Delicious! Being Vietnamese, it was always so easy for me to go home and request a dish from my family. Now that I am more on my own and life have gotten so busy, I am starting to turn to amazing local restaurants to satisfy my cravings for Vietnamese food. This place didn't disappoint. Though the service was a little slow (which I get, everyone is severely understaffed) the food reminded me of my childhood. I ordered an avocado smoothie, a first in a VERY long time. I got the pork belly woven noodles. The skin was super crunchy. We also got the banh mi muoi to which is a savory bread with pork floss. And he got the roasted pork vermicelli! Presentation was on point as well. read more

Lúa - Banh Mi Muoi Ot. Banh Hoi Heo Quay. Bun Nem Nuong. - Vietnamese Near Me - Portland, Oregon

My brother was in town, and our first restaurant to take him was here. He too agreed it was delicious! I like to order an array of entrees, and we eat it family style. Y'all, we have not left a piece of food behind on the table, and it was the same way today. The chicken wings are always the star of the show when we come here. Not many places leave the chicken wing tip attached, but this place does. It has been the traditional way I've eaten it. We ordered our usual -Banh hoi Heo Quay with crispy pork belly -Shrimp and Pork wonton in soy sauce (wrapper is homemade) -Beef short rib with garlic noodles (noodles are homemade) -Char Siu and crispy pork belly with Jasmine rice and salad -Fish Sauce fried chicken wings regular flavor. read more

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Great salad rolls. Just stopped for a quick lunch. Quick service. Can't wait to return and try other food. read more

Honestly, best banh mi I've ever had. I ordered the tofu banh mi sliders and everything about it was perfection -- the bread was so soft, warm, and fresh; the tofu was perfectly fried and marinated with lemongrass, and the portion was really filling. I dream about this sandwich and can't wait to go back. The service was great too! I grabbed a table outside on their patio, ordered using the QR code, and the food was out really quickly. It's in a pretty nice area with other shops and restaurants, which is great because you'll probably want to walk around after eating! read more

Lúa - Tofu banh mi sliders - Vietnamese Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Loved the menu this place has to offer! A few friends and I grabbed a few signature items we loved from Vietnamese cuisine and it definitely hit the spot and would 100% recommend! My favorite was the bun heo quay because of the level of crisp in the pork and just how perfect tasting it was! Must try: Bun Heo Quay, Canh Ga Chien Nuoc Mam read more

Lúa - Order (Top Left to Bottom Right) Thit Xien Que, Canh Ga Chien Nuoc Mam, Banh Mi Muoi Ot, Dau Hu Rang Muoi, Bun Xiu Mai Bo & Bun Heo Quay - Vietnamese Near Me - Portland, Oregon

So stoked to have good Vietnamese in the neighborhood. I've had the pork belly banh mi, tofu woven vermicelli bowl, and pandan waffle and all were delightful. You can't go wrong with the pork belly - they do it right and get the skin nice and crispy. The grilled lemongrass tofu won't have you missing meat at all - it tastes fresh off the grill and is so perfectly seasoned. And don't pass on the pandan waffle! It's a must-have - light, not too sweet, and I love the added coconut shreds. read more

Lúa - Grilled lemongrass tofu woven vermicelli bowl. The tofu is so good! - Vietnamese Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Everything about the experience I had here was either incredibly mediocre or terribly chaotic. In regards to food and service, there are many places in the area that are miles above this restaurant. Food: I ordered the lemongrass chicken skewer bowl. Not only did this bowl take 30 minutes, the food was cold, the chicken was over cooked and the salad was just some leaves and tomatoes thrown in a bowl. The rice was fine...but I haven't seen many places mess up white rice. Service: we showed up at 7:30 PM, there are three parties in front of us and approximately 40% of the tables there are filled. The line to order takes 20 minutes. We ask a waitress if we can dine in and she says yes and tells us to stay in line so we decided to wait. Once we got to the front of the line, the cashier then proceeded to tell us that because it was 7:50 and they close in 10 minutes we can't dine in anymore. At this point we've wasted so much time we decide to do a to go order DESPITE what the previous waitress told us and DESPITE the fact that the couple in front of us ended up dining in which we saw as we waited for the 30 minutes it took to get our bland, boring, cold food. If you want to waste a lot of time with service people who are clueless and disorganized for some of the most meh food I've eaten in Portland, then come here. read more

Lúa - Lemongrass chicken skewer bowl - Vietnamese Near Me - Portland, Oregon

YES! I want to give it 4.5/5 stars. I thought some of the sauce was a little on the sweet side (same for the dressing using for the side salad ). Also, more lettuce/veggie and less rice noodle in the salad rolls. I did not look closely at the online ordering menu, but if they offer a fish sauce for the salad, choose that with the pork salad rolls... I think think that kind of sauce is a better pairing. These are relatively MINOR issues, otherwise the Banh Mi sandwich sliders are BOMB! I love this food. The banh mi "sliders" are about the size of 1/2 of a regular baguette roll and STUFFED with veggies and meat. I'm pretty sure they are fresh, too. A little more jalapeño pepper tucked in would be good. But man... I am thrilled. The "slider" idea is terrific if you're hungry and want variety. Otherwise, I think 1 slider with a simple side like a salad roll is filling. I'LL BE BACK! read more

This is a good addition to the area as there isn't a Vietnamese place that I can think of. The interior has a nice clean look to it. There are seating both indoor and and outdoor. It's counter service with a QR code menu. The items I tried were all pretty good. The tamarind wings had great flavors to it and the Banh Hoi (with roasted pork) was good. The bread of the banh mi reminded me of like a panini style, but worked well. The nem nuong salad rolls were also fresh. I liked that they cut the meat in circular shape. The Vietnamese Iced coffee was also a good way to finish the meal with. Overall, a pleasant experience here with some good food. read more

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My go to neighborhood Vietnamese cuisine restaurant! Food is great and always consistent. Good vibes inside, love the decor. read more

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Delish! Came for dinner on a Friday night and was busy but not packed. You seat yourself and use the QR codes at the table to order and they bring everything over as it's made. Everything was super tasty. I enjoyed the soup but for some reason that night it took the longest to come out and the noodles were a little overdone (they broke apart when I tried to pick them up with the spoon or chopsticks) but I still enjoyed it. Would still recommend for sure. read more

Lúa - Char Siu Pork Buns - Vietnamese Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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In short - I'd only come back for their waffle. I ordered: * Spring rolls * butterfly lemonade * Pandam waffle The spring roll is soooo hard to chew -- it's the hardest spring roll I ever had in my life. The pork in it is also really hard and dry. Idk what's going on... spring rolls are supposed to be no brainer to make. Butterfly lemonade- nothing really stands out. Pandam waffle - ok this I give 4 stars actually. It's a really good waffle, got all the flavors right and I appreciate that they put some coconut flakes inside. read more

Lúa - Vietnamese Near Me - Portland, Oregon

There's not a lot of restaurants that makes everything from scratch because it's time consuming and sometimes more costly. Every item at Lua is freshly made from scratch! Yes, they make their own tapioca from scratch. Handmade tapioca tastes completely different than the mass produced ones. I've tried basically everything on the menu but my personal favorite is the woven vermicelli noodles and the meat skewers! That is something Portland Vietnamese restaurants don't really offer. The drinks are delicious as well. I like milk teas but the fruit drinks are good too! Make sure to put this on your places to try if you haven't visited it already! read more

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Food is excellent! Every item we ordered is amazing. We brought a guest from California, and she said it's the best Vietnamese restaurant she's ever been. read more

We happened to be walking around in the area and the inside caught our attention so we decided to grab something quick to eat. We got the shaking beef and it was good but it didn't stand out too much to us. The drinks were so cute and tasted amazing though! We will definitely return to try out other items in the menu! read more

Lúa - So Hanoied and Trà Sữa Matcha - Vietnamese Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Where do I begin? Not so user friendly QR ordering system or the lack of service or what exactly is thus place? I entered the restaurant and the sign says grab a seat but all the tables are taken by empty bowls and dishes patrons left. Looks like they have not cleaned the table at all. I flagged down the staff to clean them... Finally seated, ordered couple of drinks and food. I waited 30min but I did not get any water nor my beer. I looked over the counter, one of the guy is making drinks for take out order. I had to ask again to get some eater and my beer and they finally brought out my drinks.... an hour has passed by still no food no interaction with the staff ( cons of QR code ordering system) at this point... will never return read more

It was still soft opening and they had a limited menu items. I got the crispy pork rice bowl and it was one of the best crispy pork I have ever had! The wings are also amazing. Will come back to try more menu items! read more

Lúa - Vietnamese Near Me - Portland, Oregon

The food was good just not the best we've ever had. Some of the dishes lacked flavor like the bao buns and bun, but the wonton soup was excellent. We also really enjoyed the strawberry limeade. This is just a casual dining spot where you order from a QR Code and pickup your pm food at the counter. read more

While visiting beautiful Portland Lúa was one of the first restuarants me and my brother visited! If you are looking for a regular run of the mill neighbourhood pho experience do not come here. If you are looking for something fresh and new with a Asian influence or you just like trying new things in general then this Is the place for you! Lúa functions a little like a tapas place, small dishes (with exceptions) so feel free to order to your hearts content! Being someone who always wants a little bit of everything this was perfect for me .You order at the table on your smartphone and pay right after you order, which I prefer because then you don't need to wait on a server for your bill when your trying to leave. They also have a good variety of fruit flavoured Asian beers to help you offset the umami and savouriness from their dishes. HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Fish sauce chicken wings!!!! read more

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We were in the neighborhood and wanted something healthy and fast. Lua hit the spot. There were four of us and we ordered sandwiches, rice bowls, spring rolls and egg rolls. Everything was fresh and delicious. We will be back. read more

Lúa - Pork sausage - Vietnamese Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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If I could rate Lua over 5 stars, I would do that in a heartbeat. This is one of the best restaurants in Portland right now. Everything we ordered was amazing. Shrimp and pork wontons in dumpling sauce, shrimp and pork salad rolls, roasted pork banh bao, shrimp skewer vermicelli bowl and pumpkin pork soup. The show stoppers were the wontons and soup. That broth! Wow! Spooned over their delicious rice, can't get much more soulful than that. Can't wait to go back. read more

We ended up at Lua after we decided we didn't want to wait 3 hours for Eem. Best decision ever - excellent, lusciously flavorful and inventive Vietnamese food, with the BEST service, solid portion sizes, and very reasonably priced. Drink service from the bar next door was wonderful as well. Two thumbs up!! (I'd give more if I had more thumbs :) read more

Super delicious tofu. I could not get enough of their tofu boa. YUM. Got the tofu noodle dish and that was yum too. Great flavors. And the coconut cream coffee...thought I was in heaven for a sec. read more

Wow, Lua impressed! Every dish we tried was packed with flavor, cooked well, and served with hospitality. My boyfriend and I dined here on a Friday night around 7 pm, they have about 6 outdoor tables (set with 4 chairs) and plenty of indoor seating. We did not have to wait for an outdoor table. Dogs are welcome on their outdoor patio. Orders can be placed by QR Codes specific to each table or at the counter. We tried: 1.) B2 - Bun Ga Nuong Sa (vermicelli rice noodles and chicken dish): Chicken was cooked very well and the bowl was packed with noodles and veggies. The sauce was tasty. A very filling dish! 2.) Com Muc Rang Muoi (squid dish): If you love squid, do NOT pass this up. It is one of the best fried squid dishes I have had. I was hesitant at first to try it because it is cooked with jalapeños (I have a low spice tolerance), but the spicy was very, very mild. This dish felt comforting and was so delicious. 3.) Canh Ga Chien (chicken wings): We tried the fish sauce flavored wings and I could eat 10 of those by myself. The fry was light and crispy! I can see myself craving Lua in the near feature and will most definitely be back. Our food came out quickly and the servers were so attentive! read more

Lúa - B2 - Bun Ga Nuong Sa (vermicelli rice noodles and chicken dish) - Vietnamese Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Very nice spot on Williams. We came on a weekend and sat outside on a sunny day. We had a few cold beers and then ordered some scrumptious bites. I got the vegan bao buns and they were moist and tasty AF. Got the veggie egg rolls that were delish with the sauce. Ommmggg. Nice spot for great food read more

Lúa - Veggie egg rolls - Vietnamese Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Really dang good. We had way too much food but the two of us ate every morsel. We started with the chicken wings - tangy and sweet. The spring rolls were super fresh. Salty and pepper squid could use a side of dipping sauce; we used the peanut sauce from the chicken wings. A couple of pork buns put us over the edge super full. But then the owner said we have to come back and try the wontons. So we ordered a round. They were like little raviolis, soft and not deep fried and floating above a lovely sauce. My husband had the pea flower gin lemonade and wow! We'll be back. But next time we need to pace ourselves. read more

Really solid Vietnamese/asian fusion! I got the char siu pork over rice, and the salad it came with had *extremely* fresh veggies- it was super yummy! read more

Met two girlfriends on Williams street for a spontaneous lunch on a Monday. Street parking is fairly difficult to find anytime during the day in this neighborhood. Found one a few blocks away and there was no line or wait in the restaurant. We opted for outside seating - picnic table style partially covered by a pergola type exterior frame. Indoor seating had plenty of tables and it was nicely air conditioned on this hot summer day. You can either scan the QR code and input your order mobile or go in to the counter to place an order. I did the later. The food came out within 10 -12 minutes. The sauce was light and not too overpowering. I ordered the tofu bowl, and my friends ordered chicken bowl and shrimp bowl. The noodles were cooked nicely, and the tofu was crisp and the tofu portion was adequate. Some other feedback: chicken was well seasoned but shrimp, while looked pretty in the bowl was a small portion after cleaning off head and shells. The other disadvantage was the QR code ordering - it was faster to go in vs having to navigate through the menu on your phone. read more

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Was able to convince a group of non Vietnamese friends to come back and order this dish. We love it so much that we came back twice on our 5-day Portland trip. read more

Lúa - Banh hoi combo with soursop smoothie - Vietnamese Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Came on a Sunday evening and ordered the fish sauce and tamarind wings. We were lucky they still had some of the fish sauce as we were told they typically run out. Wings are huuuuuuge, not your average wingstop size. The drums and full section wings were cataclysmically crunchy and juicy. My favorite part is nibbling on the wing tips. The fish sauce wings were unctuously umami and sour with a hint of sweetness. The tamarind sauce wings were more sweet and tangy with a hint of sourness. Would definitely order again. read more

We wanted to like this place. It looked really cute from the outside but we had a very unpleasant experience and would not recommend. Disappointing food: I ordered the woven noodles with crispy pork belly. The crispy pork belly was definitely the worst I've ever had. It was overly salted / too dry - salt was the only flavor I tasted. The skin was too tough to chew / impossible to bite into. I actually didn't even finish the food. Disorganized service: We got there at 7:30 (the place closes at 8:00) and there was a bit of a line. While in line, the server told us to keep waiting in line if we wanted to dine in or use our phone to order to-go. We wanted to dine in so we kept waiting. We got to the front of the line and the server taking our orders said they are only taking to-go. I understand they were busy but they misled us into staying in line. We still decided to order and waited until past 8:00 for our to-go order. They didn't ask about utensils and there were no utensils in the bag. read more

Lúa - Vietnamese Near Me - Portland, Oregon

The best Bahn Mi sandwiches in North Portland!! The staff is so friendly and outgoing. They make you feel right at home.

Delicious food! Tight parking. Lychee tea was amazing. Fast service! You need a your phone to order food.

We ate here with a friend and enjoyed the food. It wasn't too busy and were able to find a table big enough for the three of us very easily. the staff members were also very friendly and helpful. Be aware of the hidden jalapeno in the bahn mi sandwich, spicy but also super delicious! read more

Their food is so good it literally feels like it gives your soul a hug. Literally everything I ate was top notch-some of the best food I've actually had in Portlandia-and I eat out every day! Thanks Lua, that was delightful. read more

Amazing food at a nice casual location. The staff is very helpful. Very difficult to pick a favorite dish as there are several items you want and you just end up ordering it all. read more

We were passing by this location and decided to try this place on a whim. We ordered the vegan tofu rice noodle bowl that came with fried soy lemongrass tofu, salad, bean sprouts, pickled daikon and carrot, green onion oil, pickle, cilantro and mint. The bowl was tasty, and the tofu was perfect. We also ordered the rice noodle bowl with grilled soy lemongrass chicken thigh and that was excellent too. The only negative about this place is that the menu was difficult to navigate via QR code. The UI needs to be modified as the categories and menu items were hard to locate. read more

I'm on the fence about this one. We've ordered take out quite a few times and the quality seems to be slipping. I'll give it a 4 as I'm sure we'll order from them again, but its probably closer to a 3.5. I usually get the lemongrass tofu with vermicelli noodle. I love the flavor of the tofu, but sometimes its grilled to within an inch of its life and too salty and other times its spot on. My husband gets the grilled pork and rice, which he loves. I'm not a huge fan of the pork flavor, but he loves it. The one thing that is always spot on, however, is the pandan bubble waffle. I love the flavor of this, especially with the bits of coconut thrown in. Overall, you won't be wowed, but I think its solid Vietnamese fare and perfect for take out. read more

Finally had the opportunity to eat here. They have specific hours so check them out and come on in. Scan to order and buttons at the table to call your server over. I got one of the chicken rice bowls and added fried chicken to it. OMG. So good! read more

Lúa - Chicken rice bowl - Vietnamese Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Tried to go to Eem down the street and came here as a plan B to avoid the long wait. Food turned out to be good all around but it was the fish sauce chicken wings for me! Order those. As far as service and ambiance... you're not greeted at the door or given guidance to order online. The whole online ordering system is extremely clunky and was not fun to figure out when you have a group of hungry people. We tried to order drinks after our order went through, it tried to charge us again for the full meal plus the drinks. If they could fix this, I would have rated higher. read more