Lemongrass Bistro

Pho-ney\r \r The Lemongrass Bistro on North Academy is a real disappointment for Vietnamese food lovers. Tucked into a rundown strip center, the restaurant seems schizophrenic with a full liquor bar and walls with peeling paint and food splattered walls. The manager is not welcoming like we come to expect from family restaurants. Customers seem to be treated like a nuisance. We tried the Chicken Pho and do not recommend it. This classic dish did come with some nice fresh herbs, but the broth was just not flavorful. Heaps of Hoisin and Sriracha made it passable, but the chicken was just awful. It was thin and very dry and we ended up taking it out of the dish. It had no flavor and was so dry that it could not absorb any from the broth. We do not recommend the Lemongrass Bistro. more

We arrived at Lemongrass Bistro at 2:45PM and it was packed. No restaurant is packed at 245PM. In the entrance we saw that it has won awards every year for the past 10(I think) as Best Restaurant. We expected a lot and we got a lot. This place is very attractive and only my color-blindness keeps me from describing it better. My wife said it is, ""Classy."" The service and cuisine were simply awesome. The appetizers, soups and salads were fresh, delicious and delightful. We ordered all over the menu and several times the word, ""Perfect,"" was used to describe the variety of dishes presented. If it gets any better than this, will somebogy out there please let me know? At around 4PM we noticed the employees were cleaning the place up and even going so far as washing the windows. You could easily eat on the floor of this restaurant. They say nobody's perfect......I beg to differ. LB IS THE BEST. more

Can't say enough about this place! I love it! I travel across town as often as possible to eat the Pho bowl. As for the 1 bad review this place has, don't believe it. That lady must have bad experiences every day. If you are really that miserable and have unrealistic expectations, just stay home! I've grown up on Vietnamese food and this is the best yet. Try talking to the owner if you get a chance, he is a great guy and the waitress is extremely friendly. more

Pretty Bistro, and that is where it ends. After living in Seattle, DC and NYC, my husband and I know good Vietnamese when I have it, and food at the Lemongrass is marginal at best, with a wait staff that needs some instruction on how the customer's needs and desires should come first. When we came into the Lemongrass we asked to sit in the front, as the waitress tried to seat us between two families in the back when there was room in the front to give our party of four more room. She asked us in a rather condescending tone, ""does this location work for you?"" After that introduction to the Lemongrass Bistro, our experience moved on downhill. We asked for a bowl of Pho without any vegetables, only meat and broth (we were very clear and polite), for our daughter. When the Pho was brought to us, it contained both onions and green onions. We noted to the waitress that we had asked for NO vegetables in the soup...and the waitress responded with, ""just pick them out and place them on the side."" We felt she was out of line, and told her that we were the customer, but she did not back down...until after a few minutes she merely offered a very smug apology. We ate our dinner, finding all entree's it to be rather bland and mediocre compared to what we had in many other Vietnamise restarunts around the country and in Asia. While only about half way through our meal, our waitress came by, asking if there would be anything else?? What in the world? This is very poor etiquette on the part of a waiter/waitress, the customer is supposed to ask for the check...but she immediatly gave us our check, seeminly wanting us to leave as soon as possible. We have never been treated so rudely by a waitress, ever. Having been a waitress through college and beyond, my husband and I know what the job is like and what is required to be a good waitress/waiter..and this young woman failed, but being soft, we did tip her the usual amount. I have never written a negative review for a restaurant in all of my 52 years, but the Lemongrass deserves this one. We won't be going back or recommending it to anyone. Seems the owner needs to get his wait staff under control and give them a few lessons on manners. more

Food was wonderful and very fresh! This is my new favorite and ambience is very nice. Just be sure to ask for a fresh bottle if you order wine.... more

My Hubby took me to this restaurant for lunch and I was plesantly suprised. The interior decor is pretty classy for a restaurant around these parts. It has a bar area with a TV and a tidy restroom. And the food was fabulous!!! The spring rolls and the peanut sauce were scrumptious. My guy had the lemongrass shrimp and i had a creamy , rich and wonderful beef satay. Both were really tasty and also came with soup and a spring roll. The chef came out and talked to us about the food and we found out that theirs is pretty much the only Vietnamese restaurant in town who actually gives you fresh basil to put into the famous beef noodle soup called Pho (pronounced fuh). We thought we'd have to go all the way back to California to find some really traditional Pho and were so happy to find someone who is actually Vietnamese doing the cooking in this town!!! We are definitely going back and i hope its soon cause i didn't try the deserts yet. :) Pros: nice atmosphere, awesome traditional food more