To the chef: The basil in your Crab Rangoon was an unpleasant surprise, but upon review I saw it was in the items description. Consider moving it to the title, but I won't dock you for my illiteracy. The spicy pho broth, however, is basically tom yum. It is not spicy. It was sour. It was delicious, so says my wife who likes tom yum. But I do not like tom yum, so my disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined. In summary. It's fine to be creative, but label and describe that in the menu. I'm sure those dishes both taste great to someone. Not I. I wanted safe, so I got two things I loved, and both were lies. read more

We stopped by Papaya in Renton for a late lunch/afternoon snack. The restaurant was fairly empty at the time, yet the service was surprisingly slow. We ordered the wonton soup with ramen noodles, which was quite good and comforting. The shrimp fresh rolls were also good, fresh, and flavorful, though they definitely could have used a lot more peanut sauce--having more would have made them much better. One downside that's hard to ignore was the cleanliness. The floor was extremely dirty, and it appeared that when tables were being cleared, food was simply swept onto the floor. The edges around the tables, walls, and planters were also very dusty and dirty. It honestly made us wonder what "extras" might be making their way into the food. The food itself was solid, and there's definitely potential here, but the cleanliness and slow service took away from what could have been a much better experience. With better attention to hygiene and pacing, this could easily be a five-star spot. read more

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I came by the other day, my tummy wasn't doing too hot so I figured pho could fix me right up (which it usually does). I ordered their chicken pho to-go (they only have one size, which is probably a small at other pho places). I usually get a large one to split into two meals, but that's ok. I asked for extra cilantro, and boy did they deliver! I LOVE cilantro, especially in my pho. They were very generous with the cilantro and their Thai basil, another one I was grateful to have more of. When I got home, I boiled the broth first on the stove (I find it better than just microwaving the broth), and then added it to the bowl immediately so the noodles would rehydrate and separate. Sometimes I do add the noodles only while I boil the broth, so they would separate faster. The broth was a bit ginger-heavy, which I didn't mind, as it still tasted great as I added the hoisin sauce, siracha, ALL the cilantro and Thai basil, bean sprouts, and lime (they practically gave me half a lime, usually you get a sliver of one anywhere else lol). The amount of chicken was impressive! First of all, the chicken is sliced, of great quality, and so tender that I could break it up easily with chopsticks. There was a lot of chicken (wish I had taken a photo of my pho). , The dining area is a decent size and has plenty of seating. I came by early afternoon on a Thursday, and there were quite a few folks dining in. I was just in the area, and they were close by. Again, I ordered this to-go; I was given an estimated time of 10 minutes, but it felt more like 5. The staff was friendly too. Will get pho here again when I'm in the area. read more

This place has always been solid and refreshingly consistent, which is honestly half the battle these days. Bonus points for being conveniently close and easy to get to. The location is accessible, spacious, and can comfortably seat a large group, which we put to the test this time. We rolled in with about 16 people, and they handled it like pros. They seated us all together in the back of the restaurant, which felt like our own little private dining situation. Inside, the place is clean, contemporary, and easy on the eyes, no sticky tables or questionable decor here. As usual, I ordered my go to: the beef pho. There's only one option, and honestly, it doesn't need competition. It comes with brisket and rare steak, and it hits every time. Comforting, flavorful, and exactly what I wanted. I also ordered the shrimp spring rolls, which were fresh, light, and a perfect sidekick to the pho. Since I was dining with a crowd, I actually got to step outside my comfort zone and try a few other things. The beef stew with noodles was excellent, rich, hearty, and full of flavor. And then there were the yam fries, which I didn't even know they had, but now I'm glad I do. Crispy, slightly sweet, and dangerously snackable. Service was great across the board, friendly, attentive, and easy to flag down whenever we needed something, even with a large group. That's always appreciated. Overall, this place continues to deliver. Reliable food, great service, and plenty of space for groups. You'll leave happy and full -- which is really the goal. read more

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Papaya is one of my favorite spots in the Renton Landing, it's the perfect spot for a delicious work lunch. On this occasion, my team and I went for lunch right before thanksgiving break. We arrived around 11am-- with a large group of about 10 people. The host was able to accommodate our large party without a reservation and had us seated within 5 minutes of arriving. Once we had ordered, all of our food arrived within 15 minutes of ordering. I had the garlic beef banh mi and it was super tasty. The meat had great flavor and the bread and pickled veggies tasted fresh. I also like how they serve sweet potato fries on the side. Papaya also offers a 10% Boeing discount and accepts Apple Pay. Overall, a great spot in Renton with quick service, friendly staff, and delicious food. read more

Papaya - Garlic beef banh mi - Vietnamese Near Me - Renton, Washington

The spring rolls and grilled chicken bowl are great choices for summer meals. I like to substitute for zucchini noodles. The chicken is always a great portion! The restaurant is busy on weekends and there is limited seating in the waiting area. If you stop by during winter prepare yourself or make reservations. I like to visit in the summer or during lunch in the late afternoon. Customer service is pretty solid. read more

Papaya - Grilled Chicken Noodle Bowl sub for zucchini noodles - Vietnamese Near Me - Renton, Washington

Five star for service! 3.5 for the pho. I came with a couple of friends and we overstayed our time just chatting away. They left us alone and even reheated my pho because it got cold! While I've definitely had better pho, it wasn't bad. I ordered the beef pho and added tendon. The tendon was excellent. The beef was good, too. The lower stars are for the broth. It lacked depth of flavor. They give generous portions but for the price point, it was just okay. But-- all the phos are gluten free! So I will definitely return and recommend. read more

This is my fave local Vietnamese place. Service is always quick and the quality of the food is always consistent and tastes good! My go-to is the shrimp pho and the veggie crispy rolls. The shrimp pho comes with the beef broth, which makes it nice and flavorful. Their bahn-mi is also good. It's usually a pretty quiet place in there (unless you go during peak weekend hours). read more

Papaya - Shrimp Pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Renton, Washington

Very nice restaurant. Great atmosphere. Been here multiple times and never had any issues. Food is great every time. Recently I like the steak cubes with fried rice and egg on top. Service always top notch! read more

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This place is surprisingly spacious. There's a big outdoor area plus a large indoor space you wouldn't expect from the outside. The employee who greeted us was friendly and helpful with recommendations. I got the grilled prawns and pork skewers noodle salad bowl. It was amazing and a generous portion. We also shared the fresh rolls appetizer, which was solid too. It came out to $30 per person including tax and tip. I'd definitely come back. read more

Papaya - Vietnamese Near Me - Renton, Washington

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Ordered through Door Dash. Can't try food without utensils and napkins. Absolutely ridiculous and a 1 star just for that. $77 dollars spent, and neither were included. Egg was practically raw. Food was cold, had to re-cook everything. Salad or slaw missing from Grilled Pork Chops and Fried Egg Rice dish even though it was pictured. read more

Papaya - Grilled Pork Chops and Fried Egg Rice - Vietnamese Near Me - Renton, Washington

Today I went with my 3-year-old son, and he started crying. The waiters got annoyed. We hadn't even finished eating when they brought the bill to the table, saying my son was making too much noise. Apparently, it's a place for children, so why did we have to leave when we were actually eating there? I asked one of them if they were really getting so upset over a child, and she said the other customers were bothered by it. That's not professional at all when they practically kick you out of a place. Now I guess it's a place for families without children. I drove 40 minutes from Northgate Seattle to Renton just to go to this place and now I see that I wasted my time. read more

One of my favorite Vietnamese restaurant around. Food is always consistently good and their egg rolls are the best.

Came by today for lunch. I tried the special pho and it was absolutely delicious. The broth was rich and full of flavor, and the portion was very satisfying. The service was friendly and attentive, which made the whole experience even better. The restaurant is clean, nicely presented, and has a welcoming Vietnamese atmosphere. I would definitely come back again. read more

I used to buy a Shrimp & Pork Vermicelli bowl from them 2-3 times a week. It was very good but the quality kept declining over time and the new young women manager was very quick and rude whenever I called to order the same as alway. I can't say enough on how much their food & service has declined. I will not be returning to this restaurant after a minimum of 5 years. Their quality of food is not worth the $20+ for noodles, burnt pork and two small unclean shrimp....DONE!!! read more

Food comes fast and tastes. This food is come with fish said and garlic. It is perfect match with the sauce. The service is good too read more

Papaya - Coconut Chicken Stone Pot - Vietnamese Near Me - Renton, Washington

Always a great experience. The waiters can remember orders without jotting them down, love the aesthetics such as utensils etc... the food is always good I had been craving it so my family and I went. The food this time was okay and I had the lemongrass chicken with a small beef pho broth. My daughter had a kids beef pho and hubby had the beef stew. The Thai tea was also a favorite for everyone and was really sweet read more

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Pretty solid restaurant for the Landing but nothing too special for me. The service was solid and is great to bring family to. I had the bun bo hue which was okay and missing the congealed blood (even though I opt out of eating it most of the time). The pho was pretty good and I think you should give it a try! read more

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One of the locals took me to try the coconut steamed chicken in a hot iron pot. This is legit. We ordered this house special and asked for extra crispy of the streamed rice. The flavor is quite delicious! The entree came out in a hot iron pot, silimar to the Korean dol sot bibimbap, with the crunchy rice at the bottom of the bowl. The hind quarter chicken leg over the rice top with fried challis's and green onions and cilantro. A mixed fish sauce accompanied it and if you add a little chili paste to kick it up a notch. I need to go back and try their Bánh mì and other specialties. So good. Pleanty of parking, off stree or parking lot behind the place. The staff are so accommodating and nice seating area as well. read more

Papaya - Vietnamese Near Me - Renton, Washington

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The food was very mediocre - beef pho was OK, the beef pieces were a bit tough, the broth didn't have much flavor. The shrimp spring roll with peanut sauce was also surprisingly bland. The banh mi with pork belly was mediocre at best - pickled carrot and radish just a little off, meat without enough flavor, and the only thing I liked about the baguette was that it was soft, which may be a negative for some people who like the crunch. The yam fries were the biggest disappointment of all, mostly limp and inedible, undercooked. The golden IPA from Pike Brewing and Pinot gris were fine. Why haven't they converted the bathrooms to all gender bathrooms? There's one for women and one for men; as per usual, the men's was gross and women's had a line. Exasperating experience. Decor was adequate. read more

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I visited this place for the first time in about 5 years or so....and my.....god..... They now charge 18+ dollars for beef pho and 16 dollars for chicken pho..... Bahn Mi is...15 dollars.... Food is okay and service is good.... But no thank you at that price point. read more

Papaya - Chicken pho (16 dollars......) - Vietnamese Near Me - Renton, Washington

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Excellent garlic beef noodle salad. The beef is tender and flavorful! Large enough for a hungry diner or to split. read more

Papaya - Chicken baguette sandwich with sweet potato fries - Vietnamese Near Me - Renton, Washington

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The ginger chicken pho always hits the spot! Bahn mi is pretty decent as well. Generous portions and friendly staff. This is my new go to place for yummy Vietnamese cuisine. read more

Wow I was leaving my doctor appointment and my husband said there was a good restaurant and it was great!!!! THEY WERE SO SO fast with our order and when you have two boys age 2,6 who are IMPATIENT BIG TIME it was amazing!!!!! The food was really good my husband got a good meat dish yummy sauce I got the veggie tofu pho and omg the both was delicious and the vegetables had a little crisp to them it was my favorite EVER Just wish we live here haha but after other doctor appointments I'll be back :) read more

Papaya - My vegetarian pho with tofu yummy - Vietnamese Near Me - Renton, Washington

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Happened to drop by at the Landing today and found this restaurant. Had lunch with a few friends and we all enjoyed what we ordered. I got the Beef pho which came with Brisket and Raw Beef. My friends ordered the chicken pho, beef friend ride, and vermicelli bowl with pork skewers! They were all tasty! Prices were on the higher side though. The restaurant was full for lunch. read more

Papaya - Beef pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Renton, Washington

OH WHAT A RESTAURANT!! If teeth are the arms of the mouth, i welcome this locale with open teeth. If chickens are the eagles of the bird world... the crispy honey eagle with substituted fried rice was splendid. It's not often that an old dog like me feels my heart pumping with elation for new tricks, but something about a mysterious item on the wall made THIS canine's tail wag. it was something of a banjo/sitar halfbreed, blurring the line between American hillbillies, and India's subcontinental music scene. The chicken was doused in honey as though bee hives had been tossed in relentlessly with reckless abandon. If my hunger prior to this delicious adventure into the world of sustainance could be compared to a dehydrated fruit, I now feel akin to a plumb bursting with juice, drenching its surroundings. read more

Papaya - Crispy Honey Chicken - Vietnamese Near Me - Renton, Washington

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Arrived on a Tuesday afternoon for a late lunch and it was a bit packed. One thing i tend to always look for is the broth. The broth here was watery, not as heavy with flavor as i wanted. The chili oil helped spice up the pho. I ordered the Oxtail pho. Their phos are all one size, which are medium sized. I only finished about a quarter of it. The oxtail wasnt falling off the bone with one bite. You had to bite and pull as hard as you can with your chopsticks. Overall, I wont come back here again. Not the quality of pho i was looking for. read more

Papaya - Oxtail Pho - Vietnamese Near Me - Renton, Washington

The food is so good! The customer service is a 10+. The restaurant was clean, the bathroom was clean. I will definitely go back and take family with me to enjoy the yummy variety of delicious foods. read more

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Students are not welcome here. They don't answer a damn question or even greet me after paying the check (probably they thought we didn't tip much). I tipped 20% anyway. Improve your employees attitude! read more

Will give this place a solid 4 stars and this is why: Pros - nice and clean easy to get seated quickly. Service is good. Prices are super solid for the Landing. Food portions are good and drinks are good. Cons - my food is always a tad on the bland side and I have to add a lot of spices. *NOTE I am not a Pho lover so they might have amazing pho I am not sure. The parking is in the garage so can be a pain. I will come back again. read more

A nice, chíc and mellow atmosphere. This restaurant hit all the marks. Good service, tasty food at prices to match. The chicken pho had plenty of tender chicken and perfectly cooked noodles. Lovely cuts of ginger and onion. The broth was very nice and warming. The shrimp spring rolls arrive nicely cut and taste even better than their very lovely presentation. They're wrapped perfectly with nice bits of shrimp, cucumber, lettuce, mint and noodles. The peanut sauce is also very good. A tasty, creamy sauce with bits of peanut. Loved this. Also ordered fried rice and bahn mí to go. The packaging is hefty and well branded. Very modern and environmentally conscious. The service was kind. They were attentive and friendly. My water glass never reached more than half full. They kept refilling with fresh water and lovely ice. Will definitely be back again. read more

Papaya - Chicken bahn mí after a couple of bites. Sweet potato fries and a nice spicy sweet sauce. - Vietnamese Near Me - Renton, Washington

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The ambiance here is great, it's at the Landing across from Sharetea. We came here for lunch, the service was outstanding. They were very attentive. We ordered the oxtail pho and the bun bo hue. It was very flavorful. The price was reasonable. It's one of the best restaurants at the Landing that I would recommend for Vietnamese cuisine. read more

Papaya - Bun bo hue - Vietnamese Near Me - Renton, Washington

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Was there on Sunday tell you the food was horrible. We ordered chicken curry and ckn salad the food didn't even looked appealing to me . And the plates and bowls had chipped on it . Gross. Service was not supper. Ambiance was not good. The table and the chairs looked old and scratchy. First time going there to try the food I really wasn't impressed at all. No more . Pricey also . read more

We went for some good food and we did have great food. The Pho, Bahn mi sandwich and steak vermicelli bowl were all delicious! However, our server was very unwelcoming and truly made our total experience there poor. She did not smile once, we had to ask for condiments for the Pho and when she brought it she set it at the end of the table without a word, where one had to stretch to get it. We asked for tea and a soda at different times and when she brought them, she asked us if that was all we needed then in a manner that said, "if you want anything else ask me now!" Wow, I get requesting drinks at different times might be bothersome but her attitude was VERY rude. When we left she was at the front and she didn't even say thanks or thanks for coming in or see you again. In these times you would think restaurant staff would be happy to have people come in. We are very nice and not high maintenance but it was clear she was there to only collect her paycheck. Food was good which was great but if you go hope you get a different server. read more

Food was delicious. Large portions and good location. I will return again. Price was reasonable. read more

Papaya - Bun Grilled Lemongrass Pork Skewers - Vietnamese Near Me - Renton, Washington

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Decided to go here for lunch, and I was so excited! I did a phone order. Upon walking in, the lady was super nice. I got the pork belly baguette and it was BOMB. The sauce that came with yam sauce was BOMB. The reason I have it 1stat was because the lettuce in my rolls were dirty & looks like it was decaying or something... with dirt on it. Very unsanitary. I wanted to puke because I ate majority of it but I didn't look at it. Then I saw the last piece and it was so dirty... they don't wash their lettuce? That's crazy. I would make a big deal about it but I won't. Please make sure your guys food is clean if you order from here. read more

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Man I really liked this place. I usually order the banh xeo and tofu/avocado roll but I was craving something light for dinner so I ordered the grilled shrimp papaya salad. When I opened the box it looked amazing! Skewered shrimp all toasted and the salad was so colorful, I was salivating! But then as I started taking the shrimp head off and the shells I noticed THEY DIDNT CLEAN THE SHRIMP POO! How are you going to charge $16 for a salad and not take the extra steps to clean out the shrimp intestinal tract? It's just gross. If I was eating inside the restaurant I would've sent it back cuz there's no way I would eat it with the poo intact. I don't mind paying $16 for a salad but that sh*t better be clean. read more

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So the food is authentic and taste good and the space is clean and good size, however the price is real high. The bun bo hue is 18 and the banh mi is 15! This seems to be the price of Kirkland (and even more). So not sure what's the Renton landing rent is but I feel a banh mi of this caliber at 15 is 5 dollars more than it should be. The bbh could be priced at maybe 16 or 17 - because the broth is good and light and has good amount of meat but the actual quantity is low. I say that because I was able to finish 80% of the bowl vs anywhere else I could finish like 60%. Would I go back - yes because I like Vietnamese food but probably not as frequent as I would like because of the price. read more

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Cozy little Vietnamese restaurant with all the standard dishes plus a few unusual ones. All were well executed with upscale presentations. I had the noodle salad bowl with grilled chicken, my son thought his banh mi was much better than normal, my other son's fried rice was huge and tasty. My wife absolutely loved the pork belly and fried egg in stone pot. She had enough for 3 meals. read more

I wish I could give 100! I always find myself at the landing in Renton but never ever tried this gem of a restaurant and I've been missing out bad!.. My buddy is a regular with his significant other so he brought this place to light for me and I'm so thankful because now I'm going to spread the love and tell everyone I know to stop by asap. Food is amazing and came out fast that I was shocked , flavor is jam packed into every bite! Literally! I had the grilled pork chop with fried egg and rice (my favorite rice dish at Vietnamese restaurants) and my buddy had the ox tail pho with the spicy house broth I believe which is a few bucks up charge but it looked amazing as well. In my opinion I rank this restaurant the best Vietnamese restaurant I've been to since the late 90's when china town in Seattle had so much great places but nowadays it's tough to find anything close to the good old days. I will definitely come back and try the pho and other classic dishes like Banh xeo (Vietnamese savory crepe) and more! Thank you to the team at papaya will see you again soon! read more