Pho 79

My wife and I came here on a Friday around 7:30pm - There were a few tables available outside, but…read moreit was hot, so we opted to sit inside. It was pretty crowded, but they offered us seats at the "back bar," which meant being led through what felt like a maze though the back of the restaurant. When we got there it was like a speakeasy, and I loved the atmosphere. We sat at the bar, and the bartender was a hoot - great personality My wife and I shared several appetizers - Thai tacos, dumplings, chicken satay, and Thai beef. Everything was delicious - it was the best meal we had in Richmond during our visit.

My Noodle & Bar is a good date night spot for a younger crowd. There is seating outside and inside…read moreunderground. The stairs to go down are really steep in case that is a concern. The tables are quite close together so it can be hard to hear as well. The service was pretty slow. We had to remind our waitress a few times throughout dinner, including when we asked about an allergy. The food itself was good, though a tad heavy on the spice. They indicate the spicier dishes on the menu so choose carefully.

Our table set up!

Fresh Spring Rolls

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Indoor

Main St. Dragon

4.3(139 reviews)

4.9 mi•The Fan

Main Street Dragon was such a great experience! The restaurant was aesthetically pleasing, and our…read morewaitress was friendly and attentive. I ordered the Spicy Bangkok Ramen, which was delicious, fresh, and full of flavor. The bok choy was a nice touch and complemented the dish perfectly. My brother ordered the spicy Soba Noodles and really enjoyed them--the noodles had a nice, chewy texture. My mother chose the Indonesian Ramen and loved the strong basil and lemongrass flavors. She added chicken to her ramen, but unfortunately, it seemed either overcooked or processed. However, the staff handled the issue well and removed it from our bill, which we truly appreciated. Overall, we had a great family dining experience and would definitely return!

Found out about this spot after seeing a review on TikTok and had to check it out. I love Asian…read morecuisine and have been itching to try new places within the city. My waitress Kat was very nice and helpful, even patient with me since it was my first time. I already had in mind what I wanted to order, but she was eager to jump in and help me with recommendations if I needed it. I started with some chicken gyoza which was really good and the tangy sauce was very flavorful. Not even 3 minutes after receiving it, I got my main entree which was the scallion chicken and fried rice which was absolutely incredible! The sauce was very sweet with a bit of spice thanks to the peppers in the veggie mix. I heard that this place is known for its ramen so I'll definitely return to try that!

Bar with anime cartoons

Ramen with mushrooms and char siu

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Noodles and Friends

4.4(59 reviews)

8.1 mi

I've been craving black bean noodles for a long time. This restaurant is hidden inside a grocery…read more(New Grand Market) store and hard to find if you don't know where you're going. I ordered Jjajang Myun that came with small sides. Large portions of noodles with lots of onions and meat. A simple but quick meal. The market is a mixture of international groceries. Mostly catered to Korean and Mexican.

There are so many different places to try in this area and I was sitting with a relative at the…read morehospital and wanted something other than hospital food. A Yelp search landed me here as I love Korean food and this place was highly rated. It's located inside of a grocery store and I ordered takeout of the black bean sauce with noodles and I wanted dumplings and something else but they didn't have any....not sure why as they had only been open an hour. I really enjoyed the food and would definitely return to try other items.

2.1 mi•Willow Lawn, Near West End

Order counter

All done :)

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Mapa tofu

Ugly Dumpling

3.6(194 reviews)

Came in for a bite and was happily satisfied with what I had…read more Ordered the spicy chicken wontons which tasted fresh & homemade, and the ugly dumpling sampler of 6 soup dumplings. Skin was a lil thicker and tougher than I like but I appreciate the option for a variety of soup dumplings. Overall would come back for a meal.

My husband and I decided to try Ugly Dumplings for lunch. We ordered the chicken wonton soup and…read morespring rolls. The food was fresh and nicely presented, and the service was friendly. Unfortunately, neither dish was quite to our taste, so the meal didn't meet our expectations. Still, we appreciated the welcoming atmosphere and the effort that went into preparing our food.

Dining area

Fried Pork Chop

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Soy Garlic Wings (6)

Dumpling & Noodle Cart

4.6(96 reviews)

4.1 mi•Carytown

Dumpling and Noodle Cart is a lovely restaurant towards the beginning of Cary Street. The menu is…read morevery straightforward offering dumplings, noodles, soup and 2 bigger entrees. They have some seating with some nice light streaming from the window. My partner and I opted for the pan fried dumplings and the Double Cooked Pork Belly which came with rice. The dumplings were phenomenal and the house sauce on them was delicious. The pork belly was also yummy, would definitely recommend getting the house sauce to add onto it which really elevated it for us. We were able to feed 2 of us and get a drink for about 20 dollars which felt like a bargain! Definitely reccomend this place if you want a quick meal as the wait time was only about 8 minutes. It was a great pit stop on the way to catch a movie at The Byrd! Highly recommend!

The service is amazing and the staff is so nice. The food is absolutely great and hits hard for…read moredifferent reasons. The steamed pork buns are good and come with a sauce in top. The buns themselves are airy and the pork inside is well seasoned. The pork dumplings were great the noodle had the bite.that home made noodles have, little thicker in a good way and a great appetizer to share. The pad Thai I asked for hot it had a decent bite to it. Tasted wonderful and I really liked it. Lastly the sesame cold noodle. Wow oh wow! Was light, refreshing, nutty with a creamy feel. That was probably my favorite. Overall an amazing small business that anyone should stop by if in the area and if you're not, I'd drive out just to pick up some great dumplings.

Inside

Pan Fried Chicken Dumplings

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Inside

Grace Noodle

4.2(322 reviews)

6.7 mi•Shockoe Bottom

Great food and atmosphere, laid back environment. Staff super nice…read more Been coming for years and never disappointed.

This is a clean, lovely place. Nothing overly extravagant which is nice. Great food and amazing…read moreservice.

Restaurant interior

Grilled dumpling- 2 missing. delicious!!

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Inside of restaurant

Native Plate

4.4(231 reviews)

6.2 mi•Downtown

I visited this spot in a Saturday morning and got the Dan Dan noodle($18) and Curry Laksa($16) …read more One of my friend were vegan and they threw in a free cauliflower appetizer on them to try. That cauliflower dish was delicious, it had a good fried batter and the sauce was quite nice with it providing a small spice. The main dishes came out in about 20 mins and the dan dan noodles were great! I liked the chili oil provided as it went really well with the ground beef and noodles. The curry was just average, it was just missing some flavor to it. Staff were quite friendly and the interior was nice. Overall it was a good experience. Food(50%): 6.8 Staff/service(25%): 8.0 Value(25%): 7.0 Overall: 7.2/10

If I lived here I'd probably eat here a lot, and I do mean a lot. Had the ahi app 2 nights in a row…read moreand it a great preparation of quality tuna with really nice and tasteful sides of veggies. I also tried the Singapore noodles and it was enough for dinner and a very nice breakfast the next day. Drinks were served by the delightful Frannie (sp?) who was fast, friendly and fun. Fran-tastic!!

Inside

Cauliflower tempura

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Native Plate decor

Fat Dragon Chinese Kitchen and Bar

4.1(758 reviews)

3.5 mi•Scott's Addition

We arrived on a Thursday around 8 pm. The parking here is street parking, which is hit-or-miss. We…read moreparked within a half-block, so it was not a long trek. The entryway is interesting and provides some shelter from the rain, allowing you to manage your umbrella before entering. We were seated within seconds, and our server, Liza, came by very promptly with some water for our table. I felt slightly anxious at first, being that we were in a cozy two-top amongst the fray, but it subsided quickly because everyone was respectful and reasonably quiet. We ordered the veggie spring rolls to start, and I had the Chinatown Ramen, and my partner had the Chicken Fried Noodles. The appetizer was hot, savory, and spicy with the duck sauce and hot mustard mixture. If you like milder sauce, do not mix it. The entrees came out within five or so minutes of the appetizers, which seemed quick for a busy night. The ramen was spicy, hot, and filling. I was only able to finish about half. We will be enjoying those leftovers tonight. My partner said that her noodles and chicken were well-seasoned and delicious, too. Looking around the restaurant, it is clear that they support the local LGBTQ+ community, and it is even labeled as a Safe Space on the beautifully manicured, makeshift chalkboard/menu/posting board. The clientele and staff alike seemed warm and kind, based solely on limited interactions and observation on my part. If you are looking for a traditional American-Chinese food restaurant (think buffet-style items), this is likely not the place for you. There were no mishaps or snafus with our orders. Liza performed her duties well, and I can surely recommend this restaurant to anyone who doesn't mind a mix of Japanese and Chinese cuisine.

I was craving a little sushi so I stopped by after lunch and sat at the bar. Service was quick and…read morefriendly. The sushi roll was yummy but the pieces were very large

Ambiance and bar area

Crispy calamari

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Fat Dragon Tofu

Sabai

3.9(648 reviews)

3.8 mi•The Fan

First visit here, and the experience was good. It was recommended by my step-daughter, and we came…read moreby for an early dinner right when they opened. Parking is available on the side, or you can usually find street parking nearby. I really liked the industrial atmosphere, especially the swings, but we ended up sitting closer to the bar area. Our server was super nice, and the service was quick throughout the meal. FOOD REVIEW Sabai Platter - 3/5 Not bad for shareable during happy hour, but some of the items were just okay. Pad Thai - 4/5 The flavors and spice level were balanced really well. Pla Muk Tod (Calamari) - 4/5 Good overall, but I wasn't a big fan of the dipping sauce. Pik Gai Tod (Wings) - 4/5 Flavorful and really good. Moo Sam Chan (Fried Pork Belly) - 4/5 Tasty and flavorful, though a little over-sauced for my preference. DRINK REVIEW Thai Tea - 5/5 Refreshing and enjoyable. Thai Mojito - 5/5 Really good and refreshing as well. Overall, good food, great drinks, and friendly service.

I'll just tell you if you have a party or large group, just go ANYWHERE else but here. I should've…read moreknown better because we came here for a 8 person bday party a couple of years ago and it was horrendous. We had to chase down waiters to order anything, everything didn't come out the same time, and zero hospitality. Fast forward now to last week. A group of 9 of us come in for our wedding weekend and they thought we had 8 people not 9. They try to seat us on the swinging seats which can't even fit our 8 people. NOT ONCE did they try to help us, move us, offer to do ANYTHING. They literally stared at us not saying a word. We asked if we could have two tables, no. Have a stool to add, no. Wait for a larger table outside, no. Just absolutely the worst hospitality or lack there of I have ever had. This place has had issues with staff for years. Unfortunately it's now costing them consistent customers as we are not the only ones this has happened to. We ended up leaving and going to another Thai restaurant. If you want to be ignored and stared at with dead fish eyes this is the place for you.

Satay Gai and Moo Ping

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Thai Mojito Spicy

Kogi

4.0(542 reviews)

5.6 mi•Downtown

Kogi is a cute Korean dive bar, and I've been meaning to come here for their happy hour! I came…read morewith your friends, and we were able to sample a lot of their appetizers, which were all very reasonably priced, as well as some of their cocktails. The food was pretty standard: nothing particularly unique or special, but solid and delicious. I thought the shrimp tempura was very well done. The calamari were a little bit underwhelming - it felt like they used the wrong batter over the rings? My friend also ordered one of the tofu kebab, which was kind of underwhelming in my opinion, but I'm hopeful that I might enjoy one of their beef based ones more. Unfortunately, I did seem like there was only one server/bartender in the restaurant, so it did take quite a while for the drinks to come out. Luckily, we weren't in a rush, so it was all right to wait. The drinks were very delicious, and I really liked the one that came in the Cat mug! I want to come back and try more of the items on their menu!

We went in on a Friday evening and the restaurant was busy. We were starving and ordered 2 entrees…read moreand 1 appetizer. The wings were advertised as double fried so I expected it to be more like a Bon Chon friend chicken wing, but it did not taste battered enough in my opinion. The flavor was still great and they were fresh. I was excited to try the Angry Squid, but the portion was a bit disappointing. The dish was full of flavor; however, it came with two pieces of shrimp and a handful of squid rings. Bulgogi ribeye bibimbap 4/5 - a bit on the saltier side but still had great flavor. I was happy with how fresh everything came out and the ambiance inside was nice. The server was attentive and the food came out quick. Would love to come back for their happy hour that includes 1.50 soju shots and $1 per dumplings (offered M-F 4-7p)

Bar on a Monday

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Pork Belly Thukbokki

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Grace P.

13 years ago

my husband and I have been coming here for years. it is delicious! Always so fast and friendly.

Eric S.

202

16 years ago

Didn't like it at all .... save your Buck go to Mekong

Kerry F.

14 years ago

Authentic food and great customer service.

Pho 79 - vietnamese - Updated October 2026

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