Com ga hai nam — Vietnamese-style Hainan chicken rice — is a niche dish in Austin. Unlike Houston's Chinatown, Austin does not have restaurants specializing in this dish. You will find it at a few Vietnamese restaurants in the North Lamar corridor, usually as a rice plate rather than a showpiece. The Vietnamese version differs from the Singapore original with its ginger-scallion oil and fish-sauce-based dipping sauce.
Tan My top-pick
Tan My's com ga hai nam is the most traditional version in Austin — poached chicken with silky skin, rice cooked in chicken broth with garlic and ginger, and the essential trio of ginger-scallion oil, fish sauce, and chili sauce on the side. The kitchen's strength across all rice plates extends naturally to this dish. Ask for the chicken bone broth on the side — not all servers offer it automatically.
Pho Please best-value
Pho Please's modern Vietnamese menu includes a solid com ga hai nam that is more refined than most Austin versions. The chicken is properly poached with that desirable jelly layer under the skin, and the rice is fragrant with chicken fat and aromatics. The ginger-scallion sauce here is punchy — more assertive than most, which is exactly how it should be.
Sunflower Vietnamese Cuisine hidden-gem
Sunflower's extensive menu includes com ga hai nam among its rice plates, and the quality is consistent with the restaurant's overall high standard. The rice here is particularly well-executed — each grain separate and glistening with chicken fat. It is a reliable order at a restaurant where you know the kitchen cares about every plate.nnFor com ga hai nam in Austin, Tan My delivers the most authentic version of this Vietnamese Hainan chicken rice.