Lotus Vietnamese Restaurant

Been here about 20 times. Always wonderful. Food is consistent and excellent. Made to order… could easily take 45 – 60 minutes to get your food, but one of the best Asian restaurants anywhere. Vermicelli, fried rice, soup are all great.

Very long wait time, but definitely worth it. One bowl of phở and one bowl of the roasted pork wonton soup was ordered at our table. It took about 45 minutes to an hour for it to get to our table. The size of the bowl seems small, but it is extremely filling. The chef told us he cooks the phở broth for 72 hours for maximum taste.
I would recommend eating here; however, be patient as the wait for your food is likely to be a very long one (busy or not).

Best authentic Vietnamese restaurant in Memphis. Reasonable price and great service. When asked the chef, Phở bone broth is meticulously and slowly cooked for 72 hours in order for customers to enjoy the real taste of a typical Vietnamese Phở. Excellent food, amazing service, friendly chef (server). Couldnt ask for more. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, you will never regret !

We had a surprise date night without the kids and choose to eat at the restaurant vs take out. It was wonderful. The inside was clean and the staff was very nice. The food takes a while to prepare because its all fresh. But the wait was well worth it. We had the Wonton & Hot and Sour Soup with the Teriyaki Steak with chicken fried rice. Best date night in a long time.

Ordered the Phở Dac Biet with top round, tendon, tripe, flank and meatballs. The broth was complexly delicious, rich and not over powered by anise. Very generous with the meats, and of course all the usual Phở accompaniments were included. Bean sprouts, lime, jalepeno, thai basil, onion, etc. The Phở is as good if not better than any I have had in the cities and would definitely return. The Chicken Wings were also delicious. the Can’t wait to go back and try some other things.

I haven’t been here in years. Last time I was here I was merely a child. I remember my parents not liking this place due to the portion size and price. So the other day after I drove around looking for tacos (UYE planning), I stopped by here. The parking is confusing. And the entrance is on the side.
So I pretended like I’ve never been here, well, I didn’t remember much anyway. The older gentleman (the owner) greeted me properly and sat me down. I was given this really really small menu. I remember it being a full menu before, but it seems like they cut it down to just what they do best.
First time at a Vietnamese restaurant obviously the first items to try is the phở and the springrolls or eggrolls. On the menu there is only one Phở. That’s actually quite refreshing to see just one choice for phở. And I gotten an order of springrolls instead of eggrolls because I’ve already sampled enough greasy tacos that afternoon!
It didn’t take much time for the owner to get me my items. There were two tables of 4 and another table of 2 in there with me. The springrolls arrived first; and it was as expected. And just one minute later, he delivered the Phở. He described to me how the stock has to be cooked for over 11 hours. And boy, was the stock good! There are no garnishes provided with this Phở. It’s almost like they are saying, «We perfected it. Here it is. Eat up!» I would have to say that this Phở is very good, but the portion size is a bit smaller especially for the price. Is it the best in this town? No, but I don’t even know who is #1 or #2 before this. If I had more, I might be able to judge!
Overall, I would say that the owner is one cool dude. The Phở is delicious. The problem with this place really is that there are other Vietnamese places here that may or may not serve better food, but at least serve it at a better price. I definitely would like to come back again, because the owner is really friendly. It was a personal dining experience. How many other Vietnamese restaurants could you say that about in this town?!?

The wait is EXORBITANT! The curry dish was too sweet, but their home made «Sriracha» is really really good! I want to go back once before they close eventually and try the Phở’

Incredible food! Worth the wait for carry out! If you like Vietnamese food, you’ll love this. If you haven’t had it before, let this be your first try.

Checked out Lotus tonight for the first time. It. Was. Delicious.
We started with the Vietnamese egg rolls and the banh xeo. The egg rolls were good but the banh xeo was banging! It’s a crispy thin «crêpe» as the owner called it with ground beef, shrimp and sprouts in it and then a flavorful oil is spooned on top. It’s taco meets empanada meet Vietnam. Highly recommend! It’s big though so definitely share.
Next, we got the hot and sour soup. I’ve been told they cook the broth for 15 hours, so had to try. It was really tasty but different than any other hot and sour soup I’ve ever had.
We finished with the Vietnamese Vermicelli. This dish is full of flavor and the portion is gigantic. We were already close to full when this arrived, but still ate a little and I think my husband and I could eat two more meals with the leftovers. The dish has pork, shrimp, sprouts, and scallions all mixed in with the vermicelli noodles and then a super savory curry based sauce.
Next time, I am definitely trying to phở as the owner told us the broth cooks for 50 hours! 50!
Side note: the owner is the sweetest man, but he WILL talk to you for way too long, multiple times. He is super proud of his food and loves to tell you about it. I thought it was adorable but if you’re trying to have a romantic/​quiet dinner, this may not be the best choice for that.

Best Phở in Memphis. Always order before you go because it takes a while to get your food. Love the Food!

I’m look at review and chose this place. I order phở and hu tieu to go back to hotel. I glad I didn’t dine-​in the place very small, the container hold soup so small and look cheap. Overall tastes ok, I Order very late, but he willing to take my Order. Thank you

Definitely the best Vietnamese food in Memphis. Typical hole in the wall joint that packs a punch. This restaurant helps proove that the best eats in the city are on Summer Ave. Get a reservation and order ahead of time if you can as all dishes are made from scratch that day!

Had a great dinner here for the first time about a month ago !!
Tried it out based on the reviews.
Joe is a character and made small-​talk with us as he served our food.
The soup and rolls we had for an appetizer were great.
Lemongrass chicken was really good also
Overall great food & service.
Will be going back

The phở was really good. They only have beef, which I never get because it can be gamey, but this was deliciousness! I would ask them to bring the parsley they put in the phở on the side, cause they put too much and it was overpowering. The steamed dumplings were really good too. The summer roll needed basil which they forgot to add.
Do not go if ur In a hurry or if u want nice decorations. It almost felt like it’s where the mafia would conduct business if there was one here. Or you could be at your foreign grandparents old house.
Old dude is adorable!

Don’t be scared when you pull up, because this place is amazing! Granted, you are going to wait for AWHILE for your food but it is worth it… Take a book!
Joe and his wife have run this place for over 30 years. Joe is the wait staff and his wife is the chef. Hence the long wait time. They use all fresh ingredients, including fresh herbs that Joe grows! The stock is actual stock, very very rare!
If you are lucky enough to get to know Joe then you definitely won’t be disappointed. He’s a man that still has a sense of humor despite his sad past. He didn’t get to see his family ever again after leaving Vietnam when he was 10. He sometimes tells stories about how he wishes everyday that he could try the food (or at least remember how to make) the food his father used to make for him.
So go here and support this local diamond in the rough!

Lotus… lots of hype, bizarre/​hilarious stories (read Torri M’s encounter with the owner), and a-​ok food. The place has plenty of 3 star qualities, and I really cannot get on board that it is mind-​blowing Vietnamese as some others claim. Let’s run it down:
The good:
— Service… the old guy (some people call him Joe?), is a great guy, and likes to chat with you despite the fact that he is so quiet and has the «Memphis Mumble» going on at a whole new level
— Flavors… now, I did enjoy quite a few of the flavors here, and you could tell they had some authentic goodness going on… I like it, and it was fresh goodness at that
— Soup… the soup is awesome… all of them… and as others claim, it may be the natural way to cure yourself of a cold… or hangover
The not as good:
— Ambiance/​building… it’s run down, and full of clutter… like you’re at your grandpa’s house and he serves Vietnamese food all of a sudden
— Speed… this place, you gotta wait… just the way it works as it all appears to be by the order
Look, I gave it four stars because I’m generous today. Memphis has a very good selection of Vietnamese food, and this fits right in there with the mix of the rest of them.

We came into town for Family business and was craving some Phở… we ran out of the green bamboo from their fruit fly infestation.
Showed up here and I had read reviews so I was preparred. It’s a divey hole in the wall that is quite outdated.
There was a 12 top in there so I was afraid we would wait forever and after talking to him about how we were short on time and let us know if we both ordered phở we could eat within 10 minutes.
They brought out the phở and I have to say it was wonderful. The broth was super deep in flavors and a bit sweet.
Overall great food. Nice service. Ambiance leaves a lot to be desired. Joe needs to clean up and remodel.

This place is a bit of a dive — picture that you had sweet, but clutter-​messy old Vietnamese neighbors who liked hosting people for dinner. Step it up slightly from house to small restaurant room and you are getting the idea. (Note, they have a tapestry of dogs playing poker on one wall, need I say more?)
As other reviews have noted service /​food is slow — seems like a family-​run place that puts care into each dish and are busier than the small staff can handle in an efficient manner. Orders are probably cooked in order received (dining room and take away) so be patient. I recommend take-​away and leaving your house around the the time they say the food will be ready. Even if you drive from Midtown it probably won’t be waiting when you get there.
Phở — very flavorful broth. Other items also well-​prepared. In my opinion is way better than both of the Phở spots on Poplar or the one on Madison.

As the previous Elite Unilocaler Torri had stated best, it is an experience from when you find the place to dining in it. The feeling of being welcomed home is probably how i would best phrase it. Being pleasantly greeted by Joe and your orders being taken by him and waiting for the home cooked meal by Mrs Bach. The key to a great meal is time and its preparation. Mrs. Bach has made it well known that her food comes within Time and Preparation, so if you are in need for a quick in a out, i would suggest you steer away. But if you do want that homecooked meal feeling, do get comfy, stir up a conversation and read some of the other Unilocalers reviews and possibly some publishings that Lotus has made it into if available. You won’t be disappointed.
Feels like Vietnam. You don’t have to travel half way around the world for authenticity. Its quite a Hidden gem in Memphis.

Great food. I could give a large list of items to order but they really are all good. The thing to know is that it is a mom and pop place and will take a while to eat. Don’t go here if you need to eat fast. They have beer but take some wine, a date, and make it a fun night with some great food!