Best Asian Food in Richmond 2026: Victoria Street & Beyond
Updated 16 March 2026 | 6 places tested | Yuki Tanaka reporting
Richmond doesn’t whisper about its Asian food scene. It shouts. Victoria Street — Melbourne’s legendary Little Saigon — runs for kilometres of steaming phở pots, sizzling woks, and shops where the banh mi costs less than a flat white in South Yarra. But Richmond’s Asian food story goes way beyond the obvious strip. From Cantonese roast meats on Victoria Street to modern Vietnamese on Swan Street, from izakaya vibes to old-school canteens that haven’t changed their menus since the ’80s, this suburb is genuinely one of Melbourne’s best eating neighbourhoods.
I walked the strip over three weekends, ate at seven places, and ranked them on taste, value, atmosphere, and that intangible thing — the reason you’d drag a mate from Collingwood across the river for it. Here’s what made the cut.
1. Pho Hung Vuong 2 — The Broth That Started It All
Cuisine: Vietnamese | Price: $–$$ | Address: 108 Victoria Street, Richmond
There are places on Victoria Street with flashier fitouts and longer Instagram feeds. Pho Hung Vuong 2 has none of that. What it has is broth. Deep, fragrant, beef-bone broth that’s been simmering since before most of Melbourne’s food media existed. Operating since the early ’80s as part of the Pho Hung Vuong family (the original Springvale outpost is a Melbourne institution), this Richmond branch at 108 Victoria Street is where Victoria Street locals go for their everyday phở fix.
The beef phở ($12–$16) is the main event — thin-sliced raw beef that cooks in the boiling broth at your table, slick rice noodles, and a plate of fresh herbs that you pile on with abandon. The brisket phở is richer, meatier, more forgiving if you’re not a purist. They also do a solid chicken phở and a pork chop broken rice plate (cơm tấm) that’s criminally under-ordered.
What to order: Beef phở with tendon on the side. Trust me.
Good to know: Cash preferred, though they’ve recently added card payments. Open daily from 9am to 9:30pm. No bookings — just rock up and squeeze in.
2. Thy Thy Counter & Canteen — The Dynasty Returns
Cuisine: Vietnamese | Price: $$ | Address: 60–66 Victoria Street, Richmond
Thy Thy is a Richmond dynasty. The original opened in 1980, making it one of the very first Vietnamese restaurants on Victoria Street. After a long hiatus, the family returned in 2021 with Thy Thy Counter & Canteen — a contemporary reimagining that keeps the soul of the original intact. The fitout is retro but considered: think terrazzo floors, warm timber, and the kind of casual energy that works for both a Tuesday lunch and a Friday night with friends.
The menu leans into share plates alongside the classics. The bánh xèo (crispy Vietnamese crepe) here is the best I’ve had in Melbourne — golden, shattering, stuffed with prawns, pork, and bean sprouts. Their grilled pork chops, vermicelli bowls, and duck salad are all strong. Regulars travel from Bendigo and Warrnambool. That tells you everything.
What to order: Bánh xèo for the table. Duck salad. A cold beer.
Good to know: Open Mon–Thu 11am–10pm, Fri–Sat 11am–11pm, Sun 11am–9pm. They take reservations for groups, but walk-ins are usually fine on weeknights.
3. Van Mai — The End-of-the-Strip Legend
Cuisine: Vietnamese | Price: $ | Address: 372 Victoria Street, Richmond
Walk all the way to the eastern end of Victoria Street. Past the shops that sell imported rice and the Asian grocers with mountains of fresh herbs out the front. You’ll find Van Mai at number 372, a big, bright, double-fronted restaurant with white-tiled floors and mottled yellow walls. It’s been serving authentic Vietnamese food for over 30 years, and it remains one of the best-value meals in Melbourne.
The menu is enormous. Phở, bún, cơm, rice paper rolls, spring rolls, stir-fries, and a handful of Lao and Thai dishes thrown in for variety. Everything I tried was fresh, well-seasoned, and absurdly cheap. A full meal for two with drinks rarely tops $40. This is the kind of place where the family running it knows half the diners by name, and the kitchen runs with the quiet efficiency of decades of practice.
What to order: Lemongrass beef with rice. Fresh spring rolls. Wonton soup for a cold day.
Good to know: Open six days, closed Tuesdays. Lunch 11am–3pm, dinner 5pm–10pm. No-frills decor — you’re here for the food, not the lighting.
4. Pacific Seafood BBQ House — The Cantonese Counterpoint
Cuisine: Chinese (Cantonese) | Price: $$ | Address: 240 Victoria Street, Richmond
Victoria Street isn’t just Vietnamese. Pacific Seafood BBQ House has been hanging its Peking ducks and char siu pork in the front window for years, and the Richmond location at number 240 remains the original flagship of a small Melbourne chain (they’ve since opened in Flemington and South Yarra). This is Cantonese BBQ at its most straightforward — no pretension, no reinvention, just perfectly roasted meats served over rice or with noodles.
The BBQ duck and pork combination over fried rice ($15–$18) is a Richmond classic. The duck is crisp-skinned and tender, the pork is caramelised and sweet, and the fried rice is fried properly — wok hei and all. They also do excellent whole steamed fish, salt and pepper prawns, and a surprisingly good fried rice on its own. The dining room is loud, busy, and entirely unbothered by aesthetics. That’s the charm.
What to order: Half BBQ duck and char siu pork with fried rice. Salt and pepper squid to start.
Good to know: Always busy at lunchtime on weekends. Just point at the roast meats in the window and tell them how you want it. They’re also on most delivery apps, but the food travels better in person.
5. Hanoi Hannah New Quarter — Modern Vietnamese Done Right
Cuisine: Modern Vietnamese | Price: $$–$$$ | Address: 79 Swan Street, Richmond
Hanoi Hannah started as a tiny spot on Lennox Street and grew into one of Melbourne’s most recognisable Vietnamese dining brands. The New Quarter outpost on Swan Street is their most polished offering — a spacious, contemporary restaurant with a cocktail bar, a thoughtful wine list, and a menu that takes Vietnamese flavours seriously without being afraid to riff.
The menu is larger than you’d expect. Classics like phở and bánh mì sit alongside dishes like tamarind pork hock, sizzling rockling, and prawn toast with chilli jam. The cocktails are genuinely good — not an afterthought. It’s the kind of place that works for date night, a group dinner, or when you want Vietnamese food but also want to drink something better than a VB. If you’re coming from Cremorne or the sporting precinct, it’s walking distance and a solid pre-game option.
What to order: Tamarind pork hock. Prawn toast with chilli jam. A Saigon Sour cocktail.
Good to know: Bookings recommended on weekends. They have a smaller express bar next door for quick takeaway. Licensed venue.
6. Quan 88 — The Locals’ Secret
Cuisine: Vietnamese | Price: $–$$ | Address: 88 Victoria Street, Richmond
Tucked between the bigger names on Victoria Street, Quan 88 is the kind of place you find through word of mouth rather than food media. It’s been a local favourite for years, and it earns that loyalty with honest Vietnamese cooking, generous portions, and prices that haven’t been inflated by hype.
The menu covers the expected territory — phở, bún, cơm, rice paper rolls — but the real draws are the Vietnamese-style barbecue dishes. The BBQ quail is outstanding: crispy, smoky, lacquered with a sweet-salty glaze. The salt and pepper squid is crunchy and well-seasoned. Beyond the hits, everything else is solidly made. This isn’t a destination restaurant; it’s a neighbourhood restaurant that happens to be very good at what it does.
What to order: BBQ quail. Salt and pepper squid. Beef phở if you’re keeping it classic.
Good to know: Open until 10pm weeknights, 11pm Fri–Sat. BYO-friendly — check the policy, but they’ve historically allowed it. Cash is king, though cards are increasingly accepted.
Honourable Mentions
Thanh Ha 2 (120 Victoria Street) — The bánh xèo here gives Thy Thy a run for its money, and the portions are generous. It’s no-frills and fast, perfect for a weeknight when you don’t want to think too hard about dinner.
Maedaya (400 Bridge Road) — This Japanese izakaya has been a Bridge Road fixture since 2007. The sake list is extensive, the grilled skewers are solid, and the iPad ordering system (years ahead of its time) still works well. Worth checking current hours before visiting.
What We Skipped and Why
Every phở place on Victoria Street. There are dozens. Most are perfectly fine. We didn’t include every one because eating 30 bowls of phở in a month isn’t a review — it’s a health concern. The ones we chose stood out on broth depth, consistency, or something unique beyond “decent noodle soup.”
The chain bánh mì shops. Richmond has great bánh mì, but the best versions are often at the Vietnamese bakeries and take-away joints that rotate their offerings. We’ll cover bánh mì separately in a dedicated guide — it deserves its own story.
Korean. Richmond has some solid Korean spots, but the Korean food heartland in Melbourne is further east in Box Hill and Clayton. We’ll cover those suburbs in their own guides — every suburb deserves an honest assessment, not a token inclusion.
Thai. Same logic. Richmond’s Thai restaurants are decent, but if you want the best Thai in Melbourne, the inner-northern suburbs and Collingwood have stronger concentrations.
How to Do a Victoria Street Food Crawl
Start at the western end (near Church Street) and walk east. Budget about three hours and an empty stomach. Here’s the route I’d recommend:
- Phở at Pho Hung Vuong 2 — Begin with the classics. Hot broth, fresh herbs, a foundation for everything that follows.
- Bánh xèo at Thy Thy — Walk five minutes east. Share a crepe. Order a beer.
- BBQ meats at Pacific Seafood — Keep walking. Point at the duck. Tell them fried rice. Eat with your hands.
- Quan 88 for quail — By now you should be comfortably full. Order the quail anyway. Small plates. You’ve got this.
- Finish at Van Mai — The eastern terminus. A light dessert or just a coffee and a final look at the menu for next time.
Total cost for the crawl: roughly $60–$80 per person if you’re sharing everything. Cheaper than most Melbourne degustations and significantly more memorable.
The Bigger Picture
Richmond’s Asian food scene isn’t just about individual restaurants — it’s about the strip itself. Victoria Street is one of Melbourne’s most culturally important food corridors. The Vietnamese community that built it, starting in the late ’70s and early ’80s, created something that’s become part of the city’s identity. These aren’t “ethnic restaurants” catering to a mainstream audience. They’re community restaurants that everyone is welcome at, and that distinction matters.
The strip is under pressure — rising rents, changing demographics, the slow creep of inner-city gentrification. Places like Thy Thy returning after decades, and Pho Hung Vuong 2 still serving the same broth, aren’t just good news for food lovers. They’re signs that this community is fighting to stay.
Eat there. Pay full price. Don’t ask for substitutions. And if you’re comparing it to the Asian food in South Yarra — stop. Richmond does its own thing, and it does it better.
Still hungry? Check our guides to Cremorne’s dining scene, Collingwood’s Asian food, and South Yarra’s best restaurants for more Melbourne eating.
Yuki Tanaka is MELBZ’s Asian Food Editor. She has eaten her way through every major Asian food strip in Melbourne and believes the best meal is always the one you didn’t plan. Follow her picks on Instagram @melbzfood.