Lemon Grass Restaurant

03/22/2008 Posted by LoveFoodToo

It's obvious they focus on catering to a Vietnamese clientelle, which is their right. Their english is very lacking. So if you don't mind coping with getting "coke" when you order "coconut" drink, and waiting a long time because they're really busy, then you will enjoy the food. It was first rate Vietnamese. I didn't give it 4 stars because they did make us wait a long time, and got a couple things wrong with the order. They also waited a good 15 minutes to come out and tell me they were out of what I ordered. Then I had to wait another 15 or 20 minutes for my alternate order to come. My kids got antsy waiting for their coconut drinks (20 minutes) and they didn't have saki, nor my alternate choice Redhook beer. I finally got my Tsingtao about 30 minutes after I initially ordered the saki.

Pros: Great tasting Vietnamese food

Cons: Bad english skills, really busy, resulting in sloooow service

08/07/2007 Posted by thedavises

I had been to the restaurant during lunch time with my co-worker and the food was tasty so I brought my husband back with me for the second time. We went yesterday (Monday night) and knowing their English wasn't great, we ordered using numbers "16, 29, and 30." We also ordered "lemonade" which our waiter took pains to repeat. A couple minutes later another waitress came back and asked us (even though we had already told our waiter several times) what options we wanted for the #16 (chicken and crispy noodles). It all went downhill from the moment we got our drinks. "Lemonade" turned out to be lime juice with sour plum muddled in it, which my husband couldn't handle but we thought would be rude to send back. Then they brought out a large platter (#29) which is enough for 2 people at least, followed by "chicken pho". We asked the waiter why he gave us chicken pho and he replied "You ordered it, I asked twice" in very broken English. Not wanting to argue we told him that we didn't but we would keep it anyway, thinking that he had misunderstood our options for #16 as another dish instead of #30. But no. He then brought out another dish (#16) followed by #30. We got 4 huge dishes and enough food to feed 10 people. When we told him and the manager that it was impossible that we (2 average sized people) would intentionally order so much food, the manager waved us away and the waiter maintained that he had asked us twice, essentially blaming the customer for his obvious misunderstanding. Needless to say we lost our appetites. In the end, we had 3 bites of food and paid $38 for what we didn't order. The manager was rude, the waiter was rude and the food wasn't even good. OH, and there were flies buzzing around before we even got the first plate of food.

Cons: Rude waitservers/manager made any potential pros moot.

06/02/2007 Posted by Sonja

My coworkers and I had an excellent lunch at Lemon Grass and already are planning our next visit. By arriving a bit before noon, we were able to enjoy quiet conversation before the lunch crowd. Several variations of chicken entrees were appetizing to my coworkers. I, always being the adventuresome diner, ordered the lotus root salad and was pleased with everything - the presentation, the freshness and crunchiness of the ingredients and the layering of flavors. Delicious.

08/25/2006 Posted by seattles_best_

The servers are very friendly. One thing that stands out is that the customers in this restaurant are more diverse than the other Vietnamese restaurants on this plaza's floor. And yes, the food is great. I like the 'Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio' and 'Goi Cuon' (I hope I spelled those dishes right)...oh and their fried banana with milk for dessert (sorry, forgot the Vietnamese name)...that's bomb.

Pros: food, service, environment

Cons: parking, closes early

07/08/2005 Posted by huskyduck

Well prepared, traditional Vietnamese dishes like catfish in claypot, rice vermicelli bowls, pho and spring rolls are featured in this new place at 12th and Jackson. The decor is particularly nice with soft greens, yellows and browns. Black and white photos of various life scenes in Vietnam grace the walls. This place should have success as if offers good food at reasonable prices, with friendly service in comfortable and attractive surroundings.

Pros: Nice Decor, Catfish in claypot, Great value