Grandpa holding down the fort! Hole in the wall! Be patient! The food is worth it! The crab noodle…read moresoup is my favorite!

We tried this on a weeknight after working hard to find parking in this horrible location. The…read moreinternational grocery next door doesn't help with that having many people hanging out in their cars and milling about. Had to be creative and go back out to properly park after ordering. I hadn't eaten here In years and my wife never. They used to give a nice refreshing lychee water drink with a long dessert spoon for the fruit which I remember loving long ago. Many other tables had them but we were never offered it as service was brisk yet not very friendly. I ordered a Dac Biet pho (my regular choice) but they don't have tripe??? I usually pass on pho restaurants that don't serve tripe and tendon. I was at best average but honestly not near the best I've ever had in the US or Vietnam. At almost $20 for a bowl I wasn't impressed enough to say "let's go back". My wife ordered the pork vermicelli bowl (her usual). She liked it ok and I tried a bit. Again pretty tasty and in my opinion a better dish than their pho, but not worthy of returning over other choices. Overall if you are comfortable parking in a tight little parking lot to eat average food in a little old building it's not a bad choice. But I would not purposefully go back even though we shop often at Costco and Home Depot nearby.

A small, compact parking lot shared with other businesses and an even more compact interior with…read morefew seats partially characterize this Vietnamese cafe with a bunch of tasty items especially banh mi sandwiches. I got here on a Friday around 5:20pm, thoughI'm not sure why I decided to drive so far off Seattle. As mentioned, there's only a few tables for seats spread around the corners of the inside, with a small fish tank and a grassy backdrop on the left-hand side of the wall. The menu is lined up on the right-hand side and features all of the items, though their matcha drinks menu is located above the front counter, along with their new items. Staff at the front take your order and bring your food to you when it's ready. For their food I got the following: - Banana pudding matcha: I couldn't tell this was ceremonial matcha till I put my straw farther down the drink past the thick banana pudding layer, and sipped in all those grassy, earthy tones matcha is known for. I got to eat some part of the banana pudding - which has cracker bits that are lighter in color than Biscoff crackers but tasted like them - before stirring a small part of it to finish off this awesome drink that could give places like Phe a run for their money. - Eden Garden special: this is a relatively simple banh mi sandwich with Vietnamese ham and slightly scrambled - and very hot - eggs along with the usual banh mi condiments like jalapenos and julienned carrots. I probably wanted even more protein in this despite the ham and eggs already being that; the banh mi felt like it was missing something. Bread isn't crispy by any means but it is served very warm, therefore it was really easy to chew. It oddly didn't make to much of a mess when I took big bites off it; most of the mess came from some of the condiments - especially the eggs - falling off. Overall I loved this place a lot with the matcha and banh mi I got here! It's quite out the way of Seattle but lately some interesting hidden gems with better taste profiles have not been in the heart of this state, like this place for instance. I hope this place can last for a long time, and I'll be back for their other items!

Cleanliness and service has improved. I was greeted kindly by the friendly woman working who even…read morebrought my drink and food to me. Before payment she even reminds you and asks you if you have your drink punch card. I saw a young male employee bring out drinks to a couple and asked how they were doing which was nice. All smiles and clean atmosphere this visit. Drink and food is yummy like usual. I finally tried the fish sauce chicken wings which were large and my favorite part was the crunch. Perfectly crispy and tasty sauce. Not too much or too little sauce. Great wings. I tried the Banana Pudding Matcha and it was delicious. Very satisfied. The parking lot is small and a bit tight but I never have a problem finding a spot or getting in. Good location. I will be back. I recommend the Banh Mi Pho, Avocado Smoothie, and Thai Green Milk Tea. I look forward to trying the egg cloud coffee and beef ragu next visits.

Lotus Pond Vietnamese Cuisine is one of those places that does not look impressive from the…read moreoutside, but the food is amazing. It has that hole-in-the-wall feel off Aurora, but honestly, this is some of the best Vietnamese food I have ever had. I am Vietnamese myself, and I have been looking for months, really years, for a Vietnamese restaurant in the Seattle area that actually feels worth coming back to. A lot of places have been average, or they have dishes like bún riêu or bún bò Huế on the menu but do not really do them well. Lotus Pond does. I tried the bún riêu and the bò né with steak and sizzling eggs, and both were delicious. My friend got the seafood pho and loved it too. Everything tasted like someone actually cared about the food, and I really appreciated seeing menu items that you usually have to search far and wide for, or go somewhere like Orange County or Houston to find done properly. The only downside is that it is definitely on the expensive side, but I will absolutely be coming back. The outside may not be flashy, but the food is seriously worth it.

Hmm, I had some hype about this place from friends and I finally made it…read more Pretty empty when we showed up for a quick lunch. I am a pho dude so that's my order. And honestly I was disappointed, not the tastiest broth around and it just didn't get me. I might have to try it again anyways.

Very clean. Customer oriented, super friendly staff. The food is high quality, superbly prepared,…read morereasonably priced and always soooo good! Definitely recommend this place for a most satisfying, cultural experience. A 5-star restaurant you'll love. (Plenty of parking too.)

Solid neighborhood Vietnamese spot on Aurora that I keep coming back to. I've been eating banh mi…read moreand pho for decades so I don't hand out praise easily, and Le's delivers where it counts. The pho broth actually tastes like someone simmered it with care, deep and aromatic, not the watered down stuff you get at places cutting corners. Banh mi holds its own too with fresh bread and generous fillings. It's not fancy and that's the point. This is the kind of no frills family run spot where the food does the talking. Service is friendly and quick, prices are fair, and portions are honest. If you're on Aurora and craving Vietnamese comfort food, stop in. You'll leave full and happy.

1st time trying the the banh minh here. Got the grilled pork and it was delicious. Ingredients…read moretasted fresh and the bread tasted great. Only downside was the parking lot was kinda small and was full. It was hard to back out and find parking nearby.

It had been a while since we've been to Rise & Shine so we stopped by last week around 4:45pm on a…read moreweekday to pick up some banh mi on our way home from errands. Got a space easily in their small parking lot. Something about the vibe felt off as soon as walked in. It was very quiet and a couple were eating in but that was all. I don't know how to explain it but it's something I have felt before in other places, just not here. We ordered two grilled pork banh mi (they were out of grilled chicken) to go. The person that took our order was nice and the order didn't take long to get. We took the sandwiches home and ate them and they were okay, not as good as I remember them from before. Sorry, no pics this time. Still a decent buy at $10 each.

This place has a real family atmosphere. You can feel a lot of love and consideration the staff are…read morereally attentive and they made the whole experience really nice who didn't take too long to come out either and I went during lunchtime so it was pretty quick. I had gotten the C7 and I haven't had a Vietnamese rice dish that felt like my aunts in Vietnam in a really long time and it was really delicious and nostalgic. There is plenty of parking even some more in the back that wasn't an issue. The interior was very nice. It was made to feel ethnic overall 10 out of 10. I'm definitely coming back..

Mekong truly stands the test of time. It had been over a decade since my last visit, so I ordered…read moretakeout on a whim. The combination bun was out of this world with fresh vegetables and every meat cooked to perfection. However, my absolute favorite was the Goi Cuon (Shrimp Spring/Summer Roll). Goi Cuon is one of my favorite foods, and I love when there's a crunchy element inside. Both dishes showed above and beyond attention to detail in regards to texture and freshness of produce, and I'll gladly return for future visits.

Great spot for some late night pho (late as in stays open past 9pm). I like how they tell the tale…read moreof their spot! We love an evolution! We did wait like a Long time which was suspect...Idk but the pho was good and that's why we're here ain't it!

I would not recommend this restaurant. We were initially welcomed and asked how many were in our…read moreparty. The waitress remained friendly during our dinner but despite there being only 3-4 other customers in this very small restaurant, we were soon forgotten (no check ins, we were never brought the bill, etc.). That's fine, not a reason in itself to rate a one star... but here's where that comes in... I ordered the spicy beef soup as I am very much a fan of spicy food. It came out and was clearly just a hybrid pho concoction, some strange spices, very very little beef and some chunks of tofu(?). It was not spicy whatsoever and actually had hints of what smelled/tasted like bleach? I continued my attempt to consume the food as I was starving. I stuck to just the limited beef in the soup but ultimately couldn't stomach much more of the strange smelling/tasting broth. We had ordered potstickers as well and those were actually good. Some time after we left and as I'm drafting this review... I have visited the bathroom numerous times (I'll go easy on the TMI) and can effectively say my stomach is not handling whatever it is that I ate there. My stomach is still in knots, hours after leaving here.

Seattle doesn't have too many good Vietnamese restaurants so the bar is low, but this is definitely…read moreone of my favorite places to get pho here. The chicken wings are hot, cripsy, and flavorful. I usually get the pho dac biet and the regular size is a decent serving in terms of noodles and meat. The beef is cut thinly and is tender unlike many places. Only downside is that the price frequently keeps increasing every time I visit here. Went at 5pm on a weekday and there was plenty of seating, but once 6-6:30pm hits, the rush of people come and the wait seems like it could get pretty long since the restaurant is quite small and has few tables.

Hmm, the place was packed and I ended up sitting right in front of the door. Less than optimal,…read morebut I moved on Honestly,I thought my pho, although huge...was just alright. I had an egg in mine, which reminded me of ramen, and I don't think I would do it again. Staff was friendly, and maybe they had an off day because they were replacing equipment while we were there.

The food was amazing, and the service was great! The vibe…read moreinside is really nice too. Highly recommended!!

I've ordered from this place twice now have enjoyed it! I've had their 5 spice chicken banh mi…read more(good size and fresh!), vermicelli bowl with pork, egg rolls, and Thai tea. Everything was was well seasoned. The vermicelli bowl could be one big meal or 2 smaller meals. The only thing that was not as expected was the egg rolls. They grew on me but the filling texture was different than I've experienced: very very soft. Will come again! Happy to have found this place. Good service too!

The food was top notch, but it was pricey. Xiaolongbao- so…read morerich and flavorful. Could have been more soupy Shumai- solid Pork belly and buns - pork belly is not for me but Jeremy loved it Cabbage - perfectly cooked and still a little crisp Fried rice - perfectly seasoned and great texture

Phenomenal food and service! We are excited to return!…read more Comfortable, cozy, and inviting restaurant suitable for families and large groups. Service is friendly, kind, quick, and welcoming. We ordered the spring rolls for an appetizer which had the perfect crunch. For our main entrees we shared the duck, shrimp chow mein, and the dry-fried string beans. Everything was amazing. The best chow mein I've ever had to be honest. The dry-fried string beans were the star of the show as they were so flavorful and delicious! Such an amazing experience. Free and easy parking which matters to me and wonderful service! Also nearby the bus lines. The food was soooo good. I can't wait to try more of the menu. Definitely a nice date spot or family meal. I recommend and will be returning!