Viet Tofu

Walking over to Viet Tofu to check out their Banh Mi and Spicy Tofu, I found the storefront empty.
The sign on the front door said they were temporarily closed for renovations and would reopen soon.
I’ll try again in a few months.

The best place for you to get any kind of tofu. They make it fresh everyday. I love their sugar cane drink, so fresh and healthy.

Their bahn mi sandwiches are very good. They have the best pickled veggies of any place I’ve tried. Their fresh tofu (only $ 1 per block!) is great to cook with. I was not a fan of their soy milk.

tofu, tofu, tofu, and sandwiches and other things
daily made fresh tofu that is still warm when you buy it = yes, yes, yes
tofu ginger dessert = yes
soy milk = yes
banh mi is among the best in philly, i prefer the bbq pork and bbq chicken, the dac biet is also good, bread could be crisper, pickled carrots/​radish etc. could be crunchier, but it’s pretty good
then there is a whole lot of stuff i would just as well avoid, like their deep fried tofu…

I keep forgetting this tofu spot is here. Quick place to grab tofu dessert without the multiple toppings. They aren’t fancy like Chinatown but if you love tofu, you can pick it up here. Pretty quiet, no lines and convenient. Not my favorite banh mi nor chinese/​vietnamese bun place either but when hungry and on the run and it is convenient and Im toooo lazy to walk to Viet Hung or if I don’t have time to wait long, I stop by here on my way. Usually when a place is not my favorite I usually don’t bother reviewing as I think Unilocalers who read my reviews just want to know where my favorites are but I just had to review this place for those folks to may ask me about tofu place in South Philly that is convenient. You know if I don’t like something it doesn’t mean you won’t like it and if I like something doesn’t guarantee you will like it. I do have different taste buds for an Asian mutt. Lol. Anyway try for yourself you may still find something here as this place does have high reviews and four stars on average.

I’ll be honest, this is not the cleanest place in the world.
That being said, I’m usually okay with a little grit. Viet Tofu is the first place that I tried a tofu hoagie and I was instantly hooked! They’re a great value for three bucks! Plus you can look at the always changing scary looking fish in the massive fish tank!
Always order the #7!

$ 1 for 5 fried tofu squares? Yes please!

Back in March I started this draft and I absolutely loved them. Gave them 4.0 stars since I’ve been frequenting this place since they opened!
But now… prices on some of my favorite foods have gone up, and yet the sizes have gotten smaller… Example: egg rolls (regular ones, not the vegetarian ones) went from 50 cents to 75 cents but they are a lot smaller… Not a good thing when I’m looking to get at least a couple dozens for a get together. And the taste isn’t as good as it used to be… Man I must be getting old: «prices went up, portions went down, & things just aren’t as good as they used to be,» hahahaha.
I still stop by now and then because it is convenient.

Fresh Tofu still gets 5 stars. The fresh soy milk is good too (I had the green one).
Blood/​Pork Sausage is great — very flavourful: 4 stars.
Tofu hoagie is good, not amazing. About 2 stars.
If you check this place out, make sure to go early for the better/​fresher goods. I think I probably got there too late last time, when all the better stuff had been sold, so they just had the unwanted leftovers. There’s definitely more food here that looks like it’d be worth trying.

Do you know that even in this day and age there are people who will hear the word, «tofu,» and do the thing where they stick their tongues out, «Tofuuuu? Ewwwww?» It’s a cryin shame… but I can almost understand, because some people mistreat the tofu, some places… no respect. But listen, as you and I know, tofu can be so great… especially at the hands of people who know what they’re doin. Enter Viet Tofu.
Viet Tofu is soy central. It’s inexpensive too. Get your blocks of soft homemade bean curd, try the many preparations at the hot bar to go. I am generally a know-​it-​all about foods of all sorts, I’m a real rainman-​esque pain in the ass about it actually, but not here. I do not know the names of some of these dishes, even slightly. So, there have been some fun google searches after a trip to Viet Tofu, to try to figure out the names of the good stuff. Another thing, I thought that I knew a thing or two about soy milk, but this green soy milk deally? I didn’t know! Anyway, I’m about to find out about it next time I head over there. And I still have to try the banh mi, but the point is, I’m already a fan of these tofu experts based on mad lotsa good tofu and more. We’re pretty much hangin out on a weekly basis.

So much for so little!!!
I’m not sure of the breakdown, but for $ 13 I got a half gallon of the green soymilk, a big cup of freshly squeezed sugarcane juice, a giant tofu/​veggie banh mi, and a large container of various tofu products from the bar. Wow.
Green soymilk: I am totally now a fan of this! I can’t fully describe the taste, but some adjectives that come to mind are: fresh, nutty, healthy, satisfying. Yum, I will be back for this.
Sugar Cane juice!!! I’ve been searching for a place in Philly that serves freshly squeezed sugar cane juice. Always so refreshing.
Tofu banh mi: The bun was fresh and toasted and tasty. The filling is fresh and flavorful and the size is extremely generous for $ 3.
Various tofu products from the self serve bar: Tasty and good to eat with rice. The left hand side of the bar is vegetarian.
They also have the vietnamese iced coffee with sweetened condensed milk. I will be back to see if it’s as good as the one I had in Vietnam.
Most of the staff do not speak English and a lot of the food is not labeled. Shopping here is for the more adventurous at heart.

IT’S A $ 3 SANDWICH!
for those of you who want more info– it’s a very good $ 3 sandwich A+ will eat again. also there is a cool fishtank and once we got to watch the fish go on a feeding frenzy and it was the highlight of my month. everyone that works here is nice even when you say dumb stuff like «OMG I LOVE YOUR FISH TANK tell me about it please» and you only order tofu hoagies. i like really sweet things so the viet coffee is right up my alley. get some take home tofu and cook with it or something.
Also– the green soymilk– has pandan [screwpine] leaves in it –it’s the same flavor as jasmine and basmati rice [and interestingly enough – also white bread].

The tofu banh mi is better than the chicken banh mi.
I wasn’t a huge fan of the pickled mango.
It is worth noting that this is just as much a Vietnamese grocery story as it is a banh mi place. There’s only one table there and it isn’t exactly a «dine-​in» sort of establishment.

Last time I consumed anything green and cold, it was a diabetic coma inducing (yet-​oh-​so-​delicious) Shamrock shake from McDonalds… that is, until yesterday when I had the pleasure of imbibing in Viet Tofu’s unsweetened* green soy milk. It was creamy and fresh with the subtly sweet essence of soy milk permeating every sip.
The spicy (as requested) banh mi stuffed with homemade tofu, cilantro and pickled carrots and radish far superseded its chicken banh mi cousin in flavor, texture and overall sex appeal. The homemade tofu has the oh-​so-​sought after wrinkly tofu skin, not of the fried variety, but of the naturally occurring skin… kind of like the stuff that forms on hot soy milk as it cools. It looks like cull but it’s less deadly.
The Vietnamese coffee was too sweet and would better be described as coffee flavored condensed milk poured over ice. The chicken banh mi was overall kind of «meh» and is literally unremarkable.
*The default is the sweetened version — ask for unsweetened if washing your teeth in sugar isn’t appealing.

Cute little store, super affordable place to buy tofu and soymilk.
Come here an get yourself a cheap and delicious tofu bahn mi, the sandwich is only $ 3 and is super huge and filling. Soft bread with a crunchy crust is stuffed with picked veggies, cucumber, jalepeno and tofu.
One slight negative is that the bread to filling ratio can be bit off. Come and get a vietnamese iced coffee, a bahn mi, and a pastry and you will be full all day.

Holy heck. Viet Tofu has everything! Banh mi sandwiches, gio lua (Vietnamese pork «mortadella»), sinh to (Viet fruit bubble smoothies), che, Buddhist friendly faux meat (largest selection I have ever seen), banh xu xe, banh da heo, chao tom (fried shrimpcakes), soymilk, cha bong (savory pork cotton candy, lol don’t know how to explain it) and more. Oh yes, this place has amazing tofu! The ddau hu xa o’t (lemongrass-​chili tofu) is to die for. This just may be the best lo ddau hu (Tofu shop) on the whole east coast.

Just went back today for a banh mi chai (vegetarian) — $ 3 and 5 minutes later, I strolled home with a ginormous sandwich stuffed with chunks of regular & marinated tofu, loads of extra pickled carrots & daikon, cucumber/​cilantro, and a dash of soy sauce, wrapped up in a chewy-​ish roll. I prefer the crispier rolls a la Ba Le, but I could look past that for the super tasty massive bits of tofu inside.
It was a nice change of pace to not have the roof of my mouth ripped apart — and way cheaper.

Stopped here on a whim. Starving after work, and really craving a bahn mi.
Ordered the vegetarian bahn mi for 3 $ and actually didn’t care if it was really good or not, because I was so hungry!
Turns out it was the best I’ve had in re neighborhood! Good roll, huge amount of 3 types of homemade tofu, plenty of cucumber, pickled daikon and carrot, a little cilantro, and just the right amount of «mayo.» The mayo, by the way, isn’t really a mayo, or even an aioli. It’s more a sauce. A really good sauce. And just the right amount.
For 3 $, I think it’s one of the best lunch deals around!

After taking a route out of the Vietnamese shopping center that I had not previously traveled, I discovered Viet Tofu lurking unassumingly among its better known brethren, Phở Huong and Nam Phuong. Still, even though I had overlooked it myself, I am surprised that there’s only one other review so far for this awesome little spot.
Walk in and discover a plethora of Vietnamese deliciousness. Think Phở Huong’s mini-​storefront on a larger scale; not only do they carry the garlic lemongrass pork sausages sold there, but other varieties as well. In addition, there are cold cases of various foods and a hot buffet for take-​out. (No seating available.)
One particular item I would like to direct your attention to is the house pork banh mi, an absolute bargain at $ 3. This may be the market rate for banh mi, but the sandwiches on my visit were noticeably more generous in size and fillings than I have experienced elsewhere. I cannot provide exact quantities, but its enough food for someone who is really hungry to eat in the amount of time it takes to walk from Viet Tofu to Green Aisle Grocery (based on my research) or comparable to Q.T.
Definitely come by here next time you are in the area to stock up. You will eat well, and cheap.

Viet Tofu is a tiny shop in the big Vietnamese shopping center at 11^th and Washington. It’s easier to find if you go down 11^th street instead of inside the Washington Ave entrance. (NOTE: the 11^th street opening is an «exit only» for cars. these directions are meant for walking or biking)
Inside there is a hot bar with tofu-​centered choices. Also there is a whole section of prepared Vietnamese food and sweets. These two sections are usually labelled pretty well in English. I’ve tried several different dishes when i was in the mood for something different and never been disappointed.
The refrigerated section is a whole different story, though. Those things are hardly ever labelled. I’ve only gotten the Nem Chua and green soy milk from this area. The green soy milk is something i constantly crave, though. I think it’s made from fresh endamame beans as opposed to normal soy milk that is made from the dry ones. It tastes so crisp and fresh, almost herbal. Unfortunately, all the smaller sizes of soy milk are sweetened. The unsweetened kind seems to only come in gallon jugs (look for the red ribbon that indicates no sugar added).
You can get fresh made Bahn Mi for super cheap ($ 3-​$ 3.50). It’s the only place i like besides QT for bahn mi. If you are in a rush, several prepared sandwiches are usually in the room temp section with the food. Oh, dont miss out on the sugar cane drink or the soft tofu with ginger syrup. My mouth waters just thinking about them
But there is so much more to love. Everything is made fresh, in-​house. I mean everything! The food, the tofu, the soy milk. Oh! I nearly forgot about the fresh made tofu. They sell huge blocks for $ 1!!! If you buy 5, you get one free. But i dont know who could eat that much tofu before it spoiled…
If you can find Viet Tofu in that crazy little strip mall, you will find a true gem that serves authentic Vietnamese convenience foods at a price that is even better than reasonable. You will not be disappointed!