A Vietnamese Dish I'm Always Searching For Lam's Garden is a hidden gem I didn't know about until a colleague suggested coming here for lunch. I was blown away by the canh chua cá, a traditional Vietnamese sweet and sour catfish soup. My mom makes this dish, so it's something I crave and find myself searching for when dining out. Unfortunately, it's not as commonly offered at Vietnamese restaurants. The serving here is generous and definitely big enough to share. The flavors hit the spot and satisfied that craving for something that reminds me of home. I definitely want to go back and try more of their dishes. Finding a restaurant that serves one of Mom's dishes well? That's reason enough for a return visit. read more

Lam's Garden - Canh chua cá, traditional Vietnamese sweet and sour catfish soup - Vietnamese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

This spot is located in Hilo, street parking can be difficult, but that's expected in most of the town. We came on a weekday evening around 8 PM, and were quickly seated. The servers were running around all night, and it seemed that they were a little bit understaffed. However, they still did their best to attend to us, and food came out promptly. As most other pho shops, they provide plenty of bean sprouts, mint, lemons, and sauces (oyster sauce/Sriracha) to enjoy. Pho Rare Beef (6.5/10) - the broth was good, flavorful, rich and salty as expected from Vietnamese pho. As this spot is kind of a Viet/Chinese fusion, don't go in expecting the best pho of your life. However, the broth is definitely delicious and will fix your pho cravings - only comment is regarding the beef itself. Some of the pieces were definitely a little thicker, tougher, and at points difficult to chew. The beef was not then these sliced into the brisket that I'm used to finding, but that's OK Overall, pretty good pho spot on the Big Island with quite tasty broth. Only wish that the beef was either thinner and easier to chew, or more tender. read more

Lam's Garden - Pho Rare Beef (6.5/10) - Vietnamese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

We're visiting from the Bay Area, and loving Hilo! After a swim in the ocean, we were wondering where to eat, on our last night on the Big Island. You can only eat so many loco moco's. Daughter said "Pho!" so we went to Lam's for takeout. What a treat! OxTail pho, with huge pieces of succulent oxtail. The soup was fine, but it was the oxtail that made the day. The shrimp rolls were fine too, fresh and tasty. We ordered an extra pile of noodles, and there was more than enough for two. Great deal, and lovely to eat while we were packing for the flight home! Thanks Lam's!!! read more

Had the oxtail pho at Lam's Garden Restaurant and it was delicious. The meat was very tender and there was plenty of it. Service was excellent and the staff was very friendly. Parking is okay but might be a little difficult during rush hour. The parking lot is on the right side of the restaurant. The inside has a bit of an older vibe, but the food and service were great. read more

Lam's Garden - Oxtail pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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The chicken pho, chicken bang mi, crispy duck are broke da mouth good a Thai ice tea goes along great

No-frills little shop serving Chinese and Vietnamese dishes. We came specifically for the pho and ordered the oxtail pho, the combination pho, and the spicy beef soup. The oxtail and combination pho had good flavor--especially considering we're in Hawaii. However, my sister didn't enjoy the spicy beef soup as much. She found the broth a bit bland and felt it had too many pork sausages compared to actual beef slices. read more

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Solid place. Probably the one of cleanest l, if not the cleanest chinese & vietnamese restaurant in Hilo. Favorite thing to order from here is the lemon chicken, the cake noodles & the fish and tofu with ginger. Local family owned establishment, service is friendly and amazing. If you're a local or even a tourist and craving chinese or vietnamese food, this is the spot to be at. Food quality always on point, everything made fresh to order. They also cater party trays perfect for large family gatherings. read more

The pho was good the Bahn mi added the final tough touch to the meal Fresh vegetables with the pho and Bahn mi read more

Great, fresh food. I love this place! Everything I've ever eaten here has been amazing.

I ordered the pho shrimp bowel and Vietnamese iced coffee and service was great!! I also ordered to go the curry chicken dish.

We ordered for to go today, I think it's the worst Chinese food that I ever have in United States, specially the rice noodles, seems like the cooker forgot to put any sauce or favor,my kids normally love the beef and broccoli dishes and after one bite they wouldn't want it no more, and the house fried rice also terrible, it's very mushy. I don't know if this is their normal food or if they don't care about the food quality because its in Hawaii, people come and go, but I just had a very bad experience with them. read more

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Maybe the locals receive the Mahalo treatment but we were given 3 very thin slices of meat with our PHO! The fried rolls did not taste fresh but the Banh Mi was decent. We will not be returning read more

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***** For the PHO, SERVICE, BYOB. Perfect place to heal a hangover: spacious, large tables, inoffensive lighting or windows for that matter, mellow environment and quiet if no big parties are present. Pho is hot and huge, probably biggest portions on island. Extras (cilantro, jalapeños, lime, hotttt peppers) given graciously and if you ask for garlic chili sauce or dipping fish sauce or or or,,, they are so accommodating. Truly bestest service for some of them being so young. Vietnamese and Chinese items rather reliable with many standouts for a smaller menu, and the only place offering OXTAIL PHO. Other oxtail soups and beef stews, and a bun bo hue too. Faves: Green Papaya Salad with Shrimp!! Chicken Cabbage Salad Steamed Dumplings Oxtail Pho Shrimp Pho Bun Bo Hue Claypot Rice Beef Chow Fun -add sriracha Singapore Noodles read more

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Doesn't look like much from the outside but this place is such a little Gem, so chill and laid back. Customer service is always 10/10 and wait times aren't long. Their Pho is SO good and their Crispy lemon chicken is crunchy &' mayjah! Definitely go check it out. read more

The food was amazing, the service was amazing, BUT, when we got our check the person that was grabbing the checks could not wait to grab it from our table and was very pushy to get us out of there. read more

We stumbled upon Lam's after a long day at the volcano National park. We had pork egg rolls, Lemongrass Chicken Curry and Kung Pao Chicken. All of the food was amazing and the Flan for dessert was the icing on the cake. If you're in Hilo make sure to check this place out read more

Lam's Garden - Flan and a pot of green tea - Vietnamese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Excellent foods. I have eaten here for years and will continue to do so. Their soups (pho) are very tasty n plentiful. The 'wait ' service is always commendable. read more

Good food and great service. Prices were reasonable and restaurant was open relatively late compared to others

While I traveled to Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii I've decided to give this location a go. Lam's restaurant has a rather large inside. This establishment could easily accommodate 150 people comfortably. The decor is rather simple and could use an update/facelift. It's clean and tidy. Service - different servers have their own unique way at introducing what they have to offer. The server we had, very quiet. Maybe it was me on being on Yelp stopped her from coming back but she was rather quiet compared to the other server that helped another table. On to the food. I decided to try the following: summer rolls - fresh and very refreshing. Perfect balance of noodles, lettuce, and shrimp. It doesn't come with basil like others I've tried. The peanut sauce is rather simple, straight from the bottle. Next shrimp Papaya Salad: so refreshing seeing it was so hot outside. The salad possibly needed more umami, possibly not. On my taste bud, it was missing that acid to help cut down the rather sweet green Papaya. Perfect amount of fish sauce was used. The Basil that was used brought a whole different taste that made my tastebuds stand up. Again, it was a rather perfectly made salad for a hot day. Pork Bah Mi - crisp outside but soft bun. Pork was oh so flavorful and tender. It had that sweet taste without making it to sweet. The vegetables added the crunch and freshness to this dish which made it very enjoyable. They do specialize in their own house made oxtail which I will have to come back for. In closing, if you are in the Hilo Town Area, please stop in to give this place a shot. You won't be disappointed. Until next time, eat till your heart is content! read more

Lam's Garden - Pork Bah Mi inside - Vietnamese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

When you just arrive downtown from a cold environment in Maunakea Summit Visitor Center & from being stuck on the side of the road coz your rental car's tire blown up all you want to have is a comforting soup! Goodness I found this place while our tow truck driver gave us a ride back to town. Upon arriving we were greeted. Immediately seated and offer us cold glass of water. The guy is friendly but reserved. Then another guy came in and handed us the menu. And I know what to order at that time. FOOD. Oxtail pho, $14.49 is dang good!!!! Our enthusiastic server served me this huge bowl and I am sure that my eyes was blown with the portion of the pho. Goodness my bandit hasn't order at that time coz he's busy talking to someone regarding our flat blown tire from our rental car so we ended up sharing the bowl. Anyhow, the broth was opaque and most of all it's flavorful. The meat from the oxtail is more tender and on silkier short rib in terms of texture. Gelatinous rich meat at its finest! It's bowl is uplifting and my almost dead spirit suddenly came back to life! LoL. Btw, I also ordered an extra sides for pho - tripe! My tummy is the happiest! Hot Green Tea Pot $2.50 is the perfect ender that night. So hearty good!!! And because it's too much even for us we ended up asking for a small container which by the way they charge us for $0.25 which I found it ridiculous a lil bit (insert palm face). Overall, we enjoyed our pho and the service is pretty efficient. Not to mention that it's the closest eatery open nearby our hotel at that time. Buuuurpf! Mahalo for reading & happy juandering fellow yeeps! read more

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Tried this location today as we are on the hunt for the best Vietnamese food on the Big Island! Although it was a pretty wet day today, the restaurant was decently filled with college students, locals and a few tourists. The dining room is a respectable size and allows for good social distancing. Because of the cool day, we both had soup. The oxtail soup with rice was great. Clean and not too oily. Nice amounts of bak choy and meat. The taste was great. Best I've had so far. The Beef Pho was respectable and adding the chilli oil gave it the right kick. The Vietnamese ice coffee was wonderfully strong without leaving the feeling of being too thick. In all a great experience, I think this one is pretty good! read more

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Pho was excellent. Lots of flavor. We ordered take out and soup was still piping hot when we got home. Will eat here again!

If you have a hankering for soup, this is absolutely the place to go! Come with an appetite. The portions are extremely generous, so you are definitely going to leave full! Came on a rainy night, and was craving something warm and comforting. I got the saimin won ton soup, and it totally hit the spot. Did I mention the portions were huge? My boyfriend got the oxtail soup, and that was delicious too! Their broth game is on POINT! Service was great--there was one guy basically running the whole shop, but he did fantastic! Major props to him! The ambiance is very casual! But you're honestly not here for that--you're here for the noodle soups. read more

The food was delicious! The service was quick and friendly and the dining area was clean and quiet. There is lots of parking in the gravel lot adjacent to the entryway and some street parking available. We had the beef chow mein and an order of the summer rolls. The chow mein noodles were done perfectly and was heavily seasoned, which I liked. There was just enough veggies and meat. The meat was marinated in a Teri sauce, which added flavor to the entire dish. The summer rolls were nice and big but lacked mint, which to me really makes a summer roll a summer roll. I got these to go and was very pleased that they wrapped each roll individually in cling wrap, so they wouldn't stick to each other and tear. All in all the food was good and the place was clean. Will definitely be back there. read more

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I frequented this place often because I love their pho and portions for the price paid. To this day, they have not disappointed me! It's located next to Lucy's Taqueria on the left side of the "entrance" into Hilo Downtown coming from Kilauea Avenue. They have their own parking lot which is relatively big. There are also a lot of free street parking around the area too. My to-go order is always V8: beef balls and rare steak. Yum! The amount of meat is relatively generous (more so the beef balls), and I love the pho broth. It's kind of a "deeper" flavor which is just the way I like my pho. But because I like it so much, it always prevents me from trying something new, especially since Lam's serves both Vietnamese & Chinese cuisine. But I'm not a big fan of Chinese food so it works out LOL. I do wish they provided a spicier chili oil to compliment their broth. Their banh mi and vermicelli plates are also good from what my friends say! The thai tea here is honestly a hit or miss in my opinion. More on the milkier end than tea. This place is also great for big parties and events upstairs! I've been here a couple of times with a big party (pre-COVID). I personally like this place's pho even though there may be mixed reviews about it. It always hit the Sunday spot since they're also one of the few opened on that day. read more

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Food are Amazing.... Bun Bo Hue and Pho is very tasty. Nice and clean broth. I love the service. The owner is very friendly. Will com back again. read more

I ordered pho to go and when I opened the container a cockroach was floating. Tried to call and let them know but they didn't answer the calls. Had to drive 20min brought the cockroach soup back to get a refund. read more

Lam's Garden - Cockroach in the pho. - Vietnamese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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My fav place for Pho on island. I order a vegetarian pho with beef broth. The broth is amazing, veggies are plenty and tofu is crispy. Great service. Great for large parties with plenty of seating. Prices are excellent. read more

OMG it's so good. The only con from what I've experienced is the clay pot rice is not burnt enough. But it's extremely flavorful, tasty, and hearty. The cake noodle dishes are bomb. That's my favorite. My next to try here is the pho, but highly recommend to eat here lunch or dinner! read more

Actually ended up coming here because another restaurant in the area was closed, and this was the only other place in the area that had vegetarian options for people in my party. I got the beef pho with flank and it was really really good that I would highly recommend. I appreciated how the tables were pretty spread out instead of how other establishments will put a bunch of people near each other. Would highly recommend- some of the best pho I've ever had! read more

Lam's Garden - Beef pho with beef flank - Vietnamese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Our family was craving some Vietnamese food on our Hilo trip and we definitely got it fulfilled. The restaurant interior is what you can expect from an older Asian place, minimal AC and minimal design. The pho broth was quite rich in flavor with a good amount of sweetness. The oxtail I got with my pho was also pretty tender. The staff here are friendly which was a bonus. The only issue is be prepared to sweat a lot when eating here. read more

Terrible customer service experience. Phones were off so I had to go in. Took 10 minutes before anyone acknowledged I was at the check-in. When a worker did come up to me, I was told to place my name on the wait list. I said I was there to do take out. I was told to still place my name on the waitlist. So I did and sat down. I then heard TWO parties that were behind me order. So I went back up and said "I was just told to wait to place an order, now two people who were behind me now have orders in front of me." The wait went from 10 to 30 minutes. I left because what the heck read more

Good food great service got the curry pho and Thai tea. Definitely will be back, lots of space and room read more

Lam's Garden - Vietnamese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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In Hilo town went to try Lam's Garden a Vietnamese & Chinese restaurant I Had the Pho & Spring rolls the Pho was ok on but lots of noodles compared to other places they do give a lot! The spring rolls was on the thin side and it was so so. Large area good for parties! read more

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Service is very slow. There were many empty tables but we were not seated. Even after being seated, it took a long time before our order was taken . The food was very good though. read more

Food: I won't go anywhere else. Their food is perfectly fine, however, over the past 10 years of portions have dropped. By a quarter! Disappointing, HOWEVER the flavor is still the same. If I feel like Pho, I always order from them. It will be between Lams, Garden, and New Chiang Mai (Thai food). Service: is always fast & attentive each time I p/u out order! I love that thyre ALWAYS fast to get your order out to you I am so grateful. I always see customers leaving that are in a great mood as they head in or out of the restaurant w big smiles. Simple restaurant! Big, seems empty when I happen to p/u food! But it Greta for me, no long lines -- it seems more people order ahead rather than sit inside, a bit outdated but seems clean! While you wait for your food, they "ALWAYS" offer ice water from the restaurant's cups. read more

My favorite place for pho on the Hilo side. Great flavored soup and price. I come here at least once while we are in Hilo. read more

Lam's Garden - Vietnamese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Yum!! The cabbage chicken salad is a refreshing delight. Flavors are perfectly balanced, creating a flavorful and satisfying dish.

Restaurant is fairly simply decorated overall and nothing wrong with that Oxtail pho is the thing you want to order; broth was refreshing and light. Meat is yum. Would not hesitate to recommend people to stop by read more

I haven't been to Lam's garden in a few years, but the food definitely tasted nothing like before. So disappointed. I got the salt & pepper pork expecting a plate of it as an entree, instead it was some of that with a scoop of rice. The flavor was burnt. Next the singapore noodles, this was not good. Tasted just like it had curry powder dumped on it. read more

Lam's Garden - Salt & pepper pork - Vietnamese Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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