The pork spring roll that made Brodard a Little Saigon institution.
Brodard's Nem Nướng Cuốn — grilled pork sausage, a crispy wonton strip, cucumber, fresh herbs, and rice paper — is the spring roll that made Brodard a Little Saigon institution. The Dang family, led by Diane Dang and later her daughters, has been serving this dish in Little Saigon since the 1990s, eventually expanding into a larger Fountain Valley building without sacrificing what made the original worth the trip.
The Brodard name was chosen to evoke French bakery associations, but the spring roll changed everything. The nem nướng is made in-house, the wonton strip delivers the structural crunch, and the warm house sauce — sweet, savory, orange-hued, and closely guarded — is what competitors have spent years trying to reverse-engineer. Brodard didn't invent nem nướng, but this is the version that made the pre-rolled style famous in Southern California.
Massive dining rooms, waiters moving with towering trays, a constant low roar of conversation. Loud and energetic, not intimate — and remarkably fast for a restaurant operating at this scale.
Nem Nướng Cuốn (Pork Spring Rolls)—get them first and get extra; the grilled pork sausage, wonton strip, and house special sauce are the reason everyone is here.
The House Sauce—the warm, orange-hued dipping sauce is not optional; it's the point of the dish and the element no one has successfully duplicated.
Bánh Xèo—a pan-fried rice flour crepe with coconut milk, filled with pork, shrimp, and bean sprouts; order it alongside the spring rolls for a proper meal.
Location: 16105 Brookhurst St, Fountain Valley · Hours: Daily 8:00 AM–9:00 PM · Note: Takeout counter available for to-go spring roll orders
You cannot visit Orange County and skip these spring rolls. Even if you're eating dinner somewhere else, stopping at the takeout counter for an order to go is worth the detour. Don't modify the dishes — the kitchen runs at scale with precision, and the classics are the reason the dining room is typically full.