Blazing Lotus

This place is just alright. Pho is all about the broth and this venue uses the same broth (chicken, I think) for all varieties of pho. That was disappointing since it doesn't enhance the type of meat/seafood you selected. Avoid the rib meat pho - it's very fatty. I tried the fish pho and the fish didn't taste fishy at all. The broth can use more flavor. The one thing I liked about Blazing Lotus' pho is that they didn't seem to use MSG. Price point is a bit steep and it may be due to the restaurant being open only a few months. The menu suggests they are still under "soft opening" so there's a chance they can increase prices even more. Venue is nicely decorated and clean. Great place to try once if you're new to this type of food. But there are other places with better price point and flavor. Service was ok. The server was very nice and respectful. We did have a challenge ordering our dishes when we asked for no onions and they seemed to miss the memo.

Place just opened so of course it is clean. Menu is very simple. Certainly there's nothing wrong with doing traditional foods but at the same time a lack of creativity with nothing really new. To go along with that theme it's just basic blocking and tackling when it comes to Vietnamese food with a lack of deep soulful flavor. They don't have tripe, nor did the waiter seem to recognize what that is. I don't know what to make of the service as on the one hand I believe they're trying to be helpful explaining the menu. But on the other hand, it felt like they were watching over me like a hawk for whatever reason while I was eating. About $22 for a bowl of pho ($16) and egg rolls ($6) seems to be on the high side given the lack of taste. Ironically, I feel like the place that occupied this space prior went out of business for mediocre food and high prices. The place is new so maybe a return trip at sometime might yield better results, but for now I would say there are better Vietnamese places albeit another 10-15 minutes away.

This is my second time eating here, both times I got it to go. I was really excited to have a Vietnamese restaurant here in HV, but this place has let me down. The pho broth was so bland both times, egg rolls ok, vermicelli noodles with pork and egg rolls ok. Bottom line is the pho ain't cutting it so unfortunately we won't be back. Also, this last order, the bean sprouts and the mint leaves were old and dark brown, threw it in the trash. So disappointed!!!

Food was just OK. Service was slow and n the end they charged higher than menu prices. Then the waiter argued we had to pay the price on his tablet, not the menu.I know they just opened, but a bad start.

Finally! An authentic, non-fusion Vietname restaurant Pros: food quality was great. Their pho bowl is pretty big, they gave lots of beef slices for my pho Tai, the eggrolls were traditional south vietnamese rolls, and their ice coffee hit the spot. Again, traditional so it was perfect. Their service was great. Attentive but not hovering. Food was fast! Came out piping hot and fresh. Cons: really the only thing i have to echo is their prices are quite high. $6.95 for 2 egg rolls is a bit pricey for me especially since I can make the same homemade version. Their location is kinda hidden, so they really need to step up advertisements to get their name out. I imagine the rent here isn't cheap and running a restaurant in today's economy is TOUGH. The margins are so so very little, I'm sure if they could, they'd bring the prices down to keep the doors open.I really do hope they do well and will survive. I love the idea of a no hype, traditional vietnamese restaurant in the area. I'm definitely coming back and will try to do my part in supporting them!