Excellent pho and spring rolls. Great service and a wonderful and comfortable setting.

I have lived in Rome for more than a decade but this is the first restaurant that attacked me for being foreign. I would not recommend to anyone. read more

When I ordered Pho, you don't get Pho. Just a quirky version of it! This was the nearest Vietnamese restaurant in Roma, near my bed and breakfast. It was less than 3 km walk from where I was staying, so I was craving for Pho on a recent stay in Roma during October 2014. The hours on Yelp contradicted what the restaurant actually had posted on the entrance door. So, my experience was very different than that of normal diners. And so, I walked into an empty restaurant 1 hour BEFORE it was scheduled to open. I thought I was just the first one there (technically, yes I was), but not before they told me that the restaurant was still closed! I felt so embarrassed, but I was told to just stay and enjoy. It was definitely weird to be the only one dining in the restaurant when the wait staff were still busy setting up for the evening's meal service. Still, it was pretty good and I did enjoy myself, even though the mood was quiet and the ambiance was casual. It was eerily odd when I sat there waiting for my order and subsequently ate in an empty restaurant, but it is what it is. The owner and the wait staff was friendly, understanding, and nice about the entire situation, so that was great. The hours of this restaurant for dinner starts promptly at 1900, not 1800. I learned that the hard way, but again, the owner and wait staff was grateful that I was here to dine with them. The restaurant is designed to be pretty upscale, so you are fairly warned. The pricing for the restaurant reflects such luxury, even for a Vietnamese restaurant. It was really too much, but what can I say. I like to live large as much as I can while I travel! Mekong Vietnamese restaurant is located at Via Enea 56A, off the busy Via Tuscolana. The restaurant sits in a quiet residential section of Roma, so that's great. Unlike many in other European cities, cities in the US, and in Canada, Roma has only 3 Vietnamese restaurants in the city. That's pretty crazy, but I guess not so much, when the city prides itself off of pizza and other iconic Italian fare. The parking situation is pretty good, although I walked it here, but there is bus service here or find a taxi and just get here! Mekong Vietnamese restaurant definitely accepts major credit cards, so that brought a smile to my face. Especially after a day of full of sightseeing and moving around Roma, it was nice to sit down and have a nice quiet meal. It's definitely not easy having a Vietnamese restaurant in a predominately Italian cuisine area. Make that entirely Italian, for that matter. Well worth the salute! I had ordered the "Pho soup", which turned out to be some sort of liquid curry. It was definitely out of the realm of what I thought was authentic Pho (usually brown in color, not yellow curry color). Still, I was in Roma, Italy and not in the western world. I was something different, no doubt! I also ordered these rolls as an apetitzer, along with a huge ass bottle of water, which by the way was about 4 euros. I thought they were going to give me a glass of water, not a bottle of water that's almost like a wine bottle! The "Pho" itself seemed like a seafood concoction with curry soup base, which on the menu, they call it a special sauce. When in Roma, I suppose, but this was a little interesting for my taste. Yes, the "Pho soup" was tasty and delicious, but definitely not what I was expected. Those rolls as apetitzer were not expected either. Weird little things, but good food nonetheless. And the verdict here is that it's not really Vietnamese here, but it's a version of it that I can't describe or classify at the current time. Needless to say that if you are going to come here, do not think its authentic Vietnamese. Keep an open mind and you'll be fine. I would recommend here if your expectations are low. Service was excellent though. That's a plus, but just A-okay! Support local! C+ read more

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In A Nutshell: -Hard to find a Vietnamita restaurant in Rome, even harder to find one during siesta. -Joseph the owner was extremely nice. He's visited all over VN (North, Central, South). -From 26 years ago after he first tasted VN food he fell in love & started to write notes on the dishes he liked. -After 6 years of being open he still shares that enthusiasum. -He does a great job of utilizing local ingredients to come as close as he can to authentic VN food. -I really enjoyed the pho. Overall, if you order Cafe Den Da, make sure you ask for extra ice. read more

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Mekong most definitely has delicious food and excellent service. The entire restaurant is elegant with beautiful artwork and a clean/comfortable atmosphere. I first ordered the spring rolls with mango, vegetables, and chicken. It had a fantastic flavor with a good amount of all three ingredients. The fish sauce that goes with it had a rich flavor, so disappointments there. The only downside was that the spring roll broke apart after the first bite. So, something was wrong with the rice paper wrap. Maybe it was soaked in warm water for too long? Either way, at the end of the day, it had a good flavor. One of the main dishes that I ordered was the duck with bamboo and mushrooms. The whole dish was marinated perfectly! The flavor was rich and the meat had perfect tenderness. I also had the fries noodles with shrimp and mixed vegetables. This dish was savory and delicious with every bite. The noodles and shrimp were cooked perfectly as they had just the right texture. When it comes to the pho here, it is okay. I have eaten pho many times at Vietnamese restaurants in my hometown as it is heavily populated with Vietnamese. At Mekong, they have a large bowl, which is amazing! It is very filling and it gets the veggies right with the mint and cilantro. The beef is very tender and there is plenty of it in the bowl. I think the main issue with the pho here is that the broth is not cooked for a long period of time, resulting in the lack of flavor. Maybe this is because pho is not eaten a lot here, so it's not cost effective to make a large pot of pho with the broth cooking for a long period of time. Additionally, I wished there was hoisin sauce on the side. This is used in traditional pho and would enhance the flavor greatly here. The service is impeccable. The owner makes sure every guest is having a perfect time and has what they need. The servers make sure there are no long waits as they serve food and drinks fast. All staff appeared to be respectful and nice to me and other customers. read more

Good food experience from Texas. Me and my wife are very picky in tastes, but this Thai-Vietnam style of food is outstanding. We cound't expect any better than this. High recomend by us read more

Mekong - Vietnamese Near Me - Rome, RM

You will not get authentic Vietnamese food from here, but the food is still good. FOOD = good. I had the combination appetizer dish (1st item on the starters section) and the combination fried rice - one of the best fried rice dishes I have ever had. SERVICE = excellent ENVIRONMENT = good read more

I went to this restaurant for lunch on a Sunday. I ordered 2 entrees and tap water to accompany my food. The waiter brings out bottled water and I figured, "Sure, why not?" I return for dinner and told the same waiter that I only wanted tap water this time and he objected. I asked for his reasoning and he couldn't give me a straight answer. He only told me that I wouldn't pay for water this time. Lo and behold, a few minutes later, he brings bottled water to the table (3/4 full). After dinner, the check came, and I wasn't charged for water. How could this be possible if I'm receiving bottled water in a fancy glass bottle? Apparently this restaurant charges its patrons for tap water that they fill in a fancy glass bottle... 3 EUR for tap water. The waiter even opened the lid in front of me to play the part. I was a little suspicious when I didn't hear the "snap" when he opened the lid. I gave him the benefit of the doubt during lunch. But when this episode occurred during dinner, it's quite apparent that their little scheme has been going on for a while. Please don't be fooled. Although the food was decent, I won't be returning. read more

In the midst of a long European trip, I was in dire need of some good Vietnamese food. Mekong is only one of three Viet restaurants in Rome. My wife and I shared an appetizer sampler that included: cha gio, goi cuon, cha ca, xoi ga... I also had pho bo Hanoi. Overall, it was a great dining experience. The owner, Pino, was extremely friendly and kind. He is Italian, fell in love with Vietnamese cuisine. So he is trying to introduce Viet cuisine to Italians, as it is not that popular in Italy. I have a lot of respect for that. The food was definitely not what you would call authentic. However, it was delicious for me. I would not hesitate at all in recommending Mekong. Thanks, Pino, for your hospitality. Please keep doing what you do. I wish you much success in the future. Grazie!! read more

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Great food and customer service! The guy who assisted us gave us beyond and above our expectation. read more

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The restaurant is located outside your regular tourist venue. We wanted to have a break for one evening from Italian restaurants. This Vietnamese place is truly authentic. I recommend the Pho as well as some appetizers such as the tofu one (be careful, spices are strong here!). read more