Viet Town — Restaurant in Madison

My wife and I finally had the chance to check out Viet Town today. Coming from the Dallas/Fort Worth area, where there’s a wealth of Vietnamese dining options, we were excited to find a new addition to the Vietnamese scene here.

The moment we walked in, we were impressed by how beautiful and clean the space was. It was a calm and quiet atmosphere. One detail I appreciated was that the restaurant didn’t have the typical smell of Vietnamese food lingering in the air, which is something I don’t always enjoy when dining at a Vietnamese restaurant. I don't like leaving a restaurant smelling like food :)

Our server was friendly, and while they were still learning the menu, they were attentive, and it was clear they were genuinely trying to make our experience enjoyable. It was especially exciting to hear Vietnamese being spoken around the restaurant, and we were finally able to order in Vietnamese ourselves—a rarity here!

As for the food, everything came out as it was ready, which is pretty typical at any Vietnamese restaurant and just something to keep in mind when dining here. Don't always expect appetizers to come out before your main dishes.

We ordered: – Bò Cuốn Lá Lốt: These were good with a surprising crunch from the deep-fried rice paper wrap hidden inside. Bò Lá Lốt itself wasn't bad. I've had better from parents, but everyone has their own recipe, own take. – Sụn Gà Chiên Nước Mắm: Delicious. It brought back memories of street food in Vietnam. It’s definitely a great option if you’re looking for something to pair with drinks or just craving that savory, crunchy goodness. – Phở Bò Viên: I tasted the broth first (as you should) before dressing it up with hoisin and sriracha sauces and lime. It was pretty good. Flavorful. I can see why others were put off by how murky it looked because you'd expect pho broth to be "clear", but I noticed they added fried shallots and some small fried fat pieces which probably contributed to the "murkiness". It wasn't off-putting to me, if anything it added more flavor so that was a nice surprise. – Cơm Gà Xối Mỡ: The rice here was a bit different from what we're used to—it had more of a hibachi fried rice style, which was tasty but not traditional. We also received two drumsticks instead of the expected chicken quarter leg, but they were still good, and the dipping sauce added to it.

We could tell the restaurant is family-owned as we even saw what we assumed was the grandfather walking around, taking care of the floors with a traditional Vietnamese broom.

Overall, Viet Town is off to a great start, and while there are a few kinks to work out (which is expected with any new business), I’m excited to support them as they grow. I’ll definitely be back when I’m craving Vietnamese food, as it’s always wonderful to support small, locally-owned businesses like theirs.

Give them a chance and show some...

For TLDR people: I might go back for the pho. Everything else was a disappointment.

For people who want to read:

The inside of the restaurant is great. It was clean with a nice ambience.

We were seated right away and the server was with us within a short period of time with cups of water and menus. He explained to us there was a bell on the wall that we could use to let them know when we were ready to order or if we needed anything at all.

We ordered pho, beef in betel leaves, a bahn mi sandwich, and a viet town milk tea.

The pho was okay. The portion size was just enough to fill me up. There was a good amount of noodles and a few slices of meat in it. It was 3 large slices of beef, and three large slices of meatball. The broth tasted good too. The only thing I disliked was that the slices of beef were on the thicker side rather than thinly cut.

The beef in betel leaves we received looked nothing like in the photo they have advertised. It is very misleading. The picture they have shows 6 rolls, but in their description it says 2 rolls. I was shocked when they gave us two spring rolls with one roll of beef in betel leaf taking the place of the usual meat. At least now I understand why they say 2 rolls only. If I knew it was going to be like that, I would've chosen one of the other spring roll options. This particular spring roll was not to my liking. I only ate half of it.

The bahn mi sandwich is not something I would buy again. The bread is toasted to the point the ends are hard and not edible. The bun cracked down the middle while I was eating it. The inside tasted good but the bread was a big no for me. I prefer mine softer.

The viet town milk tea was the worst purchase. It came in a fancy cup with a cute slice of cheese in it. That's the only good thing about the drink. I looked in the cup and all I saw were large cubes of ice up to the brim with the slice of cheese on top of the ice, not a drop of liquid in sight. There was so much ice, I had to keep stabbing with my straw to punch my way to the bottom of the cup. You're really just paying for a...

My family and I recently visited Viet Town, a new restaurant on the east side of Madison, and had a wonderful experience. From the moment we walked in, the staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming. It’s a family-run business, and they were very open about this being some of their first time working as waiters, which made the experience even more charming.

There was a lot of thought and care put into the restaurant’s details. I was particularly impressed by the menus and the refreshing water—I’m not a fan of tap water that tastes like chlorine, but theirs was clean, crisp, and free! Definitely a 10/10 for the water.

We started with the appetizer wings, which were crispy on the outside and incredibly juicy on the inside—absolutely delicious! We visited with a party of eight around 7 PM on their soft opening day, so we expected some minor hiccups, which is totally understandable for a new restaurant. Despite just slowing down from a rush, they served us quickly and with great attention. We all ordered the P1 pho, and it was fantastic. The broth was perfectly balanced—neither too salty nor bland—and you could tell it had been simmering for a long time. Though the pho had a bit more fat than I’m used to, it didn’t bother me at all. There was a generous amount of meat, and the tendons were cooked with a slight chew, very meaty, and flavorful.

I also tried the Bun Bo Hue, and the broth was equally delicious with a hearty serving of meat. While there were a few minor mistakes, it’s all part of the growing pains for a new spot, and it didn’t take away from my overall experience. One of the staff members came over and, with a friendly smile, offered to hold our baby for a little while, which was such a sweet interaction.

It’s clear they put a lot of care into this place, and I’m excited to return and try more of their menu. It’s great to see new restaurants popping up on the east side of Madison, and I look forward to...