Bún Gà Nướng in Adelaide Chinatown — Grilled Chicken Vermicelli

★ As featured in Glam Adelaide — 2025 SA Restaurant & Catering Awards finalist

On Grote Street in the heart of Adelaide Chinatown, bún gà nướng is the bowl you order when the weather — or the mood — doesn't call for soup. It's a dry bowl: room-temperature rice vermicelli layered with warm char-grilled chicken, crisp lettuce, cucumber, shredded carrot and fresh herbs, then brought together with a pour of nước chấm. The contrast is the whole point — smoke and caramel off the grill against cool noodles and bright, sharp dressing.

What Is Bún Gà Nướng? (And Why It Isn't a Soup)

Bún gà nướng translates roughly to "vermicelli with grilled chicken", and the key word is isn't: it isn't a soup. Where a bowl of phở is all about hot broth — like our Phở Tái with its "red coin" of paper-thin rare beef cooked in the bowl by boiling 18-hour bone broth — bún gà nướng is essentially a noodle salad. Cool, springy rice vermicelli sits at the base, topped with caramelised grilled chicken, shredded cucumber, carrot, lettuce and herbs, finished with crushed peanuts and spring onion.

The dressing is nước chấm — a fish sauce, lime, sugar and chilli mix served on the side. You pour it over, toss the whole bowl, and every bite lands somewhere between fresh, sweet, salty and charred. If you've only ever explored Adelaide's hot noodle soups (and we'd argue the case in our guide to the best phở in Adelaide), this is the dish that shows the other half of Southern Vietnamese eating — lighter and leaner than the pork version, made for a warm Adelaide afternoon.

From Trảng Bàng to Grote Street

Bà Năm was founded in Adelaide in 2023 by Huynh Nguyen and Thi Gai Vo, with recipes shaped by Bà Năm Lời's cooking in Trảng Bàng, Tây Ninh since the 1970s. The same care that goes into the 18-hour real-bone broth and the Phở Tái "red coin" — paper-thin rare beef cooked in the bowl by the boiling broth — goes into marinating and grilling the chicken properly. It's not a luxury venue, just very genuine.

Huynh still makes Sunday farm runs for locally sourced beef, and the grilled chicken gets the same unhurried treatment — marinated properly, grilled hot enough to catch real char marks. That approach earned us a spot as a 2025 Hostplus SA Restaurant & Catering Awards finalist in the Vietnamese Restaurant category, with coverage in Glam Adelaide along the way — recognition we're proud of, though the real measure is the bowls going out seven days a week.

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 $6.50.

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.

How to Eat It Like You've Done This Before

Step one: don't eat it in layers. Pour the nước chấm over the top — most people use the whole little bowl — then use chopsticks (or a fork, no judgement) to toss the bowl properly 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 lifts each mouthful.

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 ($14) — fresh prawn and pork rice paper rolls, so they don't fight the bowl; we've written a full guide over at rice paper rolls in Adelaide. 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.

Where to find bún gà nướng in Adelaide Chinatown and the CBD

Bà Năm sits at 65 Grote Street, in the heart of Adelaide Chinatown and an easy walk from most of the CBD — if you're hunting Vietnamese food in the Adelaide CBD, this corner of Grote Street is where to start. Bún Gà Nướng is $20, and the same vermicelli bowl format runs across the menu: Bún Thịt Nướng and Bún Chả Giò at $20 each, the loaded Bún Đặc Biệt at $24, and vegetarian siblings at the same prices. If someone at the table wants soup instead, the 18-hour bone broth and red coin Phở Tái are the house signatures.

Open seven days, 11am–9pm (until 9:30pm October–March), public holidays included. Fair warning: at peak times there's an honest 15–30 minute wait. You can book through OpenTable, call (08) 8151 0106 — groups of 8 or more should ring ahead — or skip the queue by ordering via the app at order.phobanam.com.au.

Visiting Bà Năm

You'll find Bà Năm at 65 Grote Street, Adelaide Chinatown, open seven days from 11am to 9pm (stretching to 9:30pm over summer, October to March), public holidays included. Walk-ins are welcome, and you can book via OpenTable — though fair warning, peak times can mean an honest 15–30 minute wait. Groups of 8 or more should call (08) 8151 0106 ahead. Prefer to order ahead? Our app is at order.phobanam.com.au.

Come hungry, pour the nước chấm with confidence, and toss the bowl properly.

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. It's a dry bowl — not a soup.

How much does bún gà nướng cost at Bà Năm in Adelaide?

Bún Gà Nướng is $20 at Bà Năm, 65 Grote Street, Adelaide Chinatown. Other vermicelli bowls include Bún Thịt Nướng at $20, Bún Chả Giò at $20 and the loaded Bún Đặc Biệt at $24. Vegetarian versions — Bún Chả Giò Chay, Bún Tàu Hủ Chay and Bún Chay Đặc Biệt — range from $20 to $24. Extra Chả Giò (pork) are two for $6.50. Starters worth knowing: Gỏi Cuốn Tôm Thịt $14 for 3, Chả Giò Thịt $14 for 4, Hoành Thánh Chiên $14 for 6, and cà phê đen đá or nâu đá $8.

Is Bún Gà Nướng served hot or cold?

It's a room-temperature dish. The vermicelli noodles and vegetables are cool and fresh, while the grilled chicken comes warm off the grill. That contrast between warm char-grilled meat and cool noodles is one of the best things about the bowl. It's not a soup — no broth involved.

Is there a vegetarian version?

Yes. Bún Chả Giò Chay ($20) tops the noodles with vegetarian spring rolls, Bún Tàu Hủ Chay ($20) uses tofu, and Bún Chay Đặc Biệt ($24) is the fully loaded vegetarian bowl. All come with the same fresh herbs, shredded vegetables and vermicelli as the classic bowls.

Do I need to book a table at Bà Năm?

Walk-ins are welcome seven days a week, though peak times can mean a 15 to 30 minute wait. You can book via OpenTable, and groups of eight or more should call (08) 8151 0106. You can also order ahead through the app at order.phobanam.com.au. Open 11am–9pm (9:30pm in summer, Oct–Mar), public holidays included.

Where can I get bún gà nướng (grilled chicken vermicelli) in Adelaide CBD or Chinatown?

Bà Năm serves Bún Gà Nướng at 65 Grote Street in Adelaide Chinatown, a short walk from most of the CBD. It's $20 a bowl — and worth knowing it's a dry noodle bowl, not a soup: cool vermicelli, fresh herbs, warm char-grilled chicken on top, with nước chấm on the side to pour over. The restaurant is open seven days, 11am–9pm (until 9:30pm October–March), including public holidays. At peak times expect an honest 15–30 minute wait. Book via OpenTable, call (08) 8151 0106 (groups of 8+ should call ahead), or order through the app at order.phobanam.com.au.