NUE: Elegantly Vietnamese (NEV) is the perfect harmony of fine Vietnanese cuisine, beautifully…read moreartistic ambiance, and generous hospitality! Having grown up with fine Vietnamese cuisine thanks to Bethesda's Green Papaya, my dining companion and I had felt over a decade of void (of exceptional Viet cuisine, in general) since its closing nearly 14.5 years ago. Recommended to us by one of our students who volunteers as a community organizer for Eden Center and other Vietnamese-owned small businesses, NUE with its incredible first impression has us beyond thrilled to have found a spiritual successor to our dear Green Papaya (albeit a bit more modern in style and even fancier). Since it was our first time visiting the Founder's Row mall, it took us a moment to get our bearings (the biggest parking entrance is on the southern side of the development but there are elevators that lead to the main area further northwest along Broad Street (including NUE, Ellie Bird, and Fish Taco) as well as the QR Code-based parking system. After scanning the QR code for parking, it was not too difficult to utilize it (NUE provides a code for 2 hours validated parking). Upon entering, we were greeted warmly by our server Joshua, who took great care of us throughout our celebration lunch and is very knowledgeable about the food as well as the restaurant group. Also, kudos Kyung at NUE's parent group (Happy Endings Hospitality) for acting super promptly (just over an hour later on a Saturday!) to an query I came across regarding their membership rewards. As for the restaurant's ambiance, it is decorated with a beautiful mural and the artistic direction reflective of Co-Owner Tuyet Nhi Le's heritage (her grandfather who was a famous painter). Upon sitting down and being served our requested hot water+lemons, we could notice the attention to little details (metal chopstick holder, bamboo lids atop our hot water glass, and later, the onyx-handled knife for the Fried Fluke). Speaking of the fish, our favorite celebration entree at Green Papaya was a Fried Flounder, and wouldn't you know it, one of NEV's "Iconic & Shareable" entrees is their Whole Fried Fluke with a bouquet of Fresh Herbs, Rice Noodle Rolls, and Pineapple Nước Chấm! This alone got us to slog through I-495 traffic across the river (congested even on a weekend for lunch!). In addition to the quality of ingredients (fish and herbs), Executive Chef Daniel Lê's thoughtful touches really stand out. For the fish, he debones the fluke's central bone while retaining its structure to make nearly the entire fish edible. As for the execution, the fish was prepared with optimal salinity, a delicate hand to let the innate flavors stand out, and superb texture (especially loved the crunchy dorsal fins, collar, and tail fin that were easy to eat completely). The abundance of fresh mint, Thai Basil, cilantro, and red leaf lettuce added a refreshing contrast together with the dynamic dipping sauce (slightly viscous to cling to the rice noodles and herbs), plump limes, and savory toppings (fried garlic-peanuts & fried scallion+oil). At $98, it represented a good value as the outstanding quality was matched by generous portion, satisfying both of our appetites (we purposefully ate very light yesterday) and left us with just enough room for dessert. To conclude our absolutely delectable meal were the Tropical Chè (~fruit parfait with coconut milk tapioca pudding, pineapple-mango-passion fruit sorbet, Thai Basil Seeds, mango, lychees) and the birthday treat of Fried Sweet Yuca with Salted Caramel Ice Cream and Waffle Feuilletine. The duo offered a lovely contrast of temperature (former being ~ fancy Halo Halo, latter being warm and comforting ~more substantial Mochi Donut-meets-steak cut fries), textures (tender, crunchy, QQ, and crisp) and flavors (floral, fruity, neutral-savory, salty)! To top it off, they included a Birthday Card featuring their signature artwork and a generous gift to welcome us back for our next visit! All in all, NUE is what we had been starving for the nearly past 15 years: a fine Viet restaurant that delivers fantastic food; warm, attentive, and welcoming service; classy ambiance for a special occasions, entertaining VIP guests, or just a fancy meal to treat yourself! With Joy by Seven Reasons having closed earlier this year, we had lost a dear favorite that starred fancy Fried Fish (Dorade) in a tropical culinary backdrop (Pan-Latin). NUE also fills that void. Now, if only NUE open a second location in the Bethesda-Rockville area like Joy!

Sam was phenomenal as a bartender. Matthew was cordial and…read moreaccommodating as a waiter. The rest of the staff we encountered was pleasant and polite. There were so many choices. It was hard to narrow it down, added to the fact that restaurant week had been extended. The food was excellent. As was my tamarind margarita which included tamarind candy on the rim The interior decor was top notch. It was like dining in an art gallery. Street parking was available.

Wonderful little hole-in-the-wall restaurant located on the edges of the Eden Center, the DMV's…read moreVietnamese hub. Hoang Viet Restaurant can be hard to spot, as it's inside one of the little indoor shopping complexes in the corner of the broader Eden Center complex, right across the street from Happy Lamb Hot Pot. However, if you are lucky enough to find this shop, prepare to be wowed with some of the best and most authentic Hue cooking in the DMV. This no-frills restaurant centers on Central / Northern Vietnam, with a particular focus on Bun Bo Hue, a super flavorful spicy beef and pork noodle soup with a rich, spicy broth and tons of mix-ins. I'm still dreaming about their bun rieu, a beautiful crab and shrimp noodle soup that comes with a generous helping of chewy rice noodles, tender and juicy shrimp, and a deeply flavorful, slightly spicy, and slightly sour and tangy broth made with tomatoes and crab. It comes topped with fresh scallions and green onions, as well as a few fried onions for a bit of crunch. The service is efficient and friendly, and the food comes out incredibly quickly. When you're done eating, you can walk up to the cashier to pay.

Cute little eatery tucked near one corner of the Eden Center. I had their butter and pate pork…read moresausage Banh Mi Sandwich, plus a Vietnamese iced coffee. Although I personally wish the sandwich and the coffee were a little bigger, I thought that they were both great! The Banh Mi was flavorful and not too messy, and the iced coffee was refreshing and flavorful.

Such a lovely experience here. The owner was so kind, offering us recommendations from the menu. I…read moreappreciated his helpfulness, especially because one of us was recovering from surgery and couldn't chew. I ordered the bun bo, which is what the restaurant is known for fyi, and it hit the spot. I wish the broth was spicier, which thankfully the restaurant provided a side of chili paste. I don't care if it's scorching hot outside, you'll catch me with a hot bowl of noodle soup! Overall, we enjoyed our food and plan to return again.

Went to Truong Tien Restaurant after wandering around Eden Center and I had a great experience! It…read morecan be very chaotic when busy especially if you don't speak Vietnamese but we eventually found a seat and were able to order. We started with the Bánh bèo, which is a steamed rice cake dish served with a spicy and sour fish sauce. It was delicious and I appreciated the crunchy pork topping. We also got the Bún bò Huế which is a noodle dish with different cuts of pork and beef, a shrimp paste meatball, pork blood and rich broth. We also got lettuce, mint and limes to go on top of the soup which added a nice freshness to the whole bowl and changed the flavor in a great way. We sat at the small tables on the outside of the restaurant but I would definitely want to to try to come again and sit inside or order takeout. I enjoyed my experience at Troung Tien and I will definitely be back.

I am going to start by saying we missed that red warning sign when you enter the restaurant that…read moresaid "Cash Only* I only saw it after we finished and I so happen to see the one inside in front of the cash register. So bring cash or a personal check. Glad I had cash that night. Now onto the review. This is like old school Vietnamese restaurant. I love their spring roll. Meaty with crunchy fried texture. I also got the OG style of grill pork, with shredded pork and meat loaf on broken rice. A dish that is getting harder to find anywhere. My wife got the banh xeo. It was a bit oily and the shrimp tail was annoying to remove. Nonetheless, interesting dish worth trying at least one time. Will definitely go back and try more dishes. Their prices are reasonable. I Just need to make sure I remember to bring cash

I ate at the restaurant today with a companion. I ate here before several times, so the supervisor…read moreand most of the waiters/waitresses are familiar with me. Today a middle-aged waitress gave me an attitude when she took our order. She looked at me several times like she was disapproving of me, although I believe I looked pleasant, well-kept, and professional. The waitress literally stared me down, with an attitude like "I'm better than you." WTF? I come here to kindly eat at your restaurant, I was dressed casual, not dressed to show off or flaunt anything that I have. If it were not for the presence of my companion I would probably have complained to the assistant manager about the waitress' rude behavior. Furthermore, a comment or two on the quality of the food. The seafood bird's nest dish had minimal portions of seafood -- four small shrimp, two small scallops, and three small pieces of squid with less-appetizing pieces of vegetables -- all for $23! Moreover, the shaky beef dish was dipped in baking soda or baking powder, making the dish tastes quite bitter.The bitter taste could hardly mask the fact that the beef cubes have been sitting around for a few days --the meat were partially rotting. Three dishes cost us $71. including tax, We left the restaurant still feeling hungry. Please, dear waitress, you don't own the place, please have better customer service, or we will unfortunately air our grievances on online reviews like this one!

Excellent food, excellent service. Anything I have ordered last couple times has hit the spot…read more Parking can be tight, but there is more at the back of the building.

Maybe they had an off day because this place came highly recommended but our food was dry and…read moreovercooked and the service was so slow. Their viet coffee was good but that was about it.

Decent Vietnamese food in the area. They mainly serve Vietnamese noodle soup. Bún mắm is flavorful;…read morehowever, it's weird that there is rau răm. Bún bò is okay.

So rude and not good food. Add more small noodles they charge 6-7$. Not recommend for this place…read moreand people not nice

For me, the absolute best pho in the area is from Pho Sate--hands down. I know everyone has their…read moreown favorite spot, but this one has earned my loyalty year after year. The broth is consistently flavorful, the portions are generous, and every bowl is just as comforting as the last. Whether I'm feeling under the weather, recovering from a long night out, or simply craving a warm, satisfying meal, Pho Sate is always my go-to. I can never visit without ordering the fried pork spring rolls, either. They're perfectly crispy, packed with flavor, and always hit the spot. The consistency is what really keeps me coming back. After all these years, they've never disappointed me, and that's hard to find. I'll happily remain a faithful customer for as long as they're serving up bowls of pho.

Somehow came up online as the best pho in the area and this isn't even close. Maybe Im snobby being…read moremarried to Vietnamese and frequenting Little Saigon back in the Bay Area but this is bad bad. Service was super weird - I intentionally say weird because I never expect good service at an asian restaurant like that just isn't a thing. Its the fact the server was trying to rush our order in pressing us if we are ready when he literally JUST dropped the menus off. How would we know what we want when we didn't see a menu? Came on a Saturday afternoon and they were out of most things. No pork, no wontons, like how? These are staple things here but okay. We ordered the combo pho, the duck cotnfiet with egg noodles, the kids pho, and cha gio. Never had such a bland cha gio in my life where all it had was pork and taro? No carrots or mushrooms or seasoning? Pho was seriously skimping on portions and the flavor was bland. My duck was pretty good but we won't be back. Look at the demographic calling this place good/frequenting this establishment- let me tell you, they arent Vietnamese so...

The appetizers we ordered were pretty good, but we were disappointed in the small portion sizes of…read morethe mains (i.e. shaking beef, soft shell crab). The staff is hands off and took a while to come by for us to order. There are a few smoky dishes, and when neighboring tables ordered them, the smoke filled up the whole restaurant, which too pleasant. I ordered the pho which was $16 and okay.

Super delicious. Smoky petal one of my favorite dishes. I love all the bizarre dish names. Good…read moreparking in the lot. Clean nice space with helpful people. Weird that they charge you after your first free refill for iced tea but to each their own I guess.

Very unassuming spot with amazing food tucked in a strip mall. Service is great - everyone is super…read morenice and helpful. There tends to be just 2 people working so during peak hours, it can be a bit slow. We've had many dishes here and they're all very good. The beef stew with baguette is delicious! The pho, bun Bo hue and the egg noodle soup with pork and shrimp are our go to options. The menu isn't huge but there's something for everyone.

ATOMOSPHERE: The decor is nice with plants and Vietnamese themed paintings/pics…read more FOOD: The Bun Bo Hue i had was good but it needs more than just ONE pig feet. PRICE: Their online MENU needs to be UPDATED ( still has menu prices from 8 years ago ) I cane here because it says Bun Bo Hue was less than $11 but its NOW $20+ dollars! Also, they need to put a SPICE RACK and NAPKIN DISPENSER on the table. I only had ONE napkin for the entire meal. If i eat Pho, i need Hoison sauce and SIRACHA bottles on the table. Shouldn't have to ask for it. ONLY place i know that doesnt have a spice rack on the table. Nice owners/waitress though.

It was packed when I went on a weekend but the line moved fast. I got the bun bo hue. I loved the…read moresoup. I want to come back and try some other dishes.

This used to be a go to spot for us but we've been encountering issues the last couple of times…read morewhich has been disappointing. First encounter was we walked in for lunch and was told they don't have space and that it'll be an hour wait. We looked around and 50% of the restaurant was empty. Fine whatever. We went across the street to Happy Lamb and had a good time there. Second time was tonight when we arrived just a bit before 830pm. Yelp says they close at 9pm but we were refused seating on the premise that they are closed. Not that they care but this is definitely no longer a favorite...we used to come pretty often and we're usually in and out with 30min. We have our go to order and are pretty efficient in finishing our food, paying, and being on our way. We have a Pho 75 that is down the street from where we live within walking distance and may need to revert back to that. We had liked the eden center one initially and it offered a fun little area to walk off our meal before heading home or we could buy groceries nearby but it's more important to me to be able to eat as planned.