Thái Sơn

Thái Sơn has operated at 89 Baxter Street in Manhattan Chinatown since the mid-1990s (New York State filings list Thai Son Restaurant, Inc. from 1996 under Son Xuan Cong). It belongs to the older Chinatown generation of Chinese-Vietnamese kitchens with a long, classic South Vietnamese menu rather than a short chef tasting list. The Infatuation flags grilled pork bánh mì, combination phở (the #3 đặc biệt with sliced beef, brisket, tripe, and tendon), chả giò, bún chả, shaking beef, clay-pot fish, and big round tables that usually seat groups without a wait. Meals often start with a pot of hot tea. A Queens location has also operated in the broader Thai Son family; the Baxter Street original remains the reference room. Walk-in only; cash is often cited as the better value path for phở.

Lunch crowds praise the grilled pork bánh mì, phở volume, spring rolls, and reliable group seating near the courthouses. The room is noisy and high-volume; service uneven when slammed; broth or meat quality can vary. Some prefer cash pricing or find credit-card fees and AC less ideal in summer. Come for bánh mì or a combination phở, share chả giò, and treat it as an easy Chinatown lunch rather than a reservation night.