My Vi Mi Gia

Little Saigon’s thousands of different dining options expand frequently enough that it’s easy for new residents and visitors to miss old school restaurants that have been operating for decades, and My Vi Mi Gia is one of them – actually a collection of three family-owned, decades-old Garden Grove restaurants including My Vi Mi Gia #1 and #2, plus a third known alternately as My Vi Mi Gia #3 or Hung My Vi. We visited the original location, which was recommended by Kei Concepts’ co-owner Viet Nguyen, and immediately understood the appeal of its budget-friendly Vietnamese/Chinese noodle menu.

First things first: My Vi Mi Gia #1 is a classic “hole in the wall” restaurant, with the sort of weathered interior and grimey laminated menus that enable a combination of big portions and fairly low prices. Fifty food choices are spread across four total yellow (egg) and white (rice) noodle categories, two (fried/white) rice categories, and two other categories (vegetarian/house specials) that are largely just more noodle and rice options. You can basically choose from braised duck, beef, BBQ pork, shrimp, seafood, or house special versions of noodles that are either served dry (with side bowls of soup), wet (with soup mixed in), stir-fried, or crispy, with fewer protein choices for the white or fried rice plates. “Small” entrees go for $13 to $19, depending on ingredients, while “large” ones run from $15 to $21; even the small plates are large enough for a full meal, and most prices are in the middle of those ranges. Chinese-style fried donuts are also available, as are some desserts that don’t appear on the single-page menu.