Mai's Vietnamese Restaurant

Mai’s gets mentioned in many a “hidden gem” review and the raves are well-earned. The location is indeed a little dumpy, but two bites of the grilled pork “bun” (soft rice noodle) makes you forget everything except what’s arriving steaming at the table. Almost everything is under $10 and it’s BYOB, so this funky little place attracts a mix of both starving artists and the Am-Ex accounts who are there for the flavor. Both the trippy indochine music and 80s-era tourist posters make for a lightly surreal, but happy environment.