Vietnam Restaurant
| Address: | 208 Dryden Rd, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA |
| Phone: | +1 607-273-5030 |
| Site: | vietnamithaca.com |
| Rating: | 3.9 |
| Working: | 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–9:30PM |
Location
Photos 76
Reviews 23
A
A Private User
Before you even enter the building you can tell from looking into the windows that its not an authentic Vietnamese restaurant. No hoisin sauce or siracha on the tables. Looking at the menu in the window offers a clue too: the signature Vietnamese dish, pho, isnt listed in its own category and only a handful of varieties are offered. Once you order it gets worse. The spring rolls (cha gio) are tasty, but dont resemble Vietnamese spring rolls at all. The skin is too thick and the variety of ingredients in the roll doesnt much resemble a traditional Vietnamese spring roll. The dipping sauce (nuoc cham) is too sweet and doesnt taste right either. The pho is even more disappointing. The broth is devoid of flavor. Its easy to tell that the soup was not cooked with beef bones for hours, and none of the proper spices such as star anise were used. Its served with lettuce instead of the plate of bean sprouts, basil, cilantro and mint leaves that usually accompany the dish. As mentioned earlier, the traditional condiments were not available on the table so I had to ask for them. No soup spoon was provided, and let me tell you, eating soup with a shallow tablespoon doesnt work too well. Its unfortunate that this is the only "Vietnamese" restaurant in the city. I hope nobody mistakens this for authentic Vietnamese because this is NOT a faithful representation of the culinary culture at all.
A
A Private User
I really wanted to give this place a chance since its the only Vietnamese place around. I ate there 3 times, each time ordering a completely different dish (rice, vermicelli and pho) in hope that at least one would be decent. The amount of MSG in the food was so ridiculous that it made both me and my friend sick after the third and last time eating there. And the cooking was certainly not Vietnamese. For example, the pork chop with rice dish, it was supposed to be grilled with herbs but they just simply sauteed it in a pan with some fish sauce and lots of MSG. And dont even get me started on the pho. If you ever had any Vietnamese food in any big city, youd know what Im talking about. Of course the price is low but for $8 you certainly have much better options around Collegetown.
A
A Private User
Disappointed. The pho does not taste the least bit authentic. What they are pretending is pho acutally tastes closer to cantonese/chinese noodle soup. The grilled pork chop dish and summer rolls were also sub-par and doesnt come close to the actual veitnamese versions It just disgust me that this restueraunt is masquerading as a vietnamese resteraunt when it is certainly not the case. Anyone that has actually eaten real pho will know the difference. It is quite obvious that they share the same space/kitchen as the chinese restaurant next door. If they wanted to serve viet food they should hire a new chef or get some actual viet recipes Youve been warned.
GR
Gregory Tremblay
Charming people and solid food... An offshoot of the familys primary businesses "HaiHong" (which can be accessed through an arch and whose dimsum can be ordered either side) Vietnam Restaurant focuses on fast, solid Pho and noodles. Excellent toppings, tender meat, and while the broth is not as elegant as some places, its a great place for a bowl of noodles without wasting an afternoon it breaking the budget. Beer and juices as well as excellent tea to accompany your meal, prompt service and clean bathrooms. :)
WI
William Volterman
This might not be a pho restaurant so my review might seem overly harsh. With that in mind the positives are that they are fast and fairly priced. The pho was a severe disappointment though. The toppings normally are put on the side but were placed on the soup, possibly to hide poor freshness. The sprouts were insufficient in my opinion and the lime was in the soup so I had to pull it out to squeeze it while hot. The noodles seemed over cooked and the soup tastes off. Big disappointment, I didnt finish it.
A
A Private User
Vietnam Restaurant is one of my favorite lunch places. The service is fast, and the owner will memorize your preferences and guess what youre likely to order =P The vermicelli bowls are pretty good (sometimes the meat is overcooked though) and only cost ~$6-7 each. Pho is not really worth getting - i dont like the noodles, soup flavoring, or available toppings. They have quite an extensive menu and offer some exotic juices (guava, etc.).
KE
Kevin Michalski
People who come here expecting Saigon Kitchen will be dissapointed. This restaurant caters to collegetown folk (ie. students) and provides decent-quality food with reasonable prices and speed. The portions are not huge but one serving fills me instead of bloating me. I would recommend the meat rolls (#10?) as an appetizer and any of the pho as well (avoid the roast duck, comes with many bones).
TO
Tony Potts
Not a lot of vietnamese options in Ithaca, but this is definitely not the place to go for the good stuff. For some reason, they served the Pho with the optional ingredients (sprouts, basil, etc) already in the soup, very odd in my experience. The broth wasnt very good either. Service was poor even though it wasnt busy. Head over to Saigon Kitchen instead.
JI
Jim Sweed
Expensive, $9 for a small bowl of Pho. Only one size but I would consider my bowl small. For some reason my noodles where chopped up and all the fresh vegetables where already added to the soup when It arrived at the table(lettuce?(why) and bean sprouts, no vietnamese basil). Quick service and It tasted OK but I have had much better for less.
A
A Private User
A college town favorite, always crammed at lunchtime. The two of us are addicted to it. Im going through the specials menu dish by dish, while my spouse always has S11. I agree with other reviewers -- the lemon tofu is not to be missed. (I am not a vegetarian, either.)
JO
Josh Lower
The "lemon tofu" and vermicelli are amazing and available with other options. For the price, this is one of my favorite restaurants in Ithaca. I come here at least once a month, sometimes every week.
AM
Ami Stuart
Quick prompt service, low cost, tidy little restaurant. Ordered the shrimp rice noodle bowl, it was very good. Was not at all busy, easily found a table in front of window.
TH
Tharith Khun
Brought my family to have dinner. Watched as other tables ordered that arrived well after us. Got up and left and got the stare down from the staff.
AS
Ashudeep Singh
The noodle soups are great. They also let you order from the Hai Hongs menu next door. The staff is really nice and the service is quick.
DO
Donald Smith
Ive only been here for lunch, and I always order the same thing (vermicelli with tofu), but its quick and tasty!
ER
Eric Haines
Great for lunch, get the vermicelli with the pork roll (#22? #20? Somewhere in there), its lovely.
CH
Chris Berberich
Love the All the time DimSum Menu Try The Beef Stew as well as the Calamari in Curry
TA
Tabitha pink
beef noodle soup. good broth and fresh veggie
JO
Joie Ham
Satisfying pho, especially in portion. Yum.
A
A Private User
awful food. the place is so unsanitary.
PE
Petra Cosgrove-Tremblay
Most amazing pho, and GREAT staff.
A
A Private User
Vermicellid delicious.
KA
Kang-Li Cheng
Good soup noodles
