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In the middle of a dense row of Chinese restaurants sits one unassuming Vietnamese joint serving up cheap-and-speedy soups, spring rolls, and meat-and-rice dishes to neighborhood workers at a half-dozen Formica tables. Attractive pictures helpfully guide you through the nearly 100-item menu but these styled shots don’t always tell the whole story: Sometimes the English translations set off warning bells (xi muoi—a.k.a. salty plum drink—indeed tastes like heavily salted plum juice); sometimes not (the native rice soup cha long is basically congee with pig parts garnished with congealed blood). Pho, the signature soup of any Vietnamese eatery, however shines, with six different types of pork delectably combined with onions, rice noodles, and fragrant beef broth. — Timothy Cooper

Xe lua pho, $6; bun nem nuong; $5; che ba mau, $2