Lela's Bistro — Restaurant in Portland

Man this is a tough one for me. At its best, Lela’s broth and pho goes against anyone for number one in the city - it’s that good. The ingredients are fresh and it truly tastes as authentic as it gets. We’ve also had the noodle bowl and the Banh mi and would hold both in high regard as well.

In my opinion, Covid has been hard on Lela’s. The prices were always a bit higher than the competition, but justifiably so given their authenticity and location. Unfortunately over the past year or two - portions have shrunk considerably, so much so that ordering double meat and noodles in the pho bowl feels like what a regular order may have been pre 2020. If the review ended here, id say that with its past portions and taste Lela’s would deserve 5 rather than 4 stars.

Still, i won’t lower the rating any further than 4 stars out of my love for this place and I would still recommend Lela’s to anyone in the area - however, I’ll provide one last important word of caution as a loyal customer.

Our last 3 orders (ranging from 12/2022 to 1/2023) were really disappointing and uninspiring. They lacked much of the flavor and excitement that they traditionally have. My last order was the first time I’ve ever thrown a bowl away without finishing. I can’t see this being a change in recipe since I’ve been coming here for the last 5+ years, but I sincerely hope this is not the new status quo or a sign of a diminish in quality/ingredients because in my humble opinion, the taste and ingredients are what have justified the higher price when compared to competitors, despite somewhat smaller portions these past years.

We’re rooting for your Lela’s, I’d love to bump this back up to 5 stars - either by being more mindful of the portions or a bit more quality control on the deliveries. Please be mindful of both your quality and portions - you deserve to succeed amidst the difficulties facing small businesses in Portland & we’d love to keep enjoying the 5 star version of you well...

My family went here to celebrate my Mom's bday recently. The place is very popular and they generally don't do reservations but they made an exception for us. I really appreciate that as my folks are getting older and it is harder for them to wait inline in order to get a seat.

The restaurant is in a converted house with a very noticeable red door. When we sat down at our table my dad made the comment that this would only be authentic Vietnamese if the grandma was working the kitchen... well come to find out the business was sold but the grandma still comes in to work! She was there that evening helping make most of the food.

Speaking of food, the food here is excellent. Portion sizes are decent and filling, and prices are in line for the area. The flavors are wonderful and the menu variety caters to all sorts of diets. In my family we have a variety of diet preferences from a vegetarian, to one who only eats meats, to healthy balanced and one who who can't eat pretty much anything due to a gut issue. In every case they were able to accommodate us.

Overall Lela's delivered a fantastic meal for my mother's bday. You don't have to have a special occasion to come here but just a want for some good...

We chose LeLa’s as our last meal of many in Portland, OR before heading to the airport to return home on a Monday. The building looks like a repurposed house and the top floor must be home to a massage center - which sounds like an awesome idea after such a lovely lunch. The interior was bright and clean with several tables available. It seemed that many orders were taken to go. We arrived close after 11am which is when they open. That was great timing because we were able to order quickly. Not long afterward, the guests started lining up and there was quite a bit of activity while we waited for our order. We started with some fun healthy sounding drinks until our food was delivered. A small wait but not awful. Lots of healthy menu options and it was hard to choose just one entree but whenever curry is an option, it becomes an easy decision! I was so full but I kept eating until my plate was clean, it was so delicious! My vegan boyfriend was able to find some dishes he could eat. Be sure to bus your table by placing your dirty tableware in bins. We walked to the restaurant but there is street parking...