Vietnamese
Best Bánh cuốn (Vietnamese steamed rolls)
— Overall: Bánh Cuốn Hoa (Houston)
— In the Bay Area: Bánh Cuốn Tây Hồ #9 (Oakland)
Best Bánh mì (Vietnamese sandwich)
— Bánh mì Ba Lẹ (Oakland)
Best Cơm tấm (Vietnamese broken rice)
— Cơm Tấm Thiên Hương (San Jose)
Best Phở (rice noodle soup)
— In Houston: Phở Danh
— In the Bay Area:
—– outside San Jose: Ánh Hồng (Berkeley)
——– East Bay: Ánh Hồng (Berkeley)
——– West Bay: Phở Vỉ Hoa (Menlo Park)
——– San Francisco: Turtle Tower
Best modern Vietnamese
— In the East Bay: Vanessa’s Bistro (Berkeley)
Japanese
Best ratio of Price to Quality
— Musashi (Berkeley)
Best Izakaya
— Ippuku (Berkeley)
Best Americanized Sushi
— Anzu (Berkeley)
(NOTE: this is a tough one because “sushi” is a broad category, but I choose Anzu because of its variety, affordability and consistent quality. This place specializes in Western-style makizushi.)
Korean
Best overall
— Sahn Maru (Oakland)
Best Bibimbap (mixed rice)
— Secret Garden (Santa Clara)
Best Jeongol (Korean hot pot)
— Casserole House (Oakland)
Best Korean fried chicken (which means “Best Fried chicken”)
— Oriental BBQ Chicken Town (“OB Chicken Town”) (Oakland)
Best Pajeon (Korean onion pancake)
— In Houston: Myungdong Kalguksu
— In the Bay Area: Sahn Maru (Oakland)
Chinese
Best Dimsum
— low price: Shanghai Dumpling King (best soup dumpling) (San Francisco)
— mid price: Hong Kong Lounge (best baked pork bun) (San Francisco)
Best Five-Spiced Pork Shoulder
— China Village (Albany)
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