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Every New Orleans Restaurant Marcus Samuelsson Visits on ‘No Passport Required’

Where to find steaming bowls of pho, Vietnamese po-boys, and more

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New Orleans is a vibrant city, pooling influences from all over to create a one-of-a-kind culture and cuisine. In episode two of No Passport Required, host Marcus Samuelsson takes viewers over to New Orleans, home to the one of the largest congregations of Vietnamese people in America.

While NOLA East is filled with restaurants serving traditional Vietnamese cuisine, the newest generation of chefs are serving the food they grew up with across the city, and they’re pulling in outside flavors to form a “Creole-ized” version of Vietnamese fare. Here are the restaurants featured in this episode. Listed in order of appearance.

Watch the full episode here.

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Ba Mien Restaurant

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Cyndi Nguyen, the first Vietnamese-American councilwoman for the NOLA District East, takes Samuelsson to Ba Mien for a full Vietnamese spread. A standout dish is the nem nuong khanh hoa, rice paper rolls filled with grilled pork paste and pickled vegetables. The combination salad is another favorite.

Combination salad.

Manchu Food Store

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Manchu Food Store is recognized citywide for its fried chicken wings. Over a meal, Samuelsson speaks to the owners about the Vietnamese immigrant experience and the work-hard mentality that helps this business flourish.

Fried chicken wings.

Dooky Chase Restaurant

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As one of the first integrated restaurants in America, Dooky Chase is known for its inclusive atmosphere and diverse Creole cuisine. Owner Leah Chase discusses the influence of the Vietnamese community on the New Orleans food scene, mentioning her own efforts to incorporate “traditional” Vietnamese ingredients into her own cooking.

Dooky Chase owner Leah Chase with Marcus Samuelsson.

Pho NOLA

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The owners of Pho NOLA, Khanh and David Tran, break down how they prepare a signature bowl of their pho. After the knuckle bones are cooked overnight, the flavor-dense broth is seasoned with spices and served as a soup with rice noodles, raw steak, scallions, and cilantro.

Brigtsen's Restaurant

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Owner Frank Brigsten is a proud partner with Veggi Co-Op, an initiative that allows the elderly Vietnamese community to farm and sell their produce to restaurants. He pairs their bottle gourd, or cucuzza squash, with Italian sausage to create an undeniably Creole dish.

Banh Mi Boys

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Owner Peter Nguyen’s menu combines traditional Vietnamese banh mi with Louisiana-born po’ boy sandwiches. Samuelsson tries the po’ boy-banh mi combo, piling Gulf fried shrimp and toppings like fresh cucumber and lime on banh mi bread.

Banh mi.

Drip Affogato Bar

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Drip Affogato Bar serves affogato and inspired desserts that combine ice cream with coffee. Founder Juley Le draws inspiration from the Vietnamese coffee, sweetened with condensed milk, that her father would drink, using this household tradition to fuel her business.

Affogato.

T2 at St. Roch Market

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This iconic open-air market is home to a wide variety of young, entrepreneurial chefs. Tung Nguyen, chef and owner of T2, cooks global street food with a Vietnamese twist. The pho he serves is a tribute to his parents, while his roti tacos topped with pastrami and Creole mustard aioli came out of his New Orleans upbringing.

Tung Nguyen with Marcus Samuelsson.

Dong Phuong Oriental Bakery

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Owner Linh Tran Garza categorizes her family bakery as both Vietnamese and New Orleanian. Dong Phuong is famous for its king cake, sweet cinnamon dough topped with cream cheese icing and Mardi Gras-colored sprinkles. During Carnival season, the bakery makes roughly 40,000 cakes, sending lines of customers out the door and down the streets.

King cakes.

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Ba Mien Restaurant

Cyndi Nguyen, the first Vietnamese-American councilwoman for the NOLA District East, takes Samuelsson to Ba Mien for a full Vietnamese spread. A standout dish is the nem nuong khanh hoa, rice paper rolls filled with grilled pork paste and pickled vegetables. The combination salad is another favorite.

Combination salad.

Manchu Food Store

Manchu Food Store is recognized citywide for its fried chicken wings. Over a meal, Samuelsson speaks to the owners about the Vietnamese immigrant experience and the work-hard mentality that helps this business flourish.

Fried chicken wings.

Dooky Chase Restaurant

As one of the first integrated restaurants in America, Dooky Chase is known for its inclusive atmosphere and diverse Creole cuisine. Owner Leah Chase discusses the influence of the Vietnamese community on the New Orleans food scene, mentioning her own efforts to incorporate “traditional” Vietnamese ingredients into her own cooking.

Dooky Chase owner Leah Chase with Marcus Samuelsson.

Pho NOLA

The owners of Pho NOLA, Khanh and David Tran, break down how they prepare a signature bowl of their pho. After the knuckle bones are cooked overnight, the flavor-dense broth is seasoned with spices and served as a soup with rice noodles, raw steak, scallions, and cilantro.

Brigtsen's Restaurant

Owner Frank Brigsten is a proud partner with Veggi Co-Op, an initiative that allows the elderly Vietnamese community to farm and sell their produce to restaurants. He pairs their bottle gourd, or cucuzza squash, with Italian sausage to create an undeniably Creole dish.

Banh Mi Boys

Owner Peter Nguyen’s menu combines traditional Vietnamese banh mi with Louisiana-born po’ boy sandwiches. Samuelsson tries the po’ boy-banh mi combo, piling Gulf fried shrimp and toppings like fresh cucumber and lime on banh mi bread.

Banh mi.

Drip Affogato Bar

Drip Affogato Bar serves affogato and inspired desserts that combine ice cream with coffee. Founder Juley Le draws inspiration from the Vietnamese coffee, sweetened with condensed milk, that her father would drink, using this household tradition to fuel her business.

Affogato.

T2 at St. Roch Market

This iconic open-air market is home to a wide variety of young, entrepreneurial chefs. Tung Nguyen, chef and owner of T2, cooks global street food with a Vietnamese twist. The pho he serves is a tribute to his parents, while his roti tacos topped with pastrami and Creole mustard aioli came out of his New Orleans upbringing.

Tung Nguyen with Marcus Samuelsson.

Dong Phuong Oriental Bakery

Owner Linh Tran Garza categorizes her family bakery as both Vietnamese and New Orleanian. Dong Phuong is famous for its king cake, sweet cinnamon dough topped with cream cheese icing and Mardi Gras-colored sprinkles. During Carnival season, the bakery makes roughly 40,000 cakes, sending lines of customers out the door and down the streets.

King cakes.

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