Nam Phuong Review

I n a city blessed with a great wealth of Southeast Asian restaurants, Nam Phuong, nestled in the bustling Wing Phat shopping plaza, is the Philadelphia food cognoscenti’s go-to for tasty, affordable, no-frills Vietnamese . The menu is enormous (great for kids and picky eaters), and all the classics are well-represented—crisp-edged Vietnamese crepes stuffed with pork and sprouts, sticky clay-pot fish, steaming bowls of pho. Be sure to start with the “Three Delights,” a platter overflowing with ground shrimp balls grilled on spears of juicy sugar cane, beef wrapped in grape leaves, marinated pork, and a massive pile of aromatic herbs to be piled into D.I.Y. rice paper wraps. (The menu says it serves two, but it can easily feed four as a starter). The restaurant takes reservations through its website, but they’re not really necessary—the sprawling space means you’ll never have to wait for a table, and there are plenty of communal tables for larger groups.

PRO TIP: If you’re the kind of person who wanders around grocery stores for fun (we are), make some time to explore the massive Hung Vuong Super Market across the parking lot. You won’t be disappointed.

THE DETAILS: While the address listed says the restaurant is on Washington Avenue, the entrance is actually half a block south on South 11th Street.

Alex Lau