Bún Gà Nướng in Adelaide: Bà Năm's Grilled Chicken Vermicelli Bowl
★ As featured in Glam Adelaide — 2025 SA Restaurant & Catering Awards finalist
There's a moment just before you toss a bowl of Bún Gà Nướng when everything is still in its place — glossy caramelised chicken with proper grill marks, cool white vermicelli underneath, a tangle of lettuce, basil and shredded carrot, a scatter of crushed peanuts and spring onion. Then the nước chấm goes in and the whole thing comes alive. At Bà Năm on Grote Street, in the heart of Adelaide Chinatown, this $20 bowl is the quieter counterpart to our 18-hour phở broths — room temperature, fresh, and built on recipes Bà Năm Lời has been cooking since the 1970s in Trảng Bàng, Tây Ninh.
What Is Bún Gà Nướng?
Bún Gà Nướng is a Southern Vietnamese vermicelli bowl: thin rice noodles served at room temperature, topped with sliced grilled chicken that's been marinated until it caramelises sweet and savoury on the grill. It arrives layered rather than mixed — noodles at the base, then fresh lettuce, herbs, cucumber sticks and shredded carrot, with the chicken on top and crushed peanuts and spring onion over everything.
The dressing is nước chấm, the fish-sauce-based dipping sauce that Southern Vietnamese cooking leans on constantly. It comes in a little bowl on the side so you control how much goes in. Poured over and tossed through, it seasons every strand of noodle and pulls the char of the chicken, the crunch of the vegetables and the fragrance of the herbs into one dish.
From Trảng Bàng to Grote Street
Bà Năm Lời started cooking from her home kitchen in Trảng Bàng, Tây Ninh, in the 1970s. Her grandson Huynh Nguyen grew up eating that food, and in 2023 he and owner Thi Gai Vo opened Bà Năm on Grote Street to cook it the same way in Adelaide. The vermicelli bowls on our menu are the everyday side of that tradition — the kind of thing a Southern Vietnamese family actually eats on a warm afternoon.
We'll be honest about what we are: not a luxury venue, just a family restaurant that cares a lot about doing things properly. Huynh still makes Sunday farm runs for our local beef, and the same attention goes into the marinade and grilling of the chicken for this bowl. In 2025 we were named a finalist in the Vietnamese Restaurant category at the Hostplus SA Restaurant & Catering Awards — a nod Glam Adelaide picked up on — which we're quietly chuffed about.
Chicken vs Pork and the Rest of the Vermicelli Lineup
The same char-grilled chicken also lands on broken rice as Cơm Gà Nướng ($20), or as a $16 Gà Nướng share plate. Bún Gà Nướng ($20) sits in a family of bowls that all share the same base of vermicelli, fresh herbs, shredded vegetables and nước chấm. Its closest sibling is Bún Thịt Nướng ($20), the grilled pork version — richer and a touch sweeter where the chicken is lighter and leaner. There's also Bún Chả Giò ($20), topped with crisp fried spring rolls, and Bún Đặc Biệt ($24) for the indecisive, which combines the lot. You can add extra Chả Giò to any bowl — two for $6.
If you're eating plant-based, the same format exists on our vegetarian Vietnamese guide: Bún Chả Giò Chay ($20), Bún Tàu Hủ Chay ($20) and Bún Chay Đặc Biệt ($24). And if you love grilled chicken but want rice instead of noodles, the cơm tấm family is the broken-rice cousin of this dish.
A little recognition: Bà Năm was a finalist in the Vietnamese Restaurant category at the 2025 Hostplus SA Restaurant & Catering Awards, and Glam Adelaide featured the story behind grandma's recipes — later covering us in their 2025 Adelaide restaurants roundup as a finalist, not a winner, and we're happy to say it straight. We're not a luxury venue, just very genuine — but it's nice when people notice.
How to Eat It
Pour the nước chấm over the top — most people use the whole little bowl — then toss everything together with your chopsticks until the noodles are coated and the herbs, carrot, cucumber and chicken are distributed through. The crushed peanuts add a toasty crunch against the soft noodles, and the basil and purple herbs lift each mouthful. Don't rush the tossing; it's half the pleasure.
It's worth knowing where this bowl sits in Vietnamese cooking: the opposite pole to our hot soups. Where Phở Tái is about paper-thin "red coin" beef cooked in the bowl by boiling 18-hour broth, Bún Gà Nướng is served at room temperature — cool noodles, fresh vegetables, warm grilled chicken on top. On a hot Adelaide day, that contrast is exactly the point. More on the signature bowl in our guide to the best phở in Adelaide and the 18-hour broth and red coin.
What to Order Alongside
The classic pairing is a starter of Gỏi Cuốn Tôm Thịt rice paper rolls ($14) — fresh and light, so they don't fight the bowl. If you'd rather something crunchy, Hoành Thánh Chiên ($14 for six fried wontons) or Bánh Mì Tôm Chiên ($14 for three) both work well shared across the table. Chả Giò Thịt ($14) doubles down on the fried crunch.
To drink, a Vietnamese iced coffee — cà phê đen đá or nâu đá, $8 — is the natural finish. Strong, sweet if you take it with condensed milk, and made for lingering over.
Bún Gà Nướng in Adelaide Chinatown
You'll find us at 65 Grote Street, right in Adelaide Chinatown, a short walk from the Central Market. The strip is one of the best places in the Adelaide CBD for Vietnamese food, and vermicelli bowls like Bún Gà Nướng are a lunchtime staple here — quicker than a soup to eat, fresh enough for a South Australian summer, and $20 for a genuinely full bowl.
If you're comparing your options along Grote Street, our pitch is simple: the same family recipes from Trảng Bàng since the 1970s, cooked by the family that grew up on them.
Visiting Bà Năm
We're open seven days, 11am–9pm, stretching to 9:30pm over summer (October to March), and we're open public holidays too. Fair warning: at peak times there's an honest 15–30 minute wait — we'd rather tell you upfront than pretend otherwise.
You can book through OpenTable or just walk in; for groups of eight or more, please call (08) 8151 0106 so we can set you up properly. If you'd rather order ahead, our app is at order.phobanam.com.au.
Frequently asked questions
What is Bún Gà Nướng?
It's a Southern Vietnamese vermicelli bowl: room-temperature rice noodles topped with caramelised grilled chicken, fresh herbs, lettuce, cucumber, shredded carrot and crushed peanuts, dressed with nước chấm you pour over and toss through.
How much is Bún Gà Nướng at Bà Năm?
Bún Gà Nướng is $20. The grilled pork version (Bún Thịt Nướng) and spring roll version (Bún Chả Giò) are also $20, and the combination Bún Đặc Biệt is $24. Extra Chả Giò are two for $6.
Is Bún Gà Nướng served hot or cold?
The noodles and vegetables are served at room temperature, with warm grilled chicken on top — the deliberate opposite of our hot soups like phở, where boiling 18-hour broth cooks the beef in the bowl.
Is there a vegetarian version?
Yes — the same vermicelli format comes as Bún Chả Giò Chay ($20), Bún Tàu Hủ Chay ($20) with tofu, and Bún Chay Đặc Biệt ($24) on our vegetarian menu.
Do I need to book at Bà Năm?
Walk-ins are welcome and we take bookings via OpenTable. At peak times expect an honest 15–30 minute wait. Groups of 8+ should call (08) 8151 0106. Open seven days, 11am–9pm (9:30pm in summer, Oct–Mar).