LeQuy — Restaurant in Palo Alto

Alright, listen up! I am beyond livid right now. If there's one thing I've learned from this horrendous experience, I should stop trusting Google reviews. Honestly, these reviewers live in a different dimension where their taste buds have been severely compromised or forgotten what real, good food tastes like. I'm talking about the highly exaggerated, misleading, downright deceitful reviews that led me to this culinary disaster. If I could give zero stars, I would. But alas, the system doesn't allow it. Consider this a verbal zero-star review because what I endured was beyond atrocious. Now, let's dive into the specifics. I ordered the Traditional Banh Mi and the LeQuy chicken wings. What an absolute catastrophe! When I got a whiff of those chicken wings, I thought, "What kind of ancient, decrepit oil did they use to fry this?" It reeked of old, rancid, salty fish oil. I love chicken wings – they're a gift from the food gods. But these? These were an abomination. The smell alone was so repulsive I couldn't even bring myself to bite. That's right, I tossed them straight into the trash. What a waste of money and a more considerable waste of my expectations. As for the Traditional Banh Mi, what a joke! It was nothing more than a sad, limp sandwich with a slice of ham slapped between two pieces of bread. And not just any bread – bread that was crispy but in that "I'm-stale-as-hell" kind of way. Pickles? Sure, if you could even call them that. Nothing about this sandwich stood out. Nothing special, nothing flavorful, just a bland, pathetic excuse for what should be a glorious, mouth-watering delight. I implore you to all you Google reviewers out there: give honest reviews. Stop leading people like me into these traps! It's beyond frustrating, and it's clear that you don't know what good food tastes like or you're getting paid to write this nonsense. And to the restaurant owner, if by some miracle you're reading this, take the damn criticism and improve your food quality. You're hurting people's appetites and wallets with this garbage. Now, let's talk about the so-called "special and delicious" dishes at this disaster of an eatery. The Wagyu pho – rare meat on the side with hot soup – and the 28A Clay Pot Rice, where you can choose up to two toppings. What a joke! Far from impressive is an understatement. The Wagyu pho was a watery mess, the rare meat was tough and flavorless, and the whole thing was a sad, tasteless bowl of lies. And the Clay Pot Rice? Don't even get me started. It was bland and poorly cooked, and the toppings were meagre. And the beef. Oh my God, the meat. It looks like poop. I kid you not. It's hard to differentiate between the two. I don't know who controls quality control, but they must be fired. The fact that they're serving this to paying customers is an absolute disgrace. This place is a total and utter disaster. I'm issuing a strong warning to anyone considering eating here: DON'T. Save your money, save your taste buds, and save yourself from the disappointment and frustration that I just endured. Trust me, you'll thank me later. This place is far from becoming anyone's favorite spot, and if I had my way, it would be out of business by now. To the owner, look hard at what you're serving and fix it. This isn't just bad food; it's an insult to anyone who eats it. Get your act together, or get out of the business. Because what you're doing right now is just...

I was pleasantly surprised by LeQuy. I had a craving for pho, but I’m often underwhelmed by the options in my own town. As a side note, I am half Vietnamese, so I have a good understanding of authentic Vietnamese food.

Although I live about 20-30 minutes away, I will definitely return to LeQuy the next time I want Vietnamese cuisine. It was well worth the drive.

The ambiance is casual, but slightly nicer than the typical, casual Vietnamese restaurant. No frills service. This is a family-owned and operated restaurant.

Combination Pho

This was surprisingly flavorful! I usually need to add fish sauce and hoisin sauce to enhance the flavor of pho at other restaurants, but at LeQuy, I didn’t need to add anything to my broth—just the usual fresh garnishes. At first, the price seemed a bit steep for a bowl of pho, but it is located in Palo Alto. The large serving was quite generous, so that sort of justifies the pricing as well. There were plenty of perfectly cooked noodles in a large bowl, and the broth was actually quite flavorful and delicious! I especially appreciated the big chunk of tendon included. The slices of meat were tender.

Crab and Shrimp Egg Rolls

These were a big surprise—You get 3 large egg rolls and they are packed with the authentic flavor of chả giò and tasted very fresh. Traditionally, chả giò is made with pork and shrimp, so it was nice to see this pescatarian option.

Clay Pot Dish

This was another surprise! My husband had a hard time deciding what to order, and the waiter suggested the clay pot dish. I was super skeptical. You can choose which proteins you want, and we decided on pork and shrimp. I’ll definitely be craving this! Once again, the portion size was generous and served in a traditional clay pot. I really dislike when restaurants skimp on protein and overload on carbs, but NOT LeQuy. The rice had a wonderful balance of shiitake mushrooms, caramelized ginger, Chinese sausage, perfectly cooked shrimp, and slices of pork. It was loaded with umami flavor, ginger, black pepper, and possibly hints of lemongrass.

I had read other reviews mentioning that the banh mi was really good. We asked for it, but due to the Lunar New Year, they were closing early and had already run out for the day.

I am already looking forward to my next...

I like this place alot but today I'll never go back. While waiting for food I paid with cash they needed change. I literally saw the lady that had the Chang place her purse /bag( who know where that bags been ) on table where food is prepared. With her latex gloves still on she got the change from her purse .and then gave money to front desk. She then removed the bag and continued to make the sandwich with now a contaminated counter top and with same gloves she touched the money with and where her bag sat on the prep counter. While slicing the bread for my sandwich she took a loose bite of bread that fell off bread. Continued to make my sandwich while I watched. Taking the bread away from the counter. Which she thinks i wasn't watching I've never seen this action ever. . Not knowing why she took the bread away. She continued to make my sandwich. Once finished I took the meal. Me Feeling very disappointed already I opened the sandwich in my truck to see the bread very wet. Suprising cause i order alot from lequy. And enjoy it every time. But to see the sandwich bread soaked with juice which is not normal was very strange. Knowing what I had seen with my own eyes. I decided to throw sandwich away. You lost a customer which I know 30 others that go there and have already spread the word. I don't comment usually on any place but this one I had to. Who knows what happens...