Mien Trung Restaurant

If you want authentic viet food, this is the spot. I had their bun bo hue and it was one of the best I have ever tasted. Large variety of meat. The broth was very flavorful. The only problem I had was the waiter did not understand what we wanted to order. It took him a while and they forgot my friends order. 5 stars for food, 4 for service.

Hole in the wall alert! Came in for dinner and was surprised how tiny this place is. Park in the private lot shared by the restaurant next store.
I ordered the Banh Bot loc — tapioca, pork and shrimp wrapped & steamed in banana leaves which was the largest I’ve ever encountered. The sauce was really spot on. I chased the appetizer with a regular sized Bun Bo Hue which was just stellar. I could really taste the lemon grass and the broth had a kick to it which was refreshing on a cold night.
I thought this place was as good if not better then Little Saigon and less expensive. What a great find! I wouldn’t think twice about returning here again!

I had no idea this was right next to Sushi Diner all the times I’ve been there. LOVE the bun bo hue and the authentic feel of the place. The bun bo hue is spicy enough for me that I didn’t need to add any additional spices (rare for me because I’m a spicy food fiend). There’s also generous portions of meat including a pig’s foot. Cash only.

This place is the bomb if you are looking for authentic & not concerned about dining ambiance, unpretentious I am never disappointed. If you are afraid of the Bun Bo Hue, try the Mi Quang or Clam Bun. I do not know of another venue in SD that serves up these dished and they do it well.

Hands down the BEST Bun Bo Hue place in SD. You’re practically sitting in someone’s kitchen enjoying the most authentic food from the central region of VN
— Bun Bo Hue is spicy!
— The mi quang and rice are also great if it’s not a bun bo hue kind of day.
— CASH ONLY!
— Enjoy the awesome documentary on food in VN that they have looping for years!

Hung over? Sick? Need not worry! Mien Trung is here for you!
This hidden gem mom and pop shop has saved my life so many times on occassions where I’m feeling too sick or too hung over to eat.
Honestly, everything mentioned above are probably all good excuses to frequent here but I’m super obsessed with everything on this item. I love the feel of mom and pop shops because coming from a Vietnamese family it feels so welcoming here. I like this place better than Hoai Hue in East San Diego.

This hole in the wall, mom & pop shop is probably thee best Bun Bo Hue I’ve ever had!
The broth is so flavorful & spicy. The spicy beef is my favorite! I always ask for number 2 no pork leg, extra blood & beef.
Their appetizers are delicious also! Ban bot loc is soooo good!
Also if you bring in a huge pot, they will fill it up with broth, meat and everything that’s included for the soup! You have to get your own noodles & veggies tho. For $ 30 you can feed up to 3 – 6 people! What a steal!
CASH ONLY! But everything here is so worth it. Try it out! :)

Not your typical phở restaurant, but it definitely hit the spot.
I had the Bun Rieu (spell?) which had tomato and crab. So good! Perfect for nursing a hangover. The bf had the baby clam porridge and I swear I will make a trip down to SD just for a taste of that damn porridge again.
Service was so-​so. Our waiter didn’t speak much English and we didn’t speak Vietnamese so it was one of those point-​and-​nod type of situations. Eventually he got it right.
Iced coffees are STRONG. Just the way it should be. :)
Restaurant could be cleaner. I took away a star due to the flies bothering us while we ate.

CASH ONLY!
A hidden gem whose speciality mainly lies in bun bo hue (arguably one of my more favorite Vietnamese foods, even more than phở). Just to throw it out there, this place isn’t the type of restaurant that has an extensive menu. There’s one section for all the bun (rice noodle) dishes, a small but simple list of other side dishes (I.e. Egg rolls), and another for drinks. I was personally surprised to see that they didn’t offer spring rolls at first. But, I digress.
The bun bo hue itself was not as flavorful as I thought it would be. Maybe my expectations were a bit too high based on the hype? But that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it! I didn’t find the soup too rich and the noodles, chunks of beef, and bits and pieces of veggies all paired deliciously well. And considering the portions and quality, $ 6.50 is a steal.
I can see myself frequenting this establishment when (and if) it gets colder here. There’s nothing like a steaming bowl of bun bo hue to warm you up ^_​_​^

This is an above average Vietnamese restaurant situated in what appears to be a house on the outside. Completely mom and pop and tastes like one too. Don’t go during closing cause the food quality drastically slips in my opinion.
I’ve had the Bun Rieu here and it’s good. The banh beo is good too and it’s quite large for under $ 5. I hear the Bun Bo Hue is good, but I’ve never tried it.
The place shares a tiny parking lot with sushi diner next door. I wouldn’t park in the K’s Sandwiches plaza because there’s sometimes a security guard on duty that checks if you’re a customer of the plaza or walking elsewhere. This is probably due to the space being so close to Mesa Community College and people are trying to get free parking here instead of paying at Mesa. I’m sure people do it anyways.

One of the few places in San Diego where you can have authentic Bun Bo Hue! The price is cheap and the food is delicious. If all you’ve tried is phở from the hundreds of phở restaurants in sd, you gotta change it up and try bun bo hue. And I recommend this little spot right across Kearny high school. The place almost seems like it’s a house converted to be a restaurant. From the times I’ve went, it’s never been busy. Service is always fast and the wait for the food isn’t long at all. Cash only!

I feel a bit of Vietnamese nostalgia whenever I come here. I mean small restaurant, limited menu items, viet music playing, Vietnamese calendar with three Wisemen and other distinct details make this place a true Vietnamese experience. I have been here a few times before but now mustered to write a review for it. So this tiny restaurant is next to a sushi spot and parking is very limited. What I have observed, is that people park in the plaza area and walk a bit. The entrance is composed of simply a screen door. Immediately you see the dining area with clean tables and chairs. Service was speedy even when it is 30 mins to closing, and bun bo hue was my order. As viet music was playing in the background, I sampled first the broth. If you are a fan of lemongrass, you are in for a treat. The hot spices and herbs dance in the palate, where each sip of broth bring a complex mixture of refreshing yet deep flavors to the senses. I felt like an amateur at times as I occasionally coughed because of the hot spicy pepper flakes. The meats (beef flank, pork, cubed pork blood, tendon) had a great taste and were plentiful in my large bowl. Water was needed as the flavors were giving me a slight ache in the joints and headache. That being said, I usually experience this when there is a lot of msg in food. Even after 5 glasses of water, I felt fatigued after. If you have a history of gout, I would suggest staying away from it, since the heavy amount of preservatives may trigger an acute attack. Don’t get me wrong, the bun bo hue was delicious. To me, I just get this dish very sparingly. Phở is just one type of Vietnamese food, and one should sample and venture out other dishes. I invite you to try bun bo hue and you may love it. This restaurant serves a pretty decent dish.

Came here to try my very first Bo Bun Hue.
The broth was the best part. Slightly spicy, slightly citrus-​y. The meat fell off the bone.
I can’t compare it to anything else so it gets 4 stars.

My first time eating bun bo hue! What the hell is that black rectangular item in the soup anyways? Oh, it’s blood cake… Sweet.
Haha it really is an interesting soup though. I used to only eat phở, but now I know of something else to order when Im craving Vietnamese soup. Bun bo hue is a spicy Vietnamese soup comprised of rice vermicelli, lemon grass and of course your typical bean sprouts, cilantro and mint. But this particular one had pig feet, blood cake and some other Vietnamese ham. Super delicious and flavorful! If you love phở, try bun bo hue. Trust me, you’ll love it.

Price: ~$ 8
Recommendations: Bun Bo Hue & Eggrolls
This place is a hole in the wall!!! Mien Truong and Sushi Diner are right next to the plaza with K Sandwiches… The two restaurants have their own little parking lot for maybe 10 cars only, and depending on the day/​time/​security, you may or may not be able to park in the K sandwich plaza.
I always come here for Bun Bo Hue… It comes with a huge plate of shredded lettuce and two wedges of lime. I always add in both of these because it gives the meal a kick ;)
The Eggrolls are super delicious as well! Extra crunchy, homemade, and very oily hahaha
This place is perfect for hangovers!!! LOL

Found this small hidden place by searching «banh beo» on Unilocal.
Parking lot is small and to the left of Sushi Diner next door.
Tables are limited and cramped. Lucky I came when there was no one else there.
Small bun bo hue is about $ 7 with tax. Fried rice was only $ 4 and banh beo was $ 4.
The bun bo hue was extremely flavorful and the meat was perfectly cooked. I’m not a huge fan of meat but I think this is the best bun bo hue I have ever tried. The only thing is it has so much MSG you will be drinking water for hours!
Customer service was okay, didn’t check up on us and we constantly had to ask for refills.
The fried rice was pretty dry and lifeless but for $ 4. You get what you pay for.
I took a bite of the banh beo, it was good. Until I found a little black hair it in that almost made me throw up since it was next to the bite I took.
Told the lady and she was very nice about making a new one. The new one came out and I was pretty much over eating it. It really killed my vibe. Which sucks because I love Banh Beo! So I paid to not eat it. Oh well!
Try the bun bo hue. You will not be disappointed.

This hole in the wall is my new favorite place for Bun Bo Hue. A bowl of this spicy fragrant noodle dish is $ 6.50 for a small. The restaurant is small, the seats a tad sticky (i always wipe down my utensils before using them), and right when we walked in, there was traditional Viet music playing. You know this place is legit if traditional Viet music is on blast. They brought out a plate of vegetables to put in your soup but I didn’t touch it.
The bun bo hue is the best ive ever had. It has a very clear, clean broth and a delicate fragrant scent and tasted extremely authentic. It has chili oil added to make it spicy and the noodles are thick and cooked to perfection. The broth would be a ¹⁰⁄₁₀ if it wasn’t so salty. I doubt they put MSG in their broth because it leaves no cloying after taste and is very refreshing to the palate. This dish makes me want to cry cuz its so good… i want another bowl just sitting here writing this review.
Banh Beo was mediocre. It was definitely not the best as. the rice cake was tougher than expected. I would not order it here.
THEY HAVE NO PHO HERE T. T im guessing they specialize in their superb bun bo hue, but it still makes me sad. As a phở maniac, imagine how good their phở would taste!!! I would frequent this place if it wasnt so far!

This establishment is legit. I know. all Vietnamese restaurants are typically legit just because the cooks are Vietnamese lol. but this place is really good. I came here with my parents because my dad says their bun bo hue is really good and my mom wanted to try it.
First of all. this reminds me of Vietnam just because it’s nothing fancy. it’s a mom and pop shop and the inside just reminds me of my Vietnam trip back when I was 15. I asked my mom what she thought of their bun bo hue and she said «it’s just like Nha Trang». The broth is lighter than most and it’s just a different taste and my mom says the broth tastes specifically to Nha Trang bun bo hue and it reminds my parents of their homeland.
Now. I’m a sucker for banh beo. or anything rice flour base with fish sauce lol. Raised with that in my baby bottle lol (I’m kidding). Their banh beo was really good, it tasted fresh even at the end of the day! Definitely a great hole in the wall authentic Vietnamese food as well as inexpensive.

Wasn’t that impressed with the food here… heard a lot about this place how its the best place to get Bun Bo Hue.
Came on a Saturday afternoon for lunch and it was empty. Literally no customers at all. I got their bun bo hue and banh nam and it didn’t take long for the food to come out. First off, I was hugely disgusted with the TV displaying gutted fish as I was eating. Second, the Bun Bo Hue was extremely bland. Very little taste and the pork blood wasn’t fresh at all either. The Banh nam was disgusting. I had to force myself to finish one and had to throw the rest away. I was very sad and disappointed with this place, don’t know what the hype is all about.
Definitely not coming back. For better food go to Hoai Hue in East San Diego.

Took my dad and sister here when they came down to visit. This place is rather small but the food is delicious! It’s known for its bun bo hue.
The mi quang here is amazing! Mi quang usually is little in soup but here it does have quite a bit. It doesn’t take away from mi quang itself. The soup of it is amazing! It’s a bit sweet.
The bun bo hue here is also really yummy! I recommend both of these dishes here.