VinBun Vietnamese Bistro — Restaurant in Middletown

VinBun Vietnamese Bistro was a disappointment. First, the prices seem a little high for what you receive. We started off with the Glazed Wings as an appetizer. They arrived in a single bowl with no plates. Therefore, my wife and I had to eat a wing and place the bone back on the serving plate with the remaining uneaten ones. We both agreed they were just wings with a slightly different taste, not bad, but you could get almost the same wings at any sports bar.

My wife had the Classic Egg Fried Rice with shrimp. She did enjoy it and the portion seem to be okay. She did ask for a “to-go box” for what she didn't finish.

I had the Pho Combo which was horrible. The meat was very chewy and had a lot of fat. There were no knives, therefore I was unable to cut away the fat from the meat. The meatballs appeared to be processed and had little or no flavor. I ate only one meatball. I didn't ask for a “to-go container.”

I had a fruit drink which arrived in a Styrofoam cup and the first one or two drinks, through a straw, were warm. I shook up the cup with the ice in it and got the drink cooled down.

Our waiter was very good and checked on us several times. I would suggest to the owners to have the waiter in something other than a hoodie. I think the most annoying thing was the loud rock music playing. It would seem they would play some Vietnamese music to set a better ambiance for the restaurant.

I don't think we will be going back to the VinBun...

I think 4 stars is a bit high but 3 is too low. We had came on the opening day. My expectations were very high. Good location, the restaurant is however, very small. Not necessarily a bad thing but if theyre a little busy, expect to wait. The chicken skewers were phenomenal but such a small portion. I would be surprised if it was 1 oz of chicken on the skewer. Another thing that was shocking was the menu prices. For the price you pay, there are without a doubt better vietnamese places in the city. The chicken pho was very tasty. The beef pho was lacking the umami flavor that it should have. The broth did not have the wow factor. Was dissapointing. Would i come here again? Probably, as the location is convenient for me. We also got a chicken banh mi to go. It was good but like i said before, for the price you pay, you can get a better and bigger one elsewhere. (Paris!) I also did not like the fact that they were only accepting cash and e transfers via Zelle. If i had to take a guess, theyre probably just trying to avoid additional fees. Not professional...

Today was my first visit to Vin Bun after anticipating their opening for what seemed like a long time. I missed their soft opening on 3/4/22 but glad they have expanded the Vietnamese dining options in the Middletown area. They are located in a small venue in a strip mall across from the Kroger on Shelbyville Road. It was lunchtime, and we had a short wait due to their limited seating.

I enjoyed their friendly service, bright decor and, of course, the delicious and authentic food. The crispy Egg Rolls, Vinbun Glazed Wings, and Chao Tom were the perfect appetizers to try as the starters for our meal, while the Pho Beef noodle soup and Bun Dac Biet were satisfying entrees to complete our meal.

They don't have a dedicated lunch menu at this point, so for lunch, it was pricey even though we ordered more because it was our first visit, and we wanted to try several things out. The total we paid was more in line with what you might expect to pay for dinner, but everything was fresh and delicious, so we'll definitely go back soon!! Spread the word...