Mekong Vietnamese Cuisine

I’m sad. I really wanted to give this place a higher rating.
First off, don’t let the area scare you. It might be Tacompton, but just keep checking over your shoulder and you should be okay.
Mekong has a really tiny parking lot but it’s not really an issue — at least it wasn’t for us on Saturday night. The building is literally like a little house or trailer kind of thing, so we were kind of nervous. When you walk in though, you’re greeted by a really calming, cute place.
The service we received was great — the man who was waiting on us was cracking jokes with us and was just overall a really nice guy!
The phở that I had here was not my favorite. I think I might just be a dirty MSG girl… I read that they don’t have much here at all in their broth. As a result of this, the broth is on the sweet side and almost tastes like a sweet onion chip soup. What I did like is that after eating my entire bowl, I wasn’t left feeling bloated or anything — the broth tasted really light and clean but it wasn’t my preferred flavor. The cuts of meat were great and the noodles were fine.
The kicker — ANTS. The windows are definitely old and have cracks here and there in the molding so that might be the source. I saw two on our table, and then we saw one when we were signing the receipt.
We probably won’t be back because the phở wasn’t our favorite and we don’t live in this area, but it might be an okay choice for locals who are desperate for Vietnamese.

It’s right down the street so very convenient. Ordered 2 Combo Phở to go only problem was the chilli sauce and oyster sauce were in the same container and I usually don’t use chili sauce. It was fast and the portions were good. I will be back again!

I grew up eating Phở every Saturday morning so you can kind of say that I know my phở. My husband and I decided to check this place out after hearing about it from a friend. We ordered phở, spring rolls, and the pork clay pot and we were surprised. Spring rolls were like any other good spring rolls, but the phở had a broth that was super «clean» tasting and didn’t make us feel sluggish like most other msg-​laden phở. The veggies that came with the phở were the freshest veggies I have ever eaten compared to other phở restaurants in the area. The clay pot pork was surprisingly good and we finished every bite of it. I loved it so much that I started to look up recipes for it on the way home. Prices were good for the quality we received. This place is truly a diamond in the rough of Tacoma. After we were done, we left the restaurant puzzled at why they didn’t have more customers. Do yourself a favor and check this place out if you ever want phở in T-​town

Oh my gosh! What a surprise! We live close by but never stopped by. I love Phở and I think I found a gem out here! Clean and super quick (not exaggerating).

I ordered two large beef phos to go. I didn’t get larges, I called and told me they were larges. I don’t believe them. Such BS. See my photos.

This is a 3.5 but rounded to 4 because of the cleanliness of the restaurant.
As soon as you walk in, the smell of incense hits you like it’s been freshly lit. (Oh the smells of my childhood.) If you don’t like the smell of incense, it might be uncomfortable for you.
Spring rolls and fried rolls are very different from other popular phở places. These ones are skinnier. Spring rolls have less noodle, basil, lettuce, some pork and shrimp. All but the shrimp are minimal in amount… but I grew up with spring rolls so this is why I’m picky with them.
Theres not much depth to the broth but it is SWEET. I’m not very fond of sweet broths but if you’re a fan of it and minimal meat then this is the place for you.
Huge Pro: they don’t use a lot of msg. You can taste it in the broth.
It is clear but the depth just isnt there. You know as soon as you add things to your phở; the taste changes. Typical south east asian restaurant, vietnamese drama in the background/​music, nice owner and they give you your space when eating. Pay at the counter and voila.
TIP: The large is the size of a regular at Phở hoa. Small really is less than average phở places.

This place is amazing! I have this uncanny issue with my order being messed up in some way, everytime we do takeout, but here I never have to worry. They are fast, friendly, and always welcoming. They pay attention to their customers, so much so, that even thought we are not «regulars» they know my order even when I phone it in! There are not many places in Washington I have found that compare to home (Texas) but this place warms my heart and my tummy… and its not completely the chili sauce on my pineapple fried rice (which is to die for, btw)! Do yourself a favor and give this place a try.

The food is fresh and flavorful but the portions are kinda small. Their phở is one of the best phở I’ve ever had and would definitely be back for it.

My family and I have been coming here for years the owners didn’t even have children yet when we started coming… This place is wonderful fast authentic. And family oriented no place in Tacoma or Olympia can match their good of their prices. Delicious

The amount of either meat or phở is not enough. Even my wife complains. They don’t have a high chair either.

I love this place. Everything is fresh and it always has amazing flavor. I go here all the time and would recommend it very highly.

I’ve ordered a Chicken-​Lemongrass-​Curry plate. Jasmin rice was served on the side. The chicken was very bland. The chicken was not grilled and tasted like it was boiled in hot water. The curry sauce was very thin and provided very little flavor complexity other than curry. The veggies– snow peas, carrots, onions, broccoli, lemongrass, scallions– were lacking in flavor too. I tried spicing up the food with chili paste but was not satisfied. All-​in-​all it was an OK meal, but nothing to write home about. I’ve been to this restaurant several times before and ordered their Chicken PHO which was very good.

I drove down from Oly to get some shoes at the mall. Afterward, I used the Unilocal app on my iPhone to look for a local restaurant, and this place came up. It had good reviews and was only a mile from the mall — so off I went. I tried the house salad with the sweet and sour garlic dressing (meh), the Vietnamese iced coffee (super sweet and concentrated — I liked it), and a delicious bowl of chicken phở. I added the bean sprouts and basil, stirred in some chili sauce and oyster sauce, and it was perfect. I’m a fan. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s good.

Great little phở place. Should not go if you are expecting great service. Most inexpensive Asian places don’t put value in that. From the broth to the smallest piece of beef, great phở! We felt like we were back in garden grove.

I’m Vietnamese. I’ve had phở all my life, the meatballs are amazing. Very flavorful, thinly sliced and delicious. Was visiting from Vegas and found this jem on Unilocal.Enjoy

I wasn’t expecting much based off of my first impression of the outside. But being Vietnamese, I know that some of the best Vietnamese restaurants are the «hole in the wall» mama and papa restaurants. The food here was very good. The phở broth was outstanding and they had filtered out the excess oil and fat! The rice platter was also delicious! I would totally give it 5 stars but you have to account in the service. You should never expect good service at a Vietnamese restaurant… And this was case for this restaurant. Overall 4 stars.

I love this place. The Phở is delicious. The flavors are authentic. Everything about this place is great. The guy that runs the place is very nice. Service is fast and a great place for lunch. My kids love it. We always stop for authentic Asian flavors. I would recommend this place to anyone!

Don’t come here. If you do, don’t try the phở or the Vietnamese iced coffee. If you’ve ignored all this advice then go a step farther and refuse to order the banh xeo (a southern specialty not on the menu but which the owner will make for you if you ask). The reason is that this is a small place and it would be great to have more space and fewer people. I love it…

I really enjoy coming here on my lunch breaks during work. The place a nice and home-​ish feel to it. The employees there are also super friendly.
Everything is made per order, but the food still comes out fairly quickly. I usually just order phở, so I can’t really speak upon the other stuff. I actually prefer their phở over a lot of the surrounding restaurants, so I’m really not sure why a fellow Unilocaler strongly disliked this place.

This is an unassuming house with a tiny parking lot out in front. When I pulled up, some vehicle was parked right in the middle of it, blocking access in and out. The inside is small, but very clean and bright.
I walked in around lunch time to meet a friend and the place was completely empty. The staff was friendly and kept peeking out to check on us while we were trying to order.
Spring rolls and some phở was on order. A plate of fresh thai basil and lime accompanied the phở and we were on our way. The food was good, but not great. I thought my broth lacked a little richness. Still, it hit the spot.
The highlight of the visit entailed about 8 Tacoma police cruisers nabbing a suspect in the middle of an intersection. Quite the scene.