3 great spots for lunch in Tacoma’s Lincoln International District

A few weeks ago, a friend and I were in Tacoma’s Lincoln International District at Vien Dong. Open since 1989 and run by Kevin and Linh Nguyen, the corner shop is the definition of low-key. Large windows give a view of bustling South 38th Street and the red lacquered street lamps dotting the sidewalk, but the rest of the interior is forgettable — especially once a large, steaming bowl of pho is set down in front of you.

Now, let’s be honest. Not every food is beautiful. It’s why food stylists paint strawberries with lipstick and spritz pancakes with motor oil. Soup is just not always pretty. It can smell amazing. Taste terrific. But in a photo? Oof.

Freckled with pepper and glistening with a slight fatty sheen, this soup is not winning any photo contests — but its beauty is not superficial. I ordered the large pho bo tai ($12.50), its mound of thinly shaved rare beef quickly browning in the hot broth upon arrival. This is the soup restorative dreams are made of, with a flavorful broth that continues to evolve with every bite as you add in a squirt of lime juice here, extra bean sprouts and basil there, and a smear of hoisin on each bite of beef.

Also wonderful are the hoanh thanh chien — six crackly crisp fried pot stickers for just six bucks.

Those two items barely scratch the surface of the menu at Vien Dong, which also offers Southern Vietnamese-style soups with pork broth and both rice and egg noodles, bun bowls, rice dishes and even some Pan-Asian dishes like teriyaki, yakisoba and katsu.

Branching out from the corner where Vien Dong is located, you’ll find good food in either direction.

Turn left out the doors to follow along South Yakima Avenue and you’ll run into Hong Kong Supermarket, anchoring the opposite end of the block.

One draw of this grocery store is the large table at the front of the store laden with shrink-wrapped meals. They’re all warm/room temperature and ready for you to devour, rotated diligently according to a strict time schedule to maintain proper food safety.  

You can get snacky items like bao and shrimp dumplings or full meals like chicken teriyaki or fried rice. I picked up a package of vegetable egg rolls ($4.75) and mia chao tom ($6.25), which are little skewers of minced shrimp and crab formed around sugar cane stalks and flash-fried. They’re served with pickled daikon, carrots and a Thai chili sauce.

I also had my eye on the tofu salad rolls and shrimp toast — not to mention the grilled chicken thighs with sticky rice. There were trays of banh mi, sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves, and glossy, roasted whole ducks hung in a heated cabinet.

Hong Kong Supermarket is a little rough around the edges — but the snacks were delightful and I’m already planning a return visit.

Now, if you leave Vien Dong in the opposite direction, crossing South 38^th, you’ll spot Cafe La Vie.

The cafe and coffee shop (which also, curiously, sells lottery tickets) is situated in a converted house and features a small menu with sandwiches, rice dishes and soup. The beef spicy noodle with pork blood and the rice soup with pork intestine, stomach, tongue and pork blood are big draws here, but I’m not the biggest fan of offal. Instead, a friend and I split the French sandwich ($7), a banh mi loaded with pate, Vietnamese ham, roast pork and headcheese plus cucumber, jalapeño and pickled carrot. The bread was thin and appropriately crumbly, the pate a nice thick schmear and the jalapeño provided quite a kick. All in all, a very solid sandwich.

We had hoped to also gorge ourselves at nearby Tho Tuong, a can’t-miss barbecue spot known for its roast pork and duck noodle soup since 1998. The space has been closed for construction since late February, and despite aiming for an April 2 opening date, construction delays have persisted. I’m keeping an eye on Tho Tuong’s Facebook page for updates, and you can believe I’ll be back in Tacoma soon for roast duck and more.