This casual takeout counter specializes in Vietnamese steamed buns where everything is made from scratch, including the fluffy dough that wraps the savory or sweet goodness inside. Popular buns include the pork, egg, and sausage bun and the sweet egg custard, mango, and pineapple bun. 

This cheerful, takeout counter offers scrumptious Filipino specialties, dished out buffet-style. Try the lechon kawali, or crispy-skinned pork belly, and the pork sisig. Their pancit, a Filipino rice vermicelli noodle dish, is especially flavorful.  

The family-owned establishment specializes in Cantonese Chinese and Vietnamese recipes. The popular beef chow fun comes with fat rice noodles or egg noodles. Other house specialties include fried frog legs with garlic chili lemongrass and duck leg noodle soup stewed in Chinese herbs. 

This established Vietnamese restaurant has been a longtime staple in the area, serving phenomenal pho with delectable broth stewed for hours. The steaming bowls are filled with just the right amount of onions, cilantro, and meat. Order the filet mignon pho and request the steak on the side so you can cook it just the way you like it in the piping hot soup. 

If you’re craving bubbling-hot tofu stews, such as kimchi jjigae, this restaurant serves them up rapid-fire. You can also order galbi (marinated Korean short ribs) and bulgogi (marinated barbecue beef). With a basket of unlimited raw eggs and Korean banchan (side dishes of kimchee, cucumbers, and soybean sprouts), customers don’t leave hungry. 

At this traditional Vietnamese sandwich joint, the baguettes are made daily so customers can taste the freshness with every satisfying crunch. Scrumptious options range from Vietnamese cold-cut ham to barbecue pork; each stuffed with cucumbers, cilantro, sliced jalapenos, and pickled vegetables. 

With booming nightclub music, beer towers, and glow-in-the-dark soju cocktails in a Capri Sun-like pouches, this Korean barbecue establishment feels like it’s straight out of the Gangnam district in Seoul. The Gen signature galbi, a succulent marinated short rib dish, and Hawaiian chicken with pineapple slices are popular favorites. 

This Vietnamese fusion establishment specializes in the multitude of ways you can devour the scrumptious filling of protein and pickled vegetables sandwiched inside a French-style baguette. Here, you can order the conventional version as well as modern takes like banh mi tacos, banh mi fries, and “banhritos”—banh mi stuffed in a tortilla like a burrito. 

This all-you-can-eat sushi place serves up quality sashimi in generous portions. Founded by two locals who grew up in Mira Mesa and set out to open an establishment to fulfill their own cravings for unlimited sushi. In addition to standbys like spicy crunch rolls, diners can also try the baked and deep-fried rolls.

The airy, cafeteria-style restaurant features favorites like the kare-kare, a thick peanut stew, and kaldereta, a goat meat stew. The more well-known chicken adobo is made with tender bone-in chicken thighs, giving it an appetizing homestyle touch. Make sure to try the clear radish soup that accompanies the meals. 

Chef Junya Watanabe branched out from his original Convoy Street location with an outpost that serves favorites like the black edition ramen as well as creative concoctions like Rikimaru oxtail ramen with 12-ounces of braised protein accompanied by a dipping sauce of serrano peppers in a red miso paste. The lunchtime ramen combo is a terrific deal, including ramen, appetizers like chicken karaage, and a Sapporo.

This restaurant has undergone a revival with Chinese banquet specialties, all-day delectable dim sum, and regular jazz performances. Clearly, this cheery venue has found a formula that works. Expect lines for weekend dim sum but they take reservations. 

The springy wheat noodles, made every day with only salt and lye water, are the enticing ingredient that makes this ramen restaurant crave-worthy. The original ramen shop opened in northern Japan in 1994 and has been expanding ever since; its first location in the U.S. opened in San Diego in 2017. Customers can opt for the healthier, low-sodium broth that doesn’t deter from the flavor. The popular tonkatsu soup is cooked with high heat to optimize the savory taste.