don’t expect much on that end.
I came here before burning it off walking around at the botanical gardens, made for a perfect day.

We were on a serious mission to find something that was not the ‘as per usual’. So I checked my bookmarks and headed towards Fordham. If you know the Fordham area traffic and parking can be crazy, but we got lucky and found parking a block away from the restaurant. Upon first entering there was only one table for two covered, but by the time we sat done all tables we’re filled with friends and families of all ethnicities. Our host and server, we’ll call her ‘Lay’, was so welcoming in this unassuming restaurant that looks teeny from the outside but had plenty of seating on the inside. Lay guided us to our table and then quickly brought out a complimentary warm cup of tea, which was a nice touch. She asked us if we’ve had Vietnamese before to which we both replied yes. I ordered the duck phở and the beau ordered the combo, plus the obligatory Spring Rolls which we shared.
My broth could’ve had more depth of flavor even after adding my aromatics plus sriracha it seemed very faint of flavor and was definitely missing something. The duck itself had the flavors and the simultaneous lean yet fatty combination I was looking for and satisfied that part of my meal well. Price wise my Bun Mang Vit — Duck Stew Vermicelli was $ 9.50 and the Phở Xe Lua — Combo of beef was $ 9.00. These prices covered the service as Lay was very attentive, friendly and rather flattering and she made certain to stop by every table to strike up a conversation.
This was an experience as Com Tam Ninh Kieu is located in the Bronx under the ‘El’, who would’ve thunkit? I give these restaurateurs five stars for thinking outside the box and opening this type cuisine instead of another Chinese restaurant. Though, I am still on a quest to find an above par spot within the Bronx… let the quest continue!

So, after seeing this spot on Unilocal for quite some time, I finally got the chance to try them out and I’m kicking myself for not visiting sooner. The restaurant is literally, twelve minutes from my house.
Hubby and I decided to stop by and dine in and of course, I ordered quite a few items so we could sample a variety of dishes.
We both ordered the Café Den Nóng, Vietnamese coffee; it’s super rich and thick and tasted like hot chocolate coffee. It was probably some of the best coffee I’ve had in a long time. Hubby got the Beef Phở w/​thin sliced steak. I ordered the Bùn Tôm Nuóng, BBQ Shrimp w/​Vermicelli which was soooo good! We also split some Summer Rolls and a Beef Bánh Mì.
Everything was wonderful. Hubby’s phở was served with a side dish of lime, bean sprouts, Thai basil and jalapeño peppers… sublime. They have sriracha on the table and a small collection of condiments, available to season your food to your particular taste. The bánh mì was great. I loaded my half with jalapeño and sriracha and enjoyed every last bite. The summer rolls were fresh and wonderfully prepared. I have to really kick myself again, for not coming out to CTNK sooner!
It is truly unbelievable that this place serves such fresh and great Vietnamese cuisine in the heart of the Bx. I am so happy that we came. The owner is one tough cookie which I read about before our visit so I was not surprised in the least and knew exactly what to expect. In my opinion, she wasn’t rude like some people wrote but more like she is just to the point and doesn’t like a lot of small talk. She basically just wants you to order and eat. She was very accommodating, she packed up our uneaten food to go and rushed our coffees to us because they were forgotten with our initial order.
This will definitely be a regular spot to pop in and enjoy a nice meal or order some take out for home.

WARNING: DO NOT COME HERE UNLESS YOU ARE DESPERATE
I was hoping to have a great experience here, seeing as I was really craving some good, authentic Vietnamese food and many Unilocalers said the food was better than average.
Unfortunately, my experience was ruined by the terrible service even on a take out order. I’ll admit that I was forewarned by other Unilocalers who encountered bad service, but I wanted to form my own opinion of this place. The other Unilocalers who had bad experiences with the service weren’t exaggerating. The service here was atrocious. The lady who took our order never smiled and didn’t say thank you once. They also charge you for extra containers if you would like to take your leftovers home.
What we ordered:
— #1 Phở Special
— Summer rolls
— #3 Pork chop on rice
As we were walking out, the lady at the counter stopped us and told us we owed another dollar because we ordered a #4.- Pork chop and egg on rice. We told her we ordered a #3 and she responded by raising her voice and telling us to «just give another dollar.» Did I mention she tried to blame us for the mistake when she didn’t even write our order down?
We ended up paying the extra $ 1 because I did not want to argue, but I definitely won’t be returning. I’m not traveling out of my way to be nickeled and dimed and treated so poorly. The food was not good enough to justify the rudeness. There are so many places to eat in NYC; I see no reason to give business to people who do not appreciate your patronage. I’ll be going to Brooklyn and Chinatown for my viet fix instead. At least it’s cheaper and they’ll smile and say thank you.

The only, like really ONLY reason i’m giving this a 4 star is because the area is DEVOID of phở places. Plop this down in socal, or even manhattan, or flushing it would be average at best
Cash only. Good phở. Typical efficient but not overtly friendly asian service. Prices are pretty good/​cheap, $ 8 bowl of phở will keep you full during a cold NYC winter day.

The first time I ventured out to this Viet spot, my expectations were somewhat split: High because the Bronx is home to one of the larger Viet populations in NYC and low due to the abysmal state of Viet food in our fair city. Thankfully Com Tam Ninh Kieu is unlike the rest of the phở and banh mi joints, because it doesn’t specialize in either. Instead, rice dishes (Com Tam = «Broken Rice») are the focus and that is A-​OK by me.
The place is larger than it looks, with plenty of tables for group seating. I heard nothing but Viet being spoken amongst the staff, which is a good sign. The parking situation in this part of Jerome Ave is street only and is not as sketch as people might think as night. The crowds seem to be at their heaviest on the weekends during the daytime, but I’ve managed to score some quiet time table action on weekdays with no problem.
A classic dish everyone should be ordering is the Viet combo: com tam suon bi cha trung, a plate consisting of a mound of broken rice, marinated pork chop, shredded pork skin, with an «egg meatloaf» and fish sauce. It won’t fill any big eater up, but it will be a tasty meal. Even the usual suon heo pork chops over broken rice is a good deal, as the meat is juicy while the rice soaks it all up wonderfully.
On the outside awning they note they also specialize in California style Phở (Phở Cali), which has been okay at best. The broth may appear murky, but that’s a sign of some serious beef bone simmering action. When combined with the meats (if any), lime, and soft noodles, the flavor is on point. Phở seems to be the lesser of the noodle soup selection, as I much prefer the hu tieu, bun bo hue, and bun rieu.
The prices are marginally higher than some other places in the city, but it’s worth the extra buck for a quality fare. A final tip: Bring some cash. Similar to the banh mi, credit cards are no good here.

Off the hook. I been here a few times now and the service is great and the food is delicious. Best phở in he Bronx
Update.
I love this place
Great food. Amazing phở. Great service

Ok, I honestly can’t take half the reviews on here seriously.
Mostly because I question these diners experience with what legit good phở or good Vietnamese actually tastes like because there are so few places where it can be had.
In New York, this place may be the ONLY place where you can get it. Not at some hyped up hipster joint in Brooklyn in the middle of a industrial area where you think you’ll get raped or mugged (BUNKER) or any number of the tragic Chinese operated places in chinatown.
Tight menu and the servings here are huge, I usually get the extra large when the option is given but this place just serves big ass bowls for every order as their MO.
I’ve had the phở (lip smackin fragrant broth), Bún bò Hu (nice and tangy with just the right amount of fish sauce and heat, shrimp cakes which are on point.
This will become a regular pilgrimage for me.

Who: mom & I
When/​where: weekend, Bronx (Kingsbridge)
What: lemonade, seafood noodle soup
Why: My mom and I ventured here from Manhattan in exploration of «Little Cambodia» which sadly, consists of a few grocery stores and no restaurants. At any rate, we had a lovely Viet dinner here with very delicious phở and some sort of seafood soup recommended by the host. We got complimentary iced jasmine tea, as well as a Pepsi and house «lemonade.» The drinks were as my mom remembered back in the homeland, served with crushed ice. Loved it.
FYI, bring cash.

That I can get a suon nuong pork chop marinated in lemon grass and fish sauce with a sunny side egg on broken rice in the middle of the sea of ubiquitous Dominican and Chinese restaurant saturated Fordham Road, makes me very happy.
And very full.
The Com Tam Suon Noung orders usually come with two such pork chops. One should also get an order of the fresh spring rolls with peanut sauce as an appetizer while you wait for your entrée to be prepared. Wash that all down with a coffee sweetly redolent with condensed milk.
For the Unilocaler confused that no one was there to greet them at the front, welcome to Fordham Rd. Bronx. Many establishments do not have a host/​ess to attend to seating and it is up to you to decide to eat here or to go. If you want food to take out, walk up to the counter. If you want to stay and eat, sit at a table and then order.
If you order while standing at the counter and then sit down, staff understands that you’ve just ordered take out and are taking a rest while waiting for your meal to come up– don’t be surprised if your food comes wrapped to go, and the staff gets upset that you’re upset about receiving what your actions transmitted to them you wanted. Also note, ordering off menu for a noodle soup without noodles — I’d like that noodle soup please but don’t add any noodles to it– can certainly cause confusion for the cooks.
Many Southeast Asians moved into the neighborhood around the time this spot opened six years ago due to the horrors going on in Vietnam, some due to US involvement. This restaurant is always pretty busy with their ex-​pat compatriots, students from Lehman or Medical Center employees– most especially in the winter phở season. The two ladies that prepare in the kitchen cover the counter at those rare moments when the gentleman or young lady who both speak English well are not there.

Came here on a hot sunny day and I wasn’t prepared to be seated in a small room with no ac on! Omg. I was sweating eating my bowl of phở. They do have ac but won’t turn it on until they see people fanning themselves to death. Anyway… aside from that, server was not very friendly or approachable lol. This is definitely a mom and pop restaurant. I’m not sure if I want to know how things are prepared in the kitchen. Place looked little unorganized!
I ordered the phở dac biet hoping it was mind blowing but to my disappointment it tasted like a noob learning how to make phở for the first time. The broth was just not right for me. I’ve had many phở bowls from all over the U. S And this one was the worst I’ve ever had. My ex bf makes better phở than this!
Their goi cuon was so plain and basically had veggies vermicelli and 2 – 3 shrimps.
No pork or meat inside! Ugh I usually love goi cuon stuffed with some meat to give it more texture and flavor… but nope. I was let down like 4 flat tires.
They give you small styro foam cups filled with ice and then give you a pitcher of tea. Tada! Ice tea for ya. The cup is so small and u can probably take 2 big gulps and be done.
I expected more but I guess this is the most you can get here in the Bronx. No other options unless u go to Chinatown or so…
Overall, don’t have high expectations coming here… it’s nothing like those Cali phở shops or Texas phở shops! Boo.

4.5 stars… brings me back to my days in ‘nam. circa 2014. Everything about this place speak authentic.
For an actual review from a credited source click here:
For me schpeal keep reading…
How HaPPy was I when i discovered a large vietnamese and cambodian population right in my neighborhood in da BRONX… well a few stops north. sups happy that’s how much.
Made my way up on the D (or 4 train) and found this unassuming tho apparently much acclaimed and talked by the NYtimes feature.
Been here several times, sunday brunch as well as dinner and its never been busy. I’ve met Lee the owner and Kim who are extremely friendly hosts. Restaurant is clean, tables not spaced 2inches from one another as in many manhattan restaurants. Services is quick quick.
#Everything I’ve tried thus far.
— Phở: of course this is what you’re going to get if ur coming here one time, but hopefully not the last. southern viet phở with all the fixins, plenty of sprouts, peppers, basil Heepin portions you probably won’t finish. And my verdict on the broth: delicious.
— Fried spring rolls:
generous serving of golden drispy fired goodness. Haven’t tried the summer rolls, but the spring rolls are def worth sharing. And the fish sauce dipping sauce is superb.
— Com Tam Ninh Kieu: Recognize this? its the name of the restaurant. Com tam is the rice heap and ninh kieu is the southern viet city this dish originates from. so good, simple salad with chopped beef?. crispy shrimp rolls and egg roll, flavorful pork chop. A delicious plate that seems like it can be found on any street corner in vietnam. Get this if ur not going to get the phở.
— Bun Bo Hue: this might be my go to soup from now on, its essentially phở bo but with the spicy built in. In addition to the beef slides and tendon, I was happily surprised to find the viet bologna (same as in bahn mi) in the soup. yums the word.
#OVERALL: this just might be worth the trip into the bronx for those who don’t already live here. Say hi to Lee and Kim!

It’s worth a hajj to come up to the Bronx. Com Tam Ninh Kieu (CTNK, as I call it) serves some of the most authentic Vietnamese food in New York.
They have a mile-​long list of phos (beef and chicken), garnished with anything from well-​done brisket, flank steak, tendon, and tripe. Their menu also boasts other speciality soups, broken rice dishes, appetizers, and banh mis.
On a recent visit, I tried their bun rieu (Dac Biet section, item #1, $ 7), a rice vermicelli soup noodles dish of tomato broth funked up with shrimp paste and solid blood, and topped with generous amounts of lump crab meat, fried bean curd, and fish cakes. I haven’t had such an inventive and creative soup in years, and for this dish alone I would pay a visit. I was also excited to try the bun mam, but the supposed «funkiness» factor that the NYTimes review raved about wasn’t much there (maybe I went on an off day?).
CTNK also has a strong selection of appetizers. My favorites are the fried shrimp cakes — soft, tender, flavorful shrimp cakes fried with thin bean curd paper wrapping that crisps up nicely at the edges — and the shrimp summer (or spring) rolls — ultra-​fresh rolls of shrimp, room temperature rice vermicelli, napa cabbage, and basil. Each has their own appropriate dipping sauce as well — for the shrimp cakes, nuoc cham, a mixture of lime, vinegar, fish sauce, sugar, and for the spring rolls, hoison and crushed peanuts.
Apparently their broken rice dishes are a specialty of the house, but I didn’t really care. Instead, I prefer to focus on their excellent list of noodle soups, banh mi sandwiches, and appetizers. Wash it all down with fresh lemonade, perfectly balanced in sweet and sourness.