Tell me about Cafe Thuy Van

One of my clients is Vietnamese and gigled when I mentioned Vietnam Kitchen as if VK is the tourist spot and she touted Cafe Thuy Van as "just like what my mom makes" which got my brain and love for Vietnamese food all riled up. Ever been? Go to dish? Tell me about it. Thanks!

The Vietnamese-American woman who writes the Louisville Off Track blog says Thuy Van Cafe "has the best and most authentic Vietnamese food in town." She did a roundup of local Vietnamese restaurants a couple years ago:

http://louisvilleofftrack.blogspot.com/ ... ville.html

(I recently discovered her blog, which is worth checking out. Along with travel and other topics, she writes about local restaurants, including some that aren't widely known.)

Love that place! They have an awesome pork noodle soup that's my favorite Vietnamese dish in town. Best bun bo hue around, too, IMO. Only problem is that they're cash-only.

Edit: that soup is called banh canh gio heo, and when they don't have pork feet, they just load it up with shrimp. The fried shallots really make the broth.

[Robin Garr]

I haven't been for a while, but I thought it was up there with VK and the other South End spots when I reviewed it in ... 2009!? Might be due for a fresh look!

http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/cafe- ... eaten-path

I haven't been there in a while but I used to go there quite frequently. It was the closest experience of feeling like I left Louisville and was in a joint somewhere in a foreign land (and I say that as a positive)...food and friendliness were always enjoyable.

Have been many times. I usually go when I know that VK will be too crowded and have a wait. Thuy Van is very good and authentic. Cash only. Not quite as polished as VK, but definitely like your mom would make, if you had a Vietnamese mom.

The Vietnamese-American woman who writes the Louisville Off Track blog says Thuy Van Cafe "has the best and most authentic Vietnamese food in town." She did a roundup of local Vietnamese restaurants a couple years ago:

http://louisvilleofftrack.blogspot.com/ ... ville.html

(I recently discovered her blog, which is worth checking out. Along with travel and other topics, she writes about local restaurants, including some that aren't widely known.)

Thao, who writes the blog, is a friend. I actually went to Panama with her when we were both at U of L. She's awesome.


Going to Thuy Van today for lunch for a much needed lunch date with my wife. Stoked!

Adam was that you in the restaurant? We were the only two couples having lunch around 2 pm? Love this place. It is just so far away from our home.

Nice blog, bus she lost me when she put Vietnam Kitchen in the category of vietnamese restaurants that she compared to McDonald's as opposed to your local hamburger joint. Yes, you can go to VK and get a few "american-chinese" dishes, but the Vietnamese dishes are authentic and excellent. The place has become very popular, but it has not diminished in quality or authenticity.

Adam was that you in the restaurant? We were the only two couples having lunch around 2 pm? Love this place. It is just so far away from our home.

sorry for the late response but yes that probably was me and my wife. i loved it, she didn't (at least she admitted that she likes less authentic stuff).