Ben Thanh Vietnamese Bistro — Restaurant in City of Watervliet

At the time of my visit, this bistro had only been open for a couple of months. I'd heard and read good things. Not disappointed. Here's the thing I adore about Vietnamese food, there's a distinct "brightness and freshness" about it. I can't express it any other way. The herbs and vegetables used in the dishes (oftentimes raw or pickled) are a vital part of the whole, not just an afterthought. The Bun Cha (Rice noodle, Sha Shu pork/Thịt Xá Xíu pork, baked Vietnamese meatballs, garden fresh vegetables and pickle sauce) is so good. The pork and meatballs provide the protein. The rice noodles add the carbs. The zing of the pickle sauce and the freshness of the lettuce and basil enliven the whole dish. I had a bite of the Banh Mi and it has similar traits, ham and pate (protein) accentuated by pickled vegetables and fresh cilantro. The carby portion is a baguette instead of the rice noodles. One thing I would recommend if you get it - eat the gummy pie (mung bean, tapioca flour, coconut milk, cane sugar, and pandan leaf) at the restaurant. It has a tendency to harden and congeal if you get it to go. The flavors, however, are subtle, not too sweet. Play this...

I visited this morning and the least I can say is WOW! The food was cozy, and the pride behind the food was even cozier. It seemed like family, maybe husband wife, working behind the counter. The woman gave us no time to debate on what we should get, immediately recommending the phớ (which we already knew we were getting). We all know the broth is the main show in a good phớ, and that broth did not disappoint. I would love to see them incorporate other soups or noodle dishes, but they are just settling in now and you can't rush greatness. The woman who greeting us sat down with a couple behind us and admitted that the food is healthy, this is the food her family eats. I have been waiting for a Việt spot to open back up in the Troy area after Quang's closed. This is an exciting new time for us in the area.

Mừng ngày khai trương nha! Chúc làm ăn phát tài phát lộc, khách...

I was visiting this place daily just to try a few things. As its a fresh bew place. First day i just had a bubble tea with a bahn ki sandwich. It ruled. The spicy was pretty intense. But i was satisfied. The next day i had steamed noodles with a lil jelly pie. The steamed noodles were pretty refreshing for noodles. I can't say i had anything like it. It was a unique taste for me. The next day i had pho with an avacado smoothie. I didn't expect to enjoy the avacado smoothie as much as i did. I hard reccomend it. It was so good. The pho was great too i added the peppers they gave me on the side and was burning up. The noticed me struggling with the spicy and gave me some oranges and water while i burnt up. Great service. There's a lot more i want to try in the future. I think i would go by for an avacado...