VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY!!!! you would never think that little sister could accommodate vegetarians so easily however, we had such a great time with so many options. Everything was so flavorful. Highly recommended- crispy rice, papaya salad, and the dish with the okra/eggplant/tofu with the smoky rice.
Mary C T.
Yelp doesn't allow negative star reviews. Ordering 2 hours in advance and then being told your order will take another 15-20 mins when you arrive and after waiting 10 mins, being told it's going to be an additional 40 mins is unacceptable. The food isn't worth being strung along or the ridiculous wait time. I only come here because it's convenient, otherwise it's SUPER overpriced Vietnamese food. You can get 5x more food, fresher ingredients and totally authentic Vietnamamese food in little Saigon.
mark lecompte
Very good selection of traditional dishes with a modern spin. Definitely order lots of things and share.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Vuong P.
Fresh take on classic Viet dishes. Some will dislike but it is just different and worth a try. Service is ok. A bit understaffed but that is sadly the norm lately.
Ingrid L.
The restaurant's decor exudes an upscale Asian ambiance. However, don't mistake it for a typical Vietnamese restaurant as it doesn't offer the traditional Vietnamese dishes one might anticipate. While the food here is satisfying, it comes with a higher price tag for what you receive. The service at this place was unremarkable, and unfortunately, the staff was unwilling to accommodate any dietary restrictions.
Matt L.
Little Sister embarks on the difficult task of taking something good and making it incredible. I admire the vision, however they fell short of "incredible" and landed in the land of "great" instead. Point blank, the water is atrocious. Tastes somehow worse than municipal tap water. I had to get that out of the way because I've never been to restaurant of this caliber and had such nasty water. Ok water rant over. We ordered the Lemongrass beef with vermicelli, chicken bahn mi, pork chop, shaky beef, and 3 egg rolls. Overall, presentation was great. The beef vermicelli was 7/10 - aggressively ordinary. Beef was tough, noodles were nice along with fresh vegetables. I regret ordering it though and wish I had tried something else. The bahn mi was a surprise hit at an 9/10. The fries were phenomenal and so "snackable". They went fast as did the sandwich. The crunchy, chewy, and soft bread caressing tender chicken has my mouth watering as I write. Let's talk about that pork chop at 9/10. It looked so dry, but upon biting into it was soft/tender. The egg over the rice was a welcome addition. Really good. The shaky beef was controversial at the table. I'm giving it a 6.5/10. The beef was not fun. Super tough and chewy. I would say the whole dish is awful but the chicken fat rice might have been the best rice I've ever had. Net zero gain on the style points here. Egg rolls 8/10. Crispy, crunchy, GREASY with delicious shrimp and fresh lettuce. We ordered an additional egg roll, didn't get it, got charged for it, and had to amend the bill. It happens! I was hoping for a fresh take on Vietnamese staples and did not find anything to be a reinterpretation, reinvention, or remarkable. Little Sister does not take enough risks, coloring inside the lines and offering dishes that were great but not memorable. Although I did enjoy a couple of the dishes, there is nothing that would make me return. We still had a great night, and I respect the craft. I'm sure one could rebut and argue that my taste is off, however you can't get around the beef being super chewy, for example. Additional notes: the menu is unfathomably difficult to read. The formatting and layout break so many design rules in a bad way. We've got no indentations, small text, no capitalizations, and a stylized font. I felt like I was reading an essay. Not cute. Service was professional but not attentive. Busy night, not pointing fingers.
J Alfred
It was our first time to this restaurant, and we loved it. Great food, great ambience, great service, and great bar. Looking forward to going back with my wife,friends, & colleagues. The menu has items and flavors you just don’t find many other places in the area with this quality.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Yen B
I had the pork lemongrass skewers with noodles. There were a lot of veggies and herbs but barely any noodles. I had to ask for more noodles. The fish sauce was spot on, I was worried it was water down.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 3
Katelyn K.
My friends and I had time to kill so we decided to have a light meal at Little Sister. We did not make a reservation and was seated right away for a table of 4 around 1pm on a Saturday. Here's what we ordered: Crispy prawns Pho banh cuon Lemon grass fried chicken wings Nem nuong Vietnamese iced coffee The kennedy (I think?) The atmosphere is nice but I can't say I'm impressed by the food. Among the dishes I ordered, nothing really blew me away. I did like the drinks and The Kennedy was pretty strong. If I stop by again I'd like to try other dishes.
Megan L.
The place is beautiful. Our server Eric gave excellent recommendations and was patient when we ordered. All the food was delicious from the lemon grass beef noodle, crispy chicken wings, to the so tender salmon cooked to perfection. We had a great time here. Highly recommend the restaurant and server Eric.
It's just ok. Went here on a date night and it was busy so we sat at the bar. The service was good, everyone was friendly. The food wasn't impressive, not bad either. Just meh. I don't think we'll be back. We much prefer NEP over Little Sister.
janine r.
We have eaten here several times. (The first time was at their restaurant in DTLA and it was outstanding) We eat at a lot of more authentic, simple Asian restaurants all over OC, especially in Little Saigon. We are always so pleased with the surprising and delicious mix of flavors and healthy ingredients in all the dishes we have enjoyed. The mixed drinks are fun as well. Can't believe the star rating doesn't reflect how great this place is. The service is spotty sometimes but the great food and welcoming environment always make up for it--and we understand restaurants have had a hard time finding and keeping good, consistent help these days. It was clear everyone was giving it their best.
Mir L.
I love this hip spot! The food is so delicious and the ambiance is cool and trendy. The portion sizes are smaller and the price is higher but if you go with friends and share, it's worth it. Ive tried almost everything and my least favorite is surprisngly the fresh spring rolls.
Tanya G.
The food was delicious and authentic. Service was amazing. Our waitress did a great job giving us recommendations. The place is nice and cozy.
Catherine L.
Love the ambiance inside with its low lights and the bright outdoor patio! Service was excellent and food was tasty. I usually don't go to bougie looking Southeast Asian restaurants since I like my food more on the authentic (my auntie made it kinda authentic), and gentrified Asian food is not my cup of tea. I will admit though that the food and drinks were surprisingly good! Great flavors and textures and drinks were strong and tasty. I didn't get a photo but my bestie got a black rice seafood dish and it was probably the best thing ever!
VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY!!!! you would never think that little sister could accommodate vegetarians so easily however, we had such a great time with so many options. Everything was so flavorful. Highly recommended- crispy rice, papaya salad, and the dish with the okra/eggplant/tofu with the smoky rice.
Yelp doesn't allow negative star reviews. Ordering 2 hours in advance and then being told your order will take another 15-20 mins when you arrive and after waiting 10 mins, being told it's going to be an additional 40 mins is unacceptable. The food isn't worth being strung along or the ridiculous wait time. I only come here because it's convenient, otherwise it's SUPER overpriced Vietnamese food. You can get 5x more food, fresher ingredients and totally authentic Vietnamamese food in little Saigon.
Very good selection of traditional dishes with a modern spin. Definitely order lots of things and share.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fresh take on classic Viet dishes. Some will dislike but it is just different and worth a try. Service is ok. A bit understaffed but that is sadly the norm lately.
The restaurant's decor exudes an upscale Asian ambiance. However, don't mistake it for a typical Vietnamese restaurant as it doesn't offer the traditional Vietnamese dishes one might anticipate. While the food here is satisfying, it comes with a higher price tag for what you receive. The service at this place was unremarkable, and unfortunately, the staff was unwilling to accommodate any dietary restrictions.
Little Sister embarks on the difficult task of taking something good and making it incredible. I admire the vision, however they fell short of "incredible" and landed in the land of "great" instead. Point blank, the water is atrocious. Tastes somehow worse than municipal tap water. I had to get that out of the way because I've never been to restaurant of this caliber and had such nasty water. Ok water rant over. We ordered the Lemongrass beef with vermicelli, chicken bahn mi, pork chop, shaky beef, and 3 egg rolls. Overall, presentation was great. The beef vermicelli was 7/10 - aggressively ordinary. Beef was tough, noodles were nice along with fresh vegetables. I regret ordering it though and wish I had tried something else. The bahn mi was a surprise hit at an 9/10. The fries were phenomenal and so "snackable". They went fast as did the sandwich. The crunchy, chewy, and soft bread caressing tender chicken has my mouth watering as I write. Let's talk about that pork chop at 9/10. It looked so dry, but upon biting into it was soft/tender. The egg over the rice was a welcome addition. Really good. The shaky beef was controversial at the table. I'm giving it a 6.5/10. The beef was not fun. Super tough and chewy. I would say the whole dish is awful but the chicken fat rice might have been the best rice I've ever had. Net zero gain on the style points here. Egg rolls 8/10. Crispy, crunchy, GREASY with delicious shrimp and fresh lettuce. We ordered an additional egg roll, didn't get it, got charged for it, and had to amend the bill. It happens! I was hoping for a fresh take on Vietnamese staples and did not find anything to be a reinterpretation, reinvention, or remarkable. Little Sister does not take enough risks, coloring inside the lines and offering dishes that were great but not memorable. Although I did enjoy a couple of the dishes, there is nothing that would make me return. We still had a great night, and I respect the craft. I'm sure one could rebut and argue that my taste is off, however you can't get around the beef being super chewy, for example. Additional notes: the menu is unfathomably difficult to read. The formatting and layout break so many design rules in a bad way. We've got no indentations, small text, no capitalizations, and a stylized font. I felt like I was reading an essay. Not cute. Service was professional but not attentive. Busy night, not pointing fingers.
It was our first time to this restaurant, and we loved it. Great food, great ambience, great service, and great bar. Looking forward to going back with my wife,friends, & colleagues. The menu has items and flavors you just don’t find many other places in the area with this quality.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I had the pork lemongrass skewers with noodles. There were a lot of veggies and herbs but barely any noodles. I had to ask for more noodles. The fish sauce was spot on, I was worried it was water down.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 3
My friends and I had time to kill so we decided to have a light meal at Little Sister. We did not make a reservation and was seated right away for a table of 4 around 1pm on a Saturday. Here's what we ordered: Crispy prawns Pho banh cuon Lemon grass fried chicken wings Nem nuong Vietnamese iced coffee The kennedy (I think?) The atmosphere is nice but I can't say I'm impressed by the food. Among the dishes I ordered, nothing really blew me away. I did like the drinks and The Kennedy was pretty strong. If I stop by again I'd like to try other dishes.
The place is beautiful. Our server Eric gave excellent recommendations and was patient when we ordered. All the food was delicious from the lemon grass beef noodle, crispy chicken wings, to the so tender salmon cooked to perfection. We had a great time here. Highly recommend the restaurant and server Eric.
Restaurantji Recommends
It's just ok. Went here on a date night and it was busy so we sat at the bar. The service was good, everyone was friendly. The food wasn't impressive, not bad either. Just meh. I don't think we'll be back. We much prefer NEP over Little Sister.
We have eaten here several times. (The first time was at their restaurant in DTLA and it was outstanding) We eat at a lot of more authentic, simple Asian restaurants all over OC, especially in Little Saigon. We are always so pleased with the surprising and delicious mix of flavors and healthy ingredients in all the dishes we have enjoyed. The mixed drinks are fun as well. Can't believe the star rating doesn't reflect how great this place is. The service is spotty sometimes but the great food and welcoming environment always make up for it--and we understand restaurants have had a hard time finding and keeping good, consistent help these days. It was clear everyone was giving it their best.
I love this hip spot! The food is so delicious and the ambiance is cool and trendy. The portion sizes are smaller and the price is higher but if you go with friends and share, it's worth it. Ive tried almost everything and my least favorite is surprisngly the fresh spring rolls.
The food was delicious and authentic. Service was amazing. Our waitress did a great job giving us recommendations. The place is nice and cozy.
Love the ambiance inside with its low lights and the bright outdoor patio! Service was excellent and food was tasty. I usually don't go to bougie looking Southeast Asian restaurants since I like my food more on the authentic (my auntie made it kinda authentic), and gentrified Asian food is not my cup of tea. I will admit though that the food and drinks were surprisingly good! Great flavors and textures and drinks were strong and tasty. I didn't get a photo but my bestie got a black rice seafood dish and it was probably the best thing ever!