1st time trying the the banh minh here. Got the grilled pork and it was delicious. Ingredients…read moretasted fresh and the bread tasted great. Only downside was the parking lot was kinda small and was full. It was hard to back out and find parking nearby.

It had been a while since we've been to Rise & Shine so we stopped by last week around 4:45pm on a…read moreweekday to pick up some banh mi on our way home from errands. Got a space easily in their small parking lot. Something about the vibe felt off as soon as walked in. It was very quiet and a couple were eating in but that was all. I don't know how to explain it but it's something I have felt before in other places, just not here. We ordered two grilled pork banh mi (they were out of grilled chicken) to go. The person that took our order was nice and the order didn't take long to get. We took the sandwiches home and ate them and they were okay, not as good as I remember them from before. Sorry, no pics this time. Still a decent buy at $10 each.

I must say, this place is highly rated and it gave me hole in the wall vibes but all great. I'll…read morestart by saying the service was really nice and I enjoyed the Star. They're all a bit older so be patient when it's busy. I had seen their banh canh cua all over IG so I was curious since I wanted to see how it differs from the one I make at home. My friend and I came for lunch and the bowl was huge. I was hoping to get crab in the shell but didn't mind the de shelled meat instead. The broth is thick but light. I thought it was going to be sweet but was so pleasantly surprised it wasn't. Lots of yummy goodness. They make the noodles in house and I can tell because the cuts were uneven. Though it was on the softer side than what I normally liked, it was still a good bowl of noodle soup. I would have preferred the noodles to be a bit chewier but I also know how tedious it is to make fresh if they're doing all of that per bowl. There was "rieu" which is the crab mixture and I really like the flavor that has. It came with fried donuts to dipped and I loved that! We usually only eat the fried donut with chao so for me personally it was a nice treat. I left pretty full and happy. My friends sat there for an hour after eating just yapping away and I'm glad they didn't kick us out haha. They just cleaned around us and sat there enjoying their lunch. I will probably bring my mom and siblings here to try out other dishes! I will say, if you like things spicier I'd recommend bringing your own chili peppers haha. I drowned my bowl in their chili oil and sriracha and it wasn't spicy at all.

We tried this on a weeknight after working hard to find parking in this horrible location. The…read moreinternational grocery next door doesn't help with that having many people hanging out in their cars and milling about. Had to be creative and go back out to properly park after ordering. I hadn't eaten here In years and my wife never. They used to give a nice refreshing lychee water drink with a long dessert spoon for the fruit which I remember loving long ago. Many other tables had them but we were never offered it as service was brisk yet not very friendly. I ordered a Dac Biet pho (my regular choice) but they don't have tripe??? I usually pass on pho restaurants that don't serve tripe and tendon. I was at best average but honestly not near the best I've ever had in the US or Vietnam. At almost $20 for a bowl I wasn't impressed enough to say "let's go back". My wife ordered the pork vermicelli bowl (her usual). She liked it ok and I tried a bit. Again pretty tasty and in my opinion a better dish than their pho, but not worthy of returning over other choices. Overall if you are comfortable parking in a tight little parking lot to eat average food in a little old building it's not a bad choice. But I would not purposefully go back even though we shop often at Costco and Home Depot nearby.

A small, compact parking lot shared with other businesses and an even more compact interior with…read morefew seats partially characterize this Vietnamese cafe with a bunch of tasty items especially banh mi sandwiches. I got here on a Friday around 5:20pm, thoughI'm not sure why I decided to drive so far off Seattle. As mentioned, there's only a few tables for seats spread around the corners of the inside, with a small fish tank and a grassy backdrop on the left-hand side of the wall. The menu is lined up on the right-hand side and features all of the items, though their matcha drinks menu is located above the front counter, along with their new items. Staff at the front take your order and bring your food to you when it's ready. For their food I got the following: - Banana pudding matcha: I couldn't tell this was ceremonial matcha till I put my straw farther down the drink past the thick banana pudding layer, and sipped in all those grassy, earthy tones matcha is known for. I got to eat some part of the banana pudding - which has cracker bits that are lighter in color than Biscoff crackers but tasted like them - before stirring a small part of it to finish off this awesome drink that could give places like Phe a run for their money. - Eden Garden special: this is a relatively simple banh mi sandwich with Vietnamese ham and slightly scrambled - and very hot - eggs along with the usual banh mi condiments like jalapenos and julienned carrots. I probably wanted even more protein in this despite the ham and eggs already being that; the banh mi felt like it was missing something. Bread isn't crispy by any means but it is served very warm, therefore it was really easy to chew. It oddly didn't make to much of a mess when I took big bites off it; most of the mess came from some of the condiments - especially the eggs - falling off. Overall I loved this place a lot with the matcha and banh mi I got here! It's quite out the way of Seattle but lately some interesting hidden gems with better taste profiles have not been in the heart of this state, like this place for instance. I hope this place can last for a long time, and I'll be back for their other items!

Cleanliness and service has improved. I was greeted kindly by the friendly woman working who even…read morebrought my drink and food to me. Before payment she even reminds you and asks you if you have your drink punch card. I saw a young male employee bring out drinks to a couple and asked how they were doing which was nice. All smiles and clean atmosphere this visit. Drink and food is yummy like usual. I finally tried the fish sauce chicken wings which were large and my favorite part was the crunch. Perfectly crispy and tasty sauce. Not too much or too little sauce. Great wings. I tried the Banana Pudding Matcha and it was delicious. Very satisfied. The parking lot is small and a bit tight but I never have a problem finding a spot or getting in. Good location. I will be back. I recommend the Banh Mi Pho, Avocado Smoothie, and Thai Green Milk Tea. I look forward to trying the egg cloud coffee and beef ragu next visits.

5 star restaurant, great service, the ambience was excellent and of course the food delivered…read more Well done, will be back soon!

I see a lot of reviews about their sandwiches, but this is about the brisket pho…read more My past experiences here have always been great, so I don't know what happened this time. I ordered brisket pho with extra meat to-go, and when I got home and started eating, things were normal at first. HALF OF THE BRISKET was good! And all of the noodles! I noticed that the other half of the meat had this strange texture that didn't seem normal for brisket but I didn't care until I ate some of it. It was terrible, it had no flavor, and the texture made it even worse that I had to spit it out. I still ate the noodles so that I didn't starve, but I left all the weird meat as you can see. Is this what happens when you order at 5:03pm? Did they purposely choose some of the leftover bad meat as the "extra" meat? Or was it maybe an innocent mistake? Maybe it's something normal that should be expected when you order 1 hour before they close? I don't think that one makes sense, though. I probably won't come back for a while and try out a new place instead.

First impressions can be important. Ordered food to go. Red rugs were dirty, the shelving was so…read moredusty and the plants need water. Wonder what your kitchen looks like. Food was good but now I may think twice before ordering again.

This meal was such a bummer. We've been ordering regularly here since they opened and it seems like…read morethe quality continues to slip. Tonight, the "fresh" rice was very clearly made yesterday. It was dry and discolored to the point it couldn't absorb any sauce and was just gross. So bad, yet such a simple thing to get right. The chicken in the pad thai was cooked to the point of jerky and was inedible. This location has changed ownership multiple times and I'd hate to see Thai Wisdom fail but they really need to course correct.

Lotus Pond Vietnamese Cuisine is one of those places that does not look impressive from the…read moreoutside, but the food is amazing. It has that hole-in-the-wall feel off Aurora, but honestly, this is some of the best Vietnamese food I have ever had. I am Vietnamese myself, and I have been looking for months, really years, for a Vietnamese restaurant in the Seattle area that actually feels worth coming back to. A lot of places have been average, or they have dishes like bún riêu or bún bò Huế on the menu but do not really do them well. Lotus Pond does. I tried the bún riêu and the bò né with steak and sizzling eggs, and both were delicious. My friend got the seafood pho and loved it too. Everything tasted like someone actually cared about the food, and I really appreciated seeing menu items that you usually have to search far and wide for, or go somewhere like Orange County or Houston to find done properly. The only downside is that it is definitely on the expensive side, but I will absolutely be coming back. The outside may not be flashy, but the food is seriously worth it.

Hmm, I had some hype about this place from friends and I finally made it…read more Pretty empty when we showed up for a quick lunch. I am a pho dude so that's my order. And honestly I was disappointed, not the tastiest broth around and it just didn't get me. I might have to try it again anyways.

New spot by Alderwood, must try!…read more The inside of very clean and super cute. The staff were quick to seat us, and very nice and attentive. We got a chicken Bahn mi and the pork & chicken bun bowl. Both were very delicious! The picture does not do the bowl justice- it was huge! Everything in the bowl was perfectly cooked and flavored. The bread on the sandwich was soft and toasted just right, and the chicken was well seasoned with a plum sauce or something. We shared both items and had a good amount left over. I have my go to Vietnamese spots already, but this is close to home, so it'll probably move to the top of the list. Definitely recommend!

Our search for the best pho continues and makes its way to Pho Nguyen's in Lynnwood. We decided to…read moremake a stop for an early Friday night dinner. We were seated immediately, but it was noticeable that the restaurant filled up very quickly after we sat down. The service was fast, and we ordered two bowls of combination pho. The bowls were packed with good-quality meat and a ton of noodles, which was fantastic. I hate places where the meat seems tough and "old," like it was sitting out for a while. These slices of meat were tender and had great texture - also, I would actually say that the portions of meat were a lot (I ordered the large pho), which was a welcomed surprise. They packed the bowl with a ton of noodles as well, and the broth was solid. The only down side? This is the only combination pho I've ever had that didn't have meatballs. All other pho places come with meatballs, and my wife and I looked at each other with confusion and disappointment that meatballs was $5 extra. Odd. Overall, solid pho place with great service in the Lynnwood area. It's a bit of a drive from our place, but I would say if you're craving pho after a day-long adventure at Alderwood, this would be a place to go.

Very clean. Customer oriented, super friendly staff. The food is high quality, superbly prepared,…read morereasonably priced and always soooo good! Definitely recommend this place for a most satisfying, cultural experience. A 5-star restaurant you'll love. (Plenty of parking too.)

Solid neighborhood Vietnamese spot on Aurora that I keep coming back to. I've been eating banh mi…read moreand pho for decades so I don't hand out praise easily, and Le's delivers where it counts. The pho broth actually tastes like someone simmered it with care, deep and aromatic, not the watered down stuff you get at places cutting corners. Banh mi holds its own too with fresh bread and generous fillings. It's not fancy and that's the point. This is the kind of no frills family run spot where the food does the talking. Service is friendly and quick, prices are fair, and portions are honest. If you're on Aurora and craving Vietnamese comfort food, stop in. You'll leave full and happy.

Great flavorful broth. Good noodles. Lots of variations of the pho to fit your mood…read more If I lived closer, I would come by more often. Will definitely swing by whenever I'm in the neighborhood.

Never disappointed with their beef pho noodle soup. My husband and I always went to this…read morerestaurant. Loved their rich and favorable beef pho noodle soup. The soup was a little sweet because of the fresh white onions. The beef broth was absolutely rich and clear, full of favor. The combo beef was very fresh and favorable. The noodles were freshly cooked and texture was great. Totally recommend you!

A regular place of our family to enjoy Vietnamese drinks. So good, so refreshing! Very good…read moredrinks with a lot of options are available at this place, Bambu. My visit today made me realize they have updated the menu. Che used to be only one size now comes in 2 sizes. New drink sugarcane juice with different options now available . They are so good and refreshing. We tried the coconut juice option. Service is friendly. They make time to explain each option you asked. So many good choices. I always enjoy the waffle coconut pandan option, it's so yummy! You need to consume moment you get it, so good when warm. Always nice to visit Thai place. Not much sitting available. You can always take it out.

Every time I go to Bambu, I order the Taro Lover and it never lets me down. Great service as well…read more The employees are always friendly and I've never waited more than 5 minutes for my order. Love going here for a sweet treat!