We had the grilled pork bahn mi, state fair cream cheese wontons, tofu and potato chips, grilled pork bun salad, and garlic chicken wings. The food was flavorful, and every bite was delicious! I will definitely come back and try the other items on the menu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hot & Spicy Chicken
GM J
In summary: will absolutely, definitely, no questions asked, come back for more!Food: 10/10Service: 10/10Quality of interaction with staff: 10/10The long version:We are foodies: We workout hard. We eat harder.At approximately 6:30pm, we showed up unannounced with low expectations to be seated. The restaurant was bustling. The welcome from the lady at the front of the house, handing out to-go orders was warm and inviting, even though she was clearly busy. She deferred us to the hostess. I’ll mention the hostess twice. Once with our experience and then, with an observation that told me everything I needed to know.Part 1: Olivia (hostess) elevated us from a warm welcome to an enthusiastic, not the over-the-top kind, but the full-hearted kind, and genuinely engaged experience. She did find us a nook on the far side of the restaurant, and we went into what I can only describe as “food that made us physically happy” experience. The quality of food, the recommendations from our primary server, the “check-in” by another server, none of it felt staged or performative, but genuine and wholesome.My wife had the Ribeye Pho (double the protein), I had the Bò Lúc Lăc “Shaken Beef” - absolutely outstanding: 10/10What really stopped me dead in my culinary tracks, though, were the egg rolls as an appetizer. I don’t know who’s responsible and how they’re prepared, but that’s some kitchen magic. A solid 12/10 in my book. We also had a double order of spring rolls, because, …why not. We eat. A lot.Part 2: The observation:While we were delving into our version of culinary Valhalla, an elderly couple was seated the next booth over. Olivia, the hostess, treated them with the same enthusiastic courtesy as we experienced. However, the gentleman was on crutches. Yes, the crutches would have easily fit next to him in the booth and would not have presented an obstacle. Under normal circumstances, I’d have expected this to be the end of it. Olivia, though, made it a point to ask whether she can store the gentleman’s crutches, for him to have a better and less encumbered dining experience. The man happily agreed to have Olivia store his crutches, and I am reasonably certain, that this type of experience leaves a lasting impression. It sure did for me.Perhaps this is insignificant to the casual observer. To me, a stickler for customer service, attention to detail, servant and empathetic leadership, these nuances are making profound differences.What Olivia, in conjunction with her colleagues, demonstrated, is what’s so often overlooked in the hospitality industry: human connection, equalizing of perceived and actual power-differentials between “serving staff” and “guests”, and nuanced leadership that is invisible to most but felt by all.We will definitely come back for more.
Inside of the restaurant is decorated very nicely, noticeably nice. Interior is also very clean and organized. Every staff I interacted with was very friendly. Definitely a bit upscaled compared to other Asian restaurants in the cities.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hot & Spicy Chicken, Beef, Noodles, Egg Rolls
Chad Larimore
Pho-nomenal food experience! We went there for a business lunch during Restaurant Week and the food was amazing. The staff was friendly and engaging, the atmosphere was open and welcoming, and the food was perfect. I’ve found my new favorite Vietnamese restaurant!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Anna VonRueden
Cute, yummy, classy and service with a smile!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tegan Guess
This place is pho-nominal! Generous portions, wonderful, ambience, friendly staff. Lots of pho-n. Has many options for nonalcoholic cocktails as well! We come here often, and we are excited to try their new lunch special!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Moderate Thinker
Wonderful takeout dinner. We ordered apps (egg rolls, veggie egg rolls, and pork dumplings), main courses (squid ink fried rice, pork and shrimp salad, special lo mein, beef and potatoes, and more), and desserts (banana cake and honeycomb cake).As usual, the food was outstanding and packaged well for takeout. They did make a mistake on our order (they forgot the desserts) but we figured that out before we left the restaurant and they very quickly (and apologetically) corrected the error.Service here is always pleasant and welcoming.HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Elizabeth Mo
Went for resturant week; later in the evening. It was a very calm atmosphere, the waitstaff was lovely and quick to attend a table. The food was delicious and the recommended drink was a sound choice, since I was torn between the lychee and pear cocktails. I'll have to come back and try the other one.The savory cheese puffs were wonderfully crunchy and the dipping sauce was light and not overwhelming. The squid ink fried rice was a sharable size and very tasty; the egg looked a bit funny, but that's what happens when you put black ink on a white egg. The banana cake was a wonderful way to round out the meal; it was sweet, but not too sweet and the coconut sauce was light and lovely, I could absolutely stand to see double the amount on my cakes.Parking: No lot, nornal grand avenue parking situation.Wheelchair accessibility: Two door setup at a 90° right turn, might be too tight of turn for a larger chair. Only the inside doorway has a door. Heavy push to enter.Entry dual door area has a gentle ramp. Is currently carpeted in winter.There is a larger through area that would be easier to navigate in a chair, but all the other gaps between the tables are very narrow, at about 16".I did not check the restroom.
One of my favorite spots for Vietnamese cuisine. The egg rolls are a must and the Hot & Spicy chicken is perfection! If they came up with a H&S chicken on wide, flat rice noodles, I will have died and gone to heaven!!!
I only gave three stars for service due to the long wait to get our food after we placed the order. That was my only complaint. The food was amazing. I will definitely come back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Tom F.
Best egg rolls and fried rice
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Willie
We've been here 4 times since moving to St Paul 12 months ago so this is a well considered review. It's an upscale Vietnamese restaurant with some surprising offerings.By far the best item on the menu is squid rice covered with bonita and flying fish roe. It's not an Asian dish, but absolutely fabulous. I've only had squid rice in Puerto Rico and once in an Alsatian restaurant. This was the best of all.Also has Vietnamese standards. People claim that their favorite restaurant has the BEST pho, which just means they haven't been to many restaurants. The pho here is in the top quartile in the Twin Cities, which has so many good Vietnamese restaurants. The herb mix has a floral note that most other good pho restaurants lack. Definitely worth savoring.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nori miso
Really good service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hot & Spicy Chicken
Chris Molenaar
My fiance and I love this place, have been coming for a couple years now. Great vegetarian options, seasonal dishes and lovely cocktails. Great date night atmosphere. We always get the cream cheese wontons and pork egg rolls, but I've never had something here that I didn't like.Vegetarian options: Many dishes can be made vegetarian, and are flavorful and richly seasoned
Absolutely delicious! 5 stars! ☺️
We had the grilled pork bahn mi, state fair cream cheese wontons, tofu and potato chips, grilled pork bun salad, and garlic chicken wings. The food was flavorful, and every bite was delicious! I will definitely come back and try the other items on the menu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hot & Spicy Chicken
In summary: will absolutely, definitely, no questions asked, come back for more!Food: 10/10Service: 10/10Quality of interaction with staff: 10/10The long version:We are foodies: We workout hard. We eat harder.At approximately 6:30pm, we showed up unannounced with low expectations to be seated. The restaurant was bustling. The welcome from the lady at the front of the house, handing out to-go orders was warm and inviting, even though she was clearly busy. She deferred us to the hostess. I’ll mention the hostess twice. Once with our experience and then, with an observation that told me everything I needed to know.Part 1: Olivia (hostess) elevated us from a warm welcome to an enthusiastic, not the over-the-top kind, but the full-hearted kind, and genuinely engaged experience. She did find us a nook on the far side of the restaurant, and we went into what I can only describe as “food that made us physically happy” experience. The quality of food, the recommendations from our primary server, the “check-in” by another server, none of it felt staged or performative, but genuine and wholesome.My wife had the Ribeye Pho (double the protein), I had the Bò Lúc Lăc “Shaken Beef” - absolutely outstanding: 10/10What really stopped me dead in my culinary tracks, though, were the egg rolls as an appetizer. I don’t know who’s responsible and how they’re prepared, but that’s some kitchen magic. A solid 12/10 in my book. We also had a double order of spring rolls, because, …why not. We eat. A lot.Part 2: The observation:While we were delving into our version of culinary Valhalla, an elderly couple was seated the next booth over. Olivia, the hostess, treated them with the same enthusiastic courtesy as we experienced. However, the gentleman was on crutches. Yes, the crutches would have easily fit next to him in the booth and would not have presented an obstacle. Under normal circumstances, I’d have expected this to be the end of it. Olivia, though, made it a point to ask whether she can store the gentleman’s crutches, for him to have a better and less encumbered dining experience. The man happily agreed to have Olivia store his crutches, and I am reasonably certain, that this type of experience leaves a lasting impression. It sure did for me.Perhaps this is insignificant to the casual observer. To me, a stickler for customer service, attention to detail, servant and empathetic leadership, these nuances are making profound differences.What Olivia, in conjunction with her colleagues, demonstrated, is what’s so often overlooked in the hospitality industry: human connection, equalizing of perceived and actual power-differentials between “serving staff” and “guests”, and nuanced leadership that is invisible to most but felt by all.We will definitely come back for more.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Egg Rolls, Shaken Beef, Ribeye Pho
Inside of the restaurant is decorated very nicely, noticeably nice. Interior is also very clean and organized. Every staff I interacted with was very friendly. Definitely a bit upscaled compared to other Asian restaurants in the cities.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hot & Spicy Chicken, Beef, Noodles, Egg Rolls
Pho-nomenal food experience! We went there for a business lunch during Restaurant Week and the food was amazing. The staff was friendly and engaging, the atmosphere was open and welcoming, and the food was perfect. I’ve found my new favorite Vietnamese restaurant!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cute, yummy, classy and service with a smile!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This place is pho-nominal! Generous portions, wonderful, ambience, friendly staff. Lots of pho-n. Has many options for nonalcoholic cocktails as well! We come here often, and we are excited to try their new lunch special!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wonderful takeout dinner. We ordered apps (egg rolls, veggie egg rolls, and pork dumplings), main courses (squid ink fried rice, pork and shrimp salad, special lo mein, beef and potatoes, and more), and desserts (banana cake and honeycomb cake).As usual, the food was outstanding and packaged well for takeout. They did make a mistake on our order (they forgot the desserts) but we figured that out before we left the restaurant and they very quickly (and apologetically) corrected the error.Service here is always pleasant and welcoming.HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Went for resturant week; later in the evening. It was a very calm atmosphere, the waitstaff was lovely and quick to attend a table. The food was delicious and the recommended drink was a sound choice, since I was torn between the lychee and pear cocktails. I'll have to come back and try the other one.The savory cheese puffs were wonderfully crunchy and the dipping sauce was light and not overwhelming. The squid ink fried rice was a sharable size and very tasty; the egg looked a bit funny, but that's what happens when you put black ink on a white egg. The banana cake was a wonderful way to round out the meal; it was sweet, but not too sweet and the coconut sauce was light and lovely, I could absolutely stand to see double the amount on my cakes.Parking: No lot, nornal grand avenue parking situation.Wheelchair accessibility: Two door setup at a 90° right turn, might be too tight of turn for a larger chair. Only the inside doorway has a door. Heavy push to enter.Entry dual door area has a gentle ramp. Is currently carpeted in winter.There is a larger through area that would be easier to navigate in a chair, but all the other gaps between the tables are very narrow, at about 16".I did not check the restroom.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cheese Puffs, Steamed Banana Cake
One of my favorite spots for Vietnamese cuisine. The egg rolls are a must and the Hot & Spicy chicken is perfection! If they came up with a H&S chicken on wide, flat rice noodles, I will have died and gone to heaven!!!
Restaurantji Recommends
I only gave three stars for service due to the long wait to get our food after we placed the order. That was my only complaint. The food was amazing. I will definitely come back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Best egg rolls and fried rice
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We've been here 4 times since moving to St Paul 12 months ago so this is a well considered review. It's an upscale Vietnamese restaurant with some surprising offerings.By far the best item on the menu is squid rice covered with bonita and flying fish roe. It's not an Asian dish, but absolutely fabulous. I've only had squid rice in Puerto Rico and once in an Alsatian restaurant. This was the best of all.Also has Vietnamese standards. People claim that their favorite restaurant has the BEST pho, which just means they haven't been to many restaurants. The pho here is in the top quartile in the Twin Cities, which has so many good Vietnamese restaurants. The herb mix has a floral note that most other good pho restaurants lack. Definitely worth savoring.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Really good service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hot & Spicy Chicken
My fiance and I love this place, have been coming for a couple years now. Great vegetarian options, seasonal dishes and lovely cocktails. Great date night atmosphere. We always get the cream cheese wontons and pork egg rolls, but I've never had something here that I didn't like.Vegetarian options: Many dishes can be made vegetarian, and are flavorful and richly seasoned
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5