Viet Alley Restaurant — Restaurant in Oxford

Gotta admit, I wasn't very excited when my wife picked this place but she DID ask where I wanted to go and I said "I don't care". In my head I was thinking "We're gonna go right by that beaver place so that's my backup". From the outside, the place was unassuming; not really a place that I would've picked just driving by. Inside was like any fast food restaurant with booths. The young lady greeted us with a smile, gave us a menu and said we could sit anywhere and could come back up to the register to order. She also said to let her know if we had any questions. The place was clean enough inside and out and the staff was very friendly. Now for the shwing ding tongue hit your eyebrows part! We ordered shrimp spring rolls, a Banh mi with shrimp, and crispy noodles with shrimp. The spring rolls were rice, lettuce, and shrimp rolled in rice paper and served with a choice of sauce. We tried both, my preference being the peanut sauce. Just try them both. Myself being unfamiliar with viet cuisine, I was surprised to see the opaque wrap (but not an issue). The crispy noodle was PHENOMINAL! The server gave us a great tip on how to eat it as it looked like a big bird nest and we were surely gonna make a mess trying to figure out how to partake. She said to crunch it down and mix it up and the sauce would soften the noodles. That worked like a charm and actually made it fun! My mouth is watering as I wrote this just thinking of the flavors that hit my palate. You'll have to try it yourself but know that we can't be responsible if you eat your fingernails off trying to get all that sauce! Now the Banh mi ( pronounced bon mee) picture actually didn't look too appealing to me but I'm so glad I tried it! It came out looking nothing like the pic and once again the flavors made my tongue hit my eyebrows! Think of it as a Vietnamese poor boy. The bread was crispy outside with the chewy inside just like a real poboy oughta be. The similarities stop there as the inside was, well, 🤔 Vietnameely different, albeit tasty in...

Their “pho” is not pho. It is closer to “hu tieu”, which is a type of noodles popular in the south. Here in the photos you can see the pieces of ultra processed deli meat, which tasted pretty bad, and celery in the broth. This is contrary to what they claim as “traditional”. I don’t have any problems with varieties. I do have a problem with false advertisement. As I would not order “hu tieu” (too sweet and less umami flavor like “pho”). On top of that, a “big” size bowl of noodles came out as small as a small bowl at $17. That is steep for both quantity and quality. The waitresses were nice but did not tell us that we should order at the counter, leaving us hanging by the table for 10 minutes. It was not until I saw another couple coming in and order did I realize where to order.

The veggies/herb combo that came with the beef pho I ordered was pathetic. The bean sprouted was previously frozen and thawed. And the kitchen clearly did not care enough to pick the old basil pieces out. I will not return to this place. Given their steep price and their starting suggested tip at %15, I’d say “not worth it” to folks who are seeking comfort food and want to give this place their first try.

Note that if you tried the food and like it, then that’s is your preference. I am a Vietnamese who knows how to cook some Of their dishes and have tried many Vietnamese restaurants in the US and of course in Vietnam, Viet Alley is in the lowest...

For Friday night date night, we decided to try the new Vietnamese Restaurant in Oxford, AL - Viet Alley. Oh my goodness, it was one of the best meals we've had in this area in a long time. I had the Beef Vermaccelli Bowl, which comes with a choice of sweet soy sauce or a house sauce. I got both on the side and ended up mixing them. It was fresh, flavorful, and delicious. He got a sample of appetizers - dumplings, spring rolls with shrimp & pork, and egg rolls. All three dishes were perfection, but the shrimp & pork spring rolls with the peanut dipping sauce stole the show.

Next time we go, I'm trying the Boba tea. 😋

The service was not only good, it was downright adorable. They were so joyful and friendly and clearly excited about the experience they're creating.

They said they've had a great response from the community, but Friday night football seems to keep people at home. Y'ALL! Get them to cater your game night! Your friends...