Mekong

Meh. Food was okay. Salad was vile. Spingrolls were there. Beef cubes were drowned. Service was burdened having to take orders and give checks. It was really hard for them to do given the restaurant was packed with just me. Not a fan.

Wow — I was in dire need of some great food and Mekong really hit the spot. Fantastic food, great atmosphere and reasonable prices. I’m definitely coming back. The steak strips with rice paper is a close second to the sticky rice with mushroom.

I like Mekong for a quick sit down lunch.
The service is really fast and it’s usually not packed.
I always order the Chicken Phở, which is pretty good and light.
Although it needs that lime and sriracha without a doubt.
The spicy vermicelli are also a solid option.

was feeling under the weather, hoping a decent city version of PHO would help me out. I paid $ 26.15 for 2 bowls of BEEF PHO. the beef broth is your typical beef cube and salt. and yes, I’ve received all 5 slices of beef. next time, if I’m that desperate. …I’ll bring my own Vaseline!
I also didn’t like the fact my hot/​hoisen sauce was dropped on the floor and kindly placed in my bag.

Stopped in for a quick lunch after running to the Village Post Office.
The guy was super nice, the place was pretty empty but the music was fantastic. Seriously one of the best spotify playlists I’ve ever heard.
I got the beef phở. it didn’t come with all the stuff on the side but it had already been dressed with sprouts, lime and basil.
It was great. Added a little sriracha and hoisin. A fantastic bowl of beef phở.
This place will be on my lunchtime shortlist.

Probably the best fried whole red snapper in the city. They used to be very generous with the mangos, but it wasn’t much mangos the last I were there. I’m taking a star out for being cheap with mangos, but would definitely go again for that yummy snapper.

Cute place. Got take out recently and it was pretty good. Mostly wish that the portions were slightly bigger for what we paid!

No good! The chicken was all but missing from the chicken with fried rice entrée, and the pieces we had the miracle of finding were rubbery and bland. My friend, who was visiting from out of town, actually asked when the rest of his meal was going to come out, thinking that the chicken was still being prepared. It was embarrassing for me to have chosen such a crappy restaurant in a city that’s supposedly known for its great cuisine.
The waitress must know the food sucks because she works really hard for her tips, flirting and touching customers. Some people might find this flattering, but I frankly find it rather disgusting, especially when a guy is there with his date. Be professional, will ya?
There are cute celebrity caricatures on the walls, though. (When the best thing about a restaurant is its cheesy décor, that’s a bad sign.) But at least it’ll give you something to distract yourself with as you longingly daydream about having chosen a nicer restaurant!

Both of the two stars are for the pleasant (if perennially depressed) staff. The food is terrible — neither authentic SE Asian nor a tasty imitation; just bland and overpriced. I’ve been here 3 times for work lunches and each time wished I hadn’t.

I always walked by this Mekong and wondered if it would meet mom’s expectations. The small restaurant with a bar in front and wood interior was comfortable and nice ambiance
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We came there late Saturday night and it was pretty quite with a couple patrons at the bar and in the back. The menu didn’t even try with any Vietnamese names.
The table started with the shrimp spring roll and egg roll to start. The crispy egg rolls was pretty decent with bland dipping sauce. The spring roll was way too much noodles and half a shrimp.
The clay pot with shrimp and steak with watercress as entrees. The bo luc lac lacked any seasoning the watercress did not have the vinegar dressing that comes with it. The clay pot had a mild spicy curry flavor which I’m not even sure was an actual Vietnamese dish.
The meal was good as we were hungry but calling this Vietnamese cuisine is a stretch. It is in name only. Mekong is a fine eatery for some non descript Asian food for white people. Just don’t call it Vietnamese.

Firstly, service is a low priority at this place. The guy who seemingly owns the place, while always bumbling around, doesn’t seem to care if the customers that aren’t his regulars are pleased. They’ve got a pretty basic beer selection, which is fine. The food, while I’ve only tried the apps, is overall under seasoned and a bit lacking on the quality front. I’d love to love this place, as it’s close to home, but I just can’t.

This review is for their cocktails and service… I would give 0 or –1 star if i could… I came with a group of my friends and 3 of us ordered cocktails while the others ordered beer (fortunately!). So the first ‘cocktail’ came, which was supposed to be a caipirinha, but it tasted horrible. We all took a sip and agreed it was indeed undrinkable. anyways long story short, we asked for this caipirinha to be exchanged for another cocktail which was the mojito. it tasted. you guessed it. pretty damn bad. But whatever, we just left it as it is. and after we received the other 2 cocktails (the lychee ginger mojito or martini), both of us could not drink anymore after taking a sip. They tasted absolutely disgusting. I took a bite of the lychee — i mean, who can fuck up a canned lychee right? This place apparently. The lychee tasted like it’s been soaked in tap water for days and tasted horrible. We didn’t complain or return these cocktails as we didn’t want to make a big fuss out of it. The worst part of the night was when the bill came, they included the caipirinha which was returned. and when we requested politely for it to be removed. (who would want to pay double for drinks which we couldn’t drink?!)… this guy came up to us and told us in a very rude way that we ordered the caipirinha, and hence we should pay for it. We explained to him in fact all the cocktails were horrible but we were nice enough to just return 1 and yet he treated us with a really bad attitude. This completely ruined our night for my friend’s birthday celebration and I was boiling with anger at the end of the night. I should have made him finish the 2 full glasses of ‘cocktails’ to show me they are drinkable. Order their disgusting cocktails at your own risk — which btw ridiculously cost $ 14 because it’s not stated on the menu!

I’ve never been to Vietnam, nor anywhere else in Southeast Asia, for that matter. However, I lived in a developing, tropical, former French colony for a couple years. While there, I visited my share of humble and modest establishments that seemed like relics from another time period, either by way of former colonial influence, architectural design and décor, or some other je né sais quois. Mekong sort of reminds me of places like that.
The food is solid and the prices are consistent with the neighborhood. I’m not sure it’s particularly authentic nor trying to be, and I don’t really care. I go for lunch during the week, and I always get the same thing; shrimp papaya salad and a side of coconut sticky rice with shiitake mushrooms. I’ve eaten a bunch of items off the menu over the years, but I keep coming back to this combo. The salad is shredded green papaya, sliced shrimp, carrots, herbs, onion, chili, and peanuts in a citrus-​vinegar marinade. It’s light, refreshing and ample. The rice is tasty and covers any carb shortage you might be concerned about. It’s also neatly packaged in a banana leaf, which is a novelty that never gets old for me.
I recommend checking this place out, particularly if you’ve spent any time overseas and have patronized businesses that are from another era and somewhat out of place, yet welcoming and enjoyable just the same.

So Friday afternoon, I was wandering around Lower Manhattan. cuz I rarely ever go to the area. and all of a sudden, I realized I was feeling hungry. And craving Vietnamese food. So I looked on Unilocal and saw that Mekong was quite close to me. So I dropped in at noon, just in time for lunch.
I was greeted by a friendly face, the waitress’s name was. I think it was Lana. Anyways, place was empty and I was seated immediately, in front of a flat screen T. V that was on the Discovery Channel. So there I sat, looking through their small lunch menu and looking at 5 Natural Disasters that will spell the end of the Earth.
I ordered a Thai Iced Tea, and for apps, I had their Shrimp Summer Rolls and Grilled Squid w/​spicy Mango Sauce. For entrée, I ordered their Iron Pot Sauteed Curry Chicken cooked w/​mixed vegetables and a bowl of Jasmine rice.
Their Thai Iced Tea was.meh. Had better.
Shrimp Summer Rolls were good, though their peanut butter sauce didn’t taste very good. Not sure what exactly was the issue though.
Grilled Squid was disgusting. I had a few pieces, and it honestly didn’t taste very fresh. Had a slight pungent smell to it. I wasn’t feeling it, and Lana the waitress was nice enough to actually 86 it off my bill, which was very nice of her.
The Iron Pot Curry Chicken was good. but it was VERY SPICY. I thought yellow curry would be more mild. but guess not. My mouth was on fire. I had to have my glass of water refilled like 4x. LOL
The one thing I regret not getting was their coconut ice cream, which sounded really good. They do have a nice looking bar, with extensive cocktails, but I had work in 4 hours, so I thought better of it. Perhaps next time I’m in the area.
Overall, lunch was okay. Service was top-​notch. Ambiance was good, quiet at first, but when I left, more people were coming in and it gradually got louder.

Apparently I didn’t have the same great experience as other reviewers.
We wondered upon this place one night after leaving dinner elsewhere. Let me mention the highlights first. The location is fantastic. The banana tart is descent, but the coconut ice cream is absolutely delicious and I don’t really even like coconut. The service was nice and the layout isn’t too bad.
The downfalls. The moment we sat down we couldn’t help but get consumed by the disgusting smell. We didn’t know what is was, but it wasn’t pleasant. The bathroom– holy crap the bathroom– looked like it was torn straight out of a lower east side night club and implanted in the building and it smelled. It might’ve been just as sanitary for me to use the bathroom at the Time Square subway station. The bathroom coupled with the smell didn’t make us think this was the most appetizing place and even kind of made us regret we had ordered anything in the first place. And sadly the drinks weren’t that good. I ordered the Razberri Mojito and it wasn’t raspberry or even a good regular mojito.
Maybe this is a good place to just hang out at the bar, but I don’t think I’ll make another visit.

I came here for dinner one weekday afternoon, it was pretty much empty aside for a few tables.
I ordered the pad thai, and I found it to be pretty mediocre. It wasn’t bad, but it was far from the best. My friend ordered the fried red snapper which I did get to taste — the fish did not taste fresh to me in the slightest, but it was however, cooked perfectly.
We also ordered an appetizer to start, however, I am having trouble remembering which. Typically, in this situation, I would return to the establishment’s website and look over their menu which always refreshes my memory. Unfortunately, their website is «under construction» — get it together Mekong.
If I lived nearby, I wouldn’t mind stopping in every few weeks for a quick meal, but I would definitely not go out of my way to return to Mekong.

I went to the Mekong just to drink a Corona after work the day before yesterday and my stomach started to hurt REALLY BAD right after I finished this huge glass of water they served me before my beer. I’m still struggling with what I think is a real food poisoning thing: stomach ache, cold sweats, nausea.
I didn’t try their food so I don’t know what it is but DO NOT drink water from this place.

Place with character and great food, I’m here at twice a week! We always go for chicken salad, pork chops and caramelized salmon! And don’t forget about sticky rice it is to die for.
It’s definitely is on my 5fav places to eat in the city. friendly atmosphere! The staff is like a family they remember what I like to drink and eat! Bryan is the owner and just a great friend to hung with! You should definitely stop by for a drink!

For anyone working West of 6^th Ave, it’s often difficult to find a good economical and delicious lunch spot. Mekong is definitely a winner in that regard. With ample seating both indoors and out and super friendly staff, this place makes for a perfect workday lunch.
The lunch pricing all hovers in the $ 10 range and the portions are generous and filling, along with being packed with flavor.
It’s never overly crowded or busy (knock on wood) and people watching is also great here.

My past experiences here have been sub-​par. Yet, I have returned on several occasions. Why? I guess blindly hoping that this time would be different.
Ohhh… this time was different, for sure… in the worst way possible.
Where to even begin? Ordered a coke. got a diet. How do I know? Because of the HALF of a lemon attached to the side of the glass. or the aftertaste that I can’t stand.
I handed it back to a waiter. and then proceeded to watch our waiter/​possible manager shout across the outdoor patio that it WAS coke. Uhhh… wrong. And even if I was incorrect, why argue with the customer over a fountain drink? So Strike One.
Moving on… friend’s water glass isn’t getting refilled… so I offered her mine. She’s about to take a drink and there’s a HUGE crack down the side of the glass with a chip on top. We inform waiter. No apology… just takes glass away and returns with another one. Allllrighty.
Now… lunch partner’s food arrives. Sans the side of peanut sauce she requested.
FIVE minutes later… out comes mine. Really? You needed to rush out that pad thai and couldn’t wait for my pork bowl? REALLY? Oh right… peanut sauce… still MIA.
Food is decent. I liked mine and so did lunch partner.
Check comes. we toss in 2 credit cards… as I’ve done on prior occasions. Guy argues that it’s a $ 15 minimum per card (for a check of $ 24.50). So I said… «That’s fine, just close out both at $ 15). He comes back and says… «No, that include tip».
NOW… folks, this is lunch. A block from Hudson Square… where plenty of people who work in the building come to eat by themselves. Average «lunch specials» are $ 9 – 11. So you’re telling me that I HAVE to order food and drink above and beyond the meal to get to your base credit card price. UNREAL.
Needless to say, his obnoxious behavior, lack of empathy and blatant disregard for safety (i.e. water glass), earned him a whopping $.50 tip… and only bc I like whole numbers.
So basically, because they were stingy over a 5% credit card fee… they lost $ 5.
I would recommend sticking to take-​out, but based on other reviews… that seems pretty dismal in the service dept, as well.
So instead, I’d recommend the nicer, more mainstream Arbor Bistro 2 blocks away.