Very friendly and fast service. The parking is a bit tight for my full sized truck but not too tight. The atmosphere is simple and clean. They did have a college football game playing while I was there. I felt like the flavors could've been more developed but it was all good. The egg rolls were crispy and tasty. I also had the Vermicelli with beef which is a cold pasta salad with lettuce and veggies. I didn't realize this when I ordered it but I did enjoy it. I added some of a bowl of sauce they served with us which seemed like a type of sweet and sour sauce. That helped give the meal some added flavor. We also had one of their spicy dishes with rice and pork or beef (don't recall) and that had the best flavors. I'd order that one again. read more

The phò was delicious, fresh ingredients & served traditionally. Loved the iced viet drip coffee with condensed milk & combination shrimp & pork spring rolls were a great starter. Priced super low! Will definitely be back here. I love great vietnamese food in a local, non-fancy setting. A+ read more

Won't be back. Pho was disappointing at best. Small and under seasoned. Crab Rangoon was sweet. Some people like that but I don't. The egg rolls are absolutely disgusting. Cost too much for small portions. read more

I don't think it could be much worse. I went over there to order carry out and got pho and a spicy chicken dish. I got home and I opened up the container with meat noodles and veggie. The meat was completely raw and was bleeding over too my bed of noodles and onions. I've never been served this so I don't know if this was done cus the soup usually cooks the thin slices of beef, but this is concerning cus it's a to go order. After I cooked my beef and arranged my bowl, I finally got to eat but there was a taste that was bad and unfamiliar. I've eaten plenty of pho and this just did not taste right. Almost tasted like something could have gone bad. My boyfriends chicken was ok, however had a bite that tasted like straight up cleaning product. The sauce for the veggie was extremely watered down. Flavor was pretty bland. Really not a good experience. The host that took our order wasn't very friendly either. read more

Ordered seafood pho noodles and tom rang dua (shrimp in coconut milk). The pho came in a large bowl with a garnish plate of basil, bean sprouts and a small chile. The broth was good without any additional flavoring, but i wanted a bit more heat so i added some sauce from the table and the basil and hot pepper. There were plenty of noodles and small bits of seafood throughout. This was my first try of coconut shrimp and i really enjoyed it. The shrimp are cooked in the coconut with onion and served with white rice. I found myself cleaning the plate to get all the rice mixed with the sauce it was so good. It was not very busy when i went so no issues with service. There is a decent variety of menu items and i will definitely be eating here again. read more

Today I had pho tai + bo vien, so flavorful! The broth is so delicious, you would be hard pressed to find such a flavorful pho in Iowa. I also got 2 spring rolls which were good and the perfect appetizer but the pho stole the show. I ended the meal with an iced Vietnamese coffee which is must when you eat here. The coffee is a perfect blend of sweetened condensed milk and coffee that is a perfect finish to this meal. I recommend Phong Lan when you are in CR if you like pho. read more

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This place is so fresh and light. I love the vermicelli and the pho it is amazing! You have to try the spring rolls and crab meat rangoons too. The waiter is very funny and always puts a smile on my face not to mention how great the prices are also very good food quality read more

Phong Lan Vietnamese Restaurant - Combo vermicelli - Vietnamese Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

The pho "special" was not so special. Soup = tasteless noodles = taste like its been soaking for days. Folks, Pho noodles need to have some "bounce" in it. beef =old and tough I also had their egg rolls. I think it was a little better than your average Panda express egg rolls, but for a restaurant, it was also pretty disappointing. The best part about this experience? The friendly staff. I might give them a second chance when I try some vermicelli or BBQ pork with rice next time. read more

I love this place!! I fell in love with Vietnamese food living in Seattle and Dallas, and also visiting Vietnam. The food is always fresh and light while still being filling. I usually went once a week for Vietnamese food in Seattle. When I moved here, I found that there are more chain restaurants than you can shake a stick at. So I set out to find food that wasn't dictated by a corporate menu. And Phong Lan was a great find. The food is authentic and the menu varied. I love the spring rolls with peanut sauce and the bun cha is great. I only wish they would serve a little more fish sauce on the side like I had in Hanoi. The actual restaurant is general looking, which is fine with me. But if you're looking for a place with swank atmosphere, this isn't it. Just great food and good service. Oh, and I love that I brought a co-worker who is originally from Vietnam here and she liked it too! read more

This is one of my favorite restaurants in all of Cedar Rapids. They have the best fresh spring rolls and their Pho is top shelf. S-11 is a great change of pace dish during the summer. read more

Very good restaurant! In fact, I would even go so far as to say that it's one of the most underrated restaurants in town. The decor is nothing special, but the food makes up for the lack of atmosphere. I've had several dishes at Phong Lan, my favorite being the S17 (red curry chicken with potato, celery, and onion), but tonight I tried out their vermicelli with eggrolls and shredded pork. It was excellent. Eggrolls were crisp and tasty and soaked up the flavors in the bowl. The vermicelli and veggies added a pleasant contrast in texture. For an appetizer, we had spring rolls and a Vietnamese crepe. The spring rolls, as always, were delicious. They're fresh, light, and make you want to lick the plate clean. At first glance, the crepe seemed a bit sketchy; it looked like an omelet with a botched plastic surgery. But, to my surprise, it was undeniably tasty. One of the best parts of the dining experience was the service. As always, it was impeccable The food came out quickly and our waiter was diligent and kind. He even took some time to talk to us about the Vietnamese crepe and how they serve it in Vietnam. Phong Lan is the classic case of "never judge a book by its cover". From the outside it looks bleak and strange, most likely incapable of turning out any decent food. But if you take a leap of faith and try it, I can promise you'll leave feeling satisfied. Note: This is all coming from someone who's eating at a grand total of 3 Vietnamese places in his life, so pardon my lack of expertise. read more

Stopped by for dinner with some friends on a Thursday night since we were in the area. Usually if we are in Cedar Rapids we go to Pho Mai because it's closer for us driving from Iowa City, but I'm glad we tried Phong Lan. It was pretty empty when we went but it took a while to get our orders taken. However, once we placed our orders the food was out in literally 5 minutes. Between our party of four we ordered spring rolls, banh xeo, pho dac biet, bun cha gio, hu tieu, and a rice dish. I really enjoyed the banh xeo! It is EASILY the best one I have had in Iowa. Good ratio of sprouts to meat unlike others I've had and the crepe part was cooked perfectly. I only wish there was a little more lettuce served with it. I also like the broth of the pho here. I prefer a savory broth over a sweeter one, and the broth here was pretty on point. It's a little fattier that what I would make myself, but I think it's better than most of the other places that serve pho in the area. They also serve the pho with thai chilis instead of jalapenos which is nice. I think they could serve it with a few more vegetables, but it wasn't a huge deal. They have a big menu compared to some of the Vietnamese places in the area, and the nice thing is that it's actually Vietnamese food and not the weird fusion of Vietnamese and American-Chinese that you see at a lot of places. The only real issue is I think the prices for the amount of food you get is a LITTLE high, but in a city with only 2 Vietnamese restaurants, I can't really complain. The pho dac biet was about $9 for an okay size bowl and the bun cha gio was $8 and some change. The banh xeo was kind of small for $6.50, but like I said it was so good that I would get it again. If I'm in the area again, I'll definitely stop by and try something else (really want to try the bun bo hue and bo luc lac) on the menu. This is my new go-to Vietnamese place in CR! ! read more

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I guess I'm still acquiring a taste for Vietnamese. Not my first choice for Asian food, but it certainly is more healthful than Chinese food. Most of the dishes are too mild for my tastes. I've had the turkey curry twice which is described as spicy but it really isn't, even when I asked them to "make it spicy". They have a variety of sauces on the table or you can order a dish of chili paste to add some serious heat. The service is very friendly and like the other posters mentioned is a family business. I'll continue to support this business in hope that I will find something I really like here. read more

Pretty good Vietnamese food. Very affordable. My favorite are the vermicelli dishes and the spring roll. The only thing is that I am used to the meats being grilled and not too oily. It was a bit oily here. Although it is still good. Their parking is limited but parking is easy to find around the block. read more

Clean little restaurant in cute building just outside of downtown. Service was a tiny bit slow, but one man was running the front lol buy himself while also serving. Now, I will say the pho was good, it wasn't as good as homemade, but I will go back again. I would have liked some additional vegetation served with it but oh well. We also ordered spring rolls, crab Rangoons and egg rolls. They were all excellent and served with wonderful sauces. Our daughter had some delicious pork fried rice, she gobbled up the rice and egg roll. I plan on going back soon. read more

I travel the country for work and have had pho in so many places, including both coasts and places with large vietnamese populations. This pho was surprisingly delicious. I got the beef pho with shrimp spring rolls. For being in Eastern Iowa, I was pleasantly surprised. If I ever find myself back around these parts, I will return for sure. Great service from the man owning the place as well. read more

It's not the best pho I've had, but I grew up and live in major cities in the west coast. If we put the pho here in Seattle or So Cal, it wouldn't be all that great, but me and the band were on tour and in the middle of a long-ass drive from Kansas City to Madison, WI. This little pho spot in the middle of Iowa totally hit the spot, and I was certainly satisfied. Next time I'm passing through, I'll come back for more! read more

Thank goodness for hot Pho!!! In the midwest Chineese and Thai are super common, Vietnamese not so much. Highly recommended, they have excellent service, and a huge menu. Do not miss this place if you're in CR. One other thing ... prices are awesome. read more

Size of the Pho was kid size, for $8.50 you get skimpy bowl with 3 pieces of meat. Service is non-existent as the owner is busy watching TV. Save time & money by avoiding this place. read more

I have been taking my kids here for years. Summer treat was to hit the store next to it and the. Grab lunch. Every dish I try I like. Its fresh tasting and has great seasonings. We will continue patronize this spot regularly read more

Love this place! It's local, it's delicious, it's a dive! My favorite! Family owned, which means there's probably going to be some kids running around, but the food makes you forget about it. read more

Phong Lan Vietnamese Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

I think this is the best Pho in Cedar Rapids!!! I order to go all the time and they have it ready very quickly everything is always nice and fresh!! read more

Spectacular Pho and Vermicelli and even better service! Seriously come here every single time I'm back in town. read more

Phong Lan Vietnamese Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Spring rolls were decent... But a little bit small. Combination pho was also decent, but broth was a little bland. Too much pepper was added, and the variety of meet added was disappointing. The passion fruit smoothie could also use significant improvement. They didn't have the traditional three-colored bean drink. Coming from Iowa City, not worth the trek to Cedar Rapids. read more

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Pho is good for Cedar Rapids. The problem also lies with the execution of the order.. I ordered beef and beef tendon, but the pho lacked tendon. Why? Maybe they didn't think I knew what it is... the egg rolls were perfect! read more

I absolutely love this place- the food is incredibly light and filling and their menu has a nice variety. The spring rolls are always refreshing. I've fallen in love with their vermicelli chicken and shrimp lemon grass- it's incredibly delicious and filling while also light- I don't need a nap after eating it. Their food that is advertised as 'spicy' isn't usually as spicy as I prefer- I'm a glutton for heat- however there are various hot sauces you can add. This is incredibly nit-picky, I do understand that this restaurant has more of a cafe feel, however I think the food is so good enough that the ambiance could be a little nicer The staff has always been very courteous and food is very affordable; spring rolls and entree will run between 7-10 dollars. I'm pretty sure it's family owned and operated which is all the more reason to give this place a try- it's a unique and homely dining experience in an otherwise homogenized dining world. read more

The pho is very flavorful. We have been to other places in the area and like this the best. The spring rolls are very crisp and fresh tasting. The service was prompt snd friendly. We will definitely drive back to Cedar Rapids just for the Pho. read more

Love this place. Family owned and operated. Owners very friendly, attentive. Food is fresh, hot and so good! Their Pho is all I want in the winter and when I don't feel well! Coffee amazing. read more

Exactly what I needed....hot pho, served quickly, and with a smile. This is one of my favorite stops in CR.

Not as good as pho mai for pho noodle soup. Other items on menu are different than pho mai and seem to have a Chinese take on some of the Vietnamese items that could be on the menu. The noodle soup is watered down compared to pho mai but the mom and pop feel puts a level of authenticity there. Pricing is decent but the add ons for pho don't seem fresh like the mint leaves and bean sprouts. Smaller portions but lower price. read more

Off the beaten path and many may not think to stop by at this place to eat. However it is very delicious and well priced. Great variety and staff is super nice. Will definitely be going to visit in the future and would recommend anyone to give this place a try. Perfect place to go to lunch at. read more

Really? Worst bun bo hue ever. I can see right through it. Mostly a hot chicken broth with some spicy chi garlic sauce added. Mastery of this complex viet dish is how I judge a viet restaurant. Spring rolls were awesome but obviously this isn't their forte. Even on a bad night, this is so poorly executed. read more

Phong Lan Vietnamese Restaurant - Worst bun bo hue ever. - Vietnamese Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Went here for lunch yesterday for the first time in a long time and reminded us why we don't eat here. The service was poor even though it looked like a single gentleman serving everyone. He took half our tables order than left back to the kitchen and then came back to take the other half. When he did take our order we felt rushed to tell him what we wanted. I ordered the Pho Dac Biet which is the combination that comes with sliced meat, tendon and Meatballs. When the pho arrived there was no aroma to the soup from the beef bones and meat that you normally get with good pho. Looking at it I noticed it to be lacking on noodles and no tendon. I asked the server if there was supposed to be tendon in there like the menu indicated. His response was, "we don't put tendon in there anymore because you don't know how to eat it" and then walked away. I was super offended from that comment since we eat tendon all the time in our pho. Now the pho itself was very bland and lacked any flavor or depth to the soup. Beef paste or fish sauce couldn't save this broth. If you are looking for good pho, this is not the place to base your opinions on it as it should taste alot more flavorful than what they serve here. I only gave this one star because it was required to post a review. read more

Egg rolls were very good. The Bun was exactly as described but I wish I had listened better. No fault of the restaurant but it was not something I'd do again. I'll go back and try the pho next time. read more

Phong Lan Vietnamese Restaurant - Vietnamese Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Absolutely amazing! Favorite Pho and spring rolls in Cedar Rapids and surrounding areas!

ugh, I used to really like this place. I used to go weekly, but over the past few years, it's simply gone downhill. The portions vary GREATLY depending on who's cooking/ their mood. It's very possible to go in for lunch, spend $10 and get half of a medium plate of food - about 1 1/2 cups of food. The other half of the plate is covered with lettuce or veg/ condiments. ? -so expect to get a burger after eating here... Lunch 'special' prices are not a bargain anymore. It used to be busy at lunch, no longer- probably due to the above. The recipes are slightly above average, bot often overcooked/ burned. So, no too many pluses for this place anymore unfortunately. Too many of their items are straight from a can. - Like Linds' (-another reviewer from 4/2011) coffee- go to the grocery next door and get this for $1, instead of spending twice that to have someone open a can for you... for amazing food, try the little Thai place in the Town and Country Shopping Center, still awesome. If you want to cook the same food Phong Lan has, go to the little Asian grocery next door, you can get the same thing for a mere fraction of the cost- all canned. Sad, used to be a great place. read more

Yay! Pho in Cedar Rapids! It was as good as Any I've had in Los Angeles. The vegetable fried rice was yummy too with nice veggies like broccoli, carrots and mushrooms. read more

There are a bunch of great reviews about this restaurant and they are all spot on. The food here totally rocks. Your not going to be wowed by decor, theme or ambience. This is a simple family owned restaurant. You go to this restaurant for the food! Period! It's a once every month or two stop for me and for years I have always loved it. Vietnamese food is amazing and this family has it down! read more

I know how Vietnamese food should taste because that's all I got the first 18 years of my existence. I must first point out that it's not labeled "Chinese" because it's nothing like it. Vietnamese food emphasizes freshness, so the dishes are typically seasoned with herbs like mint, basil, lemongrass and cilantro. If you're expecting flavor explosion, you're in the wrong area of the continent - Vietnam is not a city in China! That being said, Phong Lan is my go-to place when I'm missin' my mama's cooking. If you want the authentic Vietnamese experience complete with the screechy shouting in the kitchen and little Asian kids doing math at a table while their daddies drink beer and play cards at another table, you've come to the right (and only) place in CR. It's family run so don't expect fast service, but the food will come out hot and fresh. A note on the pho if you've never had it before - add hoisin sauce and sriracha hot sauce to flavor the broth to your tastes. I would question anyone who compares the food here to a Chinese place because that just screams ignorance. This is Vietnamese food, and this is how Vietnamese food should taste. read more

This place has good food, ESPECIALLY the pho. My bro and I have eaten here a couple of times now and it has been great each time. We are planning on making it a regular stop for pho. According to my bro it is the best place to get Pho here in Cedar Rapids. The only gripe i have about the place is it's parking area is quite small and compact. So be prepared to maybe walk a little bit if the lot is full or if you have a large vehicle. I never have an issue with walking a little so this isn't a problem for me. The other thing that might make people question is the dining area is kind of lack luster. but don't let this detour you the food is great. Especially for being in Cedar Rapids. read more