May Hong Review

Paris is a city known for its gastronomic culture, the city is home to some of the finest restaurants in the world.

But despite all the Michelin-starred dining options, there are also hidden gems, much more affordable and popular such as May Hong Restaurant in Paris 13.

In this review, we’ll explore the location’s history, the atmosphere of the restaurant, and most importantly, the food.

The location

My husband and son in the heard of the 13th District in Paris

Located in the heart of the 13th district, more precisely in the Olympiades mall a sort of asian mall built in the 80’s with a strong asian culture.

You can actually find most asian commodities in this mall such as : asian super market, asian jewelry, asian mangas, asians music, asian clothes and of course asian restaurants.

May Hong Restaurant is over 20 years old. We don’t know if owners changed along the years but my husband use to eat in Pho Bida which is in the same area as May Hong. Lately people seemed to start liking this restaurant.

Kid Park in Front of May Hong Restaurant

The restaurant’s is medium sized and located near the famous square where you can walk between the buildings and find some other restaurants.

The decor is simple and unpretentious, with traditional Vietnamese artwork adorning the walls. The menu is simple, featuring classic Vietnamese dishes like pho, spring rolls, and bun bo hue, etc.

The Atmosphere

Walking into May Hong, you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to Vietnam or more like a Vietnamese restaurant in France if it makes sense. With a mix of French, Chinese and Vietnamese decoration.

The restaurant is cozy and intimate, with that old feel you get from these buildings build in the 80’s. It basically has the same feels as any other shop in this mall. The tables are close together, but not so close that you feel cramped. There is a good amount of natural light coming out of the glass walls.

The staff is friendly and welcoming, always ready to answer any questions you may have about the menu.

Like many other asian restaurants, this place is originally a place where you can eat good food for a reasonable price. So the decoration shows, it’s nothing fancy but the food is good and that’s what asian people care about.

The Menu

May Hong’s menu is simple, and it’s not overwhelming to choose what to order.

There are pictures and a traduction for people who are foreign to Vietnamese food. The prices are supposed to be affordable, but with the current inflation and compared to Vietnam prices, some might think it’s starting to feel a tad expensive. 13 euros for a Pho Dac Biet is still around the median price for the same dish in a Vietnamese restaurant in Lognes.

As always, in Vietnamese restaurant, you’ll find mostly specialties, like Pho Dac Biet, Bun Bo Hue, Bun Rieu, etc. in France, Vietnamese restaurant serves very different food from the one you usually cook at home.

Most precisely food that would be a bit hard to cook as well at home. My parents tried to make Pho many times at home, but it honestly doesn’t compared at all to the one you can find in these type of restaurants.

The Experience

Now, onto the main event, the food. My husband ordered a Pho Dac Biet and I ordered a Bun Bo Hue. It’s been at least 5 months since I’ve tried one and I must say I wasn’t disappointed.

The broth is something quite special. Whether it’s Pho or Bun Bo Hue, the taste is very, very, very strong and flavorful. You can feel the taste of the of the beef bones it’s amazing.

The broth is clear in appearance, a tad salty but well balanced overall, especially if you use a lemon to bring equilibrium. The rice noodles or banh pho were fresh but nothing special as we’ve tried better in some restaurants in Lognes. The meat was good but again not the best we’ve tried.

When it comes to the Bun Bo Hue, the flavor of the broth came less salty and overall a more sub-dude taste. It’s honestly one of the best broth I’ve tried for the dish.

Everything was well balanced, perhaps the only negative point was the pork feet cuts which had more skin than tendons.