{"id":2829,"date":"2026-05-28T14:27:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T05:27:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/news\/lai-rai-bib-gourmand\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T14:27:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T05:27:29","slug":"lai-rai-bib-gourmand","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/news\/lai-rai-bib-gourmand\/","title":{"rendered":"A UK first\u2014London Peckham's Vietnamese eatery \"Lai Rai\" wins a Michelin Bib Gourmand 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2026, \"Lai Rai,\" a Vietnamese restaurant on Rye Lane in the Peckham district of south London, became the first Vietnamese restaurant in the UK to earn a Michelin Bib Gourmand. Led by co-founders Blair Nguyen and Ivy Vo, this small eatery serves small plates from \u00a34 to \u00a324 (about 800\u20134,800 yen) in a space reinterpreting Vietnam's \"bia h\u01a1i\" culture.<\/p>\n

Details of the news<\/h2>\n

The Michelin Bib Gourmand is a recognition given to restaurants serving high-quality food at reasonable prices. Unlike starred restaurants, it uses \"a good-value dining experience\" as its criterion.<\/p>\n

The Michelin Guide highly rated Lai Rai for its use of spices and cooking that draws out the ingredients' natural flavors. It was selected as one of the 13 restaurants newly listed on the 2026 London Bib Gourmand list. It's the first time in the guide's history that a Vietnamese restaurant in the UK has received this recognition.<\/p>\n

Following New York's Vietnamese restaurant \"Ngon\" winning the Bib Gourmand consecutively,<\/a>it's a move showing that Vietnamese cuisine's reputation is steadily rising in the West.<\/p>\n

Background<\/h2>\n

The Vinaxoa collective and Peckham's soil<\/h3>\n

Lai Rai's parent body is \"Vinaxoa,\" a food-and-rave collective launched by Blair Nguyen and Ivy Vo. Much of the team came from \"B\u00e1nh B\u00e1nh,\" a Vietnamese restaurant that operated in Peckham. Peckham was originally an area with many African and Caribbean communities, but in recent years a multinational food scene has developed rapidly.<\/p>\n

An interior space clad in \"another world\"<\/h3>\n

The shop name \"Lai Rai\" means \"let's go for a quick drink\" in Vietnamese. The interior design was handled by Joseph Losper and Tomio Shota (House of Baby), dropping the \"Isekai\" concept borrowed from Japanese subculture into the space. Ruby-red and milky-yellow LED strips, reflective mirror surfaces, and red plastic high chairs reminiscent of a Vietnamese popular eatery line up. The red glowing round window visible from the street marks this shop's entrance.<\/p>\n

Artist AP Nguyen serves as operations head, and the stance of \"reconstructing Vietnamese street culture in a London context\" is consistent not just in the food but on the visual side too.<\/p>\n

Menu and prices<\/h2>\n

Lai Rai's menu is small-plate style, with a guide of about \u00a3120 (about 24,000 yen) if two people share. The composition changes between banh mi and Vietnamese coffee at lunch, and small plates and cocktails at night.<\/p>\n

Food<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Dish<\/th>\nDetails<\/th>\nPrice (GBP)<\/th>\nPrice (converted to yen)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Cho\u1ea1 c\u1ed5m (shrimp lollipops)<\/td>\nSignature dish. Fried shrimp made into sticks<\/td>\n\u00a34\/piece<\/td>\nAbout 800 yen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Th\u1ecbt kho t\u00e0u (braised pork belly)<\/td>\nA standard of Vietnamese home cooking. Sweet-savory caramel flavor<\/td>\n\u00a39<\/td>\nAbout 1,800 yen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
B\u00f2 l\u00e1 l\u1ed1t x\u1ed1t c\u00e0 ph\u00ea (beef in coffee BBQ sauce)<\/td>\nA dish pairing beef wrapped in la lot leaves with a Vietnamese coffee BBQ sauce<\/td>\n\u00a316<\/td>\nAbout 3,200 yen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
X\u00f4i v\u00f2 chi\u00ean (fried coconut glutinous rice)<\/td>\nA snack of fried mung bean and coconut glutinous rice. 3 pieces<\/td>\n\u00a34<\/td>\nAbout 800 yen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
V\u1eb9m c\u1ed1t d\u1eeba (mussels in coconut broth)<\/td>\nA soup style with a coconut milk base<\/td>\n\u00a318<\/td>\nAbout 3,600 yen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Cocktails and desserts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Item name<\/th>\nDetails<\/th>\nPrice (GBP)<\/th>\nPrice (converted to yen)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
G\u00e1 nh\u1ea3y<\/td>\nRoku gin, lychee, vermouth<\/td>\n\u00a313<\/td>\nAbout 2,600 yen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Xo\u00e0i d\u00e1<\/td>\nTequila, mango, chili<\/td>\n\u00a312<\/td>\nAbout 2,400 yen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
C\u00e0 ph\u00ea martini<\/td>\nA Vietnamese coffee espresso martini<\/td>\n\u00a312<\/td>\nAbout 2,400 yen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fish sauce and vanilla caramel ice cream<\/td>\nBy Clingy Wrap. An unexpected combination of fish sauce \u00d7 vanilla<\/td>\n\u00a36.50<\/td>\nAbout 1,300 yen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Local reactions<\/h2>\n
\n

\"Peckham has a few Vietnamese restaurants, but only Lai Rai makes you feel 'you can only eat this here.' Even ordering three shrimp lollipops isn't enough.\"
\u2014 A food writer living in London<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

\"For me, with Vietnamese parents, being able to experience the bia h\u01a1i atmosphere in London was itself special. The Bib Gourmand was almost too late.\"
\u2014 A Vietnamese Briton living in Peckham<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

\"There's no doubt the interior's red light and mirror space is Instagrammable. But more than that, the coffee-BBQ-sauce beef stays with you. The price is fair too.\"
\u2014 A reviewer sharing London food on Instagram<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

On social media, posts like \"Peckham's hidden gem\" and \"the most interesting Vietnamese food in London\" stand out, and after the Bib Gourmand announcement, voices lamenting how hard it is to get a reservation have also increased.<\/p>\n

Impact on Japanese travelers<\/h2>\n

Access and budget<\/h3>\n

Rye Lane, where Lai Rai is located, is nearest to Peckham Rye station, about 15 minutes from central London on the Overground line. It's also accessible by bus from Brixton station on the Victoria line. Prices are kept lower than at central restaurants, with a guide of about \u00a3120 (about 24,000 yen) for two people with 5\u20136 small plates + 2 cocktails.<\/p>\n

A comparison with other Vietnamese restaurants<\/h3>\n

Vietnamese restaurants recognized overseas are increasing.Vancouver's Lunch Lady was chosen No. 9 on the \"World's Best Restaurants\"<\/a>and NY's \"Ngon\" also wins the Bib Gourmand consecutively. Lai Rai differs from these in that it earned recognition with a street-food-like approach rather than a high-end route. When visiting London from Japan, it's well worth putting such a \"reasonable, high-quality place\" in your options, not just Michelin-starred restaurants.<\/p>\n

Ripple effects on the industry<\/h2>\n

A turning point in the international assessment of Vietnamese cuisine<\/h3>\n

Pho and banh mi have taken hold worldwide, but the assessment of Vietnamese cuisine in the Michelin Guide was long limited. Entering the 2020s, awards came one after another in NY and Vancouver, and with Lai Rai earning the first Bib Gourmand in the UK too, Vietnamese cuisine is shifting from \"cheap, tasty street food\" to \"a recognized culinary genre.\"<\/p>\n

Connection to fashion and culture<\/h3>\n

The movement of Vietnam-born brands drawing attention on the international stage isn't limited to the food world.As shown by IVY moda making its debut at New York Fashion Week,<\/a>Vietnam's creative industry as a whole is raising its overseas presence. Lai Rai's \"Isekai\" concept also reflects the cultural power of expression of the Vietnamese diaspora, fusing food with design and music.<\/p>\n

Practical information<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Item<\/th>\nDetails<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Shop name<\/td>\nLai Rai<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Address<\/td>\n181 Rye Lane, Peckham, London SE15 4TP<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nearest station<\/td>\nAbout a 3-minute walk from Peckham Rye station (Overground line)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Access from the center<\/td>\nAbout 12 minutes from London Bridge station on the Overground line<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Format<\/td>\nLunch: banh mi & Vietnamese coffee \/ night: small plates & cocktails<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Price range<\/td>\nSmall plates \u00a34\u2013\u00a324 (about 800\u20134,800 yen), about \u00a3120 for two (about 24,000 yen)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Reservations<\/td>\nCrowding is expected after earning the Bib Gourmand. Advance booking recommended<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Payment<\/td>\nCard payment accepted<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Summary<\/h2>\n

Lai Rai won the UK's first Vietnamese Bib Gourmand with a unique space blending Vietnam's bia h\u01a1i culture with the Japanese subculture concept of \"Isekai.\" The soil of the multicultural Peckham district and the Vinaxoa collective's approach of fusing food and culture caught Michelin's eye.<\/p>\n

If you're planning a London trip, visiting on a weekday night is recommended. Since weekends are crowded, Tuesday through Thursday is the sweet spot for leisurely enjoying the shrimp lollipops and the coffee-BBQ-sauce beef. Walk south down Rye Lane from Peckham Rye station and you should find the red glowing round window right away.<\/p>\n

Source:<\/strong>
\nMICHELIN Guide<\/a>\uff5cDesignMyNight<\/a>\uff5cTime Out London<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Vietnamese restaurant Lai Rai in Peckham, south London, became the first Vietnamese restaurant in the UK to earn a Michelin Bib Gourmand. We introduce the menu, access, and budget.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"swell_btn_cv_data":"","ssp_meta_description":"","ssp_meta_keyword":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[71],"purpose":[],"keyword":[],"location":[],"class_list":["post-2829","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","category-news","tag-gourmet"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/2829","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2829"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/2829\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2829"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2829"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2829"},{"taxonomy":"purpose","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/purpose?post=2829"},{"taxonomy":"keyword","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/keyword?post=2829"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=2829"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}