Smells like rice flour and coriander, doesn't it?

The refreshing Vietnamese baguette, called bánh mỳ or bánh mi, is easy to be bought in the streets of Vienna or Berlin, but it takes a while to get one in Brno. However, it is worth the journey.

The only bistro known to me offering bánh mỳ is located in the Vietnamese market at Oloumoucká st. Yes, that Vietnamese market known for loads of fake sneakers and for the big fire that took place there in January 2011.

Take the bus line #31 or #31 departing from the main station and get off at the station U školy. Return some 100 meters and enter the Vietnamese market. At the right side, there is a long, narrow hall with grocery stores and restaurants. The very last place is called “Nguyen” – I guess it is the owner’s name – and is extraordinaly clean, regarding the rest of the market. The sign is not really big, so you will know you are in the right place by entering the bistro via glass door.

You can enjoy your bánh mỳ with eggs or pate – both variants cost only CZK 50. (Various types of phở also recommendable!)

Map (the location of Nguyen bistro is marked by the green arrow)

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I have discovered 5 interesting restaurants employing foreign cooks and offering fresh but affordable meals, together with unique atmosphere.

I am sorry for the quality of pics, I took most of them with my phone.

Bún cá Hải Phòng

There are 14 meals in the menu, all nicely photographed. Vietnamese news channel is on all day long, so you won't miss anything.

This is maybe the most “bizzare” restaurant in Brno, located in a Vietnamese market at Olomoucká st.

Meals cost between CZK 80 and CZK 90. If you are new into the Vietnamese cuisine, have a beef soup. If you want to try something really special, ask for my favorite “tofu-snail” soup.

A soup with snails and tofu

There are knives and forks prepared for those who don’t like eating with chopsticks. Don’t forget to enjoy the green tea served for free.

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The estaminet of Mr. Thuan Nguyen Van

Hanoi in Brno

There are more interesting restaurants at Olomoucká st. I like especialy this one – an untitled estaminet that belongs to Mr. Thuan Nguyen Van (or maybe to someone else, my Vietnamese is really bad). Only 12 people can fit in, so you have to be lucky to get a place during the lunch time.

The true special of this place are hand-made baguettes with coriander and chilli (CZK 50). Of course you can get a beef soup, noodles or rolls as well.

Beef soup with sprouts

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Mr. Gyros

A small estaminet in quarter Mendlánky offers Greek cuisine prepared from fresh ingredients. I had a moussaka and it was cool. My friends enjoyed gyros and burgers, so why don’t you have a big fat greek lunch here?

Moussaka

Mr. Gyros was closed down in 2010.

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Indian restaurant Goa

Fish masala

There is an interesting Indian restaurant at Geislerova st. in quarter Židenice. The owner employs an Indian cook and waiter (or maybe they are from Nepal, I am sorry for having the central Asia so messed up), which gives Goa an oriental atmosphere.

I was always satisfied with my food, although sometimes you have to wait for a long time – anyway, if you want to have a quick lunch, go to KFC.

Great greasy chapati

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Greek tavern Pontos

Yoghurt, nuts and two kinds of honey: a food orgasm for CZK 40

I visited this restaurant to test it for local newspaper – and I was so suprised by their quality/price ratio! It may has the highest price of all the mentioned places, but you can still have a dessert for CZK 40, so try it out. For more information, read my machine-translated review.

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Do you have any “secret” tips?

If you know about more restaurants that offer cheap but great exotic (or just “not-Czech”) food, let us know in the comments!

According to Wikipedia, there were 17,462 Czech citizens with Vietnamese nationality and 60,258 Vietnamese expats living in the Czech republic in 2001.

Most of them had come to Europe between the 1970s and 1990s, as socialist Czechoslovakia tried to help socialist Vietnam, damaged by war.

A Vietnamese bistro at the marketplace in quarter Slatina

There is an impressive jump that a large part of the community members has made: from unksilled factory workers to business & estate owners in only one generation. However, that’s not the case of all Vietnamese families and even some of the Vietnamese who got rich in the 1990s are now facing problems due to the economic crisis.

Vietnamese in Brno

Most members of the community are known as stallkeepers, usually selling clothes, accessories and electronics. Some big marketplaces are located around the main train station and in quarter Slatina.

However, many Vietnamese quit selling cheap clothes and started to do more prestigious businesses. For example, the restaurant offering the most affordable sushi in Brno is owned by Vietnamese.

The community is very isolated. Its members have problems with integration and joining the majority, as many Czechs laugh at their accent and distinctive looks. However, there is a generation of Vietnamese born in the Czech republic growing up and almost every high school class has a Vietnamese kid. These students have an advantage of being born into the families of underdogs, so – generally speaking – they are used to working hard. I bet many of them will get “visible” positions of politicians and managers in 10 or 20 years.

Where to taste Vietnamese food

Spring rolls - increase your cholesterol level for only CZK 10! :)

Definitely in some of the restaurants and bistros at market in Slatina. You can have beef soup, fried pork and even a delicous snail soup for decent money (CZK 80, €3-4).

Exact location of a bistro where I ate twice last week and enjoyed it very much:

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I am a big fan of Asian cuisine but the ingredients are rare and expensive in Czech supermarkets. After a great experience with Vietnamese market “SAPA” in Prague, I tried out small marketplace in quarter Slatina in the eastern part of Brno. It’s a really interesting place to go.

Vietnamese market in quarter Slatina

The market is opened from 10 a.m. every day except Monday. You technically should be a businessperson if you want to enter, but no one ever wanted to see my business licence or ID.

You can buy almost anything there, but I am interested only in food. So, here is what I found and bought there:

• Fresh tofu. One piece costs CZK 15 and you can get better price if you buy larger amount.
• Various types of noodles.
• Rice paper.
• Shiitake mushrooms.
• Bamboo shoots, both fresh and dried.
• Instant soups.

You can buy even fresh (!) coriander, ducks, sriracha sauce and any possible kind of rice there.

The Vietnamese folks are great businessmen, which means you can get a better prices if you buy large amounts (that’s a good thing) and that you are still harrased by barkers calling you “friend” and offering stuff you don’t want (that’s a bad thing).

There are many more groceries to explore and several interesting restaurants, so I’ll bring further tips.

Map

The market is located in quarter Černovice and can be reached by trolley bus #33 (stop Učiliště) or by car (park it at the gate).

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