Nam Vang Restaurant — Restaurant in City of Rochester

Nam Vang Vietnamese Restaurant is a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant located in Rochester, New York. This is their only location and is family owned. We were actually recommend to try this place by someone who we talked to at another vietnamese restaurant in Syracuse. He said this was his spot when he was in the area so we had to try it out. The food was good and the service was fine. Some people on here have complained about the service not being friendly but I believe it's just a culture difference and the people that run this establishment are not American born so when they talk to you it may come off as rude or impatient but that's just how they talk, don't take it personally. We didn't feel that way when speaking to the owner. Now, the atmosphere when coming in was fine but when we got sat at our tables we noticed that the walls have not been cleaned in a long time and there was soup splatter and dried noodles stuck to the wall. It was pretty bad and I didn't take a picture but it made me a bit nervous to try the food haha.

My wife and I shared the fresh spring rolls and each of us got a bowl of pho. To start, the spring rolls were probably the best rolls we've had on our journey so far. The peanut sauce that was served with it was tasty and wasn't too thick or sweet. The presentation for them was how they should be served with the shrimp showing through the rice paper. There could have been a bit more sliced pork in them but overall, they were good sized and sold at a fair price.

Now for the pho. I can understand why the gentleman at Vietnamese Noodle House recommended us here because the pho was amazing! Even better than the pho place we just reviewed! Much more meat, flavorful and mostly clear broth with nice deep beef flavor, seasoned well and hardly sweet. Most places don't add pepper to their soups but they did that here and I honestly liked the flavor of it in the soup. The price is a bit high for what you can normally get pho for but the quality and flavor paid off. We both finished our bowls and had full stomachs by the end and left satisfied.

To sum up, if it had not been for dirty walls and slightly disorganized atmosphere this would be a five star place for what it is but it seems as though they still have some things to work on. It was a good recommendation for the pho and we also recommend this place if you're looking for good pho in the Rochester area.

Food - 5 ⭐ Service - 5 ⭐ Atmosphere - 2 ⭐ Overall - 4 ⭐

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Had a craving for a good Banh mi but didn’t have the time to make one as I was working.

Called and asked for 3 Banh mis. Wasn’t told a price, wasn’t asked if I wanted traditional, bbq pork, toasted, etc. the only response was “25 minutes”. Figured maybe they were busy. Before covid, I was in there many times a week.

When I walked in and up to the bar/check out area, a guy I hadn’t seen in there before asked me what I wanted. Uhh.....

I told him I had called ahead and ordered 3 Banh mi. He told me the total- a little over $16. Handed me the bill and my card back, then walked away. I signed and left. No thank you, no have a nice day.

Went to my car, opened the bag, took them out, and was disappointed to what I discovered. Super skimpy on the meat, thick dry bread, only carrot (no daikon), barely a dusting of pate, no maggis/seasoning sauce.

Overall, disappointing, to say the least.

Between the lack of customer service and one of the worst Banh mis I’ve ever had, can’t say I’ll be back.

2 stars because they at least attempted to...

THE BEST PHO IN ROC!!!

My order: Pho #10 (Pho Bac Biet), Fried chicken wings, Fresh spring roll, Vietnamese iced coffee

About food Absolutely awesome!!! Especially pho #10 with the house special spicy sauce. I literally emptied the bowl including the broth. The fresh spring roll is at/above average, no surprise, but definitely no disappointment. The chicken wings are at average, but it is a huge serving in terms of the price. So, satisfying enough! The iced coffee is veeeery sweet and thick. I added some ice water to it and it tastes perfect. YMMV.

About service Nobody says anything redundant, but with full respect to me. I felt very comfortable eating here alone. It’s just like eating in my own space!

About price My order is definitely too much for one lol. But if you come in with a friend, you are looking at $20ish per person.

Ok, this is my new comfort place for cheat...