Best Vietnamese in the area. The owners are so very friendly as well! I always make sure to come back here when in the area as the food is very good. My favorites in no particular order are the: Chicken pho - 9/10 Great broth, well cooked noodles, good amount of side greens to put into your soup. I'd just call ahead to make sure they have it the week you are there since as far as I am aware, they rotate it with their beef pho, which I personally don't like (anywhere). Fried rice (com chien duong chau) - 10/10 The best Chinese sausage fried rice I've yet had. I love this one. I don't like shrimp so I personally ask for no shrimp and extra Chinese sausage. Very good dish. Spring rolls with vermicelli noodles - 10/10 Well fried, good filling (I believe it's pork?), good amount, great sauce to pour on top, and a very refreshing near salad (rice noodles, lettuce, probably some other vegetables as well, those 2 being the main). They also always sprinkle this spice on top of their dishes (most memorably the pho and the com chien duong chau) which enhances the flavor so much. I love it! Definitely come here. Cute little seating inside of a farmer's market too. read more

Loan's Authentic Vietnamese Bistro - Chicken pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Allentown, Pennsylvania

Authentic Vietnamese food in a farmers market. Good place for a quick meal while shopping there.

Super friendly staff, and piping hot fresh food. Large portion--ate half at lunch, will eat the rest for dinner. My meal (from the weekly special board) was delicious. I will be back! read more

Preparation is done upon ordering so everything fresh, nicely seasoned, and delicious. We find one order will get two or three meals and priced very reasonably. Highly recommend! read more

Good pho but small plastic bowl. It was a good tasting broth and everything was tasty. Just a bit small for me. Will go again! Spring rolls are good too. read more

Loan's Authentic Vietnamese Bistro - Spring rolls. Very good - Vietnamese Near Me - Allentown, Pennsylvania

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Fantastic Pho, prices are fair, and service is great. The owners are very attentive and really care about the food they prepare.

my favorite place to get PHO nice people and great food! Farmers market is nice! would always recommend

Allentown seems to be adapting to the modern world in bits and pieces with old Allentown pushing back against new Allentown with both seemingly coexisting nicely. The Allentown Farmers market inside the grandstands is an old meets new blend that works fantastically offering every from Penn Dutch standards to Asian fare. Think future shock under ground society crossed with a European food hall. Among the variety of offerings is Loan's Vietnamese, a postage stamp of a restaurant that spills into the hallway with it's tables. Mr Loan is a flurry of activity taking orders, waiting tables and keeping the area spic and span. A limited menu, probably guided by the minute kitchen offers classics like Pho and Bahn Mi and one off daily specials . LH and I did a lap in the hall and of course opted for Loan's. Fresh food with quick ish service it was a great choice. I don't know if there's a lot of Vietnamese food in Allentown but if this is it that's fine. So tour the food hall but leave room for Loan's Loan's. You can bank on it. Go! read more

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This is in the Allentown farmers market. I love Vietnamese food and was happy to see this business. I had the Vietnamese crepe with shrimp and pork. It was tasty but at $14.95 I think a bit over priced. My husband had the spring rolls - also tasty but nothing magical. read more

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The pho is soooo amazing!!!! The service is so beautiful , they are so humble and genuine and caring!!

For Allentown, the pho is good. I'm a bit of a pho snob since I live in Seattle. I'm literally surrounded by 20-30 places to get pho within a 10 min drive. But like I said, good for Allentown. The pho itself was solid. The broth was actually really good and that bumped them up to four stars for me. The rest of the experience is definitely 3 stars. But this was the best place around to introduce my mother to pho. She loved it, fyi. No Asian soup spoons, relatively small bowls, limited accoutrements (basil, sprouts, lime), limited pho options (chicken, aka pho ga, only), limited seating, only open 3 days a week, and a long wait for food after ordering all beckon a three star rating. Their broth and the fact that it's a small family run stand in the farmer's market swayed me to 4 stars. They do serve other Vietnamese dishes besides pho. read more

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Their pho is delicious, very traditional pho with an expert chef. Their spring rolls were tasty as well. I'd love it more if they'd have variety of ingredients. read more

What a unique location for PHO. I've had pho in many of the big cities and this pho stand inside a flea/fruit market is one of the BEST i've ever encountered; phenomenal. The broth, the cut of meat/chicken, incredible. INCREDIBLE. Only challenge is they have limited seating, can get busy easily, too bad they couldn't open up a shop in the town. This mall and restaurant were GEMS on a road trip. Pure Gems. read more

Loan's Authentic Vietnamese Bistro - LOANS - Vietnamese Near Me - Allentown, Pennsylvania

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Soooo delicious! Our usual order is the number 10, but their pho is very good(only had the beef), as well as other daily specials. Large portions, great quality fresh ingredients and the food is ready very quickly, usually 5-10 minutes. They are cash only, but no worries, there is an ATM near by. We decided to dine in but they have take out as an option. With COVID 19, if you're unable to wear a mask for health reasons, they will deliver it to your car outside the market. The owners are very nice and helpful with any questions you may have. A true Allentown gem! read more

Delicious pho, very authentic! My go to place for Viet food in Allentown. I've only had the pho and egg rolls, both are fresh and delicious. Prices a touch on the higher side but not unreasonable for the quality of the food (also cheaper than the other pho place in Allentown which isn't nearly as tasty). I only wish it was open more than 3 days a week! read more

I have been to Vietnam and this reminds me of the fresh food I had in the Dai Lac l area. They were almost sold out of everything on Saturday at 3:30 so come early! I recommend the Bun Bo Xao, but I suspect nothing they serve would disappoint. read more

Loan's Authentic Vietnamese Bistro - Vietnamese Near Me - Allentown, Pennsylvania

The food here tastes just like my mom's food. I'm from LA & I was so impressed first time I tried the food here. We ordered chicken pho & ginger/lemongrass chicken - their weekly specials, they were both so delicious & flavorful that we came back the next day for more! read more

Loan's is just the best, and deserves no less than five stars. The pho (I like the chicken pho) and #10 are solid choices on the regular menu. The specials are my favorite, it's always exciting to see what's new each week. Be warned, they often sell out by 6:30 or 7:00, though they usually have pho no matter what. See my past reviews for more details. read more

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Looking for authentic Pho? Look no further. Loans easily has the best Vietnamese food in the Lehigh valley. The smell alone from walking by is enticing enough to make anyone slow down to look at the menu and two hard working people behind the counter. Loan was a 5 star chef in Vietnam, and you can taste it in the cuisine. They are kind and put their heart into their cooking. I would highly recommend this little bistro! read more

This was my first time having Pho soup (other than a cruise ship), and this was absolutely fantastic. Everything from the quality of the chicken, the broth, the fresh basil, the bean sprouts, what a delicious and healthy soup! Made my stomach feel better, and with the rice noodles, it's gluten free! Now I'm hooked on pho soup, and now I need to find one near my home. Thumbs up, all the way. read more

Hubs and I were visiting Bethlehem and looking for something other than the obvious grease-fests at the restaurants near our hotel.. We both love Pho and decided to give Loan's a try. My only complaint about this restaurant are that they are only open three days a week when the Farmers Market is open. I cannot say enough good things about this gem. The kitchen is scrupulously clean and open to view. The owners obviously take pride in their food which was amazing! We shared an order of fresh rolls and each of us had the chicken Pho. The fresh rolls were made to order with shrimp, vermicelli, Thai basil, and crisp lettuce. The Pho had a deep richness of flavor so typical of an authentic broth. We loved every drop and licked the bowls! This restaurant is well worth taking the time to find. Enjoy! read more

I hate to give up one of my secret go-to's as it will just increase the wait lines but I have to say that Loan's deserves this review. Their food is out of this world. Their have the best pho and is very addictive. It's hard for me to try their other menu items because their pho is so addictive. The man that runs the business is very customer attentive. They have very limited seating if you are eating there and not taking out. I hope they address this in the future. read more

2.5 stars I really wanted to like Loan's. The other reviews got my hopes up for, FINALLY!, a good Vietnamese place I can eat at and really introduce other people to. While I do agree with Glenn T. that Loan's food does remind me of "good clean Vietnamese street food", that only applies to the taste. Now you might say: "What else is there besides taste?!!" My answer: PORTION. I ordered one of the specials: Bo Xao Xa Ot. Except it was over bun, or vermicelli, not rice. That's fine with me, I love this dish either way. I was half watching her putting my take-out together, half watching the other two patrons' expression, trying to gauge their level of enjoyment. I love watching people trying Vietnamese food for the first time - you can tell either they'll love it, or only learn to like it but will never love it. Got my foam container, paid the $7.xx and went home. The food smelt amazing. I opened it eagerly, ready to pounce, and my jaw dropped. The portion is ridiculously small. Almost half of the container was shredded lettuce. A quarter was raw onion. I don't know about you but I am not that big of a fan of raw onion, and definitely not a whole quarter of a foam container of it! The remainder was an abysmally small mound of vermicelli with the lemongrass beef on top. I thought maybe the vermicelli was hiding under the lettuce and beef so I moved the 5-6 pieces of beef out of the way and sadly that little tennis ball size of vermicelli did not multiply. I described it to my sister as "it would fit in a chén!" After adding the fish sauce (slightly too watered down for me) and mixing everything up, minus a lot of the onions of course, it looked like I had ordered a salad instead of a vermicelli dish. While the flavors were spot-on! I was so let down by the tiny portion. That was a snack, not a meal. And at $7.xx that was an expensive snack. 3/10/12 Quick update: I told my mom about my experience and she told me that several of her friends have tried Loan's and they all said the same thing about portion. They all also told her it wasn't worth trying out. She also pointed out that I was right to expect it over rice since Bo Xao Xa Ot (sauteed lemongrass & chili beef) is eaten with rice. When it's eaten over vermicelli it should be grilled and it's usually called Bun Thit Nuong. Sauteing it instead of grilling is "lazy" my mom says since it's not the correct "goute." That's French for taste. O_o I didn't know my my mama knew French :) So because of that Loan lost 1/2 a star since it wasn't authentic... I'm sad. read more

I love this place. Delicious, delicious, freaking delicious. The pho is the best in the Lehigh Valley by leaps and bounds.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover an Asian vendor at the Farmer's Market. I've ordered take out a few times from here. I ordered their Bahn Mi sandwich...thinking it was the meat slices, but it turns out it was Bahn Mi with pork meatballs--still very delicious! Good flavor and it did taste fresh as one of the reviewers below put it. I've tried their seafood rice pancake. Their fish sauce is delicious, though not spicy. The pancake, having tried it for the first time, was a pleasant surprise. However, the shrimp cooked into the pancake WITHOUT the shells removed was less of a pleasant surprise. Pho is also on par with other Vietnamese restaurants I've eaten at. Nothing out of the ordinary to note here. But be prepared to pay some extra pocket change if you want a styrofoam bowl to eat out of with your takeout order. I still go back because the food is good and the owners are always friendly. read more

Friendly service, easy takeout, and SUCH GOOD FOOD! I absolutely love Vietnamese, but could never find a place in Allentown I liked. This place is definitely a hidden gem (with its location LITERALLY a hole in the wall of the Farmer's Market) but the Pho is authentic and rich in flavor, and the fresh spring rolls are soooooo good, and just right for a quick snack while you stroll the market. Check this place out if you love Vietnamese! read more

Let me just say, that this is the best Vietnamese food I've had in Allentown - quite possibly the Lehigh Valley. They have weekly/ daily specials, which are always worth trying. My favorite is the #10. I eat here at least 3 times a month. It is also convenient, because Loan's is located in the Farmer's Market - you can get your shopping done and grab a bite to eat. The service and food are unbelievable! FIVE STARS! read more

Loan's Authentic Vietnamese Bistro - #10 - best Vietnamese food ever! Always friendly, always amazing! - Vietnamese Near Me - Allentown, Pennsylvania

We've been eating at Loan's for years. Nestled away in the Allentown farmers market. FYI, there's very limited seats and it's extremely tight so be prepared. The Phò is by far the best you'll ever find in the area but one of the owners (older man) is super annoying lol. He's always high strung and snippy. You never know which side of the bed he's gonna wake up on. My wife ordered the Bun Tom Chen (Vietnamese style deep fried breaded shrimp over rice noodles and veggies) Noodles were over cooked and not much sauce to add over the shrimp or the noodles. Needless to say The misses wasn't so happy this go round. So at the end of the day, I wouldn't say not to try Loans, some of the other dishes are good and some are pretty hit or miss, just don't forget to expect that older gentleman who doesn't know English well who shouldn't be in any way shape or form be the front man for the business waiting to greet you :-) He even makes sure he tells everyone how there supposed to eat the food and what you should and shouldn't put on it, and if you go off the grid a little trust me, he'll surely let you know :-) read more

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Portion was small but that taste is there. Variety is small and prices are average. Ordered a chicken pho, which was pretty good

Reading the reviews, I was aware the portions are not large. However they did make up for it in flavor and quality of ingredients. Broth was well flavored but not salty or heavy. Would have liked to have more options, such as tripe, flank, tendon etc. but for a small operation, it was solid. Some lady placed a huge take-out before me and filled literally an entire shopping cart! needless to say, my order took a bit long but that is nothing against Loan's. read more

Fantastic and fresh. Had the Pho. It was perfectly seasoned and in a huge bowl. Great value. read more

Loan's Authentic Vietnamese Bistro - Steaming bowl of chicken Pho with salad and drink for $8. Great! - Vietnamese Near Me - Allentown, Pennsylvania

The food is decent. The owner is a bit much. Acted like it was a real imposition to get some actual hot sauce other than sriracha. We had to go orders and asked to have some of the hot sauce for them as well. When we got home he hadn't put it in the bag. I think because he's the only Pho place in the west part of Allentown he's very busy and he isn't very big on customer service. We no longer go there based on the attitude. read more

This is my favorite place to get pho, quite possibly the best pho I've ever had. We plan our visits to Allentown around their hours!

Best Pho in the area ever! Just the right amount of spice which you add on your own for personal taste. My complaint too as someone else mentioned only open Thurs thru Sat. read more

Loan's reminds me of good clean Vietnamese street food. Inexpensive and prepared while you watch. Obviously, the other reviewer never had authentic Vietnamese food because Loan's food is authentic as it gets. She probably just reviewed it quickly to get the coveted "first to review" post. The owner/chef worked in several upscale Vietnamese restaurants in Vietnam and brings her experience to the Lehigh Valley. Critics will complain that it isn't a stand alone restaurant, but when you have a desire to cook, anyplace can work for your mise en place. A real plus of Loan's is that since they are only open Thursday, Friday and Saturday, all the food is very fresh and since they are in a farmer's market their selections for fresh produce and meat increases exponentially-and that quality shows in their food-fresh tasting with bold flavors exploding on the plate and in your mouth. Their prices are great and you get a generous portion that usually one cannot finish. Their sauces are authentic and compliment the array of appetizers and entrees. You have to get there early for a full sampling because they are so popular that they sell out quickly. Definitely spend an afternnon or evening sampling their fare. read more

Picked up 2 bowls of Pho to go at the Allentown Fairgrounds the morning of 8/3/17. Was around $9 a bowl, which is about 2-3 dollars more than most other places.....but well worth it..... you will not find anything as good or authentic in the Lehigh Valley! The storefront itself appeared to be very clean and well maintained, will definitely be coming back for more! read more

Seriously the BEST pho in the entire area... it's such a small and deceiving place but the food is so authentic and fresh. It's in the Allentown Farmers Market so it's only open Thursday-Saturday but so worth it every time read more

I'm no expert in Vietnamese food and it's not nearly a favorite of mine, but I thought I'd give this place a try. I went on a Thursday for lunch. The food stand is located in the farmers market and has about 5 small tables. I ordered the one thing I know, Pho, but there are a few other things on the menu. Pho is 7.95 and everything else on the menu seemed reasonably priced. The owner took my order at the register and told me to have a seat. He was very friendly, made sure my table was wiped down. When my food came out he brought out the bowl and a side dish with sprouts, pepper, lime, and basil. He told me how and when I should add these extras for the best flavor and texture. This was extra bit of service that really made the difference for me. I don't know if this pho is better than others, but it was definitely good. I'll be returning and hopefully trying new menu items. read more

Pho soup is delicious. Very authentic. The other choices are also very good and very tasty. The owners however are not very friendly at all. The chef, Loan, is somewhat friendly...a smile every now and then...but the man at the counter, her husband, has an attitude. He never smiles and is surly and gruff. Many times we think...we are we here for this abuse to paying customers???...but because the food is so good, we overlook it. If you get past his attitude and unpleasantness, you will enjoy the food. Not many places to sit down to eat, so you have to get there early. read more

Looks will not deceive you for this stall in the busy Allentown Fairgrounds Farmer's Market. After going to Dan's BBQ for so long and having never tried this place, I went to grab some yummy Vietnamese food. Would I call this authentic? Maybe, but they have 10 items on the menu and I don't know much about Vietnamese food. Prices are quite cheap for the portion sizes. Service, very friendly people. The owner was really friendly and taught me a thing or to about eating Pho. The women was hardworking and joyful in her work. I got the Pho special, which was $7.75, and came with beef and vermicelli noodles. Along with that, there were onions, bean sprouts, and lots of herbs like lemongrass and basil. Plus, lime and hot pepper sauce for taste. That was one good bowl of soup. The noodles were perfectly cooked and were quite thin. The beef was tender and delicious. The onions cooked out in the hot broth, so they had nice taste. The broth itself was a bit on the spicy side, but the lime actually made it more mild. Those herb combinations were really spectacular. Overall, one of the best Vietnamese restaurants around. read more

Loan's Authentic Vietnamese Bistro - Pho with beef - Vietnamese Near Me - Allentown, Pennsylvania