I had to come back for round two. Ordered the dry Vermicelli noodles this time. Yum! Very well flavored and generous serving. If not provided, request a lemon slice, I personally loved it with the lemon. read more

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I've only been once and try not to review before visiting a few times. This review is an exception. I had read the reviews and heard from a variety of people that it was now open and sooo good. As a Vietnamese food lover, I'd been waiting impatiently for another addition to the (two) restaurants currently in town, and I love that they'd opted to open in a newly-vacant space. Was there on a Saturday evening with an air of frustration among guests and panic as the one lovely and well-known server was doing everything out front and could not keep up. Many people waiting without drinks or food. Normally I'd leave but I had nothing else to do and was not overly hungry, and my curiosity got the best of me. The place looked like it needed a little more work to be considered fully decorated and set up looked hastily done. That would not be a deterrent - some of the best food happens when decoration is not a priority. Eventually we got a table - a high-top next to a curtain that hid what used to be an open kitchen used by the previous occupant. From there we could see everything in the dining room. Someone was called in to assist, and she brought friends and sat down; Maybe promised a free meal if she'd fill in in an emergency. We could also hear everything, unfortunately. Whoever was preparing food was loudly coughing, blowing their nose, hacking, sneezing, spitting and...well, it was disgusting. We heard it all through the curtain and were grateful we could not see. We almost ran out after ordering but I couldn't do that to a fledgling place. I think the pressure to open and get things running and get money coming in means, in late winter restaurant staff are working when they shouldn't be. Our food was okay. Not spectacular. Not hot. Vietnamese pancake that should have been stuffed with much more veggies/filling, a salad and chicken pho that tasted more like "chicken noodle soup" and lacking the usual accoutrements (sprouts, basil, etc.) that come with pho. We could not really enjoy the meal. I'm shocked we're not sick after that experience. Just beware. I'm sure sick restaurant staff happens everywhere but the curtain arrangement made it impossible to hide. read more

We decided to try it out, knowing that a new restaurant needs time to settle in. Front of house was a little frantic for one person, but service was excellent. Our server really went out of her way to make sure we had a great meal. Overall food coming out of the kitchen came a bit slow, but our server plied us with lots of unasked for extras on the house (edamame, spring roll, and thai iced tea) to make sure we had a good meal. Food was excellent. Our 14-year old rated the Chicken Pho as "the best in town, and the best he's had in a long time". I just sampled his leftovers, he was right. Best in town, competitive with the best we've ever had. High praise! We had the Lemongrass chicken with vermicelli and the Banh Mi. Both were great! We will be putting this restaurant into our rotation for takeout and when we're not in a hurry. Restaurants are for the company to share a great meal, and this fits the bill. read more

My husband and I decided to try out this new Vietnamese restaurant in town. The food was delicious. We ordered the shrimp rice paper wraps and fried chicken and veggie dumplings, which came with 6 dumplings, as appetizers. For our entrees, I got the chicken pho with rice noodles and my husband got the Bún bò (spicy noodle soup with beef brisket and rice noodles). I thoroughly enjoyed the broth, they make their broth fresh daily. The portions are generous. We were pleasantly greeted by the owner, Violet. She is such a sweet heart. Overall service was great and we felt our needs were met. For dessert, we got a complimentary scoop of ice cream as a thank you for coming in. Highly recommend coming in for a tasty bowl of pho! read more

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I wanted to love this place. Our first visit months ago had painfully slow service but exceptional food quality, so we gave them another chance assuming they'd work out the kinks. Unfortunately, nothing has improved. Our table was dirty, the updated menu is a design disaster with tiny fonts making dishes and descriptions impossible to read, and the service was somehow worse than before. With only three tables occupied, we ordered second but waited 45 minutes while the table that arrived after us got their food first. The confused server delivered wrong orders to wrong tables. We ended up leaving and eating somewhere else. The food was genuinely excellent on our previous visit. But exceptional food means nothing when basic restaurant operations are in chaos. Other reviews echo the same service complaints, which tells you this isn't bad luck but poor management. Maybe they should ask for some guidance from the Hotel School. This restaurant has real potential. But they need to make serious operational changes or they won't survive long enough for anyone to discover how good their food actually is. Can't recommend until they figure it out. read more

The best summer shrimp summer rolls I've ever had and I've been to Rochester, Syracuse, etc. The beef pho was extremely tasty and the broth (and Thai iced tea) was delicious. Very friendly staff, too! read more

We had a lovely evening at Mama Lieu's. We felt like we were in someone's home and that they were cooking just for us. The pho was excellent--both the chicken and the beef varieties. The broth was so flavorful and the servings were very generous. We also enjoyed a plate of hot edamame, shrimp summer rolls with peanut sauce, and steamed chicken dumplings. The waitress was very pleasant and entertaining. She brought us a dish of green tea iced cream at the end of the meal. Mama Lieu's is a wonderful addition to the Ithaca restaurant scene. read more

Food took forever, was cold, meat was tough, vermicelli was watery and 50% bean sprouts. Service was incapable. Karaoke was annoying at best up until the feedback, then just unbearable. 30 minute wait for spring roll, then 20 minutes more for the entree. We were the Only table there... Not in a hurry to go back... read more

Omg finally found legit Vietnamese food in Ithaca!! As a Viet student missing home so bad, Mama Lieu's phở and chả giò totally hit the spot! The owner and her kid are the sweetest ever! I chatted with her in Vietnamese and learned their American dream immigrant story - they came to Ithaca almost 30 years ago and her mom originally opened what's now Saigon Kitchen (it's also a good restaurant and I'm excited for more good foods in Ithaca)! Even though restaurant business had its ups and downs, and her mom Lieu (hence the name) is no longer here, she's keeping those precious family recipes and passion alive. My friend and I came in during a birthday celebration for her son and got to know them a little bit! Can't wait to bring my Viet friends here when school starts again next semester! They're expanding the menu and I can't wait to try bún bò Huế and bánh xèo next. If you're craving real Vietnamese food, this is IT! read more

Mama Lieu’s Vietnamese Kitchen - special pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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