Rice Rice Baby serves straight-up authentic Vietnamese food — 'no pho'kn fusion' — from its spot on Ariki Street in Westown, New Plymouth. Part of a small New Zealand family that also runs restaurants in Mount Maunganui and Hamilton East, the New Plymouth kitchen works through the Vietnamese street-food canon: bánh mì stacked with pickled carrot and daikon, crispy pork spring rolls, sticky fish sauce chicken wings, duck salad, and a proper lineup of noodle soups led by phở bò and the spicy bún bò Huế. Drinks get equal attention, with house-infused cocktails, beer and cider on tap, Vietnamese coffee served hot or iced, and an eleven-pour wine list. The recipe has clearly resonated: more than 2,000 five-star Google reviews, nods from TripAdvisor, Neat Places, The Urban List and Denizen, a Deloitte Fast 50 2024 regional category win, and a Chicken Noodle Salad recipe featured by My Food Bag. Eat in, order pick-up online, get delivery via Delivereasy, or book them for catering — and know that doors open every day from 11:30am until late.
Rice Rice Baby on Ariki Street in Westown announces its intentions on the tin: straight up authentic Vietnamese food — no pho'kn fusion. It's a wink, but it's also the whole philosophy. This Taranaki outpost of the much-loved Rice Rice Baby family, which also runs restaurants in Mount Maunganui and Hamilton East, has built its reputation on Vietnamese classics done properly, served with a generous side of cheek.
The menu is a tour of Vietnam's street-food canon. It opens with drinking snacks: prawn crackers made from tapioca starch, fresh shrimp and garlic, and roasted garlic and chilli peanuts, billed as the favourite Vietnamese snack for after-work drinks. Vietnamese baguettes come stacked with pickled carrot, daikon, coriander and homemade mayo — pork, chicken or tofu and avocado, with optional traditional pate and fresh chilli. Then come the small plates, and this is where tables start filling up with things to share: crispy pork spring rolls with traditional fish sauce, Saigon-style prawn and pork dumplings, sticky fish sauce chicken wings with fried garlic, sticky tamarind spare ribs, salt and pepper squid, and vegan wontons.
If you want to test a Vietnamese kitchen, order the soup — and Rice Rice Baby passes comfortably. Phở bò arrives the traditional way, with rice noodles, onion, spring onion, coriander and bean sprouts, and traditional meatballs on request. Bún bò Huế, the fiery beef noodle soup of central Vietnam, layers chilli, pineapple, lemongrass and shrimp paste broth with Vietnamese-style ham and thick round noodles. There's a southern-style chicken noodle soup scattered with fried garlic and shallots, plus a tofu and vegetable version for plant-based diners.
Beyond the broth, the large plates show real range: creamy chicken curry simmered with coconut cream and bamboo shoots, waterfall chicken poached in spiced broth then deep fried over ginger rice, spicy prawn and coconut fried rice, sticky rice with grilled chicken or pork, crispy pork belly in sticky sauce, and a Vietnamese duck salad tossed with apple, pomelo and lime dressing. Vegans are genuinely catered for — the sweet and spicy lemongrass tofu and tofu and nest spring roll noodle salad are proper dishes, not afterthoughts. Save room for chè chuối, a cold banana sago pudding with coconut cream and peanuts.
The drinks list is as playful as the food. Cocktails lean on house-infused spirits: lemongrass-infused gin in the Saigon Sour, coconut-infused tequila with chilli salt in the Hot Lips, and the Caramelised Colada built on caramelised coconut rum. There's beer and cider on tap, bottles including Saigon Special Green Label, authentic Vietnamese coffee served hot or iced, juices, kombucha and sodas, plus an eleven-strong wine list running from prosecco to shiraz.
The formula has clearly landed. The restaurant counts more than 2,000 five-star Google reviews, has picked up nods on TripAdvisor and in Neat Places, The Urban List and Denizen, and featured among Deloitte's Fast 50 2024 regional category winners. Its chicken noodle salad with spring onion oil and peanuts was even featured by My Food Bag — and after overwhelming requests, the recipe now lives permanently on the website so anyone can cook it at home.
If you can't make it in, the kitchen comes to you: order pick-up online or get delivery through Delivereasy. There's catering for private and corporate events large or small, digital gift vouchers you can personalise and schedule from anywhere in the world, a Cherry Club rewards program for regulars, and a line of limited-edition merch.
Rice Rice Baby New Plymouth is open every day from 11:30am until late at 18 Ariki Street. Walk in hungry, bring a few friends, and order across the menu — that's how this place is meant to be eaten.