08/11/08

Good Bun Bo Cuon La Lot (Grilled Beef with Lalot served with cold noodle)

by nt2008

Food is consistantly good, OK service. Best dishes I had: Bun Bo Cuon La Lot, Bun Ga Nuong, Bo 7 Mon (7 courses beef ).

• Pros: food
• Cons: parking, pricey

04/24/08

Yum Yum

by minnowtech

FYI foodluver238, besides pho, most Vietnamese food is not served hot. All dishes served with vermicelli noodles will be served at room temperature, like salad. One of the reasons why Vietnamese food is so light and refreshing!

04/23/08

Not so great

by foodluver238

I have heard good things about this place, but it turned out horrible when I went there. The waitress was no help to my family and I. We had to get up and ask for help when they weren't so busy at that time. The food took forever to come and when it did it was cold. I do not recommend this place to anyone unless they want to have a bad time.

02/11/08

Wow! This Place Lives Up To The Hype.

by huskyduck

The word about this place has been out for awhile now, being mentioned in publications like Bon Appetite, Food And Wine, Zagats and even The Food Network. Authentically prepared Vietnamese cuisine made with Love and the freshest ingredients possible. Generally healthy and also easy on your pocketbook, what's not to like? You will wait and it is cramped inside once you are seated, but you'll forget all of that once your food arrives. Standards such as vermicelli bowls, pho and egg noodle soups and a myriad of rolls are stellar. The combination plate with pork chop and sunny side up egg is an incredible value. The duck salad and papaya salad are refreshingly light and delicious. All sauces come on the side so you control the flavor meter.

• Pros: Duck salad, papaya salad, noodle soups, rolls.
• Cons: Wait guaranteed, cramped tables.

01/30/08

Num Num!

by melikeyfood

Being that I am Vietnamese and love authentic home cooked Vietnamese food, Green Leaf hits the spot! There are your typical dishes, pho, rice dishes, chicken, and beef. However I highly recommend the Bahn Xeo (Bahn Sow). You can find it under the appetizer section of the menu. You can actually make a meal out of it

They describe it as a Vietnamese pancake, but crepe would be more accurate. It is a thin yellow crepe that has bean spouts and meat inside. You can get one or two! I suggest two if you are on the hungry side. It's not a heavy meal, however makes horrible leftovers. The crepe has a very faint coconut taste to it. It's not overpowering at all and even my bro in law (who hates coconut flavoring) loves this dish.

When they bring it out, they also provide other sides (mint leaves, cilantro, lettuce, and 2 dipping sauces). Some don't know how to eat this dish. It's simple. You wrap a piece of lettuce around some Bahn Xeo, add some mint and cilantro, then dip! It's a pretty messy dish, however very tasty. However, beware!! If you don't want bad breath, use the sweet, soy sauce, vinegar dip. The other one is garlic based. Both are very tasty!

When reading the other reviews, I realized that some were complaining about the service. I had wonderful service from the staff members. Pretty exceptional compared to other Vietnamese Restaurants that you find in the international district. But just an FYI, many authentic Asian restaurants in the International District aren't known for their service. It?s pretty much the case you come and go. Instant Gratification! So if you are looking for high class service, PF Changs downtown might be your cup of tea for disgusting Asian Food.

• Pros: Instant Gratification! Friendly. Did I mention tasty?
• Cons: Bit crowded

12/31/07

Pretty good food but lacking in service

by actionshots

After reading the great reviews and hearing from friends that this was the "best vietnamese in town," a few of us went last night and here's why this restaurant is only getting three stars:

*We were totally prepared to wait in line for awhile and did. However, the staff split a four-top in front of our eyes to let two parties of two skip in front of us while we waited another 20 or so minutes.

*the food was great, but they brought the wrong roll for one of our orders (I had the chicken/bok choy soup, which I would definitely recommend and the shredded beef roll--also great)

*we were finished with our meal for twenty minutes before we had to ask someone for our bill so we could leave.

Overall, this restaurant has great food but I expected the service to be a lot better, especially considering this restaurant is so small.

• Pros: All the food, lots of street parking
• Cons: Drafty, long wait

11/15/07

Best Vietnamese in town

by cma1

I've eaten at a lot of Vietnamese places in Seattle and in California--it's my favorite cuisine--and this is hands down the best I've had. I've probably been here 30 times now. It's far and away fresher and more interesting than your average place. Definitely get the fresh shrimp spring rolls-they have a crunchy center that's out of this world. The vermicelli bowls, the mango and papaya salads, the duck salad, the bahn xeo (crepe) and the fried flour cakes are all outstanding. There's usually a line but sometimes the owner comes out with snacks, and he puts out a heat lamp in winter. Depending on who is working, service can be great or just okay (like so many places in the International District), but the place is so small that it's easy to get a servers attention if you need them. The prices are incredibly low for the quality of the food.

If you're with a group you can make a reservation and thus bypass the omnipresent line.

10/10/07

Best pho around

by sasuke

Nice setting and food presentation. Being a hole in the wall its easily crowded. But the it's worth it. The food is great and the workers and very friendly. Always treat you nicely with great sevice. The food is the best around.

• Pros: great pho! great service!
• Cons: parking, crowded

09/18/07

This popular Vietnamese spot in the center of the ID supplies terrific value for a quick weekday lunch or adventurous dinner.

by Contributor

The Scene
Snug and often crowded, there's not much privacy on offer at this bustling International District restaurant. The décor is a step up from the average pho joint, but is still casual enough that it's not embarrassing to show up in workout clothes. Heavy ceramic bowls add welcome elegance, but bumping elbows with the next table happens frequently during lunch and dinner rushes. Multi-lingual servers are highly efficient, and work to accommodate everyone equally.

The Food
Equally appealing for a quick pho fix or a multi-course meal, this spot offers a wide range of possibilities. Well-crafted fresh rolls come built around fat prawns or firm tofu and a surprisingly crunchy centerpiece. Their lightnes leaves plenty of room for a refreshing green mango salad or beefy bowl of pho; the addition of brisket enriches the broth while adding minimal grease. Expect plenty of fresh herbs with almost every dish; if extra heat is desired, ask for a bowl of chili paste.

Hits: The menu variety is much larger than the majority of inexpensive Vietnamese places in town; this is a great spot to try new dishes or hunt down hard-to-find favorites.

Misses: During peak dining hours, narrow aisles are nearly impossible to navigate for strollers and wheelchairs, and noise can become a major factor as well.

05/19/07

Not fair to customers

by aznvnese

Bad Service not fair to customers, We waiting for 40 minutes outside of the Green Leaf and another group came after us more than 30 minutes and they get seat before us... I will never go to this Green Leaf.

• Pros: Don't go there