Xe Lua
“The lobster was overflowing on the plate was much more than we expected for 2 people but we ate also had spring rolls for appetizer ..”
“this place might as well be my cafeteria at work, i come here so often for lunch…my standard fare is pho tai or the bun/rice vermicelli plates.”
“– Goi du du (green papaya salad with chilled, sliced prawn).”
Xe Lua
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
8 reviews
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great for seamless in fidi. Simple viet food.
Delivery is always super fast through Seamless and never had an order that was messed up. They package the soups well and everything always arrives piping hot (granted, we only live a few streets away).
The pho here is decent – not the best that I've had but a good value at $8-9. I've also tried their curry chicken soup and cold vermicelli noodles, and have always liked what I ordered. The lemongrass chicken is fragrant and flavorful. My bf never strays from his BBQ chicken entree and one of my friends said that the pork chop here is much better than her usual Viet spot.
Also highly recommend the avocado shake and spring/summer rolls.
This is a go-to dinner spot for me (at least once a week)!
The interior was so cute! It reminded me of a beach-like theme. The hostess was extremely friendly, did his job quite well. The menu was full of good options. First time I ever tried frog legs and they were delicious! I think the cost of items were at decent pricing. Although I gotta say, the bathrooms though, were quite disgusting.
Less than $10 for a very generous portion of bbq pork with lettuce over vermicelli? Yes please! This was such a hearty and delicious lunch. The bbq pork was so tender and so filled with flavor. With some of the fish sauce on top, every bite was just simply salty heaven. The lettuce and vermicelli are pretty plain in flavor but complemented the bbq pork perfectly. Despite the huge portion, I actually found this to not be too overwhelming for lunch. I was able to continue sitting for the rest of the afternoon at work without falling into a food coma. Would definitely recommend!
In Chinatown, no one asks you how your food is because they already know it freakin' rocks. Xe Lua is speedy, cheap, and has a nicer ambiance than so many Chinatown spots.
PLUS the place is gigantic! Don't be fooled if you walk by and see empty seats. For some reason, they seat everyone in the back (wouldn't they want the restaurant to look more full?).
The pho is to die for — I've walked across 2-3 neighborhoods just to make the trip. They use many more herbs than other places. The meat helpings are inconsistent, but it's hard to complain when the broth is so flavorful.
3.5 stars
Came here to pick up dinner for work. Out of all the Viet restaurants in Chinatown (and there are a lot of them), I would say this one is definitely the most upscale. It's not like your typical Chinatown restaurant where the diners are constantly shouting over each other amidst a disharmonious cacophony. Rather, you are greeted by peaceful music and a tranquil ambience from the moment you walk in. The decor is magnificent, with dim lighting and fancy photos adorned everywhere. Service was average but definitely better than your typical Chinatown fare. My only gripe is my uncertainty of the authenticity of this place. They place a large menu outside the store with many American phrases on it and it does seem like they have a fair amount of American/non-Asian customers. However, I am not Vietnamese so obviously I can't confirm this notion of mine haha.
So I got the Beef cubes over rice and I found it to be pretty tasty. I really liked the sauce that the beef cubes were marinated in and I felt it blended with the rice very well, especially the onions and peppers. The beef cubes were the perfect texture, not too mushy but not too chewy either. They also give you a tiny container of sriracha sauce that I feel really gave the dish a nice spicy kick to it.
Overall, I would say that this place is slightly better than the other Viet restaurants in Chinatown, mainly because of the decor. Food wise, I didn't get to try the pho here so I can't make a fair comparison. However, the beef cubes over rice were delicious! I would say this is a pretty solid restaurant to get your Viet fix in Chinatown!
I have come to realize that in New York City there is no one-stop shop for good, really good Vietnamese cuisine. Sad for me since it is my favorite cuisine of all time. What we do have are a few spots that excel in one or two dishes.
For this review, I am only going to tell you about the Bun Bo Hue at Xe Lua. While it's not the best Bun Bo Hue I have ever had, it's the best that I can get in Manhattan. If you know of a better place, let me know!
Bun Bo Hue is one of my top 3 go-to noodle dishes in the world (kapong and pho are right up there) and it is a popular noodle dish from the city of Hue in central Vietnam. Bun = rice vermicelli, Bo = beef.
What I love about Bun Bo Hue is that its spicy, salty, sour, and sweet – all in one dish. The rice vermicelli noodles are thicker (think spaghetti) than what you'd normally see in a rice vermicelli dish made with the thinner noodles (think angel hair).
This dish is basically the complete opposite of Pho. The broth is made with beef bones, beef shank, lemongrass, fermented shrimp sauce, sugar, and spicy chili oil.
Now for the good stuff, the meat. This dish is normally made with beef shank, oxtail, tendon, pigs feet/knuckles, and cubes of congealed pig's blood … yes, you read that correctly.
3 stars for the Bun Bo Hue here. The reason why it's not a 4 or 5-star dish is because it's not as sour as I would like and they do not serve the dish with the congealed blood – major disappointment.The garnishings are seriously lacking also (no red cabbage or banana blossom). They serve the traditional Pho garnishing with this dish, which to me is a huge no no also.
In addition, you want to season with fish sauce (not sriracha or hoisin sauce) and they will give you fish sauce if you ask for it.
As for the restaurant itself, it is spacious because it goes all the way to the back that also holds two large tables for parties of 6 or more. Service was great and the waitress made sure that my glass of water was constantly full.
Who the hell puts broccoli and celery into pho?? This place does, apparently. I was seriously hoping for some good, authentic pho when we came here and they basically gave me an Asian spin on Campbell's chicken noodle. Maybe they just didn't understand my order? I'm not sure because the server seemed to understand me fine, but I guess that's where the language barrier becomes a problem. I know that pho doesn't usually come with chicken, but when you offer it that way, it should still be served with beef broth and the standard mix-ins. Really bummed about the soup.
At least the bubble tea is good!