This is my favorite spot for pho. I order the pho satay. I've been coming here for 5 years now. Best price & I haven't had one bad thing on the menu yet. Worth mentioning that they have the best crab Rangoon I've ever had aswell. The summer rolls are fresh. Listen... just come try for yourself!!! read more

I don't think I will come back to this restaurant again. There are better options elsewhere. Went there for lunch with friends on a sat at 12 ish - before it peaks at around 1. 1) food is not that great and much over-priced, and small portion. 2) services are bad. Our waitress was fine. But the other waiter (the only guy around. Didn't know his name) was rude and impatient. I was planning to order desserts (as I feel like eating nothing with the small portions) but he simply cleaned up our table and brought us the check. So to free up table for people waiting. Well, with this food quality, pricy menu and bad service. I don't think it deserves me spending extra $ on dessert here, nor come back for another meal. read more

Junk. Two stars for nice ambiance, but also two stars because it sucked. The fresh rolls were the size of fingers, no filling, no flavor. I also had the veggie pho, which came with little food. So overpriced. It didn't even have any tofu in it, can you believe that? What did I pay for? Definitely not returning, there are so many other options for vegan-friendly Vietnamese food nearby. read more

Let me give you some disappointing perspective... I use to come here 1 to 2 times a week. Now? Maybe once every 2-3 weeks. The one and only reason is the restaurant started WATERING DOWN their sauces. YES, watering down by adding water into their siracha sauce, hoisin/oyster sauce, and peanut sauces. I had this confirmed by the waiter a few times when I dined here. I had asked politely if I could get the non-watered down version of these sauces I use for Pho but he says they water them ALL down as soon as they get shipment. BOGUS. There's gotta be at least one bottle untapped. Also, when you spoon out the sauces, notice how LIQUIDY they all are. Especially the hoisin sauce. It is so watery. Sometimes you can even see air bubbles in both the sauces because they put water in it and it changes the consistency to look like throw up. 1. This is just unsanitary and disgusting! Who wants to have watered down, tampered-with-sauces??! 2. This is cheap and a slap in the face to your loyal customers. Your restaurant seems to do well, and even if it may be struggling, do something else! I am extremely disappointed because their pho is actually really good but now I'd much rather go to Le's Vietnamese to get mediocre pho and un-tampered with condiments. read more

I like this place. The atmosphere is decent and the food is tasty. Is it super authentic Vietnamese food? Not really. Do I give a poop? Nope. It tastes good. An ex and I had our first date here and we spent 3 hours eating to the chagrin of the waiter, who asked us if we were ready to order every 2 minutes and then asked us if we were done every 3 minutes while the food arrived. I kind of enjoyed that aspect of dinner actually, if nothing else it was comical. It's been a while, but I don't think I strayed much from the lemongrass curry chicken soup. It's utterly delicious. Sometimed i'd get the steamed vermicelli patties, aka make your own fresh rolls. It's fun to play with food. If you want pho', despite the name of this place it's not the place to go. But whatevs, just get that curry soup. read more

I just went here with my dad for lunch and neither of us had any interest in our pho soup because it was so bland, it didn't smell or taste like anything at all :( so we left! Very disappointed. read more

I will never eat at this restaurant again. First, the man who took our order I think is the owner. I ordered a hot pot. The menu said it comes with vermicelli or rice. Did he ask me which I wanted? No. The menu also said chicken or vegetable broth. Did he ask which I wanted? No. So then another server, a very nice waitress, brought over a plate of vermicelli. I guess I didn't really understand when I ordered it that the hot pot was actually soup, which she explained. She asked me if I wanted to change my order, and I said yes. Then the owner came back over and asked if he could help me. I told him that I changed my mind, and didn't want the hot pot. And he actually rolled his eyes! Then I told him that I wanted to get a tofu curry dish, and after a back and forth discussion about that, where I was confused about something, he once again rolled his eyes. Really??? This is how you treat a customer?? The dish came, and you needed a microscope to find the curry on the plate. Thankfully, they place pots of different sauces on the plate, because without it, my dish would have been boring and bland. I was hoping the owner would come over and ask me how my dish was so I could tell him that it sucked. read more

i used to be a HUGE fan of this brookline staple, but have noticed that it has gone wayyyyyy downhill since i started going here 2 years ago. the last and final time that i was there, i ordered a stir fry dish that had a HAIR in it, which i did not notice until i had eaten half of it... BUMMER! I also was not a fan of the smell...which i had been putting up with because i loved the food. NO MORE! too many other great restaurants in the area. read more

When I go out to dinner in Brookline, I am not looking for "authentic" or even "delicious." No, my dinner selections are driven by the "can I take my grandmother?" factor. 1) Grammy doesn't do stairs. 2) Grammy likes seafood. 3) Grammy likes spice. So, Pho Lemongrass was entirely flat, and served Gram a mean dish of spicy lemongrass prawns. Was her vegetarian hipster granddaughter basking in a deliciously crafted bowl of pho? Not really, but that was not the point of the evening. So kids, take your grandma to Pho Lemongrass. She will be pleased, and you will survive just fine. read more

How dare this place be called Vietnamese cuisine!!!!! It's like Panda Express being labeled as Chinese cuisine. Well, we went there last night because my cousin and her boyfriend were in town. I have never been here and my cousin wanted some pho, so we went. All i have to say is ...eh. We started off with some Goi Cuon (spring roll wraps) and they were ok. I had the boneless duck which came out in a pool of sauce loaded with someone's asparagus and carrot garden. Sure veggies are great, but I have a feeling that they put all those on there to distract you from the skimpy duck portions. Everyone else had the pho and I tasted my bf's pho dac biet (pho special) and it was very blah. It didn't taste authentic at all. If I knew that our dinner was going to be this bland, I would have suggested the Super 88 food court because they have one of the best pho i've had besides my mom's or mine. Conclusion: this is a Vietnamese restaurant tailored for non-Vietnamese. read more

Honestly pretty bad. Chicken wings tasted like they had been frozen rather than fresh. Soup left a lot to be desired. Customer service is friendly though, but food is sub par. I don't know what happened, this place used to be good 2 years ago. read more

ohh wonderful pho...!! I am a huge fan of vietnamese cuisine.. Everything is just so tasty! I eat the chicken soups all the time. soo delicious! I think this is Brooklines best asian place alongside fugakyu..! i come here after work often just to enjoy a good soup and soda. read more

I have mixed feelings. The service was really good -- seated immediately, order taken quickly, copious water glass refills, quick to bring the check when we said we were done. We were never sitting around and waiting. I had the pho, which is one of my favorite cheap eats (I mean, a bowl of soup the size of your head for $7-8?). The pho here, despite it being in the name of the restaurant, was not that great. There aren't even that many things you can do wrong with pho, but they did a few: my noodles were in a big sticky clump at the bottom that took a while to break up into edible pieces, and the meat was tough and not too flavorful. Given that they brought it out to me so fast, I guess I can't complain too much... However, the pho-y broth was tasty, and the bean sprouts were fresh and crisp, yum! I see no problems with the ambience -- fairly nice decor, dim lighting, clean bathrooms. I would go back to try other items on the menu before writing them off, but my first visit was "meh." read more

I've only been here a couple of times, and while it's good, it's not blow-your-mind interesting or unique. My favorite thing I've ordered was a kind of DIY vietnamese springroll platter. They bring you a bowl of hot water, dried rice paper, and all the fixins to wrap up (your choice of meat, vermicelli, veggies, and sauce). Since everyone loves customizing their food exactly to their liking, I think it's a great choice. Other than that, I think the food is pretty run-of-the-mill. That being said, the ambience is pretty lovely and the fare is light, so it's a good date place. They've got a pretty good cocktail/wine selection (plum wine!) too. But if you're just coming simply bc of a severe vietnamese craving, I'd suggest Le's in Allston. I remember liking their pho better and I think it might be a smidge cheaper. read more

Pho Lemongrass is similar to a lot of Asian restaurants in Brookline--leaning more toward fusion than the authentic dishes. I met my friends at this restaurant and they were passing around appetizers--some spring rolls and fried chicken wings. Fried chicken wings? Utterly confusing. For a brief moment, I thought I was at PANDA EXPRESS. I don't remember how the spring rolls tasted, but I'm 99.9% sure I did eat one...which I guess means they weren't that good, enough to be forgettable. I ordered the lemongrass chicken, which was pretty good--nice and spicy. I figured that a place called Lemongrass wouldn't be able to eff up lemongrass chicken. Ah, see that train of thought? I still think the menu is a little inconsistent and the food leans more toward being average than spectacular. For real Vietnamese food, I'd look elsewhere. In fact, most of the Vietnamese restaurants in Chinatown are 10x better and a lot less expensive. You may have to walk past a few hookers on the way (I've seen plenty outside Penang), but all for the love of Vietnamese cuisine... read more

Pretty standard, but good, Vietnamese restaurant. I had the grilled shrimp and pork vermicelli and it definitely met my expectations. It is on par with vermicelli I've had in the past. The service was also good. read more

Pho Lemongrass - Half eaten grilled pork and shrimp vermicelli - Vietnamese Near Me - Brookline, Massachusetts

Fresh Summer Roll is very fresh.... with much more focus on lettuce versus le's on noodle. Saigon Fried Rice is very well cooked... the only disappointment is using frozen peas and dice carrots. Wish they can use asparagus. House Chow Foon is good... but a little too sweet for my taste. The vegetable in this dish is much better. Fresh read more

Wouldn't recommend it, but not bad. Smelled awful first walking in. Mint leaves and sprouts given with pho were wilting. Broth/pho itself was just alright. Seems as though not a lot of thought or care is put into the establishment/food. read more

We were walking around, not knowing where to eat until we stumbled upon this restaurant. From the outside, we were unsure, but decided to give it w try. We got seated as soon as we came in, and were greeted very warmly. We loved the fresh flower bouquet on each table. We ordered a beef and broccoli stir fry and black bean salmon. Both were really tasty and I especially enjoyed that they're on the sweeter side. read more

ATTENTION ALL SOUP LOVERS! This authentic Vietnamese restaurant in Coolidge Corner serves the most deletable bowl of soup; dubbed the "Lemongrass Pho Satay", this delicious soup comes in a mildly spicey and savory broth flavored with beef, onions, scallions and cilantro. Within the soup lies thinly sliced pieces of beef, onions, vermicelli (rice noodles), tomato slices and cucumber slices. The "large" is enough to warm the soul and fill the stomach on a frosty winter day. A bit of advice--drop some hoison sauce (the brown sweet sauce that the waiter brings out with two other red hot sauces next to it) on the beef and noodles to create a juxtaposition of flavor (sweet and spicey) that will satisfy even the most discerning gustatory sense. I have had other dishes here but none compare to the Pho Satay. Enjoy read more

I love their curry! It's a great blend with some heat. A few times they've been a little stingy on the sauce...but maybe that's just me. :-) I've had the chicken and shrimp curry, both are tasty and use good quality ingredients. I had a couple of other things--they were good I just don't remember what they were. The Vietnamese coffee is good too. Staff is nice, setting clean and I love the artwork. The fish tank at the front looks like it was recently replace and it now is quite nice too. read more

I have to say we were pretty disappointed. The pho is good enough, but if you want the real thing than definitely go to the super 88 market in Allston. Our appetizer was really bad, so much so it wasn't really edible. They were really nice about it though and took it off the bill without us even asking, which is definitely great costumer service. It's a pretty big place and decent for dates and family, but honestly I won't be going back. If you're already there than eat, but it's a lot like most restaurants in CC, a little overpriced and not very authentic. read more

I was disappointed. nice enough place with nice enough service, but not great pho. I have eaten a fair amount of pho from different places to know what is good (to my palate at least). I ordered the vegetable pho with vegetable broth. The broth was BLAND and adding lime, hoisin, hot pepper, basil, and Siracha did not help. The noodles were thicker and appeared to be the optional egg noodle (which I did not request) and did not taste good. Diner beware: there is only one size and it's fairly large which would be fine if it was a tasty bowl of pho. from other reviews and comments heard from other diners, perhaps pho is not the way to go at a place with it in their name. (odd). read more

Pho dac biet was flavorful but 90% noodles, still gets 3 stars because the broth was just DIVINE! I would pass on the pineapple rice, it was soggy and all the flavors just kind of mushed together instead of standing out, crisp and distinctive. Vietnamese Ice Tea is superb as is the coconut water with coconut meat, YUMMY read more

So, I am giving Lemongrass 2 stars for old times sake only. Here's the thing, Lemongrass has been going downhill for quite some time, in both quality AND quantity. We have pretty much stopped doing take out, because it's become laughable. The portions are ridiculously small, and the amount of meat in the stir fry is essentially non-existent. It's not quite as obvious when you're dining in, but they definitely skimp you on the take out. I haven't been back to lemongrass in almost a year, and chances are, I won't be going back anytime soon. read more

I come here a lot so I figured it's probably about time to write them a review. This is probably one of my friend and I's favorite place to visit. We typically get the same dishes over and over so maybe this review won't be as great. But if you want to try one of the few dishes we ate then you definitely should visit. Pho - it's pretty close to home cooking! It's probably one of the easiest dishes to serve up but one of the most time consuming to prepare and make. When we're not making it at home and I want a bowl, I'll most likely end up here. Banh Hoi (vermicelli patties) - I love this dish! It takes some effort to eat but if you like fresh spring rolls this is a great alternative. Calamari - it's an entree here but my friend and I order it like an appetizer (our eyes are always bigger than our bellies). These are probably going to be the biggest and lightest fried calamari you've ever seen. Trust me when I say...get the dish! Give it a try and tell me if I'm wrong :) read more

Average pho. Only come when there's no other way. which is what I did. The rating here is accurate. Don't expect Chinatown or Dorchester pho. read more

As a newly diagnosed celiac and a vegetarian, I'm really leery of eating at restaurants, but figure that south east asian (vietnamese, thai, etc.) is probably my best bet. I went with a friend and we had Mai Tai's (which were really good) and the waitress was really knowledgeable about gluten-free issues and lead me to the items I could order. I ordered the Curried Tofu & Vegetables, which they said they could do with a ginger sauce. It was pretty good, but not over the top great. For me, the staff was helpful, the food was good and standard, and the drinks were great! read more

I used to think this place was good, but my last trip has changed my mind. I hope that my husband and I just chose the wrong dishes, but I am not sure that is the case. I did get the unfortunate tourist dish, mango shrimp, and yes I should have known better. It was sugary sweet and the shrimp was really over cooked. The pork potstickers had the gamiest (I THINK that is a word) pork I have ever tasted in them and were almost inedible. Our spring rolls were good, my limeade was excellent, and my husband's Pho was pretty good. The host was very accomodating because there was only a small table made up that wouldn't have had enough room for our daughter's high chair so he made a new table that had much more room for us. The service was fast, but not necessarily friendly. On a rather strange note, they had Animal Planet on the TV that faces the dining room in the bar. While I thought this was a strange channel to have on, it became even more weird when it started a program about LEECHES! I kept seeing pictures of leeches stuck to people's feet! Then there were bats wandering around a lab.....and then pirhanas eating baby birds!! It wasn't exactly appetizing....why would they have had that on?? I never asked them to change the channel so I can't hold it against them. My husband and I actually thought it was amusing.....but strange none the less :) read more

PHOOOOO!!! YUMMY YU MMY PHO!!! great noodles with all kinds of things in it.. ohhh what delicious food. I go here for a quick lunch all the time. its delicious. again,, delicious! read more

I'm probably committing some sort of high-grade sacrilege by writing about a pho place in which I did not try the pho, but damnit, I just don't trust noodle-soup-with-tripe that doesn't come from a shady-looking, hole-in-the-wall restaurant. There's something about the service here that I can't put my finger on, but that always rubs me the wrong way. My water glass is always full, but it seems like there's some attitude coming from the staff here. I can't exactly put my finger on it, but each time I've been here, it seems like the guy seating us has shot a dirty look at me, and the waiter seems to be in just a little too much of a rush to get us the hell out of there, even when 2/3 of the tables are empty. Maybe I'm just high-strung, but there's none of the congeniality that I'm used to in restaurants. I've no complaints with the food; they make pretty good pepper calamari, and I've also had a tasty salmon-with-vegetables dish whose names escapes me. My dining companion when last I visited (hi Laura M.!) wasn't so thrilled with her pho, however. Prices are pretty reasonable: very few entrees run more than $12 or $13, and the food doesn't seem overpriced for what it is. There's nothing particularly exceptional about this place, good or bad, so I give it my lukewarm seal of approval. read more

When I lived in Coolidge Corner this was the default spot where my friends and I would sit down for a meal. The good: -Very good pho. I always got the pho tai. Great broth, great meat quality. One time I asked for no noodles and they doubled my meat portion. Heck yeah! -When you get takeout they pack up the pho components separately, so your meat stays rare, your noodles stay al dente. In my experience most pho places do this, so it's not really adding to their score; it's just not subtracting. -Great for groups. Plenty of room, not too loud, their kitchen can handle crowds. -Decent atmosphere--it's more than just formica tables with Sriracha on them. Atmosphere + good pho = win! The meh: -I ordered something other than pho here exactly twice. Fried rice was blah, their other soups are just ok. Ahhh, their bun is good, but that's the only entree besides pho I'd order from here. If you've got a big group and you're in the mood for pho, this place gets my vote! read more

I got take out here once, and many many years ago, had a meal here. It just doesn't make sense to me how a place with pho this mediocre, even bad, could have won best of boston 2007, or 2001 or whatever else it won. Lemongrass uses a wider rice noodle than most of the pho restaurants around, which is not my preference, is really strictly preferential. On the other hand, there is no denying their dry and tough brisket, and their mostly flavorless broth. The only other item I've had was the fishball pho many years ago, and it had about 6 fish balls. The broth once again was bland (not in the underseasoned sense, there was plenty of salt and msg) and the fishballs weren't that special. Some of the better fish balls at supermarkets are about as good. read more

I've been here twice now and both times had the vermicilli bun bowl with peanut sauce. The vegetables were fresh and the chicken was moist. At around $9, I thought the price was very reasonable. read more

I've passed this restaurant many times and vowed that I would try it some day. I live in Allston, so I usually just went to Le's for pho because it was good and convenient. Anyway, I checked out Pho Lemongrass tonight and left happy. The soft shell crab summer rolls ($7) caught my eye on the specials menu and I immediately ordered it. They were absolutely delicious. I would definitely go back just for that. Then my boyfriend ordered the regular Dac Biet (beef pho) and I ordered the seafood pho. Although we didn't receive our food promptly, our water glasses were always filled. The pho was really good. Although there weren't as many noodles in the bowl as there is at Le's, I was satisfied since I can never finish the pho at Le's. The noodles are different too. I thought they were a little thicker which made it more tasty. The broth was definitely less oily than Le's which is a plus! Also, the bean sprouts were crisp and the mint were fresh! Overall, I left satisfied. I would definitely go back again...especially for those soft shell crab summer rolls....mmmmmmm! read more

Serviceable Vietnamese in Coolidge Corner (3.5 stars) Pho Lemongrass is located right in the heart of Coolidge Corner and is easily accessible by car (on street parking) and T. The ambiance is clean and light but not necessarily noteworthy. The service is decent. We started with the summer rolls which were fresh and delicious. The brisket pho was pretty good. The meat seemed to be pretty lean but was a little chewy. The broth was flavorful with just enough salt. The pho was better than I have had in some other local Vietnamese restaurants but probably not as good as what I had at Pho Pasteur in Chinatown. The springroll and beef vermicelli was pretty good although there could be more beef. Pho lemongrass is pretty reasonable priced although portions are moderate sized. When I have a craving for Vietnamese, Pho Lemongrass is a good option, unless I feel like making the trip to Chinatown. read more

Cheap and cheerful Pho in the Allston/Brookline area. Fast service, great meat, and nice staff.

I lived in Brookline as a child, and have recently come back to the Boston area for college. Pho Lemongrass is still my go-to restaurant even after 15 years! Granted, I've never had anything other than the extra-large chicken pho, but I've dragged my family along half a dozen times in the past year and they like the other stuff, too. I love the decor and the giant fish tank out front. Lots of fond memories - thanks, Pho Lemongrass! read more

Went here for dinner with a friend. I didn't know there was a Vietnamese restaurant in Coolidge Corner until my friend suggested it. With Boston getting bombarded with rainy weather, pho sounded really good at the moment. First walking in, the atmosphere of the place was dim and quiet. Staff were very welcoming and friendly, which is rare in Asian restaurants. I was glad we were seated by the window, especially with the rainy weather. The place looked even dimmer. My friend and I both ordered pho...perfect for the rainy and chilly day. It was interesting how we had to ask for chopsticks. This place is very different from other Vietnamese places. Pho itself was delicious. It came out so fast. Service in general was FAST! The broth was fresh and smooth. Definitely finished most of the bowl. For dessert, we each got fried ice cream, which was delicious as well...a bit pricy though. Overall, this place was nice but I felt like it tried too hard to be a fancy restaurant when its really like any other Vietnamese restaurant. Food was good. Price was okay...the pho's price was normal but I thought the fried ice cream was overpriced. I don't think I'll spend that much again on a small dessert...unless someone paid for me. read more

I love Pho Lemongrass. I've been a million times, but never thought to review it till now! My favorite is the Grilled Chicken and Spring roll Bun (vermicelli), which is light and fresh, with fresh veggies and a light, sweet sauce. The lemongrass stars are also yummy, and they have surprisingly great frozen cocktails here (had the Coco Bay last night, Yum!). The Pho is pretty good, and when you mix in all of the little assorted spicy and savory garnishes they have on the table, even better. Pho is a great option for lighter fare in Coolidge Corner, glad to have them nearby. read more

Pho Lemongrass - Grilled chicken and Spring roll Bun (vermicelli). Delicious! - Vietnamese Near Me - Brookline, Massachusetts