Song Long

My girlfriend and I were visiting Cincy from out of town and wanted some good Vietnamese. We ate at Cilantro on Friday (which was fine) but ate at Song Long for dinner on Saturday, which was much better. Both have great service and welcoming atmosphere, but Song Long’s food was superior. They are definitely worth the extra drive, give them a try!

Service was good. Food was very meh. The phở was a bit sour. I don’t mean it was spoiled, but that there appeared to be lemon or lime in it. I don’t put the wedge of lime in my phở because I don’t like it sour. My wife had the «dry» noodles, with fish sauch on the bottom. It was too salty in all our opinions. My daughter had the pan fried rice noodles. It was average. We were just passing through, but this place didn’t make the mark so I wouldn’t go back.

Can it be that their banh mi just got better? Everything about it was so amazing today — really tasty sweet pickled daikon, fresh cilantro, pork cooked/​seasoned just right, not too much mayo, and, of course, The Perfect Baguette — that I had to come back and add a star to my previous review.
The staff is always so kind (they were greeting other regulars by first name), and the food keeps getting better. Great place!
Recommended: Banh mi, hands down.

This place is flat out great. Family owned and operated for generations.
As others ave noted the Bun Bo Hue is Tremendous. The Dinner portion comes in a bowl as big as your head. Sumptuous.
Anything with the black pepper sauce is also great.
The crêpe is also a delight. ask for extra dipping sauce. Apply liberally.
Very reasonably priced.
Yung, Anne and the entire family are delightful.
I’ll offer the few negatives, so you know them in advance. Not a great part of town. Building is old, bathrooms are terrible.
that said, This is a GREAT place. An unequivocal 5 stars.

Two words — hidden gem. The restaurant is off the beaten path and you might miss it if driving by. But I assure you, it’s worth the drive and extra look to find. I went with one of my Vietnamese coworkers and she said this is one of the most authentic Vietnamese restaurants in Cincinnati. We came for lunch and I was impressed by the portions and prices. I started with the shrimp salad rolls. On the menu it is served with pork but I asked if they could customize and they were very accommodating. I also ordered the lunch portion vegetable phở with tofu. It was so delicious and a big portion. But I have to say the star of the meal with the crêpe we ordered. My coworker showed me how you eat it — you cut the crêpe into small portions and then roll it into a leaf of lettuce and dip it into the sauce it’s served with. Absolutely incredible! I had never had anything like it. It’s a MUST try. Make the journey to Song Long and you’ll be so satisfied.

Took my brother here for lunch & it was the middle of the afternoon. Based on the food I ate & the menu, it is definitely a place to return to. Proprietor was very engaging, and I don’t usually engage with Proprietors.
I had a noodle dish. My brother had pepper steak. He hates green peppers but the stea k n onions were good, he reports.
Looking forward to more visits.

Best Vietnamese in town. Gets over looked because it’s not in the suburbs out downtown. Very good Phở, and my favorite is the Bun Bo Hue. Very spicy and very flavorful. This place never disappoints.

Went here for lunch today and had a great experience. Their lunch specials are super reasonably priced ($ 6.95 for a bowl of phở). My friend had never had phở before, so the waiter (who I’m assuming was also the owner or part-​owner in some way because of what happens later…) brought him two broth samples to try. Food came out fast and piping hot. They were unfortunately out of Thai basil, but otherwise the phở was accompanied with all the fixins. I asked for some extra jalapeño and it never came. I threw some sriracha in and didn’t worry about it but when the check was brought to us, the waiter said he would comp my meal because he forgot my jalapeños! I was shocked and impressed as this rarely happens. Our checks also came with fortune cookies AND sugar cookies, so I was a happy girl. I can’t wait to go back and tip very generously on my next meal.
FYI there’s a lot behind the building with free parking

This place is a great little hidden gem. The food is DELICIOUS and everything tastes authentic, homemade and most importantly super fresh. The Phở is by far best I’ve ever had and the cold shrimp spring rolls are amazing. I cannot eat red meat and the kitchen was very accommodating and allowed me to substitute the pork for grilled chicken on the bahn mi and omit the pork from the shrimp and pork cold rolls. The service was great and the prices are right… most lunch dishes are around $ 7-​$ 8. We will definitely be returning. Bring change for metered street parking!

I was so excited to try this place since it is so close to my office. The Phở with Beef was delicious and came with a healthy bunch of herbs sprouts etc. Honestly the broth is good by itself. Also had the cold roll which was good. The food was prepared quickly and well wrapped to travel. This will definitely be a regular lunch stop.

«Authentic» is the best word to describe Song Long. This place feels like my Grandma’s house (with all of the jade art, ornate wood panelings, family portraits, plastic coverings on the tables, and mismatched Asian dollar store plastic plates), and I mean that in the best possible way. I came here for lunch, and I really enjoyed it!
One of my coworkers recommended we try Song Long for our weekly lunch. As soon as we sat down, the waiter said «Hey Chris!» as he handed him the menu… Clearly the servers are friendly here, and if you come here often enough they treat you like family! This is a true family affair, with grandma manning the cash register and the kids serving and cooking.
Everyone at our table ordered the beef phở, which came out in literally 5 minutes, piping hot, and with basil, sprouts, lemon, and chilis on the side. YUM! For about $ 7, this phở was very tasty and filling, and a good portion size for lunch. I thought the noodles were cooked perfectly and the broth was tasty.
My only issue with this restaurant is that the building is old, and to get to the bathrooms you have to go down some scary stairs. The restaurant itself seemed clean, just that the building is crying for a renovation.
Overall, good prices, great food, and excellent service. Can’t wait to come back and try this place for dinner!

Located centrally in downtown Nearnothing, Song Long is what we call at Claire’s Jewelry a «diamond in the rough.» Or «hidden gem.» Or even sometimes, «Ruby in the Alley.»
Song Long, which roughly translates to «Length of Any Awards show,» has definitively the best Phở in Cincinnati. Just take a look at the facts:
1) Making their Phở broth is a 6 – 7 hour process, which they self-​declare is impossible to do at any of the «higher volume/​smaller kitchen viet spots downtown.» They didn’t want to name names, but it rhymed with Phở Lang Thang.
2) Speaking of their Phở, experientially it can go head-​to-​head with Phollacio.
3) It also comes with fat side plates full of sprouts, basil, and lemon, so you can choose your own adventure.
4) And though you can park on the street and enter through the front, I highly recommend you park in their cozy lot behind the building and enter through the back. Amongst other scenery, the back entrance gives you direct access to their bathrooms, for those who value pee before seats.
5) This place also pays significantly more attention to ambience than most Asian restaurants you’ll visit in this lifetime. They play what can only be described as great (but un-​Shazamable) Vietnamese EDM and folk. Plus the walls are fully covered with cultural art, the highlight being a Clifford-​sized family photo from the 1990s that can do nothing but warm you from your heart to your butt.
6) When the waiter saw us writing on a napkin, he unsolicitedly brought out a stack of full 8.5″ x 11″ looseleaf for us to write out the constitution. (confusion on which party had a citizenship test the next morning? anyway, it’s the gesture that counts)
7) We told that same waiter that we were in the mood for pan fried dumplings to start. He said that’s not the menu, but he can make it happen. Then in he went with a pan fried order, and out he came with pan fried magic.
So if you’re hosting some friends or veterans from Vietnam, take them out for pizza because they don’t have that there. But if they’re craving Phở, take them here.

We came here on a Friday night because of my wife’s urging. She dined here several months ago with her girlfriends and has been prodding us to try Song Long since then. My teenage son, who was starving, was complaining why we were driving such distance for dinner. It took a little over 25 minutes to get to the restaurant from NKY. We arrived after 8:30 pm thus the dinner crowd had thinned out so we were seated right away. As you enter you are taken by the «old building» musty smell. The décor on one wall shows all the rave reviews and awards of Song Long over the years, and other walls with Vietnamese or Asian portraits. It’s got some ornate Asian décor, it’s fairly clean but the place is showing its age. The lady who waited on us was personable, helpful and very attentive to our needs.
We had fresh rolls and pork buns for appetizers which were really good. My hungry teenager enjoyed 2 spring rolls and a pork bun as an appetizer to himself. The steamed pork bun was really good. It’s probably «home made.» It had a generous amount of very delicious meat in it. I actually wouldn’t mind eating several of those as may meal. My wife and I share a Phở with beef, meat balls and tripe, as our soup. Wow that was some really good flavorful soup. I had the Scallops with lemon and butter as my entrée. It wasn’t something I liked. It was too sour for me but I won’t take it against them. I think it’s one of those acquired ethnic tastes that would be comfort food to someone else. My wife had the deep fried cat fish. Now this one was really, really good. The fish was fried just right — just crunchy enough and tender enough. The savory and slightly sweet, clear sauce was perfect with the rice. I really enjoyed that one. The others in our group enjoyed their meals and they each gave a thumbs up for their choice. So, with a batting average of 4 thumbs up out 5 entrees, that made for a nice and enjoyable dinner at Song Long. I’m sure they have other good choices in their menu which we would like to try so we will be back.

The banh mi thit nguoi sandwich was great. The only knock is the bread was very very chewy. It tasted like phở on a sandwich, which is great when it’s hot out.
The area we sat in had kind of a weird smell too.

A great casual, cheap place to get your Phở fix. Also have quite a few different options of Vietnamese food. I had one of their sandwiches (cant remember which) with pork that was crazy good. The standard Phở tasted great. I got the Strawberry Bobba… which was good but it had that fake strawberry powder after taste similar to what you might taste strawberry milk nesquik.
will be coming again

Very homey-​feel with the deco, decent ambient, quick service. Most of all, awesome Bun Bo Hue! My mom tried their fried rice which was good as well. The only downside (and maybe it is downside because I’m used to super-​sized servings in America) is that the serving of the noodle soup is smaller than most places — in a bowl slightly bigger than a large cereal bowl. I guess next time I need to order extra large;-)

I’ve struggled to find a Vietnamese place in Cincinnati that I can really enjoy.
As a vegetarian, this can pose some challenges, especially in a city that loves eating mostly meat.
However, I went here the other day for lunch at the prodding of a friend. You have to kind of search for the parking lot, and you can find the entrance under a small sign.
As you walk in, it may be that your perception will be that this is not a fine dining establishment. That’s true I guess, though if you are used to going to small authentic cuisine places, it’s par for the course. Don’t let your perception of the décor to dissuade you.
The lunch menu is short and simple, but has ample options to choose from. The prices are affordable, and the service is on time and efficient.
I mentioned that I was vegetarian and they were more than happy to accommodate me, though there are menu items that are specifically vegetarian.
We had the cold rolls and they made mine with tofu instead of shrimp. They were very tasty and well made, not to mention large!
I got the Xao Thap Cam which is an assortment of vegetables with steamed rice and stir fried tofu. The carrots and broccoli were actually fresh and had bite to them. A welcome change from some places in the city. Also, the mushrooms were fresh shiitake. So good. The white sauce wasn’t my favorite, but it was traditional. I ended up using a healthy dose of Sriracha though so it was all good.

It was a Monday night and we were really craving phở. Most Asian restaurants are closed on Mondays, but Song Long came to the rescue!
There was street parking right out front, which was nice. (Especially because this neighborhood is so-​so.) Lots of space inside, no wait. Quaint atmosphere. Appears to be family run.
The food came out fast and the portions were satisfying. We had a spring roll, which was good, and I enjoyed my phở. But be aware: there is a sweetness to the broth that I’m not accustomed to, and which my husband didn’t love.
In all, a good option for Asian food in Cincy, but not our fave place for phở. If we come back, we may try the Bun Bo Hue that people keep raving about.

Today, craving Phở, the hubbs and I hit up Song Long. He ordered the Phở with chicken and I got the Bun Bo Hue at a 7 spice level. We started out with Goi Cuon. The rolls were ok – for some reason I felt like there wasn’t much flavor going on. But the soup… ahhhhhh the soup! The Phở was good. The Bun Bo Hue was transcendent! The spice level was perfect and the flavors were excellent. The noodles were slightly thicker than Phở noodles and the beef was really tasty. I will absolutely be craving this soup as the winter months persist.

I work right around the corner from Song Long, which is pretty much the main reason I frequent them when I have a Thursday afternoon phở craving.
A couple things I love — the food is tasty, the service is pleasant and quick, and there’s a great variety of Vietnamese and Chinese dishes, including my favorite sweet Vietnamese coffee. The restaurant is clean and very quiet, so a good spot for a lunch with colleagues to have after-​the-​meeting meetings, if you know what I mean.
Some of my less-​favorite features — the bathroom is downstairs, through a creepy hallway that really makes me feel like I’m at risk of being kidnapped on my way to pee. So I make sure I go to the bathroom before I leave my office — not something you should have to worry about before lunch. The prices are comparable to other restaurants with similar food, although portions are smaller. The phở isn’t the best I’ve had in the region, but it’s good comfort food. I would like to see more cilantro in it.
Given the options in the area, Song Long is a nice little place for Asian food for those of us who work in the Roselawn area. I wouldn’t make a trip specifically to go there, but it’s definitely a much more attractive option than the fast food chains in the neighborhood.