This place is located in the Irvine Spectrum. The entrance was located on the side closer to the fountain rather than the parking lot on the side with the Target. The other members of my party didn't realize that and walked around to the other side to find the entrance. I had notified the other members of my party that there were discount gift cards available at Costco, but the Little Sister website did not dictate prices so we were not sure if we should have bought them. For a party of 3-4 people, I would say $100 of store credit would be used up in one visit. It was slow food. We sat down and ordered, and they brought out the food more or less at the same time for all of us. Some weirdo kept taking pictures next to us, so don't expect too much privacy. Either way, going here satisfied our curiosity, and the food was noteworthy. My friends had a better sense of taste than me and noticed the taste was different than what one could order the same thing at another restaurant was, but I didn't notice too much since my sense of taste is different than theirs. read more

We visited here for the first time and unfortunately this will be our last visit. Service was excellent - the first impression you get is that this is a fine dining restaurant....the tables and table settings look like the finest appointed restaurant we have seen. Also the service is very attentive and professional so again a "fine dining restaurant." We tried a number of things from the appetizer and main course menus so we could get an idea of the range....we had not hope of eating it so we simply grazed.... Everyone was well-prepared. I had an issue with the salmon filet but that is the hardest to prepare across the entire menu....I have had better prepared salmon but everything else was well-done. The ambiance is were the issue is....as I understand it the owner is the chef...TIN VUONG ... and he has a particular vision that includes the music that is playing as background....to us, it's a deal breaker....kind of a 60s RAP-sounding soundtrack that apparently is not subject to objection. I understand that Chef Vuong grew up in the local area and got his musical taste in southern California. This feature alone will be the reason we won't return. read more

Ambience was great it is such a cute date spot! The bar is particular is very nice. As for the food I got the sea bass plate that comes with lettuce and veggies to be used as a wrap for your sea bass. The star of this plate was the sauce that came with it. It changes the flavor profile of the sea bass entirely. Personally, I did not like the sea bass alone. It tasted rather bland but the sauce rescued the plate. We also got the garlic noodles which were yummy but nothing crazy, we give them a 3.5/5. Not pictured was the cooked bokchoy because as soon as we tried the first piece we could not stop because it was so good!!! We lastly had the blueberry pecan tart which was.... Omg.... Amazing I wanted to order a second. I get very overwhelmed by sweetness but this plate was perfect. Creamy, freshly baked, big enough for one person or to modestly share between two people. It's topped with vanilla ice cream which was a huge plus! Would def go again though solely for the pecan tart. read more

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Located in the Spectrum. The flavors of the food were decent. The highlight was the fresh rice paper rolls. However the prices are high, small portions, and the service was not good. It's a beautiful restaurant and has great potential. Really wanted to like it but the service ruined the experience for us. Hope they can invest in service training. read more

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One of the actual sit-down restaurants at the Spectrum; very pretty decor. They having mostly indoor and some patio dining. Eggplant dish was really rich yet not salty in taste; I quite enjoyed it. The chicken curry was also good; definitely Viet-influence or Viet version with the bowl of do chua. Overall, I think it's a nice restaurant, but obviously pricey for what I know Viet food to cost. However, they do have decent portions (I think the server said they operate with family style?). read more

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The issue with this place is that you really want to like them, but on average they are just decent. It's pricey for what you get, and the chicken dishes are typically dry. But the atmosphere is good if you get the right person helping you - service to be fair though can be a hit or miss at this location. read more

i was pleasantly surprised at the wide selection of drinks and vietnamese fusion dishes that they had. everything we ate was super flavorful with generous portions. the drinks were very vibrant and everything we ate was so good, especially the shaky shaky beef and the coconut chicken curry. service was great as well and the restaurant looked super cute on the inside. read more

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Wanted to try this place for a while and finally made a reservation with a friend on a Saturday night. It has a warm cozy vibe with mood lighting and a large patio. Even though we had a reservation, we still waited about 10-15 minutes before we were seated. Our server didn't stop by for the longest time. A hostess greeted us and brought water and did give us a heads up that our server was running behind but we ordered and received an appetizer before we even got to order drinks. The food was an interesting take on Vietnamese cuisine. The milk bread app was delicious - light, fluffy, with nice crispy edges and a soft honey butter on the side. The Vietnamese crepe had crisp edges but was packed with pretty much only bean sprouts and 4 pieces of shrimp and overall lacked flavor. I love this dish and it usually has so many pickled veggies and flavor but this take on it fell a bit flat. The drinks were really good though. My friend got the Tropic Like It's Hot and it was refreshing and yummy. Overall it felt like something was off and it was really noticeable. Either our server was overworked or the restaurant was understaffed or both but it didn't make for the best experience. read more

Little Sister - Vietnamese crepe - Vietnamese Near Me - Irvine, California

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I came here for a Sunday lunch with my friend. The Irvine location is so much bigger than the LA location and nicely decorated. Our server was super attentive and immediately poured us water since it was a hot day. We split the imperial rolls, papaya salad, and garlic noodles. Everything was delicious. read more

Little Sister - Imperial rolls - Vietnamese Near Me - Irvine, California

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always a great meal at Little Sister staff was accommodating with putting down the blinds to cut off the winds and turning on heaters on the gorgeous outdoor area Bouillabaisse was delicious but papaya salad was just meh. bank xeo is always great and husband inhaled the chicken curry A little on the pricey side but they really do put care in preparing the food and it shows read more

Little Sister - Vietnamese Near Me - Irvine, California

I had a great experience with my friend. We ordered the pan fried eggplant without pork and the crispy tofu salad w papaya salad. Both entrees were INCREDIBLE so tasty and delicious. The crispy tofu is protected crisped and spongy the best tofu I've ever had and when you dip it in both sauces it's out of this world. The chef brought us some milky bun to try and we were blown away. Perfect crisp and soooooo soft. The butter and honey on it. Wow. We couldn't believe how amazing it was. My friend ordered the bee sting, it was kinda spicy and very refreshing so good. I ordered the Kennedy, I asked for no egg whites and the server shared that it wasn't egg white anymore it was something else and whatever it was was SO good. The butterfly jelly was a super cute touch and was yummy too. I really loved this drink. I really enjoyed my experience and I would come again to make the same exact order read more

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This is such an upscale restaurant so I went in with high hopes that the food would blow me away. Unfortunately this wasn't the case. The Spring Rolls appetizer was decent. But honestly I can roll myself much better ones. They're also quite expensive - $18 for TWO rolls cut into 4 pieces. The Shaky Steak was not what I expected. The meat was cooked like a braised style where it was softer than I anticipated. There wasn't enough flavor for me to want a second bite. Since I love seabass I figured that might be a "safe" choice. But it missed the mark for me. It was average at best. I do like that parts of it were crispy. Overall, if I could just sum it all up, I would say "pricey average food." I think my mom could've made these better! read more

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One word: salmonella. It was our first time here and we always saw how popular this place was. We ordered the chicken wings, pho banh cuon, shaky shacks beef, and the garlic noodles with prawn. First, we got the wings and the pho banh cuon. The pho banh cuon is basically rice paper rolled over beef and veggies. It was good and the beef was soft, but the rice paper was so slippery and thick where I needed a fork and knife or eat with hands. Second, the chicken wings were RAW! We open a few pieces and it was all undercooked! We told the waitress right away and decided to send the wings back and get dumplings. We never got our dumplings. Instead the server gave us bread with butter. It was good but not what we ordered. Also, we never got our drinks. We also ate the garlic noodles and the shaky shaky beef. These two were good. The beef was soft and came with a side of rice and small salad. The garlic noodles I got with prawn and it was good. All in all, I wouldn't come back here again clearly. There was no real apology or effort by the staff. They forgot our orders, got it wrong, served us raw chicken,...I mean I can go on. The two hostess also never smiles. Not very friendly. We paid as quickly as we could and left. We got other food on the way home read more

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TL;DR: Total disappointment. Between cold, dismissive service, a roughly 30 to 40-minute wait for food, hyper-sweet drinks, and mediocre, overpriced dishes, this is definitely a one-and-done for us. This spot is located near the H&M in the Irvine Spectrum. We were out doing some shopping at the Spectrum and wanted to grab food, but since there aren't many great restaurants there that we hadn't already tried before, we decided to give Little Sister a chance. When we got there, the hostess was nice and took us right to our table, but honestly, everything went downhill from there. The service was pretty terrible. Our server didn't even introduce herself, she just poured us some water, walked off to help another table, and then came right back asking if we were ready to order. My girlfriend ordered their strawberry lychee drink, but it was so sickeningly sweet that I actually had to chug a bunch of it so we could pour our table water into the glass just to tone it down. Even diluted with water, it was still way too sweet. Then came the wait for food, which took about 30 to 40 minutes. What was weird was that three different tables got their food at the exact same time. A table of four sat down before us, our table, and another table of four that sat down ten minutes after us all got served in one big batch. When the food finally arrived, it really wasn't worth the wait or the price tag. My girlfriend got the bouillabaisse, which turned out to be extremely fishy. She could barely touch it, and the bread served on the side was super tough and hard to chew. I got the coconut chicken curry, which came in a solid portion size and tasted good for the first few bites, but it got so heavy so fast that I couldn't even finish it. Overall, between the robotic service, the crazy wait times, and the overpriced, disappointing food, this place was a huge letdown. We definitely won't be coming back here again! read more

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Food: mixed, overall good flavors but some burning messed with execution Service: server good, good timing bad Atmosphere: nice/ upscale The beef pho was excellent, soft beef and flavorful, drinkable, umami broth that wasn't too salty. The garlic noodles were just ok. They felt like spaghetti noodles that were coated in garlic sauce. Some of the garlic was burnt so it lent a bitter taste. We didn't finish and didn't pack home (I usually leave nothing behind) I ordered the Vietnamese crepe: I had to ask about it because everyone else got their food and was almost done. I got my dish about 20 min later than everyone else (who got pho). I almost asked to cancel it but the server said it was "almost done". Well the crepe was mostly good but about 1/3 of the crepe itself was burned and well...it tasted burned. See photo. The lychee non-alcoholic was tasty and tart but for volume not sure worth $10 read more

Little Sister - Crepe. Right side burned completely - Vietnamese Near Me - Irvine, California

First, our server was fantastic. Thank you Breanne, for making us feel welcome and the entire staff for their hard work and courtesy. Five menu items for us tonight: warm milk rolls little sister milk rolls, sea salt, spiced honey & soft butter housemade dumplings chicken & shitake dumpling, roasted mushrooms, chili-vinegar dipping sauce coco pork slow-braised w/ bay leaf, coconut, black pepper & ginger, finished w/ quail egg & supreme soy, served with jasmine rice & pickled papaya shaky shaky beef beef tenderloin, little sister butter-soy glaze, served with tomato fried rice, watercress salad, chili-salt & pepper dipping sauce key lime tart coconut gelato, blueberries All were amazing. Ambiance is busy and moderately loud for Saturday dinner...not quiet or intimate... read more

My sister was raving about this place so i had to come try it myself. I loved the dimly lit vibe of the restaurant it was very esthetically pleasing. It was nice because we ordered everything family style and got to try all the different dishes they had. The quality of the food was so good and it was cool to be able to see them make the meals as well. Our server was very nice and had a lot of great recommendations she even convinced us to get dessert which i never do but i'm glad she did because it was soooo good! I can't wait to go back and try a new dish :) read more

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Little Sister is a gorgeous restuarant in Irvine Spectrum but its still very much an upscale Vietnamese restaurant with toned down flavors for their specific demographics. Safe tastes for a date night I suppose. An easy substitute for those who sadly can't be bothered to drive another 10 miles south and put in some effort to find parking for real Vietnamese food in Little Saigon area in Westminster. read more

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My gf and I came to Little Sister for the first time and enjoyed our food on a Saturday night for dinner. We called an hour ahead of time to reserve a table and got lucky with a last minute reservation for two. Our server Hailey did an excellent job waiting our table. She was friendly, welcoming and great with recommending dishes. It was our first time eating here and the vibes were very warm, chill and pleasant. Everything inside the restaurant was decorated with detail. The dishes we ordered. Spring Rolls with pork & shrimp Papaya Salad Pan Fried Sea Bass along with a veggie medley on the side (Delicious and worth it) Shaky Shaky Beef along with Watercress salad and rice (So good) We recommend trying this spot for the vibes and food. read more

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3.5ish overall. food - pho was a bit oily, the curry needed more salt, chicken wings were okay. broken bowl chicken was TENDER!! first souvide? interior - very comfy, love the decor and the vibe! service - average Probably would not come again. Better viet food elsewhere. read more

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Tasty food. Nice decor. Service needs improvement. Tried LSXO a couple of times and really liked it. Figured the Sister would be the same, but unfortunately the service here is not the same. Will stick to LSXO. read more

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I really love coming here for the food. You can definitely find cheaper Vietnamese spots that are still good, but the quality here stands out--and the vibes inside the restaurant are great. The bar area is especially cute. The service was a bit slow this visit, though. It was a weekday just before lunch, and the restaurant was only about a third full. Our food took a while, and the table next to us hadn't gotten their order yet by the time we were leaving. Still, the food and atmosphere make it worth coming back. read more

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Service and ambiance is very good. I recommend sitting inside to stay warm for dinner. Food was delivered is the proper order and not just brought out all at the same. Papaya salad is packed with flavor. I don't I've such a flavorful salad in a long time. Highly recommend! The beef and tendon appetizer was light and good, but I think there are others items I would prefer next time. The seafood with the black rice was delicious especially with the provided condiments. The seafood was very fresh. I just wish the portion was a little bigger. This is a really spot and does Vietnamese well with a lot of wonderful flavors. We also appreciate that there was no mandatory prefix menu for Valentine's Day like most other places. read more

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I've dined at their El Segundo location and their food is excellent, although a little on the pricey side. I'm writing a negative review for this location because their service when it comes to reservations is mildly infuriating. They say in their voicemail that they take reservations up to 14, however they block reservations of this size in their reservation app. When I called them and left a voicemail with a reservation request, they didn't return my call. And finally when I called them while they were open, they answered the call and immediately hang up without answering, multiple times. It shouldn't be this hard to give this place business. The food is great but I wouldn't recommend trying to place a reservation here. read more

I would give them a zero if I could. Was excited to try Little Sister after my friend recommended it. It was slow in the restaurant with only 3 parties indoor and maybe as much seated outside. I sat at the table for an unreasonably long time with no service. Not even a glass of water. I tried sitting at the bar with the same experience so I left. Will not come back. read more

Decided to grab dinner here before seeing Wicked: For Good the day after Thanksgiving. We came in early and were seated at the bar. Little Sister operates with two separate kitchens: one for hot dishes and one for cold preparations. The cold kitchen handles items like rice paper rolls, fresh rolls, papaya salad, and other lighter fare and this area is directly in front of the bar where we sat. This is where I unfortunately need to mention a concern. The two ladies working the cold prep line did not appear to follow consistent hygiene practices. They were talking over the food while prepping, not changing gloves between tasks, and touching different ingredients, including raw meats and vegetables without switching gloves. There was also a beef fresh roll that they were pre-making in batches and stacking into a container. So if you plan to order this item, just know it may not be made to order. I wish I could leave it at that, but I ended up getting very sick several times throughout the night, and it carried into the next day. Because of what I observed with cross-contamination risk, I would strongly caution vegetarians, anyone with food allergies, or anyone sensitive to food handling issues to be careful here. I truly don't enjoy leaving negative reviews, but if you're going to showcase an open-concept kitchen, it's important that proper food-safety practices are followed at all times. Based on my experience, I unfortunately cannot recommend dining here. read more

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Little Sister is a great place for modern Vietnamese food. Had the Shaken Beef with red rice, the chicken wings & spring rolls. Everything was delicious. The wings were the last to come out but totally worth the wait. There's always a long wait list but you can sit at the bar usually with no wait and you can watch the staff prepare some of the food items. They use such fresh vegetables and it all looks sooo good. It's a bit on the pricey side, however you can come during happy hour and it's a little less expensive. Even with the high prices it's so worth it. Everything is prepared with care and always looks beautiful on the plate. read more

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Interior and exterior design is lovely. You feel like you're in an elevated restaurant with aesthetic lighting, furniture, and ambiance until you look down and see to-go looking chopsticks next to metal utensils. That's odd..they should consider upgrading their chopsticks to match the theme. But let's dive into the food: Salmon crudo- YUMMM. Light and refreshing. LOVE the pickled strawberries and the pickled leek. Flavor explosion, especially with the fried shallots. Black rice- Think seafood paella. The rice had a curry taste to it which paired really well with the seafood. The sauce!!! Dip the shrimps into the green speckled sauce! SO GOOD!! The dish was a bit salty though. Sticky rice- some pieces were good and some were too salty. Shaky shaky beef- The beef was so soft, tender, and moist! It's cooked medium rare by default, just the way I like it! Eaten with ketchup rice, it makes me feel homey. Six pieces of meat for $42, that's pretty steep. Crispy fried prawns- this was good! Crispy and juicy! Dip with the green sauce, delicious!! This place was good to try. If I were to come back, I'd get the salmon crudo again and the Kennedy cocktail (sub vodka for mezcal). read more

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We really liked Little Sister! We weren't expecting authentic Vietnamese food, of course, but we were hoping for flavor and a nice setting, which we definitely got. We had gift cards to use, so even better! We went in on New Year's Day around 11:30 am and there were only about 3 other parties there. What a beautiful space! The decor, the dim lighting, the furniture, very pretty and comfy. I love that its at Irvine Spectrum so I can get some shopping and browsing done at the same time. Our server took a little while to come over, which was odd since there was barely anyone there but she was great and gave us some good recs for ordering. I got the Chardonnay and that was excellent with a good price. Our food was delicious, the portions on the smaller side, but the flavors and freshness made up for that. We got the pork belly with Bok choy, the tofu broken rice bowl and the shaky shaky beef plate. Everything was amazing, from the cooking of the vegetables to the sauces served on the side. I would love to try their Happy Hour next. Highly recommend! read more

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Pho soup has improved a lot I would say best authentic broth. However host didn't read the notes on open table server didn't care to do any of for if it's bday or anniversary server is very monotone. So anniversary turned into nothing choosing this place. However shoutout to the cooks and chef who is so on point on making people to come back. To the management please train staff and check tables if customer happy w the service it's a slow night guy server disappear for good 25 mins read more

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Little Sister is the perfect blend of authentic Vietnamese with a chic restaurant vibe! My husband and I have visited 3 times and have always had a great experience. The food is 10/10 - The flavors are complex and interesting and each dish has its own unique profile. I highly recommend sitting on the patio! The fresh air and natural light makes the experience even brighter! Adam was our server and he had the best recommendation. The bee sting cocktail and the pork chop (OG style) were very memorable! Excellent service paired with an incredible menu always makes for a great lunch date! read more

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We were SO impressed by the service at Little Sister! We went here last night for a last minute celebration of a friend's birthday and we absolutely loved what we experienced from our order! Our waiter was incredibly attentive and wonderful, but there was a little mix up where we ended up not getting our Pho Banh Guon. We ordered family style so there was a lot of food on our table, so we were cool with it and they deducted it off our bill! The restaurant itself to is so beautifully kept and themed for the holidays! It's definitely going to be a spot to take any guests we have that visit from out of town! Thank you so much! read more

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Final Score: 5 / 10 Yelp Score: 3 / 5 rounded up Ordered the Pho Bo with a side of spring rolls. I appreciate the decor and atmosphere. I like what they've done with the place and ambience. It's very warm and inviting. The service was attentive when I visited but it wasn't busy. One of the first things I noticed were the quality of the chopsticks. They reminded me of the disposable ones that came in paper packaging but with the paper removed. The wood was chipped in some places and uneven on the others. For a sit down restaurant in Spectrum, I would've expected better quality chopsticks or for them to have reusable ones. I'm a bit mixed on the spring rolls. The sauce is a coconut based sauce which isn't my personal preference but perfectly fine. The crunchy spring roll paper on the inside of the wrap is always a nice touch an appreciate for a variety in texture. However, the one choice they made that I felt like ruined the spring rolls was that they had seasoned shrimp in the spring roll. Usually a spring roll has a pretty clean taste that goes with a dipping sauce. As for the Pho, it was overall fine but nothing special. The texture of the meatballs was a little too fine and blended but that may be another personal preference. I prefer mine with a bit more bite. Overall the place is alright. At a 5, it's not a place I regretted going and still had nice food but a place I wouldn't consider visiting again. The price to quality and quantity ratio isn't there for a place as expensive as this in Spectrum. read more

Little Sister - Beef Pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Irvine, California

Located at Irvine spectrum. Came here with a larger group so I was able to try a lot of their dishes. Everything was very flavorful, but not traditional Vietnamese. The rice paper dishes, Chao, escargot poppers, shaky shaky beef, pork chop and spare rib rice dishes are all very good. I'm sure everything on the menu would be great choices to try. It's a beautiful Asian fusion restaurant. Great place for a special event or casual dine in. read more

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Shoutout to Jason for making our birthday dinner experience an excellent one. The food was amazing. Did not miss. We loved our Braised beef dish, and kept the Kennedy's coming . Return customers and will definitely be back. read more

Little Sister - Vietnamese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Came here for an early birthday celebration with my family, we had reservations on a Monday night even with all the rain the restaurant was packed. Got seated right when we checked in and we got our appetizers really fast. And then we got our main courses soon after. There's a good amount of seating and dining at the bar tops. Restaurants very clean, nice dim lighting but each table has a personal light. Our server was so kind and friendly. Helpful with suggestions on what to order. Everything tasted amazing expect the two kinds of fish we got were a little smaller portions compared to everything else and a little bland to be honest. But besides that I enjoyed and would come back. Food: Bread butter & honey is a MUST. The spring rolls were really good with all the different textures. Dumplings were good. Shaky shaky beef was amazing came with rice and salad. I got the braised beef she recommended to me and it did not disappoint. We got the pho and it was okay just like a regular pho nothing fancy. My sister got the sea bass which was a little dry. The salmon was bland. Saigon salad noodles was really tasty. Ended with a dessert for my birthday not sure what it was called but it was like a pecan something with vanilla ice cream like a healthy pazooki! 10/10 read more

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AVOID AT ALL COST!! AVOID AT ALL COST!! ONE STAR An Embarrassment to Vietnamese Cuisine Without question, one of the worst restaurant experiences I've had. We ordered three dishes: Shaky Shaky Beef, Vietnamese Crepes, and Wings. Two were terrible. The third never showed up. The Shaky Shaky Beef, their take on Bò Lúc Lắc, was awful. The beef was dry, flavorless, and had an unpleasant odor. Calling this Bò Lúc Lắc or even a respectable interpretation of it is a stretch. The Vietnamese Crepes, their version of Bánh Xèo, were equally disappointing and nowhere close to what this dish should be. To make matters worse, the accompanying herbs were wilted and anything but fresh. Fresh, vibrant herbs are fundamental to Vietnamese food. This was just sad. And the wings? Apparently they were a mystery. We finished the other two dishes and still had no wings. We told our server, Eric, who nonchalantly said he'd check. Another 15 minutes passed. No wings. No update. No Eric. That pretty much summed up the service. Eric wasn't friendly, attentive, or particularly interested. He did the bare minimum until even that stopped. We finally had enough. We left two $50 gift cards on the table and walked out. I'm all for chefs putting a creative spin on Vietnamese cuisine. But there's a difference between interpretation and poor execution. Vietnamese cuisine deserves better than dry, smelly beef, wilted herbs, forgettable food, and indifferent service. As someone who knows Vietnamese food and culture, I found the entire experience not only disappointing but disrespectful to the cuisine Little Sister claims to represent. Little Sister was a huge disappointment. $100 left on the table, and we couldn't get out of there fast enough. read more

We stopped by Little Sister to have an early dinner roughly a week ago. We decided to have a chill afternoon at the Irvine Spectrum, and my lovely girlfriend loves Vietnamese food. We noticed Little Sister was located here (near the Apple Store) and decided to eat there. We went in and got a seat right away. Our server was a nice guy and suggested the Saigon salad with Lemongrass Beef for my lady, as she wanted a vermicelli dish. I ordered the Banh Xeo, as I wanted my lady to try it in the states; she previously tried it while in Phu Quoc, but it isn't quite the same in my opinion. The Banh Xeo at little sister wasn't bad, but was limited to just shrimps as the protein. I'm used to Banh Xeo with pork belly and squid/calamari included with the shrimp. I also never had it served with a side of vermicelli noodles, but it wasn't too off. The flavors were good and the crepe had a nice crunch outside and a doughy inside with bean sprouts. The veggies served on the side is what you will find with most Vietnamese dishes: basil, mints, lettuce, onions, pickled carrots, and fish sauce. The Saigon salad tasted like many Vietnamese vermicelli dishes. The Lemongrass beef wasn't our cup of tea, but I know it's popular with quite a few Vietnamese dishes. The flavors for the whole dish were as expected but the lemongrass beef was quite salty, and they should serve this salad with a larger helping of fish sauce. Overall, the experience was decent. The ambiance is modern and nice, the staff was friendly, the food was good but not spectacular (especially since you can pay less than half the price at an authentic Vietnamese restaurant in West Minister). I would likely come by here again if I was bringing someone who isn't of Vietnamese decent here as the would likely notice the differences that I did. read more

Little Sister - Vietnamese Near Me - Irvine, California

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My friend treated us to dinner to welcome another girlfriend back, and she insisted on taking us to Little Sister -- she's already been there twice in a row because it's that good! (We tried some "blind picks" too -- all delicious! Menu attached) Ambiance: The indoor space features warm wooden tones and soft metallic lighting -- elegant, cozy, and perfect for date nights or girls' gatherings. The outdoor area is all white walls, lush greenery, and striped umbrellas -- totally photo-worthy! Whether it's daytime or sunset, it gives off those relaxed Southeast Asian vacation vibes~ Recommended Dishes: Goi Du Du (Papaya Salad with Prawns) Crisp green papaya and juicy prawns with a tangy-spicy kick -- bright, refreshing, and addictively good! Sautéed Eggplant Mapo Pork Soft, flavorful eggplant with a hint of Sichuan-style spice -- aromatic and perfect with rice. Short Rib Incredibly tender and juicy with a slightly charred edge -- the sauce is amazing, like a mix of Southeast Asian street flavor and fine dining elegance. Black Rice Topped generously with seafood -- the rice is slightly sticky, nutty, and so fragrant. A healthier, more flavorful twist on white rice! Milk Rolls Soft, buttery, and slightly sweet -- can't believe bread could be this good! My son absolutely loved it. Average: under $50 per person -- great value, and the service was very attentive. Summary: Bold, diverse flavors -- slightly on the sweet side, but beautifully plated. Ambiance is a 10/10 -- every corner is photo-ready! read more

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Got to try it again and the menu has changed quite a bit. It is more expensive, but you pay for the ambiance and aesthetic. They do deliver on the ambiance w/ high ceilings, small artistful touches like matchbooks, big tables, and lighting fit for food photos. They have cocktails and a small dessert menu, it does close rather early. Shaking beef- rice is okay, wish more flavor. Nice vinegrette, tender beef Papaya salad- favorite of the night. But no need to add prawns as these are just shrimp and you dont get the hit factor/grilled flavor. The papaya was nicely julienne and coated well in dressing. Has some hard crunchy seafood. Banh cuon- interesting concept and does taste like pho, however instead of being soft and holding everything together it kind of fell apart. Good dressing, tender enough meat and really does have all the pho toppings. The service was fast and smooth with adequately paced enough check ins. Overall, recommend the papaya salad and come here for a date night or company meal. read more

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