Great service. Great place to wait for programs or people at the rec center. Shares space with Pearl Island.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kevin G.
Tucked away off the main road sits an informational jewel. As a museum and history fanatic I found venue to just as attention holding as it's much bigger cousins. You can learn a lot about the local area and it makes you want to know more as you realize that there is more to the city than just being a college town. As you sit in the former school house you can close your eyes and feel yourself walk through time. Take an afternoon to understand today by seeing what you can learn from the past. "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." George Santayana
shaicville
I get a platter from Pearl Island at least once a week, if not more. The food is fantastic and the platters will last me for two meals. They have vegan and vegetarian options that are amazing.
Emily B.
Literally my favorite place in Charlottesville. So sad I graduated so now I can't get my weekly banh mi.
Tiffany L.
It's early October and it's 94F today. I still got the ginger lemongrass noodle soup (hot) because it's my bday and I can do what I want. It's a very dish but I drank every last drop of broth. It's difficult finding yummy viet food in town. Although this place is Vietnamese-inspired vegan food, all the flavors and ingredients are there. One day I'll come back to try a different dish because the rice noodle bowls and spring rolls look amazing.
Alyssa S.
I ordered ginger tofu soup, tofu rolls, and the caramelized onion noodles to go. The soup was fantastic, and the noodles were good. The rolls had THE smallest piece of tofu I've ever seen (I wouldn't have known it was there if I didn't dissect the roll) so it really was just a bunch of carrots wrapped in rice paper. My food was ready relatively quickly, but they did misquote the time it'd be ready by a solid 10 minutes. Overall, this is a great spot for vegetarian and vegan options!
Maggie M.
Vu Noodles never disappoints. I've been a customer for two years, and I used to get Vu a lot when I worked downtown. My go to order is always the same: tofu caramelized onion noodle with flat noodles and fish sauce. It doesn't matter who made it that day, the flavor is always the same. It's constant, and it's delicious. I've also tried their banh mi, and it's just as amazing. It reminded me of the banh mi I had in Vietnam, except this one is vegetarian. I just wish that they're open on weekends and in between meal times. Unfortunately, my desire for Vu often comes when they're not open but I guess that's more on me! This is definitely one of the best food here in Charlottesville, and I will miss it when I leave.
Diana F.
I went in today because my kiddo had a gymnastics class at the recreation center. I wanted to support something local and it smelled really delicious. I paid way too much for what amounted to spaghetti with a thin peanut sauce and very few peanuts. There was a little bit of cauliflower and green beans and I paid two dollars extra to have tofu. I hate disparaging restaurants but I would definitely not pay that cost again for the product.
Connie L.
I grabbed a vegan banh mi for dinner on a Monday evening in June 2019 while working nearby. Vu Noodles is a small but cute place attached to/located in a school building. There was only 1 other customer when I arrived just before 6:30 PM, and the woman manning the cash register was super friendly and welcoming. When I placed my order, she asked if I wanted jalapeí±os on my sandwich; I opted not to get them since I'm not great with spicy food. My sandwich came out about 5 minutes later. It was really tasty, packed with a good amount of marinated tofu, pickled veggies, cucumber, and cilantro. The tofu was super flavorful and had a meat-like texture; I'm not a vegan but I found it to be a very convincing substitute for meat and would gladly have it again. If you're ever in the mood for meat but determined to be vegetarian or vegan, this tofu would probably hit the spot. If anything, I actually found the tofu to be a little too flavorful for me and wished there was maybe some more cucumber or something else bland or sweet to sort of offset it. I also didn't taste much of the mayo, but that might have just been due to the tofu overpowering it. The sandwich was $9.19 after taxes. I found the banh mi to be reasonably filling, but I'm quite a petite person so I think for someone with a bigger appetite than me, it might not be enough food for almost $10. However, it was definitely a well-made sandwich with a lot of flavors, and a great local vegan option that I'd definitely recommend trying out. If you dine in, the restaurant looked clean and cutely decorated, and there were a few tables as well as glasses for water.
Shelley W.
Passing through Charlottesville we were in the mood for pho and found Vu. It turns out that they didn't serve pho except on Tuesdays and Fridays. But no worries, the sister restaurant in this location had a wonderful black beans and rice dish served with kale salad and plantains that was tasty and very filling. A cute little gem.
Such delicious noodles at a great price. The gluten free tofu with caramelized onions were fantastic. The vegan spring rolls were just ok - a bit dry and sauce was too thin. Regardless, I was so impressed by the noodles that I will definitely be back!
Rachel M.
The best. You cannot go wrong- everything is amazing. This is one of the biggest reasons I miss living in CVille.
Patrick B.
Vu Noodles is literally a hole in the wall Vietnamese shop. They have a really simple menu with spring rolls, banh mi and various noodle dishes. It's also friendly to those with vegan and gluten-free, as they have ingredients to accommodate for all (minus the meat!). I ordered the tofu caramelized onions with rice noodles with mild spice. This dish was packed with flavor, and the noodles were cooked perfectly. My only knock is that I wanted more for the price I paid, as I went to go find something else to satiate my hunger afterwards. I'd be interested in trying out the Banh Mi next time!
Richard W.
Great food and so long as you are not expecting any ambience at all, well worth seeking out. The place is located in a large room within a disused school.
Briana M.
Great spot for some vegan and vegetarian Asian cuisine! I had the spring rolls with peanut sauce which was delicious, and the Vegie Peanut dish which was also very good. Nice atmosphere and very friendly staff! Reasonably priced options. Located right next to Pearl Island which has good Caribbean food.
Great service. Great place to wait for programs or people at the rec center. Shares space with Pearl Island.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tucked away off the main road sits an informational jewel. As a museum and history fanatic I found venue to just as attention holding as it's much bigger cousins. You can learn a lot about the local area and it makes you want to know more as you realize that there is more to the city than just being a college town. As you sit in the former school house you can close your eyes and feel yourself walk through time. Take an afternoon to understand today by seeing what you can learn from the past. "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." George Santayana
I get a platter from Pearl Island at least once a week, if not more. The food is fantastic and the platters will last me for two meals. They have vegan and vegetarian options that are amazing.
Literally my favorite place in Charlottesville. So sad I graduated so now I can't get my weekly banh mi.
It's early October and it's 94F today. I still got the ginger lemongrass noodle soup (hot) because it's my bday and I can do what I want. It's a very dish but I drank every last drop of broth. It's difficult finding yummy viet food in town. Although this place is Vietnamese-inspired vegan food, all the flavors and ingredients are there. One day I'll come back to try a different dish because the rice noodle bowls and spring rolls look amazing.
I ordered ginger tofu soup, tofu rolls, and the caramelized onion noodles to go. The soup was fantastic, and the noodles were good. The rolls had THE smallest piece of tofu I've ever seen (I wouldn't have known it was there if I didn't dissect the roll) so it really was just a bunch of carrots wrapped in rice paper. My food was ready relatively quickly, but they did misquote the time it'd be ready by a solid 10 minutes. Overall, this is a great spot for vegetarian and vegan options!
Vu Noodles never disappoints. I've been a customer for two years, and I used to get Vu a lot when I worked downtown. My go to order is always the same: tofu caramelized onion noodle with flat noodles and fish sauce. It doesn't matter who made it that day, the flavor is always the same. It's constant, and it's delicious. I've also tried their banh mi, and it's just as amazing. It reminded me of the banh mi I had in Vietnam, except this one is vegetarian. I just wish that they're open on weekends and in between meal times. Unfortunately, my desire for Vu often comes when they're not open but I guess that's more on me! This is definitely one of the best food here in Charlottesville, and I will miss it when I leave.
I went in today because my kiddo had a gymnastics class at the recreation center. I wanted to support something local and it smelled really delicious. I paid way too much for what amounted to spaghetti with a thin peanut sauce and very few peanuts. There was a little bit of cauliflower and green beans and I paid two dollars extra to have tofu. I hate disparaging restaurants but I would definitely not pay that cost again for the product.
I grabbed a vegan banh mi for dinner on a Monday evening in June 2019 while working nearby. Vu Noodles is a small but cute place attached to/located in a school building. There was only 1 other customer when I arrived just before 6:30 PM, and the woman manning the cash register was super friendly and welcoming. When I placed my order, she asked if I wanted jalapeí±os on my sandwich; I opted not to get them since I'm not great with spicy food. My sandwich came out about 5 minutes later. It was really tasty, packed with a good amount of marinated tofu, pickled veggies, cucumber, and cilantro. The tofu was super flavorful and had a meat-like texture; I'm not a vegan but I found it to be a very convincing substitute for meat and would gladly have it again. If you're ever in the mood for meat but determined to be vegetarian or vegan, this tofu would probably hit the spot. If anything, I actually found the tofu to be a little too flavorful for me and wished there was maybe some more cucumber or something else bland or sweet to sort of offset it. I also didn't taste much of the mayo, but that might have just been due to the tofu overpowering it. The sandwich was $9.19 after taxes. I found the banh mi to be reasonably filling, but I'm quite a petite person so I think for someone with a bigger appetite than me, it might not be enough food for almost $10. However, it was definitely a well-made sandwich with a lot of flavors, and a great local vegan option that I'd definitely recommend trying out. If you dine in, the restaurant looked clean and cutely decorated, and there were a few tables as well as glasses for water.
Passing through Charlottesville we were in the mood for pho and found Vu. It turns out that they didn't serve pho except on Tuesdays and Fridays. But no worries, the sister restaurant in this location had a wonderful black beans and rice dish served with kale salad and plantains that was tasty and very filling. A cute little gem.
Restaurantji Recommends
Such delicious noodles at a great price. The gluten free tofu with caramelized onions were fantastic. The vegan spring rolls were just ok - a bit dry and sauce was too thin. Regardless, I was so impressed by the noodles that I will definitely be back!
The best. You cannot go wrong- everything is amazing. This is one of the biggest reasons I miss living in CVille.
Vu Noodles is literally a hole in the wall Vietnamese shop. They have a really simple menu with spring rolls, banh mi and various noodle dishes. It's also friendly to those with vegan and gluten-free, as they have ingredients to accommodate for all (minus the meat!). I ordered the tofu caramelized onions with rice noodles with mild spice. This dish was packed with flavor, and the noodles were cooked perfectly. My only knock is that I wanted more for the price I paid, as I went to go find something else to satiate my hunger afterwards. I'd be interested in trying out the Banh Mi next time!
Great food and so long as you are not expecting any ambience at all, well worth seeking out. The place is located in a large room within a disused school.
Great spot for some vegan and vegetarian Asian cuisine! I had the spring rolls with peanut sauce which was delicious, and the Vegie Peanut dish which was also very good. Nice atmosphere and very friendly staff! Reasonably priced options. Located right next to Pearl Island which has good Caribbean food.