Hue Gourmet

AWEFUL SERVICE!!!
POOR ORGANIZED!!!
Came here for the first and also the last time. I waited for 30 minutes but still didn’t get my food. I had to leave so I came to ask them and saw that the same order after mine came out first. They gave me ridiculous excuses that didn’t make any sense. The food was not good but not too bad.
Never again!

Beside my parent’s, this is probably one of the most authentic bun bo hue I have eaten here in Arizona. It’s is so good. They give you an option of different spicy levels. For a small bowl it is 5.50. Cheap and yummy! I need to go back and try more of their yummy food!

So since I was out shopping by myself, I thought I would take advantage of the situation and get some breakfast that I normally do not get to eat. So I went to Mekong Marketplace, the SE Asian market center. Wandered around a little and decided to eat at Hue Gourmet, a Vietnamese little joint. I had the Bun Cha Ca (rice noodle soup with fishcake) and an order of 4 Cha Go Tom (pork and shrimp egg rolls). The egg rolls were very good and not too pricey. But the noodle soup was a little disappointing. The noodles were squishy and overcooked, the broth was weak, the veggies were sparse, and the soup had tomatoes in it! Maybe I am ignorant, but I never had Asian noodle soup with tomatoes in it before… but after doing some research, I found out that this soup typically does have tomatoes and a tomato based broth. The fishcake was «different» — not the typical Asian fishcake you get in most noodle soups. And they gave me a little container of chopped chilis which I dumped into the soup. Big mistake — they were chopped Thai chilis and now both my mouth and my asshole are burning!!!

This place is good. The only thing about it is that the service could be better and the wait for your food is long, which is what I dislike about it. There was only one family ahead of my boyfriend and I and we waited for awhile. When I was here with my family, it took an hour for us to get our food.

I was so thrilled to find the food court at Mekong Plaza. Cheap, delicious, and quick comfort food? What more can a hungry (and economically challenged grad school student from SoCal) ask for!!!
This place has some pretty authentic Central Vietnamese cuisine (where the city Hue is located). I’ve been here twice, but I will be back and update my review because I do want to try their ENTIRE menu HAHAHA.
Bun Bo Hue aka spicy beef soup (4.5÷5) So good! The noodles were a tad soft for my taste but everything else was on point. The spiciness was spot on. The amount of meat was sufficient. The taste of the broth was authentic. The veggies were just like how my mom would served it with. BBH is my favorite item here!
Banh Bot loc aka sticky cake with shrimp and pork (⁴⁄₅) they were 10 for $ 5. They’re a lot smaller than the ones I’m used to in SoCal, but the taste was just as delicious. MMM MMM
Bun Rieu aka crab cake noodle soup (2.5÷5) This was just oookay. The soup was tomato-​y and yummy. But they didn’t give that much meat and noodles.
Overall, I wouldn’t say it’s the best Vietnamese food I’ve ever had since I lived in Vietnam. BUT it’s pretty high up there on my list of decent Vietnamese eateries in Arizona! And did I mention the food is dirt cheap here???

Open pretty early, good for all time meal, like the broth, very rich. Fried spring roll is not that impressive though.

This place has some fantastic food. No MSG, no corn starch, just simply the food with no fillers to bolster the flavors. Just enter Mekong Plaza through the northern most doors and walk directly back to the food court. You practically walk right to Hue Gourmet. Don’t let the food court atmosphere fool you. The food here is quite tasty and the owner is happy to tell you all about the food and how they prepare it.
I have been here on several occasions for foodie lunches (got to try a lot of different things) and lunch with friends. I’ve gone here for lunch most days and I’m partial to the Banh kahn cua. I recommend this place for folks who enjoy food!
Return Potential: 90%

I had their bun bo hue a few days ago and enjoyed it! The dish was delicious and hit all the right notes of what I expected (spicy broth, pork blood, hock, and cuts of beef, and decent fresh vegetables). They have complimentary tea, but I forgot to ask if they had ice! Iced water/​tea would go great with the spiciness of the bun bo hue. I have not had bun bo hue at other restaurants in Arizona, but I have had it many times at Westminster, CA and have few complaints about the dish.

No MSG is always a plus. And this is one of the better bun bo hue that’s as good as homemade. But they go cheap on everything. Little bit of veggies, super thin slice of lime, and one napkin. And when you ask for another napkin they give you ONE extra sheet. Thanks I guess haha. Prices are good though, you won’t pay more than $ 7 for a bowl.

The food is good overall in my opinion, plus it’s cheap. Yes, some of the dish could used more flavoring so it doesn’t tasted diluted, but there’s only one or two dish (s) that I have tried so far. Good portion for about 5 or 6 bucks. Four star, minus the a+ customer service.

How this storefront manages to average a 4 star rating is beyond me. Here’s why:
1) The food isn’t very good
2) The service is awkward and timely
3) Sanitation is lacking, seriously …
Tbh, I was so excited to find not only Vietnamese food here in the Grand Canyon State and even more so when I found out there was one specialized in Hue cuisine. I’ve personally been to Hue in Vietnam and it does have it’s own regional differences among the various regions and cities of Vietnam. The food here doesn’t even come close to that kind of authenticity or quality.
I ordered the Banh Beo, Banh Xeo and Bun Bo Hue to try a few of the most common things to eat.
Banh Beo– these little steamed rice cakes come in little sauce plates, topped with shredded shrimp and pork cracklings. It comes with a fish sauce for dipping. Their cakes were too thin, the shrimp garnish was pale and the cracklings were minimal. The sauce was way too diluted, but slightly sweet.
Banh Xeo– some may call this a savory Vietnamese pancake or crêpe. Made with a rice batter of coconut milk, rice flour and tumeric. Then stuff with pork slices, shrimp and bean sprouts. This dish really surprised me, the Banh Xeo was over cooked, greasy, too crunchy and tasted like bacon. The cashier even mentioned they were out of mushrooms for the Banh Xeo and that was questionable as it isn’t supposed to have mushrooms in it at all. The Banh Xeo was overstuffed with bean sprouts, minimal pieces of pork and undercooked shrimp with tails still on. They didn’t provide many herbs and one piece of lettuce came with it. Total let down.
Bun Bo Hue– a complex flavored, spicy noodle dish. This dish could use a bit more work, a bit diluted, broth needed more flavor and complexity. The only flavor I got from this dish was spiciness from the oils and broth. I had to garnish a lot of shrimp paste and lime to get this one to a decent level. Props to them putting pork blood cubes in, but the beef slices was so chewy and tough. The side dish with veg for this was lacking, a minuscule piece of lime, some banana blossoms and deteriorating basil. No balance in flavor and where’s the lemongrass?
I was seriously upset not only emotionally, but my stomach hurt the whole time after!
Besides the poor flavor and quality of food, just poor sanitation all around. There were flies everywhere flying about my head, landing on the table, on the food! It was gross. You can even tell that there is poor sanitation by looking at the storefront, fridges and open kitchen. The cashier was very awkward, we paid him $ 100 and he said he would give us change when our food was served … what? In between serving our food, he would also go back to a table eat some of his meal and head back in the kitchen to get the rest of our food, without hand washing to be seen. Never coming back here, ick!

Hue is a very fun place to stop in for a casual meal that offers more than what you’re used to at your typical Vietnamese phở spot. It’s basically set in the food court of Mekong Plaza and you’ll order from the counter using the menu and photographs of items before sitting in one of the few simple tables just a few feet from the counter. When we were there, the counter server didn’t speak a lot of English, but did his best to explain any items we questioned and came out multiple times to refill our small beverage cups.
What the place lacks in atmosphere, it makes up for in bang for your buck. When we were there, we tried the banh beo, tiny rice cakes that slid into your mouth or onto a spoon in a single round piece from a circular dish — one order came with a dozen tiny dishes! We also had the banh loc la, clear, chewy pillows of tapioca flour with bits of crispy shrimp inside, and the banh gio trung cut, a pyramid-​shaped pocket of dense rice with wood ear mushrooms and what tasted like seasoned sausage inside (reminiscent of the banana leaf wrapped rice pockets you see at dim sum). We weren’t impressed by the cha gio tom, or egg rolls, but my husband loved the com tom nuoc cham (broken rice with pork) which was served with tomato and cucumber slices and a bowl of broth. The pork was tender and flavorful and this dish is easily accessible to diners who might not be willing to try some of Hue Gourmet’s less familiar dishes. We can’t wait to get back and try more of them!

Hue, the former imperial capital of the Nguyen Dynasty between 1802 and 1945, has it’s own regional cuisine that sets it apart from other regional cuisines in Vietnam and we’re lucky to have a place that serves such cuisine right in our own Mekong Plaza in Mesa. I’ve been coming here at least every other weekend to try out a different dish. So far my favorite items are Banh Khot, Bun Mang Vit, Mi Quang, and Bun Bo Hue. They’re open every day except Wednesday. Service is decent — the only complaint I have is all the flies in the food court you have to keep swatting away from your food. Prices are very cheap and you definitely get lots of value for your buck spent here. Their menu is kinda splattered all over the walls and is a little hard to follow so I’m pasting it in here in true OCD fashion (minus the diacritic marks which won’t get posted in Unilocal until Vietnamese becomes one of the languages supported.)
101) Banh Beo — [BUN BAIL] — rice coin with shrimp flakes, green onion topping, and crunchy pork skin
102) Banh Nam — [BUN NUM] rice roll with shrimp flake in banana leaf
103) Banh Loc La — [BUN LOCK LAH] — Clear Dumpling filled with Shrimp and Pork in Banana Leaf
104) Banh Loc Tran (Party Tray Only) — [BUN LOCK TRONG] — Clear Dumpling filled with Shrimp and Pork, coated with green onion oil
105) Banh Gio — [BUN JOE] — pyramid shaped rice dough dumpling with pork, Jicama, wood ear mushrooms, and wrapped in banana leaf
106) Banh Bao Nhan Thit Trung — [BUN BOW NYANG TICK CHOONG] — steamed bun filled with pork and egg
107) Banh Bao Nhan Xa Xiu (Special Order Only) — [BUN BOW NYANG SA SIU] — steam bun filled with BBQ pork
108) Banh Ba Te So (Weekend Only) — [BUN PAH TAY SHOW] — Pork Paté Choud
109) Cha Gio Tom — [CHAW JOE TOME] — Shrimp Egg Roll
110) Banh Khot — [BUN CAULK] — crispy mini pancakes with shrimp topping served with veggies and dipping sauce
111) Banh Mi Thit Nuong — [BUN MEE TICK NOONG] — mini French bread filled with pepper pork and mint
112) Banh Mi Thit Nguoi — [BUN MEE TICK NOOEE] — mini French bread filled with cold cut and shredded pickle
201) Bun Bo Hue — [BOON BAW HWAY] — Hue style beef and pork noodle soup, spicy level [0−5]
202) Banh Canh Cua — [BUN KUN KOO AH] — hand cut tapioca flour noodle soup with real crab meat and shrimp
203) Bun Rieu Cua — [BOON REW KOO AH] — crab cake, spare rib, meat loaf, tomato noodle soup served with veggies
204) Bun Mang Vit — [BOON MUNG VEET] — Duck Noodle Soup with bamboo and served with duck slices on a bed of sweet and sour cabbage
205) Bun Cha Ca — [BUN CHAW KA] — steamed and fried fish cakes over noodle soup served with veggies
206) Mi Quang — [MEE KWANG] — Quang Nam style noodle with shrimp, pork, quail egg and veggies
207) Bun Thit Nuong (egg roll can be added) — [BOON TICK NOONG] — grilled pork over rice vermicelli, served with veggies and Vietnamese pickle
208) Com Hen — [KOM HEN] — baby clam meat over rice with vegetables and clam juice
301) Cha The — [CHAW TEH] — steamed pork stick wrapped in banana leaf
302) Cha Hue Don — [CHAW HWAY DON] — Hue style meatloaf
303) Cha Oc — [CHAW OAK] — Escargot mixed in pork stick
304) Cha Tom (Call In Advance) — [CHAW TOME] — shrimp cake, steamed
305) Cha Que (Call In Advance) — [CHAW KWAY] — charbroiled cinnamon flavor pork slab
306) Nem Nuong (Call In Advance) — [NUM NOONG] — broiled star anise flavored pork meat ball
307) Tre Hue — [CHE HWAY] — pickled head cheese wrapped in banana leaf
308) Tom Chua — [TOME CHOO AH] — pickled shrimp with shredded papaya
[ Drinks]
01) Ca Phe Sua Da/​Nong — [KA FEY SOOH DA/​NOWNG] — Coffee Iced/​Hot
02) Nuoc Da Lanh — [NYOO DUH LUN] — Iced Water (free if you eat here)
03) Nuoc Tra Da — [NYOO CHA DUH] — Iced Tea
04) Nuoc Tra Nong — [NYOO CHA NOWNG] — Hot Tea
05) Pepsi, Coca Cola, Diet Coke, Dr. Pepper, Mountain Dew, Sprite, 7 Up, Shasta
06) Nuoc Suoi Chai — [NYOO SOY CHAI] — bottled water
07) Che Dau Do Bot Ban, Nuoc Cot Dua, Dap Da — [YEH DOW DOH BO BUN, NYOO KOH ZOO UH, DUP DUH] — red bean, tapioca, coconut milk, crushed ice
08) Nuoc Da Chanh Tuoi Vat — [NYOO DUH CHAN TOOEE VUT] — Freshly Squeezed Limenade

The Bun Bo Hue was great.
However, not the best place to bring family to eat. There were flies all over the place. Best if you take out and eat someplace else.

My favorite is the 201 it has good meat in it and if you want it pretty spicy just get one scoop of Hot Chillys anything more than that it’s unbearable

Not Vietnamese, Not even Asian, but this place was really good to my inexperienced tongue.
Affordable, plenty of menu options, and friendly service.

I usually come here for BBH (bun bo hue). It’s not that bad. There’s usually a young guy that works the front. Today there was a little girl and some older ladies working. Service today wasn’t bad, it was terrible. She charged extra for everything. I understand extra noodle would be an extra charge but with extra noodles they skimp me on the meat. We asked for more lime = $.50, extra shrimp paste = $.50, she didn’t even want to give it to us. Only one pork grind per chen of banh beo. The soup was not spicy today. I was gonna ask for chili but she’ll probably charge me another $.50 lol We will no longer come back here. Horrible service especially on Chinese New Year. If you come here, just remember condiments are not free. Smh
Btw, there was a guy that came up while we were ordering and asked for a to-​go box. She didn’t want to give it to him. She asked him why he wants it.

OK — *six* stars now! I’ve only recently become aware of the harmfulness of MSG, and this place does not use it, and that is very rare in a Vietnamese restaurant. Does anyone know of any other Viet rest’s in the state that don’t? If so, please pm me and tell me.
Asian Café Express, Chinese — but they branch out into other cuisines as well –across the street, also does not use MSG.

I really love Vietnamese Food and this little restaurant is easily a favorite of mine. Cuisine from the Hue region of Vietnam is a little different than your typical soup places. No Phở here … so get ready.
The owner is really cool and extremely helpful. It was fun on my first visit. She wanted to make sure I understood this type of cuisine and how it should be eaten. They take great effort to make sure the food is packed full of flavor and beautifully presented at the same time. Nice!
So far I have tried several of the soups and a good sampling of their tasty bite sized appetizers. Bun Bo Hue — Spicy Beef SOUP is a good place to start. The Crab and Shrimp versions are also excellent as well as the Duck. They have some really good specials during the week that will fill you up cheap. Just ask her and she will tell you what is good.
Located in the Mekong Plaza Food Court. The eating area here is pretty basic with a dozen or so community tables and chairs. Just kick back and enjoy yourself and pretend you are on a vacation adventure. It usually works for me. DID I HEAR SOUP?
4.75 STARS

Pretty good for viet food in Phoenix. I’ve only had BBH (please don’t call it phở… completely different flavor profiles with different origins, different spices, different stocks, different noodles, different herbs, etc. ok done with mini rant) but will be back to try some other dishes. Flies in the dining area though so get ready to swat, especially if hot outside.