Cong Tu Bot
Vietnamese restaurant · Portland ·
Vietnamese street food spot serving pho, curry noodles, and cocktails
Vietnamese street food spot serving pho, curry noodles, and cocktails
"I find this beloved, casually cool spot delivers bright, bold modern Vietnamese with dishes that pack real flavor: mushrooms that draw admiring glances, pickled bean sprouts with sesame, cilantro, and a giant kick of chili oil, shrimp cakes sweetly fried and wrapped in butter lettuce, velvety twice-cooked eggplant with peanuts and scallion oil, and a deceptively simple burnt banana coconut tapioca pudding whose flavors run deep—perfect whether seated by the open kitchen or out with friends." - Alexandra Hall
"From the minds of Vien Dobui and Jessica Sheahan, Cong Tu Bot on buzzy Washington Avenue offers ca phe sua da martinis — a Vietnamese iced coffee play on the espresso martini — and wine by the glass, shareable dishes, and sultry lighting that Cong Tu Bot dubs “bisexual.” This is also the first independent Maine restaurant to unionize in four decades. Dobui learned how to make noodles at his uncle’s shop in Vietnam and uses traditional techniques to create dishes like chao so, a littleneck clam congee featuring savory pork sausage and pickled shiitake mushrooms. Cong Tu Bot’s Cambodian-focused young sibling, Oun Lido’s, has won wide acclaim since opening in 2024, as well." - Stasia Brewczynski
"Inspired by the Vietnamese quán nhậu (think: izakaya or gastropub), Công Tử Bột focuses on small plates with natural wines, local beer, and cocktails. So naturally, it’s a pretty ideal restaurant for some casual drinking, snacking, and sharing. There are dishes like bánh bèo, which are steamed rice cakes with shrimp and egg floss, chicharrón, and fish sauce, and bigger plates like the Mom Style which layers Maine red hot dogs and pineapple on top of an already delicious garlic fried rice. Whatever you order, it’s pretty impossible to have a bad time here: there’s lush lighting, upbeat R&B that seems to change at the whim of the bartender, and brightly colored decor." - Alana Dao
"Công Tử Bột has gone through various changes inside their pink walls, but their newest iteration feels like a shiny new beginning. Inspired by the Vietnamese quán nhậu (think: izakaya or gastropub), Công Tử Bột focuses on small plates with natural wines, local beer, and cocktails ideal for drinking, snacking, and sharing. You’ll find plates of local Bangs Island mussels in coconut tamarind sauce or Maine mushrooms with puffed rice in a fiery red-eye sauce, while specials like the Fall River Sandwich—a slab of wok-fried lo mein heaped onto white bread with broiled cheese —are fun takes on Asian American classics. Whatever you order, it’s pretty impossible to have a bad time here: there’s the lush lighting, upbeat R&B that seems to change at the whim of the bartender, and brightly-colored decor that’s always giving warm weather vibes." - Alana Dao 2, Team Infatuation
"Tandem Coffee co-founders Vien Dobui and Jessica Sheahan made waves years ago with their noodle pop-up dinners before opening this casual, brightly colored cafe in 2017. Tucked into a corner of Washington Avenue, the restaurant serves standouts like bun cha, goi cai bap, and pho." - Kate McCarty