Little Saigon Night Market
Orange County's best way to experience Vietnamese street foods in an authentic night market setting
Held at Westminster’s Asian Garden Mall every summer, the Little Saigon Night Market offers a large – in some years, incredible – collection of Vietnamese street food treats and drinks. Free admission and parking make the Market easy to visit and explore before choosing whether and how much to eat; it typically runs from mid-June through the beginning of September, every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 7:00 to 11:00 pm. Some vendors begin serving early visitors at 6:30pm.
Since grilled shellfish is so conspicuous at the Market, it’s tempting to focus on the eye-catching plates of razor clams, massive squid, pound-sized prawns, and snails offered by several hawkers every year. Pork skewers are numerous, too, as is grilled nem (Vietnamese sausage) on a stick, and you may even find beef tongue and other unique meat cuts.
You’ll also see several toy, fashion, and decor vendors selling everything from stuffed animals and gunpowder snaps to dresses, flowers, and live plants. A live band typically plays near the mall’s entrance, and seating is available at benches and tables that tend to fill up early in the evening.
But if you explore a little, you’ll find less commonly available street food variants such as betel leaf-wrapped (Bo La Lot) beef, Xoi Chien Kep Thit (crispy rice and meat sliders), a sweet fruit version of bo bia spring rolls named Bo Bia Ngot, the sticky rice cake, coconut, and nut-based malt candy dessert Banh Trang Keo Mach Nha, Vietnamese rice paper “pizza,” and a wide variety of unique salads and drinks. Seek out Banh Trang Tron (rice paper salad), and you may also find Kanom Tom coconut balls; Xoi Boc Banh Trang (pandan coconut sweet rice tacos), Banh Crepe, coconut durian waffle, and Banh Trang Nuong (grilled rice paper taco), lobster toast, and mini Banh Mi sandwiches with floss and pate.
Prices have gone up – expect to pay $10-$12 per plate for non-seafood items – and note that the Mall’s rear parking lot historically filled up completely around the official starting time. Arrive early to avoid a crush.