Delicious food and also way fast and attentive service! Some of my favorites on the menu are the spring rolls, chicken lemongrass soup, and pork broken rice. Yum!
I been here once and I came back for an event and their Pad Thai is amazing and it's tastes wonderful!!
I've visited twice and will keep coming back. Everything I've tried has been delicious and seems made with TLC. I found plenty of free parking. Beautiful atmosphere. Friendly staff. Excellent variety on the food & drink menu.
Beef pho is consistently excellent and served quickly in giant and affordable portions. Photo speaks for itself.
Find me another spot willing to make their cha gio with rice paper. I can't think of a single one right now. Fried pork spring rolls are already a perfect food, and the traditional rice paper preparation - for that perfect 8-10 minutes when they come out piping hot before they become gummy - is more perfect than perfect. I'll be honest. I grew up going to the Lai family's rival restaurant, Vietnam Palace, right across the street from the OG Vietnam Restaurant. Apparently, it was even founded by a member of the Vietnam Restaurant kitchen who had a falling out with the Lai family. Vietnam Palace was my favorite restaurant for 20 years because of rice paper cha gio. And I've been mourning the lack of it in Philly for about as long. Here I am, a grown ass adult, having slept on a West Philly gem just because of old habits (I usually go to South Philly anymore for Viet), and my wife and I go in and order a spread. Nem nuong (grilled pork sausages), cha gio, and a shared bowl of pho bo kho (aromatic beef stew with rice noodles). The nem nuong is a generous portion and comes with rice papers, noodles, do chua (pickled carrot and daikon like in banh mi), mint, and hoisin peanut dipping sauce. You can make 5-6 grilled meatball summer rolls out of it. Or just 3 incredibly fat ones. The pho bo kho is a little more soupy than I like, but the flavor is spot on and the beef is melt in your mouth buttery, dripping with all the anise, achiote, lemongrass flavor as befits the stew. Oddly, no carrots in their preparation but whatever. It's great on a cold night. Finally, the cha gio is extra crispy, made of rice paper, and burn-your-mouth delicious, and come with a bunch of lettuce leaves, herbs, and pickles that seem to confuse anyone who isn't SE Asian and didn't know that you can lettuce wrap anything. This was an excellent three course meal for two that came out to about $50. So, beyond the impossibility of finding the rice paper cha gio, we now have prices that are stuck pre-pandemic. Nice. Trivia: Jeff Lurie's wife is part of the family that owns this place. I only mention it because GO BIRDS!!!!!!!
Decent food and friendly service in a nice, spacious restaurant setting. I honestly had higher hopes for the food (maybe too high), but maybe we ordered the wrong things? My stewed beef noodle soup was good but the noodles were slightly overcooked. I like that they had small and large size options for the noodle soups, and a small was plenty for me. The crispy vegetarian spring rolls were wonderfully crisp, but a tiny bit bland, except that the sauce they came with was super salty and not the flavor profile I expected (still decent, though, just had to dip carefully--maybe they have a different sauce for vegetarian vs not?). My husband's fried tofu vermicelli bowl was fine, kinda basic and a bit light on the veggies. I'd be happy to go back and try other things, but probably only if I'm in the area already.
This West Philly restaurant was a go-to when I used to be around this area. The location has good service, and a low key nice decor inside. The service is pretty quick overall. My most distinct memories of this place are the revolutionary crispy spring rolls. I don't know if I'll ever have spring rolls as great anywhere else. They're large, crispy, flavorful, juicy, and just everything I ever wanted in a spring roll. Because of that, they are served not only as an appetizer, but you can enjoy them over some cold vermicelli noodles with a light sauce, a delightful meal. The tofu curry is also decent, though definitely on the milder side, and a bit more on the watery side. I am vegetarian, but I have also heard the pho here is good!
The lot right next door was great for parking. All and all the food was great and would say the one fish curry stole the show. The tempora shrimp was good too!
I come here often for the Pork/Shrimp Rolls (they don't call them summer rolls on the menu). One order is certainly enough for a quick lunch. Not a ton of Pho options but the options they do have are pretty tasty. Was surprised at the chicken papaya salad- there wasn't much to it. Food is prepared quickly, but I don't think I've ever been here and not had to get up and ask for the check. Not the biggest deal! Staff is friendly, and the vibes are warm & comfortable!