Bep Vietnamese Kitchen — Restaurant in Holly Springs

Today is my birthday and I am spending it clenching my cheeks while running a race between my bed and the toilet. Ever since I consumed this dubious meal around lunch time yesterday, my stomach has felt and sounded like BOOTS IN A DRYER.

I absolutely LOVE Vietnamese food so I drove 40 minutes to show support and eat good food!

Let’s go through the categories:

TASTE: I bought a shrimp and rice dish + egg. They barely let the hen lay the egg before snatching it and putting it on the mushy rice. There was SOME seasoning on the shrimp but salt was missing. I feel like they forgot to pat the shrimp dry before it hit the pan or the pan wasn’t hot enough. Fresh spring roll was good and the chicken was surprisingly seasoned!! Would love a peanut dipping sauce option.

VIBES: The place is new. Sadly, the forbidden lightning strike struck me in the car, so I didn’t need to check out the bathroom. Upon entering, the flow is so confusing. Everyone just stands around like bowling pins until we orient ourselves by squinting to read a couple of tiny chalk marked signs. Please direct ALL “to go” AND “drink orders” to the right, there’s naturally seating there! Have your “wait for seating” on the left with an attentive person to greet and direct at the door.

STAFF: The man with the purple button up, dimple and white teeth was very nice and friendly. He was being worked like a mule though.The two girls at the drink bar bumping gums could have helped.

BOBA: I don’t know what sorcery happened back there but my milk tea was not cold at all. Boba was fresh alright… better refrigerated for next time.

This combination of lukewarm milk tea and questionable food was most likely a perfect match. They decided to elope and have been attempting to vacate my premises for the past 21 hours to start a new life.

OVERALL, the value wasn’t there for me. This place is for those who want to try “eating something really different” and the furthest they’ve traveled is Raleigh. By this measure, Bep is the best thing since sliced bread and why it has so many positive reviews. Without a doubt, the authenticity of this establishment is as real as WWE wrestling.

While I log off to grab some birthday toilet paper, I bid you all a good day, except the food...

After much anticipation and waiting, finally got to try out the first Vietnamese restaurant in town and it did not disappoint. I came during their soft opening, so they were missing a lot of menu items. Started off with fried chicken wings and it was delicious but note that it is on the sweet side with a sweet fish sauce glaze that tasted more of a traditional Thai flavor than Viet. It was cooked very well, but my one critique on it was that it could use some lemongrass to give it a more authentic flavor. The main dish for me was pho dac biet (special), which came with all the standard meats, rare eye of round, beef flank, brisket, meatballs, and tendons. Sadly no tripe though, which I love. Being Vietnamese, I am very picky about my pho broth, so my critique may sound a bit critical, however, note that I definitely enjoyed the pho nonetheless. This broth, I would categorize on the milder side in terms of flavor because it tasted very fresh. With pho bone broth, I prefer a more meaty and oily broth, which gives it a richer flavor for me, but this is purely a personal preference. The noodles were cooked properly and of the standard size. Overall portion was average sized, but I would say it’s on the smaller side for a $16 bowl of pho. I am used to at least an XL bowl in this price range. The restaurant itself was designed nicely with a modern layout and very open and relaxing seating, it didn’t feel crowded although the place was full. The staff was great, got to talk to one of the owners and he was super friendly and chill. Wrapped up the meal with Taro bubble tea. The tea was very good, similar to Kung Fu tea in terms of flavor. The boba texture was good and the lychee jelly was great. Overall, had a great experience and just happy to have good Vietnamese food in the area. Definitely recommend and I can’t wait for when the full menu...

I'm sorry to say that I didn't enjoy the food, since it's the closest vietnamese restaurant to where I currently live. I am Vietnamese and just moved from an area with many competing Viet restaurants. I got food twice from this restaurant so far. While I like the spacious new location and decor, I was bothered by the flies constantly landing on my table. The waitress was very sweet. When asked for extra bowls to share food, the bowls that came out were not cleaned properly and I could feel the grit from the previous food inside. Had to wipe heavily with a wet napkin to clean up, as I saw she was too busy with other customers and I didn't bother to ask for new bowls. The pho beef broth was flat and disappointing; the flavor was not deep and I couldn't taste much of the charred onion or anise/cinnamon spices. I also got the lemongrass pork vermicelli, which is my favorite dish, but the meat was so incredibly salty I could only eat half of it, couldn't even add fish sauce. The pickled carrots were thick and had no bite to them, and the standard green garnishes like mint and basil were omitted. The shrimp spring rolls were actually good and fresh. The boba section seemed popular, but boba tea is more Taiwanese, so I wish more could be done to make the pho and vermicelli noodles the stars of the Vietnamese restaurant. Also the pork bun sandwich (bao) is also not a vietnamese dish, it's from chinese cuisine. For legit Vietnamese cuisine, try a new place in Cary called Pho Thien Phat Vietnamese Noodle House. Vietnamese family owned. Consistently good with way more dishes, like crab noodle stew (bun rieu). Smoothies are made with real fruit ingredients, like avocado...