In the Tenderloin, a neighborhood full of good regional Vietnamese food, Mong Thu is my favorite. Owner Kim Nguyen has run her family business for over 24 years, operating out of a tiny alcove on Hyde Street and drawing a faithful following of neighborhood folks and nearby workers for her deeply aromatic noodle soups and banh mi sandwiches. In 2017, Kim almost faced closure due to a number of permitting issues; luckily, after teaming up with her talented daughters, she received a small-business grant from a local government program called SF Shines, aiding a complete renovation. The restaurant reopened with fresh mint-colored walls, hand-painted signs, a new food-prep area, and an updated menu, and Kim’s soup pots are humming once more. A healthy money tree sits atop a tidy counter of plastic cups brimming with chè, taro-flavored rice pudding with tapioca pearls and sweetened condensed milk. I love sitting in this leafy corner to get a peek at Kim’s kitchen action, while eyeing the lunch orders of my fellow diners.
