Bún Thịt Nướng in Adelaide: A Guide to the Grilled Pork Vermicelli Bowl

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

Not every great Vietnamese noodle dish arrives steaming. Bún thịt nướng is the other side of the family — a room-temperature bowl of thin rice vermicelli piled with char-grilled pork, crisp shredded vegetables, fresh herbs and a splash of nước chấm that pulls everything together. At Bà Năm on Grote Street in Adelaide Chinatown, it's built the way it was in Bà Năm Lời's home kitchen in 1970s Trảng Bàng, Tây Ninh: pork marinated and grilled until the edges caramelise, then set over noodles that stay light no matter how much you eat. Here's what the dish is, how to eat it, and where it sits in the wider vermicelli lineup.

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

Bún thịt nướng translates roughly to "vermicelli with grilled meat", 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 thịt nướng is essentially a noodle salad. Cool, springy rice vermicelli sits at the base, topped with smoky grilled pork, shredded cucumber, carrot, lettuce and herbs, finished with spring onion and golden fried shallots.

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.

From a Trảng Bàng Home Kitchen to Grote Street

Bà Năm's recipes trace back to Bà Năm Lời's home kitchen in Trảng Bàng, Tây Ninh, in the 1970s — Southern Vietnamese cooking done for family, not for show. Her grandson Huynh Nguyen and owner Thi Gai Vo opened the Adelaide restaurant in 2023, carrying those recipes to 65 Grote Street in Chinatown.

The same sourcing habits that feed our 18-hour bone broth and red coin carry across the whole menu: Huynh still does Sunday farm runs for local beef, and the grilled pork gets the same unhurried treatment — marinated properly, grilled hot enough to catch real char marks. As we like to say, it's not a luxury venue, just very genuine.

The Vermicelli Family on the Menu

Bún thịt nướng is the hero, but it travels with siblings. Bún Thịt Nướng (grilled pork, $20) and Bún Gà Nướng (grilled chicken, $20) are the grilled classics. Bún Chả Giò ($20) swaps the meat for crunchy spring rolls over the noodles — and Bún Đặc Biệt ($24) is the loaded bowl for people who refuse to choose.

Plant-based eaters aren't an afterthought either: Bún Chả Giò Chay ($20), Bún Tàu Hủ Chay ($20) and Bún Chay Đặc Biệt ($24) round out the lineup — more on those in our guide to vegetarian Vietnamese food in Adelaide. If you're still hungry, an extra serve of Chả Giò (2 for $6) never goes astray.

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, then use chopsticks (or a fork, no judgement) to toss the bowl properly — noodles up from the bottom, pork and vegetables folded through, fried shallots scattered everywhere. The dressing needs to reach the vermicelli, because lightly dressed noodles are the whole point.

Some versions around town lean on crushed peanuts; ours shows golden fried shallots and spring onion for that savoury crunch. Adjust chilli to taste, add a squeeze of lime if it's on the table, and eat while the pork still carries warmth from the grill against the cool noodles. That hot-cold contrast is the dish.

What to Order Alongside

Bún thịt nướng plays well with starters. Gỏi Cuốn Tôm Thịt ($14) — fresh prawn and pork rice paper rolls — keeps things light; we've written a full guide over at rice paper rolls in Adelaide. Chả Giò Thịt ($14) doubles down on the fried crunch, and a plate of Hoành Thánh Chiên fried wontons ($14 for six) is the other crackly opener people fight over. For something sharper, the lime-cured beef in our Gỏi Bò Tái Chanh guide makes a bright, tangy start.

And if you're grilled-pork-inclined but in a rice mood, try plain Cơm Sườn or go full pork-trio with Cơm Sườn Bì Chả — broken rice with grilled pork is the same flavour family in a different format (see also our cơm tấm guide). Finish with a cà phê đen đá or nâu đá ($8): strong Vietnamese iced coffee that stands up to a full bowl.

Bún Thịt Nướng in Adelaide Chinatown

There's a right setting for this dish, and Grote Street is it. Bà Năm sits at 65 Grote Street in the middle of Adelaide Chinatown, a short wander from the Central Market — the part of the CBD where lunch actually smells like something. Herbs, grill char, market produce; the bowl fits the neighbourhood.

We're part of a genuinely good strip for Vietnamese eating — our broader rundown lives at Vietnamese food in Adelaide CBD — and Glam Adelaide has featured the restaurant, which was a lovely nod for a family-run kitchen still doing things the slow way.

Visiting Bà Năm

We're open seven days, 11am–9pm (until 9:30pm in summer, October to March), public holidays included. Walk-ins are always welcome; fair warning that peak times can mean an honest 15–30 minute wait, because the kitchen doesn't rush the grill.

You can book via OpenTable, and groups of eight or more should call (08) 8151 0106 so we can set things up properly. Prefer to order ahead? The app at order.phobanam.com.au has the full vermicelli lineup ready to go.

Grilled Pork Off the Noodles

Same family of marinated char-grill, different format: Sườn Nướng is the $16 entrée plate of grilled pork on lettuce — handy if the table wants pork to share before vermicelli bowls arrive.

Frequently asked questions

Is bún thịt nướng served hot or cold?

It's a room-temperature dish. The vermicelli noodles and vegetables are cool and fresh, while the grilled pork 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.

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

Bún Thịt Nướng is $20. Other vermicelli bowls include Bún Gà 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.

Are there vegetarian vermicelli bowls at Bà Năm?

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.

Where is Bà Năm and when is it open?

Bà Năm is at 65 Grote Street in Adelaide Chinatown, near the Central Market. It's open seven days from 11am to 9pm, extending to 9:30pm during summer from October to March, and stays open on public holidays.