Viet Ai

The bottom line with this place: come around 11am or after lunch for some good phở and good times (otherwise be prepared for a wait because it is popular here). Very reasonable phở and vietnamese food especially given a general lack of decent Asian cuisine in the area. Get your fill here folks. Load up with some Cha Gio on your Bun Bo or go for Phở. Either way you win a fully belly sans empty pockets.

This place is a small and cozy, they have a huge menu, by Vietnamese cuisine standards. I like all of their drinks choices, must try the vietnamese iced coffee with condensed milk.
The fried squid was cooked well, crispy, the pieces were a bit big, but really good. The Bun Bo Xao Sate was really good too, a bit too many noodles, but cooked really well. My wife liked her Phở, but she said it did not have enough broth.
This place is a definitely a good choice in the area for Vietnamese food.

I wanted to give this place another star because their phở is pretty darn good, but overall, the take out experience dropped them to 3. I’ve been here a few times before, and once did take out– the Phở is GREAT. Incredible flavor– even the broth! Most phở places you go, the broth has little flavor and you need to pile on the hoisin sauce and hot sauce– not Viet Ai, at least, not a whole lot of it. BUT… last time I did take out, I didn’t ask for those sauces, and I got none in my bag, which was certainly disappointing. So this time, I made sure to ask. She assured me both were in there. When I got to my desk– no hoisin sauce! AND, no fresh jalepenos in my bag of lemon (?? why not lime?), mint, and sprouts. This was definitely disappointing, as I like a bit of a kick. Overall though, the soup was as delicious as always, and the ingredients were incredibly fresh. Just wish I had all of the fixins!

Love this place! Best Phở in the area.

Great phở!
My girlfriend and I got some take-​out from Viet Ai tonight and it was the best phở I’ve had in a long time. As I’ve written in others posts, I love phở, want to have it as often as possible, and am a snob due to my year-​long stint in north Vietnam. But this phở broth was delicious, and that really makes the soup. The take-​out was given in separate containers so we had the opportunity to put it together at home and, as I said, it was just as tasty as could be.
We also got some spring rolls (they were ok) and some mi xao with pork (mediocre). I look forward to coming again and getting another large bowl of phở. (If you do get the large, it’s enough for two.)

Viet Ai was recommended to me and it was suggested to try their phở soup. I went with a coworker over lunch on a weekday to try that dish.
There was plenty of seating and the staff was welcoming. I agree with the other Unilocaler that you should have an idea of what you want before you get in.
I went with the Phở Bo Lui (rice noodles with beef). The beef came out separate from the soup along with a side dish of basil, sprouts, and lime. The grilled beef was sweet and had bits of onion stuffed inside. The broth of the phở was not too salty, which is how you know you’re getting a quality dish. The broth also was made with beef bone to give it a rich flavor.
The Phở bowls were only $ 7.50. If you wanted an additional platter of beef and brisket that’s an extra $ 2.00. I didn’t see the size of this but it may be something you would want to split if you’re already getting Phở Bo Lui. I really enjoyed my experience here and I’m looking forward to having phở again!

Love this place. We’ve been twice and had phở both times and can definitely recommend the phở with the grilled chicken or grilled beef — more flavor than the traditional cooked in the broth variety.

Ordered phở and 51… some sort of beef over vermicelli. The sauce that came with 51 was a bit too sweet. It was really good at first but once you get to the bottom of the bowl… Egh Phở was average.

The short of it is that this place has the best Vietnamese food in the area. The main people born is that this place just feels dirty. My wife refuses to eat here with me and it takes a deep breath of bravery for me to eat here.
Phở is the way to go here. Comes out fast, great broth (which is key) and they offer the phở with tripe, tendon, and balls in it. This scares some but it’s just not great without it. I’ve had several of the vermicelli and rice dishes. All seem fresh and are tasty.
Again, the main issue is the cleanliness of this place. Try not to use the restroom. It’s pretty darn gross.

Don’t bother going at 8pm… they’re in a hurry to close… was given barely any soup in my noodles :(even more obvious after I added in the side vegetables

I must have driven by this tiny little place, right in the middle of Florham Park hundreds of times and never really noticed it… Until today at least, and I’m so glad I found it.
I have always been a fan of Vietnamese Phở and honestly Vietnamese food in general.
So this isn’t a new experience for me and my review comes from the perspective of a typical american who has spent many meals in a Phở restaurant.
Though the place is tiny, the menu is not. This quaint little place has 8 pages of items. Of all the Vietnamese places I’ve gone, this one has by far the largest selection of foods and drinks. If it’s all as good as my first meal here, I will be spending a lot of time here trying them all :-)
The Phở dishes has much to offer. Everything from the exotic (as far as Americans go) with the raw meat and tendon choices to the conservative cooked meats, brisket, pork, shrimp, or even just veg.
They give you plenty of sprouts, though were a little stingy on the Thai basil leaves compared to some other places I’ve gone, but they gave the standard amount the recipe calls for. All was fresh and nicely spiced. Nothing to overwhelming.
The noodles matched everything else, not sticky and mushy, and not hard… just right.
I chose the sliced pork this time and it was great. Spiced perfectly and cooked just right, not to much and not under-​cooked.
The staff from my quick visit (I ordered a takeout) did seem very friendly and they offered me hot tea while I waited. Which wasn’t long at all, 5min tops.
I can’t wait to go back and try some of the other Phở dishes and the rice plates. Thinking Beef Cubes next time with one of their many exotic drink choices.

Viet Ai is about as «hole in the wall» as it gets, in terms of location, décor, and signage, but that’s where any sort of critique from me ends. The service is great, the carryout is always very thoughtfully packaged, and the food is delicious.
They have the BEST Phở Ga I have ever found, which is saying a lot, because that’s essentially all I eat in the winter. The depth of flavor in the broth is outstanding, and char on the grilled chicken is genius. How do you improve upon an already perfect chicken dish? Add char, that’s how.
In fact, I was sick a few weeks ago, and ordered enough carryout Phở Ga that I was able to eat it for 8 straight meals. And I would have kept up my streak and eaten more, but they’re unfortunately closed on Mondays. Which, I suppose is my only real issue with them?
In short: Go here and order the Phở.

We were in the neighborhood and hungry and I just plugged «lunch» into the Unilocal app and found this place.
Best Unilocal find I’ve lucked into.
Very fresh vegetables, and noodles. There are a lot of choices on the menu but as others have said, it’s not a TGIFridays, slap-​100-​frozen-​fryolator-​items-​on-​there menu, it is a listing of a few dishes with variations; Pork, Shrimp, Chicken, Beef, Vegetarian.
Staff is super friendly and helpful.
One of those restaurants where you’re planning your next visit’s selections before you’re halfway done with what you ordered. We wanted to share with our 3 year-​old so we didn’t order anything spicy, which is what I will order next time. Next time will be soon.
Highly recommend it for fans of Vietnamese food, or beginners.

Viet Ai is an unassuming little shop sandwiched between KFC and Panera. We came in with family and we were hungry for a meal after all the activities of the day.
The waitress was attentive and sweet. We were relieved to hear Vietnamese being spoken in the kitchen and hoped that it would translate to piping hot and tasty bowls of phở. That was exactly what we got!
What we ordered:
+ Spring rolls — a bit on the tiny side, but perfectly fresh and crunchy
+ 2 phở — told that it matched the quality of Elmhurst, NY phở
+ Pork chop rice — on the thin side, but very tender and perfectly barbequed
+ Beef bun — flavorful and good
+ Mushroom and tofu stir fry — pretty generic but not bad
We’ll definitely be back soon!

Found this Vietnamese place on Unilocal.Omg. to our surprise, it’s better than many phở places in NYC. Great service, clean restaurant.
Pork chops are tender, phở broth is light and delicious, spring rolls are super tasty. will definitely come back..

Came here on a Wed night about an hour before they closed so the restaurant was pretty quiet. I was greeted warmly by both the lady behind the cash counter and the waitress; they were SO nice and said thank you and good-​bye multiple times when I was on my way out.
For food, I ordered the pork deep fried spring rolls and Phở with raw beef round, tendons and stomach (#7?). Both dishes came out super quick. The spring rolls were hot, crispy and exactly how spring rolls should be. The broth and beef of the Phở were both excellent; noodles on the other hand, I thought could be more «fresh» and «bouncier». It tasted like frozen noodles cooked.
I cannot speak to the authenticity since I am not vietnamese; but I would definitely come back and try other dishes they offer.

Situated in its own corner of a shopping mall, Viet Ai has a modest exterior and simple interior layout. The seating area is well lit with many windows facing the street and attached private restaurant parking area. The wait staff were very friendly and attentive.
The menu covered the full popular scope of Vietnamese cuisine, with appetizers, noodle soups, stir fry noodles, rice dishes, desserts, and beverages. I went here for lunch for two, and we ordered the deluxe combination phở and grilled pork rice as entrees and a durian shake to share as a drink.
The combination phở sports a variety of beef cuts from tripe to thinly sliced meat atop rice noodles, all bathed in a savory soup, and with a plate of raw bean sprouts, basil, and lime. The portion of meat and noodles were satisfying, and the flavor of the soup was not overwhelming; the accompanying vegetables appeared fresh and were easily made al dente in the hot soup.
The grilled pork rice had two thin pork chops with white rice and a sweet vinegar sauce and some colorful raw cucumber and tomato on the side. The portion of meat was not sized for a heavy meal, but the meat was very well marinated in a fantastic sweet and salty glaze whose flavor was further brought out with the sauce and when contrasted with the white rice.
Durian, for those who are unfamiliar with the fruit, is a very polarizing food item. It is a fruit indigenous to South East Asia which has a very distinctive smell some might consider off-​putting and tastes like a creamy custard (or at least the fans who can get over the smell think so). Desserts and beverages with durian are a personal favorite, but given the lack of popularity, it has been difficult (in my experience) to find a stellar durian drink. The waitress said that their shakes were made in-​house by shaving frozen durian with ice; not an uncommon method, but the quality of the durian and ratio are very important – too much durian and it doesn’t have a drinkable texture, too little durian and you find yourself with very «aromatic» but otherwise flavorless ice. I was impressed by the resulting drink. Though I would have preferred a higher durian to ice ratio, it had a classic slushie texture while capturing the cream-​custard flavor of the durian without an overwhelming smell. Definitely one of the better, if not the best, durian beverages I’ve had in the U.S.
Overall, we were very satisfied with the quality of the food. The pricing was reasonable as well, and this meal cost ~$ 25 in total. I would recommend this restaurant to phở-​lovers and other Vietnamese food enthusiasts; the durian shake is worth trying if you’re a fellow durian-​phile or looking for an adventure.

I always said that this place was the best result of my last relationship lol. Must of been here over 50 times at least. It’s quaint and small, but the food is definitely worth the visit. Especially, if you have a soft spot for Asian food.
I LOVE the sautéed chicken in sate sauce and chicken or shrimp fried rice, essentially, my fat butt orders 2 meals that I make as one. Spring rolls are great as well. It’s been over 2 years since I last visited and my mouth was salivating thinking about my meal from the train ride in.
The staff are pretty awesome too.
I’ll post some pics of my meal tonight!
My only complaint is I wish Viet Ai was in the city

The grilled sliced pork with white rice is my new favorite dish. It comes with a few slices of tomato and cucumber. simple and perfect!

I got the #1 phở (which has an assortment of meats). The small bowl is $ 7.50 and the large bowl is $ 8.50. The small bowl is filling if you are on the so-​so hungry range, but if you’re really hungry, I’d recommend the big bowl. They put long pieces of uncooked onion, which I dislike, so I ended up picking them out. They gave me lemon instead of lime this time and I thought it affected the taste of my phở (that’s why I took off a star). They also provided basil and bean sprouts, and have sriracha and hoisin sauce that you can add.
Overall, food and service were great. Definitely give it a try.